The 2024 Australian Air Rally - The FBO

ScottishMike · March 22

Yes, Meigs sounds good. As it happens I had been testing various FS9 add-on sceneries for Meigs and loaded the scenery of Colin McGlothlin available here. I liked it so have kept it installed, thanks Colin.

There is also an add-on ILS scenery available, but it seemed a step too far in wishful thinking, (given the airport is actually now closed).

Closed or not Meigs holds memories from way back when. I seem to remember many flights between Meigs and Champaign (University of Illinois-Willard) in an early version of FS.

The only caveat is the runway is only 3895', so suitable aircraft will have to be chosen.

I don't know where I will be when the get together is launched but I should be able to make it.

Bossspecops · March 22

Not 100% sure, but the lack of carb heat seems to have been the problem as I added a switch for that once I got her to Chignik Lake and now she can maintain 10000 ft with RW weather OK, the air temp right now is -17 C and she's holding up OK.

About 30 mins to go to reach Haines (3Z9).

ViperPilot2 · March 22

11 hours ago, jgf said:

Meigs is fine, though only about 300 miles from here. Perhaps a good excuse for an ultralight flight, or even an airship (my F-16 could be there in about half an hour, lol).

If you decide to fly your Viper, you could extend and have Lunch at an AFB along the way to Meigs, like the Salisbury Steak special at the Mountain Home AFB O Club every Week. The Viper jockeys here at Buckley SFB would take a Hop to Mountain Home for Lunch, then hit the Range for a couple runs before RTB.

ViperPilot2 · March 22

A couple thoughts about this 'mini' Challenge...

Operative word here is "Simplicity". Just a one Day (or less) Flight from wherever you are to Meigs. To make it even easier if you want, start from CONUS, MEX or CAN. Preflight a Plane, Choppa, Autogiro, Gas Sack, Gyrobee, etc. get in and go!

Make up a Story. Drop a couple Screenies. You know the Drill.

Oh, and Tell Yer Friends! 2020, XP, P3D... Everyone's Welcome for this one!

How about it? You guys up for it? Let me know, and I'll start a new Thread!

Let's start Spring with a BANG!

ViperPilot2 · March 23

For the "Meigs Mini", would this coming Monday 3/25 work as a Start Date for you guys, ending on the following Monday 4/1? Let me know if it's too short notice...

Bossspecops · March 23

I'd make it by then on my current schedule from where I am now anyway. Works a treat.

TomPenDragon · March 23

[Sorry for being so quiet lately - Real Life can sometimes be very rude...] We [my current characters, Jessica LeFaye and Tom PenDragon] are in Europe right now for the Endurance Racing season. Since both of us wanted to fly and we couldn't agree on what, Jess flew a Mustang to New York while I took a Lightning, then while there [and to better fit RLBS] we took a pair of tip-tanked YF-5A's across the pond. After spending a couple of days at our place in England, we decided to base ourselves at LFRM for the season, where we've got a nice little place between the airport and the Porsche Curves.

I'm writing this from Mugello, Italy, where we're watching the first half of the Mugello 12H. We're in one of the new Seneca 7's from Piper Performance - "a nice bit o' kit," as John Hindhaugh of Radio LeMans just described a Ferrari 293 GT3 - thanks, John; I was trying to find the words. We'll be heading back to Arnage after tomorrow's race, and with the next one being the start of the Nürburgring Endurance Series on 06 April (and barring anything [else] unforeseen), a run to Chicago in the Freedom Fighters to check out the new clubhouse sounds appealing. We'll see y'all there next week!

ViperPilot2 · March 23

On 3/22/2024 at 5:25 AM, ScottishMike said:

Yes, Meigs sounds good. As it happens I had been testing various FS9 add-on sceneries for Meigs and loaded the scenery of Colin McGlothlin available here. I liked it so have kept it installed, thanks Colin.

There is also an add-on ILS scenery available, but it seemed a step too far in wishful thinking, (given the airport is actually now closed).

Closed or not Meigs holds memories from way back when. I seem to remember many flights between Meigs and Champaign (University of Illinois-Willard) in an early version of FS.

The only caveat is the runway is only 3895', so suitable aircraft will have to be chosen.

I don't know where I will be when the get together is launched but I should be able to make it.

The ILS would be nice to have just to have it... The Runway is 'short', but they got a 727 in there so anything's possible in my mind! If anything, it'll give everyone a chance to practice their Short Field Landings!

So what if it's not "As Real As It Gets" (no digs towards SM); I'm just trying to generate a little Participation and a bit of FUN!

Bossspecops · March 23

I managed to fly an A-400M into Meigs y'day, as a bit of practice. No probs really, but lots of reverse thrust helps a bit.

Not sure if it'd get off from there with a load though..............

jgf · March 23

Fine with me. Being retired I have no schedule, no timetable, no bedtime, no alarm clock.

taoftedal · March 23

12 hours ago, ViperPilot2 said:

Meigs Mini ... Monday 3/25 ... ending on the following Monday 4/1

Works for me ...

ViperPilot2 · March 23

Alrighty then... Let's do this!

THE "RULES"...

-- Fly from whoever you are (or want to be) into Meigs Field (KCGX).

-- Fly WHATEVER you want (realizing of course that Meigs is 3,900' long).

-- The Challenge is Open to ALL Sim Platforms, but special Props will be given to those utilizing the "Legacy Sim" platforms such as FSX, P3D, FS9, FS2002 and Earlier.

-- There will be NO Timing or other associated Competitive aspect to this Flight (unless someone wants to 'wager' on the Shortest/Longest Landing, or any other 'side Bets' of that nature...)

-- Whatever Weather you want.

-- As in the past, contrive a Story or Tall Tale of your Flight if you so desire, along with some Screenies. However,

DO NOT POST THEM IN THIS THREAD. After the Event concludes there will be a separate Thread created for you to Post your Travelogue. There will also be a 'special' Announcement in that Thread for everyone. In the Spirit of the Event, think of it as everyone flying in during the Week for a Gathering/Show and Tell and (Mandatory) Club Meeting on Tuesday 4/2.

The "Meigs Mini" Challenge will Commence on Monday 3/25/2024 and End on Monday 4/1/2024.

If you'd like, Download an enhanced Meigs for your Sim platform if you desire; however, it's not necessary.

If at all possible, please tell your Sim buddies about this Challenge... folks you've been conversing with the last few days, or over at another Forum, if you like. Tell your Sim Friends!

As always, I'll be here to answer any questions, and settle any kerfluffles youze might have.

So... SADDLE UP, FOLKS! Good Luck!

vp²

ViperPilot2 · March 23

On 3/22/2024 at 5:25 AM, ScottishMike said:

Yes, Meigs sounds good. As it happens I had been testing various FS9 add-on sceneries for Meigs and loaded the scenery of Colin McGlothlin available here. I liked it so have kept it installed, thanks Colin.

There is also an add-on ILS scenery available, but it seemed a step too far in wishful thinking, (given the airport is actually now closed).

Closed or not Meigs holds memories from way back when. I seem to remember many flights between Meigs and Champaign (University of Illinois-Willard) in an early version of FS.

The only caveat is the runway is only 3895', so suitable aircraft will have to be chosen.

I don't know where I will be when the get together is launched but I should be able to make it.

By the by... what is that good lookin' T Tail you have there with the PT6's?

Is the ILS add on here as well?

EDIT: I found the ILS.

Melo965 · March 23

16 hours ago, ViperPilot2 said:

Monday 3/25 work as a Start Date for you guys, ending on the following Monday 4/1

Me and my Spitfire XI will be there. Plenty of time to get there from Gander.

Melo965 · March 24

I tested out some of the Meigs Field scenery options for FSX.

For those of us in FSX - This is the Meigs Field file here in the library that I recommend:

meigs_fi.zip 5,013 downloads at last count.

FSX Scenery--Meigs Field
By Pedro Vendeira, Bob Familton and Dick Stellweg.

Even has 3 helipad spots!

Bossspecops · March 24

That's the one I've got Melo, two minds thinking alike yet again.

