May 9, 2020 / admin / 0 Comments
Yesterday I discussed the latest version of Prepar3D. Within about 15 minutes of publishing that article, I went ahead and pulled the trigger on P3Dv5 along with FSUIPC 6. If you’re not familiar with FSUIPC (and many flight simmers are not), well FSUIPC is a little utility which allows many add-ons to connect to P3D and also allows for better external flight control support in the sim. Most users can get by with the freeware version of FSUIPC. However, if you are like me and want to customize your 3rd party add-on hardware (throttles, joysticks, yokes etc.) then you need FSUIPC. But I digress…
It Is EVERYTHING and a box of chocolates
Of course, at this very instance the only thing installed into my new P3Dv5 setup is of course P3Dv5, FSUIPC and ActiveSky. As a matter of fact, ActiveSky is the main reason I went ahead and pulled the trigger on P3Dv5 now. Currently, ActiveSky for Prepar3D v5 is available as a beta at zero upgrade cost. The new version of ActiveSky is called ActiveSky P3D and if you owned the previous version for P3Dv4 (ASP4) then for the next 2-3 weeks you can upgrade to ActiveSky P3D at no cost. ActiveSky P3D will work for both P3Dv4 and P3Dv5. Once installed, it will prompt you to choose which simulator you want to use. Pretty slick.
But back to my statement, “It Is EVERYTHING and a box of chocolates”, the new Prepar3D v5 is truly amazing. While even in its vanilla state, I can see the benefits of the upgrade and I’m very pleased to have made the purchase.
One Step at a time
As I’ve mentioned before in other blog postings. If you truly want the best out of your sim experience, only install 3rd party add-ons which have been ported over by the developers. Don’t try to hack something into P3Dv5 which hasn’t been updated as you’ll likely only cause yourself issues and a lot of headaches.
All major developers are working as quickly as they can to get their add-ons available for P3Dv5. Spend some time just enjoying the vanilla sim and as add-ons are made available, install them. Until that time…continue flying in P3Dv4. This is my plan.
If I were to guess (and a lot of this is based on my move from P3Dv3 to v4) it could be several more weeks before we have everything available from the devs. Just be patient.
If you yourself are currently making the move to P3Dv5 or planning to, FSElite has a really good P3Dv5 Compatibility Database. They are documenting everything from add-on aircraft, airports, scenery and utilities.
More to Come
I’ll provide updates as more add-ons have been made available to P3Dv5. I’ll also share my settings as well. Currently, I have my P3Dv5 settings adjusted to mirror what I have set in P3Dv4. I figure this was a good starting point. I’ll tweak to get the very best performance and will share them.
Of course, at this very moment my FPS is phenomenal. But this is expected in a vanilla sim. As more add-ons are installed including scenery, airports and aircraft…the FPS will drop. As I’ve always said….don’t drive yourself crazy chasing 60FPS. I’ll be happy if DX12 and the enhancements made to v5 will give me a solid, smooth experience. This is what I have with v4 and it’s all I need in v5. Once I have made my tweaks, I’ll not pay much attention to FPS.
Thanks for taking the time to read my blog postings.
Until next time….
Happy Flying!
Jerry
May 8, 2020 / admin / 0 Comments
Most avid flight simmers will most likely know that Lockheed Martin released their newest release of Prepar3D. Yes, P3Dv5 is out and at the time of me sitting down to actually write this blog post, I’ve yet to pull the trigger on the purchase. I’ve changed my mind on the idea of moving to P3Dv5 about as many times as I’ve changed my socks. At this point in time I’m leaning yes.
Just Say No
Last year when we all learned about Microsoft’s plan to return to the flight simulation market I had said I would purchase no new add-ons for P3D. Period! I held to this plan for many months. After all, from what we know about MSFS2020 (or at least believe we know about it) there will be very little need for all the Orbx ground texture add-ons, perhaps even 3rd party airport add-ons and even weather add-ons won’t be needed. Again, I believe all this will be baked into the new sim.
