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salt_air
October 20th, 2009, 12:03
The Epic Journey begins...salt_air's "Down Under Dash"...mercy on us all!

:monkies:


Leaving RAF Mildenhall, England headed to Vienna, Austria (EGUN-LOWW)


Good Luck All!

salt_air
October 20th, 2009, 13:58
Some genius hit the sync time key on the duenna.......:wiggle:

Glad I wasn't flyng over the desert,,,,,wheeeew it's dark!!

Oh well,, screenies won't be that good for this leg.

salt_air
October 20th, 2009, 16:12
Safe landing at LOWW

Lost vis completely right up until changing to the Steinhoff NDB,,,,pretty much on final at that point.

Leg 1 is complete. :applause:

salt_air
October 21st, 2009, 11:26
Departing Vienna,,,,,heading towards Bucharest.

LOWW-LRBS Lockheed Vega

salt_air
October 21st, 2009, 14:00
Down safe and sound at LRBS

Uneventful, long range NDB's the whole way, good weather, two mile long runway to hit in daylight.......I'm gettin' spoiled sure enough.

Parking the plane for the night I think,,,,need to and an E6-B to the panel.


Cheers,

MM
October 21st, 2009, 16:23
Attractive aircraft and splendid "live action" screenshots.

salt_air
October 21st, 2009, 17:21
Attractive aircraft and splendid "live action" screenshots.

Thank You Sir! :wavey:

salt_air
October 22nd, 2009, 10:01
Dawn launch across the Black Sea and all of Turkey into Syria.

Lockheed Vega LOWW-OSAP

Let's say for somethin' and giggles 4 hours and 25 min.......(maybe less)


:mixedsmi:

salt_air
October 22nd, 2009, 14:15
Down safe and sound in Syria......don't sound right does it?

The Vega is certainly slow, but it's just as certainly steady.

Heck I bet this plane could take a fair amount of ordinace and still manage to fly, I don't want out find out though.

Two sets of mountains to watch out for. Range in Turkey was over 10000' and had to hand fly some of it.

Another set of "humps" around 3000' along the coast of Syria, just after crossing the Mediterranean as I turned toward Aleppo Int'l (OSAP).

Nice weather, nice day, nice flight,,,,,Melbourne or bust! :running:

salt_air
October 23rd, 2009, 04:40
Out of Aleppo early today, heading for Baghdad. Maybe a two hop day,,,,we'll see.

Short on NAV-AIDS across Iraq, as a matter of fact I'll just be using one at each airport.....

Well the locals have BS'sed their way through ALL of history, maybe I can BS my way through here.....:kilroy:.

In the Lockheed Vega 5B OSAP-ORBS

salt_air
October 23rd, 2009, 07:01
Safe landing in Baghdad...

Finally got the fuel load closer to what it needs to be....almost too close. 1% left on approach....that's a lot of fuel in a Vega though innit?....let's see....wow! 24lbs....not so much eh? Gotta watch that!

Otherwise uneventful and pleasant trip. Virtual skies were virtually empty and the weather was nice. A slight headwind, not so good for economy and speed, but great for not having much windrift.

Welp, headed over to see about some fuel for this next leg,,,maybe the longest I have "planned". Then I'll see about some grub for the crew and we may just takeoff again in a little while......bound for Iran (Persia).

Some period shots of the city courtesy of wikipedia and a couple of my own camera shots. It appears the US was trying to get a hold of the restaurant industry even 75 years ago...and they should have spent a little more time teaching folks how to spell.

salt_air
October 23rd, 2009, 08:01
Whew!!...long day here...let's get it!

Out of Iraq to my one stop (hopefully) in Persia, then on to India to see about some of those REAL good cigs, drinks, and whirlin'-twirlin' dancin' gals,,,,,yeee-haw!! May have to stay there for a spell....

Lockheed Vega ORBS-OIZJ

I-raqon, I'll be goin now...hehehe :mixedsmi: ....right after a quick restart.

salt_air
October 23rd, 2009, 13:27
Safe and sound in the sand.....nothing but sand either.....wait a minute! Where am I gonna stay and eat?.....:isadizzy:

Break out the stinkin' tents, can food and water bottles,,,,not what I was promised when I left Baghdad!

Great wx all the way and very little wind, down to 0 at altitude in some spots. Lucky to be able to hug the coast through the dry spots on the ADF receiver.

India next.......:applause:

salt_air
October 24th, 2009, 12:32
Well enough of these hot beers and cold sandwiches,,,pronounced "sandywitches" and for good reason. Off to some sort of civilization,,,not sure what sort just yet.

Leaving Jask, Persia (Iran) in the Lockheed Vega, headed for Karachi, India(Pakistan).....maybe points beyond?

OIZJ-OPKC :running:

Moses03
October 24th, 2009, 13:28
Looking good Austin. Really like the 'ol default Vega.

Moses

salt_air
October 24th, 2009, 15:29
Down safe in Karachi,,,,smooth runnin'. One of the easiest flights, just hug the coast for around two and a half hours or so and tune in Cape Monze for correction of course then there's a 75NM NDB at the far end of RWY 7R,,,,,good thing cause the vis went away (of course) on approach.


Resupply the aircraft and crew then off to Allayabbadabbado tomorrow. :jump:

salt_air
October 25th, 2009, 06:06
Someone forgot to pack the "Wheatys'", so we'll give one of the local delights a try for breakfast Naan bread and mutton.

Now I'll still have at least a chance of feeling like a champion......for a few minutes anyway.

Off to Allahabad, India checkpoint #2 (OPKC-VIAL) in the Lockheed Vega.

See you later or Phir Milaiyin ge! !پھر ملینگے

salt_air
October 25th, 2009, 10:41
Down safe at VIAL...2nd required stop complete. Winds switched from every direction for just about the whole flight. Speeds were 10 - 15 kts. Again like last flight vis was zero all the way to the ground. Wind disappeared on approach, making things a little easier, still used up a good protion of the runway to get stopped.

Thinking about a major plan switch for the rest of the trip to Melbourne.

salt_air
October 26th, 2009, 03:59
Gonna stretch the legs just a wee bit and cut acroos the Bay of Bengal to Burma instead of going to Calcutta like originally planned.

Clear weather with a slight tailwind.....better go now before Mother nature has a change of mind. Minimal NAV-AIDS and may loose sight of the coast.

On my way to Rangoon.....:running: heading hold oiled up and fingers crossed.

Lockheed Vega VIAL-VYYY

Gonna guess 5:50:00 - 6:00:00 hrs and 1400 lbs of fuel.......

Just for the fun of it......and yes, we are having fun!

MaddogK
October 26th, 2009, 04:23
Ya read my mind, but I planned on a fuel stop.

Good luck, I'll be watchin ya.

salt_air
October 26th, 2009, 05:02
Looking good Austin. Really like the 'ol default Vega.

Moses

Always wanted to do something besides RTW in the Vega.

Appreciate how you and Mike and others get around to all of us at some point with a pat on the back...

Really is good of ya, thanks!

RFields
October 26th, 2009, 05:34
Since the only Vega in the original race cracked up at Aleppo - great to see you proving the old bird could go the distance.

Bry Rosier
October 26th, 2009, 06:12
Watch out for the storms when you hit Burma , Salt . My steed tried real hard to buck me out of my seat :) I have a nice local ice cold ale waiting at the airfield bar , it may be raining but the "umbrellas" here are rather nice ;)

salt_air
October 26th, 2009, 07:01
Since the only Vega in the original race cracked up at Aleppo - great to see you proving the old bird could go the distance.

Thanks Reggie!

Drew my butt up in a knot during the slight overun at Jask, but I've been real lucky the rest of the time. Only hope it holds out.

