October 1, 2018 / admin / 0 Comments
A question I’ve been pondering recently, Is the virtual airline concept dead in modern times? Back in the very late 1990’s and early 2000’s, VA’s or virtual airlines were all the rage. They continued to be a very popular addition to the virtual aviation hobby. Over the years, I’ve been a part of many different VA’s, served in various capacities from just a regular pilot, hub manager, executive management and even started my own fictional virtual airline a few years ago.
The Early Days
In the very early days of the virtual airline concept, the websites/communities were often (by today’s standards) crude, low-tech representations attempting to replicate their real world airline counterpart. The online presence generally consisted of a basic website (often built using free hosting, complete with pop-up ads) with a few pages to include a main/welcome page, pilot rosters, management structure, rules/SOP and often a forum. With time, more advanced websites were created complete with automated PIREP logging and tracking features. These automated features soon became the norm for most sites.
Here Today, Gone Tomorrow
Unfortunately, VA’s which mirror the operations of a real world airline (American, Southwest, Fedex, British Airways etc.) struggled long ago and still do to avoid getting into legal troubles with their real world counterparts. I’ve seen VA’s pop-up with a complete website, begin hiring pilots and management then close their doors after receiving a cease and desist letter from an attorney representing the real world airline. Even with disclaimers posted about this website is not affiliated with the real world airline, the letters kept coming and the VA’s kept closing. The primary issue here is the misuse of copyright and intellectual property which belong to the real world airline. I certainly can understand why this was done. Some of these sites were extremely crude in nature, but some, while having a professional appearance could actually become confusing to some who were seeking out the real world airline website. Bottom line, while the “freedom of speech” protects us in many ways…it doesn’t give us any rights to use property (including logos etc.) which belong to others any way we please.
Please and Thank You
Some VA’s actually managed to ask for and gain permission from their real world counterpart. One example is British Airways Virtual (BAVirtual). They were perhaps one of the first to actually accomplish this and to this day are one of the premier virtual airlines on the interwebz. For BAv, it all started back in the year 2000. While virtual airlines were popping up everywhere, many were based on fictional airlines and only a few actually existed in the UK. The folks behind BAv wanted to change this, so they set out to create not only a professional looking and fully functional website…but also gain the permission and cooperation of their real world counterpart, the real British Airways. As I’ve often stated, I’ve been a part of this hobby for a very long time. I was around it before the internet and I was around when BAv came onto the scene. I actually was serving as the VP of Operations for American virtual Airlines (the oldest VA on the VATSIM network) and remember speaking to the management of BAv as we established codeshare agreements between AvA and BAv to replicate the OneWorld Alliance. It was great times back then and there are plenty of times that I miss flying for and being a part of AvA.
A New Way
A number of years ago, I was perusing YouTube seeking out flight sim content and stumbled onto a YouTube content creator by the name of Matt Davies. Matt was running a very successful YouTube channel (also has a very successful Twitch channel) and I found his presentation style very enjoyable. Not to mention, he actually knows what he’s talking about. Matt has created content and selflessly shared his knowledge over the years and while there’s no way of knowing exactly how many new people he’s attracted into this hobby, his commitment to this hobby is truly second to none. As time passed, I watched more and more of his recorded content on YouTube and his livestreams on Twitch, I learned he (and a few others) were developing a new virtual aviation environment called ProjectFly.
What exactly is ProjectFly? Well…I’m going to just quote some info directly from their website. “In simple terms it is a versatile platform allowing you to give or take as much from your hobby as you would like. Whether you simply wish to fly from point A to point B in your Cessna without any realistic procedures, follow the path of a real pilot through their training and type rating ready to simulate that daily routine of a low cost captain or even if you simply want a community of like-minded individuals”
I love ProjectFly
For all the reasons in the above quoted and italicized comment above and a lot more. If asked what my number one favorite real world airline is, my answer without hesitation is American Airlines. But I also enjoy flying and replicating the flights of many other airlines such as Southwest, Frontier, Fedex, British Airways and the list goes on and on and on. But most VA’s really want their pilots only flying real world routes which they have setup in their systems and rightfully so. Also, I just simply don’t have the time to ensure I can keep up with the minimum number of flights when belonging to multiple virtual airlines.
ProjectFly allows me to fly for any airline I desire and there are no minimum commitments. I can fly every day for a month and I can skip a few months without any flights and no one is going to harass me to get my flights in. I can also fly any aircraft type I choose, regardless of the number of hours I have logged. The talented developers behind ProjectFly have developed an exceptional software client that is easy to install, configure and seamlessly just does what it’s suppose to. From that client I can setup new flights, add new aircraft, view my flight log and it tracks and logs my flights effortlessly. ProjectFly has also developed a “Passport” feature which tracks/stamps the countries you’ve landed in. The passport displays the nations flag once you successfully land and calculates the percentage of countries you’ve visited. In addition to the passport feature, all your flights are tracked on a map which is visible on the client documenting all the routes you’ve flown. As you can see from the image below, I’ve logged just under 100 flights in the ProjectFly system and have visited just 9% of the countries in the world. I better get busy huh?
A snapshot of my passport showing the nations of Australia, Austria and Belgium as visited.
ProjectFly also offers various achievements (similar to Steam achievements) to work towards. As you can see I’ve earned several including my first flight, long-haul, Challenging Approach Gibraltar and a few others.
I’ve only listed a few of the features available with ProjectFly and there’s a ton more in development. You can learn all about ProjectFly by visiting the ProjectFly website.
