Grand plans and big ideas

[Jess-b 420]

Hey guys, 

 

So the heat at home means my flying time is vastly reduced over summer. It does give me time to plan though. With the announcement of the ATWC, I'm reminded of all the fun plans I've flown our still have for a bit of simming fun. I thought I'd share the plans here and perhaps y'all can share some of you're big adventures.

 

so let's kick off with the biggie, and around the world trip. 

 

Around the world in a Cessna 

 

Every single simmer has at one time or another thought of flying around the world. I mean it's so there, right! Well this one was at the behest of Avsim and involved X plane 10. The idea was put to me by Avsim founder Tom Allensworth. At the time I was active in the x plane forums there and Avsim was looking at ways of improving its X-plane coverage. So I had a blog there and i thought the best way to show off x plane 10 was to fly around the world, landing at the best Freeware scenery I could find. I'd be flying the Carenado C340 and starting at Cardiff. I did pretty well, getting to gee la d before life took over and the flight was forgotten about. It was fun though. A blocked fuel vent made the flight to Iceland a lot of fun. One engine over the Atlantic in autumn.  

 

The Danube tour.

 

The Danube tour was one of my first tours. Simple idea. Start in Cardiff, fly to the beginning of the Danube, then follow the Danube all the way to the Black Sea. My aircraft of choice was the excellent Aerosoft DA-20. It was slow, and the aircraft was rather needy. It was fun and I reached Vienna before the release of P3D. The DA-20 didn't work so well in P3D and that put pay to that trip. 

 

The ring of fire tour.

 

I like this one. I started this trip to really test my A320 home cockpit sim. Starting at the foot of South America, I was to fly the Airbus up though Chile and so on, into Central America, the up the west coast to Alaska from there, down though Russia, japan and on to New Zealand via Oz, before crossing back to South America via some of the tiny little islands in the Pacific. It's still on going, but the bus is stuck in South America due to a massive software change, plus it's to damn hot to fly right now. 

 

The Japan tour.

 

This one a left over from a Christmas off one year. I happened in some Japan landclass for fsx and thought I'd take a look at Japan. A simple north to south route taking in every airport. The C310 was my aircraft and I made it to the Fukuoka before January arrived and work restarted. I may restart this one in x plane as there's a cracking freeware scenery for the whole country. 

 

The yet to fly plans. 

 

I've a few on the back burner. Here's a selection. 

 

Imperial Airways to Singapore. 

 

I do love an historic routes. One I'm keen to fly is the old imperial airways air route to Singapore and on to Oz. Flying the Dehaviland rapide would be a fair compromise since the original route was flown by a Hercules (no not that one) if I can get a rapide for 64 bit I'll be very happy. I've checked the route and all bar one airport is still there. 

 

The big Orbx reliability test. 

 

This one is huge. No seriously. Originally an idea for PC Pilot, the basic idea is to take in every orbx region and airport in one massive flight plan. Provisionally starting in New Zealand, what made this challenge so exciting was the inclusion of an A2A GA aircraft. Since these aircraft wear as you fly, the massive route would be a great test of how well, or not, it behaves. Ideally, the Comanche is the obvious choice due to the increased cruise speed, but I do like the Cherokee. Lots of logistics to work out, plus orbx keep screwing up the plan by releasing new airports. Imagine the state of the poor Cherokee. 

 

Anyway, that's a few. Now if someone could find a way for an infinite amount of time, I can enjoy all these trips. 

[OzWookiee 151]

56 minutes ago, Jess-b said:

The Japan tour.

 

This one a left over from a Christmas off one year. I happened in some Japan landclass for fsx and thought I'd take a look at Japan. A simple north to south route taking in every airport. The C310 was my aircraft and I made it to the Fukuoka before January arrived and work restarted. I may restart this one in x plane as there's a cracking freeware scenery for the whole country. 

 

Ohhh can you point me to this as that sounds like fun!

 

One I'm planning at the moment is a Helicopter Lord of the Rings tour of New Zealand using the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings Location Guidebooks to plan the route. A lot of the locations aren't really going to be much from the air so it's going to be which ones to do that will provide a good impact. (Would love it if someone would do a Hobbiton or Edoras scenery though!)

 

 

[Jess-b 420]

Here you go Ozwookie. XP11 Japan. Enjoy. 

 

http://www.alpilotx.net/

[brett 2,282]

Someone needs an air conditioner, summer shouldn't be a no fly zone.

 

Thanks for the look at your plan ideas Jess. I think flying the ORBX one would probably have to flown using two computers, the second after the first died out. 

 

Your post makes me think I should try a tour again with solid goals in mind  and I must admit that for me flight planning runs a very close second in enjoyment to flying them.   

[UKJim 502]

The orbx plan sounds fun and yes the comanche would work well but a Cherokee would work too. That would be a challenge though hitting all orbx scenery.

[hifly 925]

Jess, if you haven't already read it I suggest the book, Beyond the Blue Horizon by Alexander Frater. In it he follows the Imperial route down to Australia taking scheduled flights between Imperial stopping points. It a history lesson and some great tales of those he met om the way. 

 

Although he made the trip 40 years ago, it is still a Damn Good Read and I'd recommend it to anyone interested in aviation history.

[Captain Coffee 2,030]

A few of the FSX trips I have done/planned to do/planed to plan/and probably won't plane...sigh.

 

 

Transcontinental Record Setting Recreation in Howard Hughes racer. Status: Completed and published video on Youtube (Coffee's Hangar).

 

Follow Nile from to Lake Alexexandria, then find river to follow to African east coast. Status: Made it to Lake Alexandria, stalled there as the scenery at the time was less than interesting. May pick this up again at some point though.

 

Now that I have an E-10 Electra...Recreate Earhart's famous trip to and crash landing somewhere near (or not so near) to Howland Island. Status: Still reviewing possible crash sites and conspiracy theories.

 

Deliver water bomber from Venezuala to Yellowknife Alaska based on an Air Alaska adventure. Status: Crashed into a hangar in Tennessee, still working out damages and damage$ with the authorities...aircraft undelivered and will probably miss this summer to get it there.

 

Round the country USA trip in A2A Comanche. Status: Stalled in Idaho last year, but have since crossed over and picked up the general route in Airhauler using the new Nomad Mode...Back in Progress and so far in Montreal Canada.

 

 

 

 

[MyPC8MyBrain 273]

On 7/21/2017 at 03:47, Jess-b said:

reliability test.

 

well...
its not a complete reliability test without at least two Marble's and few NE's?

 

im just saying... (Singapore with just one Marble )

[Jess-b 420]

Oooooh Chris, that looks gorgeous.  

[MyPC8MyBrain 273]

16 minutes ago, Jess-b said:

Oooooh Chris, that looks gorgeous.  

 

Thank you Dear

few more here https://forums.chrisbelldesigns.com/topic/207-black-marble/?do=findComment&comment=3274

[J G 927]

I still have to complete my around Europe at war adventure. Unfortunately family issues are taking up too much time at the moment.

 

In the past I have completed a trip around the world in a Seabee which was fun but took a very long time. 

[OzWookiee 151]

18 hours ago, J G said:

In the past I have completed a trip around the world in a Seabee which was fun but took a very long time. 

Slow is not quite the word I was thinking of... More like pedestrian! Though it's an amazing VFR plane with those big windows all around.