gmurray56

I started this journey in Aurora, Illinois, six years ago. (See blog entry “PA32 XC: Illinois to Washington†from 6/17/2015.) I recreated my trips in a real plane from Aurora to Seattle to California to Texas, where I sold my beloved Saratoga and eventually stopped flying. When I moved to Florida, I imagined what it would be like to fly from Texas. Then, I decided to close the loop of the continental U.S. This is the final leg. South Bend,IN-Chicago-Aurora: I spawned on the active runway in South Bend, but decided to taxi to the other runway to take off in the direction of the route. Instead of straight to Aurora, I cut across Lake Michigan, bound for Meigs Field. (The airport was closed in 2003, but it was still on my FS2004. I had flown out of there many, many times in FS98.) I turned final when I hit the shore and did a touch-n-go for old times’ sake. I could see the stadium out the left window. Then I turned to downtown and flew between skyscrapers and around the Sears/Hancock building before heading for O’Hare. I set up for a touch-n-go, then decided to buzz the tower. What fun! I was a mad man! I paused the program to savor the view from multiple angles. Finally, I headed to Aurora. Thank goodness for the map and GPS. On the way, I even turned on my strobe lights, something I had neglected to do (like leaning the mixture or using flaps) in the sim that I always did in real life. After landing, I taxied to parking, leaned to kill the engine, and turned off the master switch. I was a little sad. I am happy to see much of the USA I have never seen in person, and get a feel for the varied topography. I feel accomplishment in planning a flight and flying the plan, but it’s also fun to just follow the shoreline and find an airport. I am still amazed by the program, now almost 20 years old, especially because the entire world is on my computer, unconnected from the internet.

Niagara Falls-Toledo,OH: I glimpsed the Falls out the window of the PA-32 as I left KIAG and turned to 211 degrees, bound for Dunkirk. This route took me across Lake Erie and through some Canadian airspace. At Dunkirk, I turned to follow the shoreline to Erie Intl. (KERI), then on to Cleveland. The rolling hills gave way to fields, with occasional cities. It was monotonous, green on the left, blue on the right, without even clouds. I did see several radio antennas, plus a cooling tower for a nuclear plant on the lakeshore. I was making good time, with a ground speed near 170 knots. Before long, the Cleveland skyline was visible. The program generated a Cessna 172 in front of me, above and descending. I watched as the distance ticked down to 1.9 miles as it crossed from right to left. I even got a glimpse of a flickering pixel, but could not make out the plane. On the other side of town, another C172 crossed from left to right, almost at my altitude, getting within 4.9 miles. I started turning west toward Toledo, again taking me out over Lake Erie. The clouds had returned, and the sun made a nice reflection on the water. Under a gray cloud, it suddenly got turbulent. From the SPOT view, it was interesting to see the plane bounced around. After passing over some islands and a large river mouth, I was back over agricultural fields. Toledo Express (KTOL) came into view, and the landing was uneventful. I couldn’t believe I went so far in an hour and a half. Toledo-South Bend,IN; The next flight I spawned at Toledo Express pointing the opposite way I needed to go, so I back-taxied before taking off to the west. Trimmed out at 2000 feet, I followed the highway to Indiana. Michigan was out my right window. The land was flat, a patchwork quilt of green, orange and yellow, mainly farms and small towns. At this height, I could see transmission line towers marching along. Eventually a hint of Lake Michigan appeared on the horizon. After a 45-minute flight, the red VASI lights were right in front of me, showing I was below glideslope. When the bottom light turned white, I cut the power and landed straight ahead. Straight out, straight in; that doesn’t happen very often.

Berlin,NH-New Bremen,NY: Continuing my journey around the perimeter of the contiguous U.S., I planned to see Niagara Falls. Departing KBML, I turned the PA-32 west, heading 274. I had to climb rapidly to clear the 3000 ft. mountains, but soon settled in at 4500 ft. Across New Hampshire and Vermont, the woods and hills rolled by in monotony, with occasional higher ridges. I saw a Cessna Skylane, and later, a Beech Baron in the distance. Crossing into New York, Lake Champlain was a huge swath of blue before the Adirondacks rose up again. I had noticed the cloud bottoms were below my altitude, and then what appeared to be a cloud going all the way to the ground. Rain! I passed a rainstorm on my left, then a closer one to my right, then a whole line of storms on both sides. I don’t think I entered the clouds, but they were close enough to create quite a bit of turbulence. (The log entry showed .1 hours instrument. Ironically, it was raining outside my window in the real world, too.) The plentiful airports near the lake had disappeared behind me, with over an hour left to go, and my butt was getting tired, so I decided to land at the next airport. Duflo (NY10), was on my route, so I pushed on. I saw what looked like an airport beacon where it should be, so I started down. The white pixel turned out to be a factory, with no airport in sight. I flew around, searching, until I saw the private field (asphalt and grass runways, no beacon) below me. In a real plane, I would have flown a pattern, but I just tried to force it down. I bounced, then crashed. I’m sure the insurance company will have it ready for the next flight. New Bremen-Niagara Falls: Since I knew the route from the interrupted last flight, I did not make a flight plan. I spawned on the asphalt runway at Duflo, took off and turned to 274 degrees. The land was much flatter, and it looked like more fields and less forest. After a while, I was approaching Lake Ontario. From the map, it seemed I would be over the lake for most of the trip, so I turned toward shore and paralleled just to be safe. I spotted a cooling tower for a nuclear power plant. Approaching Rochester, I made landfall and noticed the land appeared more suburban/urban. There was even a skyline. I saw a de Havilland Dash 80 that had just taken off. From the map, I saw that I had to turn west toward Buffalo. There, I spotted a Boeing 737. I continued toward KIAG (Niagara Falls Intl.), but decided to sightsee before landing. I flew toward the river and the restricted area, slowly getting down to about 1000 feet. The falls were more dynamic than I had hoped, especially the Canadian side. The attention to detail was impressive. I turned back to KIAG, and managed to drag it in to Runway 10L, although I almost hit a house and a tree. I turned off left onto the taxiway and saw a fancy building with a domed roof. Swear to God, next to it was a GIANT CHICKEN on a pole! I taxied to a hangar and parked next to what looked like a Cessna Caravan.

