Missouri Simulator Tour-Finishing up the Bootheel
Previous leg: Caruthersville to New Madrid
The journey so far
For those of you just tuning in, the mission underway is virtually visiting every county seat in Missouri. There are 114 counties in the state. The journey has just begun. So far flight simulator has taken us the three counties in the Bootheel. Today was day four. We completed the Bootheel portion of the trip by visiting three more southeast Missouri counties. Unlike our previous legs, we did not visit any actual county seats. The airports visited today were each as close as it was possible to get.
Why do something so utterly silly as record flights taken in a virtual airplane? Good question. First, I am seeking to commemorate an actual statewide court house tour taken by grandpa when he was young. Second, time in the flight sim helps me rehearse procedures and navigational skills in between my real-world flight lessons. However, most important is the fact that simming is simply good fun and stress relief at the end of a busy day. Sharing the journey publicly is intended to encourage others to give this hobby a try themselves.
Wrapping up the Bootheel
By February standards, the weather was absolutely perfect as I left New Madrid (KEIW). Temperatures were in the mid-forties, winds were from the northeast at 9 kts and the sky was a perfect blue. It was a good day for flying. The fourth leg of the trip began with a short hop to the northeast. As I took off it was a lot of fun to look to the right of the plane and watch the virtual sun come up over the Mississippi River. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the Noranda Aluminum plant was accurately modeled on the default FSX scenery. The plant has been one of the bedrocks of the local economy for many decades. Sadly, the plant is going to be facing layoffs and the people of the area are already being forced to adapt.
Fifteen minutes later I arrived at the Mississippi County Regional Airport (KCHQ) which is halfway between East Prairie and Charleston. After a quick touch and go I turned to the west for a brief hop to Sikeston. Again the FSX scenery showed a clear representation of the largest local employer, a state penitentiary just south of Charleston.
Sikeston (KSIK), in Scott County, provided the easiest touch and go of the day because the wind was coming directly down runway 02. It was also an easy airport to find being right at the intersection of Interstate 55 and US-60. Four lane highways make great landmarks. Of aviation interest is the fact that Sikeston was home to a primary flight training school during World War II. Many of the pilots who trained at Sikeston eventually ended up taking basic training (which actually meant “intermediate”) in at the Malden Air Base I flew over on day one.
Crossing the Sweet Tea Line
Coming north out of Sikeston I could clearly make out the Benton hill on I-55. The Benton Hill is a local landmark that is the unofficial dividing line between the Bootheel and the rest of Missouri. This dividing line is as much cultural as it is topographic. To the north is the Midwest, to the south is Delta cotton country. Some of our local friends refer to this as the “sweet tea line.” The Benton Hill is part of Crowley’s Ridge which runs over 100 miles from Cape Girardeau to Jonesboro, Arkansas. Thousands of years ago Crowley’s Ridge was the bluff overlooking the Mississippi River. It reminds me a lot of the Loess Hills of western Iowa where I grew up. It contains the same kind of soil and was formed in essentially the same manner.
The final destination of the day was Cape Girardeau (KCGI), the namesake of Cape Girardeau County. Cape Girardeau was also the first time I have encountered other air traffic on this tour. As I was approaching the airport a Piper Cherokee took off and headed south. Fortunately, Cape Girardeau was also the first tower controlled airport of the trip so we knew about each other in plenty of time.
The only disappointment of the day came upon landing. Because Cape is a regular real-world airport stop for me, I had downloaded a new scenery package for the surrounding area. Unfortunately, I apparently did not install it correctly and there were absolutely no airport buildings in sight. The virtual passengers appeared and disappeared into thin air as they left the ramp and walked into what should have been the terminal building. Hopefully I will be able to figure what went wrong before the next leg of my trip.
Flight details: 52 NM and .9 hours
Route: KEIW-KCHQ-KSIK-KCGI
Next leg: Cape Girardeau to Marble Hill (first unpaved airport of the trip)
