Requirements: 30K bytes of memory for static scenery and 20K of bytes for dynamic scenery. For use with Microsoft Flight Simulator V4.0 or later and Microsoft Aircraft and Scenery Designer.
This zip file contains scenery of the Federal District of Mexico (their equivalent to our District of Columbia) and its surrounding area.
The Benito Juarez International Airport (MEX) is located in the Northeastern part of the city. It's location is accurate as far as lat/long coordinates go. They are N19 26.2 W099 04.2. The elevation of the airport is 7340'. By the book lighting and runway alignment have been implemented into the airport. The two major runways, 05L-23R and 05R-23L, are over 12,000 feet long. The true bearing of the
runways are 52-232. Both runways have VASI. Runway 05R is equipped with SSALR, and Runway 23L is equipped with ALSF-I lighting. A tower control, airport terminal, hangars, fuel pit, and air traffic have been put in.
Jeppesen airport diagrams, approach plates, and low enroute maps of Mexico City are a good resource to use when flying IFR. I ordered these through Sporty's Pilot Shop. I will give a description of the navaids implemented in this file.
The Benito Juarez Airport has a VOR (MEX) located in between the two runways. It's frequency is 117.0. An ILS is installed for 05R. It's frequency is 109.1 and has MM and OM beacons. A table of other navaids are shown below:
DISTANCE BEARING
NAME IDENTIFIER FREQUENCY FROM MEX FROM MEX
San Mateo SMO 112.1 11.7 NM 300
Otumba OTU 115.0 22.5 NM 039
Tequesquitengo TEQ 113.1 46.4 NM 184
Tepexpan TPX 359 11.7 NM 021
Tizayuca TIZ 341 24.8 NM 003
Pachuca PCA 112.7 23.4 NM* 031*
Tulancingo TCG 308 37.5 NM* 057*
* These distances and bearings are from TIZ, not from MEX. NM = Nautical Miles.
Next, I will give a brief overview of the landscapes and land marks around Mexico City (and some history).
Just north of the airport is El Vaso del Lago de Texcoco. This was once a huge lake upon which the Aztecs built their great metropolis, Tenochtitlan, on a marshy island in the middle of lake. Why did they decide to build a city there?
Well, when they were looking for a safe place to settle, a prophecy was told to them to look for an eagle perched on top of a cactus holding a snake. It was on this marshy island in the middle of Lake Texcoco that they saw it. Hence, that is where the Mexicans get their picture on their National flag. To the southeast of the airport are the two great sister volcanos, Volcan Iztaccihuatl and Volcan Popocatepetl. They are both over 17,000 feet high. To the south of the city are the Floating Gardens of Xochimilco. They are intertwining rivers built by the Aztecs. They were used for irrigation and navigation around the Aztec city, Tenochtitlan. To the north of Lake Texcoco are the ruins of Teotihuacan. At this site are the Pyramids of the Sun and the Moon.
Mexico City is walled by mountains and volcanos on three sides. At the heart of Mexico City is the Zocalo, or main square. There you will find the National Cathedral and National Palace. Aztec foundations support the colonial buildings. The Latin American Tower is to the west of the Zocalo. It is forty four stories high. Apartment buildings crop up around Tlatelolco, or Plaza of Three Cultures. Other buildings can be found along the Paseo de la Reforma.
On the western part of the city is Chapultepec Park. The Sports Palace is the golden dome south of the airport. Other points of interest are the Olympic Stadium located at the National University of Mexico and the Sports city Stadium. I also put in the Our Lady of Guadalupe shrine. The Virgin Mary is said to have appeared before the young Indian Juan Diego in colonial times. This is Mexico's holiest Roman Catholic shrine.
I hope you enjoy the sights around Mexico City and were able to get a little familiarized with the history of Mexico city from the preceding passages. If you have any questions on this file, post me a message in Section 12 of the gamers forum, and I'll try to answer them as best as I can. Happy flying!