Eastport-Houlton: To continue on my journey to the Northeast corner of the U.S., I left the Atlantic behind and headed 355 degrees. Even though the ocean was behind me, there was still plenty of water all around. At 2500 feet, I was higher than any terrain in my path, but I could see individual trees below. Much of my route was in Canada, as shown by the St. Stephen airport identifier (CCS3) when I flew over. Canada out the right window looks just like Maine out the left. The lakes began to be fewer and there was very little sign of humans apart from the occasional highway or railroad. After about 45 minutes, I found the isolated Houlton airport. It is so close to the border, the downwind landing pattern for Runway 23 looks to be in Canada. Houlton-Frenchville: Still in the Cherokee Six, I took a heading of 003. Interestingly, the woods thinned out and there were more fields, roads, and towns. Still at 2500 feet, I passed over Presque Isle and Caribou in my push North. More and more water began to appear, and there were even some seaplane bases. Eventually I saw the lights at Northern Aroostook Regional Airport. (What a cool name!) I had arrived at Frenchville at the top right corner of the United States. I tried for a smooth landing, but managed to scrape both wingtips. I hope no one was watching. I had made it to my fourth corner! Now to Illinois, to complete the circuit. Frenchville-Berlin, New Hampshire: From Northern Aroostook Regional I turned the PA-32 south and west, heading 237. At 3500 feet, the rugged ground was less than 2000 feet below. There were mountains on the horizon (to the left this time) and in front. I was amazed by the many big lakes, carved out by ancient glaciers. I was tracking the GPS route, hands free and stable, when I noticed the terrain was rising. Soon I was sandwiched between the bottoms of the scattered clouds and the tops of the hills, when I suddenly hit turbulence! My altitude and course had to be adjusted. I was definitely lower than some peaks. I hand flew the rest of the way, over Moosehead Lake and through the Condor One MOA, into New Hampshire for a landing (just short of the runway) at Berlin Municipal (KBML). I know for sure the turbulence was not due to my joystick, but to passing over ridges. The logbook function only works if I first change the date, then access the logbook function before flight. I have also found www.skyvector.com to be a helpful source for seamless sectional maps.

Long Island-Montauk-Block Island: My next flight was again in daytime. I departed Long Island McArthur airport in the Cherokee Six (PA32), leaving the New York City skyline behind. I continued along the island, all the way to Montauk. It is most certainly a long island, at around 100 miles. It was interesting to see green and brown below the plane, with blue on either side. From the tv show The Affair, I had gathered that Montauk is isolated. The view from the air confirmed it. I wasn’t quite ready to land, so I continued a short distance across the water to Block Island for a slightly bumpy landing on the relatively short runway. Block Island-Martha’s Vineyard: Since I was flying the PA32 to Martha’s Vineyard, I decided to recreate part of a famous ill-fated flight from 1999. I changed the day to night and took off. It was VERY dark, with few lights on shore or in the water. There was no visible horizon. I could see how easy it would be to become spatially disoriented. Eventually I saw the airport beacon and made a safe landing. Cape Cod-Boston: From Martha’s Vineyard I flew to Cape Cod (Provincetown), then on to Boston. Although I usually just flew at the default date and time (7/21/2003 at 10:15 a.m.), I had set the date to the real date to help with the bug on the logbook. I was pleasantly surprised to look up and see the same waning daytime moon I had seen in real life in my car. Most of both legs was over water. Coming in to Boston Harbor, I was struck by the number of fishing boats and sailboats, including one very large sailing ship. I took a tour of downtown but did not recognize anything before landing at Logan. Portsmouth-Portland-Eastport: The last push to the northeast corner took me along the coast with green turning to orange and brown. If anything, the coastline became even more ragged. No wonder so many towns had “port†in their name. The elevation continued to rise, and eventually I saw islands with distinct hills or small mountains. I finally landed at the small airport of Eastport, surrounded by forest with a final approach between two large trees. Any further and I would have been in Canada.

Long Island-Montauk-Block Island: My next flight was again in daytime. I departed Long Island McArthur airport in the Cherokee Six (PA32), leaving the New York City skyline behind. I continued along the island, all the way to Montauk. It is most certainly a long island, at around 100 miles. It was interesting to see green and brown below the plane, with blue on either side. From the tv show The Affair, I had gathered that Montauk is isolated. The view from the air confirmed it. I wasn’t quite ready to land, so I continued a short distance across the water to Block Island for a slightly bumpy landing on the relatively short runway. Block Island-Martha’s Vineyard: Since I was flying the PA32 to Martha’s Vineyard, I decided to recreate part of a famous ill-fated flight from 1999. I changed the day to night and took off. It was VERY dark, with few lights on shore or in the water. There was no visible horizon. I could see how easy it would be to become spatially disoriented. Eventually I saw the airport beacon and made a safe landing. Cape Cod-Boston: From Martha’s Vineyard I flew to Cape Cod (Provincetown), then on to Boston. Although I usually just flew at the default date and time (7/21/2003 at 10:15 a.m.), I had set the date to the real date to help with the bug on the logbook. I was pleasantly surprised to look up and see the same waning daytime moon I had seen in real life in my car. Most of both legs was over water. Coming in to Boston Harbor, I was struck by the number of fishing boats and sailboats, including one very large sailing ship. I took a tour of downtown but did not recognize anything before landing at Logan. Portsmouth-Portland-Eastport: The last push to the northeast corner took me along the coast with green turning to orange and brown. If anything, the coastline became even more ragged. No wonder so many towns had “port†in their name. The elevation continued to rise, and eventually I saw islands with distinct hills or small mountains. I finally landed at the small airport of Eastport, surrounded by forest with a final approach between two large trees. Any further and I would have been in Canada.

Washington D.C.:From Norfolk, Virginia, I flew the Cherokee Six to Reagan Airport in D.C. Once again, even though I knew there was a lot of water in the area, the extent of shoreline was surprising. The approach into Reagan follows the Potomac River, and the national monuments were easily visible, but I decided to land and go sightseeing the next flight. For my tour of the town, I thought something low and slow would be the way to go, so I opted for the Wright Flyer. (I don’t really have any time in a real Wright Flyer, but I do like flying the sim.) Bad choice. The take-off was good, but I crashed before reaching the end of the long runway. I tried again in the C172, and headed straight for the Washington Monument. It was hard to go slow enough to stay low, but I circled the obelisk then headed to Jefferson and Lincoln. I think I saw the White House, but didn’t know where to find the Pentagon. The Capitol building, though, was impossible to miss. I circled the dome, then set down in front. It is a very large building. I taxied around and took in the view before taking off again and continuing my journey, a short hop to Baltimore. Recently I saw on YouTube a channel where people all fly together in FS2020 and stream it. They followed almost the same route I had, except they did know where the Pentagon is. (Apparently there is some invisible dome preventing people from landing in the middle.) I must say, the 2020 buildings are infinitely better. Baltimore-Philadelphia-New York City: I flew the Cherokee Six from Baltimore, with a stop in Philadelphia on my way to NYC. I looked around Philly for a while, but I’ve never been there in real life, so none of the landmarks were familiar. From there, I flew to the coastline again, going up the Jersey Shore. Water, water, everywhere, with a lot more buildings than the southeast coast. I’m guessing they were hotels and casinos. Even though I had been flying for a long time, I could see that JFK International was not too much further, so I pressed on. The program was showing lots of traffic in the area. I landed on the runway, and saw there was a Boeing MD 88 on approach behind me. I pulled into the grass to watch it land. I expected to see it pass, but it pulled off on the intersection just before my location. I followed it on the taxiway to the terminal. New York City: I have flown the sim in NYC many times, but not so much in FS2004. I believe the previous MS version that I owned always started there. FS98 maybe? I remember it had the Twin Towers, and the Statue of Liberty looked like a 2-D picture with an easel like the back of a picture frame. (Or was that the sim that always started at Meigs Field in Chicago? Anyway…) I took off from JFK and headed for all the tall buildings. I soon saw a blinking green pixel in the water, and knew it was Lady Liberty. Keeping low, I saw that this statue definitely looked more 3-dimensional. I circled the island, then headed to the iconic Brooklyn Bridge before turning uptown. I flew between skyscrapers, then around the Empire State Building before landing on a street near the water. (There is a YouTube video of a flight on an Extra 300 in FS2020 zooming between the buildings that is fun to watch. My flight was nothing like that.) My next flight, I went on a very similar route, but I had changed the time to night to see all the lights. It was very pretty. I continued on to Long Island McArthur for a night landing.

