[Club Chachapoya] Deserts and mountains

[jgf]

1 minute ago, Rupert said:

I assume the type rating for a SR-71 comes with a PHD

 

The pilots went through the same training as astronauts.  All were at least majors, all were college grads, most with masters degrees.  So, to a degree (lol) you are correct.

[PhrogPhlyer]

4 hours ago, jgf said:

The pilots went through the same training as astronauts.

Good reading.

https://theaviationgeekclub.com/all-you-need-to-know-about-applying-to-fly-the-sr-71-blackbird/

 

[defaid]

I haven't posted a lot of night screenshots so I'm not sure how these will look.

 

I've been in two minds about how to fly the next leg. So far, the length of each has been an improvement on the previous one. I'd like to continue that trend, hoping to reach Islamabad by flying slower but up at FL230. On the other hand, that's a long way from the ground and the terrain is about to become a little more interesting. I'd like to get closer.

 

The analytical side of my nature wins: I can drop back down for the onward leg from Islamabad.

 

The plan.

 

OETR to OPRN. 1732 straight nm at 230 kt over the ground will take 7h 32m. Seems reasonable and I think I'll have the endurance.

 

***     ***

 

Night flight to the Karakoram.

 

 

Leaving so soon?

 

After a 1 minute stop for a quick high pressure refill, I'm off again and about to fly through military-only airspace. Someone put that there just to make my life difficult so to hell with them. I'll just monitor Jeddah Ctr as I go.

 

AFSD says I will stall at 83 kt so I'm leaving the ground at 116, cleaning up and climbing at 138 kt, starting with 60% torque and letting it tail off naturally.

 

Yes.

 

I haven't checked any charts and am using FSRealWX again. Wind is up a little since I flew in a couple of RW days ago: 340@19 on the ground but two thousand feet up it's already shifted to 024@8. It veers further and picks up again as I climb. Top of climb in a leisurely 10 min. There's a little yellow warning square on the right, next to the torque gauge. It's there to draw my attention to something. I don't know if it's based on a real world gauge but it's damned useful as I can't see the annunciator when looking directly forward. In this case I can see the problem: OAT and I know I've forgotten to turn on the anti-icing.

 

Top of climb, OAT -7°C

 

Throttle back to 23% and now AFSD's estimate of my air range nearly matches distance to go. That should improve enough for an alternate as I get lighter. Or at least for a missed approach: Islamabad will be very dark by the time I get there. I've got my ferry pilot's fingers crossed, praying the localiser is not u/s.

 

A long way to go.

 

60 minutes in and somewhere near half way across Iraq, I crank the transfer pump before upping the sim rate.

 

On the border between Iraq and Iran.

 

Somewhere around Isfahan in Iran there are bigger clouds. I'm above most of them in late afternoon's bright sunshine; it's raining down there. I have a hint of a tail wind. It's good. Since the B&H I've developed an unhealthy tase for Wolf Blass' Shiraz and the further I can go before the sun sets the happier I'll be. I'm putting off thinking about the approach & landing. No good going borrowing trouble even if the glass is brewing it for me...

 

 

Late afternoon.

There'a an A321 in the background on its way to Tehran.

 

In less restricted days I'd sometimes grab a couple of mates and a crate or two and head out to places undisturbed by streetlights. All illumination came from the fire, the stars, the end of a cigarette. There would come a point in the night when we knew there was such a thing as day but couldn't clearly raise its image in our minds.

 

By the panel light, the canopy is the limit of the firelight and watching the stars on the other side I know in the abstract that there had been hot bright desert but I can no longer recall its essence.

 

Dylan Thomas seems appropriate.

 

"Do not go gentle into that good night,

Old age should rave and burn at close of day;

Rage, rage against the dying of the light."

 

But my favourite line from that poem is closer to Kipling:

 

"Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight..."

 

The panel light is shy: it won't come on without the landing light holding its hand. Another quirk but I don't object. It will be a nuisance on short final because FS9's landing light effect erases all detail of the ground but I'm happy: on track, on time and with plenty of fuel. We're fat, as Gann might have put it.

 

Cloud like snow.

 

Well into Afghanistan now and the stars are set in a jet black sky. No cloud, just a headwind, until I've passed the line between Kandahar and Kabul but AFSD whispers that it will all work out in the end.

