Crossing the USA MSFS 2024

I thought of a new idea, crossing the whole USA in several legs in a GA aircraft. Normally I fly the Cessna 172 but this will be a never ending story if I choose that plane to cross the USA. I picked a plane with double the cruising speed, the Cessna 208 Grand Caravan. As I like playing Microsoft Flight Simulator but already completed the career mode, I wanted to fly for a new goal.

YouTube Playlist

At the moment of writing, I’m still busy flying the legs, and uploading them to the YouTube playlist below when finished.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLT07ESNI-9YU

Hotspots

This table shows the hotspots which are great to visit:

Region	Hotspots
Alaska	Anchorage, Talkeetna, Denali, Fairbanks, Alaska Range, Alaska Highway
Yukon / British Columbia transit	Kluane Lake, St. Elias Mountains, Whitehorse, Inside Passage, Misty Fjords, Fraser Valley
Pacific Northwest / California Coast	Seattle, Puget Sound, Oregon Coast, Oregon Dunes, Redwoods, Mendocino, Sonoma, San Francisco
Sierra / Desert Southwest	Yosemite, Mammoth Lakes, Eastern Sierra, Death Valley, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Hoover Dam/Lake Mead
Canyon country	Grand Canyon, Lake Powell, Horseshoe Bend, Monument Valley, Four Corners, Arches, Canyonlands, Moab
Rockies / High Plains	Telluride, Gunnison, Aspen, Vail, Denver Front Range, Cheyenne, Nebraska Sandhills, Black Hills, Mount Rushmore, Badlands
Texas	Palo Duro Canyon, Lubbock/Caprock, Dallas, Waco, Austin, San Antonio, Hill Country, Houston/NASA
Gulf / Florida	Galveston, Louisiana wetlands, Baton Rouge, New Orleans, Gulf beaches, Mobile Bay, Pensacola, Panama City Beach, Forgotten Coast, Orlando, Palm Beach, Miami

Route

The route itself with all the airfields and estimated flight times with these parameters:

Plane: Cessna 208 Grand Caravan
Flying speed: ~ 160 knots
Altitude: ~ 2500ft AGL (above ground)