I have decided to fly the FS2004 from Florida to Maine to complete the 4 corners of the continental U.S., and then from Maine to Illinois to complete the circumnavigation. I plan to use only prop planes that I have flown in real life; to disregard airspace restrictions and communication; to not use slew; to go only as far as I feel like flying at the time; but, always to attempt to complete a flight with a landing. Ocala-Jacksonville: The first leg was from Ocala, Florida northeast to Jacksonville. I flew the Saratoga/Cherokee Six for over an hour up the peninsular state: green, green, and blue with more lakes than I had imagined. The joystick was working fine, and the plane was very stable. After chasing the elevator trim a little, I settled down at about 4500 feet. Eventually there was a very wide and long river/lake that took me straight to the airport. I landed on the huge runway and taxied to the terminal, next to a jetliner. When I exited the program, the error message about the logbook came on. (It kept saying Logbook L, then Ll, then Lllll, etc. could not be found.) So frustrating! It’s not that big of a deal, but it is evidence that my FS2004 may not be well. Jacksonville-St. Simons-Savannah: The plan was to go straight to Savannah, so I set course along the coast in the Cherokee Six. It was surprising to see all the rivers, inlets, and islands. I was expecting the coast to be more like what I had seen along the Pacific and Gulf of Mexico. No wonder so many people on the Atlantic coast have boats! Georgia slid by under my wings at 2000 feet, and I could see forests, with rising terrain to the west. After about an hour, I was getting bored going in a straight line, even with the interesting views from inside and outside the plane. The map and GPS showed Jekyll Island and St. Simons Island airports ahead, so I decided to land at KSSI. It is a nice little airport, and the VASI lights guided me in. I forgot to lower flaps, so it was a fast landing, but I walked away. The next flight I pushed on to Savannah. Again, there was the amazing view and the monotony of a straight line. (My daughter thinks it is hilarious that I fly in a straight line. She’s one of those people who think you have to be twisting and turning constantly, and she has no qualms about crashing. My wife thinks it is hilarious that I fly the computer at all.) Halfway to Savannah, I remember that the options menu (alt) lets me switch planes in midair, so I beam into a Beech Baron. After raising the landing gear, my speed is nearly 50% greater. I considered switching back to a single for the landing, but I’m already in the twin, and the long runways allow a noneventful landing. Savannah-Norfolk: The next few flights were shorter, working my way up the East Coast. Charleston, Myrtle Beach, Wilmington, and New Bern were stops along the way. There were definitely mountains rising far to the west, and the coastline was always intricate. I tried to mix it up by flying a motorglider and an aerobatic plane, but the single engine GA prop planes (C172, PA28, PA32) were the best for a cross-country. I seldom saw other traffic, but a Cessna Caravan kept appearing. Was it following me? Sometimes my route was more east than expected, as the land mass passed below with the ocean out the right window. Eventually, I made it to Norfolk, Virginia. From a recent trip there, I knew there was a highway into the ocean, that turned into a tunnel under the water. I looked and looked, but could not find it. Finally, I landed at Norfolk International (instead of the Naval Air Station.)

After resigning myself to fly without my beloved CH yoke, I was determined to get to Miami. It did not take long to get used to using the joystick; I didn’t really use the mixture or prop controls that much, anyway. (Never worry about fuel price or engine damage on the computer.) The mouse could be used to adjust trim, and the C172 is very stable once trimmed out. Once again I spawned at Okeechobee heading north, but I back-taxied on the runway to take off to the south. (The twist rudder control on the joystick makes taxiing a lot easier.) I took off over the immense lake and settled in for nearly an hour to Miami. The route was in the GPS, so I just followed the line. When the coastline was tantalizingly close, I headed for the shore and flew along the Atlantic. At under 2000 feet, I could see waves on the beach. As I approached the city, I was surprised to see a number of cruise ships! I should not have been, I suppose, because I was used to seeing ferries in Seattle. Soon, I could see the PAPI (precision approach path indicator) lights at Miami International. I set up for a landing on the huge main runway, and once down saw that there were palm trees everywhere. Suddenly it occurred to me that I was so close to the bottom of the peninsula, that I might as well go for it. After all, I had flown from Chicago to Seattle to Southern California to Austin in the real Saratoga and in Microsoft’s world, then in the MSFS from Austin to Florida. A plan was hatching to circumnavigate the continental United States. Why not? I took off from Miami Intl. and headed to Key Largo. I followed the coast but checked my progress on the map. Again, it took longer than I had anticipated. Finally, a bit of over-water and I was at the key. However, I could not find the airport. I landed on what looked like a dirt strip and taxied up to a gas station, but the map said I was a couple of miles from the airport. Believe me, there is a very small and rustic gas station among the palms. Although I had not landed at the airport, I had made it to my 3rd corner of the U.S.

What started as a local flight around my Florida home turned into a trip to Disney World and beyond. I departed Ocala in the FS9 Cessna 172, trying to orient myself to local landmarks. I followed a familiar highway south at under 2000 feet. After about 30 minutes, I thought I would head to Orlando, knowing it was vaguely east and south. I didn’t have a flight plan or waypoints, but I was going in the right direction and I was sure I could find a big city. The monotonous green slid away below, with numerous blue lakes. Eventually I saw a blinking white light on the horizon and headed toward it. To my surprise, the beacon turned into a huge, white geodesic dome near a castle, a pointed white mountain, and a large trapezoid-shaped building. I had found Disney World! I flew low and slow around these strange and unexpected structures, and finally landed in front of the castle. I easily taxied around trees to get a better view. While not as realistic as FS2020 must be, it was nice to know that the FS2004 coders had gone to such trouble. I took off again and flew past the Epcot dome to Orlando International. My next flight, I decide to continue down the coast to Miami. Again, with just a vague sense of direction, I headed south and east. It was a lot farther than I had anticipated. I had been experiencing that my left wing felt heavy, causing me to keep right pressure on the yoke, and when I saw an airport near a very, very large lake in front of me, I decided to set down for the day. I had found Okeechobee. The C172 had been sort of boring, so the next flight I decided to take the Extra 300 and maybe do some rolls along the way to Miami. My CH yoke and Logitech joystick were both plugged in, so I used the joystick to fly. The Extra is not a stable platform (on purpose), but I had a terrible time controlling it. I wound up in the lake twice. Determined to go to Miami, I jumped into a Boeing 737, using the yoke. The active runway I spawned on was pointed north, so I had to make a right turn after take-off. (I have very little time in the FS9 737.) I was at 4500 feet before the turn was completed and had a heck of a time leveling off. Overspeed! My left wing was still heavy, causing me to use full deflection to go straight. Overspeed! I throttled back and headed for the airport in front of me. Gear down, throttle off. I landed in the grass about a mile from Palm Beach, but didn’t crash. Something was seriously wrong with my controls. I went through the calibration process a couple of times, and the cursor refused to stay centered, drifting to the left and up. I had been getting some weird messages, such as the logbook wasn’t working correctly, or that there wasn’t enough memory to run the FS9, so I uninstalled and reinstalled the whole program. Calibration was still wacky with both controllers plugged in, but unplugging the CH yoke allowed the Logitech joystick to work properly. Dang it, I liked that yoke! It’s what made my desk look like an airplane! Oh well, I guess that the coolest airplanes don’t have yokes, anyway. At least I could still fly.

