Where did you fly today ?

Attempted Aspen to Telluride in a C-172. A few times. Kept stalling and crashing shortly after take-off trying to avoid mountains. Guess I’ll need to learn to fly a turbo before trying that again. And nav aids. Did complete a couple of landing challenges, though!

 

I like flying the C-172 in challenging mountain areas like that. You'll need nav-aids and also a comfort level with the topo technology of your G-1000 display, assuming you're flying the expensive version of the C172 (not the classic version). You have to turn the topo features on with a button. That way you can kind of route-pick on the fly. Your fatality rate will still be anywhere from 25 to 50%, in my experience anyway.

 

Without the topo it's probably more like 75%.

Flew from Birpur, a small border town in the Indian state of Bihar, to Lukla, Nepal, in live weather/live time. A C172 cannot really fly in the Himalayan mountain range, so I used a Beechcraft Bonanza which easily has enough power for the climb needed to 18,000 feet or so.

 

It was blue skies in India but almost exactly upon reaching the Himalayan range in Nepal I was hit with very thick cloud cover. I stayed on top of it for the most part but knew that the descent would be challenging. Lukla is elevation 9,000 but it's surrounded by peaks that are about 14,000 feet. The Bonanza has some de-icing equipment but not anything for the windshield, unless I've overlooked something.

 

Sure enough, during the descent, the windshield iced up about as badly as I've ever experienced anywhere. Despite being in VR mode and having one or two small clear views through the front window, I could barely navigate a path to safely descend through the multiple turns needed for the runway, though I did get it in sight.

 

Sadly, I crashed and died, becoming one of the many statistics of pilots who took on the Lukla challenge.

 

Edited March 6, 2021 by neilends

D56 to KDVL in the Robin

Dumb question: When you're doing a long multi-day/month trip like this, do you click "save" the flight to take off from airport where you last left the plane the next day (or whenever)?

 

Yes - When I get to the destination and park and shut down the engine. I save the flight. I reload the flight next time I fly. However even when the engine is shut down before saving. When I reload the last save, I am at the same spot but the engines are started automatically upon reload.

 

So I note the approximate spot where I parked and reload from parking diagram as close to the parking as possible. This way when I continue, the engines are off upon reload.

 

It works just fine and its always close to where I shut down.

Took of today from Iqaluit for Greenland. Weather was exclamation VFR on Top, so decided to do IFR for the first time. I took some pics. It was good in the beginning after picking up some light icing I was in the clear cruising at 11,500 feet. Then it got scary as I headed towards the Atlantic just passing the coast, decided to do a 180 and head back!

 

That turn to the left is me chickening out and returning.

 

Foreflight indicated icing at my altitude right in the middle of the Atlantic at 12000 feet.

 

113 nautical miles in, I turned back and made it to Iqaluit before sunset.

 

Doing around the world is tricky. Will wait for a better day.

Doing my first one, in real time, using MSFS2020. So far, have done Canberra,my home town to Darwin, then from there to Changi (Singapore). Currently flying to Hong Kong, all flying a B777 (default version in MSFS2020). Next step is Incheon (Seoul, Sth Korea), after that, to turn west or east?

Took of today from Iqaluit for Greenland. Weather was exclamation VFR on Top, so decided to do IFR for the first time. I took some pics. It was good in the beginning after picking up some light icing I was in the clear cruising at 11,500 feet. Then it got scary as I headed towards the Atlantic just passing the coast, decided to do a 180 and head back!

 

That turn to the left is me chickening out and returning.

 

Foreflight indicated icing at my altitude right in the middle of the Atlantic at 12000 feet.

 

113 nautical miles in, I turned back and made it to Iqaluit before sunset.

 

Doing around the world is tricky. Will wait for a better day.

 

How are you using Foreflight with MSFS? Do you have some sim version of it?

I tried my hand(s) at various aircraft today, starting with the twin-engine Diamond, then the Beechcraft King Air (a monster with an incomprehensible-to-me Garmin instrument panel), and finally, the Beechcraft Baron. Did practice landings in Watsonville with all of them, my goal to improve my trimming and flight level maintaining speed (still suck at this), and land more smoothly (some improvement). I flew the King Air to Monterey on AP and somehow got off course even relying on autopilot (probably for got to turn on NAV again), and worse than that, lost control of the plane and crashed in a golf course. Next, I took off from Watsonville in the Baron, flew to Monterey again on autopilot without problems until I was on final, had turned on the approach mode in the Garmin, and the plane wasn't following the glideslope. I turned off the AP altogether and hand flew it the rest of the way, landing pretty well. I was taxiing toward the beginning of RWY 10R with the intention of flying back to Watsonville when MSFS FTDed. One FTD per day is my usual now. So I restarted in Watsonville with the Baron and flew an autopilot-guided instrument approach to RWY 30L at San Jose. I hand flew the Baron to the GPS course, set the altitude and ascent rate in the autopilot, turned on the AP and then wondered why the Baron was getting off track. Then I realized I had not turned on NAV. (So many things to keep track of.) Turned NAV on, got back on course, and let the AP handle the landing until about 300-500 ft. AGL, then took over and landed OK, but too soon; way short of the RWY numbers. On the upside, I cleared the runway right quick. On the other hand, I have lots of room for improvement.

How are you using Foreflight with MSFS? Do you have some sim version of it?

 

I have the full paid version with georeferenced plates and and synthetic vision.

 

https://support.foreflight.com/hc/en-us/articles/204115275-How-do-I-connect-Microsoft-Flight-Simulator-FS-X-or-FS-2004-to-ForeFlight-

 

You can use this link.

I have the full paid version with georeferenced plates and and synthetic vision.

 

https://support.foreflight.com/hc/en-us/articles/204115275-How-do-I-connect-Microsoft-Flight-Simulator-FS-X-or-FS-2004-to-ForeFlight-

 

You can use this link.

 

Thanks. That is a super interesting idea, speaking as a student pilot!

Doing my first one, in real time, using MSFS2020. So far, have done Canberra,my home town to Darwin, then from there to Changi (Singapore). Currently flying to Hong Kong, all flying a B777 (default version in MSFS2020). Next step is Incheon (Seoul, Sth Korea), after that, to turn west or east?

 

I would go west. There is more land airports. Russia, Asia Middle East Europe Africa... at the tip of Africa you can get to Antarctica and from there to South America and up north to United States and Canada.

 

Enjoy which ever way to go...

Took of today from Iqaluit for Greenland. Weather was exclamation VFR on Top, so decided to do IFR for the first time. I took some pics. It was good in the beginning after picking up some light icing I was in the clear cruising at 11,500 feet. Then it got scary as I headed towards the Atlantic just passing the coast, decided to do a 180 and head back!

 

That turn to the left is me chickening out and returning.

 

Foreflight indicated icing at my altitude right in the middle of the Atlantic at 12000 feet.

 

113 nautical miles in, I turned back and made it to Iqaluit before sunset.

 

Doing around the world is tricky. Will wait for a better day.

 

Say, just for kicks if you feel like it, let us know what date/time on UTC you will attempt this crossing again, and let us know what server you will use. With that information we could actually join you on the flight in our own planes.

 

I can't do a lot of group flying because it requires an exact match of personal schedules, but when I have it's been fun.

LOWK to Z11L

Say, just for kicks if you feel like it, let us know what date/time on UTC you will attempt this crossing again, and let us know what server you will use. With that information we could actually join you on the flight in our own planes.

 

I can't do a lot of group flying because it requires an exact match of personal schedules, but when I have it's been fun.

 

I was going to try it today but Nuuk was IFR and it was really sketchy so I just did some touch and go's at Iqaluit. Up until here, I use to fly after work starting at 4pm My legs are short, less than 150 nautical miles. Now going west, it gets harder because in NY when I start a 4pm it is 5pm in Iqaluit, and in less than 1 hours its dark. And I don't want to fly in the dark.

 

So I plan to attempt the flight on Friday as it is my day off. This will give me a chance to figure out the group flying and I will post that info here.

 

My aircraft call sign is N18AC, it was the same C172S I did my first solo flight.

Today, I flew the Beech Baron on autopilot--via low-level IFR--from Watsonville to San Jose. Per MSFS's "live weather," I flew much of the way to the start of the KSJC ILS approach in clouds at 4,000 ft. I question how "live" the sim's weather really was, because the skies out our windows about eight miles from Watsonville were clear all afternoon. Landing on RWY 31L at San Jose, I taxied back to the start of the runway, paused to set a direct return course to Watsonville in the G1000, and took off again. Though I'd set a GPS course to KWVI in the Garmin, the AP wouldn't follow it in NAV mode when I got airborne, even though I was smack-dab on the magenta line. So I disengaged the AP and followed the course myself. I had just cleared the Santa Cruz Mountains and was commencing my descent toward the coast when the sim crashed.

 

Restarting MSFS with the Baron in Watsonville, I took off again, this time following a VOR NAV course to RWY 13 at Salinas. The autopilot performed well on this course, but when I arrived at Salinas, I discovered that the LOC/ILS guidance didn't apply to RWY 13, as opposed to its converse, RWY 31, so I landed manually once again, taxied to the start of RWY 13, took off and returned to Watsonville, swinging out over Monterey Bay and then following the KWVI localizer to a landing at Watsonville on RWY 2.

 

I'm getting more comfortable with the Beech Baron; progressively better at trimming it for level flight and landing it.

LOWK to Z11L

Beautiful pictures. What's the format? How do you get around flightsim.com's photo-size restrictions?

Those photos are under the size restriction. I use Irfanview 64, reduce to 1480x870 (under 1600) and compress at 88% which gets under the size limit. jpg

BTW thanks! I think a few of the passengers headed straight to laundry services, but all the dust got wiped off the bottom of the aircraft.

BTW, If you want to fly into Z11L (was EDSD), hurry, as the base is now closed, and the airport gone, so expect it to disappear soon.

Edited March 8, 2021 by plainsman

The game delivers moments sometimes that makes one feel like it's a freaking work of art.

 

Playing the "Skypark" game, I was tasked with smuggling a bunch of glass bongs between two villages in Fiji. (I work in government so this was obviously a task I accepted because of my status as an undercover agent. I do not condone any smuggling activities or bonging activities.) I chose to accomplish this using old school methods through and through.

 

First, I opted for the Cessna 152. Second, I opted for an add-on that I cannot believe is free. If you like Cessnas, you must give this livery a shot, known as "Rusty Mess" (link). While the exterior might be a tad excessive, the dude who created the interior is, I again insist, an artist. Even the knobs are broken! Anyway, with the 152 choice I also forced the choice on myself of not having any GPS technology. I would need to rely on VOR alone, and I did not have autopilot either. I had to scratch down some notes in my pre-flight planning to get all this done.

 

As the sun set over Fiji, I took off from Vatulele Airport on the island of the same name, on a 330 radial toward the VOR station located close to Nadi International Airport. Most of this leg took me over Fiji's largest and principal island known as Viti Levu, and the scenery was gorgeous. Upon reaching the Nadi VOR, I headed out toward the ocean on the pre-planned 357 radial from the VOR. As I labored to keep the plane on the radial, it was THIS leg and this moment that finally made it click for me on how VOR's radials work.

 

Without autopilot, it was a chore to maintain a particular altitude and I wound up floating up to about 14,000 feet (the C152's ceiling is 10,000). So as I approached my destination, a dirt strip on Yasawa Island, I turned off the engine to float and glide down for a while. I was using VR by the way. The sun had set. The colors were brilliant. The sound of the wind was in my ears. The rusted, worn out interior of my plane and the lack of any fancy computers telling me where to go just added to the effect.

 

Landing was smooth as butter.

 

Even the back of the plane is [an intentional] piece of crap:

 

 

Sunset over Viti Levu, Fiji:

 

Hello:

 

 

We are the Bluebirds - an Aerial Display Team based in Fredericton, New Brunswick (CYFC) Canada and fly the FSX Steam platform. We are a team of six Pilots which includes three newer pilots.We have begun a world tour and will begin our first flights at the London City EGLC Airport beginning March 9 2021. We begin our flights at 22:30 hrs GMT and flights consist of two 25 minute flights with a five minute intermission between flights.

If you wish to see us in our Lockheed T-33 aircraft, you will need to download Tim Piglett Conrad’s T-33 for FSX and FSX-SE. Our communications are via TS3 and we have our own channel on the Sim Outhouse TS3 server.

 

 

 

Our flights will take place on the following days and at the times listed above.

 

Tuesday 9th, Friday 12th, Sunday 14th and Tuesday 16th

 

 

After our long flight from New Brunswick and arrival at EGLC #4 in maintenence

Edited March 8, 2021 by hecrowell
Added image

Hello Boss,

 

Nice information write up on the BB Team. I look forward to many more great flights in Europe and around the world.

Let the adventure begin!

 

Cheers,

 

BB3

Maybe the most poisonous place on Earth, I thought maybe I'd take a short flight over the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone because...why not? Took off from a little airstrip to the south of Chernobyl (Dryer Airstrip or something like that...SHORT runway!) and waypointed the #4 reactor. Screenshot shows the infamous reactor with sarcophagus below the plane and the doomed city of of Pripyat just ahead. I didn't think to fly over the city to see if the famous ferris wheel was there (probably, but too lazy to fly back there). Total flight time was just 30 minutes with a few minutes spent circling around the toxic area.

Maybe the most poisonous place on Earth, I thought maybe I'd take a short flight over the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone because...why not? Took off from a little airstrip to the south of Chernobyl (Dryer Airstrip or something like that...SHORT runway!) and waypointed the #4 reactor. Screenshot shows the infamous reactor with sarcophagus below the plane and the doomed city of of Pripyat just ahead. I didn't think to fly over the city to see if the famous ferris wheel was there (probably, but too lazy to fly back there). Total flight time was just 30 minutes with a few minutes spent circling around the toxic area.[ATTACH=CONFIG]225722[/ATTACH]

 

Have you watched the mini-series that came out a year or so ago, on Chernobyl? If you haven't, it is spectacularly well done. It holds special meaning now given the pandemic. Then, just as now (at least in my country), scientists tried to speak, but government was too incompetent to listen. But I'd better get off that soap box.

Have you watched the mini-series that came out a year or so ago, on Chernobyl? If you haven't, it is spectacularly well done. It holds special meaning now given the pandemic. Then, just as now (at least in my country), scientists tried to speak, but government was too incompetent to listen. But I'd better get off that soap box.

 

Miniseries is probably what inspired the flyover, lol! Watched it a couple of months ago.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]225713[/ATTACH]

 

Even the back of the plane is [an intentional] piece of crap:

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]225714[/ATTACH]

 

Sunset over Viti Levu, Fiji:

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]225715[/ATTACH]

 

That's....pretty cool!