MICROSOFT FLIGHT SIMULATOR BRIEFING ONLY · NOT FOR REAL-WORLD FLIGHT PLANNING OR NAVIGATION
Stage 16 • USA • Washington Cascades

KBFI (Boeing/King Co Intl) to KPDX (Portland Intl)

Rainier, St Helens, Adams and Hood in one spectacular north–south stage

Route Distance209.6 NM
Est. Time (150 kt)01h 24m
Suggested Sim Altitude14,500–16,500 ft
Visual Waypoints4

Departure: KBFI (Boeing/King Co Intl)

  • Elevation: 13 ft MSL
  • Runway: Hard surface, longest 9,997 ft · approx hdg 150°T
  • Fuel: Avgas / Jet fuel
  • Comms: Tower 118.3 | ATIS 127.75
  • MSFS mag var: 14.9°E

Arrival: KPDX (Portland Intl)

  • Elevation: 24 ft MSL
  • Runway: Hard surface, longest 11,002 ft · approx hdg 119°T
  • Fuel: Avgas / Jet fuel
  • Comms: Tower 118.7 | ATIS 128.35
  • MSFS mag var: 14.5°E
Volcanology Brief

Mount St Helens

Tectonic setting: High Cascades volcanic arc above Juan de Fuca Plate subduction beneath North America.

Why it matters: The 1980 eruption and sector collapse created the iconic breached crater visible from the air today.

Visual Route Map, Magnetic Tracks & Radio References

RING OF FIRE · VISUAL / MAGNETIC TRACK CHART N E S W VAR 14.7°E MSFS RADIO NAV REFERENCESSEA VOR/DME 116.80 MHzCBU VOR/DME 109.20 MHzOLM VOR/DME 113.40 MHzIGPO ILS RW21 108.90 MHz 137°M190°M074°M175°M274°M KBFI · Boeing/King Co IntlRAINR · Mount RainierSTHEL · Mount St HelensADAMS · Mount AdamsHOOD · Mount HoodKPDX · Portland Intl SEA VOR/DME 116.80 MHzCBU VOR/DME 109.20 MHzOLM VOR/DME 113.40 MHz Departure Arrival Volcano Caldera Optional airfield Route / °M badges

MSFS Radio Navigation References

Departure VOR
SEA · VOR/DME
SEATTLE
116.80 MHz · 5.7 NM from reference point
Arrival VOR
CBU · VOR/DME
COLUMBIA
109.20 MHz · 0.6 NM from reference point
En-route VOR
OLM · VOR/DME
OLYMPIA
113.40 MHz · 31.0 NM from reference point
Arrival ILS
IGPO · RW21
Localizer heading 224.9° · GS nan°
108.90 MHz
Arrival ILS
IVDG · RW10L
Localizer heading 119.0° · GS 3.0°
111.30 MHz

Navigation & Waypoint Breakdown

IdentTypeTrack (°M)Nav / FrequencyLeg DistCum. ETELandmarks & Sim Flying Notes
KBFIDeparture —SEA VOR/DME 116.80 MHz 0.0 NM00:00 Depart Boeing/King Co Intl; establish the visual route only when simulator weather and terrain are suitable.
RAINRVolcano / VP 137°Visual volcano 46.3 NM00h 19m Highest terrain of the stage; pass beside rather than directly overhead.
STHELVolcano / VP 190°Visual volcano 43.6 NM00h 36m Breached crater opens to the north.
ADAMSVolcano / VP 074°Visual volcano 29.3 NM00h 48m Large glaciated stratovolcano east of St Helens.
HOODVolcano / VP 175°Visual volcano 50.5 NM01h 08m Final volcanic landmark before Portland.
KPDXArrival 274°CBU VOR/DME 109.20 MHz
IGPO ILS RW21 108.90 MHz		 40.1 NM01h 24m Land at Portland Intl.

Volcano & Terrain Tips — Simulator

  • Ash / plume awareness: Treat any visible volcanic plume as a no-go visual area in the simulator and route around it.
  • Terrain: The altitude band is a sightseeing suggestion, not a clearance guarantee. Use the simulator's terrain/weather information and stay laterally clear of high summits.
  • Weather: Mountain cloud, rotor and poor visibility can hide landmarks quickly. If the route stops being visually comfortable in MSFS, divert around the high terrain.

Data Note

Airport existence, coordinates, elevation, magnetic variation, runway length, fuel flags and airport radio frequencies are derived from the supplied MSFS 2024 scenery-library CSV; radio-navigation references use the supplied VOR, NDB and ILS datasets.

VOR, NDB and ILS references are selected from the supplied MSFS 2024 navigation-library CSVs. Only nearby aids useful for orientation are shown, so the volcanic sightseeing route remains visually readable.

Digital Asset Pack

EFB / Route Reference

KBFI RAINR STHEL ADAMS HOOD KPDX

Garmin TDS GTNXi-style Reference

FPN/RI:KBFI:RAINR:STHEL:ADAMS:HOOD:KPDX

Volcano identifiers are custom visual waypoints from this briefing.

MSFS .pln Skeleton

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<SimBase.Document>
  <FlightPlan.FlightPlan>
    <Title>Ring of Fire Stage 16 KBFI to KPDX</Title>
    <FPType>VFR</FPType>
    <RouteType>Direct</RouteType>
    <CruisingAlt>14500</CruisingAlt>
    <DepartureID>KBFI</DepartureID>
    <DestinationID>KPDX</DestinationID>
        <ATCWaypoint id="KBFI">
            <ATCWaypointType>Airport</ATCWaypointType>
            <WorldPosition>N47° 31' 47.90",W122° 18' 06.99",+000013.25</WorldPosition>
        </ATCWaypoint>
        <ATCWaypoint id="RAINR">
            <ATCWaypointType>User</ATCWaypointType>
            <WorldPosition>N46° 51' 10.80",W121° 45' 36.00",+014411.00</WorldPosition>
        </ATCWaypoint>
        <ATCWaypoint id="STHEL">
            <ATCWaypointType>User</ATCWaypointType>
            <WorldPosition>N46° 11' 27.60",W122° 11' 38.40",+008363.00</WorldPosition>
        </ATCWaypoint>
        <ATCWaypoint id="ADAMS">
            <ATCWaypointType>User</ATCWaypointType>
            <WorldPosition>N46° 12' 07.20",W121° 29' 24.00",+012276.00</WorldPosition>
        </ATCWaypoint>
        <ATCWaypoint id="HOOD">
            <ATCWaypointType>User</ATCWaypointType>
            <WorldPosition>N45° 22' 26.40",W121° 41' 45.60",+011249.00</WorldPosition>
        </ATCWaypoint>
        <ATCWaypoint id="KPDX">
            <ATCWaypointType>Airport</ATCWaypointType>
            <WorldPosition>N45° 35' 19.35",W122° 35' 48.73",+000023.69</WorldPosition>
        </ATCWaypoint>
  </FlightPlan.FlightPlan>
</SimBase.Document>
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