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teson1
October 20th, 2009, 14:52
EGUN Mildenhall - LFPB Paris Le Bourget

Yippee! Let's get rolling...

teson1
October 20th, 2009, 15:16
Overheat! :eek: Almost lost the engine! Have to watch that temp!
Phew... just saw it in time. But engine is damaged. Have to thropttle back, but will go on. Just getting onto the channel. Hope the engine will make it.

Love it! :d

teson1
October 20th, 2009, 16:22
Down in one, no, wait, there's the wheel, two pieces at Paris, LFPB.
Cool flight, IFR (follow roads). Great weather, just enough mishap to keep it interesting. Love the treetop flying. Pure tourism.

Praise to the organisers! :applause: Amen.

Can't wait for more! :mixedsmi:

http://www.fsrtwrace.com/track/ShowFlight.php?detail=flight&value=TmduQJqDLVEHPskOBWLB1PePfw

MM
October 20th, 2009, 18:55
Wow. That GeeBee is not for the calm quiet types. It sort of ANNOUNCES its arrival!

Great choice, Gunter.

teson1
October 21st, 2009, 01:33
Great paint by Garry J. Smith!
http://www.gjsmith.net/

teson1
October 21st, 2009, 13:53
Going for the 2nd leg.
Paris Le Bourget LFPB - Lyon Bron LFLY.

teson1
October 21st, 2009, 16:30
Down in Lyon Bron.
Headed straight for the next bistro.
Un p'tit rouge s'il vous plait. :guinness: Gloub. Another one. Gloub. Needed that!

Quite interesting flight.

First part was no problem. Although there were some low clouds, visibility was good, and getting from Le Bourget to Auxerre by DR and on along the A6 motorway was straightforward.
Behind Semur-en-Auxois however, fog set in so I had to go down to few 100ft to keep the motorway in view. Followed every bend and twist.
Orientation got better after reaching Beaune (one of the well-known burgundy wine growing places) and later following the Saone river from Chalon on. Left the Saone at Macon and followed the railway almost till Bron for a straight in landing.
Did I say, that I grilled the engine again? Yep. Had to continue on reduced power after the first 15 minutes again. But I'm getting used to that. And I'll find out how to avoid that (maybe... reduce power? :d).

http://www.fsrtwrace.com/track/ShowFlight.php?detail=flight&value=buQvco8p2sBKWaSgtUAd8GVcmkU

teson1
October 25th, 2009, 14:20
Going from Lyon Bron to Roma Ciampino.

Ah... the alps. And good weather. Looking forward to this flight...

Dangerousdave26
October 25th, 2009, 14:31
Wow. That GeeBee is not for the calm quiet types. It sort of ANNOUNCES its arrival!

Great choice, Gunter.

Not for those with out the touch for Landing her either. :icon_lol:

MaddogK
October 25th, 2009, 14:56
Lucky you, I ruled this bird out because of a rumor that a contestant required a crewman, then the official rules came out easing the restriction.

Wanna fix that toasty engine ?? comment out the last 2 gauges in the panel.cfg. The instructions are in the docs for the plane, and I rather like having the 'possibility' of a cooked motor but everyone here is running with an 'angle', might as well get yours. Also watch your approach speed, below 90 kts gets rough and you're begging to stall, luckily it recovers quickly.

Good luck to you,

teson1
October 25th, 2009, 15:47
Wohoo, what a great flight through the alps.
Ecrins massif with Meige, Monte Viso...
Just over the mediterranean, cutting from Albenga to the Piombino. Corsica's off to the right. :d

I'm doing my thing, out of competition. No way I'll have a good placement. But this is fun...
Love the failure gauges...Spent the whole flight with fearful glances at the temp. After the two failures on the last flights, tried to keep them below 40 °C... LOL

Dang, just crossed Capraia island - drifted off course as I forgot to reset the gyro... Lckily there's no cloud.

teson1
October 25th, 2009, 15:55
Not for those with out the touch for Landing her either. :icon_lol:

:d I've done some nice bounces! But luckily the runways are long so it's possible to ease her in.

teson1
October 25th, 2009, 16:45
Down safe in LIRA.

Great flight!
Off to the photographer to develop the Kodachromes.

http://www.fsrtwrace.com/track/ShowFlight.php?detail=flight&value=6Fy3jOEF0EsoFAIcgRknwgb3zU

teson1
October 27th, 2009, 14:17
Going from Roma Ciampino LIRA to Brindisi LIBR.

teson1
October 27th, 2009, 16:22
Dottore!:isadizzy:
Arrived in Brindisi LIBR alright ... but may stay a little longer. Need someone to look after me, and I don't even want to think about the plane.

Crashed on landing. :crybaby:

The flight through the southern part of Italy was nice, calm and quiet though.

http://www.fsrtwrace.com/track/ShowFlight.php?detail=flight&value=yOsmiwGPtwa44pVEV7BATyhzidU

bpfowler
October 27th, 2009, 16:33
man that's a BIG looking engine. does this plane need the wings? :-)
thanks for bringing her into the race!

teson1
October 27th, 2009, 16:45
...does this plane need the wings?

Hope she doesn't... the way she looks just now. :d

bpfowler
October 27th, 2009, 21:56
sorry Teson, I was so impressed with your snaps I didnt read your post closely :-\
my bad, dude.

Hope you and the plane are feeling better?

teson1
October 31st, 2009, 13:29
After some serious quality time with my toolbox she's almost as good as new.
On we go...
Brindisi LIBR - Athens LGAT

teson1
October 31st, 2009, 15:18
Down in Athens LGAT.
In one piece this time. Damaged the engine of course; but I'm getting used to throw in a new one ... Have arranged for a spare engine at each airport. That'll take 10 minutes to change, and I'm off again. :d

http://www.fsrtwrace.com/track/ShowFlight.php?detail=flight&value=XbyyfWcIIeSBpdMGut9K13bGhY

On to Cyprus LCRA.

