Around the World From NZ to NZ.

[Emanuelchristos]

Wow I dont even have the patience to fly to Australia in real time.
Not only that, it makes quite an interesting read, I managed to read it all over the last week.
Keep up the good work


Emanuel.

[kiwibarguy]

Thank you guys for the support! I'm glad you are enjoying it. Should be done by 2025.

[kiwibarguy]

Banding Agung > Bengkulu

I have learnt that Indonesia is a very loooong country to visit! Travelling west as usual covering a distance of 205km

Piper J-3 Cub

She's a hotty!

The Piper J-3 Cub is a small, simple, light aircraft that was built between 1937 and 1947 by Piper Aircraft. I just love the classic 30's design.

It wasn't long before reality grabbed me by the shoulders and slapped me in the face saying "You're in a Cub, its getting near evening, you have 205 km to travel and your flying into a 20 knot headwind". SLAP! "I'm not finished yet!, you have no GPS, no equipment to point you in any direction, and you have no idea really where the airport is!".........stupid bloomin brain nag nag nag

Luckily the ignorant side of my brain felt in charge today, so i thought with a bit of dead reckoning that if i followed the coast up, i would see it sooner or LATER...much later as i found out.

The Piper J-3 Cub became the primary trainer aircraft of the CPTP — 75 percent of all new pilots in the CPTP (from a total of 435,165 graduates) were trained in Cubs. By war's end, 80 percent of all United States military pilots received their initial flight training in Piper Cubs. The need for new pilots created an insatiable appetite for the Cub. In 1940, the year before the United States' entry into the war, 3,016 Cubs were built; soon, wartime demands would increase that production rate to one Piper J-3 Cub being built every 20 minutes.

World War II made demands on civilian aircraft manufacturers, and Piper answered the call by modifying its J-3 designs for military use. The resulting changes, most notably the L-4 model (Grasshopper), saw extensive use in training combat pilots.

During WW II, "Grasshoppers" performed a wide variety of functions throughout the world such as for artillery fire direction, pilot training, glider pilot instruction, courier service and front-line liaison.

Sumatra is not very densely populated, about 96 people per km²—more than 45 million people in total. It is nonetheless the fifth most populous island in the world. The most populous regions include most of North Sumatra and central highlands in West Sumatra, while the major urban centers are Medan and Palembang.

I start to realise that we are a long way from landing at that i should start to head for the coast. Mountains in the dead of night are no fun for a Cub.

No matter what trouble i'm in, this sunset is a beauty!

A majority of people in Sumatra are Muslims (87%), while 10% are Christians, 2% are Buddhist and 1% Hindu.

A treasured moment in my flight, i am always surprised at the sunsets on fsx and how varied they can be.

As i scan around for the airport they moon tries as hard as possible to light my way. Then i think of 'The Mighty Boosh'.... "I'm the moon".

Oh yeah! Sometimes that flat concrete strip sure looks beautiful!

What a journey that was. I learnt a good lesson today. Pilots of old faced adversity on a completely different level to those of today. We have come a long way. I love navigational aids and will never speak ill of them ever again.

Thank you all, the seatbelt sign does not exist, so when you're ready you can help me find the torch.

[C152]

Thanks for another great flight. You certainly put some thought into your flights. How many aircraft have you flown on your trip so far??

[Naki]

The default Cub does look great doesnt it - been a default a/c it does get ignored a bit.

[Ian Warren]

Paul , finished 2025 aye ... in a good northwester in Christchurch ive seen one of these Piper Cubs going backwards but forwards you may want to add another 10 years to your journey

[kiwibarguy]

C152- Not as many as i yet have to!

Naki- Yeah, i love the paint job on this one. I nearly flew the classic yellow but leaned towards this in the end.

Ian- They were the longest and slowest fly-by views of any trip!

Thank once again guys for commenting! I will be flying a bigger girl next time. Japanese turbo prop is too big a clue!

[kiwibarguy]

Merry Christmas all! Our journey so far

Thanks for checking out my trip! We have a long way to go. We have roughly travelled 11785km so far!

[Naki]

Crikey you have come a long way when you look at it like that. ..and yes Merry Christmas

[C152]

Im sure you will be looking forward to completing your trip. You have done lots of work on your flights. On the way back to NZ are coming across the pacific?

