​Sim Lab: Flying New Zealand’s Fiordland by Beaver Bushplane

For many U.S. pilots, New Zealand is a country we’d love to explore by air, but few of us have had the opportunity to travel there. If you’ve always wanted to fly in the South Pacific country but haven’t had the chance, it’s possible to experience it digitally by using Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 (MSFS2024). 

I’ve been flying on MSFS2024 since a major update in fall 2025 brought the needed stability to the title. Using Microsoft’s extensive location data and AI capability, MSFS2024 has mapped the world’s geography, allowing access to some of the most remote destinations from the comfort of your home sim.

This Article First Appeared in FLYING Magazine

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Fiordland Flying

One snowy weekend this past winter, I logged onto MSFS2024 with a desire to spend some sim time in the DHC-2 Beaver, specifically the amphibious variant. Having recently read that water landings can be an enjoyable challenge in-sim, I loaded into the Beaver and followed the title’s randomly generated recommendation to try Quintin Lodge Airstrip (T004).

Google satellite imagery confirms that there’s a quite narrow and overgrown grass and gravel airstrip deep in Fiordland National Park off the Milford Track hiking trail in Southland region, nearly due west of Queenstown. It’s known in the flight sim community as one of the most challenging backcountry airstrips. 

I prepared the aircraft for takeoff. A light summer rain was falling, restricting horizontal and vertical visibility. My preflight review of the terrain suggested a path through the valley roughly following the takeoff heading toward the north. The real-world weather running in-sim dampened neither my Beaver nor my spirits, and I opted to depart in the marginal VFR conditions once I’d let the Pratt & Whitney R-985 oil temperature warm sufficiently. 

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Takeoff to the north felt somewhat claustrophobic with mountains on both sides of the airplane, but I followed the low valley ahead before dropping down into small Lake Ada. Performing a touch-and-go, I then flew up the valley to the backcountry outpost of Milford Sound, banked left over a waterway of the same name, and headed westbound toward the ocean. There’s a 2,580-foot paved runway at Milford Sound Airport (NZMF) that would be an equally beautiful starting point for this flight if you’re interested in an alternative. 

The mountains sloped down to the water in dramatic fashion, and rolling up to unseen heights, the peaks obscured in roiling gray cloud banks, providing the type of scenery for which New Zealand is known. I passed low over the mast of a large sailboat near the mouth of Milford Sound and touched down on the water for a few seconds, wetting the bottom side of the floats. Cruising up the waterway, I banked sharply right, heading north again, passing Dale Point off my right wing. 

Since it was available in the DHC-2 Beaver, I used the TDS Pro GTN 750 GPS mod to hunt for the next airport. With more than half the total fuel available in the tanks, I had sufficient range to fly for a few hundred miles. Ahead of me on the moving map, I saw an airport near the mouth of a river, with the approach end of the runway nearly touching its bank. The waterway looked sufficiently wide enough to attempt landing, so I circled back around toward the west to line up for final approach. I clicked the waypoint on the GTN 750, revealing the name of the location as Martins Bay Aerodrome (NZMJ). 

Fully enjoying the amphibious capability of my trusty DHC-2, I landed in the estuary of the Kaipo River, lowering my water rudders and taxing around to see if I could shut down and dock near the few buildings that comprised the lodge at the aerodrome. In MSFS204, you can park and exit your airplane and walk around to explore any place on foot. However, with no dock or obvious place to beach the Beaver, I raised my water rudders, brought up the throttle, and took off to try landing on the gravel strip. 

Martins Bay

Turning to my left, I entered a tight left downwind for the gravel runway at Martins Bay, which is roughly 1,700 feet long. From the air at pattern altitude, it looked to be 100 feet long and no wider than a Popsicle stick. It’s a rare feeling in-sim when I’ve assessed a landing option and felt that proceeding may not be a wise decision. Yet I wanted the feeling of accomplishment from nailing the approach and bringing in the Beaver.  

Attempting a first approach, I was too high and too fast on final, so I applied takeoff power and climbed away from the trees at the end of the runway. My second approach was a little better, but I would have touched down with about 500 feet left to bring the Beaver’s mass to a full stop, so I pulled back on the yoke and went for another trip around the pattern. On my third attempt, I did my best to keep the Beaver lower and slower, but I bounced the plane onto the gravel. It wasn’t pretty, but the wheels stayed on, and I was down before the tree line at the end of the runway. 

After using up nearly all of the available runway, I turned around at the end and taxied back, kicking up large plumes of dust behind. It wasn’t until after the flight that I explored the area around Martins Bay by satellite map. It turns out there are two additional grass runways at the Aerodrome to check out. Next time I go back, I’ll be sure to land on each one. 

If you end up exploring New Zealand with your home sim, I recommend visiting Martins Bay. It’s one of many unique small airstrips that exist in the real world but are tricky to access. Starting my flight at Quintin Lodge on a whim and ending up at Martins Bay Aerodrome was typical of the fun you can have exploring new geography. Pairing the adventure with the rugged and capable DHC-2 Beaver on floats (with wheels) gave me the chance to land anywhere and explore everywhere.

And just like any other exotic destination, New Zealand is only a mouse click away and waiting to be explored. 

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Now, You Fly It

Title: Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024

Airplane: DHC-2 Beaver on floats (passenger variant)

Departure Airport: Quintin Lodge Airstrip (T004)

Alternate Departure Airport: Milford Sound (NZMF)

Arrival Airport: Martins Bay Aerodrome (NZMJ)

Approximate Flight Time: 45 min.

Weather: Real world

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This column first appeared in the May Issue 970 of the FLYING print edition.