Answering The Question
Is the virtual airline concept dead in modern times? Absolutely NOT! Virtual Airlines are thriving in this day and age. However, they all suffer from the issues I’ve previously pointed out and if you’re a busy person like I am, you might just not have the time to commit to their rules and policy’s. Again, ProjectFly is a very relaxed and laid back environment where you can pretty much do whatever you wish. Some may argue that ProjectFly lacks the social aspects of a traditional airline. However, the ProjectFly team have setup both a forum and a discord channel, so my advice is jump right in, introduce yourself and get busy flying.
As always, thanks for taking the time to read my content. If you have a question regarding flight sim or needs some help, I’m always willing to lend a hand. The best method of contacting me is to join my Discord channel. You can post a message in the chat channel or private message me and I’ll do my best to help you any way possible.
Until next time….
Happy Flying!
Jerry
September 29, 2018 / admin / 0 Comments
Hello once again and thank you all so much for taking the time out of your busy schedule to read my blog postings. I truly appreciate it. With each leg completed, we’re getting closer and closer to reaching our final destination and of course where it all started waaaaaaay back in early June. I’m still hoping to complete the tour either slightly before or around the same timeframe the official WorldFlight 2018 tour will be completed. Keep in mind that what has taken me, or should I say will take me five months will all be done in about a week. Let’s get started with this tour update.
History of City
Fairbanks is the largest city in the interior region of Alaska with a population of 32,751 within the city proper and over 100K in the greater Fairbanks region which makes it the second most populous metro area in Alaska after Anchorage.
History of Country
The United States of America, is a federal republic composed of 50 states, a federal district, five major self-governing territories and various possessions. At 3.8 million square miles, the US is the world’s third largest country by total area and just fractionally smaller than the entire continent of Europe. With a population of over 325 million, the US is the third most populous country.
History of Airport
Fairbanks International Airport is a state-owned airport located three miles southwest of the central business district of Fairbanks, Alaska. Fairbanks is the smallest city in the United States with non-stop service to Europe via Condor Airlines and their weekly flight to Frankfurt during the summer season.
History of Airline
Alaska Airlines is an American airline headquartered in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1932 as McGee Airways and offering flights from Anchorage. Today, Alaska Airlines has flights to more than 100 destinations in the contiguous United States, Alaska, Hawaii, Canada, Costa Rica and Mexico.
Flight Briefing
ASA1066
PASI – PAFA
Planned Fuel – 14,000 lbs
Planned Altitude – 34,000
Distance – 589nm
Flight Time – 1 hours, 55 minutes
Route: BKA4 BKA J501 YAK J507 ORT J502 RDFLG HRDNG2
Flight Journal
Our group spent a few extra days in Sitka (as planned) and are now ready to fly to Fairbanks. Our stay in Fairbanks will be flexible. We have a confirmed two full days for sure, but will be keeping an eye on the weather for our next destination due to a short runway and no ILS. Meaning, we’ll need good weather conditions for landing. However, no need to worry about all that now as we still need to fly from Sitka to Fairbanks.
We’re getting right into the action and have taxied our Boeing 737-800 in Alaska Airlines livery out to the active runway and are just awaiting take-off clearance.
With our take-off clearance granted, we’re off.
Making our turn to the northwest to resume the departure course out of Sitka.
Southern Alaska is mystical.
We’ve reached our cruising altitude and on our way to Fairbanks.
The weather is quickly changing as we’re descending into the Fairbanks area.
We have a mix of rain and light snow in the area.
On final with runway in sight.
We’ll be on the ground shortly.
Simulator Specifics
Prepar3d v4.3
ActiveSky Weather Engine
ActiveSky Cloud Art
Envtex & Envshade
PMDG Boeing 737-800 (Alaska Airlines livery)
FSDreamTeam GSX Level 2
Orbx Global Texture
Orbx FTX Global openLC North America
Orbx USA/Canada Pacific Northwest
Orbx Southern Alaska
VATSIM
Route Planning Tools
AivlaSoft, PFPX & Simbrief
Navigraph Charts Desktop
FlightAware
FlightRadar24
SkyVector
Google Maps
Computer Hardware Specs
My apologies as some how the screenshots taken on the ground in Fairbanks didn’t save. But we’re here and our travelers will soon be taken to the hotel. We’re monitoring the weather for our next destination which is Provideniya Bay, Russia. We’re fairly certain we will need to stay at least one extra day (perhaps two) in Fairbanks as we wait out better weather. But hey, our travelers will have plenty to do to keep them entertained. See you next time.
Jerry
September 25, 2018 / admin / 0 Comments
While vacation now seems like a distant memory, both my wife and I are officially back in our groove with regards to our normal sleep schedule and daily routines. Not sure why exactly, but the jetlag from this trip seemed stronger and lasted much longer than previous trips abroad. Perhaps it’s that age thing! Anyway…it’s good to be back.
As you can tell from our progress map below we’ve reached the final third of our long tour and will soon be turning west, then south as we head back to the starting point of Sydney, Australia. Let’s get started with this tour update.
History of City
Originally settled by the Russians in 1799, Sitka was the site of the transfer ceremony for the Alaska purchase on 18 October 1867 and served as the US Government Capital of the Department of Alaska between 1867 – 1906. Today, Sitka has an estimated population of just under 9,000.
History of Country
The United States of America, is a federal republic composed of 50 states, a federal district, five major self-governing territories and various possessions. At 3.8 million square miles, the US is the world’s third largest country by total area and just fractionally smaller than the entire continent of Europe. With a population of over 325 million, the US is the third most populous country.
History of Airport
Sitka Rocky Gutierrez Airport is a state owned, public use airport located west of the central business district of Sitka. The airport is named after Sitka’s former mayor Rocky Gutierrez. It features a single terminal with air service operated by Alaska Airlines and seasonally by Delta.
