October 3, 2010 / admin / 0 Comments
After a really long two first days of flying to get me all the way across to the east coast of Greenland, I didn’t want to lose the momentum. So today is day 3 of flying and also the third consecutive day. Please make sure you read this post to better understand why I’m doing an around the world flight and then read this post to get caught up on the first two days of flying. Additionally, you can track my progress by clicking on the Around the World – 2010 button at the top of the page. You’ll find a link to my Google map which shows my route.
My position as of this posting is ULLI (St. Petersburg, Russia)
I’ve traveled a total of 5577 nm
I’ve burned a total of 533 gallons of fuel
I’ve flown a total of 29.5 hours
My next destination is EDDI (Berlin, Germany)
Day Three – Leg 7 & 8
Day three really began much the same as the three previous days. Having not arrived until late lastnight, I allowed myself a nice sleep in. I didn’t have to go far to determine the current weather conditions at BGKK (Kulusuk, Greenland). I stuck my head out of the motel door and saw it was raining. It was a gentle rain…but rain no less. But hey…this is flying and not baseball….the show must go on. Especially since I know what can happen when the temp drops. The rain turns into snow or freezing rain and that would be a show stopper for sure.
The weather report for both my departing location (BGKK) and my next arrival location BIRK (Reykjavik, Iceland) were much the same. BIRK does have a couple of ILS approaches (unlike BGKK) and I figured I was safe to start my journey. I settled up at the airport, inspected my Mooney and it was time to go.
On the runway at BGKK in the rain. First rain of the trip.
I busted through the cloud tops around 12K and eased on up to my crusing altitude. My flying time from Kulusuk to Reykjavik should just be a little over 2 hours at a distance of just short of 400 nm. I’m reaching the decision point for how I continue the journey beyond the 9th leg fairly quickly. After departing Reykjavik, I’m headed for EKVG (Faroe Island). I may have referred to BITN in a previous post, but I was mistaken. Once I arrive at EKVG I have to different directions I can go. I can turn south and head for Scotland or I can continue my southeast drop and head for the Nordic Countries of Norway, Sweden and Finland.
Now, my Around the World – 2010 Adventure is not about collecting countries. It’s also not simply about just flying around the world. If that were the case I would continue flying east across Russia and enter North America through Alaska. Which will eventually be my crossing point to get back home, but I don’t expect to see that route anytime soon.
No, this trip is about experiencing the FSX flight sim world in areas I’ve never been and re-experiencing some old favorites but at a much lower and slower pace. Plus it is about accomplishing a goal the way I want to accomplish it. So having bored you with that ramble, I’ve decided I would continue southeast and enter Europe through Norway. I plan to make my way across Norway, Sweden and Finland then drop south into Russia and Eastern Europe and make my way somewhat along the northern edge to Spain and then drop into Africa. I will probably head back across the Mediterranean to Italy, then Greece and then setup for a tour through the Holy Land and Egypt. How and where from there is all undecided and even all of the proposed route I’ve just identified is all subject to change.
One more thought. I think if I were making this trip in real-life, I would steer clear of the major cities and I would “take in” the country culture in the smaller towns and villages. After all, when my wife and I visit Belgium about every two years…it’s the small Belgium villages that most appear to me and not the hustle and bustle of the city. However, in the FSX world most of these smaller villages and towns (while their airport may be depicted) there isn’t a lot to see. So as I get closer into the the heart of Europe and beyond, I’ll seek out the smaller GA airports in the larger metropolitan towns. A quick example of what I’m talking about is with London. Instead of flying into Heathrow or Gatwick, I plan to fly into London City.
By the time I made it to Reykjavik the weather system which produced rain was gone and the weather was just beautiful. FSX did produce some blowing snow on the runway which was a nice feature considering I was in Iceland. But the sun was shining and visibility was much improved from earlier. It was also sort of nice to get back into ATC controlled airspace once again.
On final into BIRK. No need for ILS approach.
The city of Reykjavik out the left side window of the Mooney. This is why I invested in the TripleHead2Go and two extra LCD’s.
I grabbed a late lunch, fueled up the Mooney for the second leg of today’s journey over to EKVG. This will be another short hop and a little over 2 hour flying time. The weather and visibility had improved from the time I landed. Iceland looks beautiful from the side windows today.
Position and Hold at BIRK.
The flight from BIRK to EKVG was uneventful as has been most of the flights so far. Heading into the Faroe Islands the rain started again as I dropped through the clouds. Once within 10 miles of the airfield the rain stopped. The approach into the Faroe Islands is beautiful as shown in the pictures below.
On Final into EKVG.
Left window view. Approach into EKVG.
Having covered over 1500 nm on day one and 1750 nm on day two, todays mere 814 nm is a drop in the bucket. But I’m still averaging over 1350 nm per day. This will certainly drop over time, but I have no concerns about maintaining any sort of daily mileage goal.
