found some good flyin weather in Utah
7 Likes
I decided to see the changes in the Training Module and impulsively said “Hey, let’s test out of the Maneuver exam, why not?” Heh.
2 Likes
So this is how Boeing “makes” planes…
First time over KSEA and saw some interesting parking activity…
4 Likes
Purchased that straight from HYPE when it first came out 2020. The most stable chopper in any MSFS. Still have it and keep it up. Transferred to 2024 with all it’s crew, pilots and addons with no hiccups. A miracle!
HYPE must have all the geniuses.
F18 from JFK to Syracuse International airport
1 Like
The phone rings again. It is the Multiflight stores manager…
It appears that the parts will be available for collection at Reims airport at 17:00 hrs local.
Just great, a late start or kick my heels in Reims. What to do.
A walk outside reveals Bilbao is sitting in an unseasonably warm 18C and sunny. I will start late and hopefully yesterdays weather will have cleared to the East.
13:00hrs, tanks filled to the brim and time to go. I have a final look at the city basking in the sun before departing to the east.
By the bridge in front of the wing is the Gugenheim Museum. I know that area of Bilbao very well, having had relatives living in the triangle shaped apartment building across the road from it. Visited a few times.
Turned to the east, ignoring the Garmin 530 direct plot that would take me 100 miles over the bay of biscay. I want to remain close to land. A few clouds appeared here and there, but no biggie. Then in the distance, once again I saw a line of solid cloud in the Biaritz area. Looking North east over Biscay showed high scattered cloud.
OK, Cut the corner once again. About 50 miles over open water. Hate it, but the best of a bad hand of cards. I turned north east and over open water.
Time to climb up towards the cloud base, I wanted to be on someones radar and in radio line of sight the entire time. The cloud base was at 7500ft and on I went, watching and fretting over the gauges the entire time.
Then cloud appeared in front… Pull the throttle back to 15" manifold, switch alt hold off and settle into a 500ft/ min descent. Throttle back to 20" and halt the descent at 6000ft.
5 mins later, cloud appeared in front… Here we go.
Down to 4000ft. Crossing the coast at the mouth of the river close to Bordeux, I am in the clag yet again.
Down to 3000 ft. No land below.
2500ft, no land below.
2000ft. No land below and I am at my personal " in the clag over flat ground" hard deck. Not going any lower. I will go over. Up we go, seeking the top of the cloud. 12,000ft and no sign of the tops, the Comanche has just about given all she has and I will not go higher without oxygen. I do not feel euphoric, so I am not hypoxic.
Then I glance out over the left wing.
Rime ice building on the wing leading edges and the side window has frozen over. I cannot stay up here, I need to find warm air fast.
Down we go again and the ice melts at 8000ft. I level off at 2500ft and sit in cloud and rain for another hour or so. Just great. I need to pay close attention to carb heat. Seems every 10 mins does the trick.
Approaching Orleans, we finally break out of the cloud and rain and have 10 miles visibility. Praise the lord.
Onwards and upwards. It is 17:10 and growing dark when we see the lights of Reims in the distance.
Thankfully, the wind is only 30 degrees off runway heading, unlike last time I called here where I encountered a 25kt crosswind and had a far less “busy” landing this time around. Landing time 17:35.
As I pulled over on the apron, a van sped over before I even shut down the engine, the cabin door opened, a box of parts was planted on the passenger seat, a clipboard with dispatch note and pen proffered and then the man with his van drove off. Presumably, it being a Saturday night, for a delayed evening of drinking wine and eating fine french cooking.
Box delivered, dispatch note signed. The stores manager spins his wheels as he takes off for home. I look at the fuel gauges, I’m fat, no need to visit the pumps.
I take off and set course for home. I look up the latest forecast for the south of england. The METAR for Lydd aerodrome is showing 1C and cloud at 5000ft. Excellent, the expected snow has not turned up.
Crossed the coast east of Dover, crossed Kent in good visibility and then in front, the Thames Estuary. An almost reciprical course to the journey down.
Thames Estuary. The lights of Southend in front and the lights of London, lighting up the sky far to the west.
Crossed through Suffolk, Norfolk and into South Lincolnshire. ■■■■■! Around me were the forecast snow showers with only 60 miles left to run.
20 minutes out, I dialled in Leeds Bradford ATIS. Nothing, not a peep. 15 minutes out, I called up the METAR for Leeds Bradford. Timestamp, just five minutes ago, low cloud, snow and 300ft visibility.
This is not good. I press on, hoping the snow shower will have moved away.
Five minutes to go, I start to be able to break out the runway lights at Leeds Bradford. The snow shower has moved away. Visibility at least five miles. I will take it.
I slow down to 80 knots, wheels down and locked, flaps fully out, trim set to my preferred landing configuration and enter a 500ft/ min descent to the runway keeping the PAPIs honest.
Once again, the wind was kind, not the usually horrendous 30 knot crosswinds that in conjuction with the hugely undulating runway, usually makes landing at Leeds " interesting".
Home. Time to give the box of parts to the hugely relieved stores manager at multiflight and join the missus downstairs for a well needed beer.
Time logged, 4hrs, 46 mins despite diverting and landing at Reims. That 30 knot headwind I encountered on the way down really killed me.
11 Likes
Airbus a400 from Syracuse to Rochester
3 Likes
Early morning flight from Pristina(BKPR) to Dubrovnik(LDDU), Pilatus PC-21 home cockpit, Pico4 VR headset.
8 Likes
No charter missions, no charter moneyz - DAY 5
Desperation setting in…
No!
Trust in light cargo in (t)rusty 172. Work order one bajillion and three.
ILS into EDHL Lübeck. Rainbow twins say hello.
But no GA parking at EDHL.
So no unloading of cargo.
SO NO MONEYZ AGAIN!!!
Red mists of ANGER…
No no!
Ray of hope.
Learn to fly PC-12! EDHL Lübeck to LOWS Salzburg.
Cursing at weird avionics make plane go into air and vaguely in right direction.
Stupid broken cabin pressurization forces FL162. But great view down here.
And white stuff on wings make flight entertaining.
Arrive at castle of salt.
So now finally get license to VIP with only VIP flight left in world.
Forgot how words work. Awkward…
Flight boring.
But love sun. Love sea.
HATE getting pUnished for KapuTT Auto thrOttle huntinG spEEEd into RED flaps-no-like-this BAnd REPEATEDLY!
WHY you mAke RePuTaTION DEAD?!
RED FOG AGAIN!
AAAARGH!!!
No no no no no no no no no
Peace
Caaalm
More 172.
More cardboard boxes…
Yeees…
Just fly…
Vanish into the Italian mists…
(Seriously, the utter delight / utter contempt seesaw in this accumulation of bits and bytes is insaAaAane.)
5 Likes
Flew the default 737 max 8 intending to go to Nuuk but lost power during takeoff so I came in back to KROC for an emergency landing (I never even had any failures in the settings)
3 Likes
Welcome fellow KROC pilot 
1 Like
Ramp shenanigans at KMYF.
Notably the glider crept up on me while I was still in engine start, as if there weren’t enough spots and he was emulating a parking shark. I had to move to see the control panels his wing was obscuring cutting through my cockpit.
As far as the twin and the single, it was like watching a bad Conga line. 
4 Likes
Took the 737 max 8 from KROC to Boston Logan
2 Likes
Since nothing really else is available in career for 5 days now, I flew a light cargo mission as an employee:
4 Likes
MS20, Arrow Across America add-on and the Tukan 5AT trimotor.
Flying the airmail from Boston to Newark.
8 Likes
