40 Great Flight Simulator Adventures

by Charles Gulick

The Mystery
of Sammamish

North Position: 21349	Rudder: 32767
East Position: 6655	Ailerons: 32767
Altitude: 1840	Flaps: 0
Pitch: 359	Elevators: 35292 (IBM only)
Bank: 17	Elevators: 37887 (all except IBM)
Heading: 327	Time: 16:11
Airspeed: 120	Season: 2-Spring
Throttle: 19600	Wind: 5 Kts, 350

Hold the bank until you see what looks like an airstrip, then take over at once and land the airplane.
   This unusual-looking airport becomes more unusual as you get closer.
   Presently, you'll see that the runway-if it is a runway-is a blacktop with no centerline. The whole area between the white lines fills in.
   This landing will call for some skill, because your approach is not traditional. It's more of a barnstorming approach. At least it'll seem that way, since you've had no chance to get your bearings...
   The heading of the strip is 10 degrees and the elevation 496 (maybe that will help).

Once you set her down, use radar and take a look around you. Where are you?
   And is this an airport? Taxi around a bit and look it over. If it's an airport, where's the centerline? Even the grass strips in the simulator have centerlines. And what's that big rectangle? It's certainly not a building because it's as flat as the rest of the landscape. And if it's a fuel pump, where's the F?
   The "Interesting Topographical Features" sheet that comes with Flight Simulator II lists Lake Sammamish as one of the interesting topographical features. The Microsoft manual doesn't mention Sammamish or interesting topographical features. And it says nothing about a new airport.
   Maybe it's an airport under construction? Or maybe it's an experiment of some kind. Could we have strayed into a top-secret military base?
   One thing is certain: It's not a town, because it's too narrow. It's not a road, because it doesn't go anywhere. And it's not a grass strip, because it's too black and hard.
   It looks exactly like a runway, with a fuel pump (simulator style), but without a centerline. And with absolutely no fanfare.
   And I have some other news for you. The current FAA Seattle Sectional Aeronautical Chart doesn't show an airstrip here either.
   So what is this interesting topographical feature on the tip of Lake Sammamish?
   I leave you to figure it out.

Table of Contents | Previous Section | Next Section