I have very little hope that any 3rd party payware aircraft add-ons for P3D will be offered at zero cost to move to MSFS2020. While I’ve heard PMDG and FSLabs are both planning to release aircraft for MSFS2020, these most likely will be brand new purchases. Same will most likely apply to all my GA favorites as well.
Out Of No Where
A few weeks ago, Lockheed Martin announced P3Dv5. While most of us believed a P3Dv5 might be released in the future, we had no idea it was coming this soon. Some speculate Lockheed was simply trying to get ahead of the new Microsoft release, but I don’t think that is the case at all. Remember, contrary to popular belief….Prepar3D IS NOT geared towards our community. P3D has been and always will be a commercial product. In other words, Lockheed Martin DOES NOT market this software to the home simulation community. Period!
Anyway….as I mentioned earlier, I’ve changed my mind about making the move to v5 many times over the past few weeks.
Dialed In and Perfect
My current installation of Prepar3d v4.5 is dialed in and running perfect. You can review my P3Dv4.5 settings here. Over the past few weeks of being in the COVID-19 lockdown/quarantine, I’ve logged over 150 hours in the sim. I’ve had absolutely zero issues. No crashes! No performance issues! Nothing but absolute fun.
I did break my rule of not making any purchases after catching some really good sales during this “Stay At Home” period and also picked up some awesome scenery being offered for free. I figured I wanted to do my part in helping these developers during this time and the new scenery are airports I’ve wanted to fly into and out of.
Back to V5
At the present time, my cost to make the move to Prepar3D v5 and have everything I have currently in v4 will be less than $100. This includes the cost of the Academic license version of v5 and just a small handful of add-ons that require an “upgrade” price. In my opinion, this is a small price to pay to take advantages of the improvements made in v5.
I would estimate about 25-30% of my current flight sim investment was money spent well before I made the move to P3D v2.x. In other words, 25-30% of my add-ons (mostly Orbx, FSDreamTeam and FlightBeam purchases) were all made when I actively used FSX. This was well over 10 (or more) years ago. 95% of my current total investment will be updated/upgraded by the developers at no cost to get them into P3Dv5 (including PMDG and FSLabs aircraft). So I believe for less than a $100 investment, it’s money well spent for a hobby I truly enjoy so much.
As for MSFS2020. Yes, it is still a planned purchase for me. But we have no idea exactly when MSFS2020 will be available to purchase and we have no idea of the exact pricing scheme. At the time of this writing, I’m not sure how COVID-19 will impact the release. Once MSFS2020 is available, it could be weeks or even months before the sim is ready for me to begin using it with tubeliners on VATSIM.
Purchase of v5 Imminent
I’ll make the purchase of Prepar3D v5 soon and begin the process of getting it installed and configured. As developers release installers for v5, I’ll begin the painstaking process of installing them. Like with v4, only add-ons which have been made compatible to v5 will be installed. If all goes to plan, v5 will be just as stable as v4 is now, but obviously a better performer with the advances made in v5.
Going Academic
With P3D versions 3.x and 4.x I purchased the professional level license. While the only difference between the Academic license and that of the Professional was a small watermark in the upper right hand corner of the screen, I made the decision to purchase the professional license since at the time I did make occasional YouTube videos and monetized those. Going forward, I have no plans of making videos and if I do they won’t be monetized. Perhaps I’m getting more frugal in my older years….but I see no reason in spending the extra $$$ for the pro level. After all, I generally learning something new each time I fly …so in my book that will count towards my “academic” use of this software.
Final Thoughts
Well that just about does it for this posting. I’m approaching my two month mark of being in self-isolation and still 100% healthy. I still have a job and still managing to keep the cupboards stocked with food and yes, even toilet paper. I filled the gas tank on my 2017 Ford Escape over two months ago and still have a half tank of gas left. The wife and I have been doing a few projects around the house and enjoying the mild Spring weather we’ve had. I think it’s been more than two weeks since our last snow and according to the long-range weather forecast, the snow is done until next Fall. Just gotta keep a watch out for those darn Chinese “Murder Hornets” now. I wonder how much toilet paper I should purchase for this situation?
