Following our friend and long-time collaborator Peter Gibbs passing away recently, this week’s group flight will see us re-visit a flight Peter put together back in 2025. Along the way we’ll remember Peter, tell stories, and recall the many outstanding flights he put together for the community over the years.

The flight will be from Vauville in France to the Channel Islands and Mont Saint-Michel - stopping at Jersey for a break, and ending at the club house at Le Val St Pere.

When

• Sunday 23rd August 2026

• Departure will be at 19:00 UTC / 20:00 BST - please arrive a few minutes before.

• Visit the VirtualFlight.Online Discord server to take part

Flight plan

• LFAU Vauville - Departure

  • outbound track - 288 deg, 15.8nm

• EGJA Alderney - touch & go

  • outbound track - 223 deg, 22nm

• EGJB Guernsey - touch & go

  • outbound track - 130 deg, 21nm

• EGJJ Jersey – full stop - tea break

  • outbound track - 128 deg, 32nm

• LFRF Granville – touch & go

  • outbound track - 229 deg, 27nm

• LFRD Pieurtuit St Malo - touch & go

  • outbound track - 82 deg, 23nm

• Mont Saint-Michel

  • outbound track - 69 deg, 4.4nm

• LFRW Le Val St Pere – destination (parking up at the club house)

Approx. 145 n.miles

Tips for the group flight

• Weather: live weather if possible (mostly to help with choosing runways en-route)

• Time (in the simulator): 10am

• Circuits: To help with order and separation, please use a left-hand circuit unless geography requires otherwise.

• Suggested Aircraft: any aircraft capable of 120 knots or more in cruise to complete the flight in a timely manner.

• Multi-player: We always use the SOUTH-EAST ASIA multi-player server in Flight Simulator.

• Push to talk: We always use ‘push to talk’ on the events-chat discord channels.

Most pilots will be using Flight Simulator 2024 and should be able to see each other if configured appropriately (see checklist later). If you are using 2020, you will see others in 2020 if configured appropriately.

Rules and Guidelines

• All pilots must be at least 16 years old

• If joining the Discord server for voice communications during the flight, conversation must remain family friendly, respectful, and not stray into subjects that might offend such as adult jokes, politics, religion, racism, or hate-speech - saying “anyway, we’re not allowed to say that” is not an excuse.

• Try to stay with the group! If the group is becoming stretched, loop back and join the rear of the group.

• Try to stay online until everybody has landed at the final airfield if you can - it’s very dispiriting for the last few pilots to arrive at an empty airfield.

Possible route:

KLAX/24L N0443F350 OSHNN1 BEALE J146 DICEE DCT ETL DCT KTEX/09 SID from RW 24L is OSHNN1 No STAR at destination, use RNAV Z into RW09 with transition HAVWU Add on for KTEX (as well for MSFS 2020 and 2024):

https://flightsim.to/addon/93819/ktex-telluride-regional-airport-enhanced See you in the air!

Flight Cancelled owing to clash with VFO please join VFO for flight into Brazil.

Suggested route:

EGTE EGWK EGGI EGDC EGIA EGJV NQY EGHY EGTM EGDR EGDO PH LND EGHC EGHE

167 mi - 269 km

Use the South East Asia Server in MSFS

Tresco to the right, to the left is Bryher

Tuesday I will fly from Okinawa Airport in Japan to Kaoshiung International in Taiwan.

Feel free to join me!

Departure between 19h30 and 20h00 BST. I will do ATC for the 2nd time. Practice makes experience!

Suggested Route :

RODN/05R N0475F340 DCT NHC V91 MJC R595 APU B1 ANLOT W4 TNN TNN1M RCKH/27 SID for RW 05R: JILEE4 STAR for RW 27: TNN1M RNAV with transition FORKY See you in the air!!!

Pula

Planned route (566nm - 911km):

SID - PEVA1W Runway to be decided

PEVAL VESAL UNIMI L12 MOGTI P66 KPT L608 SUNEG LIRSU L608 BATTY

STAR - BATY5A Runway to be decided

Take off about 7.45 ish pm BST

Feel free to join me for the flight. Departure between 19h30 and 20h00 BST. Weather permitting.

