Now that Microsoft Flight Simulator is working for me again, I’m enjoying every minute of time that I can spend with it and I have some more flights that I’ve done recently that I want to share with everyone. The first is this very fun two stage cross country that I did with Carenado’s PA44 Seminole flying from the Gold Coast up to the Sunshine Coast – I almost feel like I’m on vacation! Let’s go.

Gold Coast up to Brisbane

I’ve had so much fun flying in the Gold Coast area that I picked up YSPT Southport Airport as one of my first scenery purchases in the area. A great little GA airport with a single runway, a series of hangars, and some fantastic details scattered all over the place. The taxiways are narrow and so is the runway so it presents a fun challenge to get in and out of… oh and its just a minute or two from the coast and the highly detailed photogrammetry detail of the Gold Coast. You’ll see me launching from here frequently.

Before I taxiied to the runway I got my PA44 all configured up and ready to go. I did have some trouble with the GPS and not being able to enter a destination – not sure if it was a bug or a known issue but I ended up flying it without a route.

On the taxi out, I passed one of the hangars which was open in this scenery. Inside I spotted the fuselage of a partially restored Spitfire complete with a person working on it. I love details like that!

Once up in the air I took in the sunset and the skyline of the Gold Coast including the famous Q1 tower. Then I turned north and headed for nearby Brisbane. As the sun set the lights started to come on and the detailed scenery of Brisbane, thanks to the free World Update 8: Australia scenery pack, really helped give the scene some life. Right down to the custom lighting on the Captain Cook Bridge. Cool!

Then I turned for YBAF Archerfield Airport. This is a municipal airport in the southern part of Brisbane and a logical stopover point for me with only a short flight time available.

Brisbane to the Sunshine Coast

The second leg of the journey saw me leave Archefield and Brisbane behind and venture further to the north to the supposedly sunny shores of the Sunshine Coast. In between I took in the beautiful clouds, rural agricultural zones, and some of the coastal towns and villages that dotted the area all the way up.

Smaller than the Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast is another vacation destination with the local tourism board describing sandy beaches, rainforests, waterways, and the like. Can you tell that my travel bug has been reinvigorated? Or maybe I just want winter to end. Either way, this was the smallest antidote to everything going on.

Turning in for a landing, I brought the PA44 in for a landing at YBSU Sunshine Coast Airport. In these screenshots you’ll see the default airport as it comes in Microsoft Flight Simulator but I have since gone ahead and taken advantage of the current Orbx sale to purchase the scenery package for YBSU. Look for that in a future flight journal as I fly around the area. I can’t wait and I hope you’ve enjoyed the tour as I much as I have.