Objective: Touch down on every airport in Nevada in a single flight.
The flight plan, 700 NM of route and 20 airports/landing strips.
The flight starts at Creech AFB.
North Las Vegas Airport
Nellis AFB
McCarran International Airport
Henderson Executive Airport
Jean Airport
Laughlin Airport
Boulder City Airport
Echo Bay Airport
Mesquite Airport
Lincoln County Airport
Fuel was getting low so I decided to do a full-stop landing at Lincoln and refuel there. The drag chute in the Tiger doesn’t reload, so it would no longer be available later.
Fuel was down to about 700lb and the right fuel warning light came on as I vacated the runway.
Refueling with the engines running.
Take off at Lincoln. Not much room left, even with a lightly loaded jet.
Groom Lake Lakebed
Groom Lake AFB
Pahute Mesa Airstrip
Unnamed Airstrip in Tonopah Test Range
Tonopah Test Range Airfield
Even though I still had plenty of fuel left, it was clear that I would not complete the route without another refueling. I decided that without drag chute I would rather do a full-stop landing at the 12’000ft runway of the Tonopah Test Range Airfield than some post stamp airstrip later.
Aerobraking for a full-stop at Tonopah Test Range Airfield
Refueling for the second time.
Tonopah Airport
Mina Airport
Beatty Airport
Yucca Airstrip
Yucca Airstrip has been an asphalted surface in previous DCS versions. Imagine my reaction when I realized that after almost 3 hours of flight and at the last stop before returning home, I had planted the aircraft in the dirt! At first it looked like I would not leave that place again.
But as the afterburner kicked in, I could slowly accelerate again and pull the aircraft from the surface. I guess I should have read the NOTAM.
Home sweet home. Approaching Creech AFB
Still no drag chute, so aerobraking is needed
Finally!
Block time 3:12.
That was pretty fun