Suggested Route:

VVNB/11R N0454F380 MC3B MC R474 CMP W21 NOBER NAKO3A VTBD/21R For departure using the SID MC3B from RW 11R. For arrival using the STAR NAKO3A (transition NOBER) with ILS Z into RW 21R. See you in the air!

559 miles - 900 km

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Marc

Possible route

MPTO MP6L5 FNC RHT STG MPDA

237 miles - 382 Km

Take off about 7.30 pm BST

Share

256 miles 412km Take off from Minangkabau in Riau just a little south of North Sumatra to Changi in Singapore south of Malaysia. A fast GA aircraft would be preferred for this flight. Take off will be 7.30pm-7.45pm BST

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To join the VirtualFlight.Online discord server if you have not already, click the link below: https://discord.com/invite/kM6ktr3PuA

VirtualFlight.Online

224 Online

2,589 Members

Est. Sep 2020

A welcoming, inclusive, supportive community of Microsoft Flight Simulator enthusiasts with regular meetups and events.

I will be online from about 7.15pm BST on Discord MyAir Server. With the aim to be landing at Tokyo about 9.45pm BST Do come and join me. I need to test my computer because of the reinstall of Windows 11.

A flight out of Capetown FACT to George FAGG. Any one interested in doing the GA flight I first planned for Sunday but Cancelled owing to Jonathan planning a better flight on VirtualFlight.Online. I'll be about using the Myair Discord Server from 7.15 pm BST here is that flight plan taking off from Cape Town FACT

FACT R170 CDV GETEN ESRUK APKAP GEI20 FAGG.

Take off about 7.30pm - 7.45pm BST

Something better is on the cards.

Jonathan has planned a flight and will have a special guest he met at FlightSimExpo26 online with us all. here is the planned flight link

https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#inbox/WhctKLcFCqBSFBhHKVqgWRlPXszsfSkRFwjpgjMmnKPhhjDcjLtmQvlmzvmqjjFpLXmZZjQ

Sunday GA Group Flight LFKD Sollieres Sardieres to LOWI Innsbruck. It's 224 miles 365 Km so a fastish GA aircraft would be preferable. Take off about 7.45 pm BST.

There is no planned route and no ATC so fly anywhere you wish as long as you get to Innsbruck. :)

Innsbruck

Do come and join us.

Rimini

Subject to real world weather - FL EVENS

Depart

LIPR RWY 12 using SID EKTU6S

Rimini blends Adriatic sunshine with a lively, slightly retro seaside charm. Its broad beaches, warm shallows and endless promenade feel timeless, while Roman ruins and Fellini nostalgia add depth. Summer nights buzz with bars and gelato stands. It’s cheerful, busy, and built for uncomplicated holiday pleasure. On the other hand, Ibiza mixes Balearic beauty with a magnetic, hedonistic pulse. Pine fringed coves and turquoise water soften the island’s reputation for superclubs and sunrise parties. Inland villages feel timeless.

Ibiza

Arrive

LEIB RWY 06 using STAR POS5V

While Ibiza Town blends history and glamour. It’s an island of contrasts—restful by day, electric by night, always unforgettable.

Possible Route – LIPR/12 N0448F370 EKTU6S EKTUK DCT PIDAD DCT TALEP DCT RARQU DCT BALEN/N0441F330 DCT SORAS N850 POS POS5V LEIB/06

Yes a MyAir Group Flight with No ATC. So a chance for newcomers to come and join us and enjoy a flight without the fear of doing anything wrong and get some idea of what fun can be had in joining a group flight. Just to make sure our Discord server is https://discord.gg/AHA7vszW incase you didn’t know where to join us. We will take off about 7.45pm - 8.00pm

Suggested Route

There is no SID

CYYC MAXEN PERNA ARC08 KAVTA YDC KSLE

This route takes us over the top of Mt St Helens the famous volcano that erupted in 1980.

Arrival runway depending no weather change will be RWY 31 STAR GLORR. ILSZ 31

564 miles - 907 Km

Stranger in a Strange Land

I discovered a city filled with thoughtful, kind, and welcoming people that not only had time for me, but embraced me in ways I never expected.

The flight to America was *long* - stretching beyond nine hours as the plane few through 120 knot headwinds for much of the journey. I watched the first few episodes of “Severance” while passing the time - aided by paper cups filled with wine by the passing cabin crew.

