TomPenDragon

The Daily Update (Cue The Cult’s, “She Sells Sanctuary”) Elias Pacheco: “Hello and welcome to our Daily Update for 10 January, 2024. Here is the Spotters’ Guide as it stands today: “The Guide has now been sorted by Timed and Free Flight. As of now, we have nine racers and five free fliers and support aircraft, for a total of fourteen entrants. This is quite the field, the biggest one yet for a Club Chachapoya event. I would like to remind you that tomorrow will be the last day that the Guide will be published on a daily basis. It will be released one last time, at the beginning of the race on the 15th. “Preparations are really heating up, for none so much as for the PhrogPhlyers, who are visiting Pearce Air Force Base. Now we know where their chopper pilot got his callsign from. The fries and wings look appetizing, too. “Bossspecops has made his way to Banda Aceh, Indonesia. Here, he may take a layover before completing his run to Perth, or may fly one more leg to Bali and rest up there. “Melo965 is in Darwin, getting his Chipmunk together and repainting it for the race. We are looking forward to seeing how it turns out. “jgf had an unfortunate setback and is still in Ugolny, Russia. His people have put the time to good use, however, and are well advanced in their refurbishment and painting of another Staggerwing, which even unfinished looks absolutely gorgeous. If it turns out anything like VH-BBL, it will be spectacular. “taoftedal is turning into the Club’s procurement officer. Not only is he a consummate sponsor-wrangler, he has obtained the use of the RFDS’ facilities in Jandakot for our air ambulance. Thank you very much, sir – I for one feel much safer now, knowing that if I suffer a mishap, AirBasil’s crew can get me to safety. A note to Basil: Trying to hold a yoke and manage thrust when landing a jet on a dirt strip or a highway is quite painful with blisters on one’s palms – better wear gloves while pushing that broom, mate. “AirBasil took a run down to Augusta, only to find nothing there besides an airstrip. “This just in: The Royal Flying Doctor Service is wetleasing Air Service Liège a Citation Bravo, with crew – this means that we have two ambulances serving the Rally now. And the RFDS informed taoftedal that we all have access to their facilities at Jandakot now. At the end of the Gaggle, we will be voting for the Spirit of the Race award. Spirit of the Race does not have to be won by a participant – it can be won by anyone connected to the event. The race hasn’t even started yet, and the RFDS is already quickly earning my vote. Thank you, thank you, thank you! "And on that note, this concludes today’s Daily Update. Elias Pacheco, for Radio Chachapoya, signing off. Fly safely out there!"

The Daily Update (Cue The Cult’s, “She Sells Sanctuary”) Elias Pacheco: “Now for our Daily Update for 2024-01-09T13:17:00 – or for those of us who are not into ISO, the 9th of January, 7:17 in the morning. Here is today’s Spotters’ Guide: “Pilots and support crews are well into preparations and testing for the race. I flew the route as far as Forrest yesterday morning, then spent the afternoon getting VOZ’d and flying back to Jandakot. I must say, Australia certainly looks better when you have a good VOZ going. “Things back in Perth haven’t been as nice. Our air ambulance was kicked out of YPPH and had to reposition to YPJT. This is unconscionable! I understand the wish of the management of some major airports to clear their ramps of small, non-commercial aircraft. This is an ambulance! Perth International is much closer to a major Level-3 trauma center than is Jandakot. Would you force us to transfer a stricken airman from the jet to a helicopter, wasting time that could mark the difference between life and death, or between a full recovery and lifelong injury? Or would you kindly let us land and offload a patient, only to then force Captains AirBasil and Kozhani to reposition the jet to Jandakot? These people are volunteering their time. Air Service Liége is volunteering the aircraft. Would some common sense and common, internationally-respected courtesy be too much to ask? “And while we’re talking about Jandakot, please be careful – there is some damage to the end of 6L, prior to the threshold. Someone tried to take off in a large propliner yesterday with insufficient air in the tires – and insufficient tires and landing gear, as well. “Melo965 has arrived in Darwin. He is unloading and reassembling his Chipmunk, which he will then fly to Perth. As of this report, we have not heard anything further from jgf or Bossspecops. I hope jgf has not run into trouble with the Russians. “As part of Radio Chachapoya’s coverage of the race, I would like to begin to interview the pilots and teams that are taking part in the Gaggle. Should anyone wish to be interviewed, please send me a Personal Message and I will seek you out. “And that concludes today’s Daily Update. If your aircraft has them, please secure your emergency door plugs – this is Australia, not Alaska. Elias Pacheco for Radio Chachapoya, signing off. Bye for now...”

