Route 66 Air Rally

[TomPenDragon]

43 minutes ago, taoftedal said:

Wow!  I'm impressed.  Keep it up and I'm assuming we'll just have to hand you the trophy in Gallup!  (... but watch out for that Spitfire behind you.  I believe they have machine guns).  

Just doing what you told me, representin' for Piper and showing the Beeches how it's done.  I'm not worried about the Spit - we're vampires - but the nuns in the 18, that's another story  (as long as JMSR hasn't fu deflo disavowed them already).

[PhrogPhlyer]

16 hours ago, Bossspecops said:

I may give the Rally a go

Nice to meet you and welcome aboard.

Hopefully you'll enter the rally. 

If you have any questions after perusing the meandering threads, just ask.

[PhrogPhlyer]

4 minutes ago, TomPenDragon said:

I'm not worried about the Spit - we're vampires - but the nuns in the 18, that's another story  (as long as JMSR hasn't fu deflo disavowed them already).

Ahhh, the joys of what happens on the open road/sky!

"What happens on the rally, stays on the rally."

[TomPenDragon]

1 minute ago, PhrogPhlyer said:

Ahhh, the joys of what happens on the open road/sky!

What happens in the cockpit stays in the cockpit (or occasionally in the doctor's office for a shot of penicillin).

[Melo965]

12 hours ago, Airbasil_1 said:

Count me out and off for this one! As I won't have the time to finish it…

 

Sorry to hear that.  Hope to see you next time.  Good luck with the real world stuff.

 

[Melo965]

2 hours ago, taoftedal said:

(... but watch out for that Spitfire behind you.  I believe they have machine guns).  

 

No ammunition at all.  Flying the Photo Reconnaissance version.  Just cameras on board, so still behave yourself. 

 

 

[Melo965]

Leg 2.  Zelmer Memorial IL (5K1) to Jones Lebanon MO (KLBO)  164 miles.

Same setup as before, using FSX Acceleration.  Flying with both leading edge wing tanks at 50% capacity for this flight also.  Starting with just under 180 gallons of fuel.

 

Lined up and ready to start engine at Zelmer.

 

 

On the way from 5K1 to KLBO.  Flight level close to 4,500 ft.

 

 

Same position from external view.

 

 

Still on the way, climbed to 6,500 ft.

 

 

A cloudy day today.  Winds from the south strengthening as the flight progresses.

 

 

Cutting through between clouds and staying VFR.  More than half way there.

 

 

My leg 2 route.

 

 

Down and stopped at Lebanon.  Landed 1 minute early. 

 

 

I thought my joystick and rudder pedals were fine, until I got close to the landing approach.  But on final it was hard to control the aircraft and I barely made it down, almost ran out of runway.  Before leg 3 I will do a full re-calibration of my Thrustmaster joystick and MFG Crosswind rudder pedals.

 

Note to self: Don't reinstall Acceleration during an event next time!

Second note to self: Slow flight on final approach is much easier in a Cessna 172 than it is in a Spitfire.

 

Used 52 gallons of fuel this leg.

 

Took off at 3:45 PM
ETA 4:29 PM
Actual 4:28 PM
Variation 1 minute.

 

[Bossspecops]

After being persuaded to enter the Rally by Melo, I'm having a go at it.

 

Flying a WWII Westland Lysander, on the grounds that it stalls at 35 kts so even I can't get into trouble with it, famous last words!

 

My estimated flight time is 1 hr 20 mins, and I'm almost overhead BMI now, and going quite well.

 

I took some screenies and they'll be up here soon I hope.

 

Fingers crossed.

 

Regards

Kit

[TomPenDragon]

Welcome, Kit, and best of luck!

[Bossspecops]

Well, I managed to finish Stage 1, but it didn't quite go to plan as I'd forgotten my radio navigation procedures. 

 

Flying the Lysander I estimated a flight time of 1 hr 20 mins, but was MILES out as I arrived 14 mins late. 

 

The Tower crew at Lansing were amazed at seeing the Lysander take-off as it only rolled maybe 6-7 fuselage lengths before the wheels were up, but that's what flaps and slats do for you. 

 

 

About to start the take-off roll, with all the windows and canopies open of course, it's standard RAF procedures, don't you know? Note the flaps and LE slats deployed, you don't have to worry about using them, they're fully automatic and start deploying as you slow, and retract as you speed up. VERY handy. 