For the final leg from Austin to my new home in Central Florida, I will be flying across open water for long stretches. In a real plane, I would stay within gliding distance of land, but I am not worried about engine failure in FS9 (unless I ask for it.) Again, I will be flying the Cessna 172. I spawn on Runway 1 at Pensacola NAS, and have a look around. There are trees and military-style housing near the runway. Suddenly, a large tree grows right before my eyes, blocking a house! Interesting. Once again, I depart to the north and turn right, heading 103, climbing to 2500 feet. Again, I see shoreline and islands with breaking waves. Soon, I am over the Gulf of Mexico, but still in sight of land. The texture of the water is pretty, and there are shadows of clouds to break the monotonous blue. I find that in the SPOT view, if I position above and a little to the right of the airplane with the sun above, the shadow of the plane appears on the water below. Nice. I also find in this view, when looking through the window into the plane, that I am not alone! Who is this guy in the right seat? How did he get there? From the cockpit and virtual cockpit view, the right seat is empty. Is he a ghost? I drone on and on. Tyndall AFB slides by on the left, and the shoreline stretches out to meet me. Between Tyndall and Apalachicola Regional, I make landfall. Suddenly the plane makes a turn to the left! I make a hard right to get back on course, and have to keep slight pressure on the yoke to maintain my heading. I'm wondering if my yoke is broke. I check the fuel to see if maybe one tank was dry, making the plane heavier on the left, but they are both the same. I think maybe the sea breeze from the ocean is programmed to do that. There also seems to be an updraft, as the plane starts to climb. The time over land doesn't last long, as my course takes me back over the Gulf for an even longer stretch, even further out. The plane settles down, but my butt is getting numb. After almost 2 hours in flight, I see the shore again. The map shows a circle of blue, identified as Horseshoe Beach Restricted Area, from surface to 15,000 feet. (Later, I look it up, and find the Federal government had lifted the restriction in 2004, at the request of the Air Force. What was going on there?) There are so many airports! Once again, when I make landfall there is unexpected turbulence and a climb. It has to be part of the program. Below me is the Ocala National Forest, with barely visible power line towers in a row in the distance. The forest gives way to pastures. I see Ocala airport, with a beacon and long runways, but my destination is closer to my house: Johary Airport (FL58). I have never been there, and there is a seaplane base near it that FS9 also identifies as FL58, Jordan. I descend to 1000 feet and search for the airfield, but do not see it. I do see what may be a dirt runway, and decide to land. The landing went well, but I don't think it was an airstrip. Oh well, I'm close enough to home that I can walk, or call my wife to come get me. Total time: 2.6 hours. I have to learn this area better.

For this leg of the trip, I'm taking the Cessna 172, the default plane for FS9. As such, it is beautifully rendered. The high wing will make it easier to look out the windows. I spawn on Runway 35 at Louis Armstrong airport. I see what appears to be the city of New Orleans on the horizon, so I decide to take a tour downtown before heading on course. What I find is more of those strange factories(?) with tall smokestacks, and one cubic building that looks about 10 stories high. A hotel/casino, perhaps? I can't wait to compare with FS2020 when I finally give in. I turn back toward the airport to intercept my course on the GPS, and to my surprise, realize that the GPS can be sized to cover less of the panel. Man, am I rusty! The ETA is about an hour and a half, so I realize I'm only going about 90 knots. I increase throttle to 2300 rpm, and finesse the trim control until I'm doing about 120 knots at 2000 ft., heading 080. I have mainly been flying over water since leaving downtown, with shoreline on either side. Slowly, the land gets farther apart, until I have the continent on the left, barrier islands on the near right and below, and the Gulf on the right horizon. Suddenly, the water turns a lighter shade of blue! Another glitch, or part of the programming? As I pass over islands, I see waves breaking on the shore below me. For much of the trip, it would be impossible to glide to land in case of engine failure, (and I didn't bring flotation devices.) I did pass one island with its own airstrip and what looked like a golf course. The Cessna 172 is amazingly stable. After I pass Mobile on the left horizon, the islands start to get closer together again. I let down to 1500 feet, and spot some hotels on the beach. Pensacola airport is ahead, but I decide to land at the Naval Air Station, hoping to see a Blue Angel. What are they going to do, arrest me? I haven't been talking to ATC at all, busting through all sorts of airspace. I head for the closest of the parallel runways, 07 Left, and perform a perfect landing. There are no military police to greet me (and no Navy jets to be seen.)

The next leg on my trip to Florida was to New Orleans, heading 087. I took off to the north in the Cherokee Six and turned right. There was not as many wetlands as I had expected until about halfway into the hour-long trip. I could still see the Gulf on the right horizon. As I approached New Orleans, the program started glitching, especially in the spotter plane view. Random triangles and polygons of a different view flickered and pulsed on the screen, as if glimpsing into another dimension. The virtual cockpit view did it as well, though not as bad. The cockpit view was not affected, so I made a straight-in approach to Runway 17 at Louis Armstrong Regional. Unfortunately, I crashed. Obviously I need to shoot some touch-and-goes, but I survived. Maybe it was the glitch that distracted me, or maybe it was the rum to celebrate my birthday. The next day I flew the same route, this time in a Cherokee 140 (the first plane I owned.) The cockpit of my virtual model appears as time-worn as a real one. The bow-tie yoke brought back memories. In this model, the GPS was much larger than yesterday, causing me to work a bit to see all the instruments. But, of course, the only important ones (Heading (DG), Airspeed (ASI), and Altimeter) were easily visible. I got the altitude and airspeed steady, but had a difficult time holding a heading. I had to hand-fly the entire way. No glitches today, but I noticed a lot of antennas and an oddly large number of smokestacked "factories" as I followed the Mississippi. About 10 miles out from the airport I got a visual on the runways and set up for a straight-in. On my approach, I saw a Boeing 747 taking off from the runway I was landing on. It flew over me by at east 1000 feet. It was not a pretty landing, but I managed to taxi to the terminal and park right next to an MD-80.

