Scratching the IFR Itch

[cowpatz]

You wont have any issues with them. They all have a very similar mode of operation. You just need to get familiar with the various pages and what's on them.
In many ways flying IFR is much easier than VFR. I find the mere thought of the latter scary

[chopper_nut]

Back in NZ now after the trip around bits of the US in the Citation Longitude. Takes a bit of getting used to in terms of landing but once you get the hang of it, she's not too bad. I didn't take many screenshots just because I forget to..
After Oregon, I headed out to Chicago, just for a looksee and then back to Colorado and into Aspen just for a challenge.




Cloud getting thicker... of course


Descending into the murk going into Aspen. Got in OK but only just... as in JUST above minimums...


Next day was a lot better. Quite good for a default airport







Over Las Vegas on the way to Santa Barbara.


Passing the unique terminal at Santa Barbara. Very pretty town IRL.


Parked at the jet center. Note all of the player traffic in the LA basin... every ar****le in a fighter


Into Deer Valley near Phoenix.


After a week back to Van Nuys to start the trip home. Bit of a rubbish day in the basin.




Next day, over the Pacific on the way to Honolulu.


End of the next leg in Pago Pago. Airport is closed IRL due to covid restrictions. Apparently, their SOE controller granted permission for a crew to stop for the night ferrying an aircraft up from Australia to the US and the government stepped in an denied clearance after the aircraft was in the air. When the crew got there they literally weren't allowed to leave the aircraft and had to sleep in it...


Over the Pacific en route to Auckland with 70kt crosswind.


On the approach into Auckland.


Parked up waiting on customs.



I'm enjoying the sim overall. The ATC system needs an overhaul, the flight planner is dumb, the nav systems in the default aircraft do stupid things and the traffic has no brains at all but in terms of being able to go and do what I've done, it's pretty hard to beat.

[emfrat]

Great shots, Nick MSFS can certainly look good. Was amused by your comments at Pago Pago . Bill Taylor ran into the same sort of bureaucratic nonsense on the way back from Valaparaiso in 1959. I'll scan a few pages from his account of the trip in the book 'Frigate Bird' and put them up somewhere. Too late at night for that sort of thing. Have a good one.
ATB
Mike

[emfrat]

Was amused by your comments at Pago Pago . Bill Taylor ran into the same sort of bureaucratic nonsense on the way back from Valaparaiso in 1959. I'll scan a few pages from his account of the trip in the book 'Frigate Bird' and put them up somewhere.

G'day Nick - sorry to be so long with this, but my scanner decided it wouldn't take part in any further proceedings.
ATB
Mike

[chopper_nut]

Haha brilliant story Mike, thanks. Nothing much has changed it seems

[emfrat]

I have all of Taylor's books, except the last, which even now as we speak is winging its way here from darkest Victoria. Only AUD80 this time, last time I looked there was nothing under USD120, plus postage. This one is titled 'Sopwith Scout 7309' , that being the Sopwith Pup he was flying in 1917 - 'Scout ' was the official name for fighters at that time.
By an amazing coincidence, in WOFF when I used the alias Harry Morant, I was enlisted in B flight of RFC Sqn 66, based at Vert Galant with P G Taylor being No2 in A flight
In WOFF, the Pup needs a bootfull of rudder to keep it straight on takeoff, and heaps of right aileron to keep it level. I am still learning

[chopper_nut]

Been smashing around the skies a fair amount recently probably breaking a whole heap of IFR law...




Just to prove that I was there


Out of Queenstown for Wellington


Napier to Nelson after that last front that came through... it was UGLY

[chopper_nut]

Getting ready for an early morning departure out of Perth back to Sydney. 170kt tail wind for some of it.

[cowpatz]

The visuals in that sim are stunning. I'm still knocking around in P3D 4.5 and the differences between them are like night and day visually.
However from what I'm hearing , for tubeliners, P3D is much better in terms of nav performance, system depth and operation, and flight dynamics.

