It's been a while since I have done any flights on my world tour. During spring break, when I did not have a lot of work, I did a lot of flights. (I substitute teach, among other things.) But after that, things were pretty crazy for about two months, so I did not do much at all with flight simulator.
Grise Fiord is quite a challenge. It has a difficult approach and a short runway. I really think I need to tackle it with a short takeoff and landing aircraft like the twotter. However, I have not used the twotter very often and don't know it very well. Landing at Grise Fiord is not a good beginners flight for a new aircraft. I tried landing at another field but had many problems, resulting in a crash. So I really need to practice with the Twotter before tackling this field.
Meanwhile, I finally have had some time free up because school is out. But I have collected more scenery. So I have been playing with tubeliners for a while, doing a sequence of flights. I started the current sequence in Antalya, Turkey. I have had Aerosoft's Antalya scenery for a while, but never used it. From Antalya, I flew to Istanbul, then to a new Varna scenery, then to Sofia, Bulgaria. I just finished a flight from Sofia to Bucharest. Next, I'm on to Prague, then Frankfurt, Berlin, Vienna, Chișinău, Moscow (Domodedova), Baku, Moscow (Sheremetova), St. Petersburg, and Stockholm. Most of these are fairly new airports. A few like Sheremetova and St. Petersburg are revisions of earlier models. In fact, most of these, with the exception of Moscow Domodedova, have been released since spring break.
But as I posted in my first post, this around the venture is going to be subject to a number of breaks. And I do have a few new planes in my hanger which I want to use.
Wednesday, May 25, 2016
Sunday, March 27, 2016
Flight 47: Nanisivik to Grise Fiord
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| Northward Bound in Admiralty Inlet |
Located at the southern tip of Ellesmere Island, Grise Fiord is one of three permanent settlements on the island. Grise Fiord lies 1,160 km (720 mi) north of the Arctic Circle.
Grise Fiord is the northernmost civilian settlement in Canada,[5] but Environment Canada has a permanent weather station (Eureka), and there is a permanent Canadian Forces Base (CFS Alert), that lie further north on the island. Grise Fiord cradles the Arctic Cordillera mountain range.
Grise Fiord means "pig inlet" in Norwegian and was named by Otto Sverdrup from Norway during an expedition around 1900. He thought the walrus in the area sounded like pigs. Grise Fiord's Inuktitut name is Aujuittuq which means "place that never thaws."
There are no connecting roads on Ellesmere Island, so Grise Fiord is connected to the rest of the world by a small airstrip (Grise Fiord Airport) 1,670 feet (510 m) in length. It is one of the most difficult approaches for aircraft, and it is cautioned that only very experienced pilots and DHC-6 Twin Otter aircraft attempt the approach.
Grise Fiord Airport (IATA: YGZ, ICAO: CYGZ) is located in Grise Fiord, Nunavut, Canada, and is operated by the Government of Nunavut. The only building at this airport is the Air Passenger Shelter and the companies that operate there are Air Nunavut using the Super King Air 200 and Kenn Borek Air using the DHC-6 Twin Otter planes. Flights to this airport are usually from Resolute and most of them only carry cargo with few to no passengers.
So, for this leg I am faced with a difficult approach. This was interesting. It was one of the more scenic and interesting routes I have taken in a quite a while.
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| Nanisivik Departure |
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| Society Cliffs to the East of Arctic Bay |
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| Real World View of the Society Cliffs |
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| Over the Devon Ice Cap |
Because of its relatively high elevation and its extreme northern latitude, it supports only a meagre population of musk oxen and small birds and mammals; the island does support hypolith communities. Animal life is concentrated in the Truelove Lowland area of the island, which has a favourable microclimate and supports relatively lush Arctic vegetation. Temperatures during the brief (40 to 55 days) growing season seldom exceed 10 °C (50 °F), and in winter can plunge to as low as −50 °C (−58 °F). With a polar desert ecology, Devon Island receives very little precipitation.
The Devon Island Research Station was established in 1960 and it is maintained by the Arctic Institute of North America. It is located in Truelove Lowland, on the northeast coast of Devon Island
75°40′N 84°35′W / 75.667°N 84.583°W.
WikiMiniAtlasThe Devon Ice Cap is an ice cap on eastern Devon Island, Nunavut, Canada, covering an area of over 12,000 km2 (4,600 sq mi). The highest point on Devon Island is found at the summit of the ice cap, with an elevation of 1,920 m (6,299 ft). The ice cap has a maximum thickness of 880 m (2,887 ft),[2] and has been steadily shrinking since 1985.
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| Approaching Grise Fiord |
And...Crash! This really is a hard approach. The TBM is probably not the best plane for it. The runway is very short and it is hard to slow down in time. I tried it three times, and the last time I came closer, but ran out of runway. Probably a Twin Otter, or a Beaver would be a better choice for this one.
There are all those packages for dangerous and difficult approaches, but they have missed this one!
Flight 46: Hall Beach to Nanisivik
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| TBM850 at Nanisivik |
Nanisivik (translation for the place where people find things) was a company town which was built in 1975 to support the lead-zinc mining and mineral processing operations for the Nanisivik Mine, in production between 1976 and 2002. The townsite was located just inland from Strathcona Sound, about 20 km (12 mi) east of the community of Arctic Bay in the Canadian territory of Nunavut.
There is a port and dock about 3.7 km (2.3 mi) north of the former mine site which was used for shipping concentrate from the site, and receiving supplies.
It is currently used by the Canadian Coast Guard for training.
Nanisivik Airport located 8 NM (15 km; 9.2 mi) south was used as the main airport for Arctic Bay until 2010 when the lengthened Arctic Bay Airport took over. The airport is about 19 km (12 mi) directly southeast of Arctic Bay but the road between them is 32 km (20 mi).
Nanisivik Airport
The airport was about 19 km (12 mi) directly southeast of Arctic Bay but the road between them is 32 km (20 mi) and a one way taxi fare was $40.00.
This airport is alive and well in FSX because FSX predates these changes. I am using some freeware addon scenery and will see how things look.
I left Hall Beach on a heading of 338 degrees. Things at this latitude start getting wonky and will get worse as we get closer to the North Pole.
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| Flying Over the Fury and Hecla Strait |
Crossing the Strait takes us back over Baffin Island:
Baffin Island (Inuktitut:, Qikiqtaaluk IPA: [qikiqtaːluk], French: Île de Baffin or Terre de Baffin, Old Norse: Helluland), in the Canadian territory of Nunavut, is the largest island in Canada and the fifth largest island in the world. Its area is 507,451 km2 (195,928 sq mi) and its population is about 11,000 (2007 estimate).
In fact, most of the flight is over the desolate vastness that is Baffin Island. There is not much here but miles and miles of snow and ice. However, on the trip back south, I may head over to the dramatic mountains on the southeastern part of Baffin Island.
Toward the end of the flight, I do encounter some hills:
There is no radio navigation aids into the airport. There are no charts. I overfly the airport and then start the circuit in. I land with no problems.
Flight 45: Repulse Bay to Hall Beach
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| TBM850 at Hall Beach |
Hall Beach (Inuktitut: Sanirajak (the shoreline[6]), Syllabics: ᓴᓂᕋᔭᒃ) is an Inuit settlement within the Qikiqtaaluk Region of Nunavut, Canada, approximately 69 km (43 mi) south of Igloolik.
It was established in 1957 during the construction of a Distant Early Warning (DEW) site. Currently the settlement is home to a North Warning System radar facility and the Hall Beach Airport. Canadian North and First Air provide air service to Igloolik, Iqaluit.
| Helicopter Transport Services | provides for the North Warning System contract. |
Friday, March 25, 2016
Flight 44a: Iqaluit to Repulse Bay
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| TBM850 at Iqaluit |
Naujaat (Inuktitut: literally "seagulls' nesting place"), known until 2 July 2015 as Repulse Bay, is an Inuit hamlet located on the shores of Hudson Bay, in the Kivalliq Region of Nunavut, Canada. Repulse Bay is at the north end of Roes Welcome Sound which separates Southampton Island from the mainland. On the east side of Repulse Bay Frozen Strait leads east to Foxe Channel.
