Around the World in a Learjet.

[Joop Kruize]

MAD1: New house?  in the same environment?  no more problems with flooding?  good luck with the new home and see you. ️

[Joop Kruize]

PhrogPhlyer: Thanks for the advice.  I will also try FSX on one of my laptops.  Hopefully the PC won't get too slow.  That's right, this FS9 works fine.  I just want to see scenery a bit sharper.

[Joop Kruize]

Stage 24 March 14th 2023. From Jackson to Mitchell.  (Distance 632 Nm)

From Jackson I follow with a Ford Tri Motor across Lake Jackson, to the left into the mountains.  But this Tri Motor couldn't reach the height above the mountains. So back the same way. With my Learjet-45 I then went north to YellowStone Park, across the lakes and east to Mitchell Mun. Airport.  The Missouri River is beautiful with wide meanders and long bridges.

Link to Mitchell.. .. https://youtu.be/f7HrjhhP9tQ

 

[Joop Kruize]

Stage 25  March 24th 2023. From Mitchell to Chicago O'Hare int.  (Distance 493 Nm)

In Mitchell I flew a Curtis Jenny over Lake Mitchell and a bit along the road from east to west. With my Learjet-45 I continued my way over this flat landscape towards Chicago. Along the way I passed the beautiful large Mississippi River. Brilliant from a height of 15,000 ft.  Chicago has many runways and I was assigned 32L. Quickly looked up the runway-ILS. Frequency 108.95 MHz. Because the GPS let me down for a while, I had to estimate the flight path to 32L myself and that worked out nicely. Once within range of the ILS, I could use the Trottle to the threshold as usual. Taxiing to the “gate” was also supervised. A long road with many curves ended at the gas station.  Link to Chicago… … https://youtu.be/9YBu_zywuLs

[Joop Kruize]

Stage 26 March 28th 2023. From Chicago to Washington Dulles (afst. 712 Nm).

In Chicago, I took a Boeing 737 for a sightseeing flight. Busy in the air. Lots of air traffic. Now I landed at 32R and to my left a Boeing 747 was descending. Nice. With ILS on the right. Okay. With my Learjet-45 over Lake Michigan to the other side toward Detroit. Here to the right and left over Lake Erie, via Cleveland, Erie toward Buffalo. Then turn right heading south. Flying low over a beautiful hilly landscape with rivers toward Washington Dulles Int. where I landed. Link to Washington ... https://youtu.be/lzkua5SyaJg

[MAD1]

Hi Joop, wow, you're still going, thought you'd be home by now. Will enjoy looking at your vids. Re new house, am in the country now, on a hill (no flood risk, only a minor bush fire risk now), no neighbours, on my heaven of 2 hectares (5 acres), semi-retired, plenty of grass to mow. Still no sim setup for me yet. Got satellite Internet here, works well (as am in a blackspot for standard terrestial Interent). Am enjoying reading about the early history of QANTAS circa 1920s. Amazing how tough those old pioneer aviators were. Will start following your hops again Joop.

[MAD1]

Am enjoying catching up on your vids. Have started at Stage 15 Bamaga to Honiara. But meant to say in my previous comment about your tour of the Torres Strait islands, great that you used the DC3. It indeed has been a workhorse in the past in the remote parts of Australia. Being a DC3, it'll take a lot of punishment and was trusted as a reliable aircraft in those remote areas where airports are scarce and there are vast inhospitable distances.

[Joop Kruize]

Stage 27 April 6th 2023. From Washington, New York to Halifax.  (Dist. 832 Nm)

From Washington Dulles I flew a Beechcraft Baron 58 over the "Potomac" River to Washington D.C. and a few laps over many imposing buildings in an uninteresting area, back to the AirPort.  With my Learjet-45 it went via Philadelphia to New York. Via the V.N. Bridge and the Statue of Liberty to a gigantic beautiful center of New York. Past the Empire State Building over Central Park and beautiful harbors. I will definitely fly here more often. Beautiful. Continue north, via Boston, crossing to Canada “Nova Scotia” and Halifax AirPort. Link to Halifax.  … https://youtu.be/w-lY4rP_dCo

 

[Joop Kruize]

On 4/10/2023 at 5:28 AM, MAD1 said:

Am enjoying catching up on your vids. Have started at Stage 15 Bamaga to Honiara. But meant to say in my previous comment about your tour of the Torres Strait islands, great that you used the DC3. It indeed has been a workhorse in the past in the remote parts of Australia. Being a DC3, it'll take a lot of punishment and was trusted as a reliable aircraft in those remote areas where airports are scarce and there are vast inhospitable distances.