Until next time…
Stay healthy and Stay Safe for all threats, foreign and domestic….
Jerry
April 20, 2020 / admin / 0 Comments
We’re somewhat turning a corner with our 7th installment and headed back towards Europe and the United Kingdom. We’re departing out of Abu Dhabi International (OMAA) and headed to London Heathrow (EGLL). While much of the cargo headed into the London area of England flows through London Stanstead (EGSS), some does still flow through Heathrow. Our flight today will be simulating an Emirates SkyCargo flight operating the Boeing 777 freighter.
Route:
Let’s Go to London
Our chariot awaits.
If you’re unfamiliar with GSX and GSX level 2 expansion by FSDreamTeam, it’ll sure help add an extra bit of immersion to your flights. As an example, I’ve showed these cargo loading images several times throughout this series. The cargo containers actually move from the carts onto the loading platform.
The the loading platform raises and the cargo container moves along.
And finally into the aircraft.
We can only look at the aircraft on the ground for so long. After all, we have a 7 hour flight ahead of us.
Leaving the sand behind us. We’ll be back.
Scooting along and making good time.
Over Cairo
The Swiss Alps
The English Channel ahead.
A cloudy day over southeast England.
Old London Town
Touchdown!
Reverse Thrust….
Time to unload…
and go to the hotel
Another absolutely fun flight in the books.
Credits
Flight Simulator: Prepar3D v4.5 (hotfix 1)
Aircraft: PMDG 777 Freighter
Airline: Emirates SkyCargo (UAE)
ATC: VATSIM
Airport Scenery: OMAA Abu Dhabi International (Simbreeze), EGLL London Heathrow (UK2000)
Terrain Scenery: Orbx Global Base, Orbx Vector
Sky/Cloud Textures: REX 5 SkyForce and REX 5 Environment Force
Immersion Effects – Parallel 42 777 Immersion
Weather Generation: ActiveSky (ASP4)
Flight Planning: SimBrief, Navigraph, FlightAware, FlightRadar24
Note: If you are interested in any of the above mentioned add-ons. Visit my P3D Add-ons directory for links.
April 16, 2020 / admin / 0 Comments
Hello and welcome back to installment 6 of my COVID-19 Relief Flight Series. I’m happy to report that both my wife and I are still healthy and alive. Best of all, being cooped up with each other now for three weeks hasn’t caused any frustrations between us. We both go about our work days and then spend time together in the evenings. It’s all good!
Our flight today is from Moscow (UUWW) down to Abu Dhabi (OMAA). I picked up the Abu Dhabi International airport scenery and this is the first time I’m flying into this airport. In the real world, much of the cargo operations within the UAE is handled via the newer Al Maktoum International Airport (OMDW) also known as Dubai World Center. But there are a few cargo flights going into and out of Abu Dhabi and that is what we’re simulating for this flight today.
Our flight today will be in an Etihad Cargo Boeing 777. This is a fictional flight as this flight does not operate between Moscow and Abu Dhabi. But that’s OK (as I’ve explained in the past).
Route:
Ready?
Before we can go, we must load cargo.
The ground crews here in Moscow are top notch.
Almost done!
We’re all buttoned up. Pushing back.
Still a bit of snow on the ground from the storm yesterday. Love the attention to detail the developer of this scenery thought to include some tire tracks through the snow. Just make the immersion even better.
Ready to go on runway 01.
While we’re heavy with cargo, our fuel load is relatively light for the 5 hour flight.
A snow covered Moscow as we climb out and make our turn to join the departure.
Our engines are gently purring along.
The big girl is doing well.
In no time we’re in our cruise. Should have smooth skies for the rest of the trip.
High above the Caspian Sea.
Down to the last 150nm as we are leaving Iranian airspace and about to cross the Persian Gulf.
Abu Dhabi International just off the starboard side.
Sand everywhere…
Runway insight
What that saying about when the big Triple Seven sees its shadow? Many more happy landings!
Touchdown!
Slow her down…
Another successful cargo flight is in the books.