I hand-climb to cruising altitude, set the AP, and let Otto do the work (or if he deflates, I fly the plane myself...). I do not use time acceleration. Once the Gaggle is done, if the winds are right, I have just enough range to make it from the tip of Japan to the Aleutians, so I will continue eastward toward Lock Haven, PA, to complete a circumnavigation.

PAD made a Challenger 604 air ambulance - the file name was cl604am9.zip . I can find some repaints for it, but Search doesn't turn up the original file. Perhaps someone has it tucked away on a hard disk somewhere (I don't)?

The Daily Update (Cue The Cult’s, “She Sells Sanctuary”) Elias Pacheco: “Now for our Daily Update for 08 January. Here is our Spotters’ Guide: “The field is really coming together now, as is our Guide. PhrogPhlyer has indicated that he will be switching from his helicopter to a vintage warjet in Sydney for a Free-Flown run up the coast. If anyone else is intending to switch aircraft at the end of the 1976 route and has already procured their other plane, feel free to post its information and we will get it into the Guide post-haste. To all others who wish to correct or complete their Guide entries, let me remind you that there are only two more days on which the Guide will be updated on a daily basis. “On a related note, some people have indicated that other commitments will prohibit them from joining us for the entire Rally. To them, and to anyone else listening who might be interested in Club Chachapoya and feels like checking us out, you are most welcome to Free Fly with us for at least part of the race if you happen to be in Australia while it’s being run. Should you wish to appear in the Spotters’ Guide as well, please post your data and we will get you on the board as soon as possible. “So, where is everybody this morning and what have they been up to? Taoftedal is proving to be our sponsor-whisperer, as he has procured Piper’s patronage for all of those who are flying their brand – which includes Radio Chachapoya. He has also finagled free fuel from Shell for all flyers. I am certain that I speak for the wallets of everyone here in saying Thanks! “Scottish Mike and defaid have been practicing and getting to know the route. MAD1 had found that his GPS software is missing two of the airports on the 1976 route plan, but has discovered a workaround. “jgf and that magnificent-looking Staggerwing he’s flying are in Kaltag, Alaska. Next stop: Russia. “I had mistakenly reported that Melo965 had already arrived in Perth. He has not; at last report, he is on Midway Island and is planning to head to Darwin next. “After a scare due to sloppy air traffic control, Bossspecops is currently en route to Sri Lanka – some of a certain age may remember it as Ceylon. “And, after a 15-hour marathon and a fuel stop in Jakarta, your humble correspondent arrived at Jandakot yesterday evening! “And on that note, this concludes our Daily Update. Be careful out there; the nuns are back and they’re packing heat. Have a wonderful flying day! Bye, bye.”

The Daily Update (cue The Cult’s, “She Sells Sanctuary…) Elias Pacheco: “A brief Daily Update for 07 January. Here is today’s Spotters’ Guide: “I will see you tomorrow. Ta ta for now...”

We crossed posts. I think I might have just out-curted you, bro. It's a good thing this is Flight Simulator, not Train Simulator, because sometimes it seems we go off the rails more often than Norfolk Southern. But we always find our way back on track...