History of Airline
Air Canada Rouge is a low-cost subsidiary of Air Canada and is fully integrated into the Air Canada and Air Canada Express networks. The airline launched in 2012 with services beginning in 2013. Air Canada Rouge has a fleet of over 50 aircraft and serves 50 destinations.
Flight Briefing
ROU1066
CYVR – PASI
Planned Fuel – 16,000 lbs
Planned Altitude – 38,000
Distance – 642nm
Flight Time – 2 hours, 15 minutes
Route: YVR J590 POWOL PR FLIPS
Flight Journal
After a few days in Vancouver, our travelers are now headed northwest to the small Alaskan town of Sitka. Once again we’ll stay here a full week to allow our travelers a bit more R&R in the area before we head to Fairbanks. For this flight we’re once again in the Airbus A319 as we shuttle and Air Canada Rouge flight to Sitka.
Myself along with our crew have arrived at the Vancouver airport.
As you can tell it’s a bit rainy in Raincouver today. The last of our cabin crew is about to step onto the aircraft. Our travelers are soon to follow.
Bags have arrived and are being loaded onto the aircraft.
And now for our passengers.
With the aircraft now fueled, loaded and ready to go. We’re also ready to blast out of Vancouver.
Goodbye Canada
A cloudy, wet and bumpy departure.
Things are starting to smooth out once we climb above the clouds.
Nothing but smooth skies at flight level 380.
A beautiful landscape as we descend towards Sitka, Alaska.
The Alaska region has some of the most spectacular scenery we’ve seen during our long journey.
The view from the flightdeck.
Nice and green down there.
The Sitka airport and runway in sight.
Cleared to land
Parked at the gate in Sitka, Alaska.
Simulator Specifics
Prepar3d v4.3
ActiveSky Weather Engine
ActiveSky Cloud Art
Envtex & Envshade
FlightSimLabs Airbus A319 (Air Canada Rouge livery)
FSDreamTeam GSX Level 2
Orbx Global Texture
Orbx FTX Global openLC North America
Orbx USA/Canada Pacific Northwest
Orbx Southern Alaska
VATSIM
Route Planning Tools
AivlaSoft, PFPX & Simbrief
Navigraph Charts Desktop
FlightAware
FlightRadar24
SkyVector
Google Maps
Computer Hardware Specs
Another leg down and we’re just that much closer to the completion of this tour. Once we leave Sikta, our stay in Fairbanks will be dependent on weather for the Provideniya Bay region of Russia. This airport has a gravel runway with no ILS system. We’ll need good weather conditions to safely land and as summer is quickly turning to fall, the weather is also becoming less predictable. Stay tuned…
Thanks for reading.
Jerry
September 22, 2018 / admin / 0 Comments
Hello ladies, gentlemen and children of all ages…I’m back from vacation. At the time of me flying this particular segment and writing this article, we’ve been back for a week. We’ve been back to work for a week as well and boy did we both need this weekend to recuperate. Both my wife and I generally do pretty well getting back into our schedules once we get home from our two week stay in Europe, but this particular trip really seemed to take a much greater toll on us and as a result it took us slightly longer to get back into our normal schedule. As an example, we’ve been back for a week and I just had my first full nights sleep.
Our vacation was sheer joy and we both enjoyed it immensely. But equally, I think we are both really glad to be home. The saying “there’s no place like home” is so very true. Upon our return, it’s been a busy week for me. My long time YouTube viewers will know that I’ve published my first Farming Simulator 17 video in almost 90 days and I recorded another just last night. With regards to YouTube, I’m doing things much different and won’t place any added pressure on myself to adhere to any type of schedule. Things will just happen when they happen and I’m happy with that. But enough about all that…you’ve landed here to hear about leg 30 of our long worldwide tour. Let’s get started.
History of City
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city in western Canada, located in the province of British Columbia. As the most populous city in the province, the 2016 census recorded a population of 631,486. Vancouver has the highest population density in Canada with over 5,400 people per square kilometer. Often referred to as Hollywood North, Vancouver has become one of the largest film production centers in North America.
History of Country
Canada is a country located in the northern part of North America. Canada is comprised of ten provinces and three territories which extend from the Atlantic to the Pacific and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering 3.85 million square miles, making it the world’s second-largest country by total area. Canada’s southern border with the United States is the world’s longest bi-national land border. The capital of Canada is Ottawa.
History of Airport
Vancouver International Airport is located on Sea Island in Richmond, BC (about 7.5 miles from downtown Vancouver. It is the second busiest airport in Canada by aircraft movements and passengers, just behind Toronto Pearson.
History of Airline
United Airlines is a major United States airline headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. It is the world’s third-largest airline when measured by revenue, after American and Delta. United operates a large domestic and international route network with a fleet size of 754 aircraft serving 342 destinations in 60 countries across Asia, the Americas, Europe and Oceania.
Flight Briefing
UAL1066
KJAC – CYVR
Planned Fuel – 15,000 lbs
Planned Altitude – 36,000
Distance – 613nm
Flight Time – 2 hours
Route: IDA METOW GRIZZ6
Flight Journal
Our travelers have enjoyed their extended stay in Jackson Hole, Wyoming and enjoyed the daytrips exploring all the areas around this beautiful place. But it’s time to once again move on as many more interesting and exotic locations are waiting to be explored.
We’re back in the Boeing 737-800 flying a United jet over to Vancouver. The ground handling teams here in Jackson Hole have been most accommodating in helping get us going for an on-time departure.
While KJAC has several commercial airlines operating into and out of the airport, a lot of GA or general aviation aircraft also operate here. We’re holding short while a Cessna 172 is on final approach.
