Tall Tales at the Alvear

[MM]

The sponsors have put us up at the Hotel Alvear, a rather swell place for those of us living on a pilot's paycheck. Happily, all expenses are paid. We can gather around the famous bar in the lobby and swap tales, both true and interesting. A few photos would be icing on the cake. The sponsors have kindly asked that we not break up the joint.

Otherwise we can go out among the porteños and enjoy the Tango. Or visit the Café Tortoni on the Avenida de Mayo for something completely different. Best of times...

[Moses03]

The crew was anxious to get started so we decided to depart for Heathrow at 02:55 local. The passengers were in good spirits and enjoyed the early morning ride.

The Tudor handled surprisingly well with the full cargo hold. The only downside this leg was the persistent headwind and patchy fog.

[Flyin Bull]

Off to a good start with four legs under my belt. Decided to get the night legs out of the way on the short european runs, but decided to fly the Alps in daylight:icon_lol:

So far the navigation has been quite easy with plenty of NDB's and the winds favourable through France and Italy.

Steve

[Bry Rosier]

Well a nice first day for me . Night flights from Amsterdam to London and then to Paris in good conditions with good NDB`s to track . Then a day flight across the Alps to Milan , an area I know very well :) , The winds were shifting about early in the flight but was great to keep on track using the many NDB`s enroute , crossing the alps in good weather made keeping track easy ( just head for the Matterhorn ) and the RMG NDB comes alive and an easy descent and approach .

I`d like to give a big Thankyou to the organisers and all at the Outhouse for letting me take part in this excellent Event . It`s so different than the "point and shoot" of the RTWR , the route planning , NDB planning , Timings and the relief when the next NDB comes alive , is great fun . Cheers guys :ernae:


not much to see over the North sea to London at night , lots to see at the Matterhorn and nice landing in Milan

[DarkCharizma]

I decided to take an easy start today, with a flight from Stockholm to Copenhagen on my way to Amsterdam. I didn't want to start with a three hour flight direct to Amsterdam because I was a little bit afraid of ending up in Greenland because of a bad navigator (and it was getting a bit late).


I`d like to give a big Thankyou to the organisers and all at the Outhouse for letting me take part in this excellent Event . It`s so different than the "point and shoot" of the RTWR , the route planning , NDB planning , Timings and the relief when the next NDB comes alive , is great fun .

I second Bry's comments (hi Bry by the way), it was a lot of fun having to think a bit about which direction you should be flying. EKCH didn't seem to have an NDB though, and I went out of range of the last NDB on my route about 30 nm from the airport, and me changing my heading trying to make a nice approach to the active runway, leaving me not quite sure if I was heading in the right direction. I was quite happy when I saw the Öresund bridge (which had mysteriously been transported back to 1949), connecting Malmö and Copenhagen, with one end right beside EKCH :icon_lol:

[jt_dub]

Imagine my surprise when the boss showed up to greet our arrival in La Guardia last night. He advised us that there would be a slight delay in our departure for Washington. He said the engines on our Strat had accumulated too many hours to be trusted for the Evita event and advised that 4 newly overhauled engines would be installed and my departure to DCA would have to wait a bit.
At 2100 Clipper America was ready for the next leg with the boss onboard. Seems he has some urgent business with some public servants about airmail contracts. The weather briefing has SIGMETS advising of convective activity along most our route of flight. We depart La Guardia with max payload and a light fuel load and head southwest.
Within 20 minutes we are being bounced around in the clouds as the lightning illuminates the flight deck. The turbulence abates a bit as a start my descent near Newark Delaware but I loose my airspeed indicator and get the Flight Engineer to fire up the pitot heaters. As I pickup speed in descent my co-pilot warns me that carb temps are getting low, so I close down the intercooler flaps and see the temps start to rise. A few minutes later I am warned again about low carb temps, so I gang switch the carb heaters on. Just past Baltimore I pickup the ADF for my approach to DCA and alter my course. I am reducing throttle as I pickup speed on my decent and then suddenly the engines cut out. No response to the throttle. The mixture controls were leaned for cruise and I forgot to set them to Auto Rich. A quick restart of the engines and then I notice that we were further west than I planned for the approach into DCA. To expedite the landing we overflew P-26 directly over the Washington monument and then setup for landing on runway 1. Downwind leg over Alexandria then turn for the 01 approach. I got a complement on the landing from the co-pilot and the passengers applauded. Nice finish for a short but busy flight

[MM]

After spending the day drinking coffee and waiting around at Schiphol, we finally got a telegram from Max Hymans in Paris giving us the high sign. Rushed to the cockpit and warmed the Wrights.

In the excitement of the first trip, I plumb forgot to post the takeoff. Got a stern warning from the race marshal right away. Everything was new but ordinary—with clear weather over the Thames affording the paying passengers a splendid view of St. Pauls and Westminster. Everyone got out for a quick stop before crossing La Manche and heading for beautiful Paris. Fish 'n Chips, anyone?

The only unusual event came over the North Sea when we received a radio telegram from a colleague out in the Pacific. He was in need of some engineering advice and we had the technical manuals on board. Connie pilots have to stick together, it seems, no matter the time and distance.

[Highmike]

I was up at 23000 ft peering into the inky black thinking "I've got a bad feeling about this!" Long test flights over the days prior to the race showed me that my trusty drift meter was not 100% reliable on legs in the vicinity of 800 NM or more. Brisbane to Noumea was proving to be a constant struggle with anxiety, and I only had to look forward to 1400 NM and 2000 NM legs as I made progress to the east. I started my descent into the unknown cryin out to Mamma, "What am I doin here?"

You guys in the north have got it easy!

"Oh yeah, I can see the panel. But what about outside?"

[MM]

Some cities are worth one's time...

[Willy]

Night flight for Merc Air One to La Guardia.

It was a bit too foggy for pics in New York.

[RedGreen]

I fully express my sympathies to the gentleman from Qantas. Navigating over open ocean in the dark can be disconcerting, as for all intents and purposes you're guessing where you are. The view isn't much to write home about either.

Not to mention our National Airlines celebration in Miami had only been underway for a few minutes when Pan-Am's Flying Whale showed up to crash the party. Why does it always seem like they have to one-up everyone else? :kilroy:

[MM]

This month, June 1949, the "24 Heures du Mans" is set to start again after the war interruption. Wonderful machines. Wonderful event. Hope that it lasts into the future.

[Highmike]

I've been wrestling with my navigational problem and I think I've found a solution.

I've flown from New York to London often enough to know that when you leave JFK you head in a north easterly direction, but when you cross the shores of England you're heading south east. You follow a great circle path between the two points, and in order to follow such a circle your navigational plan has to account for an element of precession. The only question is, could you estimate how much is necessary with sufficient reliability?

Well, it may be crude, but the flight planner will give you a vector flying to your destination from the west, and it will also give you a vector for the same course in reverse.

Say I'm flying from Easter Island to Santiago, the flight planner tells me I should head in a 095 direction for 458 minutes! When I enter the reverse course it tells me I should head in a 267 direction, so there's an 8 degree difference between my departure heading and the compass point opposite my heading for the reverse course, namely 95 - 87 = 8.

I may leave Easter Island heading 095, but I should arrive at Santiago heading 087, and I should adjust my heading one degree every 458 / 8 = 57 minutes.

It's crude, but it's worth a try, and I'm feeling much more positively about the reliability of my drift meter. I hope you weren't too disappointed with the pessimism of my earlier post. I thought it kinda funny to be attempting this navigational feat with such simple instruments, and I thought I'd share.

Good luck to all.

[jt_dub]

The Evita Pan Am Crew had it's first daytime operation of the event. A quick flight from Miami to Havana. After a quick climb out over the Florida Keys and a short cruise at FL180 it was time to descend into Havana and some fun.

Everyone (passengers and crew) were going to head to the Tropicana for the evenings entertainment.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obFPAXXeFos&feature=related

[MM]

Most of the passengers were on their way Monaco to visit the classic Casino. A spot of gambling and all that.

In the morning one wakes up dreaming of meeting a wonderful young girl, visiting Monaco, who might want to go for a drive in the hills. A spectacular view of the city from up there. And who knows, might meet a princess. But wait, who's that suave fellow meeting her now? Stop, thief!

Gosh. Well, maybe I'll look for Bry who just landed his BOAC Hermes at Nice. Good fellowship beats all...

[Bry Rosier]

No chance to meet up Mike :( My First Officer and the Stewardesses were just checking in to our Hotel and planning quite a night out when the receptionist informed us that BOAC headquarters wanted us to take the next flight out to Lisbon :( Apparantly the Captain Scheduled to take the flight has the "Flu" and cannot leave his Monaco Hotel room !!!! Yeah Right :/ The Hermes was already fuelled up and waiting for us . Passengers were boarding . I tried to explain to the HQ we were "Out of Hours " but he told me " such things do not exist in 1949 " :) So no Casinos , no dancing girls but the promise of a 2 Day rest in Lisbon so cannot complain really !!

[arrvoo]

An evening flight from Paris to Milan, carrying a group of tourists on their way to see some of the sights of this marvellous city. With all the talk of visiting the Last Supper, the Milan Cathedral and the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II i was left with a nice tailwind to whisk everyone in over the Alps.
Unfortunately the evening was too late to take in the Alps but a nice sunset was some reward.

[Moses03]

Nice scenic flight that almost went off without a hitch. Nearing the Alps our engineer remarked that our right outboard tank was about to run dry. In a calm manner I asked him to please crossfeed #4 with the mains which took care of that. Problem was we had a 730 lb off-balance situation with #1 & #4. At 8800' I dumped the excess fuel out from #1 and all was well again. We also managed to land with a slightly overweight ship despite our best efforts.

One more slipup from the engineer and the navigator and they will both be sacked!

[RedGreen]

All I can say is, I love working for an airline based in Miami. :jump:

P5dWxjihyGE&fmt=18

And you all wonder why I'm not anxious to leave Miami quite yet. :kilroy:

[PRB]

Completed my first leg. Ok, the first leg without dumping the plane in the sea, that is. No good pics as this was a night landing, but here's a shot from the flight deck as we came into runway 11 at Noumea.

[buzzbee]

Had 2 good night flights from Montreal to Washington D.C. The rookie crew is still struggling with descent planning.

Here is a picture over Manhattan. We were cleared direct and able to cross at Mid Town.

[MM]

The long flight from Nice to Lisbon was marked by unexpectedly fierce headwinds. For half the trip, fuel was marginal and threatening. But misfortune abated and the upper atmosphere winds diminished and all was well. The scenery was great, of course, with Spain's splendid plains and rugged terrain (Spain it the second most mountainous country in Europe.) All in all, happy to get to beautiful Lisbon.

Here at Portela, the Air France technicians are making modifications on the Constellation to see if it can work in what Moses calls "the junior simulator." Might take a little while to get the long-distance navigation capabilities installed. The guys just shrugged their shoulders and said, "Maybe."

We are now scheduled to stop at Casablanca. The faster route, of course, is direct to Los Rodeos in the Canary Islands. But we at Air France feel compelled to connect with Casablanca—our headquarters during the past War just four short years ago.

During that period, Air France maintained the link between Lisbon with Casablanca. Neutral Lisbon was the crossroads between German-occupied Europe and the Free World. A center for spies and intrigue...and an escape route for refugees.

That was a difficult time for France, with heroes and villains and mostly ordinary men seemingly overwhelmed by the forces of history.

Perhaps one sweet fleeting moment, at Rick's Café Américain ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_iYbEPZVVIA

... the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

[Flyin Bull]

Made it into South America after a very slow and uneventful flight. Was a little worried about the nav over a 1700nm leg but in the end all was well, I made landfall within NDB range (only just) of SBRF. Winds were on the nose all the way and fuel was getting to be a worry until I sighted land.

Managed to get the camera out for a shot of the coast of Brazil

Steve

[PRB]

Completed flight from Noumea (NWWW) to Nadi, Fiji (NFFN). A most enjoyable flight. Took off in the late afternoon, and it was full dark by the time we made Fiji. The weather was fine and we had a strong tail wind for the entire flight. At around a half hour out, the ADF needle jumped up, dead ahead, and I heard that lonely "beep-beep-beep" from out there in the darkness... Doesn't get much better than that! There was one odd encounter, however. As it was getting dark, there appeared an enormous object, which I can only compare to one of Larry Niven’s Ring Worlds, but situated about our own Earth. I suspect something not quite right about the new Moon texture I recently loaded… Will do some tests. The object did not hinder navigation or landing, and was not visible in daylight.

[Willy]

Got my night flights out of the way when I landed in Atlanta (KATL) to meet the Merc Air ground crew. While I'm here, they're going to reconfigure the cabin from the Sleeper Berths to the Day Passenger configurations as well as do some quick maintenance to the Wright Cyclones. This will raise my passenger capacity from 24 to 33.

Now where can I find 9 more victims... er... paying passengers?

[Moses03]

After looking over the previous reports, we knew there would be a persistent headwind most of the way. Took her up to 17,000' for awhile but the going was slow. Decided to head back down to about 11,000' or so and sure enough we were able to keep a steady cruise with less headwind and without too much fuel stress. Ended up at 15,000' to finish out.

The crew played rock, paper, scissors to see where we would go next...

[srgalahad]

A dawn departure from Brisbane into favourable tailwinds. Fuji certainly is an artist and has done the company proud with his paint schemes.
The descent into New Caledonia was smooth in spite of the building cumulus and the smoke from the ever-present fires once again obstructed visibility but arrival was almost perfect. It seems the plan to have a second aircraft following along with mechanics and spares will turn into a holiday junket - at company expense!!, but best to be prepared and it's nice to have someone to chat with on those long ocean hops. Better than to get disoriented and suffering hallucinations like those QANTAS chaps...

Resting up in a nice bro... hotel in preparation for what Boss McHale calls a wildcard... whatever that is.

[Highmike]

... disoriented and suffering hallucinations like those QANTAS chaps...

"Qantas Empire Airways would like to take this opportunity to reassure the travelling public that we know where we are going!"

[Willy]

Made the flight from Atlanta to Miami. The Stratoliner is doing better than I thought it would. Now to round up 33 extra life preservers and parachutes to rent to the passengers.....

[srgalahad]

And thinking of safety for a moment...

McHale's Airlines is proud to say that
"When you fly McHale's, Mae West is there with you!"

as opposed to the the equipment that others seem to be using...

http://www.go2marine.com/docs/mfr/stearns/henry_freeman.jpg

[RedGreen]

Miami, Havana, and now Kingston. How lucky can you get? It's been a wonderful tour of tropical paradises so far, and I can't wait to check out Jamaica.

The locals have warned me to stay away from this island called Crab Key. Seems there's a man who lives there who doesn't take well to trespassers...but I wonder if he'd mind a fly-by?

E5jjYLsh1V4&fmt=18

[jt_dub]

.... San Juan Isla Grande (TJIG).


It was a challenge to get my full payload out of this airport. Only 5300' of runway and the take off on rwy 27 obstructed by a cargo container ship just beyond the runway threshold. Rwy 9 obstructed by buildings.

Very nice....

[Willy]

Nice short flight to Nassau in the Bahamas (MYNN) until time to descend into the thunderstorm that was over the island. Then things got real "interesting". But it all worked out good in the end.

Got a few pics...

1) From looking at this Pan Am Sikorsky, you'd think Juan Trippe could afford some new airplanes

2) Leaving Miami behind

3) Parked at Nassau

[MM]

By arrangement with Air France in Paris, the team took the route along the coast to honor the early days, some fifteen years ago, when Aéropostale flew the mails from France to South America. Here we flew from Casablanca to Agadir to Port-Étienne.

Here is a bit on Saint-Exupéry's second time around in North Africa, after serving as the chief in Buenos Aires.
(1931) …Now in a Laté 26 he began to fly the mail from Casablanca south to Port-Étienne, leaving Morocco late on a Sunday afternoon and adhering to a tight schedule down the coast, one that provided the rites by which he lived for a good part of the next two years. At Agadir he and the mail changed aircraft; the relay plane was up and running on their arrival. In his ten minutes of ground time Saint-Exupéry chatted with the mechanics as he gulped down an hors d'oeuvre of chocolate followed by a plate of fried eggs, a banana, and a glass of wine. Alexandre Baïle, the chief of the airfield, provided a word on the weather and—the mail having been transferred—saw to it that the pilot made a prompt departure. As the sun set over the desert Saint-Exupery forged on to Juby, three and a half hours to the south. Here another plate of fried eggs awaited him; in his ten minutes on the ground he traded memories with the Spanish officers who still occupied his former home. …

Through the night the Latécoère continued on toward Port-Étienne, overflying Villa Cisneros to drop, quite literally, the mail, whereupon the chief of the airfield waved the plane on from the ground. With the dawn, Saint-Exupéry arrived at Port-Etienne, having flow for nearly twelve hours, a period of duty and under conditions that would be abhorrent to any member of the pilots' union today. His stay in Port-Étienne lasted until the end of the week, when—the Buenos Aires mail having been sent up from Dakar—the trip would be repeated in reverse, landing Saint-Exupéry in Casablanca on Sunday morning, in time for an early breakfast of warm croissants and cafés au lait. (From Saint-Exupéry by Stacy Schiff)

[MM]

Here is a small bit of the Aéropostale flying—which had become so routine that Saint-Exupéry lamented the loss of danger and thus the visceral sense of living.
For most of this period he was teamed up with a Corsican radio operator named Jacques Néri, as brilliant a match as could have been made. A 1929 recruit, Néri was a hugely talented radio-navigator; his preferred means of communication was drawing, however. Not only was this easier to understand, he felt, but it was aesthetically more interesting. ...

In Wind, Sand and Stars, it is with Néri that Saint-Exupéry has been drawn off course in the middle of a foggy night. No airport can tell the two men their bearings, which makes them feel as if they have "slipped beyond the confines of this world." The two set their cap on star after star, each time in the vain hope that they are actually headed toward an airport beacon. The first time the skies yield up a light, Néri, singing, begins to pound the fuselage with his fists. Lost in interplanetary space, hungry and thirsty, Saint-Exupéry dreams of the breakfast with which the two will celebrate if ever they return to earth; all the joy of being alive will be his in the first rich, burning mouthful of coffee. But the two remain hopelessly lost. When Néri asks that Cisneros blink its beacon three times, the light ahead "would not, incorruptible star, so much as wink." Finally Néri hands his pilot a scrap of paper. "All's well. Great news." He has received a transmission from Casablanca which he expects will save them. In fact the message has been delayed somewhere in the 1,250 miles of night sky and dates from the previous evening, when a government representative sent out word that Saint-Exupéry was to be disciplined on his return for having flown too close to the Casablanca hangars. He had indeed done so but was never happy to be reprimanded, least of all when he was lost on the company's behalf, in the night sky, in a dense fog, hoping for some more pertinent information. It was as if he had jumped overboard to save a shipmate and—upon asking from the open sea for a buoy—had been told that his socks were mismatched. (From Saint-Exupéry by Stacy Schiff)

[salt_air]

Really do enjoy all of these enlightening tid-bits Mike.

It' s good of ya to take the time to find them and then it's really good of ya to share them with us all.

Thanks!

Hey speaking of 1949......Do you remember these??

[PRB]

Made a short hop from Nadi International (NFFN) to Nausori (NFNA) today. “Loaded for bear” with coconut trees, sun tan lotion, beech umbrellas and beer. While a short flight, the folks at Nausori haven’t yet learned of this new invention called the chain saw… The trees were trimmed a bit close to the approach ends of the single 6000 foot runway. Had to come in a tad high, then dove for the runway, touching down way too far down. Then the prop reverser system picked that very moment to go on the fritz. Oh well, no worries. Made it just fine.

[Moses03]

... The trees were trimmed a bit close to the approach ends of the single 6000 foot runway.

Yikes! I would have jumped out with one of the beach umbrellas if I had been faced with that. :monkies: Nice one P!

[Taco]

Hey PRB,

Where Willy when you need him. Man, he can take care of those trees in a hurry. hehe

Nice landing P.

[Moses03]

Nerveracking flight over the desolate stretches of the western Sahara. Trip started out fine but about 100 miles out a sandstorm blew in and sent visibility doen the drain. I feared the engines might start choking off from the sand but they held on thankfully. Took a very conservative approach at a lower alt all the way in.

Was on the ramp locking down the Connie last night and spied a Lockeed twin taxiing out. Grabbed the camera and snapped a shot as it took off. Neat little Electra 12.

[jt_dub]

Started my tour of South America today. Most of the flight over the Atlantic but arrived at dusk in Guyane.

[srgalahad]

Well, we got the planes all washed and shipshape. While waiting for Dave's parts to arrive ( and apparently McHale is bringing them himself) I hung around the airport bar and ran into an interesting fellow. Ex- Italian Naval pilot, Mauricio apparently knew of McHale from Voltafiore, Italy while the boss was stationed there. Charming guy, he invited me to tag along on his morning mail run to the islands in a rather run-down Grumman Goose he'd bought. Had a great flight cruising low over the ocean - even spotted a couple of wrecked planes in one of the lagoons - Japanese, apparently. A couple of water landings - Mauricio says the land strips are too rough for a real plane. Saw some interesting spots that some day may make a nice place to open a bar and retire on the beach.

Eighty kilometres south-east of Noumea lies the enchanting Isle of Pines (14 km wide, 18 km long) a place where time seems to stand still in an idyllic setting of white beaches under swaying palms and soaring Araucaria pines.

Les Iles de Loyaute ( The Loyalty Islands)-- Lifou, Maré, Ouvéa... Three pearls set in the Pacific Ocean, as if displayed on velvet to protect their hidden treasures. Three islands whose secret beauty has been preserved, three visions of Paradise, so different and yet so near…

I guess we've got a couple more days here in paradise before it's back to the grind.. but even the pax don't mind

[Willy]

I really didn't look close at the allowed airports until after the race started other than a cursory glance. But when I started plotting out my route, I discovered a short cut that would cut out almost 900nm off the trip. Besides, I've been to Jamaica before anyway. So, leaving out of Miami, I cut over to Nassau and then down to Santa Domingo in the Dominican Republic, leaving Havana and Kingston out of it. I almost paid dearly for it though when I got to Santa Domingo.

First off, there was heavy t-storms over the town and airport. Not to mention a thick fog. And the airport is a tiny thing. Moses is always calling the Stratoliner "the Whale" and it's not really that big a propliner, but it was such a tight fit at the airport, that I don't think a Connie would fit. And on final, I had to fit the Strat down between the trees to make touchdown on Runway 1 and still have enough runway to stop on. I'm just glad my night flights are over with and I didn't have to try to put down in that little hole at night. Who ever picked that one for this event, was trying to set someone up! A Connie or a Stratocruiser would have a fun time getting into here.

Now, the question is can I make it back out of here??? :isadizzy:

Edit: Just did a little googling on Herrera Intl.


The airport began commercial operations in 1973. The airport formally closed on February 22, 2006, and the airport was handed over to the military so they could block the runway

An International airport with a 4000ft runway just strikes me as misleading somehow.

[MM]

The old guy in the corner of the bar tilts his hat downward, shifts his gaze back to the Racing Form...and smiles quietly.

[srgalahad]

Back in the heady days of the Golden Age of Aviation the 'big boys' of the established international carriers often used political influence ($$) and other nefarious means to prevent interlopers from entering into competition. I suppose they'd not be above leading the unwary into dangerous traps even in this post-war renaissance to protect their "territory"...

Strange, but those pictures on the desk in the back room... the one of the 'fishing buddies'.. look curiously like Pan American's Juan Trippe and a couple of European fellas... hmmm..

[Willy]

Interesting take off from Herrera Intl (MDHE). I took off from as far back as I dared and if the trees at the other end hadn't of been cleared out a bit, I'd have been making toothpicks. As it was I just barely did get out of there with a full load of passengers. Did manage to get a few picks of the take off.

[MM]

Started out with routine everything. From Port-Étienne a smooth takeoff into the wind and climb to FL180 for fast cruise south to Dakar. All was good with the sense of serenity that comes with flying above the weather below. Then the descent into what the "weather guessers" described as CAVOK skies at Dakar.

But at 6,000 ft the visibility dropped suddenly. Flying and waiting for ADF to come alive...and waiting and waiting. Finally, dropped down to 3,000 to see the coastline below. Turned west and simultaneously picked up the weak signal. Ouch.

Made for Dakar but misaligned the initial approach—ended up circling the city to set up for Rwy 36. Gave the pax a guided tour of all the sights...

Dakar, here in Senegal, is the administrative capital for all of French West Africa which ranges a thousand miles north and two thousand miles east of here. Rather a firm no-nonsense colonial rule from all accounts. There is talk of giving some of the colonies some weak form of self rule—but nothing serious yet.

Mostly, the local administration has made limited attempts to civilize the local agricultural areas and to reach out to the almost entirely nomadic interior—providing modest medical and educational facilities. Railway lines have been built and port facilities developed. But the payoff in terms of agricultural exports has hardly justified the effort.

The lure of the Sahara nowadays lies in its vast mineral riches. However, as one more deeply considers the possibilities...
With a sense of reverent awe the man-in-the-street feels the wealth of the Sahara trickling through his fingers like an endless string of pearls: oil, natural gas, iron, copper, manganese… diamonds and uranium. These words have a magical ring in his hears. He confuses geology with economics. He mistakes hopes for realities. He overlooks the fact that it is sometimes too costly even to stoop and pick up the treasures in or under the sand, that mineral ores cannot be sold merely because they were extracted from this incredibly exciting desert but only if they can compete on the world market. He underestimates the unlimited liability which the wealth of the Sahara carries with it: endless, empty and almost barren space." Le Canard Enchainé (1958)
Perhaps it is best to move on.

A couple of shots of the flight. And then a 1948 postcard featuring French West Africa and a couple of airmail stamps (one showing an aircraft circling over Dakar).

[Highmike]

If you've ever flown close to 7 hours under race conditions you'll know that the milestones mean a lot to a driver. Here are some snaps of such moments. The first one is of Robinson Crusoe Island which is about 360 NM short of the coast, and which has a useful NDB. The second is of the coast of South America, a welcome sight believe me. And the third is a nice shot of the late afternoon light shining across the Santiago valley.

It's nice to make it all the way across the vast Pacific.

[RedGreen]

Hard to believe National's Carribbean Tour portion of the race is almost at an end. The sea around the islands are an unbelievable shade of blue, and the islands themselves are strikingly beautiful too. And to think, living in Miami, I'm just a few hundred nautical miles away from each of these beauties.

I'm so glad I got the night flights out of the way early, so I could enjoy the full splendor of the Caribbean in the daylight.

[PRB]

Some kodaks of the three-tailed beast during the most recent flight to Pago Pago. An uneventful flight, although I lost my 50 knot tail wind and traded it in for a 24 knot cross wind.

[Willy]

Decided to go over to St Maartin to catch up with a "bidness" associate while I was in the neighborhood. Just a short flight but I do like coming in low over the beach to land. Just have to be careful and pay attention to what I'm doing instead of the bikinis though.....

[salt_air]

The crew of Eastern Air Lines flight 541 Montreal to Buenos Aires would like to take a minute to wish all the Dad's out here a very Happy Father's Day and continued good fortune on your endeavours.


Cheers,



:ernae:

[Bry Rosier]

Great time in Rio , on arrival we were greeted by the Govenor of Rio , who was kind enough to allow me to take his newly acquired Bell 47 for a spin round the city :) Then we had a heavy night in Copacabana , much beer ,much showgirls , not much sleep ;) Then a nice afternoon short flight to Sao Paulo , lovely scenery enroute

[buzzbee]

Takeoff footage from inside to cockpit of Western Airlines DC-6B Departing Kingston Jamaica.

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[arrvoo]

A long 830nm flight over Morocco,Western Sahara and Mauritania proved to be a little worrying. With few navigational aids and not a lot of visual landmarks it was all about accurate flying and good stopwatch timing.
Fortunately only one small drift after a 330 mile leg between 2 NDB's was the only problem. A nervous wait for the airport NDB to become active but fortunately we were bang on course.
Time for a rest up and try to find something to eat and somewhere to sleep

[MM]

Great trip down to Rio. The final approach, here over Guanabara Bay, just fills the eyes with stunning beauty. Terrific stuff.

Built on a landfill, Santos Dumont adjoins the central business district of the city. From there you get excellent views of the commercial buildings nearby and Sugar Loaf Mountain (Pão de Açúcar) in the distance. To the south you can see the Corcovado on which stands the dramatic Christ the Redeemer (Cristo Redentor)—completed just eighteen years ago in 1931. On the other side of the Carioca range, to the south and west, stand the world famous beaches of Copacabana and Ipanema.

Now, in 1949, Rio is the capital of the republic as well as the most important port and harbor. It serves as the conduit for a large inland area for exports, most particularly of coffee. This is a commercial and governmental center rather than a manufacturing city.

More important for us is the city's magic. With the inauguration of the grand hotels (the Glória in 1922 and the Copacabana Palace in 1924), Rio has become a romantic, exotic destination for Hollywood celebrities and international high society who come to play and gamble at the casinos and dance or perform in the nightclubs. As important, the Cariocas (Rio's natives) themselves embody the very spirit of "joie de vivre" making it easy for visitors to fall in love. We'll stay just a short while ... this time.


It is difficult to follow Bry down the coast. All the locals now expect big tips!

[Willy]

Nice short hop from St Maartin (TNCM) to Ft de France on Martinique (TFFF). The passengers are liking these short daylight hops. Gives 'em more "tourist time".

[Willy]

Had to do a real careful preflight inspection. Seems a couple of characters wearing Air France uniforms were skulking about the 307. No telling what the ne'er do wells from that outfit would be up to...

Decent flight to TTPP. Next stop South America!

[buzzbee]

Here at Western Airlines, we don't have very good strategists. The debate now taking place before we can file for our next departure is whether or not there is a payload advantage to be gained by breaking up the next leg into 2 shorter hops.

I wish they would decide. I just want to go flying and not worry about it.

[PRB]

Great flight to Rarotonga (NCRG.) Had to deal with a 14 knot 90 degree cross wind howling down from the hills to the south across the single 7000 foot runway, but it was all good. Some kodaks: A): Dawn over the South Pacific. B) and C): My semi-awesome cross wind landing!

[PRB]

Made it to Tahiti! Woooo! (runs off the plane with beach unbrella and coconut with straw sticking out.) See ya in a week. Maybe... :d

[Willy]

Just landed in Dutch Guyana from British Guyana.....

[Great Ozzie]

Saturday nite... was very gratifying to see Señor Mike MacKuen meet us at the airport. We hand him the Flight, Maintenance and Nav Logs... After quickly looking over our aircraft, we hear from him, "So... you had trouble with No. 4 on the way here." "Yes sir, just as we got over land btw... we had to hang an engine with absolutely zero test-bench hours." "Hmmm... yes... oil consumption is high on 4... sounds like improperly seated rings." (besides being a Chief Test Pilot, Mike holds an IA back in the States) "Yes sir, I think so too. We really pushed those engines hard." "I would say so Capt... running MTO power to TOC?" "Well, yes sir... but we were working directly with Pratt on this... we have a couple of their Tech Reps onboard.... and the engines are going back to them to be reman'd." "Yes seems only fitting; ok fine... now let's go get that drink."

So we left the airport and our Reserve Crew was able to get a few nice shots of our craft just at sunset.

When Mike made the bar invite, I had envisioned shots of tequila at some small hole in the wall. Boy was I further off than our Navigator a couple nites ago. I had never heard of the Alvear... Alvear Palace Hotel that is. And what a Palace it is!

The place is absolutely spectacular... And tonight’s hosts even more so. An array of wealthy Argentine, European and North American businessmen & government officials, including the Intendente of Buenos Aires and the American Ambassador. Then I see President Perón (along with his wife Eva) raise his glass and say, "To The Magnificent Seven!" (referring to the first seven crews that have arrived). What a night that was!

Yes, this was magnificent, the Challenge, The Routes, The Participants... all magnificent indeed!

[srgalahad]

Ahhhh.. Tahiti. Pearl of the Blue Pacific!

We took a bunch of the locals, the Governor, The Mayor and a few tribal chiefs on a bit of a junket around the Island to show off the North Star. I'm not sure why I'd leave for a long ocean crossing...

The good news is that McHale has leased an office and agreed to set up a Crew Base On Tahiti... and I found a nice little shack over on Moorea for $500 ( purchase) so this may be a good route after all.

[MM]

Took over after Moses' mid-morning landing at Kingston and drove "784" to San Juan. The pax and crew arrived at the "Rum Capital of the World" from the "Home of" ...er... "Tobacco-Free Smoking".

(a) Out of Kingston, (b) Fluffy clouds over sparkling Caribbean, (c) Massive Herrera International Airport lies below, (d) Approaching San Juan's Isla Grande, (e) Finals over harbor, (f) San Juan Touchdown, and (g) Mural from the Bacardi Factory.

[Great Ozzie]

A few pics on the way to Panama...

[Great Ozzie]

Viva la Liberté! & Happy 4th of July (to all who celebrate this!)

http://www.butterboom.com/wp-content/uploads/jan08/cnyfireworks.jpg

[MM]

Austin came up with the excellent idea of Transocean's providing special service to Bogota and the central Andes. The return route to the coast, via Cali and Quito, made for quite a day of sightseeing. A couple of the passengers seemed to complain of the altitude so we limited the DC-4 to 12,000 ft (with a minor exception scraping through a pass). This restriction called for some maneuvering—even over the highland plateaus—to avoid hitting the edges of the air. Not exactly hands-off flying.

Some tourist photographs: (a) The Nevada del Tolima (17,060ft), (b) Dodging low hills on the plateau, (c) Two of Ecuador's many volcanoes, (d) Squeezing through a pass ... (e) barely, (f) Waggling wings to salute Quito, (g) Below Pichincha volcano (15,696), (h) threading through another pass below Pichincha, and (i) Down the Andes Western Slope (that's Cotopaxi in the distance, 19,347ft) to the Pacific and Guayaquil (j).

[srgalahad]

After the long oceanic leg it's nice to relax in Santiago and set up the last leg to BA

A few images: 1) after landing at SCIP some freak weather hit -snow - and we huddled inside the terminal while it melted... Big Bird and Little Friends. 2) Cold enough along the jetstream to make contrails at FL250. 3) Six hours of endless ocean before the coast came into sight. 4) Passing thru 8000' on descent to SCTI. 5) Happily preparing to land, even with the perennial "building on final".

We're happy with the progress. Before departure the boys in Dispatch gave us a set of numbers:
Forecast wind ETE----- 28.32 Fuel 59479
Nil wind component--- 31.95 Fuel 67105
Headwinds forever---- 34.62 Fuel 72697
They just cabled us a final estimate of 31.2 hrs and 63600# so now it's up to the flight crews to make it so.

McHale's Airline Flight 2(Proving) and the support ships have scheduled a departure from Santiago at 1630hrs EST Tuesday for the 2:10 hop to SAEZ. Spectators are welcome to witness the arrival. Updated info will be provided at time of departure.

[srgalahad]

Bartender, bring me a...

http://www.clipartguide.com/_small/1386-0810-0811-3638.jpg MARTINI!

[srgalahad]

A few of the boys were sitting over a lemonade t'other night and got to wondering... there are a few who haven't checked on on the HF or via telegraph and the discussion went something like this:

"hmmm should we go looking?"
"naw, they're big boys and if there was trouble they'd get word out"
"But maybe they are having fun wherever they are 'stuck' and we SHOULD go help..."
"but who's going to pay for the fuel? this is more than a bush operation, ya know..."
"well, we could ponder salvage rights on a couple of the newer types, but I don't know who'd want a Boeing Baby Whale..."

so we had a few more pops and the discussion faded away behind the sounds of a samba...


Note: Someone just dropped off a note - I guess there was a brief, static-filled message to say that Willy is still working on it

[Willy]

After a slightly extended stay in Belem, it was time to start off further south. I would like to thank the Brazilian Air Force for parking that B-17 Flying Fortress at SBBE long enough to swap out a few parts with the "Baby Whale".

Only a 260ish nm flight to SBSL, but the next leg is the longest one I've got plotted for the trip......

[RedGreen]

Red sits in the Bar next to his co-pilot Winston.

Winston: I don't get it, why haven't we gone back to Miami, yet?

Red: We're waiting to hear who won this cockamamie race.

Winston: So why don't they declare a winner?

Red: I hear there's some slowpokes we're waiting on to arrive.

Winston: I wish they'd hurry up. There's nothing to do around here now except sit around and drink beer.

Red: I know, we could just as easily be drinking beer in Miami where its 80 degrees and all the beauties are in their swimsuits, instead of Buenos Aires where its 60 degrees and everyone's got their winter coats on.

Winston: That's the other thing. People think 60 degrees is cold down here.

Red: Back in Michigan, we would be breaking out the spring jackets when it got above 40 degrees....

[Willy]

Still plugging away at it. Just posted the results of my flight last night to Natal. Hopefully I can pick up the pace here in the next few days.

[Willy]

Recife! :ernae:

[Willy]

Okay, now that I'm at the hotel, who's buying the drinks?

[teson1]

Congratulations!
I should be there till the week-end. So if nobody else is there we can have our private party.

[teson1]

Finally posting some pics from photobucket.

Some images from a beautiful flight from Geneva to Milan, with VFR France scenery.

Climbing out of Geneva

http://i641.photobucket.com/albums/uu131/teson1/SOH%20Evita/4%20LSGG%20LIML/SOHEvitaLSGGLIML-2009-jun-30-005sma.jpg

http://i641.photobucket.com/albums/uu131/teson1/SOH%20Evita/4%20LSGG%20LIML/SOHEvitaLSGGLIML-2009-jun-30-008sma.jpg

To Mont Blanc

http://i641.photobucket.com/albums/uu131/teson1/SOH%20Evita/4%20LSGG%20LIML/SOHEvitaLSGGLIML-2009-jun-30-027sma.jpg

http://i641.photobucket.com/albums/uu131/teson1/SOH%20Evita/4%20LSGG%20LIML/SOHEvitaLSGGLIML-2009-jun-30-029sma.jpg

Into the Mer de Glace (sea of ice) glacier

http://i641.photobucket.com/albums/uu131/teson1/SOH%20Evita/4%20LSGG%20LIML/SOHEvitaLSGGLIML-2009-jun-30-038sma.jpg

http://i641.photobucket.com/albums/uu131/teson1/SOH%20Evita/4%20LSGG%20LIML/SOHEvitaLSGGLIML-2009-jun-30-042sma.jpg

http://i641.photobucket.com/albums/uu131/teson1/SOH%20Evita/4%20LSGG%20LIML/SOHEvitaLSGGLIML-2009-jun-30-043sma.jpg

Continuing with FSscenery - Monte Rosa range

http://i641.photobucket.com/albums/uu131/teson1/SOH%20Evita/4%20LSGG%20LIML/4LSGGLIML-2009-jul-1-047small.jpg

Lago Maggiore

http://i641.photobucket.com/albums/uu131/teson1/SOH%20Evita/4%20LSGG%20LIML/SOHEvitaLSGGLIML-2009-jul-1-048smal.jpg

As often there's haze in the Po river's plain

http://i641.photobucket.com/albums/uu131/teson1/SOH%20Evita/4%20LSGG%20LIML/SOHEvitaLSGGLIML-2009-jul-1-058smal.jpg

[teson1]

LPPT CGXO
Lisbon Tenerife

1st flight across the atlantic. Quite some apprehension - missing the islands this may have turned out as a direct leg Lisbon - south america, swimming the major part.

Had read up on sextant navigation during the vacation on the beach to reduce the risks of the atlantic flights.
http://www.dc3airways.com/tech_editor/nav_lrnav.htm
http://www.flightsim.com/kdl.php?fid=83310 (http://www.flightsim.com/kdl.php?fid=83310)

So this was the first test of the Sextant skills - TO at 10:08 (UTC in sim) to get a fix at 12:08Z some way before CGXO with the sun (almost) at right angles to the track. That should have allowed to determine lateral drift exactly.

During the measurement:

http://i641.photobucket.com/albums/uu131/teson1/SOH%20Evita/7%20LPPT%20GCXO/SOHEvitaLPPTGCXO-2009-jul-23-011sma.jpg

Actually the plane is measured to be exactly (to within 5 nm) on the assumed Line of position (LOP) .

http://i641.photobucket.com/albums/uu131/teson1/SOH%20Evita/7%20LPPT%20GCXO/SOHEvitaLPPTGCXO-2009-jul-23-012sma.jpg

Plots of the position in Google Earth:

http://i641.photobucket.com/albums/uu131/teson1/SOH%20Evita/7%20LPPT%20GCXO/SOHEvitaLPPTGCXOGE1a.jpg

http://i641.photobucket.com/albums/uu131/teson1/SOH%20Evita/7%20LPPT%20GCXO/SOHEvitaLPPTGCXOGE3a.jpg

So it turned out I was almost right on track anyway, but that confirmation was good to have for peace of mind...

These experiences made it very clear though, that a Sextant is no method to rely on solely- a cloud layer one can not climb over just makes it useless, and it doesn't guide one down to the AP in IMC. So - nice to have, but not to rely on solely.

In the Calclassics propliner tutorial, another of the reads on the beach - excellent job! and a work of love - 2008 FSAviator points this out very clearly. Good reading, also chapter 2a regarding pioneer, vintage and classic navigation techniques.
http://www.calclassic.com/propliner_tutorial.htm

Quite some clouds approaching the island. A cloud was just sitting on the Runway, making it difficult to locate.
Nice flight, good experience, fun.

Climbing out grom Lisbon

http://i641.photobucket.com/albums/uu131/teson1/SOH%20Evita/7%20LPPT%20GCXO/SOHEvitaLPPTGCXO-2009-jul-23-001sma.jpg

http://i641.photobucket.com/albums/uu131/teson1/SOH%20Evita/7%20LPPT%20GCXO/SOHEvitaLPPTGCXO-2009-jul-23-004sma.jpg

http://i641.photobucket.com/albums/uu131/teson1/SOH%20Evita/7%20LPPT%20GCXO/SOHEvitaLPPTGCXO-2009-jul-24-015sma.jpg

Land!

http://i641.photobucket.com/albums/uu131/teson1/SOH%20Evita/7%20LPPT%20GCXO/SOHEvitaLPPTGCXO-2009-jul-24-020sma.jpg

Where's the airport?

http://i641.photobucket.com/albums/uu131/teson1/SOH%20Evita/7%20LPPT%20GCXO/SOHEvitaLPPTGCXO-2009-jul-24-032sma.jpg

http://www.fsrtwrace.com/track/ShowFlight.php?detail=flight&value=SgHl6jhHb1ZCcmfFhNsxP3wA4Dk

[teson1]

GCXO GOOY
Tenerife - Dakar
Nice, uneventful flight.
Whipped out the sextant again 100nm short of GOOY to determine the lateral drift. Pretty much on track again.

Again, climbing out

http://i641.photobucket.com/albums/uu131/teson1/SOH%20Evita/8%20GCXO%20GOOY/SOHEvitaGCXOGOOY-2009-jul-24-001.jpg

Tenerife with Teide volcano 3715m/12000 ft

http://i641.photobucket.com/albums/uu131/teson1/SOH%20Evita/8%20GCXO%20GOOY/SOHEvitaGCXOGOOY-2009-jul-24-004.jpg

The Sahara is not exactly represented in a very exciting way in FS

http://i641.photobucket.com/albums/uu131/teson1/SOH%20Evita/8%20GCXO%20GOOY/SOHEvitaGCXOGOOY-2009-jul-24-005.jpg

Dakar in sight

http://i641.photobucket.com/albums/uu131/teson1/SOH%20Evita/8%20GCXO%20GOOY/SOHEvitaGCXOGOOY-2009-jul-25-008.jpg

http://www.fsrtwrace.com/track/ShowFlight.php?detail=flight&value=SgHl6jhHb1ZCcmfFhNsxP3wA4Dk

[teson1]

GOOY SBRF
Dakar - Recife

Now for the big one.

It's just a simulator, and nobody gets hurt (except the ego) if you drown in the atlantic, or turn up in Florida. Nevertheless, I was kind of apprehensive about this one. And did a lot of reading on my vacation.
The first ocean crossing legs were also a good training, and in fact the flight turned out without any problem.

Taking off at 11:40Z allowed for two sextant fixes, the first one to determine speed pretty well (good tail wind!) with the sun straight behind, and the second one, about 400 nm short of San Fernando de Noronha, to determine lateral drift with the sun at right angles.
Again, spot on, with 10 nm lateral drift after >1000 nm flight.

However, I thought it was sunny in south america, no? Recife was with limit visibility - low ceiling and foggy.

So a nice, but long flight. Good to be in south america. Where's the Caipirinhas?

And I need a LOT of Caipirinhas!

Did I say, that there was a Duenna error (error window popup that prevented Duenna from starting), and that Duenna didn't auto pickup the baton, and that I realised that only after landing in SBRF, and that I was p***ed...!

Lined up in Dakar
http://i641.photobucket.com/albums/uu131/teson1/SOH%20Evita/9%20GOOY%20SBRF/SOHEvitaGOOYSBRF-2009-jul-26-001.jpg

Cruising ...
http://i641.photobucket.com/albums/uu131/teson1/SOH%20Evita/9%20GOOY%20SBRF/SOHEvitaGOOYSBRF-2009-jul-26-002.jpg

... and cruising ...
http://i641.photobucket.com/albums/uu131/teson1/SOH%20Evita/9%20GOOY%20SBRF/SOHEvitaGOOYSBRF-2009-jul-26-003.jpg

... a sextant shot confirms that lateral drift is just 10nm
http://i641.photobucket.com/albums/uu131/teson1/SOH%20Evita/9%20GOOY%20SBRF/SOHEvitaGOOYSBRF-2009-jul-26-009.jpg

http://i641.photobucket.com/albums/uu131/teson1/SOH%20Evita/9%20GOOY%20SBRF/SOHEvitaGOOYSBRFGE1a.jpg

Land! Fernando de Noronha Island. Wohoooo!!! Made it!
http://i641.photobucket.com/albums/uu131/teson1/SOH%20Evita/9%20GOOY%20SBRF/SOHEvitaGOOYSBRF-2009-jul-26-012.jpg

Not exactly bad weather at Recife, but I don'tneed no haze...
http://i641.photobucket.com/albums/uu131/teson1/SOH%20Evita/9%20GOOY%20SBRF/SOHEvitaGOOYSBRF-2009-jul-26-016.jpg

Landing in Recife
http://i641.photobucket.com/albums/uu131/teson1/SOH%20Evita/9%20GOOY%20SBRF/SOHEvitaGOOYSBRF-2009-jul-26-018.jpg

[teson1]

SBRF SBRJ
Recife - Rio

That landing in Rio is quite something...

Light rain for the take off. South america, right...?

Good to be flying NDB to NDB again.

http://i641.photobucket.com/albums/uu131/teson1/SOH%20Evita/10%20SBRF%20SBRJ/SOHEvitaSBRFSBSJ-2009-jul-26-031.jpg

Also, forgot to set time for a daytime flight. Started in daylight, but night soon fell. Nice sundown though.

http://i641.photobucket.com/albums/uu131/teson1/SOH%20Evita/10%20SBRF%20SBRJ/SOHEvitaSBRFSBSJ-2009-jul-26-034.jpg

http://i641.photobucket.com/albums/uu131/teson1/SOH%20Evita/10%20SBRF%20SBRJ/SOHEvitaSBRFSBSJ-2009-jul-26-036.jpg

http://i641.photobucket.com/albums/uu131/teson1/SOH%20Evita/10%20SBRF%20SBRJ/SOHEvitaSBRFSBSJ-2009-jul-26-038.jpg

Some daylight would have been nice in Rio though. That is quite a landing. High mountains all around, and again - fog and low ceiling. And in the night.

Next time I'll get and follow an approach chart. These made-up approaches are likely to get me killed one day. Whew, seeing the shadows of the hills passing by in the fog at the side. Well, I lived to tell.

The landing at SBRJ is also, how to say, interesting... Had to go around twice. Too high, too fast, and that runway looks damn short...

http://i641.photobucket.com/albums/uu131/teson1/SOH%20Evita/10%20SBRF%20SBRJ/SOHEvitaSBRFSBSJ-2009-jul-27-045.jpg

Also, now I know what this reserve fuel is useful for... landed with 750 lbs left.

Seems our passenger has updated his testament.

http://www.fsrtwrace.com/track/ShowFlight.php?detail=flight&value=X9faw8XdMPEef9Jzl9G70bRs

[salt_air]

Alright Gunter,

Looking Good,,,vacation must have suited you well.

Welcome back and continued good flights Sir!

Warm regards,

[buzzbee]

We got the film Developed finally - Checkout the slide show

11099

Here is where it got a little quiet going into Ecuador. http://picasaweb.google.com/buzzbee.teamavsim/EvitaWesternAirlines#5383199250910408882

11098


http://picasaweb.google.com/buzzbee.teamavsim/EvitaWesternAirlines#slideshow/5383199239690489394