Day Four – Leg 9 & 10
Day four of the journey began much the same way day three did. It was raining on the Faroe Islands. I had made the decision for the next half dozen flight legs and where they would be taking me. I would depart EKVG for ENGM(Oslo, Norway). The flight leg was just over 550 nm and would position me to then proceed through Sweden, Finland and into Western Russia with St. Petersburg being the only Russia stop I would make for now. I’ll see more of Russia (Asiatic Russia) in the weeks and months to come.
The Faroe Islands off the port side.
Approaching the coast of Norway.
The view from port side as we approach Oslo, Norway
On final into ENGM – Oslo, Norway.
I grabbed some food and fueled up the Mooney just before the rain started. Leg #2 will take me across southern Sweden and Finland enroute to ULLI (St. Petersburg, Russia). Today will be a easier flying day but still covering over 1000 nm. From St. Petersburg I’ll fly southwest into eastern Europe.
Fedex flight heading back to the US from ENGM. The World On-Time.
Position and Hold – Runway 19R at ENGM headed for St. Petersburg, Russia.
I chose St. Petersburg as my final destination east. From there I’ll turn and head in a southwest direction into eastern Europe to Berlin, Germany. From Warsaw I plan to head to Antwerp, Belgium (where my Mother/Father-in-law live in real life). Once I reach Antwerp, I’ll probably continue flying southwest into France, then into Spain to Gibraltar where I’ll briefly cross into Africa and fly up the coast to Tunis and head over to Italy.
Of the Russian cities, I believe St. Petersburg appeals to me more than Moscow and hopefully one day I’ll visit in real-life. I’ve traveled some throughout Europe since meeting my wife who grew up in Belgium and has lived in Switzerland and London (where we met). She and I have traveled to Rome and plan to visit Paris next summer. I’m really looking forward to that.
Crossing the Gulf of Finland headed for St. Petersburg. The sun is setting fast.
Flying downwind runway 28R at ULLI
On final for runway 28R at ULLI, St. Petersburg Russia
This has been the perfect end of two awesome flying days. As previously stated, tomorrow I hope to begin making my way down into eastern Europe and plan to be in Antwerp, Belgium at the end of the evening.
Thanks to all who have commented. Please keep them coming.
Until next time,
J
October 1, 2010 / admin / 0 Comments
Just taking a few minutes to update everyone on my around the world adventure. I plan to provide updates every four to six legs. Here is my first update. Please read this post to get the general idea of why I’m doing an around the world flight and how I’m accomplishing it.
My position as of this posting is BGKK (Kulusuk, Greenland)
I’ve traveled a total of 3264 nm
I’ve burned a total of 325 gallons of fuel
I’ve flown a total of 18.75 hours
My next destination is BIRK (Reykjavik, Iceland)
Day One – Leg 1-2
I began the first of what will probably be many flight legs on 30 September 2010. As discussed inthis post, I have no expectations on how long this trip will take. I can tell you based on day one experience, I can cover a little over 1500 nm’s in a little over 8 hours. But keep in mind that this is includes one fuel stop. While I believe I covered a lot of ground on day one, I have much, much more ground and water to cover in the coming days, weeks and months.
While I state I have no expectation regarding the amount of time this journey will take me, I do plan to be in Greenland at the end of the 5th leg and in Iceland at the end of the 7th leg. This is as far as I’ve planned out at this point. From Iceland I have many options. I can drop down into the United Kingdom or slide over into the Nordics. Right now I’m leaning toward coming down into the UK, enter Europe and drop down through Spain into Africa. But like I said, I haven’t really planned much past Iceland.
I departed KAPA (Centennial, Colorado USA) on Thursday, 30 September 2010. I knew I wanted to travel in an easterly direction and plotted a course that would take me up into northeastern Canada. I planned to spend the first night somewhere deep inside Canadian territory.
Not having much previous experience in the Mooney Bravo(other than casual flying around) I wanted to make sure the published range was fairly accurate. So I set a first leg for St. Paul, MN (KSTP). This first leg would be a short stint at just 632 nm.
Departing runway 35 at KAPA. When will I see this airport again?
Just a minute or two into the air. My real world home is located just to the left of the lake in the background.
The flight to KSTP (St. Paul, MN) was uneventful. The weather today all along the trip was perfect flying weather. I encountered a lot of cloud cover as I approached Waskaganish, Quebec (CYKQ). The runway at CYKQ is gravel, but very well maintained. There was even a small amount of traffic around the airfield as I was approaching. I would be calling it a night here and getting some much needed rest so I can continue on my journey soon (hopefully tomorrow).