With take-off clearance received, we’re blasting out of JAC on our way back towards the Pacific Northwest and Canada.
The views of the beautiful Rocky Mountains just off the starboard wing.
I’m sure the early season snow is much appreciated.
Our United Boeing 738 at flight level 360 (36,000 ft).
It’s a bit of a grey day in the PNW region. We’ve begun our descent through the clouds and fog.
Ahhh, that’s a little better.
On final approach into YVR.
Runway in sight.
Our Boeing 738 parked up at the gate. Our passengers will clear customs and proceed to the busses. Our stay in Vancouver will be short, then we move on to our first of two stops in Alaska.
Simulator Specifics
Prepar3d v4.3
ActiveSky Weather Engine
ActiveSky Cloud Art
Envtex & Envshade
PMDG Boeing 737-800 (United Airlines livery)
FSDreamTeam GSX Level 2
Orbx Jackson Hole Airport (KJAC)
Orbx Global Texture
Orbx FTX Global openLC North America
VATSIM
Route Planning Tools
AivlaSoft, PFPX & Simbrief
Navigraph Charts Desktop
FlightAware
FlightRadar24
SkyVector
Google Maps
Computer Hardware Specs
With this leg in the books, we’re down to the final 16 legs of this massive 46 leg journey. Over the next few weeks our travelers will make two stops in Alaska, then proceed towards Russia with three stops, then two stops in Japan and so on. It’s been a fun journey.
Until next time…thank you so much for reading.
Jerry
September 19, 2018 / admin / 0 Comments
While you’re reading this posting in mid to late September, I performed this flight just a few days prior to leaving on my European vacation. Hopefully, we’ve arrived safely back home and I’ve been back at work for almost two weeks and also hopefully have had some time to resume flying the tour legs. I promise I’ll provide you some of the details of our trip in the posting for leg 30 which you can read about in just a few days time.
While I can’t quite see the light at the end of the tunnel, we are halfway through the North America portion of the tour and upon resuming the flights will be down to the final 16 legs. During these final 16 legs we’ll visit Vancouver, two stops in Alaska, three stops in Russia before heading to Japan (two stops), Shanghai, Hong Kong, Brunei, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and finally the final legs of our 46 leg journey back in Australia. Or said in another way, we still have over 13,000 more miles to travel before we find ourselves back in Sydney sometime around early to mid November.
To be honest, when I began planning this tour and planning the articles…I wasn’t sure how popular they would be. In other words, I really wasn’t sure anyone would be interested in reading them. While I was committed to seeing the tour all the way to the end, I’m actually surprised they have become quite popular and it has me thinking and planning for the future.
A few weeks ago, during the blog update for leg 20 I mentioned a virtual airline which I had recently joined. I’ve been flying for various VA’s for over 20 years, but this is the first United Airlines VA I’ve been a member of. I’ve been having a lot of fun flying for virtual United Airlines. Anyway, vUAL has various awards which members can achieve. One of the awards I’m interested in is the 50 State Capital Tour. Of course this tour consists of flying to each of the United States capital cities. I’ve begun mapping out how I might do this and I’m considering doing a similar blog style to report progress of the route segments. Most likely I won’t start this until after the WorldFlight tour has been completed. I guess what I need to say next is, time will tell. Let’s get on with this update.
History of City
Jackson is a town in the Jackson Hole valley of Teton County, Wyoming. The population of Jackson is approx. 10,000. The area surrounding the town was originally populated by Native American tribes including the Shoshoni, Crow, Blackfeet, Bannock and Gros Ventre. John Colter entered Jackson Hole during the winter of 1807/1808 during the return journey of the Lewis & Clark expedition. Various points of interest make the Jackson area a popular year-round tourist destination.
History of Country
The United States of America, is a federal republic composed of 50 states, a federal district, five major self-governing territories and various possessions. At 3.8 million square miles, the US is the world’s third largest country by total area and just fractionally smaller than the entire continent of Europe. With a population of over 325 million, the US is the third most populous country.
History of Airport
The Jackson Hole Airport is located seven miles north of Jackson, Wyoming. In 2015, it was the busiest airport in Wyoming by passenger traffic with 313,151 passengers. Jackson Hole is the only commercial airport in the US located inside a national park, in this case Grand Teton.
History of Airline
Delta Airlines, is a major United States airline with its headquarters and largest hub at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. The airline, along with its subsidiaries and regional affiliates, operates over 5,400 flights daily and serves an extensive domestic and international network that includes 319 destinations in 54 countries on six continents. Delta is one of the five remaining legacy carriers and is the 6th oldest operating airline by foundation date and the oldest airline to still be operating in the United States.
Flight Briefing
DAL1066
KMSP – KJAC
Planned Fuel – 17,000 lbs
Planned Altitude – 36,000
Distance – 755nm
Flight Time – 2hr, 15min
Route: DWN7 ABR J32 CZI DCT DNW
Flight Journal
Another semi-early flight out of Minneapolis should have us arriving into Jackson Hole, Wyoming just about lunch time. Our travelers are anxious to arrive in Wyoming as that will once again mean a slightly longer break (much like we had in Madeira) and the hope of some cooler weather. The high temperature forecasted for Minneapolis today is in the low 90’s compared to Jackson Hole where the temp will struggle to break into the low 70’s.
Our flight today will be flown in a Delta Airlines Airbus A319. We’re loaded, the doors are closed and we’re just waiting for pushback.
We’re ready to blast out of KMSP.
Up, up and away and goodbye to the Twin Cities.
Our little Airbus quickly climbs to our cruising altitude of 36,000’ and we’re headed pretty much due west across Minnesota, South Dakota and Wyoming.