My ancient computer quit talking to the internet, but it still works, so I took the opportunity to make it a dedicated simulator. FS2020 is getting all the attention, but FS9 is still fun for some of us. I had to re-learn the keyboard commands and yoke buttons (and how to get to the map and GPS) because I'm that rusty, but a little research helped. I am flying from my old home in Texas to my new one in Florida in a Cherokee Six (PA32). I never flew this route for real, and my old Saratoga is (hopefully) giving enjoyment to its present owner, but this is how I would have done it. Flight planning showed an initial heading of 082, which surprised me. I thought it would be southeast, not a little north of east. I'm sticking to big airports, on the chance I might see a big plane. I take off from KAUS runway 35 and turn right, climbing to 3500 feet. It takes me a while to get everything stabilized, but eventually I am able to fly hands-free, parallel to the GPS track. I look out the window at the brown fields and pastures, with the occasional subdivision. FS9 asks me if I want to talk to Houston for flight following, and I do, but soon enough I get tired of the typed conversations and irrelevant calls, and turn it off. About an hour in, I'm approaching Houston airspace, and the pastures turn into forest. I recognize some of the big lakes in East Texas. The Gulf of Mexico is visible on the right horizon. It stays there all the way to Louisiana. I take advantage of the stability and get up to take care of some other stuff. (Something you definitely can't do in a real plane.) When I get back, I see that the altitude has slowly increased, so I have to use the virtual trim on the panel because the trim wheel on the CH yoke is already at its limit. I start letting down, planning to come into Lake Charles at about 1500 feet. I enjoy the views out the windows, but really like the SPOT view. I could never see the plane from the outside while flying in the real world! There is more and more water. Eventually I see the airport, KCWF. I make a straight-in to the runway, but don't use any flaps, resulting in a couple of bounces and a long, long roll-out. A little over 2 hours of what may seem like incredible boredom to some (like my wife), but I feel accomplishment.

I flew the sim for the 1st time in about a year. (FS2004, aka FS9, aka A Century of Flight) I have recently retired and moved to Florida, so I wanted to explore the area from the air. The program took forever to load on my ancient pc, but eventually I took off from Ocala in a Cherokee 6. Instead of my normal CH yoke, I had plugged in my Logitech joystick. I soon learned that I had forgotten the functions of multiple buttons (and even keyboard controls!) Throttle and stick. I turned east and soon could see the Atlantic Ocean on the horizon. I turned west, and eventually saw the Gulf of Mexico. Below me, not much to see but varying shades of flat green and occasional lakes. It was kind of boring. I love to fly low and slow, and FS2004 has the perfect plane for that: the Wright Flyer. Talk about throttle and stick. I flew all the way from launch to the shore at less than 50 feet, dodging trees and buildings. Next, I looked at the choice of historical recreations and decided to fly a DC-3 from Denver. It was hard to taxi to the active, and wound up just taking off without a runway. The interior views are great, with switches and knobs to remind me how complex this old plane really is. I hit the GPS button, and the glass screen looked so out of place! I didn't want to commit to a long flight, so I just flew to the downtown skyline (with the iconic cash register building.) Finally, I wanted to do some yanking and banking, so I got into Patty Wagstaff's Extra 300. Woo-hoo! From a very low altitude I could do rolls and pull straight up. From the external view, I zoomed into the cockpit only to see Patty herself wearing aviator sunglasses. So, I guess I'll have to dust off the manual and renew my passion for flying the computer. I have a few other ancient sims, including WarBirds and Beyond Pearl Harbor, to relearn. Who knows? I may even be inspired to invest in a new computer.

Hey, Nels, I feel your pain. I hope you get the chance to keep flying, even if renting. I flew the computer before I ever flew a real plane. (I couldn't land the computer consistently until after learning to for real.) Now, the virtual world is the only place I fly. Thanks for your dedication to this site. Maybe a future Capt. Sully or Maverick will get started here.

From your description it is easy to see how someone can forget they are "flying" instead of shooting a movie and wander into prohibited airspace.

