How about a simple Challenge Flight for us Niners?

[jgf]

8 minutes ago, JSMR said:

Out of curiosity did anyone do it non-stop? I think the B-29 stopped once? 

 

I'm still planning to see if the P-38 can go the distance at racing speeds with the large (300gal) drop tanks.

[Airbasil_1]

17 minutes ago, jgf said:

 

I'm still planning to see if the P-38 can go the distance at racing speeds with the large (300gal) drop tanks.

I still wonder if there is an Aircraft which can do this Flight nonstop... 
Usual Airlines (Spirit and United) today do this flight LAX - CLE nonstop in 4h 25min. Actually there are three Flights aday doing this Flight nonstop. 

[jgf]

Well, the P-38 with ferry tanks has a range at "economical cruise" of around 3000 miles.  But I've no idea what it will do when pushed to racing speeds.

[PhrogPhlyer]

3 hours ago, Airbasil_1 said:

all the weapons have been demilitarised

Where's the fun in that?

[ViperPilot2]

I may have an idea about the "Timing" aspect of this next Challenge, but I want to test it out first. 

 

I have to say... doing all the thinking and plotting for these Challenges in addition to the actual Sim time is rejuvenating my interest and pleasure in Simming again, thanks to all of you guys! 

[TomPenDragon]

No, man, thank YOU for starting all this in the first place!!!!  Perhaps someday (when we're all good and hammered) I might (sloppily and inartfully) let y'all in on what these few days I've been here have meant to me.  But for now, all of you, please accept my most profound thanks.

 

Sometimes, for some people, Flightsim is more than just pushing pixels around a screen...

[Airbasil_1]

2 hours ago, PhrogPhlyer said:

Where's the fun in that?

Sorry, usually i'm not a fan of Military aircraft myself as well... though i just tried to follow the rulez...
which stated that it should be a WWII Aircraft... and most of them have Weapons below the wings... or infront of the Canopy. 
And to be honest, I quite like the Republic X-47. She's just a sexy aircraft and lovely to fly. 

[PhrogPhlyer]

Relax Airbasil, It was intended to be humorous rhetorical response.

I had no issues with ordinance, in fact, I've expended quite a bit of it in my time.

[jgf]

13 minutes ago, Airbasil_1 said:

usually i'm not a fan of Military aircraft myself

 

Reminds me of the following from the readme of a plane I'm tweaking (English isn't his major language, but he conveys his message well).

 

"I like military aircrafts.  Especially, fighter!!
But, It is because the shape is unique and the manoeuverability is good.
I like aircraft that can freely fly in the big sky.
However............I hate war and combatting.
When I thinks the airframe that I made launches the bullet and the missile, I become scary.
Therefore, I'm prohibiting convert of my airframe for CFS.
If it is possible, I am wishing my airframe not to be used in CFS."

[PhrogPhlyer]

11 hours ago, jgf said:

However............I hate war and combatting.

This is most true of those who served or have served their country in the military.

For they are the one's who's lives are lost first.

Memorial/Remembrance day each year has a deep and special meaning to them, as they remember each name of a friend who is gone.

 

With that said, I will admit that I love the sound of the M2 .50 cal. 

 

With that, I'm signing of this portion of the thread.

 

[TomPenDragon]

Off and up...  The less said about Hill City, the better.

 

 

But I'm still furious with myself. I'm more meticulous about flight planning than that! What's more, of any of the stops on the course, I should know where Hill City is. After all, I was just here on the 3rd....

 

I had ordered the new plane in March, just before I headed over to Europe for the Endurance Racing season. Ferrari had a great year, taking top honors at both the Nurburgring 24H and LeMans. I hopped back and forth across the pond a few times for business, but mostly spent the Summer relaxing, flying, and sailing. I was finally starting to let go, to let the folks I brought up through the organization actually do the thing I trained them for. I was feeling good with myself, and for the first time in a very long time starting to see a new chapter of my life begin to take shape.