As we fly further west, the clouds are starting to build.
Beginning our descent. Hoping we’ll have a clear view of the approach into Jackson Hole as it’s really spectacular.
Ahhh…beautiful as we descend through the cloud layer.
See what I mean? The beautiful Grand Teton’s
Gear down with the Snake River in the background.
While our tourists are a bit early for the ski season, there’s plenty to do in the Jackson Hole area during the summer months.
On final approach into KJAC.
Short final view.
Quite a busy day today at the Jackson Hole airport. A company 757 along with an American and United Airlines flight are getting ready to push back and head to their destinations while a few small Cessna aircraft are doing some pattern work.
Simulator Specifics
Prepar3d v4.3
ActiveSky Weather Engine
ActiveSky Cloud Art
Envtex & Envshade
FSLabs Airbus A319 (Delta Airlines livery)
Flightbeam KMSP Scenery
Orbx Jackson Hole Airport (KJAC)
Orbx Global Texture
Orbx FTX Global openLC North America
VATSIM
Route Planning Tools
AivlaSoft, PFPX & Simbrief
Navigraph Charts Desktop
FlightAware
FlightRadar24
SkyVector
Google Maps
Computer Hardware Specs
As mentioned in the last update, our travelers will spend the next week exploring the Jackson Hole area of Wyoming including both Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks, the Shoshone National Forest and will take a trip over to Idaho to explore the Craters of the Moon National Monument. The weather forecast over the next several days will be a nice change and I’m sure will be enjoyed by all. We’ll soon depart Jackson Hole for Vancouver (or also known as Raincouver), British Columbia Canada.
Until then….
Happy Flying!
JT
September 17, 2018 / admin / 0 Comments
As a follow up to last weeks article on “Learning a Study Level Aircraft”, I thought I would follow it up with my recommendations for your first payware, study level aircraft purchase. Because not all virtual pilots are interested in jet tubeliners, I’m going to throw out two recommendations with the first being a GA or General Aviation type and the second being a jet tubeliner.
The Fine Print
The recommendations I will provide are add-ons that I own and enjoy very much. Neither are overly complicated assuming you approach both with an understanding that their operational characteristics vary greatly from the freeware/default type aircraft you may be accustomed to flying. In addition, I will also just (as a reminder) encourage you to conduct your own research just to make sure your PC meets the recommended specifications to run the payware add-on aircraft. While it really makes very little difference regarding the flight sim platform you use (FSX, FSX:SE, P3D v2, P3D v3 or P3D v4) just keep in mind that if you are running something other than P3D v4, you may be required to repurchase the add-on when/if you upgrade. Let’s get started…
A2A Cessna 172 Trainer
I’m almost of the belief that every virtual pilot should own this aircraft. I think it just makes sense. After all, pretty much all the basics of flight can be learned and that knowledge finely tuned in this aircraft. The A2A Cessna 172 Trainer is available from A2A Simulations and most will agree is the finest study level general aviation aircraft you can purchase. Depending on your sim platform, this wonderful aircraft will run you from $49.99 – $79.99. The A2A Cessna 172 Trainer is feature rich and designed to be flown by the book. I’ve spent hours and hours and several more hours just flying around. It’s the perfect airplane for really taking in all the eye candy available in Orbx sceneries.
PMDG 737NGX
My readers shouldn’t be surprised that the PMDG 737NGX is my recommended and truly “must have” jet tubeliner. Much like the A2A Cessna, the PMDG 737 is one that should be in everyone’s virtual hangar. Yes, I know it’s extremely difficult to perhaps not choose the beautiful PMDG Queen of the Skies Boeing 747-400 or the incredibly beautiful PMDG Boeing 777. Likewise, the QualityWings Boeing 787 Dreamliner is also gaining a lot of traction in the community. But if you’re a Boeing fan, and you are interested in jet aircraft…then the PMDG 737NGX really should be in your hangar.
Once you master the 737 and understand the “Boeing Way”, the rest of the Boeing family of aircraft will almost be a piece of cake. The other advantage with starting with the NGX is this aircraft truly is the workhorse in the airline industry. Just about every major airline has (or have had) a fleet of Boeing 737’s and it’s the perfect short to medium haul aircraft.
Depending on your flight sim platform, the PMDG 737NGX (-800/900) will run you $69.99 – $89.99. The 737-600/700 expansion will run you another $24.99.
In Summary
As I often say, there’s no right or wrong way to do things. The hobby of flight simulation is no different. There are virtual pilots who only prefer general aviation and there are those who only enjoy flying the jets. Of course, there are lots who enjoy both and the A2A Cessna 172 and the PMDG 737NGX are the best in class for these two flight sim areas. Get one or get both and enjoy the experience. Thanks for reading!
Until next time…
Happy Flying!!!
Jerry
September 15, 2018 / admin / 0 Comments
As I pointed out early on in our WorldFlight tour, most of the airports we’ve landed/departed from are default scenery airports. While for the most part, the runway and taxiway configurations are somewhat accurate…the other buildings and such are not. I use the word “somewhat” because much of what we see in default Prepar3D is all based on FSX scenery. Or said another way, much of what we see in P3D, is how things looked waaaay back in the 2006 timeframe. Once we depart Ottawa, the next several destinations including Minneapolis/St. Paul (KMSP), Jackson Hole (KJAC), Vancouver BC (CYVR) and Sitka Alaska (PASI) will be payware scenery which very closely represents the true look of the airports.
To sync things up with my current real world schedule, I’m writing this blog update on the 12 of August and it will appear for you to read on the 15 of September. We’ve yet to leave for Europe and when you’re reading this we’ve been back at home about a week. I plan to fly and write up one more update post before leaving for vacation as this will give me some buffer and give me time to settle back into the work/life schedule once we get back.
