MICROSOFT FLIGHT SIMULATOR BRIEFING ONLY · NOT FOR REAL-WORLD FLIGHT PLANNING OR NAVIGATION
Stage 19 • Guatemala • Central American Volcanic Arc

MGGT (La Aurora Intl) to MGRT (Retalhuleu)

Agua, Acatenango, Fuego, Atitlán and Santa María

Route Distance83.1 NM
Est. Time (150 kt)00h 33m
Suggested Sim Altitude13,500–15,500 ft
Visual Waypoints5

Departure: MGGT (La Aurora Intl)

  • Elevation: 4,877 ft MSL
  • Runway: Hard surface, longest 9,791 ft · approx hdg 197°T
  • Fuel: Avgas / Jet fuel
  • Comms: Tower 118.1 | ATIS 127.65
  • MSFS mag var: 0.1°E

Arrival: MGRT (Retalhuleu)

  • Elevation: 670 ft MSL
  • Runway: Hard surface, longest 4,997 ft · approx hdg 50°T
  • Fuel: Avgas / Jet fuel
  • Comms: No radio frequency listed in supplied MSFS airport data
  • MSFS mag var: 0.7°E
Volcanology Brief

Fuego

Tectonic setting: Central American volcanic arc above Cocos Plate subduction beneath the Caribbean Plate.

Why it matters: Fuego is persistently active and sits beside the much larger Acatenango complex southwest of Guatemala City.

Visual Route Map, Magnetic Tracks & Radio References

RING OF FIRE · VISUAL / MAGNETIC TRACK CHART N E S W VAR 0.4°E MSFS RADIO NAV REFERENCESAUR VOR/DME 114.90 MHzTAP VOR/DME 115.30 MHzSJO VOR/DME 114.10 MHz 240°M285°M187°M290°M296°M210°M MGGT · La Aurora IntlAGUA · AguaACATE · AcatenangoFUEGO · FuegoATITL · AtitlánSMARI · Santa MaríaMGRT · Retalhuleu AUR VOR/DME 114.90 MHz Departure Arrival Volcano Caldera Optional airfield Route / °M badges

MSFS Radio Navigation References

Departure VOR
AUR · VOR/DME
LA AURORA
114.90 MHz · 0.8 NM from reference point
Arrival VOR
TAP · VOR/DME
TAPACHULA
115.30 MHz · 42.7 NM from reference point
En-route VOR
SJO · VOR/DME
SAN JOSE
114.10 MHz · 40.6 NM from reference point

Navigation & Waypoint Breakdown

IdentTypeTrack (°M)Nav / FrequencyLeg DistCum. ETELandmarks & Sim Flying Notes
MGGTDeparture —AUR VOR/DME 114.90 MHz 0.0 NM00:00 Depart La Aurora Intl; establish the visual route only when simulator weather and terrain are suitable.
AGUAVolcano / VP 240°Visual volcano 14.4 NM00h 06m Dominant cone south of Guatemala City.
ACATEVolcano / VP 285°Visual volcano 8.0 NM00h 09m Twin-peaked massif immediately west of Fuego.
FUEGOVolcano / VP 187°Visual volcano 1.7 NM00h 10m Maintain a very wide berth from any plume.
ATITLVolcano / VP 290°Visual volcano 19.0 NM00h 17m Volcano-lined lake basin provides a dramatic visual checkpoint.
SMARIVolcano / VP 296°Visual volcano 23.7 NM00h 27m Large cone near Quetzaltenango; Santiaguito activity occurs on its flank.
MGRTArrival 210°TAP VOR/DME 115.30 MHz 16.4 NM00h 33m Land at Retalhuleu.

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

MGGT AGUA ACATE FUEGO ATITL SMARI MGRT

Garmin TDS GTNXi-style Reference

FPN/RI:MGGT:AGUA:ACATE:FUEGO:ATITL:SMARI:MGRT

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 19 MGGT to MGRT</Title>
    <FPType>VFR</FPType>
    <RouteType>Direct</RouteType>
    <CruisingAlt>13500</CruisingAlt>
    <DepartureID>MGGT</DepartureID>
    <DestinationID>MGRT</DestinationID>
        <ATCWaypoint id="MGGT">
            <ATCWaypointType>Airport</ATCWaypointType>
            <WorldPosition>N14° 34' 59.78",W90° 31' 38.90",+004876.66</WorldPosition>
        </ATCWaypoint>
        <ATCWaypoint id="AGUA">
            <ATCWaypointType>User</ATCWaypointType>
            <WorldPosition>N14° 27' 54.00",W90° 44' 34.80",+012336.00</WorldPosition>
        </ATCWaypoint>
        <ATCWaypoint id="ACATE">
            <ATCWaypointType>User</ATCWaypointType>
            <WorldPosition>N14° 30' 03.60",W90° 52' 33.60",+013045.00</WorldPosition>
        </ATCWaypoint>
        <ATCWaypoint id="FUEGO">
            <ATCWaypointType>User</ATCWaypointType>
            <WorldPosition>N14° 28' 22.80",W90° 52' 48.00",+012346.00</WorldPosition>
        </ATCWaypoint>
        <ATCWaypoint id="ATITL">
            <ATCWaypointType>User</ATCWaypointType>
            <WorldPosition>N14° 34' 58.80",W91° 11' 09.60",+011598.00</WorldPosition>
        </ATCWaypoint>
        <ATCWaypoint id="SMARI">
            <ATCWaypointType>User</ATCWaypointType>
            <WorldPosition>N14° 45' 21.60",W91° 33' 07.20",+012375.00</WorldPosition>
        </ATCWaypoint>
        <ATCWaypoint id="MGRT">
            <ATCWaypointType>Airport</ATCWaypointType>
            <WorldPosition>N14° 31' 18.00",W91° 41' 47.99",+000670.19</WorldPosition>
        </ATCWaypoint>
  </FlightPlan.FlightPlan>
</SimBase.Document>
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