After a long hiatus, reinstalled the RV-10 to give it one more chance. The annoying HDG and ALT bugs still persist. Not to mention the totally wacky ALT SEL and autopilot oddity.
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Hadn’t updated my SoFly presets in a while, they have some new ones based on different cloud strata.
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Fokker f28 4000 from VABB to VECC
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I did my first cross-country in Sting S4: NZRO 
NZAP
It was not direct. At first I flew around Rotorua lake, then Ohaaki power station, and then Taupo, destination.
Sting S4 is really fun to fly. Compared to C172 I love the view from the cockpit. And it’s really light. It takes off almost by itself, climbs so easy, and takes off and lands on really short distance. The only problem is it is more sensitive to wind. At Taupo I had to change runway from 17 to 28, because 28 had strong crosswind.
It will be hard to decide, which plane to use for next bush-trip.
I guess, flying so close to powerplant, I would get check by air force.
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More Lightning flying today. I went back at my favorite airfield: Duxford and the Imperial War Museum. Oh, how I’d love to visit the real place. If all goes as planned, 2025 will be the year! 
I downloaded another Jan Kees Blom skin for the forked-tailed beauty, this one representing P-38L “Glamour Puss II” as flown by Lt. Chester Schachterie of the 80th FS/8th FG in the final months of World War 2. Viewing this historically accurate paint may not be suitable for minors!
I decided to fly down to the Cliffs of Dover just after sunrise, having only seen them in photo books and the occasional war movie (The Battle of Britain and The War Lover, to name a few). I’ve discovered that the Lightning has trouble balancing when lightly loaded with only my 150 pounds in the cockpit and fuel in the main and reserve tanks, so I reduced the amount in the main tanks to compensate, which still gave me plenty for my proposed 45-minute round trip. (Pro tip: when loading an MSFS airplane near the edge of the CG envelope, drag the appropriate fuel tank sliders on the payload screen to simulate burning fuel and watch your CG change. It is possible to takeoff in balance but move your CG out of limits by burning fuel. Adjust your fuel and payload accordingly!)
Anyway, here’s my girl sitting on the ramp outside Hangar 2 at Duxford. I can’t speak highly enough of this scenery package by ChicoMick! The detail and included features are amazing!
Both Allison’s warming up in the crisp morning air. Welcome to the IWM! The airfield and museum don’t open until 10 a.m., so I made certain to turn off the airshow scenery. It’s those little details that really create immersion.
I taxied very carefully out to the airfield through Crash Gate C. Outbound, approach the gates slowly and they’ll open automatically. Inbound, be mindful of leaving enough room for the gates to swing towards you!
Thirty minutes later and I’m over the Cliffs. Asobo’s model looks pretty convincing! These shots are why I departed Duxford so early. Having the sun shining from behind the cliffs wouldn’t have worked. I will say that, from the air, the cliffs are smaller than I expected. Buzz Rickson was really unlucky!
After another pass I climbed back to altitude and set course for home. Pressed for time, I climbed above 10,000 feet both directions to let Glamour Puss run. Thanks to a wonderful tailwind, my groundspeed was nearly 400 MPH on the way down. Alas, every tailwind is someone’s headwind! My groundspeed was nearly 100 MPH less on the return leg. (Another pro tip: remember that in many places, the speed limit below 10,000 feet is 250 knots, and 200 knots beneath the overhanging portions of a Class B airspace. That’s 288 and 230 MPH respectively. If you’re flying a high-performance warbird like the Lightning, remember to slow down before descending below 10,000!)
With mist obscuring the field, I maneuvered south of the field and joined the left downwind for Runway 24L, carefully avoiding the noise sensitive areas and smokestacks southeast of the field. I’d love to report that the landing was a greaser, but they can’t all be 
The waiting mechanics opened the doors into Hangar 2 as I approached, ready to push Glamour Puss into her berth for a long day’s nap.
It was another fun and informative flight! And now I’m tired, so it’s off to bed for me, too! 
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No time for lengthy flights today, but I managed to squeeze in some sightseeing:
Hashima Island, commonly called Gunkanjima (Battleship Island), is a tiny abandoned island off Nagasaki, lying about 15 kilometres (8 nautical miles) from the centre of the city. (from Wikipedia)
I’m not very skilled in such things, but I did manage to fly under this one. And look at all those poor sould tht have to drive on the water instead of the bridge…
Volanta recorded 3 landings for some reason, but the actual landing was -66fpm at 1.04g
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Today I took the new Lama up for a short low level flight around Catalina Island. It’s one of the best, if not the best helicopter I’ve tried in the sim so far. The Alouette was already incredible, but the level of detail on the Lama is truly next level!
Here is a video of the flight, including a water drop with the Bambi Bucket:
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Today I followed the demarcation line between Israel and Lebanon (called “Blue Line”)
Take-off in Haifa
At the western end of the Blue Line; Naqoura with the headquarter of UNIFIL in the background
Following the Blue Line
View to the Golan Heights and the destination airport in the valley
Refueling at Kiryat Shmona Rekhav’am Ze’evi Airfield
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WB C172 floats from Port Angeles to points north, on an informal tour of lighthouses and the Victoria BC area as well.
The virtual weather was perfect for flying today!
Lighthouse of some sort or another. This is part of the RTMM scenery.
Victoria has some really nice photogrammetry areas.
What do I love most about lighthouses? They give you someplace to fly to if you want to fly a floatplane. Purpose is everything.
Amphibious taxi up onto my own private island, to settle in after a long day of flying. I hope the tide doesn’t come up too far!
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I don’t much like flying over open water:
“I joined the Navy to see the world
And what did I see? I saw the sea.
I saw the Atlantic and the Pacific
And the Pacific isn’t terrific
And the Atlantic isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.”
Still, I had to give Aerosoft’s North Sea Landmarks a go. I suppose they’re called landmarks because you can land on them. Which I did eventually, descending on the first one I came across with great relief:
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Been a while since I posted here. Did an early morning flight from Fairbanks to Whitehorse, Yukon in the 787. It’s flights and views like these that keep me coming back for more.
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I just did some humble utility flying in the BN2, going from TCNM to St Barth, then to Saba/Barth back and forth 3 times with parking/shut down/open up/restart, and a return to Juliana. Nailed every landing in spite of a constant barrage of MP people cartwheeling, crashing into the hill, bouncing and overshooting all over the place. And the inevitable large airliner that spawns on the runway at least once every time you fly in there. 
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Having got acquainted with the Ryan, I took it down to San Diego. Of course none of the original buildings are there, but it was a nice leg of Lindbergh’s round-the-country goodwill flight he did after returning to the US from Paris. All part of my ‘Sim-plane-I’ve-not-yet-flown-since-I-started-three-years-ago’ series.
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Loved reading the description.
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Canadian Plains in real-weather, real-time
Alberta, Canada
Athabasca River, Alberta, Canada
Athabasca River, Alberta, Canada
Fort MacKay, Alberta, Canada
Dauphin Lake, Manitoba, Canada
Provincial Trunk Hwy 5, Manitoba, Canada
Provincial Trunk Hwy 5, Manitoba, Canada
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Flying out from Hope, British Columbia, Canada ( where First Blood was filmed), following the Fraser River, taking right from Harrison Hot Springs towards half-frozen Harrison Lake, following the valley towards Lillooet Lake and then taking a hard left for Pemberton Airport… in real-weather, real-time
Hover mouse pointer over the photos for description.
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