History of City
Minneapolis/St. Paul, also known as the Twin Cities is a major metropolitan area build around the Mississippi, Minnesota and St. Croix rivers in east central Minnesota.
History of Country
The United States of America, is a federal republic composed of 50 states, a federal district, five major self-governing territories and various possessions. At 3.8 million square miles, the US is the world’s third largest country by total area and just fractionally smaller than the entire continent of Europe. With a population of over 325 million, the US is the third most populous country.
History of Airport
Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport is located 10 miles of both downtown Minneapolis and downtown Saint Paul, it is the largest and busiest airport in the six-state Upper Midwest region of Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, North and South Dakota and Wisconsin. KMSP is the 17th busiest airport in the US and the 49th busiest in the world.
History of Airline
American Airlines is a major United States airline headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. American is the world’s largest airline when measured by fleet size, revenue, scheduled passengers and number of destinations served. American, together with its regional partners, operate an extensive international and domestic network with an average of nearly 6,700 flights per day to nearly 350 destinations in more than 50 countries. American Airlines fleet size is approx. 955 aircraft.
Flight Briefing
AAL1066
CYOW – KMSP
Planned Fuel – 15,000 lbs
Planned Altitude – 38,000
Distance – 742nm
Flight Time – 2hr, 10min
Route: YOW Q824 MENKO NOSIK Q812 ZOHAN IDIOM MUSCL3
Flight Journal
Over the past few flight legs, our travelers have been accustomed to afternoon, or late afternoon departures. However, today we’re getting an early start out of Ottawa and plan to arrive in Minneapolis before lunch. Our travelers will clear US customs here in Ottawa which will significantly reduce the time normally required before we can proceed to the hotel. Our aircraft for this leg is an American Airlines Boeing 737-800.
We can’t leave until all the bags are loaded.
Push-back and taxi complete, we’re clear for take-off. Let’s GO!!!!!
Goodbye Canada, next stop the USA.
Climbing out of Ottawa.
The Rideau River in the background as we continue our climb-out to our cruise altitude.
I’ll admit, I wasn’t sure how much I would really care for the new American livery. I had always been a fan of their shiny aluminum look. But the more I fly their new livery, the more I do like it.
Flying over Lake Michigan as we cross from Michigan into Wisconsin.
Flying over the mighty Mississippi River as we begin our approach into the Minneapolis/Saint Paul Airport.
Looks like pretty descent farm land.
Just a few of the 10,000 lakes that can be found in the state of Minnesota.
Hazy conditions on final approach.
Clear to land.
Please remain seated with your seatbelt securely fastened until I turn off the seat belt sign.
Simulator Specifics
Prepar3d v4.3
ActiveSky Weather Engine
ActiveSky Cloud Art
Envtex & Envshade
PMDG Boeing 737-800 (American Airlines livery)
Flightbeam KMSP Scenery
Orbx Global Texture
Orbx FTX Global openLC North America
VATSIM
Route Planning Tools
AivlaSoft, PFPX & Simbrief
Navigraph Charts Desktop
FlightAware
FlightRadar24
SkyVector
Google Maps
Computer Hardware Specs
Another flight leg is officially in the books. We’ll next fly down to Jackson Hole, Wyoming where our travelers will spend a week exploring the area including Yellowstone National Park, Grand Teton National Park, Shoshone National Forest, Craters of the Moon National Monument and many other sites in the area.
As always, thanks for reading this tour update. Have a wonderful day!
Until next time…
Happy Flying!
JT
September 12, 2018 / admin / 0 Comments
Hello to my wonderful and loyal readers. We’re back in the USA…well sort of. I’m writing this update before we actually left for vacation, but as my dad would say “The Good Lord willing and the creek don’t rise”, we should be back home, back to work and trying to figure out how to sleep through the night without waking up at 2 AM as you are reading this. It typically doesn’t take me very long to get back on my schedule. The first couple of days are a bit brutal and coffee, good strong coffee is usually the thing that keeps me going then once home I fight the urge to crash at 7 PM. After 2-3 days I’m back to my routines and all is once again right with the world.
When I began this tour waaaaaaayyyy back in early June, I really had no idea when it would wrap. I know I told you all that if I could make it wrap up around the time of the actual WorldFlight event I would. But with 46 flights, 36,000 miles and no telling how many hours…the target was a moving one at best. However, now that we’re past the half-way mark and now that I’ve actually managed to build up a queue of almost 5 weeks of flights, I have a pretty good idea when I can say this tour will end.
The actual WorldFlight 2018 begins on 3 November and wraps up a week later on 10 November. Now if I continue to release two flight updates each week, it means I’ll conclude my tour on 17 November (a week after the actual tour finishes). So my plan is simple. Once I get back from vacation, get over my jetlag and get caught up…I’ll increase my blog update schedule so that the final flight of this tour ends on 10 November (just as the official event). So basically, as you are reading this update…we’ll wrap all this up in just two months. Now let’s get flying….
History of City
Ottawa is the capital city of Canada and stands on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of southern Ontario. Founded in 1826 as Bytown and incorporated as Ottawa in 1855, the city has evolved into the political center of Canada with a population of just over 964,000 and a metropolitan population of 1.3 million, Ottawa is the 4th largest city in Canada.
History of Country
Canada is a country located in the northern part of North America. Canada is comprised of ten provinces and three territories which extend from the Atlantic to the Pacific and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering 3.85 million square miles, making it the world’s second-largest country by total area. Canada’s southern border with the United States is the world’s longest bi-national land border. The capital of Canada is Ottawa.
