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RedGreen
June 12th, 2009, 19:10
Less than an hour to go now. Midnight has almost arrived. The plan is to head for New York, and then continue on to Washington National. Soon, we'll be doing our final inspections with the aid of several floodlights we've rigged around the plane, then it will be up to the cockpit and the Adventure begins. The whole crew from the youngest stewardess to yours truly is anxious for the waiting to end and the work to begin.

Further down the line, it looks like the Western entry is getting ready too. We're pretty sure they have those CB-17 engine modifications on their plane. We're very curious to see how our CB-16s fare against them.

RedGreen
June 12th, 2009, 19:59
It's Midnight.

Engines are being fired up. National Airlines Flight 583 will be departing Montreal for New York shortly.

TOW: 88,645 Pounds
Payload: 13,600 Pounds

RedGreen
June 12th, 2009, 21:47
Arrived safely at New York. Winds were from the north, which provided a half-decent tailwind, but any time I gained from that was quickly erased by having to approach from the south due to those winds. Was somewhat high on my approach on Runway 4, but the landing was acceptable. Was happy to see a large crowd of National employees at our New York terminal celebrating as I came in.

http://www.fsrtwrace.com/track/ShowFlight.php?detail=flight&value=VEleUjycWSOzFx9W7oePRHXyJBg

RedGreen
June 12th, 2009, 22:06
As much as the bosses would love to do our Airline's famed New York-to-Miami run, the rules necessitate a stop at Washington National. So that will be our next destination. Stopped just long enough to get a little more fuel and allow passengers and cargo to get on and off. Now preparing to depart for the New York-to-Washington leg.

TOW: 89,560 Pounds
Payload: 16,000 Pounds

RedGreen
June 12th, 2009, 23:30
A fine way to cap off the night. Got a nice view of Manhatten Island on the way out, and then got to fly up the Potomac River for an approach to Runway 1 at Washington National. Makes me proud to bring in a plane adorned in the Stars and Stripes at our Nation's Capital. Landing was perfect, passengers could hardly tell we had touched down.

So we're done flying for tonight. We've got a long night ahead of us tomorrow, so I'm going to skip the night life and head straight for the hotel.

http://www.fsrtwrace.com/track/ShowFlight.php?detail=flight&value=KaHKrGVydmPZXduzTIru7nOl3k

jt_dub
June 13th, 2009, 06:02
Nice approach into DCA last night. I watched you on Google Earth before I went to bed.

Congrats on being the first to arrive at my hometown airport (KDCA).:ernae:

Jeff (KDCA)

RedGreen
June 13th, 2009, 14:31
Nice approach into DCA last night. I watched you on Google Earth before I went to bed.

Congrats on being the first to arrive at my hometown airport (KDCA).:ernae:

Jeff (KDCA)

Thanks man. I've been to D.C. twice now (flew into Washington National on my first trip) and have enjoyed both of those vacations greatly. What makes a trip to D.C. great is that all one needs to pay for is transportation, lodging, and food. Practically all the memorials and museums are free to enter.

RedGreen
June 13th, 2009, 18:13
It's time for our first long haul flight of the race, and we're heading "Home" to Miami. The NAL folks are primed to give us a big reception and party on our arrival, so best not to keep them waiting.

TOW: 95,923 Pounds
Payload: 12,000 Pounds

RedGreen
June 13th, 2009, 22:16
What can I say? It's great to be back at our Home Airport. Palm Beach and Miami both absolutely sparkle during the night-time hours. Brought a little too much fuel and had to dump about 900 pounds over the Atlantic Had some more poor luck as 9L was the active runway, which added time to our flight. Then I was a little high on approach and had a bit of a bounce on landing. But seeing all the National Airlines employees waving and applauding as I taxied the DC-6B to our terminal made it all worthwhile.

We'll have a day or two off as we're wined, speeched, and honored by the local dignitaries. With all of our night flights out of the way, it gives us a great chance to get back to a "daylight" schedule.

http://www.fsrtwrace.com/track/ShowFlight.php?detail=flight&value=c11fqRvhJMOl3RJGNSy11qvDM8

RedGreen
June 16th, 2009, 03:41
The time has finally come to leave Miami. While we hate to leave our home base, we can't really complain about where we're heading. You didn't really think we'd pass up the opportunity to do our famed Miami-to-Havana route, did you?

National Flight 583 will be departing shortly.

TOW: 89,480 Pounds
Payload: 17,400 Pounds

RedGreen
June 16th, 2009, 05:21
In retrospect, maybe the time away from the cockpit wasn't such a hot idea. Approach was on the sloppy side and the airport snuck up on me faster than I had expected it. The jolt on landing was harder than I would have liked it too. But we made it, safe and sound.

Land Weight: 86,881 Pounds
Fuel Burn: 2,526 Pounds
Flight Time: 1:10:56

http://www.fsrtwrace.com/track/ShowFlight.php?detail=flight&value=JXBXAhjHLQ7VKU8G1xeRZNy6kQ

RedGreen
June 17th, 2009, 03:47
Had a good stayover in Havana. I thankfully was able to avoid that big Jose guy. Wonder if he's still sore about me making a move on his girl?

Anyway, onwards to Kingston.

TOW: 90,560 Pounds
Payload: 17,000 Pounds

RedGreen
June 17th, 2009, 06:12
Glad we got out of Havana when we did. (And no, I don't mean Jose found out I was back in town.) Our weatherman warned us that foul weather was moving in, and there was thunder on our taxi to the active. But that wasn't nearly as bad as the flash of lightning that lit up the cockpit just as I was rotating the plane.

Needless to say, a disconcerting way to start the trip. Thankfully, the weather at Kingston couldn't be more different. Bright sunshine made this a easy approach over the brilliantly blue waters before Runway 12. Hopefully NAL will consider making a route to this place, even if we don't win the prize. I could get used to flying to this place. :wiggle:

Landing Weight: 85,965 Pounds
Fuel Burn: 4,531 Pounds
Flight Time: 2:00:48

http://www.fsrtwrace.com/track/ShowFlight.php?detail=flight&value=wf6KeNGCmPoA5DrqNyZCabFPVO4

RedGreen
June 19th, 2009, 20:11
National Flight 583 is preparing for departure from Kingston to San Juan. We can't let our rivals at Eastern hog all the beer in Puerto Rico! :mixedsmi:

TOW: 90,522 Pounds
Payload: 14,000 Pounds

We can't help but be a little amazed at how every other airline is "packing 'em in like cattle." I sure hope this isn't a sign of things to come in the airline industry! :kilroy:

RedGreen
June 19th, 2009, 23:19
Things were a tad foggy on departure from Kingston, but nothing we couldn't handle with ease. We're definitely glad we weren't heading for Port-Au-Prince or Santo Domingo, there were thunderstorms spotted on both ends of the Island. Conditions in San Juan were as good as could be asked for, however. Plenty of visibility, and while the winds were at 12 knots, they were coming right on our nose down runway 9. Landed with plenty of room to spare, even if we hadn't used reverse pitch on our props.

Land Weight: 84,270 Pounds
Fuel Burn: 6,193 Pounds
Flight Time: 2:39:20

http://www.fsrtwrace.com/track/ShowFlight.php?detail=flight&value=SBHRDklo6RhSQtEGl3Olekb45w

salt_air
June 20th, 2009, 04:37
National Flight 583 is preparing for departure from Kingston to San Juan. We can't let our rivals at Eastern hog all the beer in Puerto Rico! :mixedsmi:


"Plenty-O-Beer".....a little joint uptown, really lives up to it's name.

Found it after the Pilot's Lounge closed up on me and I had enjoyed the beer Willy left me earlier.