 

Stars like ice.

 

I  remind myself that the fuel gauge only shows the wing tanks, not a percentage of the total capacity and realise that I have again forgotten to make the external tanks visible. I don't mind: they're so inelegant.

 

Just me and the golden glow.

 

The night makes me miss the rumpled ground, but then the altitude would have anyway. From Islamabad I'll have Kashmir and the Karakoram before crossing the Himalaya. Plenty of sightseeing if the weather is benign.

 

Chacklala Airport is at 1666 feet. There's no frightening terrain for a few miles around so I'll enter an extended left downwind and turn onto base about ten miles out, picking up the localiser (and hoping for a glideslope) as I turn onto a long final. I didn't want the hassle of an IFR flight, neither with native ATC nor Radar Contact and won't disturb Approach or Tower on arrival.

 

A hundred miles more and the soft Shiraz glow begins to stiffen. I have work ahead of me. There's a high altitude VOR but it's dead in line with the runway so I'll have to think a little, flying parallel to the GPS line.

 

It's no big deal and I give quiet thanks for the invention of the GPS. George Eliot said, "Tis God gave skill, but not without men's hands: He could not make Antonio Stradivari's violins without Antonio." At 50 miles and after seven hours there's broken cloud below me and I'm thinking of descending. At forty five I cave in. It's time to sort my hazy self out. The wind has become an in-your-face headwind which means a stiff breeze up the back end on final...

 

My clean stall speed is 84 knots. A little bump as I drop through the cloud at 11000 feet and Islamabad appears before me. 

 

Islamabad beneath the broken cloud.

Photoshop. It was very much darker.

 

It's an oh-so-gentle descent, taking my time hoping to spot the airport before I need to. I do. At 4000 feet agl the opposite end approach lights twinkle at me. The marker & DME selector buttons allow nav 1 and nav 2 but the radio stack has only nav 1. I switch from the VOR to the localiser. There's a glide slope.

 

 

As I turn onto final in smooth clear air, the caution cap flashes again. Not much left in any tank now but I think I can stand one missed approach. Just don't ask me to land anywhere else...

 

Feeling a little unsteady but still on time.

 

AFSD says I'm good for another 180 miles. Not happening.

 

 

***     ***

 

It was so dark that I had to connect to ADE and use it as a moving map to find a parking spot (and do a bit of Photoshopping to bring out a little detail). I'm down, parked and shut down.

 

Back down to earth, my normal nature returns:

 

A rose may kiss the butterfly

Or wine the crystal glass.

The night may kiss the dying day--

It can also kiss...
 

[Rupert]

Nice shots!  And it's wonderful to be on final at the end of a good flight!

[jgf]

Ready to leave the desolation of Menaka, next stop DRZD, over 700 miles away, be running her slow and lean

 

550 miles to go

 

almost there (I've lived with this hideous terrain block, which shuffles along with the plane, forever;  no amount of cfg editing, nor different textures, has made any difference)

 

DRZD, at Dirkou, Niger, ahead to the left (seems I need to make some more flattens)

 

DRZD recently received some renovations thanks to the CIA, for use as a drone base;  nice to be on asphalt again. 

724 miles in 2hr 27 min, 19% fuel remaining.

 

Taxi back and refuel

 

And off to HLKF in Kufra, Libya.  Another 700+ mile run ...over more monotonous terrain

 

300 miles later

 

Mild turbulence the entire way, but finally see HLKF

 

Finally some signs of habitation, though Kurfra is one of the most remote settlements in the Sahara.

 

No fuel stand visible anywhere, maybe they'll send a fuel truck from that town

 

Especially since I've come 711 miles in 2hr 30min, with 5% fuel left (a whopping 7 gallons)

 

[defaid]

This isn't going to turn into a commentary: it's just some Sunday morning fun with Photoshop.

 

We might see Tao complete on the next post with a little more tweaking of the economy.

 

JGF's past the quarter mark. The track so far actually makes me think of a 1940's ferry or position flight. I can imagine both the line and the plane featuring in a Biggles story.

 

I think I've about hit the limit of my range so will have one more intermediate stop.

 

VP2, Macro, you coming to play? If you do and if you give me lat & lon for refuelling then I can add your flights to the map.

 

[taoftedal]

Not sure what to report as I set my cruise altitude and let Otto do the flying.  Past Cairo the landscape never seemed to change.  Down below I assume is nothing but sand and rocks ... and dehydration ... but at the same time there is a touch of mystery and wonder ...

 

Discretion being the better part of valor I pulled out the charts and plotted my progress via the VOR’s just in case the GPS had other ideas ... lots of time to think about what could happen.  Landing at Aguenar (DAAT) I fill the tanks and get some lunch and rest before the final leg.  Life below eventually emerges again before landing at Gbessia (GUCY), and after a half-hour or so of paperwork, I turn over the keys and my job is done.

 

Other than that first leg ... I hope Antoine de Saint-Exupéry would have approved.  Thanks, defaid!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[defaid]

@taoftedal Congratulations! I think you now get to put FP after your name. Stuck closely to the great circle line, too.

 

I love the second picture: a fascinating subject and the composition is perfect.

 

D

[alanpugh]

We got Beech 38D preflighted and ready for the first leg.  What a beautiful machine! 

 

 

We taxied out to Runway 24 

 

 

We turned North and tried to engage the autopilot but it wasn't working.  At 30 NM we turned back to land on R-24 and rolled out the TBM 930. 

The Beech 18 is from Caronado and looks great but it's in need of an update.  FS2020 was updated recently.  

 

 

A little late but on the way at last.  The TBM can follow a departure procedure.  We had some nasty storms in the area.  

 

 

Breaking out of the clouds at 8,000

 

 

Clear for now at our cruising altitude FL290

 

The first possible alternate, Senou GABS.  We only passed one other airport, Ambodedjo GAMB 200 miles ahead. 

 

 

Approaching the Tombouctou area.  The airport is far ahead, to the left of the river and hard to see in the sand. 

Years ago I attended a Flight Rally to this airport and it was a little nostalgic to see it again. 

Were downwind on the RNAV 25 approach. 

 

 

Turning final for R-25, still 10 miles out. 

 

 

Final approach 25

 

 

Slight crosswind, lets sneak it back to the centerline OR we could go for the sand.  What would Capt Sully do? 

 

 

After a little nail biting we made a great save!! Try biting your nails while gripping the yoke. 

 

 

We didn't have enough fingers to get a screenshot of the landing but it was smooth. We taxied to parking and plan to get some rest for the 

next leg which should feature even more sand and fewer airports.  The first leg was 750 NM with 2 intermediate airports.  The TBM has a range 

of 1400 NM.  I'll try to make it to Carthage, Tunisia DTTA, 1390 NM.  

 

 

[defaid]

6 hours ago, alanpugh said:

What would Capt Sully do? 

 

He'd levitate: there's no water here.

 

I'm really pleased you're doing this flight -- I was hoping to see some 2020 screenshots.

 

D

[jgf]

Early morning in Kurfra

 

And off to H000, Al Ismailiyah Air Base, 50 miles beyond Cairo (Nav shows 610 miles, which almost proved embarrassing)

 

It's only 600 miles, let her run;  4k ft/min climb at 198kt

 

Cloudy day with some turbulence

 

 

Linear dunes, east Sahara

 

That optimistic distance now haunts me, fuel status shows I'll be ten miles short of H000;  so throttle back and start a slow descent (Midnight's 22k altitude cruise comes in handy).

 

15000ft over Cairo, about 50 miles to go, low fuel light flashing, speed 150kt

 

Suez, Al Ismailiyah AB about five miles to the left

 

There it is, 4 miles away (at this speed/alt I had 95 miles of fuel left)

 

720 miles in 2hr 25min (and I'm going to have words, unprintable ones, with the oaf who said this was a 610 mile trip)

 

[taoftedal]

18 hours ago, alanpugh said:

At 30 NM we turned back to land on R-24 and rolled out the TBM ...

 

Very nice alanp ... put some Turtle-Pac's in her and with a tailwind you'll be surprised at what she'll do ... New York to Paris!

[Melo965]

14 hours ago, alanpugh said:

We got Beech 38D preflighted and ready for the first leg.  What a beautiful machine! 

 

It is too bad that the aircraft had issues with the latest sim update.  Sure looks good!

 

[Melo965]

7 hours ago, jgf said:

720 miles in 2hr 25min (and I'm going to have words, unprintable ones, with the oaf who said this was a 610 mile trip)

 

My miles flown are always higher than the flight plan distance, but over 100 miles more is unusual.  Glad you had enough fuel!

 

[jgf]

Al Ismailiyah was originally opened by the British, ca 1916, and used as a British Airfield until 1956 when it was turned over to Egypt.  In 1938 an RAF Wellesley set a non-stop distance record when it flew from Ismailia to Darwin, Australia, 7162 miles away (this is roughly the total distance of our current flight).  The city of Ismailia, population about 400,000 today, dates to early dynastic Egypt;  archeological digs show the Israelites passed through the area during the exodus.

 

Ready to depart for OR0J, Al Asad, Iran, about 550 miles away

 

Not giving her all the throttle she'd like, a leisurely cruise of 280kt GS at 22k ft

 

About halfway there, most of the trip is above the clouds, with patchy views of the ground

 

A mere 10 miles from OR0J, visibility becoming an issue, and I'm only at 4k ft

 

Eight miles out, where am I?

 

 

Finally spot my destination at 7 miles out, gusty winds making approach somewhat ...disconcerting

 

Even resorted to landing light (only one, under left wing)

 

But made it safely ...to the middle of nowhere.  Al Asad is an Iranian air base currently used by US troops (https://www.military.com/daily-news/2021/03/01/al-asad-missile-attack-nearly-killed-150-us-troops-destroyed-30-aircraft-report.html)

 

 

 

[Rupert]

Nice Sequence!!  Good views!

[Rupert]

1 hour ago, Melo965 said:

 

It is too bad that the aircraft had issues with the latest sim update.  Sure looks good!

 

I agree!  But then again since I was a young buck flying on my off time from flying choppers, in So Cal., Beech Craft have always been my favorite GA aircraft.

[jgf]

This will be short, as I saw nothing the entire flight.

 

Light rain at Al Asad.

 

 

Still rain as I level off at 22k ft (is this real?  or a quirk of FS2004?)

 

Nothing to see

 

647 miles and 2hr 21min later I'm at OINZ, Dasht-E-Naz International airport at Sari, Iran, on the south coast of the Caspian Sea.  Sari was once the capital of Iran and is now the capital of this district;  human settlement here dates back 7000 years.  It is home to thirteen universities and numerous sports complexes though sadly many of its cultural and historic structures have been damaged by frequent earthquakes.  All I got to see was rain and runway.

[defaid]

18 hours ago, jgf said:

A mere 10 miles from OR0J, visibility becoming an issue, and I'm only at 4k ft

 

I guess it's dusk by *but it looks so like a sandstorm.

[jgf]

9 minutes ago, defaid said:

I guess it's dusk by it looks so like a sandstorm.

 

Timer shows almost 7PM.  Didn't know FS2004 modeled sandstorms.  Cool.

[defaid]

 

 

I have no problem with range - it's about 1200 miles to Dibrugarh where I want to pick up some more tea, a touch further if I follow the mountains. There's a deepening low over the border between Pakistan and India but mountains do odd things to the air and anyway the maps show increasing tailwinds from FL240 upwards. The bottom edge of a jetstream perhaps so, providing nothing develops over the next few days, I'll probably leave Islamabad at the weekend.

 

D

[jgf]

Still chugging along in my old bucket of bolts.  At least it's a nice day in Dasht-E-Naz now, though OAT is showing 44deg C.

 

 

Off to OAMN, Maimana, Afghanistan

 

Blue sky instead of clouds

 

Low mountains to the south;  wasn't paying attention and she zipped up to 23.5k ft before I noticed.  OK, level off and we'll cruise there.

 

Ten miles to Maimana

 

What's this? a circle with no runway?  Nav shows an airport here, and I see a runway, though I'm too high ...altitude-wise.

 

 

So, a big circle and approach from the other side;  665 miles in 2hr 9min.

 

Maimana (in FS), Maymana (in wiki) is a trading and agricultural city in NW Afghanistan of about 150k population, originally settled around 800BC.  The airport, in a valley surrounded by mountains reaching 12000ft, has a single gravel runway.

[Rupert]

14 hours ago, jgf said:

Still chugging along in my old bucket of bolts.  At least it's a nice day in Dasht-E-Naz now, though OAT is showing 44deg C.

