SPZO - SPJC
Aeropuerto Internacional Alejandro Velasco Astete - Aeropuerto Internacional Jorge Chávez
It’s time to leave Cusco and head to the coast. We are flying Cusco - Lima today, the same route that captain Alejandro Velasco Astete flew in 1925 as the first pilot to cross the Andes (but the opposite direction).
The weather was not perfect this time, with an early 0558 takeoff from Cusco. As you can see above, there are some clouds and fog covering the landscape around Cusco.
Cusco is a pretty large city, surrounded by high mountains around all quadrants.
The terrain around the Peruvian Andes is rugged. I can’t image how it must have felt to fly over these mountains back in 1925. Today, we have the luxury of powerful engines and myriad electronics to make our flights safe. Back in the day, it was not like that.
Clouds and fogs are plaguing the approach to Lima, so we’ll have to do a full IFR approach and landing:
