To be honest, while 90% of my flying is in Cowan machines, I think he’s a bit loose with the physics.
2 Likes
not my favorite dev must say. thinking that the ShrikeSim 530f could be better, dont own it though.
but back to business. time to hurry boys 
because you are doing good but I just arrived only to Dijon.
Saint Florentin to Cessey-Baigneux-les-Juffs airfield. after the latest 12.1.x updates decided to give the XP12 a go. performs better on my system than the 12.0.x but still, long way to go.
low clouds, showers, so the bad scenery isnt a factor
small field between the forests
back to the MSFS. Cessey-Baigneux-les-Juffs to Dijon ( what a short name, Dijon )
forgot to set the RL weather. now corrected. still low scattered clouds and showers.
Circuit Dijon Prenois
Dijon
5 Likes
Leg 9: Niš (LYNI) to Sofia (LBSF).
This one was a sleeper. What seemed like it would be another fairly straight shot turned into one of my more interesting legs.
For one thing, WHAAAAAA? What the Hell is all this grey stuff? My entire trip thus far had been so severe clear that I thought MSFS wasn’t working properly!
This should prove interesting. Off we go in the Turkish Air Force’s 125th Transport and SAR Training Squadron by havateam.tr.
Now with casual disregard for departure directions!
Pretty darn dark, I’m not gonna lie. But I did eventually find the rail and I was off to the races in some really dramatic dawn clouds.
Blastin’ through the hills and valleys in the moody weather was some fine flying.
And then things started to get interesting.
The rain started to come down in misty sheets. Clear one moment,
obscured the next.
Thrilling though…real stick wrenching, rotor RPM drooping action, action, action! 
And the views, when I can see them, are phenomenal. Oil painting stuff.
Approaching Sofia, I was pretty sure that I was in the clear.
But she wasn’t going to let me go just yet.
I manage to hang on to the rail until the station, but the field was invisible even only a few miles out.
Eventually, with a lot of luck…and a little magenta, I spot the rabbit lights.
This is a little too much like work! 
God bless the 40 knot approach!!!
Made it!
Well, as I said, that turned out to be one of my more memorable flights on this trip.
9 Likes
Leg 10: Sofia (LBSF) to Corlu (LTBU).
This was to be my final leg for this trip. But, at a straight leg distance of about 258NM (plus the additional distance for following the twists of the rails), I decided to stop for gas along the way.
Looks like the rain has cleared out for this leg. The victory lap skin goes to the Gendarmerie Aviation Presidency livery, again by havateam.tr.
And off for what, I thought at the time, was my final leg.
And back on the rails as the Sun comes up. Lovely!
Though this was by far my longest leg, it was relatively uneventful. Just a beautiful morning flying through the Bulgarian and Turkish countryside.
As I head farther east, I begin to notice the land becomes more arid and the distinctly European homes begin to be replaced by more Mediterranean stucco and barrel tile.
A nice touch by MSFS!
The land begins to open up as the Maritsa River valley stretches out to either side of me. Like the Po valley in Italy, it’s stunning to see how remarkably open and expansive the terrain is.
Eventually, I come to the point where Bulgaria, Greece, and Turkey all meet. My last border crossing!
But my fuel level is beginning to concern me. Interestingly, the Huey doesn’t have a fuel flow gauge…I’m guessing because you basically run these engines at 100% so the flow doesn’t change as it would in a fixed wing aircraft.
It does make it a bit difficult for someone who wasn’t trained on the Huey (i.e. me) to calculate how much range I have left.
I begin looking for a field to stop for gas. But airports are rare as hen’s teeth round these here parts. Even a sizable city like Edirne only seems to have a single major airport to serve it…and it’s not on the way.
I’m thinking I might just make it to my destination…barely…when the 20 MINUTE FUEL light comes on.
It’s just too skosh to be comfortable, so I duck into Corlu for a top off.
It’s already late, so what is one more stop? 
4 Likes
I’ve had real flights like that. (I’m sure many of us have.) Gave me a little chill.
2 Likes
Leg 11: Corlu (LTBU) to Istanbul (LTFM).
OK, last leg, really this time!
But first…earworm!
They Might Be Giants - Istanbul (Not Constantinople) (Official Music Video) (youtube.com)
Some gas, some lunch and I’m on my way.
About 50NM as the crow flies.
A little IFR to find the rails again and I’m back in business!
After briefly passing over Çerkezköy, I’m surprised to find myself over a magnificent forest. I really would have expected the area to be much more industrial this close to Istanbul.
The thick forest gave way after some time to rich but arid fields. The area actually reminds a bit of eastern California or Tuscany. Looks great for growing grapes!
The wine will need to wait for later, however!
Finally, I see hints of the famed Sea of Marmara! So much history has passed through here.
I’m so close I can almost taste it!
My original task was to land at LTFM, but I have long since passed that by.
Who the Hell goes on vacation to visit the airport?!?!
Instead, I continue to follow what is (almost certainly not) the path of the fabled Orient Express to Lake Küçükçekmece.
And follow the tracks to the station.
I’d love to know if this was indeed the station in which the Orient Express finally came to rest.
At the coast, I hang a left.
I’ll be damned if I fly all this way without getting a selfie!
But first…
There…I’ve always wanted to visit Asia!
Now, where was I?
Oh yeah.
Shameless selfie…
Well, I could hoof on back to the airfield…
Or…
And…
That was a hoot! Thanks @Fridge! That was a lot of fun, 
8 Likes
Yeah, that is truly a sinking feeling! 
1 Like
congrats!
1 Like
definitely! I am still in France flying helos
its nice to dedust some quality payware. this isnt the fully featured XP12 module, I realized that I had installed only the patch to XP12 hence the bug on the side windows.
departing Dijon I think
sightseeing
I like the freeware stuff, but the quality is outstanding here
6 Likes
Nice! I have been consumed by work for the past couple of weeks. Was hoping to get the flight done before this. Alas, I didn’t. I am still hopeful!
1 Like
after latest update, XP12 performance went downhill again for me. without multi-threading this sim is no-go for me.
at least some hills my jaggy partner
made it to Lausanne. from here I will try to hit the coast of Italy to see if XP12 can handle at least 1/2 of the scenery 
4 Likes
His skin looks like it’s made of wood. Better not make him tell lies…
4 Likes
it seemed like I got stuck in Sion … plus the weather is also horrible
few small tricks and we are ready to go
but the sim has its own tricks in its sleeves
Lac Des Toules near italian border. didnt know that swiss has its own version of niagara falls
finished the flight on a nice small airport near Aosta
6 Likes
Is that MSFS or XP?
this is MSFS. I just cant stand performance / scenery quality of XP anymore.
I allow my self to fly in XP only around small deserted islands
2 Likes
