Melo965

Kit, Here is the thread where they are: The 2024 Australia Rally...

I thought they were at the beginning of this thread, but they are not there!

This flight was one of the very few where I saved the flight enroute. When I reloaded the flight later on, the Spitfire engine was not started. There was quite a lot of exhaust smoke upon restart. Maybe I overstressed the engine with the in-air restart. (My PC was also on for a few days in a row so it might have been a resource issue)

Ellsworth Air Force Base (KRCA) to Centennial (KAPA) Pre-flight done, engine started at Ellsworth AFB. Advancing throttle for take off on runway 31. Climbing out on runway heading. At 6,200 feet and about to enter the clouds and be in IMC. On course and at altitude, around 12,500 ft. 20 minutes elapsed time. In a driving rain. Half way there at 26 minutes. Scottsbluff Nebraska is below. 30 minutes flight time. Pine Bluffs Municipal (82V) is behind me. A tower view from 11,000 feet below. 46 minutes in. Denver International (KDEN) is below. 4 minutes later. Buckley Air Force Base (KBKF) is below. 1 minute later. Destination airport ahead, but I am still at altitude. Time to get down quickly. 2 minutes later. Down to 7000 ft. Wind direction dictates a landing on Runway 28. Overshot line up for runway 28 slightly. Curving back around. Over the numbers. Finally a perfect centerline touchdown. Go figure that it was on a narrow shorter runway. 55 minutes flight time this leg. Parked at Centennial. Going to look for VP2 to have that meal together. Maybe a few meals actually, as the Spitfire Master Mechanic has arrived from Fort Collins, and he said the full engine overhaul may take as long as a week.

Foss Airport (KFSD) to Ellsworth Air Force Base Pre-flight done, engine started at Foss and ready to taxi. Advancing throttle for take off on runway 33. Climbing out on runway heading. At 3,400 feet and about to enter the clouds and be in IMC. On course and at altitude, around 12,000 ft. 30 minutes flight time. More than half way there. 7 minutes later. Finally able to see some terrain below. When I was approaching the Top of Descent point and throttled back to descend, realized that there was something really wrong. Glanced down into the cockpit at the RPM gauge only to discover that it was below 10 on the gauge. And I was quickly losing altitude. Pushing back up to full throttle had no effect. The airspeed kept dropping. I was still too far away from the Air Base to make it there safely. So I set the aircraft in a positive climb attitude, and stuck my head down into the cockpit to try to remedy the situation. In despiration I decided to shut off both magnetos and the Master and then try a restart. Luckily when the Master and both magnetos were on again, the engine came back to life and my airspeed started to increase. Whew! Here is the record of my altitude during the engine problems. The upper line is 10,000 feet. The line I dipped below was 5,000 feet. Climbing out at 5,600 feet after engine restart. Obviously I was too busy to take any pictures during the emergency, but here is a snapshot of the cockpit instruments just after the engine restart. The oil temperature is high, so the engine is going to need a careful inspection. Airport ahead on the Right. Turning right at Waypoint CURPI to get lined up for runway 31. Rapid City Regional (KRAP) is ahead on the left. I don't think I would have made it there either if the Merlin 70 had not restarted successfully. Cockpit view of long approach. Still high for Runway 31. Over the numbers. Landed safely with half of the 13,486 foot runway still in front of me. Tower view of my Spitfire parked at Ellsworth AFB. Next stop is Centennial (KAPA) in Colorado to meet VP2 for a meal. Despite the engine problems, I am going to take a chance and head to Colorado as the best Spitfire mechanic that I am aware of stateside is in Fort Collins Colorado. I will call ahead and make arrangements for him to meet me at Centennial.

I was at the Miramar California Air Show back in 2004. (Before FS9 was published). At the Air Show they had a booth with FS2004 (FS9) running. There was a mock up of the Wright Flyer where you could climb up on the wing and use the same controls that Orville used on that historic December day. While I was waiting in line I saw almost everyone pull up to quickly and then stall and crash. When my turn came I was very quick to level off in ground effect right after liftoff. Managed to gingerly swerve around a tree without crashing and finally landed on the beach well past the 852 foot marker. The woman running the booth was impressed with my flight!

This one is available still on Steam for the PC at least. My Son-In-Law bought it for me. I have dabbled with the program, but not given it a real college try yet.

I do plan to go there someday. Definitely on my bucket list.

Good flight and great pictures! You made better progress than me. I am still in South Dakota and headed west toward Washington state.

If you need our carrier group to rendezvous with you, just send us a message through the usual channels and give us a few days notice to reposition the fleet!

Glad I could help! Excellent landing, I had no doubts!

I will be there! Thanks for the invite. Now that you posted the Menu, maybe more people will show up as well. Other activities used up my daylight today. Will plan to meet you there tomorrow.

Wittman Regional (KOSH) to Foss Airport (KFSD) Pre-flight done, ready to start the engine. Advancing throttle for take off on runway 18. Will try for a flawless takeoff with the crowd watching. Climbing out on runway heading. On course and climbing through 8,700 feet. 30 minutes flight time. Flying close to 11,000 feet altitude. Half way there after 38 minutes. Altitude around 12,000 feet. Not much to see except white clouds and blue sky. 1 hour elapsed so far. Still at 12,000 feet. 70 minutes so far. At Top of Descent. Still nothing to see but clouds and sky. Descending through 6,800 feet. Hope to break out of the clouds soon. 2 minutes later. Broke out of the clouds at 3,800 feet. Airport in sight ahead. Lined up for Runway 21. Is that man made pond below big enough for Kit to land in? Over the numbers. Landed safely in the rain. A 1 hour and 17 minute flight. Parked at Foss Airport. This airport is named after Joseph J. Foss. He flew Wildcats in Guadalcanal during World War II and was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. Here is part of his citation: "His remarkable flying skill, inspiring leadership and indomitable fighting spirit were distinctive factors in the defense of strategic American positions on Guadalcanal." He became an Ace during his first week of air combat, and eventually matched Eddie Rickenbacker's score in World War I. My next stop is Ellsworth Air Force Base (KRCA) on the other side of South Dakota.

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!

Where do you want me to put it down?