The official 3rd Annual Mudspike Christmas Flight - 2017 Edition

Nicely done Chuck! I think you are going to catch up to my DC3 in no time. :slight_smile:

So, a quick report on the leg from Petropavlovsk to Iturup (UHSI), which ended up at Memanbetsu, Japan.

The intended route:

It was a nice day at Petropavlovsk as we departed. In the distance we can see the distinctive cone of the Vilyuchik volcano.

Passing Vilyuchik.

Off to the right we see the Opala Volvano with the summit jutting up into the cloud layer.

Down by the river somewhere there is a useful NDB Ozernaya (NS). Out to sea, the Alaid Volcano is barely visible to the right, and Paramushir to it’s left.

A short time later we get a better view…

While glancing behind us, we say farewell to the Kamchatka Peninsula.

We now follow the Kuril Islands all the way to Itutup. There are several big volcanoes along the chain, a recurring theme since our route met with the infamous Ring of Fire, all the way back in the Pacific Northwest of the USA. The Kretnitsyn Volcano, at the Southern end of Onekotan Island, has to be one of the most interesting I have seen so far on this trip. A large, flooded Caldera with a prominent secondary cone that forms an island, within an island.

As we progress down the island chain, we get out first glimpse of our intended destination.

.

Unfortunately, I neglected to take any shots of where the airport should be. I picked up the navaids but there was no runway to be found. With plenty of fuel remaining, the best course of action was to press on to the Japanese mainland. I decided on Memanbetsu (RJCM) as our new destination. It has an 8202 ft runway with a good selection of instrument approaches.

As we cross Japanese coast, it becomes obvious that the weather here is deteriorating.

Still hoping to get a visual approach I descend to stay below the cloud layer…

But it wasn’t getting any better, so I set up for an ILS Approach to runway 18. I selected the ILS Z approach to Runway 18 as that utilizes a DME Arc to feed you onto the final approach. I haven’t manually flown a DME arc for years, so I thought it would be interesting to see how it would turn out… here is the approach:

So, with the ILS dialed into Nav 1, and the VOR to Nav 2, I approached the field until the DME read 14nm and then started a turn to put the VOR off my left wing. Then, using 10 degree course adjustments I flew around the arc, paying close attention to the DME reading. At the expected time, the Localizer came in on the OBI and I followed that in for the ILS. It wasn’t my best approach, bit overall I was quite happy that I found myself on final, in a position to land.

Safely on the ground…

After landing I took a peek at the map to see how my arc looked. Pretty decent all things considered. :sunglasses:

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Should I tell him? Or do you guys want to tell him?

https://imgur.com/vaMPpfr

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LoL, I do believe that @Sine_Nomine is planning to visit both Christmas Islands on his epic voyage.

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Just curious, have you ever read North Star Over My Shoulder by Robert Buck? It is a great read. There was one part of the book where he flew a B17 from somewhere in the Aleutians to Midway Island using celestial navigation. That’s pretty amazing to me because they actually made it. That took courage and a lot of confidence. I really should get myself an Octant. I’m guessing they aren’t cheap though.

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Now for Leg 3: PANC (Anchorage) to UHPP (Petropavlovsk-Kamtchatski).

Time to cross the Pacific Ocean for 1700 nm until landing in Russia.

It’s a quiet, grey afternoon at Anchorage as I enter my flight plan in the FMC of my IXEG 737-300 Classic. I’ve grown quite fond of that plane during my trip from Boeing Field to Anchorage, so I think I’ll be a little better prepared this time. I plan a good 34000 lbs of fuel for the ride and I intend to climb to FL330.

The ascension is a bit foggy and visibility is a bit poor during the climb.

I follow the mesmerizing Alaska Range, which is covered mostly by clouds. Still, it’s quite a pretty sight.

I hardly notice crossing into the Pacific Ocean since it’s covered by a thick cloud layer. It seems like this white tapestry never ends. :open_mouth:

I spot a small aircraft carrier near the ENM waypoint. The seas seem stormy down below.

The cruise is very uneventful, apart form a nasty crosswind that rattles the plane once in a while. Still, the autopilot keeps me on track. The Pacific Ocean is huge and this part of the flight is quite boring.

Eventually, I reach the shores of Kamchatka. Small mountains peak over the cloud layer.

I spot the Koryaksky volcano, towering over Avacha Bay.

Seeing all these mountains and this low cloud layer makes me uneasy. I still remember that crash in Alaska during my first attempt. I timidly begin my descent, making sure I clear any obstacle. However, I overfly the STAR approach since my descent was too timid and need to fly manually. At that point, I’d better be safe than sorry. I take a deep breath and carefully dive into the soup. At 2500 ft, I see the ground at last.

I get my bearings pretty rapidly and see the airport not too far away. Raindrops on my cockpit windows and a nasty crosswind up the stress levels a bit.

Through the fog, I spot the air strip at last.

I crab until I finally cross the runway threshold.

Almost there!

I come a little bit nose high but overall the landing is pretty smooth.

Aaand wheels down!

Runway 34 Right.

Water splashes away on the wet runway.

Look at these mountains, I bet they’re quite a sight in good weather!

Going to the parking area. I can breathe, now.

Ugh… I feel exhausted.

Full stop. I’m pretty glad I made it in one piece again. :slight_smile:

It’s a bit unfortunate that out of my three landings, I had to land manually every time, which I think is good practice. This way, I make sure I don’t over-rely on the autopilot. It seems like by chance there was always something preventing me from using the ILS (bad descent, failing to capture glide slope or localizer, or just running out of gas seconds before hitting the runway).

Phew, now time to take a little break for beer-o’-clock (local time).

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Nice job Chuck! Where are you heading next?

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I don’t know… any suggestions? Japan, maybe?

Maybe to Sapporo (RJCC) to pick up some beer? I was going to head there for my next stop, but after diverting to Memanbetsu the other day, I am thinking of heading straight down to Tokyo. We will see. I still might drop in on Sapporo as I have flown in and out of there in the Global a couple of years ago. And yes, I can claim to have had a Sapporo beer in Sapporo…:beers:

Sapporo? Me likes! There are a number of aircraft I’d like to do this leg with (MD80, or 747) but I don’t feel comfortable enough in them yet. I guess I’ll just stick to the A320 or the 737-800 NG for that one.

Russia will be curious as to the sudden surge in foreign traffic and diversity of equipment used. :smile:

omit reading if the subject does not interest you at all, please

There’s a lot of things I take for granted, but having someone explain celestial navigation isn’t one. I’ve been interested in it after reading books on RAF bomber command as well as fiction (Hornblower for example). You lost me at “others” BTW. :wink:

I have read both of your technical explanation posts several times and whilst I cannot comprehend exactly what your are talking about, I marvel at the attention to detail and your passion for learning and understanding this stuff.

Going back over it again, it’s like being in a very difficult maths class.

Keets aka “the numpty” :grin:

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Agreed…! I have a very nice sextant up in my cabinet that I’ve not totally sat down to learn. I should take it to the beach with me next time (I guess it helps to have a good horizon line)…

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Leg 4!

Taking off from UHPP (Petropavlovsk-Kamtchatsky) in Russia, my fourth leg brings me in the heart of Japan, the Haneda Airport of Tokyo (RJTT). It’s a 1300 nm long trip. I know, @PaulRix, we were supposed to meet at Sapporo for a drink, but I’m not a fan of japanese beer.

Oh, and this time I’m doing it in PMDG’s 747-400. I took a chance: if I know the 737 NGX well enough, I guess learning the 747 shouldn’t be too difficult, eh? Let’s find out!

It’s late afternoon in Petropavlovsk. The weather is better, this time. As I taxi towards runway 34R, I feel the wheels squeaking and the aircraft rumble. This plane is MASSIVE! Loaded with 130000 lbs of fuel, I feel like I’m taxiing a boat with wings.

Up we go!

I climb up to FL360 and leave the mountains behind me.

There is a very nasty crosswind mixed with turbulence as I climb. The cockpit rattles, shakes and I can feel the whole structure flex under the strength of the russian winds.

Some distant lightning strikes tear through the sky behind me. In front, there’s a beautiful sunset.

An hour into the flight, the sky’s colour palette changes drastically. I go “wow” for a few minutes.

The night settles in as I cross the Okhotsk Sea.

I eventually reach the japanese mainland from the North. It’s pitch dark.

I start my descent a bit earlier than the Top of Descent point. My last flights all had that one thing in common: I had to land manually because I failed to perform an appropriate descent in order to catch the glide slope on final. Since the 747 has a lot of inertia, I don’t want to get stuck in a situation where I’m too high on final and can’t catch the glide slope without overspeeding.

This time, I reach the last STAR’s waypoint 5000 ft AGL early. This way, I’m a bit too low but I can easily capture the localizer, then I can arm the APP mode and the autopilot can easily capture the glideslope if I come a bit below and I can bleed enough speed. Seems like all the mistakes I’ve done in the past finally made me learn something.

And there it is! It feels very satisfying to finally perform a good ILS approach.

Perfectly aligned on runway 34L.

My wheels barely touch the runway and the autobrake does its magic. Boy, this plane feels heavy!

Thrust reversers roar through the night, I feel relief as I see the airspeed diminish. This plane REALLY has to be managed carefully if you want to land in one piece.

Overall, I’m really, really glad that there is such commonality between the 737 NG and the 747 cockpits. It’s quite apparent that they were both designed with the same philosophy. Programming the FMC was very similar, and while the engine start procedure differed a tiny bit, it was more or less the same.

The 747 is becoming a favourite of mine. Who knew flying a heavy lifter could be so much fun?

I taxi slowly towards the parking gate. Phew!

Aaand we’re finally there. Konnichiwa, Tokyo!

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Nice report…it does seem that you are getting a handle on staying ahead of the plane…! Really nice job and some fantastic screens. The PMDG 747 is one I haven’t picked up…for no other reason than I would like to savor it someday and don’t feel like I have the commitment to do that at the moment.

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Leg 5: Tokyo Haneda International Airport (RJTT) - Hong Kong Airport, Chek Lap Kok (VHHH)

It’s roughly 1600 nm. Weather at Tokyo is grey and gloomy, but METAR predictions show that Hong Kong is a little cloudy but has good flying weather.

I came in Tokyo by night, therefore I didn’t have much time to visit. Ironically, I will not see much of it either since there is a rainy cloud cover masking the whole countryside.

This time, I decide to try out a new ride: Rotate’s MD80!

I have never flown that one before, but I watched a good tutorial from Froogle explaining the basics of the mighty Mad Dog. The cockpit layout is a bit alien, but not something I can’t figure out as I fly to China.I load up 35000 lbs of fuel and fill the rest with cargo until I reach MTOW. Let’s go for something a little challenging. All right! Time to line up on runway 16L.

Up we go!

That plane sure hauls ass in a climb. As I follow the SID out of Tokyo, I engage the autopilot and engage the wing anti-ice and engine anti-ice systems as I climb through the clouds.

As I reach 30000 ft, I can distinguish the last few southern islands of Japan in the Nagasaki prefecture. It feels weird to think that a nuclear bomb once ravaged in these parts…

I eventually spot the silhouette of the chinese mainland. I will spend of my cruise flying parallel to it.

Froogle wasn’t lying: this aircraft is really, really fun to fly. It accelerates well and can bleed speed much more easily than the Boeings and Airbuses I’m used to. No matter the angle, I can’t help but find the Mad Dog uncomfortably attractive.

From the rear…

From the inside…

From the front too!

I eventually run into some trouble with the autopilot; for some reason, it was tracking the very last waypoint of the flight instead of what I thought to be the “active” waypoint. I spend a good half hour trying to modify my flight plan fruitlessly. This makes me explore the FMS… it seems quite similar to something you’d see on Boeings. Eventually, the lightbulb lights up. Ah ha! I rapidly figured out how to set the correct active waypoint via the FMC, the autopilot finally seemed to work like it was supposed to.

After an uneventful flight, I finally reach the shoreline of the Guangdong province.

I’m still pretty high, but the STAR of the flight plan will make me do a whole 360 degree descent around the island to bleed all this altitude.

As I overfly The Chek Lap Kok airport, I start my descent.

The Mad Dog is really great at decellerating and accelerating. The descent is very manageable all the way down to 5000 ft.

Right turn on final approach. Time to capture that localizer and glide slope for an ILS approach!

The mountains are gorgeous. X-Plane has really great lighting effects.

As I line up for final, a strong crosswind throws me off balance. I can’t use the Autoland feature since it’s apparently not been implemented by Rotate. Oh well, time to fly this bird manually.

Time to turn off that autopilot and autothrottle.

The runway approaches but the wind gets stronger. I have to crab abnormally hard.

Almost… almost there!

I uncrab at the last second, hoping for a smooth touchdown.

And it is! I watch with glee the heavy lifters parked afar.

Thrust reversers on, slowing down.

Unloading cargo and passengers. Phew, not too bad for a first flight in the Mad Dog! Overall, I’m pretty sure subsequent flights will be much easier.

I feel small next to these other planes. They’re just so much bigger!

I think I may have found a real gem in the Mad Dog. Rotate’s version is great. I’m quite curious to see if Leonardo can do even better with his “Fly the Maddog X” for FSX and Prepar3d.

So, that’s it! Really cool trip, that one. It’s one of these planes I’ll probably want to write something about eventually.

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Finishing my track from Romania to Turkey.

This time the low failures were kind to me, no engine failures, only some stacked insect in the pitot tube. Next stop I need to find in my baggage the ‘Remove Before Flight’ sock.
But the G1000 did the job

What is actually very interesting on the default cockpits is, that all the knobs, switches and buttons you see on the pictures are clickable and works. And even the fuses do what they should!

I have to say that this is quite high bar from the developers. But I appreciate this approach. All the payment addon aircrafts will be compared to the default fleet and hopefully will provide same or better detail

Here I crossed the Bosporus and saw the bridge… but it was not that bridge I planed to see… maybe on my way back…

Cruisin…

This Northern part of Turkey is not so sandy as I expected. Still enough green all around

And the sand when emerged… looked more like snow… in the end its a Christmas flight so enjoy and keep going :slight_smile:

Setting Diamond in the setting sun

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hey @Fsjoe, if I count correctly we have three of us starting from old continent, namely:

@NEVO from SVK in TR atm
@keets from UK in FR atm
@Fsjoe from FR in AUT atm
@Freak from NL in between :wink:
and
@entreplume from FR …still in FR

did I forget somebody? Rise your hand pls! :slight_smile:

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Me from NL, altbough I haven’t really started yet. Am halfway though my first leg

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