Clarifications Re: Timing and Scoring (And some thoughts on race strategy) TomPenDragon here (this is me; I’m not writing this “in character”) PIREPs are the accounts that each participant posts publicly. They are distinct from what you will send me via PM. Via PM, I only want the ICAO code of the Leg and the +-Variance between your plan and your actual time. Please do not include flight plans, planned times, actual times, etc. in your PM’s to me. Should you wish to participate in an interview, PM is also where we will conduct the interviews. Should I make a mistake with your timing, PM is where you should send the correction. The reason for this is logistics: I am going to be getting a lot of PM’s. Keeping them simple and structured is the only way I am going to be able to both serve as TSO (Timing and Scoring Official) and meet my own goals for this event, which are to develop the Radio Chachapoya concept and to have some fun flying and getting to know Australia. Similarly, for the Entry Deadline of 10 January, I do not need a complete flight plan, simply your current intent of the route(s) you wish to run, and this is only because I am setting aside 10 – 15 January to develop the Timing Leaderboard and I need to know what I am timing. A PIREP (Pilot’s Report) is your story to the group. Tell it any way you wish. Some of us are better with words; some tell their stories through screenshots. Some are simple and straightforward; some are novellas. The correct way to tell your story is the correct way for you. What makes us so rich as a group is not just the stories we tell but the variety of ways we tell them. So, Rock On! Stretch a little; since the group’s inception this has always been a safe space for storytellers. This said, since the last event, pride and courtesy have resulted in participants including screenshots of both their flight plans and their actual times in their PIREP’s. We always have used an honor system, honorably. You tell us you scored V0’s throughout your run and we will believe you. You do not have to prove it. But, not only does posting your plans and actuals in screenshots put your money where your mouth is, if you are struggling with the format, it helps us diagnose and aid you in flying the race more successfully. So, in the Spirit of the Race, here are a few tips from the winner of the last event: Do not plan more than one flying session at a time. The obvious reason is the weather changes (if you are using real weather or an approximation of typical weather). A less obvious reason is that with each iteration of planning-flying-recording actual time, you learn more about it and get better at it. Break each leg up into multiple waypoints whenever possible, and calculate plan vs. actual at each point. Speed up or slow down depending on your progress. Your flightplan is your flightplan; if a waypoint is not in a direct line between your departure and destination airports, no problem. Plan for less than maximum cruising speed, so you have some leeway if the winds turn against you. In the real world, if you are not instrument-rated and you run into unexpected clouds, you turn around, land at an alternate or your departure airport, and figure out what went wrong. Similarly, if you find your timing for a leg completely blown, there is no harm in turning around, fueling at an alternate if needed, heading back to your departure airport and figuring out what went wrong, then flying the leg again. But: Once you have landed at a destination airport and posted the result, it is final (no do-overs). If you fly multiple legs in a session via fly-over and decide to turn around before landing to head to the previous leg’s airport, your time for the previous leg is the total time until touchdown, not the time that you recorded for the previous leg. Example: I plan a four-leg flight: 1(departure), 2 (1:20), 3 (0:30), 4 (destination, 1:00) Actual for Legs 2 and 3 are 1:20 and 0:29 respectively, for Cumulative V of -1 to Leg 3. 30 minutes into my run towards 4, I turn around and head back to 3. It takes me another 30 minutes to get back there and land. My actual to 3, then, is 0:29 (time from 2 to 3) + 0:30 (to turnaround) + 0:30 (to wheels down), or 1:29, which versus plan gives a V+59 to airport 3. Why? A flyover is not the same as a landing. Read the posts. Copy what other people are doing (if you are doing well, everybody is going to be copying you). Share your race strategy (put it into your stories). And if you find the timing aspect of the event more stressful than fun, there is no problem with going Free Flight, even after you have posted some timed legs to the Leaderboard.

Sorry for not getting back to you sooner, ScottishMike. The only thing I'm missing from you is an updated picture of your ride, once you get the paint done. Do you have a template for the interior? If not, and you want to switch out the blue for something that goes better with the outside, let me know what paint program you use and I'll ship you one. Going to miss Spanner Eyes and El Güero. You most certainly can switch out passengers - I could imagine how dull 3,500 miles listening to two academics can be. ViperPilot2, thanks! Although I think I'll just spend the day in bed, if everyone doesn't mind. My head's killing me, and I don't even drink! Ugh... I woke up with a waitress (just like I often do). How was I to know she was with the Russians, too? (and the freaking TV doesn't even work...)

The Daily Update (cue The Cult’s, “She Sells Sanctuary…) Elias Pacheco: “Hello and welcome to our Daily Update for the 6th of January, 2024. A very happy Holy Kings’ Day for those who celebrate. Here is our Spotters’ Guide as it stands so far: “A thanks to all who updated their data between yesterday and today. A reminder to teams: You now have four days left to get your entry in the Spotters’ Guide looking the way you want. “As of this update, the following non-Australian teams have arrived in Perth: ViperPilot2’s Team Chachapoya, Melo965, defaid, and AirBasil_1’s Jet Belgium support aircraft. If any other racers are already in Perth, please let us know. As for those who are traversing the globe toward the Gaggle’s starting point: jgf flew his Staggerwing nearly 900 miles to Powell, Wyoming, and then through the mountains, at dawn, in clouds, to Tofino, west of Vancouver, on the coast. Gutsy run, mate! Bossspecops, after overflying his childhood home in Heliopolis, landed in Berenice, which he describes as not being bere nice at all. Austral Rose is now crossing Saudi Arabia in some rather curious weather. Your humble correspondent made it to the capital of Thailand yesterday evening. After a Friday night in Bangkok, I may take a layover day today. “The Australians and the others who have already arrived are not enjoying the sights of Perth – they are hard at work conditioning the more sparse airfields for the race and tutoring those who are moving up a category of aircraft for the event. Great work, gentlemen! In the truest spirit of our Club and the finest traditions of aviation!! My hat’s off to you. “And this concludes our Daily Update. See you tomorrow...”

The Daily Update (Cue The Cult's "She Sells Sanctuary...) Elias Pacheco: "Hello and welcome to the first of our Daily Updates, here at Radio Chachapoya. Here is the Spotters' Guide, as it stands so far: "The information is beginning to fill in nicely. The organizers have asked me to remind all participants that there still remains 5 days to get your data and pictures into the Spotters' Guide. "Some of the participants are flying to the rallying point in Perth: Mr. Michael Coldsmith Briggs III, Team Chachapoya's sponsor, has provided his team with a C-17 to transport their Bell 222A to Perth. ViperPilot2 has graced the group with some Japanese poetry to celebrate the event. We hope to hear more of it as the Great Australian Air Gaggle continues. After flying from Bremerton, Washington to Williams Lake in Canada, in his Chipmunk, Melo965 has prevailed on some friends from the US Air Force to transport him the rest of the way in a C-133. defaid took a C-130 from Toronto to Cardiff to pick up a lightly-used Piper Arrow IV, then on to Perth. He arrived on Monday. Some of our... less sane... participants are actually flying their race planes to Perth. After an odd bout of aeronautical nudity, Bossspecops has reached Cyprus in his Short Sealand. jgf has flown his Staggerwing from Cleveland to Leavenworth, Kansas, on the first leg of his journey. Keep a low profile, jgf; I hear the authorities may be looking for you. Your humble correspondent is now making his way from Dubai to India in his Piper Saratoga prototype. And this just in: AirBasil_1, though not participating in the race, has arrived in Perth in a Cessna Citation CJ1+ to offer support to the racers. Well done, AirBasil_1! "This concludes the first of our Daily Updates. If I have missed any of those who have made getting to the start of the Challenge a Challenge in and of itself, I do apologize. This is Elias Pacheco for Radio Chachapoya, signing off until tomorrow."

You're very welcome, defaid! I came across them while I was setting up the Spotters' Guide. Speaking of which...

T&S can, in fact, handle 3 timed route options: Just the 1976 Race, Just the Eastern Route (AirBasil_1's), or, Combined (both routes together). The main reason why I am asking for both Timing Mode and Route is to help me develop the Leaderboard spreadsheet. As our Fearless Leader (the only similarity between the Jay Ward character and the head of Club Chachapoya being that both could be played by DeNiro in the film adaptation) rightly points out, anyone of the group who wants to, or anyone else out there who cares to bop around Australia for a bit, may free-fly at any time. Free flights will not be a part of the Leaderboard, but they will be covered - but that is part of another announcement that is coming shortly. Stay tuned to this station!

Eaglesoft lists one on their site ("Generation One"), http://www.eaglesoftdg.com/da42G2-9.htm . It seems expensive for a no-longer-supported product, especially since they offer their FSX/P3D version for a little more than half the price.

On behalf of all of those whose ideas I shamelessly plagiarized, I thank you. Yes, I think that this will be a very enjoyable event!

Here you go, Defaid. To paint my number, I used Arial, I believe Bold, and then stretched the text box vertically to fit. Hope this helps!

Never look a gift aircraft in the cowling! Thanks for wrangling it for us.

All I know about geopolitics I learned from moose and squirrel...

The insanity is contagious! I (well, my character for this race, Elias Pacheco) am flying from Cuernavaca to Perth, with a stop in Lock Haven, PA, to pick up a souped-up Saratoga that the Skunkworks folks at Piper set me up with. But, I'm not crazy enough to land in Russia or China, so I'm flying east. I set off for Pennsylvania on the 1st, and took off from Tempelhof this morning, bound for Ankara. See you all in Australia!

Happy New Year, Everybody!! Here is the official Entry and Timing & Scoring package for Club Chachapoya’s inaugural event for 2024, The Great Australian Air Gaggle. Much thought, study, and contemplation went into making the rules and methodology as easy for the participants as possible. When that failed, I outright stole every idea from the group that seemed to be working (Hip-hop calls it, “Sampling”). So here goes: Entry Deadline: 10 January, 2024 I posted a request for information on 02 Jan.. That afternoon, I developed the above, “Spotters’ Guide” (entry list), and filled it with information from, “The 2024 Australia Rally…”. I know that most of the information contained in it is inaccurate; I just wanted to get the format down. Please post here any corrections, and I will update and re-post the Guide as quickly as I can. PhrogPhlyer, I hope you do not mind me using your patch to illustrate what can be done with Team Name (it’s such a cool patch…). MAD1, I do not have a picture of an FS2002 172, so I went for another, “action shot.” Kindly substitute a picture of your aircraft when you have a chance. Everyone else who wishes to change your pictures may do so as well. And if I have missed you entirely, please post your info and I will get you onto the list. Timing & Scoring (T&S) For those flying a Timed modality, all I need is the ICAO code of the leg completed and the Signed Variance (“+-V”) from your flight plan, via PM to TomPenDragon. Easy-peasy. I do not need your flight plan, planned time, actual time, or even the date – although these should all be part of the PIREP that you post to the Event Thread. The race winner will be determined by Cumulative V, sorted low-high. In the case of a tie, then the winner will be determined by earliest completion date. The timed races may be started on any date before 29 February, 2024, however teams will incur a 1 minute non-offsettable penalty for each day that they finish late. Besides, the afterparty is going to be held on the evening of the 29th, and you don’t want to miss out on all the free food, booze for those who imbibe, and whatever. So please try to finish on time. Should a team be well advanced and run into extenuating circumstances just before the finish, post your case to the race thread and a penalty exception will be considered. Please note that any exceptions will be made at the sole discretion of the Timing & Scoring Official (TSO). One Daily Update will be published per day, which will consist of: The Leaderboard A brief synopsis of the race since the last Update (who is where and what happened getting there, based on the PIREPs Interviews with those pilots and crews who wish to give one I will explain more about the format and interviews separately. One last note: During the course of the race, I may miss a message or two, or mistype a result, or the spreadsheet might not work as intended, or whatever else might go wrong with T&S. My apologies in advance. Please be patient and send me the correction via PM, and I will publish it in the next Daily Update. Thanks, Tom and Elias

I'm sorry you won't be joining us for the next run, Sirrus. My wife and I will keep you in our prayers for your surgery - we hope everything goes well and that you're back on your feet quickly. I'm looking forward to seeing you at our next event. Take care, Tom

I've been simming for 43 - 44 years now (and boy, are my arms tired), and I've seen the various iterations of the program do all sorts of weird stuff. About the strangest was back in the very beginning, when you could use the FlightSim 5 1/4" diskette as a scenery disk for an F-15 (I think), fly due west, and find another Lake Michigan with another Chicago, except with poles instead of buildings. Up until a couple of minutes ago, that is. Kit's experience - in a modern sim, no less - beats that. Is that what happens when you ignore the Overspeed warning for too long? I have no earthly idea. Definitely a WTF (What The Flightsim) moment.

I was planning on putting out the "entry form" before end-of-day today, but you folks are way ahead of me, so here goes: To put together the Spotters' Guide, I need the following: A picture, preferably in .jpg format. It should be as close-in as you can take it and still show the entire aircraft. If you have added race stickers to your livery, the picture should be taken from the right-hand side of the plane. Team name and preferred entry number. Sponsors. Pilots and Race Crew. Passengers. Aircraft year, Manufacturer, Model no., Model name, Tail No. If the aircraft has been modified in any way, a description of the mods and their effects. Which route (1976, Eastern, Combined) and timing modality (timed or free) are you planning to use. I don't need a flight plan right now. Thanks, Elias Pacheco Radio Chachapoya

And one last post for 2023: May your 2024's bring you and those you hold dear peace, success in every meaning of the word, better health than you have enjoyed in 2023, and growth in all of the right places and none of the wrong ones. May you survive 2024's turmoils and upheavals with calm and grace and emerge strengthened. May we all be here this time next year, and raise a glass to each other. Happy New Year!!!!!!!

Welcome Mad One!! You have found a home here! I am glad that you appreciate our ethos. Other groups require a certain level of commitment from their members. In Club Chachapoya, we want you not only to be committed, but then to escape from the asylum (demonstrates planning and dexterity, two essential qualities in a Flight Simmer). ViperPilot2 is our Monty Python; I'm a clown in the Flying Circus. We may be able to help you here. If you have looked over the previous threads, you likely have noticed that some of us like to write - so much so that the thread for the previous Challenge reached 6 short of 1,000 posts! So if you wish, you may tell your wife that you have wrangled a spot in a Creative Writing Workshop, tuition fully funded, that runs from 15-01 to 29-02, uses FlightSim as a common story paradigm, and also requires beer. Any member who wishes may use this excuse; it is a freebie. Should anyone require another excuse for something, PM me - I charge by the kilo of bovine excrement employed, + labor (just kidding). Great cockpit setup! Nice color on the beer, too. I thought this was the title of the Tom Cruise - Margot Robbie sex tape. It isn't? And on that note, I will end as I began: Welcome and well met, MAD1! I look forward to seeing you on the ramp in Perth!