 

 

Off to OAMN, Maimana, Afghanistan

 

Blue sky instead of clouds

 

Low mountains to the south;  wasn't paying attention and she zipped up to 23.5k ft before I noticed.  OK, level off and we'll cruise there.

 

Ten miles to Maimana

 

What's this? a circle with no runway?  Nav shows an airport here, and I see a runway, though I'm too high ...altitude-wise.

 

 

So, a big circle and approach from the other side;  665 miles in 2hr 9min.

 

Maimana (in FS), Maymana (in wiki) is a trading and agricultural city in NW Afghanistan of about 150k population, originally settled around 800BC.  The airport, in a valley surrounded by mountains reaching 12000ft, has a single gravel runway.

I just flew into OAMN using P3D and ORBX add on scenery.  That's about as sad a looking city as I can ever recall seeing.  Even with all the scenery and traffic sliders all the way up it's still depressing.  And no, I didn't see another aircraft, tower, or a refueling rig anywhere there.  Nor was there a vehicle on any nearby road either.

 

Having said that, off to the right of the runway is a large group of buildings which appear to be long enclosed sheds with doors on one end. 

[jgf]

Clear and hot, 43C as I sit here

 

Departing OAMN for OPSD, 527 miles away.  Little did I know what awaited me.

 

Over the mountains towards Pakistan, these peaks are 15k-17k feet in height, I'm cruising at 22K ft.

 

 

 

I believe this is Nanga Parbat, at 25,660 feet the ninth highest mountain on earth.  It marks the western end of the Himalayas.

 

40 miles to go, still cruising at 22k ft, my destination is at 7300 ft

 

 

Egad!  I've got to land there?!  (I'm over the waypoint for airliner approach, Skardu (OPSD) has become a popular tourist area.)

 

Into the valley of ....etc.  (I wonder how the pros do it.)

 

Discretion being the better part of valor, I decided to descend down the valley and return rather than come in like a Stuka attack and hope for the best.

 

 

My view (yes, I "cheated" and let the AP hold altutude for me)

 

 

 

On final

 

And down, 652 miles in 2hr 4min

 

 

The real thing

 

 

What a trip.

 

 

[Melo965]

Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport (ZGGG) to Guilin Liangjiang International Airport (ZGKL)

 

For this flight I decided to use MSFS 2020.  I also picked up a copy of Active Sky FS (weather) for this simulator too.  I love using Active Sky 2016 in FSX, so decided to have the same option in the new sim as well.

 

I also decided to buy a new airplane for this long haul ferry flight.  I have had my eye on the Simworks Studios Pilatus PC-12/47 Legacy for a while now and decided to spring for it.

The Simworks Studios version is superb, almost every single switch and knob works just the same as in the real aircraft.  They also worked closely with Pilatus, and even had the manufacturer review and certify the aircraft before it was published by SWS.  There is an option for two crew members, but the aircraft is certified for single pilot operation.  It is about as complex as I ever want to get while still being a single pilot aircraft. 

 

The Pilatus PC-12/47 is a 4 Million dollar aircraft, luckily for me the sim version cost less than the Active Sky FS program.

 

The plan for the first leg was to fly from Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport (ZGGG) to Xichang Qingshan Airport (ZUXC) with 8 passengers to drop them off where they can see the Giant Pandas in the wild.  After that with no passengers the plan was to fly on to Africa to ferry the Safari Wings PC-12 back to it's normal territory of operations.

 

Here is the Active Sky FS weather screen.

 

All 8 passengers are ready to go.  They are looking forward to seeing some Giant Pandas.

 

Cockpit view on 20L at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport ready for takeoff.

 

External view just before takeoff.

 

On the way at 9,500 ft altitude.

 

At this point my well laid plans changed.  Realizing that I don't have enough daylight flying time to get all the way to ZUXC today, so starting to descend and look for a place to stop overnight. The passengers agree that they don't want to continue in the dark.

 

Lined up for Runway 01 at Guilin Liangjiang International Airport (ZGKL)

 

Down safely and a full stop landing.  I won't tell the passengers that this is my first solo landing in this aircraft.  Although they might have figured it out as I was hunting for the center line all the way down the runway. 

 

Parked on the ramp.  Leg one of the journey is completed.  61 minutes flying time and 272 miles travelled so far.  Before the next leg I might want to figure out how to use the autopilot.
 
This is a sweet airplane, I am going to enjoy flying it!