 

The Barcelona 24H had run on 16-17 September, and since there were a couple of "free" weekends between that and the last race of the season at the Nurburgring, I was out on a sailboat on Monday, the 2nd of October - just finishing lunch, actually - when I received a rather frantic call from Mitt - Mitt Squitts (his father Mortimer once told me that he gave him that name, "to toughen him up"). At his father's request, I had mentored Mitt after he had graduated from Wharton, and had seen him grow from a line supervisor to the Vice-President for North American Operations at Squitts. Mitt could be a little, "high-strung," and I could usually calm him down by simply walking him through whatever problem he was letting himself get stressed out over.

 

This time, however, was different. Before even saying, "Hello," he half-shouted, half-asked, "Can you still play the pipes?" Now, I'm not anywhere near the keyboardist I once was (arthritis will do that to you), but I could still play a respectable bagpipe. "Yeah, sure..." I answered slowly, trying to make sense of the question. "Can you get to the airport in Hill City, Kahsas, by first thing tomorrow morning? KHLC?" He didn't even let me ask him why. My interested was piqued; Mitt usually wasn't this rude, or sounded so desperate. "I guess," I replied, starting to try to game out just how I was going to do that. "Great. I'll see you there. Oh, and bring another piper with you, will you?" The line went dead.

 

I turned the boat back toward the Barcelona marina and called the airport to charter a Citation X. A couple of hours later, we were climbing out over Spain and heading for the U.S.A.. I nearly always pilot my own aircraft, even if a rental comes with aircrew, but this time I let the pros do the job while I relaxed in the back and practiced my bagpipes. Yes, I did pay the bagpipe surcharge on the rental.

 

A call to an old friend and sessions musician, Miguel Viejocampo, had him winging his way from Mexico City to Kansas. The second piper was solved.

 

Why was I doing this, anyway? I'd normally never take an interest in a company the size of Squitts. But this was personal for me: My foster mother was Scottish. I grew up eating porridge every morning. And the only kind of porridge in her household was Squitts - eveything else was just oatmeal. ("Eat your porridge, Tommy - you want to grow up to be like the man on the box, don't you?" "You want me to wear a dress? I thought you didn't like it when I did that." "IT'S A KILT!!!!!! Traditional Scottish menswear! Only REAL men wear kilts!") And I'm proud to say that, at 65 years old, I still have the legs to pull one off.

 

When I was adopted at 10, I insisted on having Squitts Porridge every morning. Even when they had that unfortunate contamination problem with the line - the one that caused what schoolchildren throughout the UK derisively dubbed, "the Squitts Squirts" - I stayed with them. And in the bathroom. A lot.

 

I dozed off and woke up when we were on final. The dawn was breaking. As we landed, I saw Miguel's Citation II parked close to the FBO. And a vintage-looking, late mark Spitfire, with the Squitt's shotputter plastered on its side, almost life-sized. I walked over to where Miguel was trying to argue with Squitts' marketing manager. That was futile, of course, since the marketing manager was a Scottish assignee and had a thick brogue and Miguel didn't speak much English. After a word with the manager, I determined that Miguel had understood him perfectly; he just didn't want to do it. I looked at Miguel with puppy dog eyes (One great thing about living with dogs is you learn how to make and use puppy dog eyes - they'll never work on the dogs, but on less intelligent species like humans, they're a useful tool). He shrugged, and we walked off to the FBO's men's room to change into our Typical Scottish Attire.

 

We came out, walked to the plane, unrolled a banner at the marketing manager's behest, and began to play as the cameras snapped and the marketing manager fretted.

 

I looked around for Mitt, but he was nowhere to be seen. I didn't see, but I heard, Scottish Mike. Even over the bagpipes - and Miguel's drone was right in my ear, too. But that was no surprise; had the Spitfire been doing its run-up, Scottish Mike would still be the only thing you heard. There he was, dressed head-to-toe in a three-piece, brown Harris Tweed suit - obviously custom-tailored - which made surprising sense given the morning chill. He was shmoozing with some business people, probably looking to drum up some more sponsorship. If Mike was working them, he'd have them sponsoring a Formula 1 team in not too long. I caught his eye and he shot me a quick, discreet wave. His Golden Aviation Group and my I Group had crossed paths many times over the years. Mike almost always ended up coming out on top. Perhaps another business person might have been angry or resentful over that - Golden always colors right up to the line, and frequently outside it. But Mike's the kind of guy who can shake your hand, steal all your fingers, sell them back to you, and leave you smiling as you go. I just laughed and chalked up any losses to Golden as the price of the floor show.