Yep, another successful cargo operation is in the books. Where do we go from here? Well….you’ll just have to tune in next time to find out.
Until next time….please take care of yourself and your family. May God continue to bless you and keep you safe.
Jerry
Credits
Flight Simulator: Prepar3D v4.5 (hotfix 1)
Aircraft: PMDG 777 Freighter
Airline: Etihad Cargo (ETD)
ATC: VATSIM
Airport Scenery: UUWW (Moscow) JustSim , OMAA (Abu Dhabi) Simbreeze
Terrain Scenery: Orbx Global Base, Orbx Vector
Sky/Cloud Textures: REX 5 SkyForce and REX 5 Environment Force
Immersion Effects – Parallel 42 737 Immersion
Weather Generation: ActiveSky (ASP4)
Flight Planning: SimBrief, Navigraph, FlightAware, FlightRadar24
Note: If you are interested in any of the above mentioned add-ons. Visit my P3D Add-ons directory for links.
April 14, 2020 / admin / 0 Comments
With our 5th installment of this COVID-19 Relief Flight Series, we’re bringing in the Queen. The Queen of the Skies, the awesome Boeing 747-400 freighter by PMDG. I really don’t get enough opportunities to fly the Queen. But this is about to change as we’re going to be flying her on a few different routes coming up over the next week or so. As I mentioned in an earlier installment, I’m working from home due to the self-isolation policies and while I’m busy during the time I’m actually working…I can kick off these longer haul flights and either land during lunch (as is the case with this flight) or after my day is done with the truly longer haul flights.
My gaming machine sits just behind me and once we’re in cruise, I turn things over to my first officer (autopilot) and just let it do its thing. I can work, take calls or do whatever and P3D and whatever flight I’m flying just runs behind me.
Flight Planning
Our flight today is a medium haul flight from Liege, Belgium (EBLG) to Moscow, Russia and the Vnukovo International Airport. This is a new airport in my collection of add-on scenery. I picked it up free as part of the “Stay at Home” flight sim developers sale that has been taking place the past week or so. While ASL Airlines Belgium doesn’t fly to this airport, other cargo airlines do connect between here and Liege.
Route:
Back in the USSR
The ground crew is busy loading up our Boeing 747 freighter for the trip to Russia. They are taking advantage of all cargo doors (including the nose section) in getting us loaded as quickly as possible.
My first officer and I walking over to our aircraft.
We’re loaded, all doors are closed and locked. Our ground crew here at Liege is pushing us back from the cargo stand.
Lined up on 05R and ready to go.
Our four engines working hard to get us airborne.
Leaving Liege, next stop Moscow.
Making our turn to join the departure.
The Queen is majestic in any livery.
Descending over the greater Moscow area.
Looks cold down there.
Runway ahead…I think!
It’s snowing!
Almost touchdown!
This was another awesome flight with a nail-biting finale. Visibility was pretty much zero until the very end. I failed to capture shots on the ground during the unloading process. But will endeavor to do better next time.
For our next installment, we’ll depart Moscow and head down to warmer climates to Abu Dhabi. I hope you’ll join me. Until then…thank you for reading and please take care of yourself.
Credits
Flight Simulator: Prepar3D v4.5 (hotfix 1)
Aircraft: PMDG 777
Airline: ASL Airlines Belgium (TAY)
ATC: VATSIM
Airport Scenery: EBLG (Liege) Orbx, UUWW (Moscow) Justsim
Terrain Scenery: Orbx Global Base, Orbx Vector
Sky/Cloud Textures: REX 5 SkyForce and REX 5 Environment Force
Immersion Effects – Parallel 42 737 Immersion
Weather Generation: ActiveSky (ASP4)
Flight Planning: SimBrief, Navigraph, FlightAware, FlightRadar24
Note: If you are interested in any of the above mentioned add-ons. Visit my P3D Add-ons directory for links.