I've noticed that some folks say beers as plural for beer. Beer is like deer, there's no "s" tacked on the backdside of the word like cars. If you've had A beer, then that's one, but if you've had beer, then that Could be a dozen,,,,or so.

I'll toss 'um back with the best, but never would I be able to hog ALL the beer in Puerto Rico.

After breakfast I'll be travelin' on. Lookin' at this advertisement for Curacaos Is. Then again there's an old girlfriend in Trinidad I haven't seen in eight years since passing through on the way home from the great Pan Am Race of '41.

Who knows???, maybe things can wait a little longer till this event is over. Wouldn't want to have to rush that reunion....:jump: .....yeah, that's right.

If we don't cross paths anymore, then I'll see ya in Buenos Aires in a few days.

Fare well Amigo!

RedGreen
June 20th, 2009, 19:12
Indeed Austin, it appears we are heading our seperate ways. Next stop is Trinidad, so we won't be meeting up again until Buenos Aires. Best of luck in your voyages.

(Define "Irony": Eastern Airlines is using the Western route down South America. What's next? Western Airlines using the Eastern route? Thank goodness my company wasn't named for a compass direction.) :bump:

TOW: 90,060 Pounds
Payload: 16,500 Pounds

RedGreen
June 20th, 2009, 22:15
There was some concern about the length of the runway at San Juan, so we took an extra stage of flap on takeoff just to be on the safe side. The plane lifted off with no issues and a decent amount of runway to spare, but our concerns were soon diverted to the tall building just to the right of the end of runway 10. Seriously, why the heck would you put that there???

And don't even get me started about Trinidad. Not a single NDB on the whole Island. And of course, this flight was the flight when my approach was into very limited visibility. Came down left of the runway and gave my passengers a stomach churning bounce as well. And to think it could have been avoided. But no, apparently the government of this Island is too cheap to put up a single NDB. You'd think they were colonized by the Dutch or something!*

Landing Weight: 84,408 Pounds
Fuel Burn: 5,614 Pounds
Flight Time: 2:27:17

http://www.fsrtwrace.com/track/ShowFlight.php?detail=flight&value=yXd6UxBkC2TL7U6aAZD5SFuQ

*The preceeding statement in no way reflects the opinions or attitudes of National Airlines towards the Dutch or people of any other nationality. We at National value our multi-cultural customer base, and do not seek to alienate the Dutch or anyone else from our airline. Capt. Green has been kindly asked to be more considerate to all peoples of different backgrounds.

RedGreen
June 23rd, 2009, 03:55
Trinidad doesn't have near the night life that the other Caribbean Islands do. Spending two nights there might have been boring, but for the sweet lady I came across on my first night there. She told me that her "big, strong man" was supposed to come and visit soon, but he still hadn't shown up. Then she got this wild look her in eye and started saying, "Come a little bit closer, I'm all alone and the night is so long...."

But I'm getting off topic.

Today, National Airlines will touch mainland South American soil for the first time as we head to Zandery. For what it's worth, this will also be our first landing that doesn't fulfill a commercial center requirement.

TOW: 90,334 Pounds
Payload: 18,000 Pounds

RedGreen
June 23rd, 2009, 06:37
I'll be the first to admit that conditions weren't the best for this flight. Visibility was low on takeoff. Practically the whole flight over the ocean was dogged with 20 knot headwinds, with a thunderstorm brewing underneath. Visibility was low on landing as well, but thankfully this airport did have an NBD, making the process much easier. They must have blown most of their budget on the NBD though, as the taxiways were so scarce that we had to taxi over the grass for most of the way. Accomodations weren't much to write home about either. It's no Miami, that's for certain.

Land Weight: 85,090 Pounds
Fuel Burn: 5,193 Pounds
Flight Time: 2:18:16

http://www.fsrtwrace.com/track/ShowFlight.php?detail=flight&value=ijyGlyp0sV3lMDgLOj5pBrV4Ho

RedGreen
June 24th, 2009, 03:30
Not much to do in Zandery, so NAL is pressing on to Belem. This is another landmark flight, as we'll be south of the Equator at the end of it. Long flight ahead, so no more dilly-dallying.

