13OCT23 | Cooktown to Cairns

Circumnavigation of Australia - Stage 81

Simulation Date/Time: Current date set to daylight.

Weather: Real World / Fair weather if real world is unsuitable for VFR operations.
If not using live weather, please be mindful of others who are using live weather and will be taking off and landing into the wind.

Distance: 127 nm

Est Flight Time: Approx 75 min

Aircraft: Cessna 172 or other GA aircraft capable of 110 kias.

Altitude: Remain in Class G airspace outside Cairns CTR. See waypoint notes below.

Flight plan

File as: YCKN YHEL EDOR YBMD YCBY MMA PTD WAT BUCP TRIN YKS YBCS

GPS flight plan is available for FSX/P3D .pln, MFS2020 .pln, X-Plane .fms and Little Navmap.

Navigation: Pilots are encouraged to navigate visually. For those less familiar the GPS flight plan is the recommended method of navigation.

Communications

Australia uses CTAF (Common Traffic Advisory Frequency) for radio comms at uncontrolled airfields. During an event, Pilots are requested to broadcast intentions on the published CTAF. Pilots should also be aware that it is a VATSIM CoC (Code of Conduct) requirement that all pilots at uncontrolled airfields should monitor UNICOM on 122.800. Pilots should ensure that at least one of their radios (COM 2 being the most likely) is tuned to receive UNICOM transmissions in addition to transmitting and receiving on the published CTAF.

Pilots also should read this post regarding the implications of using VATSIM UNICOM for CTAF. It provides some insight into potential pitfalls for the unwary when monitoring 122.80 in a CTAF environment.

Scenery

Due to the plethora of simulation platforms now being used, scenery is left to the discretion of each pilot. Updated X-Plane scenery is available here.

Flight details

• COOKTOWN [YCKN] Takeoff
  elev: 26
  rwy: 11/29 asphalt
  CTAF: 126.7
  
  Tune DME to Cairns VOR/DME (CS 113.0)
  
  Not above 8500 ft within 90 DME CS.
   
• COOKTOWN TOWNSHIP overfly not above 8500 ft - visual along the Endeavour River
   
• HELENVALE [YHEL] T&G - visual along the Mulligan Highway
  elev: 460
  rwy: 10/28 grass
  CTAF: 126.7
  
  Slower aircraft may optionally continue along the Mulligan Highway to Bloomfield River.
   
• ENDEAVOUR REEF [EDOR] overfly not above 8500 ft - H-100° D-21 nm
  
  Endeavour Reef is where HMS Endeavour ran aground in 1770.
   
• BLOOMFIELD RIVER [YBMD] T&G - H-242° D-14.7 nm
  elev: 10
  rwy: 12/30 asphalt
  CTAF: 126.7
  
  Not above 6500 ft within 50 DME CS.
   
• CAPE TRIBULATION overfly not above 6500 ft - visual along the coast
   
• DAINTREE/COW BAY [YCBY] T&G - visual along the coast
  elev: 41
  rwy: 03/21 grass
  CTAF: 126.7
  
  Not above 4500 ft within 36 DME CS.
  
  Use CTAF 127.0 within 36 DME CS until Cairns CTR.
   
• MOSSMAN [MMA] overfly not above 4500 ft - visual along the coast
   
• PORT DOUGLAS [PTD] overfly not above 4500 ft - visual along the coast
  
  Not above 2500 ft within 22 DME CS.
   
• WANGETTI [WAT] overfly not above 2500 ft - visual along the coast
  *** Inbound reporting point ***
  
  Not above 1000 ft within 12 DME CS or as directed by ATC.
   
• BUCHAN POINT [BUCP] overfly not above 1000 ft or as directed by ATC - visual along the coast
  
  If Cairns ATC is active, do not proceed until given circuit instructions.
   
• TRINITY BEACH [TRIN] overfly not above 1000 ft or as directed by ATC - visual along the coast
   
• YORKEYS KNOB [YKS] overfly not above 1000 ft or as directed by ATC - visual along the coast
   
• CAIRNS [YBCS] Land - visual along the coast or as directed by ATC
  elev: 10
  rwy: 15/33 asphalt [RH circuit RWY 33 or as directed by ATC]
  TWR: 124.9
  VOR/DME: CS 113.0
  NDB: CS 364

Charts