I made friends with a pretty blonde lady sitting next to me - travelling back to Minnesota for a wedding after spending nearly twenty years living in London. As descent started, she looked scared to death so I offered my hand to grab. While descending I showed her the live aviation charts on my iPad (because I can do things like that) - reasoning that showing her where the storms were, and that we were deliberately avoiding them, might help. I think it did - although she did shake her head in incredulity that I could be so relaxed and calm.

Arriving in St Paul was made interesting by the police that met me first in passport control, and then in customs - asking where I was going, what I was visiting for, who I was working for, and so on. It turns out explaining to security staff with no sense of humour that you fly pretend aeroplanes for a hobby is really quite awkward.

After jumping in a cab, and gazing out the window at the freeway along the way - taking everything in - I arrived in St Paul and found myself agog at just about everything, and everybody.

Before I knew it we pulled up outside the hotel - a remarkable old building nestled among 1950s brick-built high-rise buildings on all sides. Originally known as “St Agatha’s Conservatory” in the late 1800s, before turning into a convent and arts academy through to the 1960s. It was *wonderful* - a peaceful, but somehow happy and hopeful place. There was a real sense of the nuns that once graced it’s halls - and traces of their past - with stone flags on the stairs polished smooth over the decades.

After dropping my bags I set out for something to eat, and happened upon a nearby sports bar with huge wrap-around TV screens, and a small army of girls running the tables. I couldn’t resist ordering their house special burger (a “Juicy Lucy”), and a beer.

I sat for a while - people watching, and noticing all the small differences between this world and my own. They were countless.

In the morning I had time to explore a little before the expo opened, so wandered toward the centre of the city of St Paul - spotting a huge regency style building towering over immaculate lawns. I couldn’t resist walking towards it - although along the way I began to notice how few people or cars there were around. I think St Paul may be the quietest, sleepiest city I’ve ever visited. It was weird - unnatural - almost like everybody had evacuated.

After reaching the towering staircases, and colonnaded exterior I realised I was looking at the state capitol buildings - and entering removed all doubt - with sweeping marble staircases, huge paintings of the civil war, and bronze busts of famous faces from the past wherever you looked.

I took SO many photos.

Along the way I noticed flags hanging in a side room, flanked by armed security, and stopped to peer through the doorway - as discreetly as possible. Before I knew it, I was being beckoned in for a better look. And that’s when I saw the name-plate and realised I was standing outside the office door of Tim Walz - governor of the state of Minnesota - the man who ran for the presidency with Kamala Harris. And he was in there.

Star struck wasn’t quite the word.

Time marched on, and I realised I had to get back to the River Center - so made my way back to the Mississippi, and without knowing it my last moments of anonymity.

A few minutes later my name was hanging around my neck via a lanyard, and I found myself sitting a coffee while a retired air force pilot emptied his life-story on me. He was kind of wonderful - charming, humble, thoughtful - and his stories were the stuff of adventure books. We almost missed the opening of the show.

To say I was nervous was an understatement. Given that this “hobby” of mine had brought me from the other side of the world to stand on a stage and talk to people following my path is still very, very surreal - but not as mad as what happened next.

People recognised me.

While sitting through the keynote presentations in the main hall, I noticed people looking in my direction from time to time, but didn’t want to admit to myself that they knew who I was - how could they? I’m just that guy that sits in the back-room at home, pretending to fly aeroplanes...

After the keynotes finished, the doors to the main expo hall were opened to the attendees for an early look at the various stands, and to meet and greet with the staff of companies present. I made me way through the crowds towards the vendors that had invited me - to introduce myself - to meet them - and find out what might be required of me throughout the weekend.

Suddenly the CEO of one of the companies turned, and shouted “JONATHAN BECKETT!” - striding towards me with a huge grin to shake my hand. A very familiar Irish voice then boomed out nearby “JONATHAN BECKETT!”, followed by its owner - a very familiar and famous YouTube personality - who arrived for a bear-hug.

It got weirder.

After smiling so much my face hurt, and making my excuses to escape being the centre of attention, I wandered over towards Microsoft, and spotted the head of both their Flight Simulator project, and the technical director of their development partner, Asobo.