 

Mike Dand. Very few people know that name. To the business world, and maybe even to his own employees, he's Scottish Mike. A smile comes to my face now when I think of him. Instinctively, I count my fingers...

 

Standing next to the aircraft, being motioned out of sight by the photographers but not paying them any mind, was a 30-ish young woman - Susan? No, it was Suzanne, wasn't it? She was trying to check something on the aircraft, but they wouldn't let her take the cowlings off of the engine bay. She was somewhat plain of face, but had the second-most striking set of eyes that I've ever seen. Now, without any thought or hesitation whatsoever, I can definitively say that the most beautiful eyes that I've come across in my 65 years belong to my wife - still, after 39 years, every time I look into them it's uuuff dolór!! - and the old boys have a lot farther to travel these days, too. But young Suzanne's might be a rather close second. Not the eyes to be looking into when you're trying to play the pipes...

 

But, I was shocked to see El Guero Johnson! John was one of the first pilots we hired when we were resurrecting Pan Am as an all-first-class boutique airline. Oh, he could fly a Connie like a Spitfire, and a Spitfire like nobody's business. I lost track of him after Golden stole him away from us. He was looking good, although he was still suffering from the worst case of the dreaded Double V - Virtual Vitiligo. - that I had ever seen. Unfortunately, we didn't have the time to talk, as he was getting ready to run his next leg in the air race. Hopefully soon...

 

Miguel and I ended our set, ignored the marketing manager's request to roll up the banner (A veces es bueno fingir que uno no habla Inglés), and changed out of our Typical Scottish Attire into our own clothes. I told the pilots of my charter to get ready to head back to Barcelona. Both looked at my bagpipes with disgust and resignation - a bagpipe being played well by an expert piper is melodic and haunting; a bagpipe being practiced by an arthritic old man who hasn't picked one up in over a decade is a violation of the Geneva Convention - so I asked Miguel to take mine back to Mexico for me. While the pilots were fueling and pre-flighting the Citation, I chatted up, er, to Suzanne, who told me about the Bendix Challenge. She had me at, "Bendix."

 

As I boarded the bizjet, Regina, the captain, asked if I was rated on the X. I said that I was, so she showed me to the left seat and told me to fly the thing myself - I guess they wanted to make very sure that I didn't have a spare bagpipe stashed anywhere onboard. I flew; they slept, and by the time we were back in Spain I already had a plan to make at least an exhibition run at the Bendix Challenge course in The Beast. I had flown to Europe in the Spring in an Aero Commander 685, and before the trophies had been handed out at the final race of the season at the Nurburgring the following weekend, I was wheels-up and heading back home.

 

And that's how Squitts Porridge Oats came to announce their sponsorship of Golden Aviation Racing - complete with two Scottish-dressed Mexicans as pipers!

 

 

I'm on my way down, now, into KFSW. One of these days, Mitt and I are going to have to have a conversation - he hasn't even called me to thank me yet. But not today; I'm having too much fun!

 

Total flight time so far: 4:05. KHLC-KFSW time: 1:11.

[jgf]

Well, Sapphire was not happy having two 300 gal tanks slung under her wings;  did nothing for her figure.

 

 

But she surprised me with a relatively short take-off run, climbing 1800ft/min at 200kt to reach cruise altitude of 24000ft in 13 minutes.  Slightly more conservative settings than my race - 48mp and 2800rpm;  cruising at 245-251kt IAS, and GS of 368-379kt.

Timer showed (from take-off)

KCEZ at 1:28

KHLC at 2:38

KFSW at 3:41

 

Turned towards Cleveland and out of fuel at 3:53, 357 miles to go.  A quick fuel stop at KFSW would have sufficed. 

 

 

I did an inflight refueling, 25% in each main tank, nothing else, and continued to Cleveland, touching down at 4:59, shut down at 5:06, with 2% fuel in the tanks.  2050 miles in five hours, though an actual fuel stop would add at least another half hour to that.  So at racing speed 1010 gallons of fuel is good for about 1600-1700 miles.  (Now I better remove those drop tanks lest she get cranky and refuse to start.)

