Northeast Megalopolis - From Portsmouth to Washington

The Northeast Megalopolis, with more than 50 million residents, is the most populous metropolitan region in the United States. Also called the 'Boston-Washington Corridor' or just 'BosWash', this megaregion is composed of Boston, New York City, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington, D.C., some of the most renowned, and influential, cities not just in the United States, but in all of history.

 

This journey visits the most iconic and beautiful of this region. It ties together the famous with the less travelled, the grand with the subdued, granting an experience that mirrors the diversity of the cities and surroundings that compose this region so incredible.

 

Beginning in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, the flight heads south, visiting Boston, coastal destinations including Cape Cod and Long Island, New York City, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington, D.C., exploring these storied places and their surroundings.

 

Assistance on the trip will be available in the form of a 'Back on Track' button on the VFR Map -- however, be advised that using this will disable achievements tied to the activity.

See trip in Skyvector

Total Legs: 9     Total Distance: 590     Total Time(125kts): 4 hours 43 minutes

 

Leg 1

Portsmouth Intl At Pease to Logan Intl

Leg Distance: 63.91     Approximate time at 125kts: 31 minutes.

 

See leg in Skyvector

Portsmouth Intl At Pease(KPSM) to Eel Pond(POI1)

Distance: 6.28NM     Bearing: 171°     3 minutes

 

After lifting off from Portsmouth International Airport, pass over Interstate 95 and then cross over the Great Bog, sighting Eel Pond on the Atlantic's Gulf of Maine coast.

 

Eel Pond(POI1) to Hampton(POI2)

Distance: 3.71NM     Bearing: 232°     2 minutes

 

Track the coast, remaining just inland, to the city of Hampton.

 

Hampton(POI2) to Plum Island Point(POI3)

Distance: 6.96NM     Bearing: 195°     3 minutes

 

Continue following the coastline as the journey enters Massachusetts, enjoying the sights of the Atlantic Ocean, Hampton Harbor, and Blackwater River en route to Plum Island Point, located where the Merrimack River meets the sea.

 

Plum Island Point(POI3) to Crane Beach(POI4)

Distance: 8.96NM     Bearing: 172°     4 minutes

 

From Plum Island Point, stay just offshore to reach Crane Beach.

 

Crane Beach(POI4) to Rockport(POI5)

Distance: 5.75NM     Bearing: 116°     3 minutes

 

Cross Annisquam Harbor to reach Cape Ann and the town of Rockport, which lies on its northeast quadrant on Sandy Bay.

 

Rockport(POI5) to Gloucester(POI6)

Distance: 3NM     Bearing: 227°     1 minutes

 

Cross over Cape Pond to reach Gloucester, on Cape Ann's Gloucester Harbor.

 

Gloucester(POI6) to Marblehead(POI7)

Distance: 10.97NM     Bearing: 247°     5 minutes

 

Set a course to the southwest, skirting the coast by Manchester-by-the-Sea, and then passing between Misery Island and Bakes Island on the outer reaches of Salem Sound to reach Marblehead, which lies at the northern end of a small peninsula in Massachusetts Bay. The skyline of Boston, the northern anchor of the Northeast Megalopolis, looms ever larger, and clearer, with each mile traveled.

 

Marblehead(POI7) to Cambridge(POI8)

Distance: 13.82NM     Bearing: 248°     7 minutes

 

From Marblehead, skirt the coast and then continue inland, passing into the northernmost part of Northeast Megalopolis. Fly to the west of Boston proper to Cambridge.

 

Cambridge(POI8) to Boston(POI9)

Distance: 2.12NM     Bearing: 127°     1 minutes

 

Cross the Charles River to experience downtown Boston, including the skyscrapers  200 Clarendon Street, 111 Huntington, and Prudential Tower. Boston is the most populous city in Massachusetts and is the state's capital. Its history dates back to the Puritans in the 1600s, and Boston subsequently played key roles in the American Revolution and the shaping of the country—and due to its ongoing commercial, educational, and cultural influences, it continues to help forge the United States, and the world.

 

Boston(POI9) to Logan Intl(KBOS)

Distance: 2.34NM     Bearing: 96°     1 minutes

 

Land at Boston Logan International Airport.

 

Leg 2

Logan Intl to Nantucket Memorial

Leg Distance: 108.77     Approximate time at 125kts: 52 minutes.

 

See leg in Skyvector

Logan Intl(KBOS) to Long Island(POI10)

Distance: 3.04NM     Bearing: 157°     1 minutes

 

After lifting off from Boston Logan, head southeast, over Boston Harbor, to Long Island.

 

Long Island(POI10) to Hingham(POI11)

Distance: 5.78NM     Bearing: 159°     3 minutes

 

Continue on course over Boston Harbor, crossing over Peddocks Island and Slate Island to reach the city of Hingham, first settled in 1633 by English colonists.

 

Hingham(POI11) to Crow Point(POI12)

Distance: 8.16NM     Bearing: 123°     4 minutes

 

Set a course to the southeast, flying over Lily Pond, then sight Scituate Harbor, and visit Crow Point, which lies on the harbor's southern opening to the sea.

 

Crow Point(POI12) to Green Harbor Point(POI13)

Distance: 7.91NM     Bearing: 168°     4 minutes

 

Skirt the coastline, staying just offshore, passing by the terminus of the North River and then Ferry Hill to reach Gren Harbor Point.

 

Green Harbor Point(POI13) to Plymouth Rock(POI14)

Distance: 7.52NM     Bearing: 202°     4 minutes

 

Fly south-southwest, skirting the shoreline of the northern reaches of Cape Cod Bay, then cross a long, narrow spit of land called Gurnet Point. Continue flying into Plymouth Harbor, the opening of which is marked by Plymouth Beach, and fly over Plymouth Rock, site of the landing of the Mayflower Pilgrims.

 

Plymouth Rock(POI14) to Provincetown(POI15)

Distance: 21.95NM     Bearing: 89°     11 minutes

 

Head east-northeast, crossing over Plymouth Beach and then Cape Cod Bay to reach Provincetown at the northern tip of Cape Cod.

 

Provincetown(POI15) to East Harbor(POI16)

Distance: 2.44NM     Bearing: 92°     1 minutes

 

Continue on course, flying over the northern limit of Provincetown Harbor to East Harbor.

 

East Harbor(POI16) to Cape Cod Seashore(POI17)

Distance: 13.44NM     Bearing: 159°     6 minutes

 

Fly along the length of the northern reach of Cape Cod and explore Cape Cod National Seashore, on the Atlantic Coastline.

 

Cape Cod Seashore(POI17) to Orleans(POI18)

Distance: 5.56NM     Bearing: 209°     3 minutes

 

Continue flying south, to the village of Orleans, which lies on the southern shore of Orleans Cove.

 

Orleans(POI18) to Monomoy Point(POI19)

Distance: 14.8NM     Bearing: 197°     7 minutes

 

Continue flying on a southward heading, over the lower cape, to its southern end at Monomoy Point.

 

Monomoy Point(POI19) to Nantucket Island(POI20)

Distance: 13.93NM     Bearing: 195°     7 minutes

 

Cross outer Nantucket Sound to Nantucket Island.

 

Nantucket Island(POI20) to Nantucket Memorial(KACK)

Distance: 4.24NM     Bearing: 229°     2 minutes

 

Land at Nantucket Memorial Airport.

 

Leg 3

Nantucket Memorial to Newport State

Leg Distance: 57.84     Approximate time at 125kts: 28 minutes.

 

See leg in Skyvector

Nantucket Memorial(KACK) to Jackson Point(POI21)

Distance: 6.53NM     Bearing: 297°     3 minutes

 

Head westward from KACK to Jackson Point.

 

Jackson Point(POI21) to Tuckernuck Island(POI22)

Distance: 3.07NM     Bearing: 313°     1 minutes

 

Cross Madaket Harbor to reach Tuckernuck Island.

 

Tuckernuck Island(POI22) to Martha's Vineyard(POI23)

Distance: 15.2NM     Bearing: 307°     7 minutes

 

Continue to Martha's Vineyard, an island renowned for its beach communities and its resorts, getaways for people who work in the bustle of the city centers of the Northeast Megalopolis.

 

Martha's Vineyard(POI23) to Pasque Island(POI24)

Distance: 11.61NM     Bearing: 299°     6 minutes

 

Cross Vineyard Sound to visit Pasque Island, which has a population of two, according to a recent census, illustrating that not all parts of this stretch of the United States are densely populated.

