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Postby kiwibarguy » Fri Jan 25, 2008 9:44 am

Great work mate. Loving the add on scenery! Really enjoying your trip. I can see you've put a lot of work into this one. Keep it up. We should have a welcome group set up on multi-player when you arrive at your destination!
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Postby G-HEVN » Fri Feb 01, 2008 11:41 am

Leg 31 - Palo Alto KPAO to Kalmath Falls KLMT

283 nm, 2.3 hours (total: 13,610 nm, 105 hours)

Sorry this report is delayed - the pictures were captured on my Dell laptop, which has been rather under the weather this last week or so. But thanks to the tender screwdriver of the support engineer, and a replacement graphics card, we can now continue our journey North through California, and into Oregon.





Just about sobered up, although we're having a slight problem maintaining heading on the climb out.Nothing to do with 'resting' my head against the DV window, I'm sure!


It's a murky old day...


.. but as we get away from the city, the rain stops, although the clouds threaten much, much more.


The sky brightens as we head up the Sacremento Valley.


The first hints of snow as we head over the Cascades


Mount Shasta


There's a low undercast near our destination, so we request vectors to the ILS


Xray Papa is localiser established...



And just as we're about to touch down, the sun comes out!
G-HEVN
 

Postby Naki » Fri Feb 01, 2008 3:33 pm

Brrr - looks a bit cold over there! - we are baking over here with record temperatures and now heading into a drought (well parts of the country anyway).
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Postby G-HEVN » Tue Feb 05, 2008 11:41 am

Leg 32 - Klamath Falls KLMT to Victoria CYYJ

395 nm, 3.4 hours (total: 14,005 nm, 108.4 hours)

Continuing North, and heading into Canada...


I think the guy in the tower was a bit of a sadist, making us taxi three quarters the way around the perimeter to get to the runway. By the time we were lining up, I was tempted to call out the refueller! But at least they had a nice heated runway to melt the snow.


White cat in a snow storm. Known Icing? Pah! Anyway, the heaters are on. Still, a heat wave and drought would be welcome just now!


Fortunately the snow seems to be pretty localised, and soon we're into clear air, and can enjoy the view.


The outskirts of Seattle


At 10,000 ft going over Olympic National Park. Fortunately those peaks look closer than they actually are.


Even so, I wouldn't want to be any lower!


We've booked the ILS, and so Approach vectors us out over the islands. There will be a chance to explore later; for now we need to concentrate. Localiser established.


The afternoon sun shines across the strait, as we turn inbound. Clean up the aeroplane, and call final.


Welcome to Canada, and our 'home' for the next few days.


Been tweaking the map display again!
G-HEVN
 

Postby Naki » Tue Feb 05, 2008 1:20 pm

now thats an area I know well from flight sim! where did you get the Victoria scenery from? FSX only?
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Postby kiwibarguy » Fri Feb 08, 2008 1:24 pm

Beautiful shots G-HEVN! The Olympic National Park is a great shot. Keep it up! :plane:
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Postby G-HEVN » Fri Feb 08, 2008 10:21 pm

It's Victoria+ (freeware) by Jon patch and Holger Sandmann. http://www.jonpatch.ca/flightsim/index.html The airport is by Don Grovestine. Both are for FSX and available from Avsim.
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Postby G-HEVN » Mon Mar 17, 2008 11:51 am

Leg 33 - Victoria CYYJ to Edmonton City Centre CYXD

481 nm, 4.3 hours (total: 14,586 nm, 112.7 hours)

I've got myself a bit behind reporting these flights, and hopefully I'll catch up over the next few days!


The plane is packed. The weather has been pretty moderate up to this point. But from here on in, we're headed for the Frozen North...


Climbing out and turning onto track


Pitt Meadows. This might be the last grass we see for a while!


And up into the mountainous interior!


For the moment, the snow is just on the uplands


But soon enough, it's everywhere!


Descending into Edmonton. Good to see they keep the roads clear!


I don't fancy being a train on those tracks!


The route
G-HEVN
 

Postby kiwibarguy » Mon Mar 17, 2008 2:27 pm

That's a nice sizable chunk you have taken out of your trip mate! 4+ hours!! well done!!! glad to see you posting again!
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Postby G-HEVN » Tue Mar 18, 2008 5:39 am

In hindsight, I might have gone North through Yellowknife, and followed the Ice Road, but I'm too far East for that now. Maybe another time... ;)
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Postby G-HEVN » Sun Mar 23, 2008 12:18 pm

Leg 34 - Edmonton City Centre CYXD to Southport Portage CYPG

606 nm, 3.9 hours (total: 15,192 nm, 116.6 hours)


Another long leg, blatting east across Canada in sub-zero temperatures...