Leg	From	To	Departure field	Arrival field	Estimated flight time	Distance (NM)	Distance (km)
1	PANC	PATK	Anchorage	Talkeetna	00:26	68.9	127.6
2	PATK	PAIN	Talkeetna	McKinley National Park	00:34	90.7	168.0
3	PAIN	PAFA	McKinley National Park	Fairbanks	00:26	70.6	130.8
4	PAFA	PABI	Fairbanks	Allen AAF / Big Delta	00:28	74.1	137.2
5	PABI	PFTO	Allen AAF / Big Delta	Tok Junction	00:31	83.8	155.2
6	PFTO	PAOR	Tok Junction	Northway	00:13	35.5	65.7
7	PAOR	CYXQ	Northway	Beaver Creek	00:17	44.2	81.9
8	CYXQ	CYDB	Beaver Creek	Burwash	00:30	81.0	150.0
9	CYDB	CYHT	Burwash	Haines Junction	00:21	55.7	103.2
10	CYHT	CYXY	Haines Junction	Whitehorse	00:27	72.9	135.0
11	CYXY	PAGS	Whitehorse	Skagway	00:28	75.4	139.6
12	PAGS	PAJN	Skagway	Juneau	00:26	70.2	130.0
13	PAJN	PAPG	Juneau	Petersburg	00:40	107.0	198.2
14	PAPG	PAKT	Petersburg	Ketchikan	00:36	96.1	178.0
15	PAKT	CYPR	Ketchikan	Prince Rupert	00:29	77.8	144.1
16	CYPR	CYXT	Prince Rupert	Terrace	00:25	66.3	122.8
17	CYXT	CYYD	Terrace	Smithers	00:20	52.9	98.0
18	CYYD	CYPZ	Smithers	Burns Lake	00:19	50.6	93.7
19	CYPZ	CYXS	Burns Lake	Prince George	00:44	118.8	220.0
20	CYXS	CYWL	Prince George	Williams Lake	00:39	104.9	194.3
21	CYWL	CYKA	Williams Lake	Kamloops	00:40	107.4	198.9
22	CYKA	CYCW	Kamloops	Chilliwack	00:41	109.5	202.8
23	CYCW	CYXX	Chilliwack	Abbotsford	00:07	18.3	33.9
24	CYXX	CYYJ	Abbotsford	Victoria	00:18	47.8	88.5
25	CYYJ	KBFI	Victoria	Seattle Boeing Field	00:30	80.8	149.6
26	KBFI	KAST	Seattle Boeing Field	Astoria	00:39	104.8	194.1
27	KAST	KONP	Astoria	Newport Municipal	00:36	95.0	175.9
28	KONP	KOTH	Newport Municipal	North Bend/Coos Bay	00:26	70.3	130.2
29	KOTH	KCEC	North Bend/Coos Bay	Crescent City	00:37	98.3	182.1
30	KCEC	KACV	Crescent City	Arcata/Eureka	00:18	48.5	89.8
31	KACV	KFOT	Arcata/Eureka	Rohnerville/Fortuna	00:10	25.5	47.2
32	KFOT	KLLR	Rohnerville/Fortuna	Little River	00:30	79.5	147.2
33	KLLR	KSTS	Little River	Charles M. Schulz Sonoma County	00:24	63.1	116.9
34	KSTS	KHAF	Charles M. Schulz Sonoma County	Half Moon Bay	00:23	61.6	114.1
35	KHAF	KMPI	Half Moon Bay	Mariposa-Yosemite	00:44	117.2	217.1
36	KMPI	KMMH	Mariposa-Yosemite	Mammoth Yosemite	00:22	57.6	106.7
37	KMMH	O26	Mammoth Yosemite	Lone Pine	00:27	72.7	134.6
38	O26	KBFL	Lone Pine	Bakersfield	00:32	84.8	157.0
39	KBFL	KWJF	Bakersfield	Lancaster / Gen. Fox	00:22	58.5	108.3
40	KWJF	KVNY	Lancaster / Gen. Fox	Van Nuys	00:13	34.6	64.1
41	KVNY	KIYK	Van Nuys	Inyokern	00:35	92.9	172.1
42	KIYK	L06	Inyokern	Furnace Creek	00:28	73.8	136.7
43	L06	KHND	Furnace Creek	Henderson Exec.	00:26	69.3	128.3
44	KHND	1G4	Henderson Exec.	Grand Canyon West	00:24	64.0	118.5
45	1G4	KGCN	Grand Canyon West	Grand Canyon Natl Park	00:30	81.2	150.4
46	KGCN	KPGA	Grand Canyon Natl Park	Page Municipal	00:25	67.5	125.0
47	KPGA	UT25	Page Municipal	Monument Valley	00:22	60.1	111.3
48	UT25	KBDG	Monument Valley	Blanding Municipal	00:18	48.3	89.5
49	KBDG	KCNY	Blanding Municipal	Canyonlands Regional	00:27	71.5	132.4
50	KCNY	KTEX	Canyonlands Regional	Telluride Regional	00:37	99.3	183.9
51	KTEX	KGUC	Telluride Regional	Gunnison-Crested Butte	00:22	57.7	106.9
52	KGUC	KASE	Gunnison-Crested Butte	Aspen-Pitkin County	00:16	41.5	76.9
53	KASE	KEGE	Aspen-Pitkin County	Eagle County	00:10	25.3	46.9
54	KEGE	KAPA	Eagle County	Centennial	00:36	95.8	177.4
55	KAPA	KCYS	Centennial	Cheyenne	00:36	95.2	176.3
56	KCYS	KAIA	Cheyenne	Alliance Municipal	00:39	105.0	194.5
57	KAIA	KCUT	Alliance Municipal	Custer County	00:40	107.0	198.2
58	KCUT	KRAP	Custer County	Rapid City Regional	00:12	30.6	56.7
59	KRAP	KCDR	Rapid City Regional	Chadron Municipal	00:27	72.5	134.3
60	KCDR	KSNY	Chadron Municipal	Sidney Municipal	00:39	104.4	193.3
61	KSNY	KAKO	Sidney Municipal	Colorado Plains Regional	00:21	56.6	104.8
62	KAKO	KLIC	Colorado Plains Regional	Limon Municipal	00:22	57.8	107.0
63	KLIC	KLAA	Limon Municipal	Lamar Municipal	00:32	85.7	158.7
64	KLAA	KGUY	Lamar Municipal	Guymon Municipal	00:38	100.4	185.9
65	KGUY	KAMA	Guymon Municipal	Amarillo	00:33	88.5	163.9
66	KAMA	KPVW	Amarillo	Plainview/Hale County	00:24	63.1	116.9
67	KPVW	KLBB	Plainview/Hale County	Lubbock	00:12	30.7	56.9
68	KLBB	KSWW	Lubbock	Sweetwater / Avenger Field	00:37	99.1	183.5
69	KSWW	KABI	Sweetwater / Avenger Field	Abilene Regional	00:15	39.9	73.9
70	KABI	KMWL	Abilene Regional	Mineral Wells	00:32	85.0	157.4
71	KMWL	KADS	Mineral Wells	Addison	00:24	62.7	116.1
72	KADS	KACT	Addison	Waco Regional	00:32	83.9	155.4
73	KACT	KEDC	Waco Regional	Austin Executive	00:28	74.9	138.7
74	KEDC	KSAT	Austin Executive	San Antonio	00:26	70.0	129.6
75	KSAT	KBAZ	San Antonio	New Braunfels	00:09	24.6	45.6
76	KBAZ	KARM	New Braunfels	Wharton Regional	00:38	102.3	189.5
77	KARM	KEFD	Wharton Regional	Houston Ellington	00:21	56.2	104.1
78	KEFD	KGLS	Houston Ellington	Galveston	00:10	25.8	47.8
79	KGLS	KLCH	Galveston	Lake Charles	00:37	99.8	184.8
80	KLCH	KBTR	Lake Charles	Baton Rouge	00:41	110.2	204.1
81	KBTR	KNEW	Baton Rouge	New Orleans Lakefront	00:24	65.2	120.8
82	KNEW	KGPT	New Orleans Lakefront	Gulfport-Biloxi	00:20	54.3	100.6
83	KGPT	KMOB	Gulfport-Biloxi	Mobile Regional	00:17	46.0	85.2
84	KMOB	KPNS	Mobile Regional	Pensacola	00:21	56.1	103.9
85	KPNS	KECP	Pensacola	NW Florida Beaches	00:27	72.4	134.1
86	KECP	KAAF	NW Florida Beaches	Apalachicola	00:21	55.0	101.9
87	KAAF	KCTY	Apalachicola	Cross City	00:38	100.4	185.9
88	KCTY	KOCF	Cross City	Ocala	00:20	53.8	99.6
89	KOCF	KISM	Ocala	Kissimmee Gateway	00:25	67.3	124.6
90	KISM	KFPR	Kissimmee Gateway	Treasure Coast Intl	00:28	73.8	136.7
91	KFPR	KLNA	Treasure Coast Intl	Palm Beach County Park	00:21	56.4	104.5
92	KLNA	KTMB	Palm Beach County Park	Miami Executive	00:22	59.8	110.7

Map

A map of all those points mapped to give a simple overview: