The Amazon - The planet’s largest river
The Amazon
The planet’s largest river
South America’s Amazon is the planet’s largest river and one of its most renowned and storied natural features. Originating high in the Peruvian Andes, the Amazon flows 4,000 miles in a generally eastward course to its delta on the Atlantic Ocean at the equator. The Amazon basin – the region that is drained by the Amazon River – is 2,700,000 square miles in area, the largest drainage basin in the world. Comprising 1,100 tributaries, the total volume of water that flows through the Amazon River system is immense, approximately 1,700 cubic miles per year, the greatest of any river on the planet.
The Amazon Rainforest, the largest rainforest in the world, covers most of the Amazon Basin. The rainforest and the Amazon River system support a massive wealth of life. This includes over 1,500 bird species, 1,500 species of amphibians, 3,000 fish species, 1,400 mammals, 80,000 plant species, and 2.5 million insect species. The Amazon is the most biodiverse region on the planet.
The Amazon has been the focus of exploration to outsiders for centuries, but much of it remains shrouded in mystery. The area is sparsely populated, with most of the cities located along the Amazon or its major tributaries. The Amazon’s human history dates back thousands of years, with some cultures having developed advanced agriculture techniques and other technologies. Europeans arrived in the early 1500s and exploration began in the mid-1500s incentivized by the prospects of discovering gold.
This bush trip explores the Amazon River from the depths of the Amazon Rainforest to its delta. Pilots will bask in some of the greatest sights this renowned river system has to offer, from lush stands of endless forest to coastal islands.
Flight tips:
Weather, date and time are customizable. Live weather is preset.
Set your aircraft to "cold and dark" after each landing to end the flight, preferably in one of the parking lots.
Use ATC if you like.
This mission is created as a VFR flight. All necessary information is contained in the Navlog. If necessary, a GPS course is available.
Total Legs: 10 Total Distance: 906 Total Time(125kts): 7 hours 14 minutes
Leg 1
Ponta Pelada to Presidente Figueiredo Airport
Leg Distance: 81.03 Approximate time at 125kts: 39 minutes.
Ponta Pelada(SBMN) to Amazon Theatre(POI1)
Distance: 2.49NM Bearing: 309° 1 minutes
After taking-off from Ponta Pelada Airport, set a course to the northwest and fly over the southern reaches of Manaus. The city is the capital of Amazonas, the largest state in Brazil and the largest national subregion in South America. With more than 2.2 million inhabitants, Manaus is the largest city within the Amazon region and one of only two that has a population greater than 1 million, the other being Belém, also of Brazil. The city is located on the northern bank of the Rio Negro (Black River) just to the west of its confluence with Rio Solimões (Solimões River).
The Solimões River is the name often used within Brazil for the Amazon River upstream of its confluence with the Rio Negro. The Rio Negro, named such due to its dark color, is the Amazon River system’s second largest tributary and joins the Solimões / Amazon from the north. The Rio Negro and the Solimões / Amazon meet less than a mile to the east of Ponta Pelada Airport. The water of each, the Rio Negro being dark colored and the Rio Solimões / Amazon being light colored, run side-by-side for nearly four miles downstream. This confluence is called “Meeting of Waters” and downstream of this point the river is known exclusively as the Amazon River. The color of each river is due primarily to the type of sediment carried and also to water speed and temperature.
In addition to incredible vistas of the surrounding natural environment, this first leg of the journey brings wonderful architectural sights of Manaus into view. One of the most splendid is the Amazon Theater (Teatro Amazonas). Located just a few blocks north of the north bank of the Rio Negro, the Amazon Theater was constructed in 1884 during the rubber boom of the Amazon. The rubber boom spanned from 1879 to 1912 and marked a dramatic period in the entire Amazon Basin. Based on the extraction of natural rubber in the area, industrialists made massive fortunes which provided the basis for construction of beautiful works of architecture. The most notable of these is the Amazon Theater. The theater, built in the style of Renaissance Revival, is today the home of the Amazonas Philharmonic Orchestra and hosts the annual Amazonas Opera Festival.
Amazon Theatre(POI1) to Journalist Phelippe Dahsou Bridge(POI2)
Distance: 3.3NM Bearing: 302° 2 minutes
Maintain heading to fly out over the northern side of the Rio Negro and pass over the Journalist Phelippe Dahsou Bridge. Also called the Rio Negro Bridge, the span is the fourth longest in Brazil at just over 2 miles in length.
Journalist Phelippe Dahsou Bridge(POI2) to Arena da Amazonia(POI3)
Distance: 3.53NM Bearing: 72° 2 minutes
Over the Journalist Phelippe Dahsou Bridge, turn sharply to the northeast. Pass over the southwestern aspect of Manaus and gain a visual on and then pass over Arena da Amazônia, the Amazon Arena. The arena, which seats over 40,000, hosted matches of the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 Summer Olympics.