The route
G-HEVN
 

Postby kiwibarguy » Thu Oct 30, 2008 8:30 am

Hi there, i was just wondering how your tour was going? I always enjoy seeing your tour and was wondering when you were going to stop fishing for pihrana and jump back in the cockpit for another leg. On the other hand i do realise that we all need time out from it as i did my myself for about 3 months!

Anyway, looking forward to seeing you get to your destination. Paul-Kiwibarguy
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Postby gojozoom » Thu Oct 30, 2008 2:17 pm

Hi Paul,

I have to let you know that your journey is just breathtaking. Nice selection of planes, nice flightplans and nice atmosphere. You really showed us what FSX capable of. I'm waiting for my PC powerplant and looking forward to install FSX. Keep us in the loop mate!

Question : What do you do with the longer/boring cruising legs? You fly them in real time or 8-32X time?

Daniel
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Postby G-HEVN » Tue Nov 04, 2008 11:43 pm

kiwibarguy wrote:
QUOTE (kiwibarguy @ Oct 29 2008, 08:30 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Hi there, i was just wondering how your tour was going? I always enjoy seeing your tour and was wondering when you were going to stop fishing for pihrana and jump back in the cockpit for another leg. On the other hand i do realise that we all need time out from it as i did my myself for about 3 months!

Anyway, looking forward to seeing you get to your destination. Paul-Kiwibarguy


Hi Paul, I did actually finish it, but got waayyy behind in doing the trip reports (they can take longer than the flights!). Then a bunch of RW stuff got in the way, then I kinda forgot about it! Ho hum. Something about the vast empty wastes of Canada just saps the life out of you.... blink.gif

Anyhow, here's the next leg:


Leg 35 - Southport Portage CYPG to Moosonee CYMO

676 nm, 3.9 hours (total: 15,868 nm, 120.5 hours)

I always seem to manage to do long legs over featureless terrain in sub-zero temperatures! Still, at least I brought along some books to read!

Moosonee, Ontario is close to James Bay, on the Moose River. The nearest road is some 92 miles to the south, so the only access is by rail or air. It's not particularly far North either; despite all the snow and ice, it's at the same latitude as Biggin Hill!











G-HEVN
 

Postby G-HEVN » Thu Nov 06, 2008 5:18 am

Leg 36 - Moosonee CYMO to La Grande Riviere CYGL

176 nm, 1.4 hours (total: 16,044 nm, 121.9 hours)

Hurrah! A short one! Hopefully I'll get these remaining legs posted roughly daily...


I'm sure this was a tarmac runway when I arrived! But then it was dark. Definitely gravel now though


Ya know, maybe it was a DIFFERENT wunway I arrived on after all!


Following the Moose River to james Bay. In the Winter, they make an ice road over the top of it!


Coasting out over James Bay


Lots of blue


Eventually the far shore comes into view


Left base for La Grande Riviere


Watch Out Watch out there's a Twinkie about.

The map:
G-HEVN
 

Postby G-HEVN » Wed Nov 12, 2008 3:37 am

Leg 37 - La Grande Riviere CYGL to Kuujjuaq CYVP

413 nm, 2.8 hours (total: 16,457 nm, 124.7 hours)


Looks like a stonking crosswind - 18 knots across the runway! But hopefully that's going to translate into a nice tailwind for the trip.




La Grande Riviere - "The Big River" is the second largest in Quebec.I'm sure you all know which is the biggest...


Sadly, our exciting panorama of snow and ice is soon replaced by one of low stratus




Final approach, across the Koksoak River


Kuujjuaq means "Great River" in Inuktitut. i think I'm detectin a bit of a trend here...


The mappity Map

Leg 38 - Kuujjuaq CYVP to Iqaluit CYFB

362 nm, 2.7 hours (total: 16,819 nm, 127.4 hours)


Not the most auspicious start to our trio across the Hudson Strait - it's snowing


"Not certified for flight into known icing". We don't know the meaning of these words. And we don't want you to tell us!


Pretty soon though, we're on top, where the sun always shines


We took the scenic route around the edge of the strait, but you'd never know it!


And so we make a quick dash across the straight, at its narrowest point.


To Baffin Island. Here we're nearly at the northernmost point of the journey.


This will be our final stop in Canada.


Final into Iqaluit. We've got the ILS tuned, just in case, but it isn't necessary.


Ben, in the tower had his camera with him, and caught this pic of us on final.

