Flight plans

[trap]

I bought fs9, when it first came out. I just installed it. I was more interested with combat flight. but it got old.
The problem is, I would like to fly a Cessna, across the US. I know I can't fly the whole way on one tank of fuel. I can get a starting point and a ending point. How can I plan air fields between, lets say JFK and LAX.
Bud

[Franky_4_Fingers]

You have to just take it one flight at a time. You don't have to exit you're flight at your destination, however. Just file a new flightplan with ATC each time you park your bird.

[trap]

Okay, I can just set down and pan in 500 mile leaps and then save them. My first leg is from Berwick to Pittsburg. Then the next leg. just go to flight planner and select next leg.  Thanx for the info.

[Nav]

trap, if you lean the mixture and keep the revs and boost down you should be able to get 800-1,000nms. out of the Cessna. But it's wise to start with a shorter leg, check actual consumption after you arrive, and use that as a basis for planning the later legs.

I'd suggest setting up a 'direct GPS' flightplan first of all and then mousing the courseline on the map over to VORs close to the route to give yourself some waypoints to navigate to - you can pick up VORs about 200 miles out, so you won't need many. Once you have the Flight Plan loaded, pressing 'Alt-F-N' will bring up a handy flight plan/log which will give you frequencies, times, distances etc. for reference during the flight.

Crossing the USA in the Cessna, the Rockies can be a problem, as the aeroplane won't go much above 12,000 feet. To get through them, I recommend that you use the 'air routes' on the FS Planner map - if you run the mouse over them they show the height required to follow them, with a bit of experimenting you can find VOR-to-VOR routes that stay at 12,000 or below.

The alternative is to head well south and fly via El Paso and Tucson to San Diego, the mountains are lower there.

[garymbuska]

Why not use the Mooney for the higher altitudes? After all that is what is for. Granted there is some big differances between the two air craft but not that many. In the real world one of the biggest differances is low wing versus high wing the way a long wing aircraft stalls is really different from that of a high wing. I started out in a cessna 50 and went to a piper arrow and the differances was really noticeable.

[BAW0343]

OH OH!!! Go through Tucson!!!  Land at KTUS, i know an approach ATC here and he will vector you right in. After you land ill show you some finer points of the southwest and send you on your way.  ;D  Sorry   I heard tucson and had to jump in  ;D  however Tucson and the lower rockies make for some nice flying and is very cessna friendly.