Short Final into CYKQ to complete the second leg of a multi-leg journey
On the ground and parked at CYKQ. I’m thankful they have a nice security fence to protect my Mooney tonight.
Day Two – Leg 3-6
Day two began early reviewing weather forecasts with a good cup of coffee. The goal today is to continue flying northeast through Quebec, Canada headed for a crossing over to Nuuk, Greenland. I’m approaching the next half-dozen flight legs with a little bit of urgency. While we’re just easing into fall, the weather this far north could be unpredictable at best.
The Mooney Bravo handles beautifully. I estimate I have a dozen or more hours in this aircraft prior to starting this journey. I’ve flown the Mooney around the rockies to airports like KASE(Aspen, CO) and KEGE(Eagle County). Each time I was impressed with the power and maneuverability of this fine aircraft. She is performing just great on this trip. But enough about all this…let’s get going.
As I said the day began early. well before sunrise as much needed planning needed to be done to determine the days activities. I left a mild, Denver yesterday with day time highs in the mid to upper 70’s. This morning in Waskaganish it was cold….really cold with a morning temp near freezing. As I looked over weather reports for the route ahead, I did take a minute to watch Ten Minute Taxi. I really love this show on Youtube. Check out Shane’s recent episode by visiting the Ten Minute Taxi page here. You can thank me later.
Dawn at CYKQ to begin day two.
Armed with the critical information I needed, it was time to head out to the airport. My Mooney was just where I left it. I settled up and paid for the overnight parking and fuel. If all goes as planned today I’ll be making a hard effort to complete at least two flight legs today. If I’m lucky, I’ll make three.
Today’s first leg (the 3rd leg of the journey) will be from CYKQ (Waskaganish, Quebec) to CYVP(Kuujjuaq, Quebec). It’s a short leg of just over 550 nm, but I didn’t want to take any chances on fuel. So the plan is to land in CYVP, refuel then depart for CYFB (Iqaluit). Once refueled and a quick check of the weather a decision will need to be made if I push on to BGGH (Nuuk, Greenland).
Ready to go at CYKQ
Heavy cloud cover between CYKQ and CYVP. Nice tail number huh?
Lined up runway 07 at CYVP
The Mooney being serviced at CYVP for her next leg to CYFB. Are we there yet?
Making great time and the weather has been great. It’s cold….but that’s OK. If the schedule continues this smooth I’ll spend the night tonight on the west coast of Greenland.
On final approach runway 35 at CYFB. Is that snow I see to the right?
Once on the ground at CYFB (Iqaluit, Quebec). I will take some time to have lunch, re-fuel and research weather conditions. I’m making great time today and plan to make the crossing over from Canada to Greenland this evening.
Make note of the screenshot below. I use MyTraffic X with FSX and it does a wonderful job depicting the aircraft one might see at the various airports. You won’t see the generic AI flying around or find aircraft here you wouldn’t see. The “First Air” aircraft you see would be found here at Iqaluit and it is even mentioned here on the wiki page. As Real As It Gets!
Taxing to parking at CYFB. MyTraffic X does a good job representing the aircraft you would see at this airport.
I departed CYFB after having a bite to eat and getting the Mooney fueled up. This next leg will take me due east across the Labrador Sea to the small town of Nuuk, Greenland. I say small town, however, it is the capital of Greenland and over 15,000 residents call it home.
Heading east from CYFB. The Canadian Coastline is in view. This course will take me across the Labrador Sea over to Nuuk, Greenland.
The Labrador Sea crossing is perhaps the largest body of water I will encounter (at least in one go) for a while. The next major ocean crossing will occur soon when I depart the east coast of Greenland for Iceland. Then again from Iceland southeast to the Faroe Islands just before either dropping south to the United Kingdom or continuing east to the Nordics. I just haven’t decided as of yet. But I will say that I’m leaning towards touring through the Nordics. But hey….I need to get to the Faroe Islands first.
Finally the west coast of Greenland is in sight. Now that I’m officially out of North America I feel like I’m making progress.
As the caption above states, runway 23 at BGGH was listed at 3110 feet. The end of the runway came much quicker than expected. But I managed to stop and all is good. Perhaps it is just a perception that it was really short. Anyway…it’s great to be on the ground in Greenland. I grapped a snack, serviced the Mooney and decided today would be a great day to head to the east coast of Greenland. I’ll call it a rather long day, but a good day over in Kulusuk, Greenland. I departed BGGH and am headed to BGKK.
Awesome moon scape as I fly across the tip of Greenland.
Most of this crossing was in the dark as it gets dark much earlier this far north. But I’m anxious to get across this portion of the globe and get into Europe. I plan to visit countries and regions that I’ve never explored in flight simulation and re-explore some old favorites. The more I look at both the progress I’ve made and all the places I plan to explore, I realize this truly will be a long, long journey.