 

Mad1:… So you're in the Bush Bush.  Far from civilization?  Wouldn't you have been better off with a DC3?

[Joop Kruize]

Stage 28 April 18th 2023. From Halifax, via "Sable" to St. John's.  (Dist. 551 Nm)

No city tour this time. So straight up with my Learjet-45 and instead of along the islands, now to the south-east, to the “Sable Island” also called the graveyard of the Atlantic Ocean. This island has the shape of New Moon in the first days. This is a dangerous shallow area with many shipwrecks. Continue towards St.John's Int.  Airport flown and landed on runway 34 with ILS-APP-BS. Link to St. John's.  … https://youtu.be/hMreqD88l6c

[Joop Kruize]

Stage 29 April 28th 2023. From St. John's to Lajes Acores. (Distance 1288 Nm)

Again no City-Tour today. Just take to the air with my Learjet-45 and straight to the Azores towards Europe. Another fairly long trip over “Waterworld”. At least 1000 Nm and only water on all sides.

My flightlevel was about 20,000 ft so I had to descend at a distance of 65 Nm to get a closer look at the first island. I left a bit late, with the result that I landed at Lajes AirPort after sunset. Shame. Only seen a few illuminated airports. A City-Tour around these islands at daylight should be nice. Link to Lajes Azores. … https://youtu.be/AkXPA8iLubk

[Joop Kruize]

Stage 30 2th. May 2023. From the Azores to the Canary Islands (Distance 937 Nm)

Island hopping is a good description of this tour. In the Learjet-45 a lap from Lajes on the island of Terceira. Then to the island of Sao Miguel and the smaller st. Maria. It goes towards Madeira and airport at St. Cruz. All these islands in the Atlantic Ocean have a city called St. Cruz. After this I saw a long strip of flat beach islands, the “Desertas islands”. From here straight to the Canary Islands, the island of Tenerife, to land on the airport of st. Cruz. Landing on runway 12 was easy. But I had to go around to the other side with runway no. 30. No problem. Plenty of time this time.

Link to the Canary Islands … https://youtu.be/4RBd0eDhJ8U

[Joop Kruize]

Stage 31 May 17, 2023. From Tenerife to Malaga (Distance 1167 Nm)

First a round of islands with the Beech Baron 58. Around La Palma, Frontera, Gomora back to Tenerife South, North. With the Learjet-45 it went from Tenerife North, via Gran Canaria via Fuerteventura and Lanzarote to Morocco. Along Casablanca to Tanger, Gibraltar and Malaga in Spain.   Link to Málaga. … https://youtu.be/llPOJ75w-Cw

 

[Joop Kruize]

Stage 32 May 27th, 2023. From Malaga to Nantes.  (Distance 772 Nm)

With a Cessna 172 I did a short round of Malaga across the bay, over the city and back to the airport. With my Learjet-45 I flew along the coast East, North-East and North. Past Valencia, Zaragoza to Biarritz, past Bordeaux over the Bay of Biscay to Nantes. Link to Nantes… … https://youtu.be/_Rs77meXRio

[Joop Kruize]

Stage 33  June 1st. 2023. From Nantes to Eelde (Distance 515 Nm)

With a Spitfire a short tour of Nantes over the city and the bay and back to the airport. With my Learjet-45 I flew this last trip via Normandy, via the Channel, the Belgian coast to the Netherlands, over Zeeland, Valkenburg airport and Schiphol, the IJsselmeer and the Wadden. A lap to runway 23 and landed at my home port Eelde. Finally back home. I thought a nice landing and a self-programmed festive reception were appropriate here. “The Eagle has landed” after this 33 flights from 9/5/22 to 6/1/23 around the World. More then 49.000 km. The link …. https://youtu.be/j9QhuhaTNf4

 

[Joop Kruize]

The summary:

The purpose of digitally flying around the world has been achieved. Departed from Eelde airport on 5 Sept. 2022 and landed again on June 1, 2023. It was very impressive flying low above the beautiful landscapes such as the Grand Canyon and many other recognizable structures. Zeeland and the IJsselmeer is also such a beautifully recognizable landscape when I returned home. The beautiful cities like San Francisco, Las Vegas, Kuala Lumpur with the Twin Towers. The islands of Hawaii, Indonesia, Salomon's, Marshall. In total, more than 49,000 km covered, but if I add the go-arounds and many laps to land well, then I come far over 50,000 km. Not counting the many “City Tours” that I flew with another aircraft to explore the city or its surroundings. The planning was 44,569 km. As “World Travel 12” I made the journey in 33 stages and thus past 32 other airports. My biggest fear was the crossing from Hawaii to California, 2044 Nm. so 3785 km. According to insiders, this would often not be feasible with a Learjet-45. With all tanks full you leave with over 6000 lb. Consumption is around 3 lb/Nm at high altitude and 4 to 5 lb./Nm at low flying. So I set out to test a Learjet-60 at its maximum achievable distance. It had larger tanks but also greater consumption! I flew it across the great sea. But the 45 turned out to be able to fly further under the right conditions, such as the right height FL380 and not too fast, mach 0.65 was fine. The two closest airports are Hilo Hawaii and Vandenberg California. Without taxiing, which also costs fuel, I took off from runway 08, in the right direction and landed with enough tanks left, but in my chosen direction, at the military air bases. And consumption was about 2.1 lb/Nm. That was a record!! The journey through the USA was flying low and enjoying. Then the crossing via the Azores to Europe.! All's well that ends well. Sometimes, even on autopilot, it was a bit boring along the way.  But now glad it's done well. On to another challenge. 

[Joop Kruize]

Home …. Installed Windows 11 yesterday and today made a sightseeing flight with a Cessna 172 at my airport Eelde without any problems. Everything works..!!! Hip Hip Hooray. FS2004 or FS9 can last another 10 years. 

[PhrogPhlyer]

This has been quite an adventure for you, and for those who followed and enjoyed your postings.

Well done!!!

[MAD1]

Congratulations, a huge effort. And you didn't crash once, is that correct? (Or did you but you just didn't tell anyone about it?). By the way, your flight route map is your original one, perhaps you could post your final route map (which would show that you did go to Australia, to the tip of Cape York.)

[Joop Kruize]

MAD1: Yes, absolutely right. the route was a bit different, via Australia and a bit different here and there, especially in the USA. Here's a new picture of the actual route. And yes, crashed a few times indeed, but that doesn't make it into the movie. On to a new challenge. 

[MAD1]

Hi Joop, long time no talk. Finally, am starting to look at your videos, from where I stopped when you arrived in Bamaga, Queensland, Australia. Your leg 15 Bamaga to Honiara, Solomon Islands is interesting. I open up Google Maps and Wikipedia to find out about the places. A great way to learn world geography. Funny thing, very few Australians, including me, have any knowledge of our near neighbours to our north. So, I didn't know that the Solomon Islands is the location of Guadal Canal. I knew about the big WW2 battle there, the 'Battle of the Coral Sea'. Honiara International Airport was Henderson Field in WW2, built by the Japanese, captured by the USA. So much history in that little known part of the Pacific. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henderson_Field_(Guadalcanal)

[Joop Kruize]

MAD1 and other best followers. After my WorldTour I am experimenting with X-Plane-11. It works quite nicely. Two video made of flights with 172SP at airfield Eelde Netherlands. (They are on this Forum at XP11). Beautiful images. Maybe I will explore the world again with this.

[MAD1]

Hi Joop and everyone. Will look at your XPlane vids. Got a book out of our local library recently on Amelia Earhert, good book, lots of pics. As others have posted, and as in the book, her disappearance is fascinating near to Howland Island, her intended landing spot. A very lonely place in the Pacific, as I'm sure Joop you appreciated when you flew that leg from New Guinea. A lot of ocean and nowhere to land.

[Joop Kruize]

MAD1: What's the weather like in Australia? I heard the weather is wet and severe with flooding in Queensland. Does that happen more often in these months? Still flying? I try out XP11 and visit some nice airports. I may trade in my laptop for a desktop NVidia and AMD Ryzen etc... for a better FPS. It does not exceed 19 ps now.

[MAD1]

Hi Joop, season's greetings to you. Have set up my cockpit again and done a preliminary couple of flights. Am very happy again! See my new thread 'FS2002 Mazda'. Also, have you seen this 'The 2024 Australia Rally'. Am thinking to join the group and do part of it, perhaps you might be interested also. What are your flying plans for 2024? Do you have any big adventures planned? Re Oz weather, yes, we're experiencing some extreme events across the nation, and up in northern QLD, where you flew into in the Cape, they had a cyclone (hurricane), which itself was 'normal', but an intense rain event followed it, which caused unprecedented flooding especially in parts of Cairns. And in south-eastern Queensland, violent thunderstorm on Christmas day caused severe damage to the electricity network, 120,000 people were without power for a day or so, and now some thousands still don't have power, the electricity authority says they can't simply reconnect things as some of the infrastructure was so severly damaged it'll have to be rebuilt. It seems climate change is causing these more extreme and more frequent extreme events ongoing. Hope the Netherlands is not experiencing anything bad.