Well, I think I have almost exhausted the recreation of my flying days. There are still a few flights I did not re-fly, and there are a few planes I did not revisit (including retractable versions of the Saratoga and Cherokee 180.) I may still fly those flights on the computer, but I will not blog them. I have decided to wrap this up by recreating my final flights in the planes I flew the most. Cessna 150/152: This was the first plane I flew, but I realize I do not have one for FS2004. (I had used FSX when I started the blog.) I quickly locate and download a version. Spawning on the runway with the engine running, I look around this “new†plane. The cockpit view is missing a couple of instruments, but the virtual cockpit is fully functional. The virtual cockpit also gives a sense of how small and cramped the cabin is. I set the heading bug on the DG, and depart Angleton on a course of 299â°. Up in the air, I go to the chase plane view and look at the little Cessna from every direction. Behind me I can see the Gulf of Mexico in the distance; ahead, miles and miles of Texas. I’m not sure why I had done a touch-n-go in Eagle Lake, other than it was on the route, but I successfully replicate locating the airport, entering the pattern, landing and returning back on course. Closer to Austin, I recognize some features on the ground: Highway 71; the winding Colorado River; and, the Smithville airport with the rising terrain at one end of the runway. There is no speeding up the sim rate or moving along the route on the map for this cross-country. Eventually, Austin Executive comes into view. I enter the pattern, but get distracted by a Piper Comanche a few miles in front of me and extend the base leg a little long. I have to turn back to get lined up on final, but manage to straighten it out and land on the narrow runway. I taxi to the only building, pull back on the mixture, turn off the avionics and main switches, and turn off the magnetos. Final flight in the C150. VIRTUAL LOGBOOK: C150 HB-SCA (FS2004) From: KLBX (Brazoria County, Texas) To: KEGL (Eagle Lake, Texas) To: 3R3 (Austin Executive, Texas) LOGBOOK: June 24, 1990 C152 N6571L From: LBX (Brazoria Co., Angleton) To: EGl (Eagle Lake) To: 3R3 (Austin Executive) SEL 1.9 hrs (Total Time In Type: 29.6 hrs) Cessna 172: I appear on the runway at Austin Executive pointing north. Everything appears to be working, so I depart straight out for a few touch-n-go’s. I quickly climb straight ahead a thousand feet, and can see the departure runway out the back window. Left turn to the west, then turn south to parallel the runway. I can see the Austin skyline in the distance. Abeam the place on the runway where I had just started, I pull the throttle all the way back. When the speed slows down to the white arc on the airspeed indicator, I apply flaps. When the runway is 45° behind my left shoulder, I turn east while descending. More flaps, and I turn back to the north to line up on final. I have to adjust the throttle to maintain speed and altitude and worry a little about the electrical transmission lines in front of me. The 172 is very solid, and the landing is good. I raise the flaps, push in the throttle, and repeat the process two more times. Again, I taxi off the runway and shut down the engine before exiting the program. Last flight in the Cessna 172. VIRTUAL LOGBOOK: C172 N176CM (FS2004) From: 3R3 (Austin Executive, Texas) To: Local LOGBOOK: July 11, 1990 C172 N6601D From: 3R3 (Austin Executive) To: Local SEL .5 hrs (Total Time In Type: 11.5 hrs) Cherokee 140: This is a very familiar cockpit. The sim has a worn look, which is appropriate. From the outside, the Cherokee looks squatty and slightly ugly, but I never saw it that way. I take off from Bremerton and the scenery is just beautiful. The Olympic Mountains are right there. I see the famous floating pontoon bridge across the Hood Canal and the submarine base at Bangor, but no subs. I fly over the Bremerton shipyards where I saw the mighty Missouri battleship, but there are no warships. I do see ferries and cargo vessels in the Puget Sound, and the skyline of Seattle, including the Space Needle. The Cascade Range is in the distance. I turn back toward Port Orchard and Vashon Island and cruise along the coast. I look for Mt. Rainier, but as in real life, sometimes it hides. At the bottom of the Hood, I turn back into the Kitsap Peninsula and back towards the airport. I fly a right-hand pattern for the north runway and extend the flaps on the base leg. (The electric motor noise is wrong. The Cherokee flaps are deployed manually by a lever between the seats.) I have a nice landing and taxi to the ramp to park beside what looks like an Otter on amphibious floats. Mixture lean, mains off, mags off. Final flight in the Cherokee 140. VIRTUAL LOGBOOK: PA28-140 OYDHD (FS2004) From: KPWT (Bremerton, Washington) To: Local LOGBOOK: October 3, 1995 PA28-140 N55633 From: PWT (Bremerton, Washington) To: Local SEL .5 hrs (Total Time In Type: 580.2 hrs) Beech Duchess: I spent a lot of time and money getting my multiengine license, only to give up flying all together. Oh, well. I haven’t spent a lot of time on the simulator Duchess, mainly because there is no airspeed indicator, no tachs, and no dual throttles on my Flightsim yoke. But, I can get it to fly. I start on the runway at Georgetown and lift off near the end. I retract the gear and turn to the east to fly around a bit. The GPS works, which gives me a groundspeed indication. I maneuver a bit and enjoy the views, then head back to the airport. I get lined up, reduce power, lower the gear, and lower the flaps. There is not enough control authority to flare, though, and I crash on the runway. I spawn in the air, and line up again. With elevator trim, I’m able to hold the nose up and land. I taxi to the gas pump, and find I am able to shut down each engine individually using E1 and E2 and the mixture. Maybe there is more to explore with this sim, but this ends the recreation of my last flight in a Duchess. VIRTUAL LOGBOOK: BE76 GBOFC (FS2004) From: KGTU (Georgetown, Texas) To: Local LOGBOOK: August 31, 1999 BE76 N3733G From: KGTU (Georgetown, Texas) To: Local MEL 1.0 hrs (Total Time in Type: 44.8 hrs) Piper Saratoga: This was a great plane, and the Cherokee 6 is a great sim. I start on the runway at Georgetown and fly south along Interstate 35 at 2500 feet. I pass Austin Executive and Austin Bergstrom airports, then drop below 1000 feet to fly between the skyscrapers of downtown Austin. I turn west and fly over Lake Travis before turning back to Georgetown. The cockpit, virtual cockpit, and chase plane views are all great. I enter the pattern for KGTU and fly a nice downwind, base, and final, but damned if I don’t crash just a few feet short of the runway. I immediately fly another circuit just to prove I can do it. I taxi to the hangars and take one last look inside and out before I pull the mixture and turn off the mags and the mains. VIRTUAL LOGBOOK: PA32-300 N30062 (FS2004) From: KGTU (Georgetown, Texas) To: Local LOGBOOK: September 23, 1999 PA32-301 N8213Z From: KGTU (Georgetown, Texas) To: Local SEL 1.5 hrs (Total Time in Type: 301.7 hrs) Grob109B Motoglider: This was my last flight as pilot in command. I almost forget to use the joystick instead of the yoke for this recreation. It has been a while since I flew this sim, but everything looks familiar. I take off from Georgetown Municipal and fly west, climbing to 5000 feet. The forward airspeed is slow, but the vertical airspeed is like an elevator. At altitude, I shut off the engine and (after fumbling a bit) feather the prop. There is no lift to be found, but I make lazy circles as I slowly descend. At 1000 feet, I restart the engine and try to find my way back to the airport. I see that I am pretty far away, so climb again and soar again before restarting much closer to the runway. I make a power landing using the speed brakes. I turn around on the runway (because the rudder works so well with the joystick), then taxi to the terminal. One last look around before shutting it down. VIRTUAL LOGBOOK: Grob109 ZH268 (FS2004) From: KGTU (Georgetown, Texas) To: Local LOGBOOK: June 18, 2000 Grob109B N309BG From: KGTU (Georgetown, Texas) To: Local Glider 1.5 hrs (Total Time in Type: 20.7 hrs) I hope you have enjoyed flying along with me as I re-lived some adventures. I also hope that some may be inspired to recreate their own adventures, or maybe try flying a real plane. If I can do it, you can. Yanking and banking in a supersonic fighter is a hoot, but just flying around the pattern in a single engine plane is also challenging and rewarding. Please leave a comment if you enjoyed the blog. Happy flying!

A direct route from North Las Vegas to Double Eagle Airport in Albuquerque, New Mexico took me over the Hoover Dam and parts of the Grand Canyon, and near the Meteor Crater. This is a recreation of that flight on FS2004. I depart KVGT in the daytime, and cannot resist taking another low-level tour of the Strip. This time I see even more, including Big Ben, the Statue of Liberty, the Sphinx, and a billboard featuring Siegfried, Roy, and a white tiger. The attention to detail is impressive. I turn on course and see Hoover Dam in front of me. It seems to be taking forever to get to it, so I crank up the speed to 4x. I fly over the dam and the lake, and spy what appear to be sharp peaks in the distance. As I get closer, the “peaks†resolve into canyon walls. The Grand Canyon! Again I take advantage of the fact that this is a simulator and my recreations do not have to be exact, so I dip down into the canyon. It is very cool. I twist and turn above the Colorado River, forgetting that I am still at 4x speed. It does not take too long to crash. I spawn again at North Las Vegas and take off again. This time I even “talk†to Las Vegas Approach and fly over the Dam at 5,500 feet, then climb up to 9500 feet. Even this high, the Grand Canyon is impressive. I drone along and increase the sim rate, with nothing below but brown, orange and red. I go to the map and move further along the route, near where Meteor Crater should be. I look and look, but do not see anything that can definitely be called a crater. I see a circular lake in the distance, but I do not recall any water in the real crater. Maybe that was it, maybe I missed it, or maybe Microsoft did not put it in. I continue on my route over the monotonous terrain, eventually approaching Albuquerque. More clouds form, and there are updrafts and downdrafts. The GPS indicates Double Eagle is right in front of me, but I do not see it. Finally, I spot a couple of long, long runways and make a hot, bouncy landing at the mile-high airport. (My actual logbook entry mentions the clouds and turbulence, and I apparently had a hard time spotting the airport in real life, too. So, the simulation was spot on.) VIRTUAL LOGBOOK: PA32-300 N30062 (FS2004) From: KVGT (North Las Vegas, Nevada) To: KAEG (Double Eagle, Albuquerque, New Mexico) LOGBOOK: May 5, 1997 PA32-301 N8213Z From: VGT (North Las Vegas) To: AEG (Double Eagle, Albuquerque) SEL 3.5 hrs

When I flew this leg in the real Saratoga, the lights of Las Vegas were so vast and so bright that I lost sight of the airport amidst the glow. In FS2004, the lights are not quite so bright, but Las Vegas at night is a definite must-see for any simulator fan. With the Saratoga, I felt more comfortable going over mountains, so I took a more direct route from Washington to Texas. The first leg was from Bremerton to Red Bluff, California, to Hawthorne, Nevada. This leg was from Hawthorne to North Las Vegas Airport. I know that my arrival should be in the dark, so I set the departure time for “duskâ€. I assumed I would start on the runway at Hawthorne, but the takeoff aims me right at some trees, which I barely clear. (When I went back “in the daytime†I saw that the plane was situated on a grass runway. Why?) As I climb and turn to the course of southeast, I see a large lake shimmering in the moonlight. I climb up to 11,500 feet to make sure I am well above the soon-invisible terrain. It gets dark quickly, the stars come out, and I remember to turn on the rotating beacon, the strobes, and the position lights. I crank up the rate to 8x, but there is not much to see, so I go to the map and move my position to the last mountain range before Las Vegas. When I come out of the map, I am still at 8x, and quickly get into an unusual attitude, in the dark, in the mountains. I manage to get back to normal speed, recover, and begin my descent to North Las Vegas. The Microsoft guys did a great job! The entire view is glowing, with some iconic landmarks easily visible. I see the airport beacon right in front of me, so I descend to pattern altitude. With so many lights, it is difficult to keep sight of the runway. As I make my approach, I see the Strip to the south, so I turn to take a low-level tour through downtown. Wow! The casinos are well-lit and well-rendered, with incredible details, including volcanoes, pyramids, the Eiffel Tower, and billboards. I cruise along the west side of the spectacle, then turn left to go back north. Looking down, I realize I am over the Las Vegas airport, with miles of runways and acres of taxiways, all lit up. Airliners are moving on the ground below me. I go back up the other side of the Strip, and fly right over an exploding “volcanoâ€. The attention to detail is incredible. I find my way back to North Las Vegas and make a decent landing. VIRTUAL LOGBOOK: PA32-300 N30062 (FS2004) From: KHTH (Hawthorne, Nevada) To: KVGT (North Las Vegas) LOGBOOK: May 4, 1997 PA32-301 N8213Z From: HTH (Hawthorne) To: VGT (North Las Vegas) SEL 2.8 hrs

This was an unusual entry in my logbook, a chance to play “fighter pilot for a day.†To recreate the flight, I reluctantly looked at the video again. Reluctantly because, even though I had 400 hours by that time, I did not do that well. It just was not normal to fly in unusual attitudes, even inverted, although the plane did it easily. The video was not that helpful; I heard departure heading from the tower and the altitude, but I could not really tell attitude from the horizon. Plus, this time I would be alone, just banking and turning without an opponent to engage or an instructor on board. I start on the runway at San Antonio International. The Marchetti SF260 is a beautiful plane, and I admire the views from inside and out. I can even look up through the tinted plexiglass of the roof. I remember to use the Logitech joystick instead of the CH yoke. I start the takeoff roll and break ground around 90 knots, and retract the landing gear as soon as there is a positive rate of climb. I turn to 010Ⱐand climb to 6000 feet. The plane is very responsive, and I do not wait until 30 miles out to start yanking and banking. I start with relatively level circles, then climb and dive while turning, even doing some rolls. This plane is a hoot. I spot a Cessna Grand Caravan in the distance and join up for some loose formation practice. Just like in the real plane, formation flying is harder than it looks. I tend to overcorrect and bounce around, and too easily lose sight. Speed control is difficult, too. I finally leave the big Cessna alone and turn back toward San Antonio. A little more goofing around on the way back, and my phone rings. I figure that I didn’t land the first time (the instructor flew it in after a formation midfield break), so I just exit the program. Overall, the recreation was fun, but lacking. I will have to go to my WarBirds program and practice dogfighting with the Spitfire to get that thrill. VIRTUAL LOGBOOK: SIAI Marchetti SF260 N2600F (FS2004) From: KSAT To: Local LOGBOOK: July 27, 1993 SIAI Marchetti SF260 N68FD From: SAT To: Local SEL 1.2 hrs

In 1996 I bought a Piper Saratoga (PA-32-301) through an aircraft broker. He flew it from the east coast to Illinois. I flew it from Illinois to Washington. This is a recreation of that flight. Although my plane was a fixed gear Saratoga, the best virtual approximation I have found is a Cherokee Six (PA-32-300). They are almost the same, and I even had more than one controller call me “Cherokee†instead of “Saratogaâ€. Aurora, Illinois to Sandwich, Illinois: I depart Aurora for Sandwich, just 11 miles away. The clutter on the GPS makes it hard to see where I’m going, and the small private airport is not obvious from looking out the window. I see what may be an airport, with a row of hangars, but the runway has no VASI lights, and by the time I set up for a landing, I am going way too fast. (This plane is a lot faster than the Cherokee 140.) I cartwheel on the runway. Reset. I remember how to declutter the GPS, manage my speed better, and manage to land on the short runway and brake at the very end. I leave my virtual passenger to fly another virtual plane to another virtual client. Sandwich, Illinois to Sioux Falls, South Dakota: I depart Sandwich and turn northwest. I maintain 291â° all the way across the state of Iowa. The PA32 is steady as a rock. I notice that the engine controls are more like a Cessna than a real Piper, and the instruments seem to be harder to read than in the Cherokee 140. I set the manifold pressure at 24 inches and the prop at 2400 rpm and watch the patchwork of green slide under the plane. After I cross the Mississippi, there is really not a lot to see, so I set the simulation rate at 4x, then at 8x. Communication with ATC is difficult at 8x normal speed. There is nothing but postage-stamp farms below until I cross the Missouri River. Soon enough I am approaching Sioux Falls, so I return to normal speed. I should have started my descent sooner, but I get down from 8500 feet to pattern altitude in time for a normal landing. Again, the speed control is a challenge after flying the Cherokee 140. The landing is a little rough, with a bit of wheel-barrowing on the nose, but it all turns out fine. That long, heavy nose takes some getting used to. VIRTUAL LOGBOOK PA32-300 N30062 (MS2004) From: KARR (Aurora, Il) To: IS65 (Woodlake, Sandwich, Il) To: KFSD (Foss, Sioux Falls, SD) LOGBOOK PA32-301 N8213Z April 26, 1996 From: ARR (Aurora, Ill) To: IS65 (Woodlake; Sandwich, Ill) To: FSD (Foss; Sioux Falls, SD) SEL: 4.1 hrs. Sioux Falls, South Dakota to Lewistown, Montana: I depart Sioux Falls a little more west of north, to a course of 289â°. The rectangles of green slowly give way to more open pastures, and the green turns to yellow as the terrain rises and the ground is less hospitable. I crank the simulator rate up to 8x and maintain course across the Badlands. The turbulence at 8x speed bounces me around a little, reminding me of the bumpiness of the real flight. As I approach the Montana border, mountains become visible in the distance. There is little sign of civilization: no farms, no roads. Occasional lakes and rivers break up the monotony. Lewistown is soon in front of me, and I descend to the 4,100 ft. elevation airport for a normal straight-in landing. VIRTUAL LOGBOOK PA32 -300 N30062 (MS2004) From: KFSD (Foss, Sioux Falls, SD) To: KLWT (Lewistown, MT) LOGBOOK PA32-301 N8213Z April 27, 1996 From: FSD (Sioux Falls, SD) To: LWT (Lewistown, MT) SEL: 5.0 hrs. Lewistown, Montana to Pullman/Moscow, Washington: This route is a little south of west, at 254â°. I climb to 6500 feet, then 7500, but the terrain keeps getting higher, too. I skim a few peaks and climb up to 10.500 feet. I look around and there are mountains in every direction, with ridges on the horizon as far as I can see. This entire leg is in the remote mountains, with no place to go in case of engine failure. Fortunately, the sim does not let me down. At 8x speed, there are huge updrafts and downdrafts, and 10,500 feet does not seem that far from the ground. Eventually, the airport at Pullman/Moscow appears as the mountains thin out. At normal speed, I make a straight-in approach. I am starting to get the hang of trim control, pitch and throttle to land with more of a flare and less of a pancake. Pullman to Bremerton, Washington: The mountains stay in Montana as I head across the relatively flat, high plains of Eastern Washington. There is lots of yellow and some green farms, but when I reach the Columbia River, there is some dramatic terrain, and I’m in the mountains again. Over the last ridge I can see SeaTac airport in front of me, the Seattle skyline to the right and the majesty of Mt. Rainier to the left. I “talk†to Seattle approach, and descend to cross the airport at 1500 feet. From there, it’s a short jaunt across the ferry-filled Puget Sound to Bremerton. I manage to land without crashing, but still have problems holding the flare. VIRTUAL LOGBOOK PA-32-300 N30062 (MS2004) From: KLWT (Lewistown, MT) To: KPUW (Pullman/Moscow, WA) To: KPWT (Bremerton, WA) LOGBOOK PA32-301 N8213Z April 28, 1996 From: LWT (Lewistown, MT) To: PUW (Pullman, WA) To: PWT (Bremerton, WA) SEL: 5.2 hrs.

