Paris, France

The Flight Experience

Paris offers the quintessential European urban flight experience, defined by the strict, radial symmetry of its boulevards, the meandering path of the Seine River, and an unparalleled collection of world-famous landmarks. The terrain is flat, but the flying environment is extremely dense and procedurally demanding due to its highly constrained airspace and numerous active airports. The photogrammetry, a defining feature since the sim's launch, captures the entire core of the city with breath taking fidelity, making it the ultimate destination for landmark sightseeing.

Major Airports

1. Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport (LFPG): The largest and primary international gateway, located northeast of the city. It features four long, parallel runways and offers complex, high-traffic procedural flying.

2. Paris-Orly Airport (LFPO): The secondary international hub, located south of the city, offering high-volume commercial operations closer to the core.

• The Strip: LFPG operates four major runways, all exceeding 8,700 feet.

• The Challenge: Airspace and Separation: The critical challenge is airspace management. The area is defined by a dense, layered stack of highly restricted zones protecting the city center and the high-traffic corridors between CDG, Orly, and the numerous smaller airfields (like Le Bourget and Toussus-le-Noble). Pilots must maintain strict altitude and heading control for safe separation.

Visual Highlights

• Eiffel Tower: The absolute, unmissable vertical anchor. Its incredible height and open lattice structure are rendered in stunning detail, providing the ultimate VFR reference point.

• Arc de Triomphe and the Etoile: The massive archway and the star-like configuration of the 12 avenues (Champs-Élysées being the central one) radiating from it are a spectacular display of urban planning symmetry, captured perfectly in the photogrammetry.

• Louvre Museum and Tuileries Garden: The vast complex, including the distinctive glass pyramids, and the huge, sprawling gardens leading up to it provide a massive, easily identifiable POI in the city center.

• Notre Dame Cathedral (Île de la Cité): The iconic cathedral, situated on the island in the middle of the Seine, and the surrounding historic architecture are visually crucial landmarks defining the core of the ancient city.

• Sacré-CCœur Basilica (Montmartre): The massive, white-domed church sits atop a high hill, providing a secondary, clear vertical reference point in the north.

Pilot’s Note: The "Paris Landmark Fly-Through"

For a flight that maximizes the world-famous visuals, take a light GA aircraft (like a C172 or Icon A5) and plan a scenic VFR run.

The Maneuver: Depart from LFPG and follow the designated VFR corridor (often along the Ouest–Est axis, outside the restricted zones) toward the city center. Once you reach the authorized sightseeing altitude (usually between 1,500 and 2,000 feet AGL), execute a slow, stable circuit that follows the bends of the Seine River. This path ensures you fly past the Louvre, under the approach path to the Eiffel Tower, and orbit the Arc de Triomphe. This is the ultimate test of flying slowly and precisely in extremely dense airspace while appreciating the highest-fidelity photogrammetry in the sim.