It was another beautiful day on the Northern island. We had the opportunity to fly into Hobbiton, land on two seperate volcanic peaks and see Hells Gate steam vents in Rotorua. We're camping out tonight but for Day 161 well be back in luxury as we arrive in Wellington.

Other than the wind and a few clouds the flight was great. Scenic views as we made our way down the west coast of New Zealand's north island. We're positioned in Raglan for a few days and then off to see some pretty cool spots inland. Get some rest because there is still lots to see.

Weather was really pretty good today leaving Auckland. Made our way up to the northwest for a stop in Kaitaia. We visited a couple of off airport spots to keep the guys on their toes. We'll be planning to head south past Auckland as we continue to explore New Zealand.

Canberra to Sydney was a nice flight. Plenty of mountainous terrain and great airports. After we tucked out airplanes away a chartered An225 picked up out aircraft for a flight across the open ocean to Auckland, New Zealand. From there we begin our long awaited exploration of this rugged countryside. 

After a relatively uneventful crossing and some ridiculous winds we made it to  Snowy Range Airfield. Gippsland area is quite spectacular with a big variety of outdoor activities to enjoy.  Off to Canberra next for some fresh hotel sheets and a shower.

After a nice tour of the hilly areas of the south east we managed to find our way to Canberra. Capital Hill told us to piss off and we finally landed in Canberra for the night. Don't rest too long we've got to get to Sydney!

We certainly had a wakeup call on this one. Heavy crosswinds that likely exceeded most of the specs we landed on some of the most challenging strips in a while. hopefully everyone got the cobwebs off and banged the dents out of their machines. hopefully the next one doesn't eat us alive.

Shot flight on Day 153. We crossed west to east in southern Tasmania. Hobart gave us a mometary glimpse of civilization. We're tucked in at Lagoon Bay for some surfing. Then giong north on our last day of flightsin Tasmania.

Another successful flight in Tasmania. We're in one of the most remote parts of Tasmania; Bathurst Harbour. No roads in here. Boats or planes is the only option. We're going to head out on the water, get a good nights rest and be off on our next adventure.

Today was a water crossing to the shores of Tasmania. We've arrived in Smithton and are planning a little stay before launching further south. In flight entertainment helped us pass the time on the crossing, which we've found is almost necessary to pass the dreaded monotony of endless miles of ocean.

Things went from bad to worse on the flight around Melbourne. After a mid route aircraft change, CarbonProp decided that flying the much more wild Bell 206 would be a great idea. After bending metal for a good chunk of the flight he has decided he is better off never being given control of a helicopter again.

Nice easy coastal flight tonight. A few of us mixed it up tonight and flew choppers. We're getting ready for Day 150. It will be a little different event. Helicopters are highly encouraged. We'll be exploring Melbourne's city core trying our hand at some challenging vertical landings.

Things got strange again as the boys decided we needed Ai generated songs lyrics and a story by Dr. Suess. The south coast of Australia is stunning and keeps us wanting to see more. Next leg takes us just on the outskirts of Melbourne before we tackle an afternoon of helicopters.

Finally in Adelaide just in time to leave again. The coast line is quite spectacular around here and the terrain is inviting our planes to practice unlimited touch and goes in the hillsides. Get packed because there isn't time to relax. 

Well we didn't quite make it to Adelaide as planned for the holidays. But we did stay at a Holiday Inn Express. We had an extended stay in Port Lincoln and are gearing up for Adelaide on our fist flight of 2023!

Since arriving in Darwin it's been hundreds of miles of desolate outback. We visited Alice Springs, saw Ayers Rock and are well overdue for a change of scenery. Arriving on the Southern coast of Australia in Ceduna we caught our first glimpse of the famous shorlines. Rest up so you can enjoy tomorrow.

This project of flying around the world is no small feat. The people who join us week after week are the core of what keeps this project going. Showing up for sometimes exciting and likely many more mundane flights across open spaces we may never otherwise see. We've crossed more than half the planet and seen so many parts of this place we call home. Thanks to all of you who continue to support this community effort to do something so spectacular! Happy, healthy and prosperous year to all of you!

One last pass of Ayers Rock and an many more miles of desolate backcountry. We made it to the village of Mintabie. Now a ghost town and former opal mining area. We're camping under our wings and will be on our way further south for the coast. 

We made it into Ayers Rock today after a rough ride. Winds were strong and I think everyone is happy to have their feet firmly planted back on the ground. We're heading further south soon and will continue to long journey through the Outback of Australia. 