 

 

 

The Lysander has s superb view from that tall cockpit, and the panel's well laid out, and easy to work too.  At this point I was vainly trying to find the BMI beacon on my VOR set, but failed totally and did a complete 360 degree turn wondering just where I was! A bit of dead reckoning came to my aid and I headed off in the correct direction at last.

 

 

 

The BMI Tower guys took this pic as I trundled past, and enquired how long I'd taken to fly it from England. Ruddy cheek!

 

 

 

And in turn I took this  one of them.  

 

I finally figured out how the VOR worked and headed off correctly, and after a few small wind vector corrections this wonderful sight appeared before me!

 

 

Zelmer Memorial in all its glory, and never was a runway more welcome too.

 

As the Lysander stalls at 35 kts with the flaps down, landing was pretty much a straightforward affair, just a matter of keeping her on the runway centre line and bleeding off the speed. She's a nice aircraft to taxi too with that ultra-high viewpoint, and I parked up, ready for Stage 2.

 

I used 42 galls of the 120 odd available, and lost a few grey hairs as well, not that I've got THAT many to start off with!

 

I don't know how to post the log of my flight, I don't even know how to produce it without FSTramp being fully operational, and any hints or tips would be useful in that respect.

 

I quite enjoyed the flight and I'll try Stage 2 tomorrow with luck, but I'll lose lots of time after that as I've a busy weekend ahead of me, I'll maybe get a Stage flown, but I'll see how it goes.

 

Regards

Kit

[taoftedal]

1 hour ago, Bossspecops said:

Flying a Westland Lysander ...

 

Yes, welcome aboard Bossspecops.  Very unique bird ... spy ops and all.  'State of the Art' in '36 so I've read.

[taoftedal]

51 minutes ago, Bossspecops said:

Flying the Lysander I estimated a flight time of 1 hr 20 mins, but was MILES out as I arrived 14 mins late. 

 

Oh my ... I would request a mulligan and fly her again.  Most of us took more than a few test flights before the official start.  (PP ... special ruling from the Committee)?

[Melo965]

57 minutes ago, Bossspecops said:

About to start the take-off roll, with all the windows and canopies open of course, it's standard RAF procedures, don't you know?

 

Welcome Kit!  I keep forgetting to start with the canopy open on the Spitfire, thanks for the reminder.

 

[PhrogPhlyer]

53 minutes ago, taoftedal said:

PP ... special ruling from the Committee

I'll give the contestants a day to comment. I vote yes for a redo, vote now or forever SHUSHH!

[PhrogPhlyer]

55 minutes ago, meloscanlon said:

I keep forgetting to start with the canopy open on the Spitfire

This was done to allow rapid escape should there be an emergency abort.

Same with carrier operations, non-ejection seat aircraft kept canopy open.

 

[PhrogPhlyer]

Day 8 standings, based upon reported flight times/variances per route leg.

Getting busy, keep having fun!.

Updated as information gets posted. Should I miss anyone's posting of times, just give me a shout, and I'll correct this immediately'ish.

[jgf]

2nd leg, 5K1 to KLBO, cruising at 5500ft, 140-145kt, gs of 155kt.  215mi total distance, VOR to VOR.

 

Timer started

 

Climbing out over more flat scenery

 

Monotony broken by the river as I approach KSTL;  spent so much time with warbirds and jets lately I'd forgotten how pleasant this old Bonanza was.

 

Approaching KCGM

 

Sure seems higher from this view

 

Touchdown, time 1:15.21

 

Don't know where they hid the fuel, so just parked here

 

And shutdown, 1:17.09

 

 

[ScottishMike]

“OK, lets report the results.” Suzanne agreed:

 

Leg 4: Claremore (KGCM) to Cordell (F36) Plan: 2hr. 30min.

Actual: 2hr. 30min.

Variation : 0

 

Leg 5: Cordell (F36) to Tradewind (KTDW) Plan: 2hr. 13min.

Actual 2hr. 15min.

Variation: 2min.

 

The two legs had thrown up more problems than the results would suggest.

I had been PIC and, as Suzanne put it: “We are lucky this is a rally report and not an obituary.”