Good luck on your way ol' friend!

salt_air
October 26th, 2009, 07:03
Watch out for the storms when you hit Burma , Salt . My steed tried real hard to buck me out of my seat :) I have a nice local ice cold ale waiting at the airfield bar , it may be raining but the "umbrellas" here are rather nice ;)

Awful good of ya Bry!,,

I'll be taken you up on that one.....:ernae:

Best Regards,

salt_air
October 26th, 2009, 09:27
Singin' a tune,,,,safe in Rangoon.....:jump:

Climbed out to 8000' and the gloom of no vis all the way across to the coast of Burma, then a little clearing, then as I picked up the last NDB it got clear as a bell.

Where to next?

salt_air
October 26th, 2009, 10:40
Leaving the locals arguing at the airfiled bar, I've had the beer that Bry left for me and "one or two" more, thinkin' that I'll be gettin' outta town for the night.

Let's see what Microsoft has done to Malaysia......:mixedsmi:

Lockheed Vega VYYY-WMKA ....Rangoon, Burma to Alor Setar, Malaysia

Get my "Island Hop" on.

salt_air
October 26th, 2009, 14:47
Down safe at WMKA,,,,wild ride,,,, weather seems to be changing, must be a storm brewin'.

Thunder and occasional lightning even though it was sunny and partly cloudy,,,,,lots-o-turbulence right down to the ground. Had to come in a little hot wound up with a slight overrun to get stopped, but a happy duenna is all that matters.

Think I'll take a break for a while.

salt_air
October 27th, 2009, 03:36
Bad weather on the horizon,,,,heading to Singapore.

Lockheed Vega WMKA-WSSL.......:mixedsmi:

salt_air
October 27th, 2009, 05:41
Down safe at WSSL,,,,checkpoint #3

Clouds and thunder until I got to 8000' then partly cloudy slight wind (tail) and occasional turblence,,,,,nice ride altogether.

Gonna check in with the offcials, grab a snack and hopefully get back in the air.

salt_air
October 28th, 2009, 03:56
Had to get some chores done yesterday,,,,monkey off the back now,,,,let's see what's this?

"Free food and drinks for any MacRobertson Race pilots and crews at the Rambang Diner",,,,Am I reading this right?

"Load up the plane Tinkerbell (Navigator), we're off to Lombok for lunch."

Lockheed Vega WSSL-WRRA............:running:

"Bring along to charts for Port Darwin as well".....

salt_air
October 28th, 2009, 09:35
Down safe at Selaparang after a scenic romp through the islands of Indonesia.

Now for lunch.....

Real cute MOUNTAIN not on the map right in my flight path,,,,good thing I'm always off course.....:applause:

Flying at 8000' I had to look up at it as I passed by. Could have been bad news at night or real cloudy.

salt_air
October 28th, 2009, 11:37
Gonna try to make the Northern Territory before dark.

Rambang, Lombok to Darwin, Australia....:jump:

Lockheed Vega (WRRA-YPDN).

Had to restart flight during takeoff because the simulator time wasn't set correctly.

Willy
October 28th, 2009, 12:21
You probably won't have to worry about mountains on the way to Darwin ;).

Good Luck!

salt_air
October 28th, 2009, 14:18
You probably won't have to worry about mountains on the way to Darwin ;).

Good Luck!

Probably right there,,,,,still keep checkin' though.

salt_air
October 28th, 2009, 17:11
Down safe at YPDN,,,,,lots a water.

Had to fly at 4000' to get the wind behind me. Partly cloudy all the way.

Only strayed off course about ten degrees, not too bad for 900+ NM

Long day, glad to be in Australia....gonna go find a room.



:applause:

salt_air
October 29th, 2009, 04:24
Pack a lunch we're headed to Charleville...:running:

Lockheed Vega YPDN-YBCV

Lots of sand, hope the winds are favorable.

salt_air
October 29th, 2009, 11:41
Welp,,,,after some runway aerobatics I don't want to ever do again with the duenna running,,,,,I'm here safe and "green" at Charleville...:applause:

Absolutely miserable 1200+ NM flight across the Northern Territory and most of Queensland.