I wasn’t expecting Jorg - the head of Flight Simulator to turn around, hold out his hand, and say “Hello Jonathan!”. I was in the middle of introducing myself when he cut in “of course we know who you are - we follow you!”.

I must have been stood there smiling like I had a coat-hangar in my mouth.

Moments later another very well known content creator crossed my path, and got his wife to take a picture of us together.

The rest of the weekend was much of the same. While walking the show floor, taking photos, or recording videos, random strangers kept politely accosting me - pointing at my badge, and saying words to the effect of “is it really you?” - “I’ve been following you for years!”.

The kindness, good will, and generosity I experienced throughout the weekend was life changing in a way.

I sat in the concessions area with a burger and a huge bottle of water at one point on Saturday, and before I knew it had drawn a small crowd of strangers - most of which “knew” me. I’ll never get used to that.

Like I said - the smiles, and goodwill were the thing I will never forget.

I ended up doing two stints on stage during the show - talking to audiences firstly about becoming a “content creator” in my spare time, and about my experiences at the show - given that it was my first.

I couldn’t help thanking the entire crowd for welcoming me - making me feel welcome - like one of their own - and for supporting me. When leaving the stage, a stream of people came up to take selfies, and shake hands - I ran out of conversation and just smiled.

So many of the interactions will stay with me - from the towering black guy who quietly waited before coming up to shake my hand with the best smile, to the nervous fellow brit that found me in the crowd, and struggled get over himself - I hope he realised I was as nervous as him.

While wrapping up and saying my goodbyes, the CEO of the company I was really there to support took me to one side and thanked me for coming - saying that it meant the world to have internet “Rockstars” on the stage. In a self deprecating way I’m probably too good at, I dismissed his comment - and he laughed - “you really don’t realise do you - in this world you are a Rockstar!”.

Hardly - but it’s a comment I’ll never forget :)

After the show on Saturday evening I went out for dinner, and pulled on an England shirt - given that the World Cup was being shown everywhere. The England shirt somehow attracted conversation from all corners of the bar - with one particular guy stopping to have the best conversation about football (soccer) with me. I wonder if he realised I know almost nothing about football?

And then later - while leaving the bar - I had quite the most bizarre interaction with anybody in my entire life. An African guy, with quite a distinct accent asked about the England shirt - and asked where I was from. I said “near Oxford originally”, and he said “where near Oxford” - I told him the name of the town I grew up, and his mouth fell open. “I used to work there - in a small restaurant!”

You can’t make it up.

The other story of the weekend was a last minute plan that fell together to meet a friend I’ve known for years - over twelve years - on the internet. She flew in from Portland, and we met up in the city.

It’s the weirdest thing - meeting people you’ve known for a long time but never met. While sitting in Rice Park in the middle of St Paul, we both remarked about the easy conversation, and how it seemed like we might have been sitting there only yesterday - or every day - together. I guess once you’ve known somebody long enough - there are no filters - no secrets - no closed books - you really do *know* each other - and it was kind of wonderful.

I’m so glad she made it - that we had time together. She listened intently about the show, and even tagged along when I was called back for the second Q&A session.

While having dinner together, she commented about “badgers” (her name for the expo attendees that were still wearing their badges) looking at me from the other end of the bar, and laughed at my apparent blindness to such things.

She also ribbed me mercilessly about a middle-aged woman that walked past us in the street. I was busy talking about something or other - and of course have a very “Hugh Grant” kind of English accent. The middle aged woman noticed, and apparently “gazed at me” as I passed. I thought those stories were made up - about American women and English accents - apparently not.

We travelled to the airport together late in the evening, and watched the “futbol” together. She educated me - she’s from Ecuador. Her flight left shortly before mine, so we hugged and said goodbyes before joining the queues, passports in hand.

The flight home on Sunday night through to Monday morning couldn’t have been more different than the flight to America. I was squashed onto the end of a row by a small asian man that insisted on man-spreading as far as possible, holding his elbows out as far as possible, talking on the phone throughout the entire safety briefing, and then coughing and sneezing repeatedly without covering his mouth or nose.

We won’t talk about him pulling his bag out of the overhead compartment while the plane was preparing to taxi to fetch a power bank either. I let him get up - I don’t think the cabin crew were pleased with him at all. A pretty girl sitting in the row in front gazed at him, then me shook her head slowly at me. I grinned, and she rolled her eyes.

