Captain Coffee 2,030 Posted August 3, 2017 Report Share Posted August 3, 2017 (edited) Props to Joe when he found me at the Dundee Terminal bar, he didn't bat an eye when signing my bar tab. I doubt, however, that I'll be the most expensive drinker on the ATWC as I tend to stick to beer. Those Single Malt pilots are the ones you need to watch out for Joe. Regrettably my FS disk space is on the wire so all UK scenery, other than what ORBx global covers, has been removed from my system months and months ago due to my hardly ever flying over there...so...an Early and dark exit from Dundee is my plan. When I first bid for this leg I (without thinking about it at all apparently) thought I would tour the English coast south, then across to Netherlands and make my way north from there. But, then I realized I'd be basically backtracking Joe's route, and quickly formed Plan B...cross the pond from Aberdeen over to Norway, then cut the corner over to Landvetter by way of Sindal on the tip of that jutty bit of Denmark. I also intend to slip in a couple of touch and goes to wake me back up after the monotony of the water crossings. Warming up my SB2C-4 Helldiver, in North Atlantic Livery (closest livery I have to the North Sea along my route). Forecast ahead says scattered clouds most of the way along my route, with a bit of rain as well over the North sea and Norway. I am flying VFR in this old bird, but have a backup in case things get ugly ahead. Most importantly, the baton and Giza card are safely tucked away. My "back-up": My route is programed into my very fully featured Pocket/pop-up Autopilot/Gps (Helldiver No I'm not hand-flying across the N.Sea in squally conditions...i'm often fly drunk but rarely fly stupid). Awaiting tower permission to launch from 28...not any wait really, there is hardly any activity at this 5am hour. Up and away and stowing the gear away. Coming about to fly towards the coast. Hints of dawn as I reach the coast and a preliminary altitude of 5,000, hopefully to sight see as the light increases, and to stay below the clouds. Crossing over Aberdeen and preparing to make my turn into the rising sun. I'm squinting already... North sea...one view the whole way, water, clouds, sun in the eyes, oh my. Landfall near Lister. I'm going to touch and go at Farsund Lufthavn/Lista Airport-FAN. I passed over this rather interesting ship/platform? Looks like it is maybe a mobile drilling rig or something. The weather mostly held off till mostly across. Lightning is picking up as I near Norway. On approach to a drizzly weather'd Lister The T part... and the G part. Norway is murky today... ...with occasional clearing and gorgeous landscapes. Passing and turning over Kristiansand Norway to cut the corner... ...across to Denmark... ...and a T&G at a damp but clear Sindal Airport just ahead. Just the Go part to help wrap this up...(trying and failing to stay at or below 20 images...) Final water crossing over to Landvetter, whoa, it looks murky and Low over there. I radio ahead and find that Landvetter is closed to VFR, so I hastily file for IFR and get skeptical clearance from ATWC...you're flying what? Now is when I thank my aircraft avionics guy and mechanic for rigging up the autopilot to this vintage bird...I am having to land ILS at Landvetter due to being socked in with the gray stuff. I can't capture the glideslope but it will vector me into the runway ILS beam while the AP is set to Nav/Appr, I monitor my own altitude and trust (with glances at the GPS and runway ILS marker to confirm...) that my heading is under control. I pop out of the murk in good line up, but a bit low, no worries... a bit more flap and power keeps me on my custom shallow glideslope. A rainy greaser splashdown delivers the ATWC baton safely to Landvetter. And Suddenly Soggy Capt. Coffee pops the canopy and prepares to slog to the terminal for to handoff the Giza card (with a few more beers charged to it) and the baton to Mike. You know where to find me Mike. Cheers all. Edited August 3, 2017 by Captain Coffee 1 Link to post Share on other sites
rosariomanzo 545 Posted August 4, 2017 Report Share Posted August 4, 2017 (edited) Well done and great flying skills there! I already told you how much I like your screenshots. P.S. Is that GPS/AP gauge available somewhere? Edited August 4, 2017 by rosariomanzo 1 Link to post Share on other sites
allardjd 1,853 Posted August 4, 2017 Report Share Posted August 4, 2017 Cool. Good job. I love the speed brakes/dive brakes/flaps, whatever they are. John Link to post Share on other sites
wain 879 Posted August 4, 2017 Report Share Posted August 4, 2017 nice one Matt, great flight, great snaps, love the flaps to a great look, some poor weather neat the end for you though......stay in the bar for a while and get wet on the inside..... Link to post Share on other sites
