An East Coast network from New York to Miami
Eastern Air Transport was one of the companies that helped shape early scheduled air service in the United States. Founded under another name in 1926, it became Eastern Air Transport after being acquired by Clement Melville Keys, often described as one of the builders of American commercial aviation.
This flight plan rebuilds its 1933 East Coast network: the New York - Washington - Richmond trunk, extensions toward Jacksonville and Atlanta, the long run to Miami, and the shorter Atlantic City links. It works best as a campaign flown branch by branch.
How to fly the route
The best starting point is the historic trunk: New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington and Richmond. It sets the rhythm with short legs, urban airports, simple navigation and the feel of a 1930s scheduled service.
Then choose a branch. Toward the southeast, the line runs through Raleigh, Charleston, Savannah and Jacksonville. Inland, it heads through Greensboro, Charlotte, Columbia, Augusta and Atlanta. From Atlanta, a longer branch reaches Miami through Macon, Jacksonville, Daytona Beach, Orlando, Tampa, St. Petersburg and Vero Beach.
Suggested route
Historic trunk route
Start with the short urban East Coast backbone to capture the pace of 1930s scheduled flying.
KEWR → KPHL → KBWI → KDCA → KRIC
Coastal branch to Jacksonville
Then move southeast with legs that preserve the commercial logic of the Atlantic coast.
KRIC → KRDU → KFLO → KCHS → KSAV → KJAX
Inland branch and Florida
The inland and Florida extension gives the network its scale and turns the article into a real campaign.
KGSO → KCLT → KCDN → KCAE → KAGS → KSPA → KGMU → KATL → KMCN → KJAX → KDAB → KMCO → KTPA → KSPG → KVRB → KMIA
Recommended aircraft
Jens B. Kristensen's Curtiss Condor AT-32 fits the atmosphere of this route very well. The file at32_v20.zip, available from FlightSim.com, is compatible with FS2004 and FSX.
GPS is recommended alongside ADF/NDB navigation. To keep the historical feel, use radio beacons and visual references when possible, keeping GPS as a safety net.
Simulation advice
Do not treat this network as a plain list of airports. Give each session its own purpose: a quick New York - Richmond run, a coastal descent to Jacksonville, then a separate campaign toward Atlanta and Miami. The network then becomes a real trip through 1930s commercial America.
© Michel Lagneau 2021