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Following the Silk Road


tsmpaul

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I decided to do some flying in areas I haven't been to before, so I'm creating a series of flight plans that follow the ground journey of the Silk Road from ancient Constantinople in modern day Turkey (Istanbul) to the ancient capital of China, Xi'an. I'll be flying the journey in a biplane, low to take in the scenery, and following roads that follow the ancient Silk Road paths, using FSWidgets EFB so I have a map displaying the roads and flight plan, and stopping at nearby airports along the way to refuel. Today I left Constantinople, an area surrounded by lush green fields and trees and farmlands, and as I headed south, it slowly became a bit more arid. At my third airport stop along the way, I parked at a place called Balikesir (approaching it in the screenshot below).

 

I'm really impressed with the colours and textures of FTX Global as I fly through Eastern Europe, and am looking forward to watching the scenery change around me as I head into the Middle East and on into the Far East as I follow in the footsteps of ancient merchants along the Silk Road. I really wish the OpenLC Asia was out, because I imagine it would enhance a journey like this. If it comes out after I reach Xi'an, I might use it for the journey home, which follows a different route back to Constantinople.

 

 

11 Balikesir in NW Turkey.jpg

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1 hour ago, Jack Sawyer said:

What terrific idea!  I was just watching a YT about the Silk Road night before last.  It will be a great journey and I sure do hope you post to keep us up to date on your travels.

+1 -Jack , you better stick to the yellow brick one . :rolleyes::P:lol:

 

Cheers

 

John

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Just now, Jack Sawyer said:

I like the yellow brick road, well, because it's yellow.  But I never liked those flying monkeys when I was a kid, they creeped me out!  :o

 

 

Yep , those flying monkey's gave me a few nightmares also . Maybe why I like chasing tornado's so much is because a house fell on the "Witch of the East" . :angry::(:lol:

 

Cheers

 

John

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Okay, here's an update on my Silk Road Journey: after a couple of hours into my Silk Road flight plan, I was really, really disappointed - because even with FTX Global improving anll the textures, the default landclass for Turkey was terrible. Suddenly, in the middle of open plains, there were masses of hedge-lined, tree-lined fields, forests, and... deserts. Huge blobs of sand appearing all over the landscape! I was not happy. However, it was the push I needed, because OpenLC Europe covers all of Turkey. So I thought, why not try OpenLC Europe, and see if Turkey would get fixed. 

 

It did. All I can say is WOW, and I'll be reflying the last few hours of my journey just so I can see the new landclass as I pass through Turkey again. The screenshots below are before and after - before: trees and hedges everywhere, and large swathes of desertification appearing. After: now it looks right, and you can clearly see where the small town of Cardak is in the distance, on the left at the foot of the hills. I was amazed by the difference having a proper landclass made.

6 cardak default lc.jpg

6 cardak openlc.jpg

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