Repulse Bay Airport (IATA: YUT, ICAO: CYUT) is located at Naujaat, Nunavut, Canada, and is operated by the government of Nunavut.
Calm Air and Kivaliq air provide service to Churchill, Coal Harbor, Rankin Inlet, Thomson, and Winnipeg.
Flight 44: Iqaluit to Cape Dorset
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| Iqaluit Airport |
Cape Dorset (Inuktitut: Kinngait (high mountain); Syllabics: is an Inuit hamlet located on Dorset Island near Foxe Peninsula at the southern tip of Baffin Island in the Qikiqtaaluk Region of Nunavut, Canada. The Inuktitut name of the village means "high mountains".
Cape Dorset Airport (IATA: YTE, ICAO: CYTE) is located at Cape Dorset, Nunavut, Canada, and is operated by the Government of Nunavut.
Canadian North provides regular service to Iqaluit, while First Air provides service to Chesterfield Inlet, Coral Harbor, Iqaluit, and Rankin Inlet.
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| Arctic Tundra |
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| Flying Over Baffin Island |
Flying over Baffin Island, it becomes apparent that this is a cold and desolate part of the world. It is also an area I have not travelled to in Flight Simulator, except maybe as part of a tubeliner at 35,000 feet as part of an Arctic crossing (which is always weird in Flight Simulator).
This Approach and landing was a disaster. Nothing seemed to go right. The weather was bad with low visibility. The RNAV approach did not have me properly lined up with the runway. The G1000 which comes with the aircraft is a hard to use piece of junk. It's hard to handfly the aircraft and maintain any degree of situational awareness. Moreover, the documentation is minimal and not too helpful. I might try to modify the plane to add the Mindstar G1000. But even the default G1000 in FSX is better.
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| Cape Dorset - Trees and Autogen Everywhere |
The FSD products are old products and substandard by other planes being released currently. I think I may leave the Cirrus VLJ for another aircraft -- I have plenty to choose from. But having a plane that does not work right is not much fun.
Wednesday, March 23, 2016
Flight 43: Goose Bay to Iqaluit
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| Cirrus VLJ at Goose Bay |
It was still snowing outside and the airport was only allowing IFR flights. I got clearance and headed out to Iqaluit.
Iqaluit (Inuktitut: ᐃᖃᓗᐃᑦ; [iqaːluit]) is the largest city and territorial capital of the Canadian territory of Nunavut. It was officially called Frobisher Bay until 1987, after the name of the bay on whose shore it is sited. Iqaluit is located on the south coast of Baffin Island at the head of Frobisher Bay. As of the 2011 census the population was 6,699, an increase of 8.3 percent from the 2006 census; it has the lowest population of any capital city in Canada. Inhabitants of Iqaluit are called Iqalummiut (singular: Iqalummiuq).
Iqaluit is the smallest Canadian capital in terms of population and the only capital that is not connected to other settlements by a highway. Located on an island remote from the Canadian highway system, Iqaluit is generally only accessible by aircraft and, subject to ice conditions, by boat. Iqaluit Airport is a fully modern facility whose originally Second World War era runway is more than long enough for most classes of modern jet. Plans are underway to build a new, larger passenger terminal building north of the current terminal, which would also include a larger apron adjacent to the new terminal.
Iqaluit Airport (IATA: YFB, ICAO: CYFB) serves Iqaluit, Nunavut, Canada and is located adjacent to the town. It is operated by the government of Nunavut. It hosts scheduled passenger service from Ottawa, Montreal, Rankin Inlet and Kuujjuaq on carriers such as First Air and Canadian North, and from smaller communities throughout eastern Nunavut. It is also used as a forward operating base by the CF-18 Hornet. In 2011, the terminal handled more than 120,000 passengers
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| Cirrus VLJ at Iqaluik |
Flight 42: St. Anthony to Goose Bay
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| Porter at Flight Ontario's St. Andrews |
There appears to be very little in the way of non-default scenery in Labrador, freeware or payware. So, I'll just move onto Goose Bay:
Happy Valley-Goose Bay (Inuit: Vâli)[1] is a Canadian town in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Located in the central part of Labrador, Happy Valley-Goose Bay is the largest population centre in that region. Incorporated in 1973, it comprises the former town of Happy Valley and the Local Improvement District of Goose Bay. Built on a large sandy plateau in 1941, the town is home to the largest military air base in northeastern North America, CFB Goose Bay.