April 8, 2020 / admin / 0 Comments
I hope you are enjoying this series of cargo flights. As I indicated in the last installment, we’re going to be headed back to Belgium and will return the 738 Freighter back to her home base in Liege, Belgium (EBLG). Liege is primarily a cargo hub for many different cargo airlines including Air China Cargo, Emirates Sky Cargo, Fedex and Qatar Airways Cargo just to name a few. It is the 7th largest cargo airport in Europe and 22nd in the world. While our Boeing 737-800 is branded Fedex, this particular aircraft is leased by ASL Airlines Belgium.
Flight Planning
Our route today will take us pretty much due north from the island of Mallorca into mainland Europe and terminate at the ASL cargo hub in Liege.
Route:
Our Flight
Holding short, runway 24R.
Off we go into the wild blue yonder….
Perhaps some day we can get back here under different circumstances.
Making our turn to join the departure.
All calm at cruise
The countryside of Belgium
Just a tad high, but we’ll correct.
That’s better. Two white, Two Red
Back at base for this bird.
Another successful flight in the books. These flights are certainly helping me keep my mind off of the events taking place in the world and I hope these reports are helping you as well. The next series of flights will be longer haul routes kicking off with a flight to Moscow, then down to Abu Dhabi. Stay tuned.
Credits
Flight Simulator: Prepar3D v4.5 (hotfix 1)
Aircraft: PMDG 737 NGX
Airline: Fedex (FDX)
ATC: VATSIM
Airport Scenery: LEPA Aerosoft, EBLG Orbx
Terrain Scenery: Orbx Global Base, Orbx Vector
Sky/Cloud Textures: REX 5 SkyForce and REX 5 Environment Force
Immersion Effects – Parallel 42 737 Immersion
Weather Generation: ActiveSky (ASP4)
Flight Planning: SimBrief, Navigraph, FlightAware, FlightRadar24
Note: If you are interested in any of the above mentioned add-ons. Visit my P3D Add-ons directory for links.
April 6, 2020 / admin / 0 Comments
As mentioned in my previous installment, this is a continuation flight to ferry the remaining relief cargo which we picked up in Brussels on to the island of Palma De Mallorca (LEPA). At the time of the breakout of the Coronavirus, the resort island was packed with tourists and unfortunately not all were able to get off the island and begin their journey home. The supplies we’re bringing in will help for now and more is planned in the coming days.
Flight Planning
Our flight this afternoon is pretty straightforward. The only difference between our arrival and our departure is weather. But we won’t let become a distraction. We’ll depart runway 30 and make a right hand turn, then head across Spain to Barcelona. Then proceed across the Balearic Sea to our destination. Our total flying time is a short 1 hour, 10 minutes at an altitude of 33,000.
Route:
Let’s Go
We’ve had a bit of weather move into Bilbao today. But it should not be a factor for us. The ground crew is getting a bit wet, but we’re dry on the flight deck.
We’ve got some kind of weird greenish fog moving in as we move out. Perhaps not the best depiction of fog, but I can live with that.
It’s dumping out there.
That’s better!
Making our turn to join the departure and above the clouds.
Smooth flying at cruise.
Beautiful skies as we descend into our destination.
The island of Mallorca just ahead.
On final approach and fully configured.
Runway insight. Landing in just a few minutes.
Touchdown? Almost
We’ve parked at the military section of the airport where our cargo will be unloaded. Once unloaded and refueled, we’ll be on our way back to Belgium and the cargo airport of Liege. This flight will be covered in the next edition.
Once we arrive back in Belgium, we’ll say good-bye to our little 738 freighter and stretch our legs a bit with some longer flights as we continue moving much needed cargo around the world.
Until next time. Please be safe, take care of your family and stay home.
Jerry
Credits
Flight Simulator: Prepar3D v4.5 (hotfix 1)
Aircraft: PMDG 737 NGX
Airline: Fedex (FDX)
ATC: VATSIM
Airport Scenery: LEBB (Bilbao) Orbx, LEPA (Palma De Mallorca) Aerosoft
Terrain Scenery: Orbx Global Base, Orbx Vector
Sky/Cloud Textures: REX 5 SkyForce and REX 5 Environment Force
Immersion Effects – Parallel 42 737 Immersion
Weather Generation: ActiveSky (ASP4)
Flight Planning: SimBrief, Navigraph, FlightAware, FlightRadar24
Note: If you are interested in any of the above mentioned add-ons. Visit my P3D Add-ons directory for links.
April 2, 2020 / admin / 0 Comments
Yes, another of my top lists related to flight simulation. This time, this is my top 5 list of passenger airlines I enjoy simulating their operations. I simply couldn’t narrow my list down to just five and I felt ten was just going to be a stretch. While I do simulate other airlines than those I’m listing here my typical go to airlines are always pretty much the same.
Honorable Mention – VLM
VLM was a small Belgian airline based in Antwerp. It ceased operations on 31 August 2018. Ironically, my wife and I used VLM in real life to fly from London City Airport to Antwerp when we visited her family. The last time we traveled on VLM was our return flight from Antwerp back to London City on 31 August 2018. Yep, that’s right! We were one of the last passengers. VLM operated the Fokker 50 turboprop aircraft and it was always a joy to fly both in the simulator and real life. My favorite VLM route of course is the London City (EGLC) to Antwerp (EBAW) and the return.
#5 – EasyJet
I consider EasyJet (EZY) to be the Southwest Airlines of the UK and Europe. They fly everywhere and they fly from many locations. like Southwest’s all Boeing fleet, EasyJet is an all Airbus fleet consisting of A319’s, A320’s and A321’s. A perfect airline if you have the FSLabs Airbus packages. While I don’t fly the FSLabs Airbus as much as I fly the Boeing 737, I do enjoy the time I spend in the aircraft. One of my favorite EasyJet routes is London Gatwick to Innsbruck, Austria (LOWI).
#4 Alaska Airlines
With the merger with Virgin America, Alaska Airlines (ASA) offers a variety of routes and a variety of aircraft to please just about any flight simulation enthusiast. Once an all Boeing fleet, Alaska Airlines now operates Airbus A319’s, A320, A321 and the fun to fly Bombardier Q400 along with the Embraer 175’s. Alaska Airlines offer short-haul routes of 1-2 hours up to medium haul routes of 4-6 hours. My favorite Alaska Airlines route is Seattle (KSEA) to Ketchikan, Alaska.
#3 Southwest Airlines
I absolutely love the Boeing 737 and it’s my all-time favorite aircraft to fly in the simulator. So simulating Southwest Airlines (SWA) shouldn’t come as a surprise. What I like most about Southwest is their routes. While I do enjoy the hub/spoke route model of airlines like American and British Airways, I also like to be able to fly point-to-point and SWA gives me this freedom while still simulating a real-world schedule. My favorite Southwest Airlines route is Denver (KDEN) to Austin (KAUS).
#2 British Airways
British Airways (BAW) ranks number two for many reasons. First, I’ve been a fan of BA for about as long as I’ve been involved in the flight simulation hobby. I loved flying the Concorde when it was first introduced in Flight Simulator 2000. Second, they are one of the only remaining airlines to still be flying the Queen of the Skies, the beautiful Boeing 747. Today I enjoy flying short to medium haul routes out of London Heathrow, Gatwick and London City. Between BA’s current and retro fleet of aircraft, there are tons of options to simulate. My favorite British Airways route is London Heathrow (EGLL) to Gibraltar (LXGB). For long-haul, of course that would be Denver (KDEN) to London Heathrow (EGLL) in the Boeing 747-400.
#1 American Airlines
In my early career, I spent lots of time flying in and out of Dallas/Ft. Worth on American Airlines (AAL). Back then most flights were either on the MD-80, Fokker 100 and the Boeing 727. After moving to Denver in 1998, I still flew American every chance I could. My first trip to England back in early 2001 was on American Airlines and a Boeing 777-200.
Around 1999-2000 timeframe was when virtual airlines became popular. Of course, with American being my favorite airline I enjoyed flying for several American Airline VA’s. I’ve logged many hundreds of hours flying AA aircraft around the virtual skies.
While I no longer fly for a virtual airline, American Airlines is my most frequently flown airline in the sim. I tend to fly the Boeing 737-800 the most, but also enjoy flying routes on the 787 and 777. My favorite American route is Denver (KDEN) to Dallas/Ft. Worth (KDFW). My second favorite route is Miami (KMIA) to Sint Maarten (TNCM). The approach into and departure out of this awesome airport never gets old.
In Summary
There you go! These are my top 5 (plus an honorable mention) of my favorite passenger airlines to simulate. While this is certainly not an exclusive list of the only airlines I enjoy flying in the sim, these are my most frequent. But regardless of which airlines make up your top list, I hope you enjoy the time you spend in the simulator as much as I do.
Until next time…
Happy Flying!
Jerry
March 30, 2020 / admin / 0 Comments
While my first installment brought us to Europe, I’m going to spend some time flying and jumping around to a few different payware airports which I haven’t visited in a while. Much like flight #1, these may not be actual routes served by the carriers I’m going to simulate. But these are flights my imagination wants to fly.
Flight Planning
Our second flight will another cargo flight. We’re picking up where we left off (at Brussels) and headed down to Bilbao Spain (LEBB). Bilbao is a payware airport I purchased a few years ago. For this flight we will be in a branded Fedex Boeing 737-800 which has been converted from passenger service to cargo service. The aircraft is being operated by ASL Airlines Belgium (formerly TNT Airways). ASL operates a fleet of 30 aircraft including a number of freighter conversions of the B737 variant. Typically ASL operates from their main cargo hub at Liege, Belgium (EBLG) and we’ll probably visit this airport soon.
The flight from Brussels to Bilbao is a cargo relief flight to transport many of the supplies we ferried over from Miami to the citizens in NE Spain. Our flight time is 1 hour, 35 minutes and we’re loading on 17,500 lbs of fuel. Once we arrive in Bilbao about 50% of the cargo will be dropped off and our flight will continue to our next destination.
Route:
Let’s Go to Spain
Unlike our flight from Miami which required a crew of three, our shorter flight today only requires two. My First Officer and I are boarding the aircraft while the ground crew and cargo handlers ready our aircraft for flight.
Pushing back from our stand and starting engines.
Position and Hold, Runway 01. Note: I’m aware the correct terminology is now “Line up and Wait”, however, when I began blogging about my flight simulation adventures well over 10 years ago, the terminology at that time was “Position and Hold” and that is what I called my first blog site. This was before I rebranded to GrizzlyBearSims. The old blog site still lives in the cloud (should you want to visit).
Gear up!
Making our right hand turn to join the departure out of Brussels.
Quick flight compared to the cross the pond flight from a few days ago. The northern coast of Spain just off the port side.
I really enjoyed the approach into Bilbao. Lots of beautiful scenery.
Just about to make our final turn.
Rolling out, the airport is just ahead.
Yep, there’s Bilbao just ahead.
Cleared to land.
Touchdown!
After a quick taxi, we were positioned in an area of the airport where local cargo services could assist with removing the cargo.
This was another fun and uneventful flight. We had perfect weather the entire trip and reached Bilbao on schedule. The PMDG Boeing 737 is still my all time favorite payware aircraft to fly. It’s just a really well done model and it can go just about anywhere. Plus as it is one of the most popular aircraft in the world, there is a wide variety of real world carriers one can simulate flying for.
Until next time, I hope you continue to remain safe and please STAY HOME! Thank you!
Happy Flying!
Jerry
Credits
Flight Simulator: Prepar3D v4.5 (hotfix 1)
Aircraft: PMDG 737 NGX
Airline: Fedex (FDX)
ATC: VATSIM
Airport Scenery: EBBR (Brussels) Justsim, LEBB (Bilbao) Orbx
Terrain Scenery: Orbx Global Base, Orbx Vector
Sky/Cloud Textures: REX 5 SkyForce and REX 5 Environment Force
Immersion Effects – Parallel 42 737 Immersion
Weather Generation: ActiveSky (ASP4)
Flight Planning: SimBrief, Navigraph, FlightAware, FlightRadar24
Note: If you are interested in any of the above mentioned add-ons. Visit my P3D Add-ons directory for links.
