The 2024 Australian Air Rally - The FBO

[TomPenDragon]

We just took a 182Q up to Oshkosh for a fly-over (word is, they have a little fly-in there, too - sure it's not nearly as big or important than ours, though), then back to Meigs.  If you're planning to come in today, Melo, the weather might be a little dodgy.  We hit several patches of rain and low visibility, though KCGX itself was clear.  The wind on final was 145 at 10 (FSRealWX), though the Midway METAR reports 320 at 13 - Bosss, you might be able to get down on the runway with these crosswinds, although if you go for a water landing, there's a rather nice marina between Meigs and Soldier Field.

 

Safe flying, everybody,

 

J&T

[Bossspecops]

Ah, I seem to have missed posting one of my Return Home legs, that was the one from Missoula to Flying Cloud. But I've ALREADY posted the Flying Cloud to Meigs leg on the Mini-Meig's thread, so I've got a time warp running here.

 

It's late in the UK now so I'll post my Leg 13 report here tomorrow. 

[MAD1]

I'm in Meigs, in my Cessna 182. Have and will continue to post in the other thread https://www.flightsim.com/forums/topic/60177-club-chachapoya-meigs-or-bust.

[TomPenDragon]

Announcement: The official Meeting thread is now open: https://www.flightsim.com/forums/topic/60205-club-chachapoya-2024-annual-meeting-01-04-april-meigs/?do=findComment&comment=314339

[Bossspecops]

My lost Leg 13 PIREP now. 

 

I started off from Missoula Int. in Montana after flying down from Sproat Lake via Melo's home base at Bremerton. I suspect the ATC at Bremerton are still recovering from my 'low pass' there, I know I certainly am! I apologise in advance that this PIREP is so pic heavy, but my target airfield is the only one I really know well in the USA as I've flown in to and out of it a number of times.

 

After a night in sunny (?) Missoula (It's 2 ft deep in snow actually....) I taxied out from my FBO base, past the skeletal Neptunes, and headed for the threshold.

 

 

While wanting to fly pretty well due east, the SID from Missoula went waaaaaay south at first and I couldn't figure out why. All those hills to my left should have given me a clue....

 

 

My flightplan shows the sharp turn to the east at the south end of the SID.

 

 

Having got to the end it was obvious why. There was no way I could have climbed high enough to clear the hills flying due east, I'd have needed to orbit a few times and the south facing SID was down an obvious valley. When I got to the end I was high enough to clear the hills of course.

 

 

I was flying in an out of cloud once I'd reached my cruise altitude, and much of the scenery consisted of snow capped hills, and high ones too. Now and again I could spot somewhere interesting en route, this being one. It's a tiny airfield right at the side of a major highway and railroad pass, right in the middle of some hefty hills. It's called Elliot Field.

 

 

The hills got rougher but less snow capped as I headed east and I could eventually see some flatter lands ahead of me, but I was STILL in Montana, it goes on for EVER!

 

 

That city with an airfield in the distance turned out to be Helena, and the airfield was quite sizeable, as was Helena itself.

 

 

A short distance past Helena was what seemed to be an ENORMOUS lake stretching from north to south, but a quick look at the map revealed it to be the Missouri River! It sure was wide, and it looked frozen solid too!

 

 

Montana just went on and on and ON, but it got flatter the further east I flew, more like the mid-West that I knew from visiting it many times,

 

 

Again the cloud socked in and I was unable to see anything below for quite some time, and during that time I passed all the way across North Dakota so I have no idea what it looked like.

 

 

My GPS told me I was over Minnesota, and a view though some gaps in the cloud proved it. Where else in the US could you see SO many lakes spread out below? This was the US state that I knew best.

 

 

Angling more south east toward Twin Cities I soon passed another major river, maybe THE major river in the whole USA, the mighty Mississippi.

 

 

And in a very short while I knew EXACTLY where I was. I could see downtown Minneapolis in the distance with the major Minneapolis-St Paul International Airport to the south of it. That small field down on my right is Crystal, a place I've flown into a few times in the RW.

 

 

And from the same position, looking over my left shoulder, I could see Anoka County Airfield where there used to be a superb aviation museum containing a good number of British aircraft. When visiting I found I knew more about them than the museum staff did. 

 

 

Almost o'head downtown, with the Mississippi still on my left, it was time to turn west to approach Flying Clouds field in the south west corner of the area.

 

 

Passing over Hopkins and other cities I know quite well, I could see Flying Clouds in the distance. Once again the entire cityscape is interrupted by lots and LOTS of lakes, many with water runways and I was SO tempted................

 

 

 Turning over Eden Prairie itself, got me onto the approach for Flying Clouds 18R runway, and it brought the lovely Lake Riley into view, a place I know very well.

 

 

Lake Riley has 2-3 water runways and one is used by a workmate of mine from my employers there, Ray Lewis, as he has a Lake LA-4 amphibian. I've been aboard it, but sadly never flown in it, yet anyway. That's the site of Ray's house arrowed.

 

 

Soon I was on finals, with a very familiar look through the windscreen as this was one of the very few places I've landed an aircraft in the RW.

 

 

And as I should do, having had experience of the place, I put 'Austral Rose' down right on the numbers and on the centre line too. 

 

 

After a lengthy taxi, Flying Clouds was a training base for B-24 crews in WWII, I parked up at the FBO on the south end of the field and headed for a hotel and a burger at the Lions Tap diner. NOT to be missed if you're in Eden Prairie.

 

 

Tomorrow I should be off en route to Meigs for the mini-rally and our club's first AGM.

Quote

 

 

 

[taoftedal]

10 minutes ago, Bossspecops said:

And in a very short while I knew EXACTLY where I was.

 

If I didn't know better Bosss I'd say you were a local ... you certainly would qualify.  Thanks for the 'City of Lakes' tour on your way into KFCM.  Well done!  

[PhrogPhlyer]

27 minutes ago, Bossspecops said:

skeletal Neptunes

 

That's just spooky,

[Bossspecops]

On 4/1/2024 at 9:15 PM, taoftedal said:

 

If I didn't know better Bosss I'd say you were a local ... you certainly would qualify.  Thanks for the 'City of Lakes' tour on your way into KFCM.  Well done!  

 

Hehehe. I went there 3-4 times/yr for 30 yrs. I know Minneapolis a LOT better than I know London in the UK. It was just like flying home coming in over Crystal with Anoka County on my left.

 

 

On 4/1/2024 at 9:24 PM, PhrogPhlyer said:

That's just spooky,

 

Yeah, weird isn't it? But all sorts of things happen when you try and get FS9 scenery to work in FSX. I'm afraid I think FSX was a big step backward actually, FS9 was pretty night bullet-proof, it didn't need 'fixing'.

[Melo965]

John F. Kennedy International Airport (KJFK) to Allegheny County Airport (KAGC)

 

Pre-flight done, ready to start the engine.  
No aircraft nearby, just some baggage vehicles.

 

Advancing throttle for take off on runway 22R.

 

Climbing out and headed for Pennsylvania.  I grew up near Pittsburgh.

 

On course and at altitude.  Around 12,000 ft now.

 

30 minutes elapsed.  Nothing to see below but the solid overcast.

 

45 minutes of flight.  Finally seeing some terrain below.

Currently due south of Bellefonte Airport (N96) which was part of the first transcontinental Air Mail route from New York to San Francisco in 1920.

 

50 minutes so far.  That is Raystown Lake  below.  You can barely see Altoona-Blair County Airport (KAOO) 

 

At Top of Descent at 53 minutes elapsed time.

 

Throttle to idle and descending.

 

Descending through 5,500 ft.

 

Cockpit view of runway 28 ahead at Allegheny County.

 

Final for runway 28.

There is a small crosswind component now, but wanted to land on 28 again.  This is the same runway I landed on with an instructor back in 1980.

 

Over the numbers.

 

Landed safely.  334 miles per hour average for this leg of the journey.

 

Parked at Allegheny County next to some cool helicopters.

Here is where I first took flight lessons after college in 1980.  Had one of my most memorable flights here as well.  Our flight instructor and three students were on a three leg cross country flight out of Allegheny County.  Each student flew one leg of the triangle.  I flew the last leg back to Allegheny County in the right seat.  The instructor had done both landings at the first two airports, but on the approach to KAGC I still had the controls.  He was telling me what to do and I flew the plane all the way to touchdown and even greased the landing.  With 2.5 hours of flight instruction under my belt.  After we landed I asked him why he did not take the controls.  He said I was following his directions very well so he let me do the landing on my own!  

 

Here is the Beechcraft Model 19 Musketeer Sport that I landed.  I think the depicted paint scheme was applied later after 1980 though.

 

Next stop is Meigs Field (KCGX) in Chicago.  I will post that flight report in the "[ Club Chachapoya ] Meigs Or Bust" thread.

 

[Bossspecops]

Made it to Raleigh-Durham KRDU yesterday, but the PIREP will have to wait till tomorrow as it's a BUSY day for me today. 

[PhrogPhlyer]

On 4/2/2024 at 3:25 PM, Melo965 said:

Wow! A blast from the past. I also flew a Sport while getting my private. I started instuction in these and then after around 20 hours of flying (soloed after 8 hours) the school switch to powered kites (aka C-152). I took me 5 to 10 hours to figure how to fly such a light aircraft, and then finally back on track for my Private.

Later in life I flew the QueenAir and the KingAir.

Beech's product line feels the same from the Sport through the KingAir.

Solid!

 

[PhrogPhlyer]

On 4/2/2024 at 3:25 PM, Melo965 said:

Parked at Allegheny County

Looking good.. as always.

Great airport in the '70s. I haven't been there in years.

[Bossspecops]

Heading ever eastward on my way home, my Leg 15 is a lot southward as well as eastward from the Windy City as I flew to Raleigh-Durham KRDU in NC om Friday after meeting all the guys at Meigs, a momentous occasion if ever there was one. I'd thought this leg would be fairly barren from the pics of scenery point of view as it was diagonally across the centre of the US, but actually not so, all sorts of interesting places passed under my wings en route.

 

Here I am in a familiar place, how many screenies have been taken of this ramp over the whole life of the FS world? Got to be in the BILLIONS!

 

 

There was a hefty crosswind when I wanted to fly, so I used the Sealand's dual capability and opted for a water take off, so taxied to the south end of the field where there's a shallow beach down to Lake Michigan, but en route spied a MOST unlikely item parked up on the ramp! What's a sailplane and trailer doing at Meigs of all places? I can't think of a less likely place for thermal or slope lift!

 

 

Slipping into the lake was an easy task down that nice gentle beach and I was soon able to chose a take-off run directly into wind, so long as I avoided the vast number of boats out there!

 

 

Turning on course toward the south side of the lake I waved bye-bye to Meigs, our spiritual home, and that well remembered skyline.

 

 

I'd chosen a cruise altitude of 10000 ft as I wasn't sure how high the hills were nearer to KRDU, but it meant I had no chance to observe the scenery as I was IMC pretty well right away!

 

 

After a while the clouds got got boring so I asked for a descent down to 5000 ft as that was nicely below the local cloud base. The first place I clearly observed was Muncie IN, and that's Delaware Regional Airport there just astern of me as I passed o'head. 

 

 

My flight path dodged to the east a bit to clear one of the numerous 'Military Operations Areas' in these parts, and soon I passed Dayton OH, and that's Cox-Dayton Int. below me, a pretty impressive place, but I was expecting an even more impressive field to come into view soon.

 

 

Well, it was impressive when I was there in the mid 90s, but seemingly not so in the FSX world.  That's Wright Patterson AFB, the home of the USAF Museum, a place where I achieved THREE lifetime ambitions on the same day! I saw the XB-70 Valkyrie, the F-82 Twin Mustang  Betty Jo and an X-15, along with a whole load of other mind bending stuff. Sadly FSX seems to think that the base has just a few sheds, not the MASSIVE hangars that are there in the RW.

 

 

Further on the clouds cleared and a vast expanse of flat America came into view, a bit like the mid-West we saw during the Route 66 Rally but somewhat greener.

 

 

I flew over a very large and tempting lake crossing Ohio, which turned out to be Deer Creek Lake. For some reason the whole area is apparently owned by the US Army Corps of Engineers.

 

 

Very son afterwards I crossed the Ohio River, a pretty large chunk of water, and it connected with the Kanawha River at a T junction. My flight followed the Kanawha for quite long way, leading south east into West Virginia.

 

 

A bit further on I came to the first large range of hills or mountains in these parts, the Blue Ridge section of the Appalachians, and pretty impressive they were too, being almost totally covered in forestry.

 

 

The next major place was Roanoke, with an equally major airport too.

 

 

Onwards and ever onwards took me over a couple of very large water areas, by now in North Carolina, the first being Smith Mountain Lake, that stretched for EVER across my flight line.

 

 

And further on there was Falls Lake as I started my descent for KRDU. The whole US seems to be dotted with lakes everywhere, I'm used to them in Minnesota, but didn't realise there were so many elsewhere too.

 

 

Raleigh-Durham Int. was soon in view over to my right and I started to turn onto the ILS for their 23L runway.

 

 

For reasons best known to itself my VOR indicator didn't seem to want to read the ILS altitude although it guided me nicely in azimuth, so I reverted to the mark 1 eyeball and lined up properly.

 

 

Landing on that massive length of tarmac, 7500 ft on 23L, and 23R is even longer, wasn't a problem and I turned off and headed to the FBO at the northeast end. Sadly there was NO traffic at all in sight, just like before, it seems something  keeps on messing with my traffic files.

 

 

And here I am at the empty FBO. I know the area quite well having stayed around here 4-5 times and there's this really good Italian restaurant I know. 

 

 

The next leg isn't one you'd imagine for my flight back,  but it'll still be homeward bound................. 

[Melo965]

Meigs Field (KCGX) to Wittman Regional (KOSH)  More popularly known as just Oshkosh.

 

Walking out to my Spitfire after the very enjoyable FlyIn here at Meigs Field.  Lots of great company, and maybe a drink or two too many last night.  Hence my late start today.  The ramp is pretty empty so I must be the last one to leave after the party!

 

Pre-flight done, engine started and ready to taxi.  There is one other aircraft here after all.

 

Advancing throttle for take off on runway 18.  Wind direction dictated a takeoff to the south.

 

Climbing out on runway heading southbound.

 

Swung back around to the North.  One last view of Meigs Field behind me.

 

Stayed out over Lake Michigan on purpose so I caould get a nice view of the Chicago skyline on the way past.

 

15 minutes of flight time.  Already more than half way to Oshkosh.

 

20 minutes. At Top of Descent point.

 

Descending through 6,500 feet.  That is Fond Du Lac County Airport (KFLD) under my right wingtip.

 

Cockpit view of Airport in sight ahead.

 

Lined up for Runway 36.

 

Over the numbers.

 

Landed safely.

 

28 minutes flight time total.  Quite a crowd here to cheer my safe arrival. 

 

Parked in the Warbird section at Oshkosh.

 

Next to a huge neighbor.

 

My next flight is to Foss Airport (KFSD) in South Dakota.  Only 1,479 NM left to go to get home to Bremerton.

 

[PhrogPhlyer]

21 minutes ago, Melo965 said:

The ramp is pretty empty so I must be the last one to leave after the party!

As a reward for being last in, we left the tab for you to pick up.

Don't forget a big tip to the party wait staff.

[Rupert]

49 minutes ago, PhrogPhlyer said:

As a reward for being last in, we left the tab for you to pick up.

Don't forget a big tip to the party wait staff.

Please do!!  They were really nice! 

 

However I had to hurry to get back home for the total eclipse yesterday.  Therefore I didn't have time to tip them myself!  I wanted to see this eclipse as I'll likely miss the next one in 2044.

 

Thankfully the rainy weather held off til today, so we could see the whole eclipse very well in French Lick In. yesterday!!!!

[PhrogPhlyer]

2 hours ago, Rupert said:

so we could see the whole eclipse very well in French Lick In

We had a 90% eclipse in NJ, and was clear skies until right at peak eclipse,

I used the sun shades on my Plath sextant to view the partial eclipse.

[mrzippy]

48 minutes ago, PhrogPhlyer said:

I used the sun shades on my Plath sextant to view the partial eclipse.

Always remember...East is least and West is best!  

 

[Melo965]

4 hours ago, PhrogPhlyer said:

As a reward for being last in, we left the tab for you to pick up.

 

Where do you want me to put it down? 

 

[Rupert]

3 hours ago, PhrogPhlyer said:

We had a 90% eclipse in NJ, and was clear skies until right at peak eclipse,

I used the sun shades on my Plath sextant to view the partial eclipse.

Actually we've had two (2) total solar eclipses in my part of the world in the last several years!  The first was in 2017 during which I and about 100 or more "friends" watched while they drank every drop of my beer and cheap wine while watching the eclipse in my backyard. 

 

The other instance just happened over Paoli Indiana. (Yes there is really a town with such a strange name in Indiana) Where I wasn't "Hosting" anyone TBTG!! 

 

Paoli is about 40 miles from where I live. And it was a bitch to get home from after the event!!!  Having already seen one "totality" it was already a kinda Been There Seen That scenario.  And not worth the trip.

 

I assume I'll miss the next one in 2044.

 

 

 

 

[PhrogPhlyer]

1 minute ago, Rupert said:

I assume I'll miss the next one in 2044.

The runway seems to get shorter every year. 

Make each takeoff worth the effort.

[Melo965]

23 hours ago, Rupert said:

On 4/9/2024 at 10:17 AM, PhrogPhlyer said:

As a reward for being last in, we left the tab for you to pick up.

Don't forget a big tip to the party wait staff.

Please do!!  They were really nice! 

 

(It helped that the RAAF covered all of my fuel costs in Australia.)

I had enogh on hand to cover the bill.  Left a nice tip for them.  They said we are welcome back anytime! 

 

[PhrogPhlyer]

2 hours ago, Melo965 said:

They said we are welcome back anytime! 

Job well done!

[Bossspecops]

Because my Sealand doesn't like flying in very low temps, ref. my problems in the Aleutians earlier on my homeward trek, I'm reluctant to fly Melo's route in reverse across Greenland and Iceland, so I'm going via a southern route, hence my jog down to North Carolina. From KRDU I'm heading out across the Atlantic to Bermuda first of all, that little island Overseas Territory of the UK, well known for its idyllic life style and its Triangle, but we won't think of the latter on this flight!

 

Having restored my AI traffic by 'borrowing' Melo's traffic.bgl file for the 2nd time, I was quite pleased to see this A320 on its take-off run as I was taxying out.

 

 

And I know the tower at KRDU is tall, but nowhere near as tall as the 'Tower View' makes out in FSX! Some people have no idea how to write an AFCAD file................ 

 

 

It was rather good seeing airliners and GA stuff back on the ramp after the barren look of the place when I arrived!

 

 

Soon I was climbing away from Raleigh-Durham and turning to the north east toward the coast.

 

 

Very soon the North Carolina I knew from the 90s became visible, miles and miles and MILES of trees, millions of them from horizon to horizon!

 

 

As I neared the coast I had to dog leg north a bit to clear some MilOps areas, and the entry to those areas was marked by a couple of almost circular lakes, Phelps and Pungo Lakes. I couldn't help but wonder if they were ancient asteroid strikes.

 

 

Turning further northward I crossed Albemarle Sound, a VAST amount of water leading out to the Atlantic from deep in NC. Eastward of the Sound is a long chain of sandbars, hundreds of miles long, that sit off the NC and Virginia coastlines, and are wide enough to have complete towns and even airfields on them! This one's Dare Co. Regional.

 

 

Having realised where I was the previous night I made a special dog leg north to fly over a VERY significant spot in the aviation world,

the site of the Wright Bros. inaugural powered flight in 1903, on the Kill Devil Hills. Nowadays the site even has its own airstrip right alongside the Wright's first ever airfield. The green area to the left of the paved strip is that most famous site. 

 

 

From here onwards, for about 2.5 - 3 hrs, there was nothing more to see apart from the sea, and the odd cloud of course.

 

 

Looking from the Tower View at First Flight Field I noticed that there was an AI airship flying down the coast! I wish I'd been just a little later as I'd have loved to have taken an air-air pic of one!

 

 

Eventually Bermuda hove into view, aided by a couple of NDBs and a VOR on the island and I started my descent for a water landing there. They have a water runway just south of the airport that's almost surrounded by the island itself so there's little chance of any rough water.

 

 

With a westerly wind I had go east of the islands and make a 180 to the south to male my approach.

 

 

As I was on my approach ATC warned me of traffic to my north and sure enough a 737-800 came whining down on its approach to the main runway. I bet the pax were surprised to see a flying boat on a parallel approach alongside them!

 

 

You can see what I mean about the water runway being almost completely enclosed, I LOVE it like that. 

 

 

Throttling back I eased 'Austral Rose' down onto that lovely lagoon and headed for the slipway to the extended ramp to my north.

 

 

That ramp was HUGE and there was lots of space for me, so I parked alongside a Dash 8 that had just taxied in. I figured there'd be NO shortage of hotels or restaurants here so I may hang around for a day or so until the wind direction is friendly for my next leg.

 

[PhrogPhlyer]

10 minutes ago, Bossspecops said:

Interesting, Navy blimp? Not seen any LTA in AI before.