As a special feature for this project, I'm inviting you to do a flyover of this little corner of the world I call home. Just follow the instructions below to get the 50 cent tour!

LET'S TAKE OFF!
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Go ahead and position yourself at the end of Runway 9 at QC Intl., using whatever aircraft you like. I'd prefer you use a prop aircraft, however, or you may get too far ahead of me! Take off and proceed on an easterly heading and level off at around 1000 ft. Keep heading east until you reach the following approximate coordinates: N41d 26.88m - W90d 20.92m

When you reach this point turn to a northerly heading. You'll see a river in front of you. That must be the Mississippi, you say! Wrong! That's the Rock River, which empties into the Mississippi downstream a ways. So keep heading north. If you have the right display settings selected in FS9 you may be able to see two bridges straight ahead of you crossing the Rock. And here's a fact for all of you golf fans out there: the TPC at Deere Run rests on the banks of the Rock. Deere Run hosts the John Deere Classic, a PGA tour event, every year right here in the Quad Cities.

Pretty soon you'll see the Mississippi ahead of you. When you've about reached the south bank, turn to a westerly heading and follow the river westward. It kind of twists and turns, so you'll have to adjust your heading at times.

Once again, if you have the right display settings selected, you may be able to see another bridge ahead of you. I assume this is supposed to be the I-80 bridge crossing the river, although I personally believe it should be positioned more upstream.

Now, before we proceed with our tour, have you noticed that you're on a westerly heading, but you are in fact following the course of the Mississippi? Why, you may ask yourself, am I heading west? Doesn't the Mississippi flow north to south? Well, this is the one area of the country where the river flows east to west! So now that we have that question answered, let's continue the tour!

Ahead of you you should be able to see a bridge which is greenish in color. This is the I-74 bridge which connects Bettendorf IA and Moline IL. I added this one myself. As you fly over the bridge I'm going to direct you attention to the left. This is Moline, with a population of close to 44,000. Moline is the home to the world headquarters of John Deere. Glance to your left and you will see Bettendorf, with a population of over 31,000. Of the four Quad Cities, Bettendorf is considered to be the most affluent. It is home to the Isle if Capri, one of the Quad Cities' three riverboat casinos.

Next, direct your attention to the island in the river ahead of you. This is Arsenal Island, on which the Rock Island Arsenal rests. The arsenal is involved in various military projects. There is also a bridge which connects Davenport IA and Arsenal Island, which is known locally as the Arsenal Bridge or Government Bridge. I couldn't produce a very realistic looking bridge for it, however, so I didn't include it in this project. This is also the location of Lock and Dam 15, one of a series of locks and dams on the Mississippi. This bridge has a swing span on it, which allows barge traffic to pass through. There have also been rumors for years of giant catfish which live under the roller dams, having been fed by spilled grain off of the barges.

Let's continue onward now. Head for the next bridge you see ahead of you. This is the Centennial Bridge, which connects Davenport IA and Rock Island IL. This one I added also. Just before you reach the bridge, let me direct your attention to your left. This is Rock Island IL, with a population of almost 40,000. It is also home to the Casino Rock Island, another QC riverboat casino. Finally, direct your attention to your right. This is Davenport IA,the largest of the four cities, with a population of just under 100,000. Davenport is the home to the third QC riverboat casino, Rhythm City. Davenport was also the hometown of Bix Beiderbecke, the legendary jazz musician who died at a very young age. Each July the city hosts the Bix Beiderbecke Jazz Festival, which is accompanied by the Bix 7 Mile Run. 7 miles may not sound like a long distance, but there are some steep hills involved which makes it tougher than it seems. Between 15,000 and ,20,000 runners participate in the race each year.
As you fly over the Centennial Bridge, turn to a northerly heading once more. Once you've travelled north a couple of miles, peer down; you may be able to sight me working on a new project. Give me a wave as you go by, will ya?

Well, that concludes our little tour. You may want to find a place to land now, won't you? Keep travelling north and eventually you'll be able to sight the Davenport Municipal Airport. This is just a small airport, and handles only GA traffic. But for three days each June, an estimated 50,000 people jam the airport to watch the Quad City Air Show. The U.S. Navy Blue Angels and the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds are regular visitors here. You can also see vintage World War II aircraft in action, plus current military aircraft also. There are also a variety of other aerial demonstrations. So, finally, tune your NAV radio to 109.10, which is the ILS frequency for Runway 15. Go ahead and land, and come and visit us again real soon!