 

Pasque Island(POI24) to Westport Point(POI25)

Distance: 9.67NM     Bearing: 305°     5 minutes

 

Fly over Buzzards Bay to return to mainland Massachusetts at Westport Point, which was the westernmost port in the Massachusetts Bay Colony.

 

Westport Point(POI25) to Newport State(KUUU)

Distance: 11.76NM     Bearing: 292°     6 minutes

 

Pass over The Let, Westport Harbor, and then enter Rhode Island and pass over the Sakonnet River to reach Newport State Airport.

 

Leg 4

Newport State to Montauk

Leg Distance: 62.29     Approximate time at 125kts: 30 minutes.

 

See leg in Skyvector

Newport State(KUUU) to Newport(POI26)

Distance: 2.93NM     Bearing: 224°     1 minutes

 

After launching, set a course to the southwest to Newport, located on Narragansett Bay.

 

Newport(POI26) to Narragansett(POI27)

Distance: 5.57NM     Bearing: 264°     3 minutes

 

Continue from Newport, over the East Passage and the southern end of Conanicut Island to reach Narragansett.

 

Narragansett(POI27) to Worden Pond(POI28)

Distance: 6.53NM     Bearing: 271°     3 minutes

 

Gain a visual on Worden Pond after passing over Narragansett.

 

Worden Pond(POI28) to Westerly(POI29)

Distance: 11.88NM     Bearing: 266°     6 minutes

 

Continue on a west-southwest course, staying just to the north of U.S. Route 1 to reach the town of Westerly, located in the southwestern corner of Rhode Island on the border with Connecticut.

 

Westerly(POI29) to New London(POI30)

Distance: 11.95NM     Bearing: 281°     6 minutes

 

Follow Interstate 95 to the city of New London, which lies at the mouth of the Thames River and was once one of the most important whaling ports in the world.

 

New London(POI30) to Montauk Point(POI31)

Distance: 20.47NM     Bearing: 163°     10 minutes

 

Turn onto a south-southeast course, passing over Fishers Island and Block Island Sound to reach Montauk Point, the easternmost point of New York's Long Island.

 

Montauk Point(POI31) to Montauk(KMTP)

Distance: 2.96NM     Bearing: 290°     1 minutes

 

Land at Montauk Airport.

 

Leg 5

Montauk to Long Island Mac Arthur

Leg Distance: 59.61     Approximate time at 125kts: 29 minutes.

 

See leg in Skyvector

Montauk(KMTP) to Gardiners Island(POI32)

Distance: 7.78NM     Bearing: 284°     4 minutes

 

Lift into the air and head west to Gardiners Island, one of the largest privately owned islands in the United States.

 

Gardiners Island(POI32) to Sag Harbor(POI33)

Distance: 10.37NM     Bearing: 256°     5 minutes

 

Turn onto a southwest heading, flying out over Gardiners Bay, and pass over Hog Creek Point and then Sag Harbor Bay to reach the town of Sag Harbor.

 

Sag Harbor(POI33) to Shinnecock Hills(POI34)

Distance: 9.97NM     Bearing: 243°     5 minutes

 

Continue on a southwest course, staying inland of the shores of the Peconic Bays to reach the hamlet of Shinnecock Hills.

 

Shinnecock Hills(POI34) to Westhampton Beach(POI35)

Distance: 9.39NM     Bearing: 254°     5 minutes

 

Continue on course, flying over northern Shinnecock Bay, Tiana Bay, Pine Neck Preserve, Quantuck Creek, and the Aspatuck River to reach the village of Westhampton Beach.

 

Westhampton Beach(POI35) to Fire Island(POI36)

Distance: 9.22NM     Bearing: 257°     4 minutes

 

Continue over Moriches Bay to visit Fire Island, a long, narrow barrier island that is a popular destination for those who live and work in New York City.

 

Fire Island(POI36) to Long Island Mac Arthur(KISP)

Distance: 12.88NM     Bearing: 297°     6 minutes

 

Head back over Long Island, flying past Bellport, over the Patchogue River, and land at Long Island MacArthur Airport, just south of Lake Ronkonkoma.