Anyone Up For a Little Universal Studios and Disney? Two Part Post MFS 2020

Even ORBX never had this detail...

Flying over Orlando, Departing Orlando Executive in my Kitfox - great little hand flyer in FS2020

Approaching Universal Studios

Passing Universal Studios, just under the passenger wing.

On the way to Disney

I don't know why people would want to live on golf courses like this. You see houses crowding them all the time. I'd be worried to get balls through my windows, and I wonder if they can even watch the PGA Tournaments for free if they live there? Probably not!

Approaching Disney

What a parking lot! No wonder we always lost our car when I went there when I was a kid. LOL

The Monorail Station. The little specs you see on the ground are PEOPLE!!!

Contempo Hotel. This building is awesome. The Monorail has a station stop right in the middle of the hotel.

Bay Lake Tower Next to the Contempo Hotel

Part Two coming up

The Iconic Space Mountain Roller Coaster. You can hear the screams of terror

Tomorrow Land Station

Another view of Main Street looking towards Cinderella's Castle.

Close up, Cinderalla's Castle

Some other views of the park

When I built it it it was an airplane just like any other and you needed a PPL to fly it. Not an ultralight but it looks like it fits into the Sportsman class today according to the empty weight and speed. Back then there wasn't a Sportsman class but it also wasn't so nearly impossible to get a PPL. It was a model IV and it's empty weight was 614 lbs IIRC with a Rotax 912, and to be an ultralight you had to come in under 254 lbs last I checked, so it missed even "fat ultralight" by quite a bit.

I built it for a successful contractor that was into politics, he wanted to throw his hat in the ring for Lieutenant governor of Idaho so we painted the airplane up like the Idaho license plate and flew it all over Idaho for about 4 months on the campaign trail, he washed out in the primaries but it was a helluva a ride nonetheless. Most people liked the airplane better than the candidate :) . I wasn't checked out in it and therefore not insured so I didn't get to solo it but I got quite a bit of stick time, most memorable was a couple hour flight around Twin Falls which was spectacular (we even checked out Evel Knievel's Snake River jump ramp).

Here's a pic, it wasn't even close to finished at this point, they had a public unveiling thingy at the Idaho Forest Industries hangar in Coeur 'd' Alene (KCOE) and I put it together and dummied up as much stuff as I could to make it look like it was ready to go, lol:

When I built it it it was an airplane just like any other and you needed a PPL to fly it. Not an ultralight but it looks like it fits into the Sportsman class today according to the empty weight and speed. Back then there wasn't a Sportsman class but it also wasn't so nearly impossible to get a PPL. It was a model IV and it's empty weight was 614 lbs IIRC with a Rotax 912, and to be an ultralight you had to come in under 254 lbs last I checked, so it missed even "fat ultralight" by quite a bit.

 

I built it for a successful contractor that was into politics, he wanted to throw his hat in the ring for Lieutenant governor of Idaho so we painted the airplane up like the Idaho license plate and flew it all over Idaho for about 4 months on the campaign trail, he washed out in the primaries but it was a helluva a ride nonetheless. Most people liked the airplane better than the candidate :) . I wasn't checked out in it and therefore not insured so I didn't get to solo it but I got quite a bit of stick time, most memorable was a couple hour flight around Twin Falls which was spectacular (we even checked out Evel Knievel's Snake River jump ramp).

 

Here's a pic, it wasn't even close to finished at this point, they had a public unveiling thingy at the Idaho Forest Industries hangar in Coeur 'd' Alene (KCOE) and I put it together and dummied up as much stuff as I could to make it look like it was ready to go, lol:

 

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Wonderful story Jim!! The back stories about a lot of the scenery and aircraft we take for granted are often hugely fun to read!!;)

And JJJ, I see your hand flying is coming along nicely as well! Another great post!

BTW: We went to Disney World once several years back, and that was as a VIP guest of staff. That was one trip there too many for us!! It was a huge disappointment, especially the Epcot Center. I truly hope Americans who've never traveled abroad don't think the Epcot Center has anything to do with reality! Ad the super sized crowds and the humidity of a July day, I have never understood why anyone would go even twice!

Michael

Wonderful story Jim!! The back stories about a lot of the scenery and aircraft we take for granted are often hugely fun to read!!;)

 

And JJJ, I see your hand flying is coming along nicely as well! Another great post!

 

BTW: We went to Disney World once several years back, and that was as a VIP guest of staff. That was one trip there too many for us!! It was a huge disappointment, especially the Epcot Center. I truly hope Americans who've never traveled abroad don't think the Epcot Center has anything to do with reality! Ad the super sized crowds and the humidity of a July day, I have never understood why anyone would go even twice!

 

Michael

Michael I hear yah! I am the type that I love to know how they do things, but sometimes it is better to just not know, like Disney secrets and movie effects because it just seems to take away that bit of mystery and awe and wonder. And I see it was too hot in July! I have a friend that lives in Florida, and she says it’s best to go in October or so.

But I love hand flying this bird it does have an autopilot as well, but so far no need for it!