After a few days of mostly featureless Outback we made it to some interesting features on our way to Alice Springs. The terrain seems to get a little more red the further we fly. We've been lucky with the weather so far and hope it stays that way as we make our way to Ayers Rock. 

Too bad your GPS and NAVAID equipment failed. Tracking across a couple hunder miles of the ourback wasn't that bad. We're safely sitting in Pine Hills and need one more flight before getting to Alice springs and getting this equipment fixed.

The outback can be a pretty featureless place. Our trek further south left us in a small oasis just south of the Granites. The hard part comes next as we've lost GPS and VOR radios. The long trip closer to Alice Springs could be deadly for some.

After the release of MSFS 40th Anniversary it seems like many of us strayed off the path and ditched out XCubs for some old school bush planes. We're all very thrilled with the update and can't wait for the next!

Pretty easy flight on day 137. Departed Darwin and finished off at Bradshaw. Stopped off to pick up a firefighter and took them to the front line of a bush fire. Bradshaw airport has got a pretty incredible approach tucked up against the cliffs. Very scenic stop before the next flight.

We hammered our way across the channel to Darwin, NT, Australia. In flight entertainment kept things moving along on our 200NM crossing to the northern coast. After a quick stop in Bathurst we made the last leg into Darwin. A little foolishness as we finally hit civilization. then time for a rest before the great crossing. Congratulations to all of you who have stuck it out. Now on to the next.

Today was the last skip across Indonesia before making the water crossing to the North coast of Australia. It was a pretty chill flight. Everyone finished and left for bed before Jer and Carbon made it down. As we continued the boys decided to watch some in flight entertainment. So fascinating in fact that Carbon crashed short final while watching. Bad news for him as the damage is irreparable. But at least no one saw tje final result.

We're on the push for the jump across to Australia. Day 134 brought us to Kisar Island. From here on out the size and number of islands dwindles and will leave us little option for turn backs or alternates. Let's hope the weather and wind cooperates.

Island hoping continues as we complete our run across Indonesia . It's a fascinating landscape of forest, beaches and volcanoes. We are camping in Gewayantana for the night and continuing east to get to our ocean crossing to Australia.

This flight included some of the most spectacular volcanos we have seen to date in MSFS. As we continue eastward through Indonesia we'll island hop to smaller and smaller places. Until we are ready for a long water crossing... to Australia. 

Passing the time on these flights can get us into some pretty bad situations. Due to the abundance of volcanoes in the are we took our time to explore the craters as much as possible. Some made it, some didn't. Bush league all the way baby!

The day punch introduced us to a new word of the day. We still don't know what it means yet. One day he may tell us. We've made it to Eastern Java on a stopover at a local military airbase. We're next headed over some rough volcanic terrain on our way to the island of Bali.

It feels like it took forever to get here. After some false starts to Day 129 and many weeks later we finally made it. We're continuing out Indonesian island hopping as we get ever closer to the water crossing into Australian airspace. 

Another scenic flight to the southern part of Sumatra. We're settled in and getting some rest before pushing into western Java. 

Another great weather day as we made our way to the west coast mountain ranges of Sumatra. Ending our day in Deptai Parbo. We will continue south on our Indonesian Island hopping adventure.

Great weather again as we passed Singapore and made our way to Pekenbaru. We'll be seeing a shift in terrain as we make our way to the western side of Sumatra. Heads up!

We're past Kuala Lumpur and staying the night near Muar. So far the weather has been pretty good for us. But as we get closer to the rainy season we'll be on the lookout for storms that could halt our progress towards. Australia.

We continue down the west coast of Malaysia along the shore of the Malacca Strait. Ending up in Penang, Malaysia. We'll be continuing south towards Singapore before our jump across to Sumatra. Island hops and water crossing will become more frequent, so don't forget your swimsuit.

We've made good headway south towards the border with Malaysia. Phuket island is waiting for some weary explorers to spend some cash. Malaysia is on the horizon.

Our shift south towards Malaysia has begun. A nice easy flight past Bangkok into Hua Hin. Over the next couple of days we will finally be in Malaysia as we begin the long island hop towards our long awaited tour of Australia.

Always plan ahead. You never know when one of these airstrips will bite you in the butt. Ko Chang Tai airport was unexpectedly short. In turn it left a couple of our pilots in the bushes with some minor dents. We'll be off the make our boomerang shot past Bangkok on day 122 as we get ever closer to Australia.