TOW: 91,560 Pounds
Payload: 18,000 Pounds

salt_air
June 24th, 2009, 03:39
Lookin' good Red,

Have a nice flight, but watch the weather on approach.

Happy Trails!


:ernae:

RedGreen
June 24th, 2009, 06:34
This one seemed almost exactly like the last flight. Low visibility on takeoff, unrelenting 20 knot headwinds making us tear our hair out, and more low visibility on landing. Another NDB on the runway however, and it was one of my better landings. Got some nice views on the way down, but these blasted headwinds are killing our ground speed.

Admittedly though, considering what our competitors have run into (flying in the wrong direction, dumping loads of gas into the ocean, landing into a mountain in Haiti, etc.) I guess I can live with it. Kind of.

Landing Weight: 85,287 Pounds
Fuel Burn: 6,227 Pounds
Flight Time: 2:42:22

http://www.fsrtwrace.com/track/ShowFlight.php?detail=flight&value=EmYR6oOQ3nVYuw6lRQxTv6MaR70

RedGreen
June 25th, 2009, 04:00
We've got some long haul flights ahead of us, so we're happy to have a short one for today. We're heading down to Sao Luis for this morning's flight. Plan is to be in Rio before the end of the weekend.

TOW: 89,232 Pounds
Payload: 18,000 Pounds

RedGreen
June 25th, 2009, 05:38
Sure would have been nice for that weatherman to tell about about the dadgum thunderstorm at SBSL. More headwinds from beginning to end, and this time the visibility was bad enough that I lost track of where the airport was. Where I expected the airport to be, there was instead a nice big hill I was heading towards. And that hill was where the plane came to rest.

Apparently South America hates me. Can we quit flying here? Please?

'Landing' Weight: 86,122 Pounds
Fuel Burn: 3,054 Pounds
Flight Time: 1:21:49

http://www.fsrtwrace.com/track/ShowFlight.php?detail=flight&value=a3jai7sJvgjtg90epFYm0zOD6E

MM
June 25th, 2009, 06:48
No problem. After being seated so long, the passengers will be delighted to have the opportunity for a brisk walk...1.3nm to the terminal.

A little duct tape and the DC-6 will be as good as new.:icon_lol:

RedGreen
June 26th, 2009, 23:46
Hasn't been a great time to be a part of this National crew. It was bad enough our DC-6B was now scrap metal on a hill in Brazil, but then we learned that many of the competitors had already arrived in Buenos Aires. And Pan-Am's Flying Whale was one of them.

Some of the crew wanted to give up on what's quickly turning into a lost cause, but NAL President George T. Baker sent down another DC-6B and insisted that too much money had already been invested in this cockamanie race, and that we might as well finish it.

So, with a fresh DC-6B (and hopefully the last one we'll need for this trip!) we'll now head to Recife.

TOW: 91,041 Pounds
Payload: 16,000 Pounds

RedGreen
June 27th, 2009, 03:03
Oh how happy we were to finally get out of Sao Luis. Fate still threw the same headwinds and low visibility at the destination airport we've come to expect ever since leaving Trinidad, but it was still great to finally be back in the air. We didn't lose the airport in the soup this time, and it was a very respectable landing. Gives us back the confidence we lost during the last flight. And we still plan to make Rio before the weekend's out.

Landing Weight: 84,540 Pounds
Fuel Burn: 6,442 Pounds
Flight Time: 2:54:21

http://www.fsrtwrace.com/track/ShowFlight.php?detail=flight&value=l1v8hmRtDhetBliOoB5J2eGXWXM

salt_air
June 27th, 2009, 10:18
Alright!,

Nice to get that confidence builder behind you. Now you can "bring it" on to Buenos Aires where I plan to have a secondary "Gala" event on my arrival that will be kept going untill you arrive.

