As stated in my most recent blog post in almost a year, I’m gearing up to start a new flight simulator adventure that will take me around the world as I zig-zag between northern and southern hemispheres in the Carenado B200 Beechcraft King Air twin-turboprop. This aircraft is a brand new addition to my virtual hangar. While I’ve spent some time in the virtual cockpit of this awesome aircraft, I’ve only managed to spend a few minutes at a time. So the first leg of this adventure is truly important and one I’ll pay close attention to how the aircraft performs based on general specifications of the aircraft.
In 2010, my Mooney had a range of less than 900nm. This meant my average leg flying time was approx. 3-4 hours. The King Air range is about double that of the Mooney, but that doesn’t mean I’ll have 6-8 hours to spend in a single sitting. But of course, with the aircraft upgrade I’ll also have additional airspeed available which I didn’t have with the Mooney. It should all balance out.
The first planned leg will be a long one taking us from the departure airport in Antwerp, Belgium all the way to Casablanca, Morocco. I have plenty of re-fueling options along the way should the need arise. But I want to challenge the suggested performance characteristics of the aircraft while I’m over heavily populated areas versus a large body of water or the Sahara.
I’ve plotted the route for the long journey to carry us over Paris, Madrid, Seville (refuel), Gibraltar then Casablanca with estimated travel time of just under 6 hours.
My new Beechcraft B200 King Air twin-turboprop parked at Antwerp airport EBAW.
Holding short, runway 29 EBAW.
Position and Hold (OK, Line up and Wait) RW 29
Turning southwest towards Paris. The river Scheldt just below.
The port side Pratt & Whitney doing its job.
Sunset over northern Africa
Short final runway 35R Mohammed V International Airport GMMN.
Parked with engines off as the sun sets and a Royal Air Maroc departs.
My passengers are thrilled to make it to Casablanca and will spend a few days sightseeing. Our journey will resume soon as we continue to fly south into the heart of Africa.
Until next time…
Happy Flying!
JT