[kiwibarguy]

I think i will be coming across the Pacific but i dread to think of all that ocean crossing. That will be a real yawner! Everybody might get bored with just shots of water. I might go sown the Americas to the South Pole or over Alaska, down through Japan, Australia to Home.

[C152]

It will be a long flight. You may want to have a look at this company they fly over the pacific in all sorts of aircraft. certainly alot of good information

[kiwibarguy]

Hi there all. I will be continuing my journey again soon so check in this week if you like. I have upgraded the video card from a 7600gt to a 9800gt so things should look a little more detailed. Looking forward to flying up through Thailand and then who knows where. Work starts again tomorrow, all the best for all the members in 2009.

[Michael]

Don't goto Antractica. Got their and saw white... more white, and a bit more white. (I went in Winter, may look differant in summer though)

This is quite an interesting journey though.

[kiwibarguy]

Bengkulu> Mukomuko

Hello there all! 2009 here we go, lets just see how far i can get this year!

Junkers Ju 52/3m

One of my all time favourites. The Junkers Ju 52 was a transport aircraft manufactured from 1932 to 1945. The German's answer to the Skytrain.The initial Ju 52 was a single-engine aircraft. Since it lacked performance, and the state of technology couldn't deliver higher performance engines , Junkers decided to add 2 additional engines, both mounted on the wing. The designation then received the '/3m'.

The star of the day is ZS-AFA, built in Spain and now residing in South Africa. Here is a great link that tells you all about how they restored her. They went to quite an effort!
http://www.saamuseum.co.za/index.php?optio...6&Itemid=85

Lightly armed, and with a top speed of only 165 mph ( half that of a contemporary Spitfire ) the Ju 52 was very vulnerable to fighter attack and an escort was always necessary when flying in a combat zone.

We leave the small city of Bengkulu and head up the coast just over 200 something k's to a small village and strip known as Mukomuko. The weather is forecast for scattered thunderstorms.

Cruising at 10,000ft, the 18 knot crosswind seems to blow her off course a little to easier than i imagine it would.

A virtual and real look inside ZS-AFA. Yes, i know i must admit that i played 'spot the difference' as well. Better than i could ever do though!

There are quite a few Ju52 downloads out there but i thought i would put one in for the 2004 players made by Pierino which i think is really the best collection found anywhere. No matter if you own fsx, scroll down and see the great work he has put in to it! O.K Who wants to download Ju-52's with parachutists!

ME FIRST! WEEEEEE!

Here is the link > http://www.ju52-3m.ch/models.htm

The military potentials of the Ju-52 was not overlooked by the Luftwaffe. It entered service as a troop transport and bomber. In the Spanish Civil War, the Ju-52 ferried some 10,000 Moorish troops from Morocco to Spain, and bombed Madrid while, quite embarrassingly, some Lufthansa Ju-52s were in the airport serving as airliners. Later in World War II, the Ju-52 served in every theater in which Germany participated. It dropped paratroopers in the Netherlands, Crete and later the Ardennes. It carried supplies to beleagued troops in North Africa, Stalingrad and the Baltic states.

The Ju-52 served as an airliner for many nations. Finland, Spain, Sweden and Germany were just a few. It served as a mail carrier in China, and, fitted with floats, hauled lumber in remote places in Canada. Its most common work, however, was done with the German Lufthansa. Equipped with luxuries like a typewriter and oxygen masks, the Ju-52 could fly from Berlin to Rome in eight hours over the Alps, an impressive feat for contemporary aircraft.

As we descend to Mukomuko i am happy to have added this wonderful craft on my journey around the world. The majority of the remaing airworthy Ju's are in America, 6 are still airworthy including ZS-AFA.

A little bit less to travel.

OK we can stop with the rainy season now!

This aircraft (ZS-AFA) is named "Jan van Riebeeck" and has a portrait of Jan van Riebeeck in the front. He is the founding father of Cape Town. If you want to go and see ZS-AFA you'll have to pack your bags as she is in Pretoria, South Africa. The South African's flew many Ju-52's and is an important part of their avionic history.This is First Class by the way and yes, the doorway looks great for scrum training.

See you next time!

