MICROSOFT FLIGHT SIMULATOR BRIEFING ONLY · NOT FOR REAL-WORLD FLIGHT PLANNING OR NAVIGATION
Stage 18 • Mexico • Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt

MMPB (Hermanos Serdan Intl) to MMOX (Xoxocotlan Intl)

Popocatépetl, Iztaccíhuatl and Pico de Orizaba

Route Distance230.1 NM
Est. Time (150 kt)01h 32m
Suggested Sim Altitude14,500–17,500 ft
Visual Waypoints3

Departure: MMPB (Hermanos Serdan Intl)

  • Elevation: 7,344 ft MSL
  • Runway: Hard surface, longest 11,821 ft · approx hdg 178°T
  • Fuel: Avgas / Jet fuel
  • Comms: Tower 118.2
  • MSFS mag var: 3.7°E

Arrival: MMOX (Xoxocotlan Intl)

  • Elevation: 4,975 ft MSL
  • Runway: Hard surface, longest 8,026 ft · approx hdg 196°T
  • Fuel: Avgas / Jet fuel
  • Comms: Tower 118.3 | UNICOM 122.3
  • MSFS mag var: 3.0°E
Volcanology Brief

Popocatépetl

Tectonic setting: Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt related chiefly to subduction of the Cocos and Rivera plates.

Why it matters: Popocatépetl is one of Mexico's most active volcanoes and rises immediately west of Puebla.

Visual Route Map, Magnetic Tracks & Radio References

RING OF FIRE · VISUAL / MAGNETIC TRACK CHART N E S W VAR 3.3°E MSFS RADIO NAV REFERENCESPBC VOR/DME 115.20 MHzOAX VOR/DME 112.00 MHz 237°M350°M093°M162°M MMPB · Hermanos Serdan IntlPOPO · PopocatépetlIZTA · IztaccíhuatlORIZA · Pico de OrizabaMMOX · Xoxocotlan Intl PBC VOR/DME 115.20 MHzOAX VOR/DME 112.00 MHz Departure Arrival Volcano Caldera Optional airfield Route / °M badges

MSFS Radio Navigation References

Departure VOR
PBC · VOR/DME
PUEBLA
115.20 MHz · 0.2 NM from reference point
Arrival VOR
OAX · VOR/DME
OAXACA
112.00 MHz · 1.6 NM from reference point

Navigation & Waypoint Breakdown

IdentTypeTrack (°M)Nav / FrequencyLeg DistCum. ETELandmarks & Sim Flying Notes
MMPBDeparture —PBC VOR/DME 115.20 MHz 0.0 NM00:00 Depart Hermanos Serdan Intl; establish the visual route only when simulator weather and terrain are suitable.
POPOVolcano / VP 237°Visual volcano 16.4 NM00h 07m Do not approach an active plume or official exclusion area; route well clear.
IZTAVolcano / VP 350°Visual volcano 9.4 NM00h 10m Long snow-capped volcanic massif north of Popocatépetl.
ORIZAVolcano / VP 093°Visual volcano 78.4 NM00h 42m Mexico's highest peak; treat as a distant visual waypoint rather than an overflight.
MMOXArrival 162°OAX VOR/DME 112.00 MHz 125.8 NM01h 32m Land at Xoxocotlan 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

MMPB POPO IZTA ORIZA MMOX

Garmin TDS GTNXi-style Reference

FPN/RI:MMPB:POPO:IZTA:ORIZA:MMOX

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 18 MMPB to MMOX</Title>
    <FPType>VFR</FPType>
    <RouteType>Direct</RouteType>
    <CruisingAlt>14500</CruisingAlt>
    <DepartureID>MMPB</DepartureID>
    <DestinationID>MMOX</DestinationID>
        <ATCWaypoint id="MMPB">
            <ATCWaypointType>Airport</ATCWaypointType>
            <WorldPosition>N19° 09' 29.30",W98° 22' 17.42",+007344.36</WorldPosition>
        </ATCWaypoint>
        <ATCWaypoint id="POPO">
            <ATCWaypointType>User</ATCWaypointType>
            <WorldPosition>N19° 01' 22.80",W98° 37' 19.20",+017694.00</WorldPosition>
        </ATCWaypoint>
        <ATCWaypoint id="IZTA">
            <ATCWaypointType>User</ATCWaypointType>
            <WorldPosition>N19° 10' 44.40",W98° 38' 31.20",+017159.00</WorldPosition>
        </ATCWaypoint>
        <ATCWaypoint id="ORIZA">
            <ATCWaypointType>User</ATCWaypointType>
            <WorldPosition>N19° 01' 48.00",W97° 16' 08.40",+018491.00</WorldPosition>
        </ATCWaypoint>
        <ATCWaypoint id="MMOX">
            <ATCWaypointType>Airport</ATCWaypointType>
            <WorldPosition>N16° 59' 54.91",W96° 43' 33.76",+004975.29</WorldPosition>
        </ATCWaypoint>
  </FlightPlan.FlightPlan>
</SimBase.Document>
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