2nd Annual Mudspike Christmas Flight
By @BeachAV8R - November 23, 2016
Originally published at: Articles - Mudspike Forums
It’s that time of year again – strap on your piddle packs and top off the tanks – we have some cheer and goodwill to spread across the globe! In a throwback to an annual holiday event I cherished at SimHQ, I’d like to invite members and visitors to participate in our 2nd Annual Mudspike Christmas Flight where we depart from the airport closest to our geographic home and fly to our Christmas destination over the course of hours, weeks, or months.
Conceived by longtime simmer Deacon, the Christmas Flight was a chance to come together as a community for a fun and laid back event surrounded by the spirit of goodwill that the holiday season often brings. The rules are simple, but this year we are going to put a twist on the event. In previous Christmas Flights, we each took of from our home airport and made our way as far north as we could – this year we are going to deliver some Christmas gifts to the opposite pole – Antarctica! Hundreds of scientists, researchers, and explorers could use some lifting of their Christmas spirits, so don your parka and get going!
Rules
- Fly the sim of your choice (FSX, X-Plane, P3D).
- Fly any aircraft you like on your “mission” – fighter, transport, seaplane, helicopter – it’s up to you!
- Take off from the airport closest to your home location with a load of gifts.
- Fly as far south as you can to a suitable airport to deliver the presents, preferably somewhere on the continent of Antarctica or close!
- Encouraged to use real time weather to make things interesting.
- Fly as much of the route as you like, time accel if you want, or just do the takeoff and landing – there really are no rules – just have fun!
- Flights can be flown at any time up to New Year’s Day.
- Post your flight progress in THIS THREAD.
In the interest of being inclusive, your flight does not have to be a “Christmas” flight – instead, celebrate the New Year, or Hanukkah, Festivus, or whatever you feel represents the spirit of the event.
Resources
SkyVector.com – Great online general flight planning tool with maps and enroute charts (you’ll have to find individual country IAPs along your route though)
Antarctica Airfields – List of airfields (caution – some are seasonal!)
METAR/TAFS – Quick METAR/TAF information for many international airports
Antarctica Weather – General weather conditions for the various facilities in Antarctica
Global Winds – General wind patterns for the entire planet
Sunrise / sunset times are not required – it is daylight 24 hours a day at this time of year!
Antarctica Scenery
Maps2XPlane – Free mesh (donations accepted!) and multiple Antarctic airports for X-Plane
Aerosoft Antarctica X – Exceptionally detailed payware scenery for FSX/P3D
Individual freeware and payware airports for your enroute phase can be find at multiple locations on the internet, or you can simply use default scenery for your trip.
If you are flying FSX or P3D, it’s hard to beat the incredible Aerosoft Antarctica X scenery which features all of the landclass and many outposts and research stations. X-Plane choices are much more limited.
We look forward to seeing what creative flights people come up with. Personally, I will be using X-Plane (11?) and the Felis AN-24RV, which will force me to finally come to grips with this quirky beast. My route will span across the Americas from Charlotte, NC (KCLT) down to Rothera Research Station (EGAR) – a distance of around 6,700 nm with stops at eight airports along the way.
Enjoy your flights gentlemen – and keep a close eye on the weather – the alternates in Antarctica can be few and far between!
Chris “BeachAV8R” Frishmuth