Lansing (PG City)

The Flight Experience Lansing offers a classic Midwestern flying experience that blends heavy industry with government grandeur. As the state capital and home to a massive university, the city layout is surprisingly distinct for a flat region: you have the dense government grid in the center, the industrial factories to the west, and the sprawling green campus of Michigan State University to the east.

Capital Region International (KLAN) is the primary hub. It is an excellent training ground for sim pilots because it offers big-airport infrastructure (long runways, ILS approaches) without the chaotic traffic of nearby Detroit or Chicago. The approach over the flat farmland that suddenly turns into dense urban autogen is a staple of Michigan aviation.

Visual Highlights

• Michigan State Capitol: This National Historic Landmark is the visual bullseye of the city. Its tall, slender white dome is unmistakable against the lower downtown buildings.

• "Wynken, Blynken, and Nod": These are the three massive smokestacks of the Eckert Power Station on the Grand River. They are the most iconic industrial landmarks in the city and serve as perfect vertical references for VFR pilots entering from the south.

• Spartan Stadium: Located in East Lansing, the home of the Michigan State Spartans is a massive green-and-white fortress. It dominates the university district and is easily visible from 10 miles out.

• General Motors Plants: Lansing is a car town. The massive footprints of the Lansing Grand River Assembly and Delta Township plants are rendered as sprawling industrial complexes, highlighting the city's manufacturing heart.

• The Grand River: Following the winding path of the river is the best way to navigate VFR between the Capitol downtown and the University in East Lansing.

Pilot’s Note: Fly the "Capital to Campus" Route. Depart KLAN and head south to orbit the Capitol Dome at 1,500ft. Then, turn east and follow Michigan Avenue (or the river) straight into East Lansing. Your goal is to fly a tight circle around Spartan Stadium before breaking off north to land at the smaller Jewett Field (TEW) in Mason for a general aviation challenge.