Its like OrbX scenery review 
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Took a quick hop from Hot Springs (KHSP) over to Huntington, WV (KHTS). Huntington is a frequent destination for our air ambulance flights. It is an interesting airport - particularly if you ever shoot the RNAV or ILS to runway 12 at night, in poor weather. As you descend through the clouds…a glow starts to envelope your airplane as you get down near minimums. And then you break out…and it looks like you’ve descended into the bowels of hell. Just off the approach end of runway 12 is a large factory/refinery. It has millions of lights and flare stacks that are shooting flames into the air…it looks very…industrial…
Out of Hot Springs climbing up to 8,000 for the short, 30 minute flight over to Huntington…
Plugging in the ILS to runway 12. Since we are coming from the east, we will need to do the hold as a procedure turn…
Passing by Charleston, WV…
Descending over Huntington - it is VFR, but I want to shoot the approach anyway…
Procedure turn…
Short final…
This is an enhanced view of the factory area…those balloons are a marker that the scenery designer put in as a tribute to a crash that occurred here in 1970 - a Southern Airways DC-9 that crashed, killing all 75 onboard, including 37 members of the Marshall University football team.
X-Plane doesn’t quite get it right…probably because ortho just doesn’t contain all the lighting and dramatic stuff that makes the real scene impressive…
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That brings back a lot of memories. I used to fly into Huntington quite often when I was flying King Airs out of Zanesville, Ohio.
I’m no fan of the MU-2 in the real world, but I have to admit that it looks great in X-Plane. At some point I am going to have to pick it up.
I’d wait a bit because I think they are working for a new version of it. Unless you can pick it up on sale. And keep in mind…that is a hacked in GTN, it doesn’t come with the plane…
Well, I’m in no hurry. I still have a lot of flying to do in the Chipmunk before I head South for Christmas. Not to mention recurrent training before that. I’ll certainly keep an eye out for the new version though.
How come? Did you fly it? I apologise, I’m just curious, never mind me. 
Or you can try this one in the meantime
I won’t speak for Paul, but there are two kinds of MU-2 people. The first are owners, who love and swear by the plane and think its the bees knees. Then, there is everyone else. 
No, that is a way oversimplification. The plane IS beloved by the owner group. It is fast, economical, and by all accounts a really nice airplane to fly. It suffered from a high accident rate because of a multitude of factors…mostly that it was a “doctor killer” airplane that sometimes owner operators got in over their head with. And the plane uses spoilerons for roll control, which can make edge of the envelope handling all the more critical because your margins are reduced. All of this was addressed (at least in the United States) by a special rule that required MU-2 operators to attend aircraft specific training and (I think) recurrent training that resulted in a large reduction in the accident rate.
They are obnoxiously loud due to the Garrett TPE331 engines, that sort of run at 100% all the time. An MU-2 certainly won’t sneak up on you. And they are a pain in the butt to refuel. I can’t remember the exact order, but I think you filled the main fuselage tanks first, then the inner wings, then the outer wings. But you had to make sure the tip tanks were filled in increments of like 20 gallons per side or you risked the plane tipping. So you were either running two hoses and going up and down the ladder to each, or synchronizing your fueling with a second line guy.
I remember opening an inboard tank once not knowing that the tips were full and I received a geyser of Jet-A in my face.
And, as a line-guy, MU-2 pilots were sort of the turbine equivalent of piston Mooney pilots. They have a distinct personality.
I’ve never flown a MU-2. So my opinions are purely based on second hand observations. I like the looks of them. Hate the sound of them. And think they are a leaving, breathing beast out of a Stephen King book.
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I think you hit all the points nicely there Chris. Basically it is an unforgiving airplane that was tamed by requiring comprehensive pilot training. I flew with a guy that had previously flown the MU2. He had a lot of good things to say about it’s performance and comfort (high wing loading), but after singing it’s virtues he ended his observations by saying that it made him feel nervous every time he flew it. Personally I prefer an airplane that isn’t so keen to bite.
I have similar memories of fueling them too. Having to be careful because the fuel system was pressurized, having to balance the wing tanks… I would always cringe when I heard one come onto the ramp.
Give me a King Air any day! Not that I am biased of course .
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Quick hop - KHTS (Huntington, WV) over to Sunken Lunken / KLUK…
http://xfsd.ansorg-web.de/fsdmap/
(Hmm…Flight Tracker might not be working…)
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Huntington, WV (KHTS) over to Cincinnati Lunken, OH (KLUK) - Cinci - Lunken is a very frequent destination for my company…we visit several times a week. Lunken (as I’m sure @PaulRix can attest) is an unusual airport. Situated in a bowl of terrain, with frequent flooding from the nearby river, and a predisposition to foggy conditions - “Sunken Lunken” has stymied many flight crews from getting in during the early morning hours as the fog settles in. Diversions over to KCVG (Cincinnati International) are a regular affair…
Departing Huntington, WV…
Planning for the 3R RNAV approach because it has some nice scenery as you look out over the city to the west…typically, the 21L ILS is the more frequent approach…
Approaching the Cinci area…as usual…getting scuddy…
But the ceiling and visibility are quite good this morning…unusual…!
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I only flew into Lunken a few times. I was almost ramp checked there once, but got away with it because there were still passengers onboard who we were taking somewhere else after dropping one off. The FAA Inspector was pretty cool. He said he would maybe catch me next time I passed through. That was at least 10 years ago now and I never went back 
.
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[mumble, mumble…dang Viggen…mumble mumble] 
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Petaluma CA to Medford OR…
From Petaluma, I head North paralleling the West Coast.
Ready to roll…
Farewell Petaluma…
Approaching Calistoga at the Northern end of the famous Napa Valley.
Looking back along the Napa Valley.Lots of virual grapes down there…
Redding, CA with Mt Shasta looming on the horizon.
Mount Shasta and the much smaller Black Butte
The barely noticable line that marks my passage from OrbX TE NorCal to TE Oregon…
Not long after crossing into Oregon, Medford airport is in sight…
Another scenic leg competed!
Eugene OR is the next stop, and then Portland.
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Magnetic Island to Lizard Island
Local Rescue team utilized my Bell412 as one of the yacht had emergency at see.
I accepted to ferry other nice and shiny helo up North.
Nelly Bay
Traveling in the back is much more pleasant now
Njoying costal regions…
Daintree River
Cape Flattery
Ready to descent - Lizard Island. All nice coral reefs missing…
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Great pic of Mt Shasta!
It’s on my list of mountains to hike up for sure…
I have a feeling I know where this is going .
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This evening I pushed on from Medford, up to Eugene…
Heading West, Mt McLoughlin in the background.
Turning North towards Eugene…
Sunset…
As the light was fading, Eugene Airport came into sight…
I can’t quite log this one as a night landing…
Shut down on the ramp… time for a beer.
Portland is a fairly short hop from here.
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