stu7708 244 Posted December 11, 2015 Report Share Posted December 11, 2015 It was time to close up Section 5, and with Brian and Joe waiting for me in Obando I made my way there with Haste.. can't keep those two waiting, the have even less patience than my 5 year old son With the Baton in hand we downed a few drinks (Brian left before it was time to settle the bill) and had a great evening. The next morning I headed back to the airport (my two elders still in bed recovering for the night before) and started to prepare for my flight. I had managed to pick up some passengers to raise some funds for our continued adventures. They were heading to Tapuruquara so it really was a perfect solution for both them and me. Unfortunately, as we got ready for departure we got wind of some issues with the destination. High water levels in the Amazon River meant that a few airports in the area were more or less flooded, and among them were Tapuruquara. We sat down and looked over our options. We did have an amphibian capable plane for our flight, so our plan was to land on the river and drop them of at their destination, but in order to avoid getting the Baton stuck there I was to head on to Barcelos once they had gotten of the plane. With that we headed out to the Tarmac to a familiar sight. The good old Quest Kodiak was my choice of plane for the day Being more than familiar with the model we had the engine running and was ready to depart in no time. Wheels of the ground let's head south. The plan was simple. Track the outbound 145 radial of the PDA VOR to Cucui (SWKU), and from there we'd pick up the 192 inbound radial to SGC VOR to Sao Gabriel Da Cachoeira (SBUA). From there we could just follow the mighty Amazon River to our destinations. Overall pretty good weather for flying, but some low clouds are present. Over the engine I can also pick up the sound of thunder in the vicinity. Interesting cliff formation of my right wing. Had I had more time I would have gone to investigate, but for now I stick to my plan. Over 200 knots of ground speed, the Kodiak sure packs a punch. The thunderstorm seems to be drawing closer, all of a sudden a flash of lightning illuminates me and my plane. The first waypoint, Cucui (SWKU), comes into view. Looks like that one is flooded as well! Just south of Cucio the clouds close in around me, and even though I have a VOR to follow I decide to hit the deck, and deviate from my plan to follow the Amazon river down to Sao Gabriel Da Cachoeira (SBUA). Down to below 100 feet we go, and here the visibility is much better. Taking a hard left turn to stay over the river. The sensation of speed is very apparent this low down. Another hard turn to stay over the river. But as we roll out I can hear my passengers starting to suffer from my "wild" flying. My supply of "Feeling better" barf bags sadly ran out before their stomach content, and a terrible smell of sick fills the cabin. Where's that cockpit door when I need it!! Considering our situation, and given the fact that the cloud coverage have almost vanished I decide to climb back and head straight to SBUA to try and clean up the mess in the cabin. Almost at our unscheduled stop, and some hills starts to appear on the south side of the river. On base commencing my turn to finals. Lined up and prepared to touch down.. Brians mantra of "Gear Doon" pops in to my head, and I double check that the gear, such as it is on this plane, is lowered for landing... Over the numbers, ready to apply reverse thrust to quickly vacate the runway, we need some fresh air in here pronto! Parked up, with all doors open. Call the cleaners!! The cleaners got to work on the messed up cabin, but sadly they could not get the stench out of the soiled seats, so we started to look around for an alternative plane. Sadly no amphibian plane was available, our only option was to borrow a Cessna 400 TT from the local flight school, so we had to amend our plans. My fellow passengers would tag along to Barcelos, on an empty stomach, and from there would arrange a more sedate boat ride back to their destination. With that sorted we took our seats in a much smaller and sleeker looking plane! Pushed back and Prop spinning, time to get back on the runway. Lined up and ready to depart. As soon as the wheels left the tarmac I turned eastwards to once again track the river. A slight whimper was heard from my passengers.. but luckily nothing more than that. Staying below the clouds. Those cliffs are almost as white as the once in Dover! With the river more or less straight I hit the deck once again! But as I did so the terrain warning started to scream at me! Passing a secluded settlement. And over a very narrow island.. As the river once again starts to wind it's way around the landscape I climb up to 3000 feet and opt for a straighter route to spare my passengers further discomfort. Pretty good weather for flying. Passing over our original destination.. sure glad we're not landing on that runway... Well now, the 400tt does pack a puch as well.. not quite as fast as the Kodiak, but still managing almost 190 knots of ground speed. Should be at Barcelos in about 30 minutes. Time to head south.. Runway in sight, time to deploy the speed brakes and head back down. Base, or something resembling base at least.... Flaps down, established on final. Easing her down on the tarmac. Rolling out looking for a place to park. That'll do, time to play the waiting game until someone comes here to pick the Baton up. With my passengers making a hasty retreat towards the docks I start to assemble my tent.. the only available "accommodations" at this remote strip. That's it for leg 50! Time to open up section 6 for bidding!! Addons Used. Rex 4 Texture Direct Rex Soft clouds Weather provided by Active Sky Next. FTX Global base package FTX Global Vectors FTX HD Trees Lionheart Creations Quest Kodiak Alabeo C400TT Corvalis AI Traffic by Ultimate Traffic 2 Link to post Share on other sites
hurricanemk1c 195 Posted December 11, 2015 Report Share Posted December 11, 2015 Excellent shots Mikael - even if you ended up ruining the Kodiak! Link to post Share on other sites
stu7708 244 Posted December 11, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 11, 2015 Thanks Kieran.. And I blame it all on the weak stomachs of my passengers.. my flying was "by the book".... more or less Link to post Share on other sites
hurricanemk1c 195 Posted December 11, 2015 Report Share Posted December 11, 2015 Just not the normal book - prehaps the RAF "How to defeat the Soviet radar" book? Link to post Share on other sites
J G 927 Posted December 11, 2015 Report Share Posted December 11, 2015 Nice trip Micke. Its not nice traveling in a barf scented vehicle of any type, but a closed in aircraft wouldn't be good at all. It reminds me of when I was in the Sarah......well, I was exceedingly drunk! Link to post Share on other sites
stu7708 244 Posted December 11, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 11, 2015 In Sarah you say.... 1 Link to post Share on other sites
mutley 4,498 Posted December 12, 2015 Report Share Posted December 12, 2015 Nice work boss! Love that Corvalis and she obviously had a sweeter aroma than the Kodiak. (Brian left before it was time to settle the bill) - No changes there then Link to post Share on other sites
Captain Coffee 2,030 Posted December 13, 2015 Report Share Posted December 13, 2015 In Sarah you say.... "The Sarah" Notorious even... This would be the TMI-ATWC leg...omg...erp. This is why I prefer hauling cargo...the less LiveStock the better. Link to post Share on other sites
Bruce (a.k.a. brian747) 142 Posted December 13, 2015 Report Share Posted December 13, 2015 Interesting trip, Micke, and great pics! But there's an old RAF tradition about anything that misses the sick bag (I was pointedly reminded of it each time I stole a ride in a fast jet) — if you make the mess, *you* clean it up! However, I can imagine that with civvie (paying) pax, it might be safer to get the cleanup done by the pros and then send the pax the bill..... Cheers, bruce a.k.a. brian747 Link to post Share on other sites
hlminx 301 Posted December 26, 2015 Report Share Posted December 26, 2015 Great PIREP. Well done for hokding onto your own'cookies'...that smell must have been memorable for all the wrong reasons Link to post Share on other sites
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