The map


Leg 39 - Iqaluit CYFB to Narsarsuaq BGBW

656 nm, 4.5 hours (total: 17,475 nm, 131.9 hours)

It's been a long time since we last went through Customs and Immigration, but now we're leaving Canada and heading to greenland, so the formalities and paperwork have to be gone through.


The snow we had in Kuujjuaq looks like it's caught up with us!


Passing the city during our climb out






The passengers in back seem to prefer watching videos!


Crossing Davis Strait to Greenland


The route to Narsarsuaq takes us along the fjords


Narsarsuaq (pop 170) was once a regular stop on the North Atlantic Route. Now, it's home to local commuter traffic and GA ferry flights.


Turning final


The route:
Last edited by G-HEVN on Wed Nov 12, 2008 3:31 am, edited 1 time in total.
G-HEVN
 

Postby G-HEVN » Mon Nov 17, 2008 12:39 am

Leg 40: Narsarsuak BGBW to Kulusuk BGKK

346nm 2.6 hours (total: 17,821 nm, 134.5 hours)

The first full episode for a while, sees us skirting around the edge of Greenland...


After spending a winter layover warmly cossetted in a hangar, our plane is a bit reluctant to go back out into the cold, and has taken to hiding.


When we arrived, this was all iced up. Now spring has sprung


Glaciers reaching down to the water


We've reached our cruising altitude of FL115. trouble is, the ground has been following us most of the way here!




Finally though, the ground gives up, and drops back into the water.


The second half of the flight sees us out over the coast


ICEBERG!!!


Final into Kulusuk


The route


Leg 41: Kulusuk BGLL to Keflavik BIKF

381nm, 3.1 hours, 2 sick bags (total: 18,202 nm, 137.6 hours)


I'm sure this place was covered in ice when I arrived. Hard to believe that was just one week ago!


Not sure this is the nest weather for a 400-odd mile trip over the hostile ocean. Oh well!


Hot News! Greenland is... er... brown!


Woah, there goes me lunch!


9500ft. We may not be completely above it, but we can see enough to steer around the worst, and it's a lot smoother too


Not much to see, but at least there's a horizon. At least I hope it's a horizon!


Eventually, the coast of Iceland peeps out from behind a cloud


Cleared straight in to runway 11


aAng! Woah! not the best time for a lightning strike!


Golf Victor Alpha, Tower, cleared to land, number one
Last edited by G-HEVN on Mon Nov 17, 2008 12:38 am, edited 1 time in total.
G-HEVN
 

Postby G-HEVN » Tue Nov 18, 2008 1:37 am

Leg 42: Keflavik BIKF to Vagar EKVG

435nm, 2.5 hours, (total: 18,637 nm, 140.1 hours)


keflavik boasts 27000 commeercial and 23000 GA/military movements per year, and 2 million passengers. Well, there are at least two other aircraft on stand today!


And so I add my take off to the airport's movement statistics!


There's a lot of water to cross, but the first quarter of the trip is over the island


Wonder where he's going?


This is Iceland; there should be some ice!

[imgossing, the Faroes peer out from beneath the clouds.


The default scenery is rather spiky


With many sheer cliffs


Final approach. Remember what this looks like: There's a freeware addon for the Faroes, and I'll show you the comparison next time.

The route:

G-HEVN
 

Postby G-HEVN » Wed Nov 19, 2008 12:12 am

Leg 43: Vagar EKVG to Inverness EGPE

288nm, 2.4 hours, (total: 18,925 nm, 142.5 hours)


The penultimate leg of the tour sees us reaching the Scottish mainland.


Remember last time, we arrived at Vagar using the default FSX? Well, for this leg, I've installed a freeware addon by Ryan Andersen and Peter H. Poulsen (faroes_fsx_acc.zip). This is completely FSX-SP2 compatible, and I think you'll have to agree, looks rather spiffy...


Lining up in rather turbulent weather


And we're off! See how different this landscape is!




Last view of the Faroes. I shall spare you endless shots of open sea, but eventually...


...Landfall! Welcome to Sotland! We coast in close to the small town of Durness. http://www.durness.org/ Take a look at the web site - the scenery here is just stunning. Incidentally, the cliffs around here reach over 900ft, and are the highest on the British mainland.


The BONBY intersection is on the Dornoch Firth, and here we can pick up the N560D airway, which is Class F airspace at FL55.


Across the Murray Firth, and final for Inverness.


Once we've cleared Immigration and Customs, it's off to the pub, and a good selection of single malts...
G-HEVN
 

Postby Naki » Wed Nov 19, 2008 7:46 am

Getting close now - still liking the "Twinkie" after all those hours in it?
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