I've got my flight plan sorted out for doing a low pass at Bremerton later today, would 50 ft be low enough?

PhrogPhlyer · March 24

It's available for FSX here on FlightSim also, so sounds good to me. I just loaded it, no buildings, so I may have to fix that,.

Bossspecops · March 24

The Albion A-400M delivered my ride from out in the wilds of the Aleutians, in a nice warm, air-conditioned hold so she didn't freeze up, and the ground crew at Chignik installed a much needed carb heater on each side, so I was OK to fly in these Arctic-like conditions again!

[And it really DID make a difference, clicking the 'Carb Heat' switch, pilfered from a C-182 panel, made all the difference. So while the 'carb heaters' may exist in the .air or .cfg file, without a switch they don't work!]

Having checked 'Austral Rose' out after her piggy-back trip, and watched the A-400M make a MIND bending take-off from Chignik's 3600 ft long strip, I started up and headed-off east toward Alaska proper.

The valley containing Chignik Lake has very steep sides and no way could I climb over them on the 'approved' SID so I made an opposite hand right turn and climbed out over the inlet to the north, a much easier option. Why can't FSTramp 'see' the heights and compare them with the climb rate of the aircraft, which it already knows anyway? I check every climb-out now..............

I needed to be at 10000 ft for most of this flight as there are some seriously big mountains in south Alaska, and held that all along the island chain to the mainland. Passing over Kodiak was the last point that would still count as the Aleutians.

After that it was a long, 500 mile oceanic leg before I got to mainland Alaska.

That bit of mainland was a very thin bit of it which is called 'The Panhandle' in these parts, a long, narrow stretch of VERY mountainous coastline that stretches down alongside Canada, and was the subject of some border disputes in the early days of both countries. That's it down there on my portside.

I'd checked the posted terrain altitudes along my flightpath using FST before I left, but it looked VERY hilly ahead of me!

And so it turned out, this peak was WAY over 10000 ft and I had to dodge around it! And it wasn't the only one either.....

I was headed for Haines, a small township right at the south end of the Panhandle, and which had not only an airport, but a dock AND a seaplane runway too. What's not to like for an amphibian pilot, eh? The problem was with the current south westerly wind I'd have to make a VERY steep descent on the approved STAR for the water runway, so I made my own STAR which used a handy south west facing valley for my descent, as in the plan below.

Turning into the valley needed some sharpness, and yet again dodging around a hefty peak, but I managed it OK without bashing the eastern valley wall!

The long slow descent worked out well, and dropped me right onto the end of the windward water runway and I was soon taxi-ing in toward the marina at Haines.

It was a very well appointed place, lots of boat berths and a good breakwater, and amazingly, a wonderful berth for me, almost EXACTLY the same as the one at Kadena!

There were plenty of hotels and eateries in Haines as it's a major tourist attraction these days, so I was OK for the night. Tomorrow I'll be off to Canada.

ScottishMike · March 24

VP2 The craft is a Beech King Air 300 belonging to the FAA (nav aid calibration etc.)

all the info I have is from the Aircraft.cfg file:

ui_manufacturer=Beechcraft
ui_type=King Air 300
ui_variation=N74 - FAA Flight Check
description = Beech King Air 300 for FS2004 Century of Flight. 3D model: Esa Kaihlanen / Juri Pelkonen, Flight Dynamics: Ari Kaihlanen, Textures: Siegfried Schaeffer / Rui Cristina. Sound by Leon Medado.

ViperPilot2 · March 24

14 minutes ago, ScottishMike said:

VP2 The craft is a Beech King Air 300 belonging to the FAA (nav aid calibration etc.)

all the info I have is from the Aircraft.cfg file:

ui_manufacturer=Beechcraft
ui_type=King Air 300
ui_variation=N74 - FAA Flight Check
description = Beech King Air 300 for FS2004 Century of Flight. 3D model: Esa Kaihlanen / Juri Pelkonen, Flight Dynamics: Ari Kaihlanen, Textures: Siegfried Schaeffer / Rui Cristina. Sound by Leon Medado.

Absolutely beautiful! Thanks!