Getting lost but finding your way VFR can be exciting, challenging, rewarding... and deadly

Hello MSFS community, I would like to share a recent flight with you. So much ire about clouds and weather I figured I’d showcase an example of both working wonderfully.

Our story begins in Whitehorse, Yukon. Overcast skies above the airport give way to clearer skies and after arguing with ATC for departure clearance I just tell them to try and stop me.

Heading out from Whitehorse, banking for clearer skies

Up through the scattered clouds puts me above them and able to head out on course, following my compass

Keeping a sharp eye out along the way for defining water bodies like this one - Sakata Lake - to identify them on the VFR charts and confirm my position

Well, after a few positional checks I am now at the mercy of my compass as the overcast closes up

Break in the overcast! Okay time to figure out where the hell I am. Based on my time traveled and last known fix those should be the Nutzotin Mountains beneath me with the Wrangell Mountains off in the distance but now I must find a defining terrain feature to be sure

Doing a “recon roll”, hard bank to get better visibility of terrain beneath me. Hrmmm that’s a river but not enough of one to get a good shape to attempt to match it against the charts

Better hurry up, this break in the overcast isn’t going to last forever…

Ah HAH! That looks definitive. Search the charts… search the charts… yup, that would be Middle Lake. Perfect, that is a great spot to descend below the clouds as that is at the same altitude as the airport

Banking descent. The P-38L has great dive capability but we’re not in a rush here. Instead better to enjoy the view

Down below the clouds and following the Tanana River which runs past Middle Lake and leads me towards… awwwww CRUD is that a huge pile of clouds sitting right on top of my airport?!

No choice but to circle around the back side and see if there is another way in… hold up those lakes are near the airport, it may be just at the edge…

Whoo!! Airport in sight and more than enough visibility for landing. Let’s go!

Well I can fly towards clouds or towards mountains to come around for my approach. I decide to head for the mountains and clearer air

Short final, thankfully the icing did not get too bad since the P-38 does not actually have heaters for the glass, just the pilot

Tanacross in Alaska was a stop-over for aircraft flying to the Pacific Theater in WWII so I was very happy to be able to visit this air strip despite the weather!

Departing from Tanacross, now my next challenge is to figure a way out from under this overcast

Well that’s the direction I should be heading in to get to Gulkana but that ain’t going to work…

Heading for the light…

Well hold up now, this bird can climb pretty darn well…

Go! GO! Gooooooooo!!! Urrrgghhh!!! Nope nope nope - hole was too high and even at full power I can’t make it before stalling out

Okay so back to Plan A. This rip in the sky looks way more promising

Hello again, Mr. Sun! Able to make a much more gradual climb through the clouds and get back on top

No chance to get a good positional fix just have to straight-up dead reckon and trust my compass. Too bad you can’t see wake turbulence in the clouds… yet?

Large break on the overcast at last after about 30min. I did not have a stopwatch running nor did I bother calculating TAS so now I have to figure out where the heck I am again. But isn’t that the fun challenge?

It actually took me over 10min to realize where I was despite a few well-defined terrain features because I kept looking along my route before finally considering I had flown past the airport. Indeed I was about 40nm too far west. I circled and descended to head back towards the clouds over the airport

Once again getting ready to follow a river under the clouds that will lead me to another river which will lead me to the airport

Maybe could have stayed higher, but more fun this way. Turn and burn baby!

Decreasing visibility forces me even lower…

And shortly afterwards I pull around a turn too hard, do not keep tabs on the throttle to maintain my speed, step a bit too much on the rudder and roll over with no room for recovery. RIP

An unfortunate end, and sadly similar to many decisions that have claimed the lives of pilots IRL. Thankfully in a sim we can dust ourselves off and learn from mistakes. Despite the crash this was still a very satisfying flight as well as fight to attempt to beat out the weather.

More stories: Drew Sikora’s albums | Flickr

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Fascinating write-up of an exciting adventure! And beautiful pics.

Thanks so much for posting this.

Deadly? :slight_smile:

Nice adventure … MFS can only get better.

That third shot down is just magnificent!

Ah yes, it reminds me of the article on our flying club’s notice board when I started flying in the early 70’s. I suppose many (hopefully most?) of you know the story: a study by the University of Illinois in the 50’s. The article on our notice board had the title “178 seconds to live” That was the average time that the study found between a VFR pilot entering IMC and the plane in bits on the ground.

Time has moved on: now you can find any number of YouTube videos of the infamous 178 seconds, here is just one:

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New safety slogan: “VFR into IMC generally leads to RIP”

And yet it keeps on happening…. SMH