I know what you're thinking,,,,,"those knuckleheads will have picked over everything by the time I arrive". Nope, guess again! Replenished each day with new supplies ,,,,and plenty to go 'round as well.

Been turning in expenses for steaks and wine while actually existing on potted meat and rol-aids,,,,,,yeah boy, I've got tons-o-money to spend.

Good to see You back in the air,,,,BTW: there's a gal here from Ipanema Beach (hubba hubba...) says she's looking for you?? :kilroy:

RedGreen
June 27th, 2009, 20:26
NAL is planning on making its Wildcard flight today to SBRJ, but weather reports aren't the best. Indications are that conditions are mostly cloudy around Rio, with thunderstorms to the west and north and fog to the west as well.

We may wait a bit to see if the weather clears out, but we probably won't get a better chance to make the run than today. And besides, as Austin mentioned, my Girl from Ipanema is waiting for me.....:jump:

G9U6URQSF6U

RedGreen
June 27th, 2009, 21:08
Conditions around Rio de Janeiro remain less than ideal, but we're going anyway.

This is National Airlines' Wildcard Leg.

TOW: 92,002 Pounds
Payload: 14,000 Pounds

RedGreen
June 28th, 2009, 01:58
Long, long leg over both sea and land. Slight 8 knot headwind eventually became a 25 knot crosswind at 16,000 feet. I'd heard from others that Rio is one hell of an airport to get into. I'll say, we had a heckuva time trying to find it, and then we were too high on our first try to get on the ground. I could see all the eyes staring up at me watching my rather unorthodox approach. Glad I went light on the Payload, it made getting stopped on that small piece of real estate a little bit easier.

But what a reward, getting to spend a few days of vacation in Rio! Now which way to Ipamena Beach? :jump:

Landing Weight: 81,410 Pounds
Fuel Burn: 10,538 Pounds
Flight Time: 4:27:00

http://www.fsrtwrace.com/track/ShowFlight.php?detail=flight&value=hFCsmR38mbe5Lz4yjyDstgkmZk

jt_dub
June 28th, 2009, 06:32
Great find on the Girl from Impanema video. I really enjoyed watching it. Have a great time in Rio.:ernae:

RedGreen
July 4th, 2009, 14:34
We've had a fun week in Rio, but the bosses at NAL have told us its about time for us to "Move it on Over" and continue towards Buenos Aires.

Next stop is Sao Paulo. For safety reasons we are going very light on the takeoff weight to ensure we get off the short runway at Rio with a healthy amount of runway to spare.

TOW: 87,601 Pounds
Payload: 17,000 Pounds

RedGreen
July 4th, 2009, 16:12
We vastly underestimated the difficulty of getting out of Rio in one piece. We were taking every precaution, including using two extra notches of flaps and backing up several feet behind the runway before we made our takeoff run. And even then, we only managed to get off the ground by the slimmest of margins before our tires would've started to get wet.

Otherwise, the trip was fairly unremarkable. We fought headwinds (as usual) and had low visibility on approach to Sao Paulo (as usual), but the landing was accepetable. This completes all seven of our required commercial centers.

Landing Weight: 84,917 Pounds
Fuel Burn: 2,647 Pounds
Flight Time: 1:07:11

http://www.fsrtwrace.com/track/ShowFlight.php?detail=flight&value=XAUtYvtxaXfa7fjINmcF2XuYk

salt_air
July 4th, 2009, 18:17
Well,,,,you and that gal have a nice time?

Welcome back!

Continued good luck my friend. Could have been better,,,,could have been worse,,,,still think you've done a fine job. So........

First Class accomodations ..."with all the trimmin's"...await you in Buenos Aires courtesy of Eastern Air Lines.

Won't be long now.

:ernae:

RedGreen
July 4th, 2009, 20:32
Oh yes, a lovely time was had by all in Rio. :wiggle: And when we get to Buenos Aires, we'll show you boys how National Airlines throws a party.