 

 

[PhrogPhlyer]

8 hours ago, jgf said:

But she surprised me with a relatively short take-off run, climbing 1800ft/min at 200kt to reach cruise altitude of 24000ft in 13 minutes.  Slightly more conservative settings than my race - 48mp and 2800rpm;  cruising at 245-251kt IAS, and GS of 368-379kt.

Impressive at that TO weight.

[PhrogPhlyer]

20 hours ago, TomPenDragon said:

complete with two Scottish-dressed Mexicans as pipers!

Mariachi Pipers!?!?! Get me back to the Highlands QUICK!!!

[TomPenDragon]

32 minutes ago, PhrogPhlyer said:

Mariachi Pipers!?!?! Get me back to the Highlands QUICK!!!

 

In the interest of fairness and cultural exchange, would you and Mike please round up a Scottish Mariachi band for the Panamericana?

 

On 10/3/2023 at 3:43 PM, ScottishMike said:

Happy with the shoot the photographer, Squitts Marketing Manager and the two Scottish dressed Mexicans departed.

 

Seriously, this line is what got me here in the first place - after ROTFL for half a day at the mental picture, I just had to dip my quill in some caca de vaca and come represent!

[PhrogPhlyer]

9 minutes ago, TomPenDragon said:

ROTFL for half a day at the mental picture

Once you see it you can never unsee it!!!!

[TomPenDragon]

 

"Once more unto the breach, dear friends.." The line comes to my mind unbidden, the words in the voice of Kenneth Branagh. It's obvious to me why; I'm setting off on the last leg of the Bendix. Yet considering their literary context, they seem profane - not the words themselves; my thinking that they apply to such a banal moment as this.

 

The Beast is a magnificent piece of machinery. I've always considered her a, "sportsplane," a single-seat, high-performance bird for tearing through the mountains back home in Mexico when I feel like getting my ya-ya's out, or a solid, fast, high-altitude, cross-country prop cruiser. But, it wasn't designed for any of that. It, and the Hornets, Thunderbolts, Sea Furies, Mustangs, Lightnings, Mosquitoes, Spitfires, and Superfortresses that ran the Bendix, and all the other aircraft known as, "Warbirds," were designed for one purpose and one purpose only:

 

To kill an enemy.

 

I hate the need for a military. I'd give up my full stable of warbirds that run the gamut from pre-WWII biplane trainers to Lightning II knockoffs for the lives lost to their reasons to be in a heartbeat. I wish we could all live in peace. That's not reality, though. If every single weapon of war suddenly disappeared, the first thing some a-hole with a lust for power or a hatred toward somebody would do is start making them again. And somebody would have to climb into a plane or board a ship or pick up a gun to remove from said a-hole the ability to wage war - or at least make them think twice about starting one in the first place.

 

Somebody would have to serve.

 

I never did. I grew up in the U.S. during the Vietnam War, and barely missed the draft. Like so many of my generation, I made the mistake of conflating the lions who fought with the asses who sent them there under sketchy pretexts and kept them there without either understanding the enemy or having any sort of strategy for winning. Because war isn't about stalemate; it's the ultimate zero-sum game: You die, I win.

 

I'm humbled now when I see someone in uniform, or know someone who's has had that experience. I wave to them. A lot of the time, they seem to wonder if they know the crazy guy waving at them. Sometimes, they realize that I'm saying, "Thank you for your service." I wouldn't dare salute; I haven't earned that right.

 

Thank you for your service.

 

Thank you for doing what I've been unwilling to do.

 

Thank you for risking your life for mine.

 

Thank you for pushing yourself through basic, for humping your body weight's worth of gear through jungles, forests, and deserts so that I can grow fat in my chair playing pretend pilot.

 

Thank you for the scars you bear on your body and in your mind, while I bitch and moan about a little arthritis.

 

Thank you for waking up every night to the sounds of phantom bullets and bombs so that I can sleep peacefully.

 

Thank you for your service!

 

And I'll never know the camaraderie you feel. I'll never know the willingness to lay your life down for someone you might have known only a few days or weeks. Someone you might not even like. Someone who might not like you. Because when the bullets start flying, the only thing that matters is that trust that that someone has your back, and you have theirs.

