This next leg, is a short 112NM flight from Beirut to
Larnaca International airport, in
Larnaca,
Cyprus. I've heard of Cyprus over the years, but never been there. I have to admit I wasn't even sure if it was part of the Grecian islands.
As it turns out, it's not. It's the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, and is relatively neutral in relation to the middle eastern nations. It's only a little over a hundred miles from Beirut, so why not stop in? Here are some
things to do in Cyprus.
Beirut airport was quiet and peaceful, with nobody on the radio or moving around on the ramp, until a moment after I called for my departure and taxi clearances, and suddenly there were several of us lined up to take off from runway 21. I had to wait for a Sikorsky S76 helicopter to "taxi" out in front of me and take off, before I was cleared to go.
Climbing out from Beirut, over the Mediterranean Sea, and looking back, I am once again reminded of our wonderful taxi driver / tour guide, who took us on so many interesting day trips, including the one that went up on top of that tall range of Lebanon Mountains.
The X-Plane ATC algorithm gave me a circuitous approach to runway 22 at Larnaca International airport, that included a circle over most of the island. Somewhere around that circle, they once again vectored me right into a ridge that was higher than me. I kept waiting for them to turn me toward the airport, but ultimately, I had to pull up and climb a little, to barely clear the ridge, and then they gave me a right turn at about the same time as I would have impacted the terrain, if I'd stayed on my assigned altitude. I feel like I should say, as flawed as the ATC module is, this is actually really good practice, considering the number of real-world accident reports I've read, where a controller vectored an aircraft into a hillside, and the pilot, being in the clouds, and not paying close enough attention to their exact position relative to high terrain on their map, didn't realize their immediate danger, and flew their assigned heading, right up until it killed them. The colored terrain hazard depiction in this aircraft makes it unbelievably simple to avoid high terrain, and I can see why many owners of even relatively old aircraft are rushing to upgrade their instrument panels with these elegant and expensive glass displays. In addition to being cool, they can be life-savers.
On short final to runway 22 at Larnaca International airport on the island of Cyprus.
The X-Plane ATC algorithm gave me a circuitous approach to runway 22 at Larnaca International airport, that included a circle over most of the island. Somewhere around that circle, they once again vectored me right into a ridge that was higher than me. I kept waiting for them to turn me toward the airport, but ultimately, I had to pull up and climb a little, to barely clear the ridge, and then they gave me a right turn at about the same time as I would have impacted the terrain, if I'd stayed on my assigned altitude. I feel like I should say, as flawed as the ATC module is, this is actually really good practice, considering the number of real-world accident reports I've read, where a controller vectored an aircraft into a hillside, and the pilot, being in the clouds, and not paying close enough attention to their exact position relative to high terrain on their map, didn't realize their immediate danger, and flew their assigned heading, right up until it killed them. The colored terrain hazard depiction in this aircraft makes it unbelievably simple to avoid high terrain, and I can see why many owners of even relatively old aircraft are rushing to upgrade their instrument panels with these elegant and expensive glass displays. In addition to being cool, they can be life-savers. 
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