Amen! Thanks to the code writers, the dreamers, and the sharers.

Harris Ranch to Red Bluff: I start on the narrow runway, with both wings of the Cherokee extending beyond the pavement. I am already pointing in the direction of my route, so I take off and climb straight ahead. I stay below 3000 feet, as there is no dangerous terrain along the flightpath. The scenery is nice, with lots of green. I crank up the sim rate to 8x and speed through California, trying to maintain a straight line. I bust through the Sacramento airspace, with hardly time to look out the window. Soon I am approaching Red Bluff, and return to normal speed. The runway is straight ahead, and I land straight in. I never had to turn more than 10â° from take-off to landing. Red Bluff to Bremerton: Again I start on the runway pointing in my direction of flight, 330â°. I take off and climb slowly, slowly to 10,500 feet. At altitude, I stabilize the plane (or try to), then increase the sim speed. Clouds build in front of me as I say goodbye to the central valley. The terrain rises, and I soon see the spectacular Mt. Shasta. After the volcano, the terrain is all green tree-covered mountains until I reach the Columbia River. I blast through the Portland airspace and on into Washington. The green shows more and more blue as I approach the Hood Canal and Puget Sound. I return to normal speed and start searching for Bremerton, which the GPS shows to be right in front of me. I descend to pattern altitude and the airport emerges from the ground clutter. After all this way, I almost screw up the landing by maneuvering too close to the airport and the ground, but manage to land on one wheel without scraping the wing. After a bounce and a slight runway departure, I settle down and taxi to the ramp. VIRTUAL LOGBOOK PA28 -140 OL-DHD (MS2004) From: 3O8 (Harris Ranch, Coalinga, CA) To: KRBL (Red Bluff, CA) To: KPWT (Bremerton, WA) LOGBOOK PA28-140 N55633 March 28, 1993 From: 3O8 (Harris Ranch, CA) To: RBL (Red Bluff, CA) To: PWT (Brmerton, WA) SEL: 7.2 hrs.

El Paso to Blythe: Unlike the real flight, a week has passed between legs. I ask myself why I need to continue, just to prove that I can follow a course and sit for hours? I decide that, like the touch-n-go’s, this is a part of the logbook recreation, but it doesn’t have to be 100 per cent realistic. So I start on the runway at El Paso International and take off to the west. It is a long ground roll at the 4500 ft. elevation, and the Franklin Mountains are in my departure path, but I clear them by about a hundred feet. Over the mountains, I descend to less than 1000 feet above the ground and enjoy the desert rushing by beneath me. I see another mountain range in the distance, but it is an hour away. I stay low and plan to zoom up to cross the ridge, but when the time comes, the Cherokee does not zoom. I slowly climb, losing airspeed, getting closer to the ground, until I virtually land on the slope and start sliding backwards. I go to the map and set a new altitude and airspeed, and I am flying again. This time I maintain 8500 feet, which is still not that high above the ground. I increase the simulation speed to 4x, but it is still a long way to go. I increase the speed to 8x, and watch the browns and reds of New Mexico and Arizona slide by below. It is not easy to maintain heading at this speed, but it is not boring. I see airports out the window and on the GPS, and try to stay out of restricted airspace. Eventually, I see the Colorado River and cross in to California. Ten miles from Blythe, I go back to normal speed and prepare for a landing. There is still a lot of desert, but now there are patches of green. I land in Blythe a little hot and a little high, but another 500 miles is under my belt. VIRTUAL LOGBOOK PA28 -140 OL-DHD (MS2004) From: KELP (El Paso Intl.) To: KBLH (Blythe, California) LOGBOOK PA28-140 N55633 March 27, 1993 From: ELP (El Paso, TX) To: BLH (Blythe, CA) SEL: 5.6 hrs. Blythe to General Fox: Even though I’m in California, I continue basically due west over more desert and mountains. After plodding along for almost an hour, I crank up the sim speed to 8x. There is not all that much to see, anyway. The GPS shows a lot more airports along the route, and I see one occasionally. About 15 miles out, I go to normal speed and call General Fox tower to report inbound. Lancaster is another green spot in the sea of brown and yellow. This time, I manage to land on the assigned runway, and I see a Mooney holding short. After I exit the active runway, I stop to observe the Mooney taking off. I turn on the progressive taxi feature and figure it out after going the wrong direction. As I attempt to turn toward the general aviation parking area, I am taxiing too fast and flip over! Reset. General Fox to Harris Ranch: Finally, my route goes from west to north. I depart Lancaster without talking to the tower and point to 300â°. I have to climb past 7000 feet to cross the final mountains before entering California’s Central Valley. Once in the valley, I kick up the sim rate to 8x. Looking out the windows, I see mountain ranges on the left and on the right, but signs of agriculture below me. At 8x speed, there is not as much time to look around. The GPS shows the valley is crowded with airports. As I near the airport, I return to normal speed. The map and GPS show Harris Ranch to be right in front of me, but I don’t see it. Finally, I spot what is probably a runway and I descend for a straight-in landing. The runway is confirmed on short final, but it is very narrow. I cut power, add flaps and try to line up, but touch down just to the right of the pavement. I manage to get onto the runway before shutting down the plane and the program. VIRTUAL LOGBOOK PA28 -140 OL-DHD (MS2004) From: KBLH (Blythe, California) To: KWJF (Gen Fox, Lancaster, CA) To: 3O8 (Harris Ranch, Coalinga, CA) LOGBOOK PA28-140 N55633 March 27, 1993 From: BLH (Blythe, CA) To: WJF (General Fox, CA) To: 3O8 (Harris Ranch, CA) SEL: 4.5 hrs. (Total time 3/27/1993: 10.1 hours)