[emfrat]

Great pics, Nick We are getting into the jet stream season again. 2018 was a good year for them
https://www.perthnow.com.au/news/aviati ... b88941563z

ATB
Mike

[chopper_nut]

Great pics, Nick We are getting into the jet stream season again. 2018 was a good year for them
https://www.perthnow.com.au/news/aviati ... b88941563z

ATB
Mike

I ferried an R44 from Perth to Orange a few years ago and I met a guy near the SA border who was going the other way in an Aeronca... at 80kts into a 30kt headwind. I was glad to be going east

[Dash8captain]

The visuals in that sim are stunning. I'm still knocking around in P3D 4.5 and the differences between them are like night and day visually.
However from what I'm hearing , for tubeliners, P3D is much better in terms of nav performance, system depth and operation, and flight dynamics.

I wouldn't say that is the case anymore with the likes of PMDG and the Fenix A320 now available - but that's just me

[chopper_nut]

The visuals in that sim are stunning. I'm still knocking around in P3D 4.5 and the differences between them are like night and day visually.
However from what I'm hearing , for tubeliners, P3D is much better in terms of nav performance, system depth and operation, and flight dynamics.

I think that the default aeroplanes in MSFS are no better or worse than the default aeroplanes in P3D (XPs are better) the inbuilt flightplanner in MSFS is junk and there are some issues within aeroplanes for things like joining the Wellington STARs from Nelson for example. I use Simbrief and just input the flightplan manually in the aircraft which eliminates most of the issues. MSFS now has some pretty serious airliners coming along (737, MD80, 146, A320 all released in the last couple of weeks) there's also a very good mod for the default CJ4 that takes it to payware quality in terms of systems. By far the biggest issue with the navigation right now is the 'flyback' issue with LNAV where it does really dumb stuff trying to join the approach. In terms of flight dynamics, I think it's pretty good and improving all of the time, definitely better than P3D but maybe not quite as good as XP. Taildraggers are a bit naff and helicopters are off but most aeroplanes are pretty good. The thing is that it's improving all of the time.

[Splitpin]

Fantastic posts Nick, looking forward to riding shotgun on your next jaunt

[chopper_nut]

Sydney to Wellington today. Quite a bit of garbage weather over the water but quite nice at either end.




Haven't seen THAT colour very often






Descending over the sounds


Parked up at the jet hangar in Wellington

[cowpatz]

That last screenshot is indistinguishable from the real world. Amazing.

[chopper_nut]

I really only use three aeroplanes in MSFS. The Cessna 337 for low and slow, the TBM for going around most places locally and the Longitude if I want to go for distance. Also have the Flying Iron Spitfire IX but I managed to stand it on its nose at Omaka a few weeks back so I'm not going to be flying that for a bit Went from Nelson down to Mount Cook yesterday as the weather was starting to turn. Was going to do some more today but the Mount Cook TAF is ugly (50kts at 2000ft)




Not really sure where you're meant to park there and the 'marshaller' is no good. Scenery looks pretty good, lots of little details. I would like NZA to improve the helicopter models they use though, they look pretty average with the blades straight out like they are and the BK models at Nelson are quite wrong also. Anyway, fun and games.

[chopper_nut]

Forgot to put up the shots of a recent return trip to Sydney.


Climbing out of Wellington


Inbound for Sydney


Not sure if the ILS is offset on 25 but that's where it put me..


Hand flying the last bit


Just some pretty clouds on the way back




Weather going into Auckland




Into the soup


Rolling off the runway in Auckland. The approach was so busy and I actually thought I was going to have to fly the missed approach. I literally went visual at minimums... well I could see the REILs anyway.






Parked up watching the showers go through.

[cowpatz]

The eye candy in MSFS is certainly very good.

[chopper_nut]

Yeah it looks the part alright. It's getting there on systems too.