Captain Coffee 2,030 Posted August 4, 2017 Author Report Share Posted August 4, 2017 1 hour ago, rosariomanzo said: Well done and great flying skills there! I already told you how much I like your screenshots. P.S. Is that GPS/AP gauge available somewhere? Thanks kindly and yes, PC Aviator carries this little addon AP/GPS unit. Search their site for "Wefly" and it should pop up. If you buy it (5bucks USD), message me, it has an Installer in the paid version that unnecessarily installs this to Every stock aircraft, that you'll probably never use...I install it to a dummy folder just to extract the files, and copy paste it manually into whichever planes I actually use...which involves adding a couple lines to the panel.cfgs, and a couple gauges to place in the main fsx guages folder IIRC. I even add it as a pop up in A2A aircraft panel.cfgs without harming them. I like it as a Big Button controller for when Im flying AP...getting at the VC buttons can be tough on my drun...Aging eyes. 27 minutes ago, allardjd said: Cool. Good job. I love the speed brakes/dive brakes/flaps, whatever they are. John It has both dive brakes on the top, and equal sized flap flaps on the bottom, both can deploy at once if you wish to point it straight down and stay under 350kts...fun fun. I rarely use the top dive brakes though unless I hit the lever by accident, the VC levers for the flaps/brakes can be a bit Sudden and pop past intended position. 21 minutes ago, wain said: nice one Matt, great flight, great snaps, love the flaps to a great look, some poor weather neat the end for you though......stay in the bar for a while and get wet on the inside..... I'll slip into the Bar'jammas I keep in my dry sack. If you plan to lounge around in a bar and get drunk all day, your plan should include lounge wear. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
mutley 4,487 Posted August 4, 2017 Report Share Posted August 4, 2017 Well done Matt, it all seems so real now we have left the UK. The North Sea is full of oil and gas rigs so it was unsurprising you came across them, they are useful when flying VFR. BTW I was impressed at your bar tab, not many people can down 8 pints of Bishops Finger and talk in the morning! 1 Link to post Share on other sites
rosariomanzo 545 Posted August 4, 2017 Report Share Posted August 4, 2017 41 minutes ago, Captain Coffee said: Thanks kindly and yes, PC Aviator carries this little addon AP/GPS unit. Search their site for "Wefly" and it should pop up. If you buy it (5bucks USD), message me, it has an Installer in the paid version that unnecessarily installs this to Every stock aircraft, that you'll probably never use...I install it to a dummy folder just to extract the files, and copy paste it manually into whichever planes I actually use...which involves adding a couple lines to the panel.cfgs, and a couple gauges to place in the main fsx guages folder IIRC. I even add it as a pop up in A2A aircraft panel.cfgs without harming them. I like it as a Big Button controller for when Im flying AP...getting at the VC buttons can be tough on my drun...Aging eyes. As my eyes are aging, too, I'll take a look right now and will use the PCA 5$ voucher to get it free! 2 Link to post Share on other sites
OzWookiee 151 Posted August 4, 2017 Report Share Posted August 4, 2017 Nioce work Coff! Link to post Share on other sites
J G 927 Posted August 4, 2017 Report Share Posted August 4, 2017 Nice Pirep and good choice of bird. The baton is abroad and the challenge is afoot! (Quite why the Baton is a New York woman and how the challenge resembles a foot I do not know) 2 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Captain Coffee 2,030 Posted August 4, 2017 Author Report Share Posted August 4, 2017 I think this challenge more properly resembles a centipede, lots and lots of legs. Link to post Share on other sites
brett 2,283 Posted August 4, 2017 Report Share Posted August 4, 2017 Nicely done Matt. Good laughs, great screenshots, use of an ol' warbird and not crashing during the somewhat blind approach. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
hurricanemk1c 195 Posted August 5, 2017 Report Share Posted August 5, 2017 Great leg Matt! Link to post Share on other sites
hlminx 301 Posted August 5, 2017 Report Share Posted August 5, 2017 (edited) Nice one Matt Must have been a bit hair raising going across the water in a vintage bird, but well handled. Hope you gents aren't going to max out the Giza card before I get my paws on it, especially after what happened in ATW6, when my card took a real whipping! Edited August 5, 2017 by hlminx Link to post Share on other sites
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