Canadian Forces Base Goose Bay (IATA: YYR, ICAO: CYYR), commonly referred to as CFB Goose Bay, is a Canadian Forces Base located in the municipality of Happy Valley-Goose Bay in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It is operated as an air force base by the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF). Its primary RCAF lodger unit is 5 Wing, commonly referred to as 5 Wing Goose Bay.
The airfield at CFB Goose Bay is also used by civilian aircraft, with civilian operations at the base referring to the facility as Goose Bay Airport. The airport is classified as an airport of entry by Nav Canada and is staffed by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA). CBSA officers at this airport can handle general aviation aircraft only, with no more than 15 passengers.
An increasing number of airlines (especially smaller range aircraft like the Boeing 757) have resorted to using Goose Bay for emergency fueling stops, especially common for trans-Atlantic flights impacted by a seasonally strong jet stream over the North Atlantic.[18] The majority of civilian airliners using the airfield are not regularly scheduled airlines to this location.
Several airlines provide regular flights to and from Goose Bay. Air Canada express offers flights to Deer Lake, Gander, Halifax, St. John's, Wabush. Air Labrador offers flights to Black Tickle, Cartwright, Charlottetown, Fox Harbour, Hopedale, Makkovik, Mary's Harbour, Nain, Natuashish, Port Hope Simpson, Postville, Rigolet, St. Anthony, Williams Harbour. Provincial Airlines operates flights to Blanc-Sablon, Churchill Falls, Deer Lake, St. John's, Wabush, Hopedale, Makkovik, Nain, Natuashish, Postville. Pascan Airlines offers service to Montréal-Saint-Hubert. Exploits Valley Air Services provides seasonal flights to Gander and Iqaluit, which will be my next destination.
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| Porter at Goose Bay |
The Porter is remarkably slow. I had a pretty strong cross wind most of the way. My speed was generally around 60 knots. So it took me about three hours to travel the 160 or so miles.
The plane is still pretty wonky, especially during taxiing. It actually taxis sideways! I can attribute some of this to strong winds, but this seems a little excessive. I may try another plane during the next leg -- On to Iqaluit!
Tuesday, March 22, 2016
Flight 41: Deer Lake to St. Anthony
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| Porter at St. Anthony |
After switching to a more traditional bush plane, the Pilatus PC6, I left Deer Lake amidst the same blizzard I encountered on the way in from Gander. Perhaps it would have made more sense to wait for the snowfall to end?
St. Anthony is a town on the northern reaches of the Great Northern Peninsula of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. St. Anthony serves as a main service centre for northern Newfoundland and southern Labrador. St. Anthony and surrounding area has an approximate population of 4,330.[1] The population of the town itself was 2,418 in 2011, compared with 2,476 in 2006 and 2,730 in 2001.
St. Anthony is a popular tourist destination known for it's whale watching
St. Anthony Airport (IATA: YAY, ICAO: CYAY) is located 19 nautical miles (35 km; 22 mi) west northwest of St. Anthony, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
The airport is served by Air Labrador and Provincial Airlines with flights to Black Tickle, Cartwright, Charlottetown (NL), Fox Harbour, Goose Bay, Mary's Harbour, Port Hope Simpson, Williams Harbour, Blanc-Sablon, CFB Goose Bay, St. John's, and Wabush
Victor route V381 connects these two airports, so it is pretty much a straight flight. At 5500 feet, I am above the clouds. My first two attempts at landing failed because I did not see the runway soon enough so I flew over the airport. My third attempt was successful. But this really was not VFR weather. St. Anthony did not have an ILS approach, however.