But the bottom line is this. As of this posting I’ve flown a total over 3000 nm and spent over 18 hours doing so. I’ve learned a ton about VFR flying and have really enjoyed the first half-dozen legs. I’ve also learned a lot about the airports and towns I’ve visited. I believe we should all learn more about the places, things and especially the people we share this planet with. Who knows….if we all did this we might all get a long a little better.
Until next time,
JT
September 30, 2010 / admin / 0 Comments
I believe most all flight sim pilots attempt at least one around the world adventure in their sim career. I’ve attempted it several times and have completed it just as many. However, I’ll admit my successful attempts were either not very consistent (using multiple types of aircraft) and in each successful attempt, the adventure was completed in less than 4-6 legs. Meaning in most cases I used a long-range jet like a B747 or B777. In each case, the adventure was fun and I saw a lot of the FS world in doing so. Before I move on, let me just say that any computer pilot who decides to attempt an around the world adventure, there is no right or wrong way of doing it. Do it based on how you want to do it. I guarantee it will be fun and you’ll learn a lot in the process.
For me and my attempt in 2010, I want to do things completely different from my past attempts. First, I don’t plan to use any jet aircraft. I also plan to select one aircraft type and stick with it. After all, if you were trying to accomplish this in real life you would fly one aircraft and only one aircraft.
The way I see this is as follows. First you need to determine what type of aircraft you will fly and second you will need to determine your route. Of course there is a little more to it. Actually, the most important element is to determine your ocean crossing points. This is what I believe dictates both route and aircraft type. It’s easy to cross from Asia into North America, but a little more planning, luck and judgement will need to be used to get from North America into Europe. But it is doable.
The one absolute in all this is I have no expectation on time of completion. I’m not going to set a length of time goal for this adventure. I believe this is where I failed in my previous attempts to do something like this in something other than a B747. If it takes me the rest of the year or beyond…my goal is to complete the adventure and have fun along the way.
Probably in a real-world adventure, one would spend months, perhaps even years planning such an adventure. After all in the real-world a key driver to this would be finances. We don’t have to worry about that in the sim world. In addition, I believe in the real-world one would fully map their course before starting out. This is one approach I plan to differ from. I’m planning to start out on my journey with only a general direction in mind. The rest will fall into place along the way.
The tools I’ll use to plan my route will be my imagination followed closely by FSCommander. I will utilize the mapping and distance measuring capabilities to provide the information I need along the way. In addition, I’ll use a giant 3×4 foot map of the World hanging in my office to help encourage me along the way. I’ll also research weather conditions and plan accordingly since I’ll have real-world weather turned on.
Ground rules? Well…since we are flying there are no ground rules right? Ha ha…OK….poor attempt at humor. But my ground rules are simple. I plan to use a single, default FSX aircraft (non jet) with no time of completion goal. I plan to use ActiveSkyX weather and will fly in real-time (no acceleration).
So why am I doing this? I’m so glad you asked. As I have shared many, many times….I’ve been flying computer sims for over 25 years. Back in the early days all we had to fly was the Cessna. I spent hours and hours and hours in the computer cockpit of the Cessna flying around Meig’s Field in Chicago. Over the years as the flight simulation software developed, I moved up into the larger jets and would rarely ever fly anything smaller.
Since coming back into the hobby, I’ve grown to appreciate the smaller aircraft, grown to appreciate flying lower and slower and taking in the beauty of the sim world around me. So to answer the question of why am I doing this, mainly because I can and just as importanly…because I want to.
Now, back to my planning. My aircraft of choice is the Mooney Bravo. I selected this aircraft over the Cessna models due to its extended range over its single engine counterpart. According to FSCommander, the Cessna 172 has a range of 638 nm and cruise speed of 124 kts. The Mooney provides 412 nm more range and cruises around 190 kts. I believe the Mooney is the best choice of the single engine models available in FSX. I could jump up to the Beech Baron 58 and increase my range and speed even further, but I really want to do this attempt in a single engine aircraft.
The initial route I’ve chosen will take me from my home airport of KAPA (Centennial, Colorado USA) up towards the Northeast. At this point I’m not going to say whether I will stay primarily in the northern hemisphere. There are some sights I would love to see in Africa and Australia is also some place I’d love to visit on a trip like this. At this point, we will just have to wait and see.
I’m really excited about this challenge and the challenge began today. I departed KAPA (Centennial, CO) enroute to KSTP (St. Paul, MN). This first leg is just under 700nm and should give me a good feel for how the aircraft will perform over the coming weeks, months and who knows how long.
I will blog occassionally about the trip, my status etc. But you can see my trip status by clicking the Around the World – 2010 button at the top of the page. I will keep a running journal of my trip on that page.
Until next time,
JT