 

Problems cropped up soon after leaving Claremore; winds were around 26kts rather than the 35kts the weather reports suggested. Luckily lesser headwinds rather than greater, so we were able to reduce GS from 82kts to the 72kts as predicted on the flight plan.

ATC gave us permission to overfly Tulsa at 4500':

 

Twenty minutes into the flight the radio speaker (ATC) became garbled (this is the first time I have ever had this problem in FS9) luckily again it was not a crash to desktop, everything else appeared to be working so I was able to save the flight, exit FS9 and re-start. The radio now working properly.

 

We overflew Cordell at 4500' at spot on 11:30:

 

Apart from the winds still around 10kts less than planned for, the flight was uneventful till approaching Amarillo.

I decided to descend to 1000' above the runway, looked at my notes deciding that was 2600'.

Lack of discipline on my part: I had listed Cordell after Tradewind in my notes and not having landed at Cordell had not remembered it's altitude.

Luckily (for the third time) the conditions were VFR and as we approached the ground I realised my mistake, full power not giving the climb my panic would have liked, but climb it was, and just more than the ground was rising.

Once at a safe altitude Suzanne commented: “What the *##* were you doing?”

“Sorry, messy notes, mistuck Cordell's altitude for Tradewind.”

 

Amarillo suburbs:

I'm having difficulty locating Tradewind, trying to keep out of the pattern for Amarillo Intl. and line up for Rwy 230. Wind is 261degrees @16 kts Probably close to the maximum crosswind recommended by the manufacturer.

 

Where is Tradewind?

Eventually I spot Tradewind. Where is Rwy 230? need to line up for it, but with an 16kt 30 degree crosswind it's going to be more like crabbing up.

“Who the '*#* puts an apartment block in front of a rwy?” I am about to remove all the ariels hopefully nothing more substantial. The pic below is recreated, I had no time to take pictures during that approach:

I put full power on and clear the roof (just) but now am too high so take power off crabbing down and hitting the runway. We both expect the landing gear to join us in the cockpit, by some miracle it doesn't. I taxied to our parking spot. Two minutes out, but neither of us care, being alive is just fine.

[TomPenDragon]

12 hours ago, PhrogPhlyer said:

I'll give the contestants a day to comment. I vote yes for a redo, vote now or forever SHUSHH!

I'm fine with Kit declaring yesterday's run a practice, scrubbing his time, and re-running the leg.

[taoftedal]

6 hours ago, jgf said:

 ... spent so much time with warbirds and jets lately I'd forgotten how pleasant this old Bonanza was.

 

I'm flying that Comanche, but I have to admit a fondness for the V-Tail Bonanza's.  There's just something special about them in the air or on the ramp.

[JSMR]

Oh my!! I’m coming I’m coming!!! I slept in. By about 2 weeks. 

 

I’ve flown 1 leg. Need to post the pics. Hopefully another 1-2 legs flown this weekend. If not more. Not my fault. The nuns have been stocking up on refreshments for the journey.
 

Who would’ve thought nuns drank bourbon??

[ScottishMike]

Go for it Kit, we have all had loads of practice before starting.

Just call it a practice run.

I have always liked the Lysander, still faster in the cruise than the Airdale!

[Bossspecops]

Well thanks gentlemen, I'm very grateful that you'll let me have another, and hopefully better, go at Stage 1.  I've done a couple of extra flight tests to establish the real best climb and descent rates for the Lysander, and best cruise speed too, and measured the fuel burn in all modes as well.

 

Melo will remember the ENDLESS number of flight tests I did for him while we were sorting out his Spitfire PRXI for an FS version that was so long ago that I can't remember the number of it! My afternoon today was rather similar, but somewhat lower in altitude and less intense. 

 

I'm still estimating 1 hr 20 mins after the flight tests, but that's with a higher cruise speed, but lower climb and descent rates.

 

Fingers crossed, again.............

 

Regards

Kit

[TomPenDragon]

4 minutes ago, Sirrus said:

See...all you have to do is follow the road...

But were you filed IFR (I Follow Roads)?

[Airbasil_1]

56 minutes ago, Sirrus said:

In days gone by pilots used to navigate following the road network.

 

did they navigate like these two?  -  i still love to watch this video over and over again.... somehow can't get enough of it...