March 28, 2020 / admin / 2 Comments
As I mentioned in my update post from yesterday, I have been spending some of my free time flying. It helps me destress and gives my mind something to focus on. The title “COVID-19 Relief Flight Series” has dual meaning. First, yes…in my imagination I’m flying some form of relief supplies from point A to point B. But secondarily, these flights are providing me a bit of relief from the stresses of everything that is going on in the real world. I hope you enjoy this series.
Flight Details
The first flight in this series (and I have no idea just how long this series will be) is a relief supply flight from Miami, Florida to Brussels, Belgium. Why Miami? That just happens to be the last location I flew to. Why Belgium? Well…why not? By the way, I realize Fedex doesn’t routinely fly between Miami and Brussels.
For our flight today, Fedex is transporting some much needed relief supplies from Miami, Florida to Brussels, Belgium. We’re flying in the beautiful Boeing 777 Freighter and we’re heavy! Very heavy today. Our ZFW (zero fuel weight) is just below the limit at a whopping 550,000 lbs. and with our planned route, including weather along the way, we took on 171,000 lbs of fuel for the 9 hour flight.
Our route takes us up the east coast of the US/Canada. We begin our North Atlantic crossing at St. John’s Newfoundland and fly eastbound to Shannon, Ireland then across England and finally enter Belgium airspace.
Route:
Brussels Bound
Again, for you hard core virtual pilots who might read this and blow a gasket because Fedex doesn’t routinely fly between Miami and Brussels, just relax or close your browser. Nothing in our world right now is routine. Either way, today…this Fedex Boeing 777 Freighter is virtually flying today between Miami (KMIA) and Brussels (EBBR).
Our B77F is being loaded with all sorts of relief cargo which is needed throughout Europe. Our departure time is 19:35 and we’re on schedule.
An extremely low ceiling makes the airport directly behind almost unrecognizable. The condensation and immersion effects compliments of Parallel 42 777 Immersion.
Love the immersion of the condensation.
As the sun sets in the distance, we turn to join our northeast route along the east coast of the US.
Here comes the sun. With less than two hours to go, the sun is beginning to rise.
Making great time as we’re down to our last hour of flight and just leaving Ireland behind us. It’s all business here on the flight deck as we begin to plan our descent and arrival into Brussels.
The west coast of Wales.
Beginning our descent as we’re crossing the North Sea and headed towards the Netherlands.
Making our turn over Antwerp. The airfield just in view over the wing is EBAW (Antwerp International Airport). I’ve flown into this airport many times in real life.
On final approach into Brussels. Nice green fields.
Cleared to land runway 25R.
Slowing this heavy girl down.
Time to unload the cargo.
This was a fun flight. For those that may not be in the know. The main PC based flight simulators (Prepar3D and X-Plane) are both based on a real world scale. Unlike American Truck Simulator or Euro Truck Simulator 2, where the distance and time is compressed, flying a flight in flight sim will take just as long as a real world flight would take. Everything from the aircraft performance, weather, fuel burn…everything is “As Real As It Gets”.
If you’re looking for a true “simulator”, look no further than either Prepar3D or X-Plane to give you the absolutely best simulation experience you can get on a PC. Remember, this is not a game…this is a simulator!
Thank you for reading!
Until next time…
Happy Flying!!!
Jerry
Credits
Flight Simulator: Prepar3D v4.5 (hotfix 1)
Aircraft: PMDG 777
Airline: Fedex (FDX)
ATC: VATSIM
Airport Scenery: KMIA LatinVFR, EBBR Justsim
Terrain Scenery: Orbx Global Base, Orbx Vector, Orbx openLC North America
Sky/Cloud Textures: REX 5 SkyForce and REX 5 Environment Force
Immersion Effects – Parallel 42 777 Immersion
Weather Generation: ActiveSky (ASP4)
Flight Planning: SimBrief, Navigraph, FlightAware, FlightRadar24
Note: If you are interested in any of the above mentioned add-ons. Visit my P3D Add-ons directory for links.