Was clear on approach thankfully enough, but poor to no visiblity for 90% of the rest of the flight and constantly chasing winds for the sweet spot.

Hard to find favorable winds and when you did they would not last more than 20 mins or so and then right back in the hunt again.

Altitudes ranged from 11500' down to 2000'. That's too low for any kind of comfort regardless of the terrain being relatively flat when the vis is next to nothing.

What a battle........

salt_air
October 29th, 2009, 14:35
Ready to go to Melbourne out of Charleville.....

Lockheed Vega YBCV-YMEN


[NOTE]: Precision Challenge Time Estimate......

Charleville to Melbourne is: 4 hrs 7 minutes.


:wavey:

salt_air
October 29th, 2009, 18:48
Down safe at YMEN......:ernae:....... or should I say AMEN!

Finally tailwinds and clear skies.......untill around twenty miles out then 0 vis right down to the ground.

Used up all of the runway and then some, still on airport property and couldn't even see any buildings.

Now I'll go check on Red, help him out a little and take a turn at Milton's new creation with team Melrose.

Very appreciative to be part of really well done and thought out event. Thanks to all of the Committee members and all of you that helped with testing and all that participated.

Cheers,

Vicious
October 29th, 2009, 19:45
Congrats Salt! It looks like you had an exciting end to your race.

MM
October 29th, 2009, 20:00
Superb job of flying the ole Vega, Austin. Both a pleasure to see the great bird in the air and behaving so nicely. But also a real contender in the handicap race.

Cheers...

Willy
October 29th, 2009, 20:00
:ernae: Austin!

Great Ozzie
October 29th, 2009, 20:21
Hey hey! Congratulations Salt! Nicely Done! :ernae:

EdGeneer
October 29th, 2009, 22:07
Good Job, there Austin.... and great job on the estimate for the precision deal... whos gunna beat that time estimate!!!! Wow...

Nice... :applause:
:ernae:
:medals:

:icon29:

teson1
October 30th, 2009, 02:45
Congratulations. Great job there :applause:.

RedGreen
October 30th, 2009, 03:39
Well done, Austin! :applause: A fine journey in a fine airplane. It was a pleasure to follow along.

Now, hope you're ready to get some more miles in with the 247D.

Moses03
October 30th, 2009, 04:49
Congrats Austin on getting the Vega home. Well done! :ernae:

n3306tx
October 30th, 2009, 07:00
Great job Austin.

Mike

bpfowler
October 30th, 2009, 07:17
way to go, Austin! it was really nice to see the vega shots, and what a good race you ran!

root beers for all!
brady

salt_air
October 30th, 2009, 07:27
Overwhelmed with all the fuss....

You're all a great bunch of guys and I appreciate the good wishes and kind thoughts.

Good Luck to each of you,,,,it sure did help me.

Warm Regards,

Haitun
November 6th, 2009, 19:00
Great Job, Austin!!!

salt_air
November 7th, 2009, 04:42
Great Job, Austin!!!


Thanks! Haitun...

Have a Great Journey in the Vultee.

It was one of my first considerations for the event and I see you are doing a Great Job with it!

Continued Good Fortune to you all the way to Melbourne....:running:

Regards,

donlimpio
November 8th, 2009, 11:15
finally looking through the threads, congratulations on bringing this classic bird down under, excellente!

salt_air
November 8th, 2009, 17:15
finally looking through the threads, congratulations on bringing this classic bird down under, excellente!

Hey thanks,,,,appreciate the flowers.

I see you had a great journey as well!....:ernae:

Congrats

Milton Shupe
November 8th, 2009, 17:21
Congratulations on a great enduring flight! :ernae: It's awesome to see this kind of performance.

salt_air
November 9th, 2009, 03:29
Congratulations on a great enduring flight! :ernae: It's awesome to see this kind of performance.

Thank You Milton,,,I appreciate your kind words!

"The more you put into it, the more you get out!" .....:wavey: