Hiya, folks! I’m my name is Dan, I’ve been an A2A addict…erm.. User? No… Enjoyer? Yeah, ok. Since FSX, into P3D, and the new kids, MSFS 2020, and now MSFS 2024. I’m stress testing my computer on MSFS 2024 for going back into Air Hauler 2, since I’m actually a bit below minimum specs. And I figure what better way then to do (Another) cross country flight!
So, if you can handle photos from a potato of a computer (Boy, it pains me to say that, when I built this PC is was pretty decent.. in 2018), I’d like to document my very scenic journey, no direct GPS routes here! I loaded up the Comanche as a used plane, and I took off from my home airfield in the middle of NC, and flew to Kitty Hawk, getting the idea to do a full cross country on the way. I did this once before in the Piper Arrow III in '20/21 (The beautiful Comanche wasn’t available yet) and flew along the southern border of the US. Well, this time I’m heading north. My AH2 base is on the Oregon coast, so that’s where we’ll eventually be.
Starting out at KFFA, First Flight, in Kitty Hawk, NC to KUMP, Indianapolis Metro Airport, Indianapolis, IN. I battled heavy storms leaving NC and into VA, and dealt with some carb icing (That scared the heck outta me, it was 60 degrees, my brain didn’t even consider it). Yes, that’s an awful approach, but I haven’t flown in like 3+ years, I’ll get better. And I apologize for the awful photos these first couple flights, I didn’t plan on posting any of this. It gets better on leg three. I’m a Photographer, so bad photos are painful.
And bear with me as I catch up, I didn’t plan on sharing, or documenting these at first. I’m 3 flights in as of this post, so I gotta catch up.
Kitty Hawk, NC
Beach just north of Kitty Hawk/Nags Head.
Virginia International Raceway. My home track! I go here often, and I’ll be at the track the whole 3 day IMSA event in August.
The cloudy, rainy, and gorgeous Blue Ridge Mountains.
Gavin Power Plant, Ohio
Indianapolis Motor Speedway! I’ll head there IRL some day.
KUMP. I’m rusty, with a 22kt crosswind. This will rapidly get better, I’m like two flights in after 3 years.
Volanta map. You can see the 2000ft drop shortly into the flight when I thought I was about to loose my engine, before I ran through the emergency checklist, which got the carb heat on, and saved me from my own idiocy. And that other little dip when my tip tanks ran dry while I was cooking dinner. Oops. 
I did my first engine check after arriving here, and everything is at least ‘airworthy’. I just replaced the oil lines. Other then that, we’ll see.
If you liked this, awesome, and thank you! I’ll be posting my other two legs I’ve done tomorrow. After that, I’ll do what flying I can during the week as I work my way closer. My real life photography stuff comes first, but I’m also off all next week for my birthday, so I’ll cover a lot of ground then.
Daniel
Woke up to a fairly heavy rain storm that went from 7am to 11am, so I relaxed and read my book. I’ve got one more flight completed after this to post, then I’ll be going to once or twice a week, and probably one, to one and a half hour flights after work.
In real life that looks more like an airport road, not for the aircraft. I’m flying at 11,000ft here, and I feel liking I’m entering the pattern.
