BTW, you still need Neofly for the smoke effects. I got frustrated with Neofly taking so long before I was ever going to get to fly my helos, so I stopped, but I did not remove it. The smoke you see is Neofly’s.
I’m really hoping for the firefighting software I used in FSX and P3D to make it’s way here. It used reports on-line, even for volcanoes, and you could go there with any plane you wanted and eventually, with enough runs, put out the wildfires - don’t even think about trying that with the volcanoes. Now, with the Canadairs and the helos (we need a sky-crane) growing in the sim, it would work very well. I’m sure there is some issue with the sim that LORBY-SI - FIREFIGHTER X has not appeared.
I’m sure that further down the road, the sim will allow such to happen. It works so well with other things that I’d never go back to my earlier sims. Cheers!
Really flown and tested my new Seneca cockpit overhaul for the first time. (Driving that SUV and the Yacht was taking too much time.) My passenger today was Stephen King and we discussed new horror novel ideas while flying through the night.
Exploring Maine with the twin Otter again
Got a chance to run that lengthy RWY 20 ILS DME Arc at SGAS/Asuncion, Paraguay, today.
The five hour flight left from SBGL/Rio De Janeiro, Brazil.
Once in cruise and autopilot established, I set the co-pilot loose with ATC and left it running on the TV while I worked nearby, glancing over every few minutes to check that all’s well and get a look out the virtual window.
Entries into and out of the arc have been getting less stressful — except for the reliable fact that ATC will call for next descent leg 15 seconds before you’re about to transition onto the arc. But turn-twisting through 150 degrees of that was great for getting more fluid with how much to correct when drifting long or short. I like the brief surprise moments of popping one’s head up to grab a glance at what’s going on outside before diving back to the instruments.
Then came landing after nearly 5 hours in the air, and as has been happening repeatedly the last few times, an enthusiasm crushing crash to desktop between runway and gate. By some mercy, the logbook recorded close to 3 of those hours. Not sure how it amortizes that after the lights go out. Whatever.
My plan next time is to shut off the battery as soon as I come to a stop off the runway. Then hot start the engines & attempt a run on the gates with at least a sensible logbook entry that doesn’t end in some distant midair location.
After work today, I took the Corsair out for a loop around Oahu out of Ford Island. Upon returning to the Harbor area, I realized I hadn’t actually landed the Corsair on a grass field yet and … well … the Crew Chief is gonna be mad. 
Wings folded for the tow back to the hangar:
I made a second flight later after the prop was repaired and it went fine - crew chief was pleased this time when I got back to the hangar, but then some civvie parked us in with his Generic Airliner Super. Aside from everyone wondering how the heck the pilot put it down on 4,300 feet of grass, we started wondering how it was gonna get out.
I asked for permission to visit the flight deck and the mystery was solved - the whole thing is made of cardboard! What will those crazy boffins think of next? 
Love the way the planes crash in the sim… just never worked as well in the old sims
Flight from Dafen, Llanelli, to pick up an injury at Talybont, and deliver the patient to Glan Clwyd University Hospital. Diverted briefly to be disappointed at how nobody has dressed up the “Village” from the 60s “The Prisoner” psycho-spy tv series, known to real-lifers as Portmeirion
I recently bought the ORBX Asia terrain mesh and REX Accuseason last week.
Last night I decided to try a flight in Nepal. I just randomly picked a departure and destination on Littlenavmap and plotted a route through the mountain valleys. I set the time to just after dawn.
I donned my Quest 2 and jumped into the cockpit of the Kodiak 100. Sometimes flights can be a bit of a lottery and as you know, a lot can go wrong to spoil the immersion but not last night. It was one of those flights that truly make you’re jaw drop in amazement. Scenery was immense and awe inspiring, the Kodiak’s outstanding performance allowed for such a casual preparation, allowing me to drop low into the valleys and climb out when necessary without all the usual, normally aspirated anxiety.
Even with the Kodiak’s immense power, I still had some moments where i had to circle in a tight environment to gain altitude in order to cut across a pass or two at 20,000 ft with high level winds doing scary things to the plane.
The landing involved topping out over a pass close to the Annapurna mountain complex and then dropping about 10,000 ft to the airfield which was only two miles down the valley. Lots of fun, deploying full flaps and idle, circling again in a very limited space.
Nailed a pretty difficult approach, with the foot of a mountain jutting out in front of the approach to the airfield, required banking right onto the threshold, floating to about mid runway, setting it down and straight onto full anchors and reverse thrust. Came to a near halt about 20 metres from the end of the runway. Even managed to keep it rolling as I span around to return to GA parking, just like a pro.
Without VR, I cannot imagine how it could have been such an immersive and truly awesome experience.
Hats off to Microsoft and Asobo. When it works it REALLY does work.
Morning flight, seems I got things working okey again. Watched the local weather this morning patchy and freezing rain…I think to my self woohoo and adventure. So I fire up the sim spawn at burke, and notice that right away the lake isnt frozen anymore. Curse you global warming … So I launch fly around 50 nm to the east then all of a sudden boom, weather kicks in, now the lakes frozen and spotty clouds, no persip on the radar…As I get to the part of the flight where I start prepping for my approach I notice on the radar on massive blob right over the airport and then this happened:
LOL hours of sheer boredom followed by min. of sheer terror… 
T-6 untowered short hop cross USA tour continues. Limon, CO to Eads, CO should be a quick, boring flight over the flat, featureless High Plains. But I’m using only a sectional for fun, so figured I better follow roads on this one.
Then I see the weather…
Limon is reporting one mile visibility and overcast at 1600. Now technically that’s legal for VFR in the Class G, right? And the weather is supposed to be a lot better just to the south, and I’ll just follow major roads to Eads. I’ll be fiiine…
Yep, I’m regretting this immediately.
I saw blue above me though and went for it. Then I found myself in the clouds for 20 minutes. Flying a compass heading and watching the clock.
Miraculously, I pop out of the weather right at my checkpoint on highway 287. Sticking my head out of the open canopy to see out of the iced over windscreen like:
Pretty sure I would have ground looped that landing or dragged a wing tip, but Flight Simulator lets you get away with A LOT. Lots of fun though.
Had an issue with a new third-party add-on for Honolulu. Trashed it and went back to the add-ons I know and love. Took the USCG 145 livery around O’ahu…
Wow the visuals look amazing, almost like real helicopter photos!
Here are some Carenado shades of grey…
Even the small screw heads of the cockpit panel are modelled in 3D:
This morning we Flew some Passenger and Cargo deliveries out of Barrow in the Twin Otter.
After this we did the usual, put the Coffee on and watched a couple of films featuring BCP’s latest Dream Aircraft.
I started a cross-US flight in the new Kodiak100. The entire route will follow the more or less the US Highway 40 once connecting the west with the east coast running from San Francisco in California to Atlantic City in New Jersey. Since the historic western entry point has been move to the east of Salt Lake City, I chose to follow the Interstate 80 from San Fracisco to Salt Lake City.
Leg01:
Departed from Halfmoon Bay KHAF and flew around the San Francisco Bay to the north, joining the Interstate 80 on its eastern side. Followed the 80 overflying Sacramento and ending the leg in Yuba City as a short detour.
Leaving the sea layer north of Halfmoon Bay
San Francisco Bay
Joining the Insterstate 80
Sacramento
Following the 80 through the Central Valley
Yuba City Airport
Added a stewardess on top of Bhurj Khalifa and flew pass her to recreate Emirates’ latest ad 
A great TomosWorld tour flight today in Somalia. The scenery wasn’t as interesting as the formation flying that the Shadow Display Team provided during the second half of the flight. A great stream today.
Fuel Stop
Arrival of the initial two ship of the Shadow Display Team
A full 6 ship formation from the Shadow Display Team, I only saw CRJ’s since I don’t have the M339.
End of flight gathering with the Shadow Team providing a little airshow for us all.
After their formation landing, they inline taxied to the ramp for the completion of the run.