For now, we're going to keep on keepin' on, and leave Sao Paulo behind for Sao Joao.

TOW: 90,560 Pounds
Payload: 17,000 Pounds

RedGreen
July 4th, 2009, 23:03
This flight was bizarre. Downright bizarre. We got to altitude, and there was no headwind to be found. In fact, it was a cross wind with a very slight tailwind. We thought that was odd, but that was nothing compared to when we got to Sao Joao. No fog, no haze, nothing. Perfect visibility all the way to the deck. And I thought conditions were supposed to get worse, the further South we went??? Those were the best conditions we've come across since the Caribbean.

This completes all 11 of our necessary Commercial Centers (it actually gives us 12 altogether, but Sao Joao was a logical stopping point). From here, only one destination remains.

Required Centers
KLGA
KDCA
KMIA
TJIG
SBRF
SBRJ
SBSP

Additional Centers
MUHA
MKJP
TTPP
SBBE
SBPA

Landing Weight: 85,737 Pounds
Fuel Burn: 4,773 Pounds
Flight Time: 2:03:58

http://www.fsrtwrace.com/track/ShowFlight.php?detail=flight&value=p0Enb5VsOPa4yrjBaj4RYPAEvgQ

RedGreen
July 8th, 2009, 03:29
Hard to believe it, but our final leg of the race is about to begin. We've been waiting all week for agreeable weather, and it looks like today will be as good as any. We're looking forward to crossing the finish line in Argentina.

TOW: 90,712 Pounds
Payload: 18,000 Pounds

srgalahad
July 8th, 2009, 08:41
Don't worry about those Flying Whales Red! They are parked on the BA ramp leaking oil, surrounded by a boat-load of mechanics and a dozen accountants calculating how to buy a gasoline refinery. It may well turn out that the Strat is a major contributor to what will (in 60 years or so) be called "Global Warming".

Sadly, they never built a DC-6 with Griffons... and sorry, but the North Stars are all spoken for:kilroy:

RedGreen
July 8th, 2009, 14:36
(Note: I closed Internet Explorer before I started my flight to reduce my computers workload. For whatever reason, after I finished my flight, IE would not launch again, and no amount of reboots, cursing, or kicking of my computer would change it. So I gave up and went to bed. Now it works perfectly. Go figure.)

Hello, Buenos Aires! National Flight 583 has arrived from Montreal. We were all thrilled to finally pull up to the gate and shut down the engines. NAL President George Baker was there to greet us, and we had some champagne to celebrate right there on the tarmac while an admiring crowd looked on. We're glad he kept us going. After our earlier mistake, we didn't think we'd still have a realistic chance of claiming the top spot in the standings.

We knew we'd have to make this one count, and we made sure the Pratt and Whitneys earned their keep. Navigation was tricky for a while, with a 30 knot crosswind coming at us (the highest we've observed in the entire race). Then, sure enough the winds started to come around and for a short while we had a 40 knot wind right on our nose. However, conditions couldn't have been better at Buenos Aires, plenty of visibility and just a 3 knot crosswind on landing. We think we've done enough to knock Western Airlines off the top of the North America leaderboard, but we won't know until the bean counters are done accounting.

In the meantime, which way to the bar? :ernae:

Landing Weight: 84,913 Pounds
Fuel Burn: 5,762 Pounds
Flight Time: 2:24:41

Dangerousdave26
July 8th, 2009, 14:44
Welcome to the Party Red...

Pull up a chair and I'll buy you a drink. :guinness:

MM
July 8th, 2009, 15:14
A class act has arrived. Welcome to the table Red!

salt_air
July 9th, 2009, 03:27
Good job "Podna"... the long ride is done.

Welcome to Argentina ......have one on Eastern and another on Transocean!


:ernae:

arrvoo
July 9th, 2009, 10:47
Well done Red. Someone else to party with