I slept for part of the flight - with my head wedged against the display screen on the back of the seat in front of me. It was the only place I could go.

After making my way through Heathrow Airport I was dead on my feet, so chose the easiest and most expensive option - a taxi all the way home. Not even an Uber (which would have been half the price, but required a walk across the airport to find). I think the driver thought he had hit the jackpot.

So. Next year the expo will be in Las Vegas. I wonder if I’ll go? I wonder if I’ll like it as much as St Paul? There was something wonderful about St Paul. It confounded just about every expectation I had about America - and that I know others sometime share. In a world where the media is filled with abrasive, aggressive, loud, extrovert, capitalism obsessed mouthpieces, I discovered the story the media tells isn’t the whole story at all - not even a small part of it.

I discovered a city filled with thoughtful, kind, and welcoming people that not only had time for me, but embraced me in ways I never expected - from the waiting staff in restaurants and bars, to the strangers I met in them, to the countless show attendees that reached out just to say hello, and the friend that flew half the way across the country to spend the day with me.

Unforgettable.

Jonathan Beckett

Dushanbe International Airport (IATA: DYU, ICAO: UTDD) is an international airport in Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan. It is the main hub for Somon Air and is the home base for Tajik Air, which also has its headquarters on the property.

History

On 7 September 1992, during the first months of the Tajikistani Civil War, President Rahmon Nabiyev and an entourage of his were on their way to the airport when they were ambushed by opposition forces. At the terminal, Nabiyev was forced to resign, practically at gunpoint, after a meeting and discussions with the armed opposition in the VIP lounge, before being released. Tanks and troops were reportedly stationed at the terminal during the whole ordeal.

A new French-built terminal, which can serve 1.5 million passengers a year, was opened on 3 September 2014.

Murghab Tajikistan

Murghab Airport (ICAO: TJ-UT44, FAA: UT44) is a small, high-altitude airport located in the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region of Tajikistan. Situated at an elevation of 11,962 feet, it acts as a strategic waypoint in the high Pamir Mountains and is a popular destination for rugged bush flights.Key Airport InformationCoordinates: Latitude 38.1904° N, Longitude 74.0247° E.Elevation: 11,962 feet (3,646 meters).

Suggested Route

UTDD JD EGPAN POMIR UT44

250 miles - 403 km

Take off at Dushanbe 7.30pm - 7.45pm ish BST. Choose an aircraft that can cope at altitude.

ESIB depart RWY 01

Satenas AB

Sätenäs feels defined by its wide open skies, lakeshore stillness and the quiet presence of the nearby air base. It’s a small, orderly Swedish settlement with crisp light, forest edges and a calm, uncluttered rhythm. The landscape does most of the talking, giving the place a spacious, understated charm.

Inverness EGPE

EGPE expect arrival RWY 23 using APP ILS FF23

Inverness feels like the Highlands in miniature: river reflections, castle views and crisp northern light. The city blends gentle bustle with wild edges, where lochs, forests and legends sit just beyond the streets. Warm pubs, waterfront walks and a calm, compact centre make it an inviting gateway to Scotland’s dramatic landscapes.

Suggested route:

ESIB/01 N0496F400 DCT SABAK L617 REPKU DCT VAVET M609 SVA M604 LANTI DCT MITSI DCT PEPIN DCT SUM DCT ADN DCT RIMOL DCT EGPE/23

MyAir Group Flight Bulls Eye Arrival time at KATL is expected from and about 21.30pm BST

Since 1998, Hartsfield–Jackson has been the world's busiest airport by passenger traffic, In 2024, Hartsfield–Jackson served 108.1 million passengers, the most of any airport in the world. Hartsfield–Jackson is the primary hub of Delta Air Lines, and it is home to the airline's corporate headquarters. With just over 1,000 flights a day to 225 domestic and international destinations, the Delta hub is the world's largest airline hub, and it is considered the first mega-hub in America. Additionally, Hartsfield–Jackson is the home of Delta's Technical Operations Center, which is the airline's primary maintenance, repair and overhaul arm. Aside from Delta, Hartsfield–Jackson is also an operating base for low-cost carriers Frontier Airlines, and Southwest Airlines. The airport offers international service to North America, Latin America, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and East Asia.