A Flight Simulator Odyssey

by Charles Gulick

The Road to Pembroke

Chart: Lake Huron
Title: RD PEMBROKE 17
En Route Coordinates:
   Aircraft: N19271, E19620
   Tower: N19161.218, E19760.148
Altitude:
   Aircraft: 3000
   Tower: 532
Heading: 136
Time: Daylight (Dawn/Dusk Optional)

The altitude you set and your altimeter reading may not agree. I set 3000 and my altimeter reads 3600. But no matter. With the magnificent scene before us, why quibble? Just unpause and fly.

The river on your left is the mighty Ottawa, largest tributary of the St. Lawrence and itself father of many tributaries. It was first explored by Champlain in 1613, and for a century and a half was a great thoroughfare west from Montreal for explorers and fur traders. In the nineteenth century, lumber-men sent their immense rafts eastward to Montreal and Quebec on those waters.

This is a land of lakes, many of which merge with the river (look at it on your map). But if you follow Highway 17, it will take you unerringly to Pembroke Airport, Pembroke, Ontario, where you'll land on the runway of the same number. If, en route, you just feel like putting the airplane down somewhere alongside the river, and then taking off again, why not do that? Further, don't fly in a straight line. Turn and fly directly above the river a while, or line up to take a closer look at a lake. Fly down low over a portion of countryside, then climb again. This kind of thing keeps a cross-country flight interesting (even though this isn't a very long one.) The road will always serve to get you back on track to Pembroke, where elevation is 535 feet.

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