Exploring Orbx TE US Washington - Mt. Baker, Olympic park, Tacoma

[flavik]

Hi all,

 

I´ve been lucky to spend some time during the weekend exploring the excellent Orbx rendition of Pacific Northwest. Thought I´d share my experience with you. The only post-editing I´ve done is to alter the aspect ratio on some of the photos (from my default 21:9 to 16:9). 

 

This is the first of a series of posts showcasing Orbx TE Washington and Oregon for X-plane 11. Enjoy!

 

I took off from Spokane in the dim morning light and headed west, following Spokane river. I then followed Columbia river up north to the Canadian border. As light grew stronger, the mountains revealed themselves in all their glory. 

 

The first photo shows some of the mountainous region near the border (close to North Cascades, I believe). 

 

 

Mt. Baker holds a prominent presence over Baker lake. 

 

 

Following Skagit river out west to the coast:

 

 

Here I´m circling over Anacortes airport. 

 

 

Entering Olympic national park from the northeast. I had great fun low-flying over the narrow valley shaped by Elwha river. 

 

 

Turboprop performance really showed its usefulness as I needed to make a steep climb towards the snow-capped peaks in the center of the park. 

 

 

I then descended down another valley bringing me east towards Hood canal. 

 

 

 

Here I believe I´m approaching Twanoh state park and Mason lake, heading southeast.

 

 

Just look at that detailed rendition of the wastewater plant and golf course! (Chambers Bay). 

 

 

Approaching Tacoma from the south. Again the details! Autogen houses, trees, roads and highways blend in almost seamlessly with the underlying orthoimagery. Comparing with Google Maps, Concordia Christian Academy and Stewart Heights skatepark can be easily identified at the bottom of the picture 

 

 

Heading northwest over Commencement Bay with Tacoma CDB middle-right in the picture. And of course - Mt. Rainier in the distant background. 

 

 

Instead of an easy instrument approach into SeaTac I decided to give myself a challenge. Lately I´ve grown very fond of spotting tiny rural strips and planning an (often semi-hazardous!) approach. Hence, my final destination for this trip became the grass strip of Vashon municipal airport on Vashon island just north of Tacoma  Seattle CBD can be seen in the far distance. 

 

 

Cheers, and stay tuned for more,

flavik

 

 

 

 

[lifejogger]

Thanks for the tour, your shots and narrative were excellent.

[flavik]

8 minutes ago, lifejogger said:

Thanks for the tour, your shots and narrative were excellent.

 

Thanks a lot John - I´m having a blast with these sceneries! After 25+ years of flight simming, VFR flying has taken on a new meaning  Visual navigation aided by VORs, entering the traffic pattern at remote airports, approach planning taking nearby obstacles and meteorological factors into consideration... its getting closer and closer to the “real deal”. Without the hassle of handling ATC and airspace rules 

[Iain Emms]

Grand set of shots.

cheers

Iain

[BradB]

Wow - These shots look amazing Flavik !! .

 

Cheers

 

John

[flavik]

1 hour ago, Iain Emms said:

Grand set of shots.

cheers

Iain

 

Thanks for watching Iain 

 

28 minutes ago, BradB said:

Wow - These shots look amazing Flavik !! .

 

Cheers

 

John

 

Much appreciated John!

 

Those turboprops certainly provide enough speed and climb rate for getting around quickly - but getting into those smaller strips is somewhat challenging  Need something slower. Any suggestions?

[Jack Sawyer]

Awesome flight with perfect narration.  I really love posts like these.

[flavik]

33 minutes ago, Jack Sawyer said:

Awesome flight with perfect narration.  I really love posts like these.

 

Thanks Jack!

[BradB]

2 hours ago, flavik said:

 

Thanks for watching Iain 

 

 

Much appreciated John!

 

Those turboprops certainly provide enough speed and climb rate for getting around quickly - but getting into those smaller strips is somewhat challenging  Need something slower. Any suggestions?

MilViz DHC-3T Turbo Otter (for X-Plane 11) .

 

John