[skelstar]

Love reading your tour, wee bit jealous of your graphics quality (am FS9)... but would like to know how you decide on what aircraft you fly. I understand you choose depending on where you flying etc, but the models you select seem obscure to me (but awesome )... bearing in mind I'm not an aviator nor have much knowledge of aircraft history outside of WW2 stuff. Do you just cruise Avsim for interesting looking aircraft?

Your tour does inspire me to try flights that don't involve big jets... or the FFWD button! Even tried visual nav only flight between Alexandra and Queenstown last night in a Piper Cub.

[kiwibarguy]

I look around the websites for the latest planes that come out. I have been a bit slow of late with my tour but will continue, there is no rush. I like to select the unusual sometimes so i can learn about it. Just remember not to choose tours that are too long unless you are prepared to stick it through.

Will be posting soon.

The good ol' dead reckoning and simple NAV is what i enjoy most. Part of why i like this tour is because i enjoy checking out the lay of my leg on Google Earth, noting possible points to look out for e.g lakes, rivers, volcanoes, etc.. and then flying it. I try not to use my gps but as you may have seen, have used it in what i would call a dire emergency! low fog, bad visuals or losing my way.

Lets say when i am sitting on the runway about to take off i have a clipboard with distances, bearings, frequencies written out with my flight planner on hand.

It's more than just a trip, it's a spiritual journey. p.s this is one of my fav funny lines and just had to use it. sorry.

[skelstar]

I kinda reckon that if you want to be all pure about it then there's nothing with using the map/GPS etc while you're sitting on the runway, but like you say it's fun just navigating by 'sight'/memory. This is mostly why I'm sticking with West Coast/McKenzie Country NZ.

Looking forward to learning some more about lesser known aircraft. Cheers.

[kiwibarguy]

Ok I'm back and ready to start up again, i had been busy with my Brittania Campaign on Total war2 but now nearing it's end i will be moving on.

[kiwibarguy]

Mukomuko>Padang

Hi there, hope you are all ready for the next leg!

T-28D Trojan

After visiting Ardmore i decided she would be my next flight of fancy.

The first flight took place on 24th September 1949. That means she will be 60 this year! Looking at her design you wouldn't think so.

The weather today is 24 degrees, humidity 93%, wind 0mph with scattered thunderstorms.

This particular model is designed to research weather in the tropics for the Institute of Tropical Meteorology.

The T-28 Trojan was the first US attack wing aircraft lost in South Vietnam, during the Vietnam War. They were shot down by ground fire on 28 August 1962 while flying close air support. Neither crewman survived.

With a crew of two, she is powered by a Wright Cylone Radial engine 1425 hp (1,063 kW) and had two or six wing mounted pylons capable of carrying bombs, napalm and rockets.

The weather starts to clear and we can see up the coast towards Padang.

The Trojan was designed to replace the T-6 Texan in the fifties as a trainer with 1,948 being built between 1950 and 1957.

A great cockpit, everything was there. Clicky click click heaven for those who love their buttons and switches.

In 1962 the Air Force began a program to modify more than 200 T-28As as T-28D "Nomad" tactical fighter-bombers for counter-insurgency warfare in Southeast Asia. Equipped with the larger 1,425-hp engines and many other changes, the T-28Ds eventually proved to be an effective close air support weapon against enemy ground forces.

Well here we are in Padang, 750,000 people live here.

On finals i look forward to a bit of nightlife and a beer, but unfortunately with this high muslim area, i dont think i will find much.

Here we are at Minangkabau International Airport, although my traffic settings were 'on' it was a Ghostport. Must be closed for the weekend.

EEERP! Well, that was enjoyable! A great freeware model which you can find on all the regular sites and quite a nice little freeware airport to boot.

Minangkabau Airport is about 23km north west of Padang.It was opened in 2005. They plan to lengthen the runway by 250 metres to be compatible with Boeing 747 planes.

Tourism and nature have been at each other here. While they were building the new Airport, the great tsunami of 2004 wrecked havoc upon the Sumatrian coastline. Tourists numbers have fallen but people are starting to return. This is the Main street known as Padang Street.

KFC! KFC!

The Mentawais is a group of islands out from the coast of Padang. They receive large swells between the months of May and October with waves ranging up to (and over) fifteen feet. Some surfers say that the best left hand breaks in the world are to be found here.

I am happy to have flown here. It really is a hidden paradise.

See you next time!