I used the default scenery, which was not too great. But given the snow, I would not have really seen all that much with nicer scenery.
The Pilatus PC6 by FSD International was something of a disappointment. It did not taxi nicely. Instead, if I gave it enough throttle to move, it would raise up, then drop down. It did this repeatedly. It's response when hand flown was sluggish.
FSD had a half price sale on this plane. I got the full package with wheels, skis and floats. All in all, it cost about $12.00. At about $4.00 per plane, I got what I paid for. However, I would not recommend paying full price for this addon. I eagerly await the Aerosoft Pilatus PC6.
I might try a couple more flights with this, but will probably move onto another plane fairly quickly.
A switch of planes
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| Pilatus at Deer Lake |
After 40 flights, it seems appropriate to switch planes. The Realair Tubo Duke, or at least my Realair Turbo Duke has some problems:
1. The panel lights do not work correctly.
2. I cannot get a reading from the Bendix (autopilot and radio) devises. They just don't light up.
I just purchased the Pilatus 6 from Flightsim Designs. They were selling their plains for half price, so I thought I would get a couple while on sale. Moreover, their planes are being sold for half price until the end of the week. So it was a good time to add to my hanger, at a good price.
Plus I am in Bush pilot territory, and have been so for a while. A bush plane makes sense for Labrador and maybe even Greenland.
Flight 40: Gander to Deer Lake
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| Turbo duke at Gander Terminal |
This is the big 40!
As the title suggests, Around the World in 80 Flights, gives one an itinerary which will take the pretend pilot around the world in 80 flights. I am at flight 40, half that number, and I have not even left North America, yet. In fact, I plan to stick around in North America a while yet. For example, I am planning on flying north into Labrador, before cutting across to Greenland, where I will make at least four stops. While I am up there, I might run a few of the Dew Line Missions from Rolling Cumulus Software; I am still undecided on that.
At the tail end of my tour, I will hit North America again, after I cross the Pacific and work my way back home. The West Coast has all of those wonderful Orbx sceneries, so that could take a while.
Clearly, I am not going to get around the world in 80 flights!
Anyway, flight 40 starts at Gander, where flight 39 left off, and we travel to Deer Lake, the last of the Simaddon sceneries which I will use for the North American part of the flight (at least until I get to the Pacific Coast.)
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| Deer Lake Arrival |
Now, about Deer Lake, courtesy of Wikipedia:
Deer Lake is a Canadian town in the western part of the island of Newfoundland in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. The town derives its name from Deer Lake and is situated at the outlet of the upper Humber River at the northeastern end of the lake.
The town is located in Division No. 5 and is the gateway to the Great Northern Peninsula, owing to an important highway interchange on the Trans-Canada Highway. It is the closest major community to Gros Morne National Park and is home to the Deer Lake Regional Airport.
A hydroelectric plant was established on the Humber River in 1925 to provide electricity to a pulp and paper paper mill in Corner Brook
Deer Lake offers accommodation for tourists as well as restaurants, supermarkets, convenience stores and gas stations. There is a stadium and a swimming pool in Hodder Memorial Recreational Complex. St. Paul's United Church, a wooden church dating from 1955 and the modern Salvation Army building are worth a visit. The Main Street offers a scenic view of the lake.
Deer Lake's population is a hair under 5,000 people.
Deer Lake Regional Airport (IATA: YDF, ICAO: CYDF) is located 3 nautical miles (5.6 km; 3.5 mi) north northeast of Deer Lake, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. It is currently run by the Deer Lake Regional Airport Authority and is the closest airport to the Gros Morne National Park.
The airport is served by Air Canada, Air Canada Express, Provincial Airlines, Simwings, WestJet and WestJet Encore. Destinations include, Halifax, Toronto, Gander, Goose Bay, St. John's, Wabush and Stephensville. There are summer charters to Orlando, Punta Cana, and Varadero. So if one wants some unusual tubeliner flights, this would be a unique departure or destination.