History of Airport
Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport is an international airport named after the Canadian statesmen and two of the founding fathers of Canada, Sir John A Macdonald and Sir George-Etienne Cartier. The airport is the 6th busiest airport in Canada. The airport is one of eight Canadian airports that have United States border preclearance facilities.
History of Airline
Air Canada is the flag carrier and largest airline of Canada by both fleet size and passengers carried. Founded in 1937, Air Canada’s corporate headquarters are in Montreal, Quebec with its largest hub at Toronto Pearson Airport. Air Canada’s total fleet size consists of 415 aircraft including all Air Canada subsidiaries (Air Canada Cargo, Air Canada Express, Air Canada Jetz and Air Canada Rouge). Together with its regional partners, the airline operates on average more than 1,602 scheduled flights daily.
Flight Briefing
ACA1066
CYYR – CYOW
Planned Fuel – 19,500 lbs
Planned Altitude – 36,000
Distance – 762nm
Flight Time – 2hr, 30min
Route: YYR L600 YZV V316 PESAC T781 AGLUK T731 TAKOL
Flight Journal
Our 27th leg has started off much like the 1st, with rain and lots of it. Rain has pretty much been the theme during our stay in the Goose Bay area. But considering the extremely hot and dry conditions our group experienced in the Africa and Europe legs, the cooler and even damp conditions have been a welcome change. The ground crew at Goose Bay have been extremely helpful and we’re assisting Air Canada in moving one of their newly painted Airbus A320’s down to Ottawa.
Loading on our required fuel for this leg of the journey.
Our passengers have arrived and will soon be boarding. Their bags are enroute to the aircraft as well.
The bags have arrived and are being carefully (yea right) onto the aircraft.
Fuel – check, Baggage – check, Passengers and Crew – check. Time to pushback and get on our way.
We’ve had lots of cloudy departures, but not very many wet/rainy ones. Taxing out to the active runway.
Cleared for take-off.
Blasting out of Goose Bay and on our way to Ottawa.
Making our turn to the right to join the SID or Standard Instrument Departure course out of Goose Bay.
The rain continues to fall as we’re climbing out. We’ll soon be above the clouds and clear of this weather.
Finding ourselves in another cloud sandwich.
The view from the flight deck. Keeping an eye on the weather radar. ATC vectored us around the strongest of the cells and we should be in clear skies shortly.
There we go. Clear skies all around.
Cruising at flight level 360 as we zoom across Quebec.
Nice lush landscape as we begin our descent into the Ottawa area.
On final approach into the Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport.
Runway in view.
Cleared to land.
Our passengers are able to deboard via the airport jetbridge and will also be able to clear US customs here in the Ottawa airport.
Simulator Specifics
Prepar3d v4.3
ActiveSky Weather Engine
ActiveSky Cloud Art
Envtex & Envshade
FSLabs Airbus A320 (Air Canada livery)
Orbx Global Texture
Orbx FTX Global openLC North America
VATSIM
Route Planning Tools
AivlaSoft, PFPX & Simbrief
Navigraph Charts Desktop
FlightAware
FlightRadar24
SkyVector
Google Maps
Computer Hardware Specs
My plan is to fly two more legs of the tour before I leave for vacation which should place us in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. This will mean that while I arrive back home on the 7th of September, I will have a two week buffer. I most likely will get started flying the tour segments once again within a few days of arriving back home, but in the event I’m just too busy then I’ll have the flexibility. As mentioned at the top of this article, I do plan to double up a few postings either in late September or early October so that we can complete the tour around time of the official tour wrapping up.
Thanks for reading this tour update. Have a great day!
Until next time….
Happy Flying!!!
JT
September 10, 2018 / admin / 0 Comments
Tomorrow marks the 17th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. Tomorrow I’ll begin my day just like I did on 11 September 2001 and each year since. I’ll wake up early, take my shower, get dressed and head downstairs for my morning coffee and to watch the morning news. I’ll spend a few minutes thinking about my grandfather as this year would have marked his 98th birthday, then between the thoughts of my grandfather and the images of the 9/11 memorials, reading of the names and the moments of silence, this 52 year old man will ball his eyes out for much of the rest of the morning.
On the morning of Tuesday, 11 September 2001…it was like any other morning for me. My weekday morning ritual hasn’t changed much since college. For much of my adult life I have been an early riser. At this particular time in my life I was living alone. My now wife (who I had met a few months prior) was still living in England and I was scheduled to leave Denver to fly to London on Friday, 14 September. I had just sat down on my sofa with coffee in hand about 6:30 AM MT. I remember (just like it was yesterday) the morning news anchors (Fox News) talking about what a beautiful fall-like day it was in New York City. As I only lived about 5 minutes from my office, I would often leave my apartment about 6:45 AM to allow myself plenty of time to be in the office just before 7. But this morning…and I can’t explain why, I felt the need to stay on the sofa a bit longer and finish that first cup of coffee.
The first plane hit the World Trade Center at 6:46 AM MT. Within what just felt like seconds, Fox News was showing the smoke pouring from the north tower. The news folks kept talking about what a beautiful day it was in NYC and initial speculation was somehow a sightseeing aircraft must have accidently crashed into the WTC. Being interested in aviation, I decided to continue watching the news that morning for just a few minutes longer. With my coffee cup in one hand, and the TV remote in the other…I was just about to click the off button when the second plane crashed into the south tower. It was obviously clear the first plane was no accident and something terrible was playing out before our very eyes.
At the time, I was working for a small tech company and part of my day to day role dealt with crisis management, business continuity and disaster recovery. Without knowing everything that was occurring in New York City, I decided I had better get to the office as we had offices and customers in the NYC area and I would need to begin looking into how these events would impact our operations. By the time I reached the office, the third plane had crashed into the Pentagon and we all watched in shock and horror as both the South and North towers collapsed and we eventually learned of the fourth plane crashing in Pennsylvania.
In the days after the attacks, I would come home, have dinner and watch the news to try to understand what had happened and why. Generally just before bedtime, I would go for a walk around the park next to my apartment. The extremely noticeable lack of aircraft was deafening.
What does all this have to do with flight sim?
Just a few months prior to the 9/11 attacks, the VATSIM network began operations and I had just started flying (virtually of course) for an American Airlines virtual airline. Just a few days before 9/11 I had assumed the role of VP of Operations of the VA. After the attacks of 9/11 and during the period of time the FAA had grounded all civilian air traffic, VATSIM also shut down their servers out of respect. As I felt then, and still do to this day…the actions taken by VATSIM were correct and extremely commendable.
What I’m going to say next is going to be very unlike me. I don’t typically mix politics and/or real world issues into my writings. But in the days after 9/11, everywhere you looked American flags were proudly flying. We were all Americans…we were all proud to be Americans and we stood behind our President as proud Americans. Today, 17 years later…we barely resemble the same country. We’re as divided as we’ve ever been in my lifetime and there’s so much hate towards not only our President, but also for law enforcement. No longer can people simply just disagree. Disagreement often leads to various accusations including racism, sexism etc.
I pray daily for peace, I pray daily that the events we witnessed on this day 17 years ago won’t happen again and I pray daily for our country. I pray that we as once proud Americans can once again be at peace with one another and that patriotic spirit which makes this the greatest country on earth can heal our divided wounds.
Thank you for reading.
Jerry
P.S. I’ll return next Monday with my usual non-political style of writing, until then…..may God continue to bless us all and may we all strive for peace and kindness in everything we do.
September 8, 2018 / admin / 0 Comments
As our travelers depart Greenland to begin the North American segment of our 2018 WorldFlight tour, in the real world my wife and I will be spending our last day/evening in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England. Tomorrow (9 Sept) we will head into London and London Heathrow for our British Airways flight back to Denver. Just as a reminder, I’m writing these updates before even leaving on vacation. At the time I’m writing this update, it’s about two and a half weeks before we leave. Upon returning, I’ll be sure to fill you all in on the vacation trip. My plan is to continue flying these tour legs and writing up the blog postings until we leave, so hopefully by the time we actually leave the US for Belgium, I’ll have completed most of the North American flights, this way I have a bit of a buffer where I can ease back into my work life (which will be busy), but continue to keep these flight updates coming to you on a regular basis.
History of City
Located in the central part of Labrador on the coast of Lake Melville and the Grand River, Happy Valley-Goose Bay is the largest population center in this region of Canada.
History of Country
Canada is a country located in the northern part of North America. Canada is comprised of ten provinces and three territories which extend from the Atlantic to the Pacific and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering 3.85 million square miles, making it the world’s second-largest country by total area. Canada’s southern border with the United States is the world’s longest bi-national land border. The capital of Canada is Ottawa.
History of Airport
Goose Bay, is a Canadian Forces Base operated by the Royal Canadian Air Force, but also has shared use operations with several civilian airlines.
History of Airline
Air Transat is a Canadian low-cost leisure airline based in Montreal, Quebec operating both scheduled and charter flights serving 63 destinations in 30 countries.
Flight Briefing
TSC1066
BGTL – CYYR
Planned Fuel – 24,000 lbs
Planned Altitude – 38,000
Distance – 1405nm
Flight Time – 3hr, 30min
Route: THT NADMA NALDI MUSLO DUVBI YYR
Flight Journal
Our travelers began their world tour way back on 6 June when we departed Sydney, Australia and with another two months ago they are just a little over the half-way mark of their trip. This leg will start the North American tour segment and will have them visiting three different airports in Canada, two airports in the lower 48 of the United States and two different airports in Alaska before heading to Russia, Japan and China as we make our way back down under to our starting point of Sydney. We’ve shifted our schedule slightly and will have another tour break once reaching Jackson Hole, Wyoming and another shorter break in Sitka, Alaska.
We’re all present and accounted for, so let’s get started. Our journey today is just over 1,400 miles and we should land in Goose Bay just before the sun sets.
Goodbye Greenland! You were a wonderful host.
A cloudy departure out of Greenland.
A little bit bumpy as we climb out.
A much smoother ride at our cruising altitude of 38,000 feet. Our Air Transat B737-700 is one of the more colorful liveries we’ve had thus far.
Almost to our destination. The Grand River just off our right wing. We’ll see that again shortly.
Making our turn to final.
Once again, the Grand River as we’re on final approach into Goose Bay.
That’s a gorgeous river.
Clear to land as we fly over the Grand River once again.
Parked up and awaiting the bus who will take our travelers to customs and then on to the hotel.
Simulator Specifics
Prepar3d v4.3
ActiveSky Weather Engine
ActiveSky Cloud Art
Envtex & Envshade
PMDG Boeing 737-700 (Air Transat livery)
Orbx Global Texture
Orbx FTX Global openLC North America
VATSIM
Route Planning Tools
AivlaSoft & PFPX
Navigraph Charts Desktop
FlightAware
FlightRadar24
SkyVector
Google Maps
Computer Hardware Specs
Another long, but exciting flight is in the logbook. Our stay in Goose Bay will be brief. Soon we’ll depart for Ottawa. I hope you’ll join us as we continue our 2018 WorldFlight Tour.
Until next time…
Happy Flying!
Jerry