 

Harry the king, Bedford and Exeter, Warwick and Talbot, Salisbury and Gloucester.

 

"And gentlemen in England now a-bed
Shall think themselves accursed they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin’s day."

 

Salido Grijalva, Espinoza Galván, Espinoza Fuentes, Vega Santander, López Portillo, Albarrán Nágera, and Martinez Valle.*

 

At the sound of such names, my manhood doesn't feel like it's worth a plugged nickel.

 

 

 

Up on top now. The tailwinds that I had seen during my flight planning seem to have kicked in; we're now making 461 knots over the ground.

 

 

We were going so fast that I missed my planned top-of-descent. It worked out, though, and if I were to re-run the course, I could pick up quite a bit of time by flying more aggressively.

 

 

Down, now. The flight timer stops at 5:16. That makes 1:11 for the leg, if my math is correct. Had I been running the race, I'd have come in third. Not bad! Most importantly, I had FUN flying, more fun than I've had in a long time. I think the participants might feel the same way, too - I've heard that some of them have re-run the course in different aircraft. And there's been at least another Thunderbolt (fully laden with weapons, too, they told me at the FBO in Cortez) and a DeHavilland Hornet seen running the course as well. There's even talk about a second race...

 

I'm in.

 

* - Pilots from the 201'st who were lost in WWII

[PhrogPhlyer]

1 hour ago, TomPenDragon said:

Thank you for your service!

You've stated such heartfelt sentiments, that do our language proud.

And this old vet responds for those who have not life or breath, "It was our honor,"

[TomPenDragon]

Epilogue

 

Setting down in Cleveland was only the midpoint of my flight, however. I gassed up The Beast and headed right back to California. I made a fuel stop at Russell Muni in Kansas, opened up the valves for the auxiliary bladders that are installed in place of the guns and ammo. and made it the rest of the way to KSMO. 6.8 hours for the return. After a whole day in the air, I only had enough energy to drag my keister to bed and collapse. I did, however, receive a text that I could see my new plane anytime the next day.

 

 

It's a new day! I arise at a far more reasonable hour, take care of what I need to take care of, plot a return to Cuernavaca via San Diego, pre-flight The Beast, and climb into the cockpit just as Dawn is breaking. It's a quick, straight run over the water to KSAN - pleasant flying, although the clouds that were starting to build toward the south of Santa Monica have become a thick, low overcast by the time I reach San Diego.

 

 

 

 

 

And how is my new plane coming along?

 

 

...Oh, yeah!

 

So fare thee well. Thou never shalt hear herald anymore.

 

(At least for this story)

[Rupert]

On 10/19/2023 at 2:57 PM, PhrogPhlyer said:

You've stated such heartfelt sentiments, that do our language proud.

And this old vet responds for those who have not life or breath, "It was our honor,"

This old vet agrees!! 

[jgf]

This could be a fun flight-

https://www.australianflying.com.au/latest/aopa-australia-to-reprise-1976-air-race

 

The original was won by a Piper Comanche, second went to an Aerostar 600, and the RAN took last spot on the podium with a Grumman S-2E.

[ViperPilot2]

On 10/29/2023 at 12:45 AM, jgf said:

This could be a fun flight-

https://www.australianflying.com.au/latest/aopa-australia-to-reprise-1976-air-race

 

The original was won by a Piper Comanche, second went to an Aerostar 600, and the RAN took last spot on the podium with a Grumman S-2E.

Definitely one to think about. We could do it in honour of "The Sugarbird Lady", Robin Miller Dicks.

 

[jgf]

Thanks, was not aware of her.

[taoftedal]

 

On 10/29/2023 at 1:45 AM, jgf said:

This could be a fun flight- https://www.australianflying.com.au/latest/aopa-australia-to-reprise-1976-air-race

 

For sure ... great idea!  

 

 

 

[taoftedal]

On 10/29/2023 at 1:45 AM, jgf said:

This could be a fun flight- https://www.australianflying.com.au/latest/aopa-australia-to-reprise-1976-air-race

 

Still thinking about this for whatever reason ... and ran across the attached newspaper article about the '76 race.  Perhaps call it the 'Robin Miller Invitational' (per VP's post) or something like that?

 

Australian Women's Weekly.pdf