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| Turbo Duke at Deer Lake Terminal |
It was snowing hard at Deer Lake and visibility was close to zero. I did an ILS approach on runway 25, and actually saw the runway seconds before I touched down.
Monday, March 21, 2016
Flight 39: St. John's International to Gander (CYQX)
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| Turbo Duke at St. John's International Parking
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Gander is a Canadian town located in the northeastern part of the island of Newfoundland in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, approximately 40 kilometres (25 mi) south of Gander Bay, 100 km (62 mi) south of Twillingate and 90 km (56 mi) east of Grand Falls-Windsor. Located on the northeastern shore of Gander Lake, it is the site of Gander International Airport, formerly an important refueling point for transatlantic aircraft, and presently a preferred stopping point for transatlantic aircraft that need to land because of on-board medical or security emergencies.
Gander was chosen for the construction of an airport in 1935 because of its location close to the northeast tip of the North American continent. Gander is near the great circle route between cities of the U.S. East Coast and London. Starting in the 1940s it was a refueling stop for transatlantic flights to Scotland, Ireland and beyond, and continued in this role through the early 1960s.
Officials at Gander International Airport have stated that the future for the airport is grim unless the federal government provides funding to cover costs. Over 50% of all aircraft operating from the air field are military, and do not pay landing fees. However, domestic passenger traffic increased by over seven percent in 2006, while weekly cargo flights from Iceland show some promise of expansion.
In April 2014, Gander Airport Authority decided on plans to abandon the existing terminal building due to high operating costs and replace it with a new terminal a quarter of the size. The fate of the old building is uncertain. The terminal, which was built in the 1950s and has drawn continuing worldwide interest for its modernist design, has been recognized by other Canadian institutions as a valuable piece of heritage architecture and has many of its original furnishings and fixtures still intact.
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| Turbo Duke at Gander Airport |
The St. John's scenery was produced by Simaddons and appears as an expansion to their Halifax base pack, along with Moncton (Flights 30 and 31) and Deer Lake (which will be the destination in my next flight).
Although I have the Gander scenery from the VFR Shortfields of Newfoundland, I did not use it because reviewers gave it low marks and because it is difficult to install. This addon, to be quite frank, is a piece of crap, and I would not recommend its purchase.
Instead, Gander is one of Orbyx's freeware global airports, and that is the version which I used for this flight. I have also used Orbyx global freeware airports for Mountain Air (flights 16, 16a, and 17), Nantucket (flights 24 and 25), Martha's Vineyard (flights 25 and 26), and Bangor (flights 28 and 29).
Flight 38: Stephenville to St. John's Newfoundland
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| Newfoundland: Cold and Desolate |
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| Approaching St. John's International Airport |
St. John's International Airport (IATA: YYT, ICAO: CYYT) is in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. It is an international airport located 3 nautical miles (5.6 km; 3.5 mi) northwest of St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador that serves the St. John's Metro Area and the Avalon Peninsula. The airport is part of the National Airports System, and is operated by St. John's International Airport Authority Inc.
In 2011, roughly 1,400,000 passengers travelled through the airport making it the second busiest airport in Atlantic Canada in passenger volume. Regular destinations include Halifax, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, as well as destinations throughout the province. International locations include Dublin, London, New York City, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Glasgow and Varadero. Scheduled service providers include Air Canada, Air Canada Jazz, Air Saint-Pierre, Air Transat, United Airlines, Porter Airlines, Provincial Airlines, Sunwing Airlines and WestJet.
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| St. John's International Airport |
I flew this leg at an altitude of 3000, which was below the cloud layer and also below the minimum safe altitude. :o The route was direct from Stephensville. ATC directed me to runway 16.
For this flight I was trying to use the Stephensville scenery which appeared in the VFR Short Fields of Newfoundland package, but this scenery did not install properly, so I ended up with the default airport. I really don't like screwing around with ill behaved addons, so I did not mess with it. However, I cannot recommend this product since it does not install easily or correctly.
The St. John's scenery was produced by Simaddons, and worked without problems.
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