1. Leaving Italy.
2. Reaching the bay of Corinth
3. Approaching Athens
4. LGAT

teson1
October 31st, 2009, 19:02
Down in Akrotiri Air Base LCRA, Cyprus.

http://www.fsrtwrace.com/track/ShowFlight.php?detail=flight&value=yPI3bfxXXbI1TwksRySlhsGNEoE

teson1
November 3rd, 2009, 16:32
Did two flights while SOH was down.

Akrotiri LCRA - Beirut OLBA

No problems this one.
Some haze/low clouds on the flight, drifted 5 nm off course, but landed in Beirut without problem.

http://www.fsrtwrace.com/track/ShowFlight.php?detail=flight&value=7ZYHwSGPrC3xfE67AzgIcExD1IM

salt_air
November 3rd, 2009, 17:42
Go teson1!

Looking good Gunter....:applause:

teson1
November 4th, 2009, 07:14
Beirut OLBA - Baghdad ORBS

Wow, that was an entirely different story than the last leg. :isadizzy:

Now, I have to say that I have (had?) this plan to get to Melbourne by map, compass and watch only. And this worked out pretty smooth... till now.

LOL. I may have to revise my plan. :d

I was aware that the leg Beirut - Baghdad would not be easy, with nothing but desert and little reliable landmarks, but I made a complete cock-up out of it!

Got interesting right after take-off. The low clouds that were just a nuisance on the landing of last leg, were quite a different challenge getting over the lebanon mountains. Man, these go up and up... Visibility was barely good enough to avoid a spectacular end to the flight, but lost track of where I was, wiggling through valleys and ridges. Looks like a nice region though.
By chance crossed Rayak airport OLRA on the east side, which gave a fix to get back on track. There the clouds also parted.

I had planned to follow roads through the desert to Baghdad, which looked quite feasible and pretty evident on the map. However, on the terrain there were many more roads, crisscrossing, looking alike, so it was kind of tough to follow.
What are people _doing_ here? Bleak, featureless, flat plains, furthermore with snowpatches lying. Anybody read Bravo Two Zero by Andy McNab about an SAS patrol gone awry? These people were going down with hypothermia right down there. I swear I could feel the icy wind howling across the plains.

Took a wrong turn at some point, but luckily that lead to OS0L, so another position fix to get back onto the right road and track.
However, position became so doubtful some time later again that I decided to switch to

Plan B: head NE till hitting the Euphrates river. Then just follow it south till Falujah, and on to Baghdad.

Now, how much easier can it get?! That Euphrates is a big river, no? Would have to be a fool to miss it, no?

Ok, so here as I'm cruising along, shortly before estimated arrival at the Euphrates, dense fog comes up, visibility down to maybe 2-3 nm, but no problem. Just have to hug the ground to keep the shiny side up.
Alright, after 53 min, as planned, there's BIG water visible on the left, pat on the back. Cross a tributary, and on to the river... But no river there?? Go on and on... Mummy! Where am I? Did I get too far south? Where's the river? Is the river correctly represented in FS? Did I pass, is it still ahead? Only fog around. Mummy!! :crybaby:
Fearful glances at the fuel level, luckily I've throttled back and leaned mixture during the flight and have plenty to spare. Still 1/4 full.

Some time later I hit a big streak of water - is that the big (salt) lake N of Baghdad, well beyond the Euphrates? Follow the shore south, still in the fog. Phew, the shore has the right shape. Finally know where I am. From there it's easy to get to Falujah on the Euphrates by DR, where the fog lifts, and on to ORBS.

Get off the plane and kiss the ground. :engel016:

Btw - of course the "tributary" I crossed actually was the Euphrates... I just hit it at the Haditha dam, so the lake behind looked as big as I expected the Euphrates to be, not small like this tributary... Next time have a better look at the map...

http://www.fsrtwrace.com/track/ShowFlight.php?detail=flight&value=MetzEMptaoTO3oGAJiz7Dr1P4 (http://www.fsrtwrace.com/track/ShowFlight.php?detail=flight&value=MetzEMptaoTO3oGAJiz7Dr1P4)

teson1
November 4th, 2009, 10:54
Some pics.
1. Into the Lebanon mountains
2. Backside
3. That's the road to follow ... I think ...
4. Euphrates on the left with "tributary"
5. Where am I???

(Why does visibility always look so much better on the pics, later, than at 200 kts??? :icon_lol:)

MM
November 4th, 2009, 15:17
Outstanding!

bpfowler
November 4th, 2009, 15:56
lookin good and flyin fast! good to see another GB in z air!

teson1
November 5th, 2009, 13:32
On from Baghdad ORBS to Bushehr OIBB.

teson1
November 5th, 2009, 15:44
Down in Bushehr OIBB.

Uneventful flight.

http://www.fsrtwrace.com/track/ShowFlight.php?detail=flight&value=MfhN5xfkFzvPGv8x6AprCprxEoI

1. Following the Tigris.
3. Over the marshes
4. Bushehr in sight

teson1
November 7th, 2009, 11:36
On we go Bushehr OIBB - Jask OIZJ

teson1
November 7th, 2009, 14:32
Down in Jask.
But for the last 15 minutes I'd have said there'd never been an easier flight... almost CAVOK, nice flight through the mountains of Iran.
But just when crossing the strait of Hormuz, dense fog rolled in.
Adrenaline went up a few notches.
Luckily the airport is situated at a characteristic spot, lined up with the shore line. Found it skirting the wave crests and landed with 1 nm visibility
Phew.

Strange, conditions got bad just when my internet connection broke down??? stopping the online logging at
http://www.fsrtwrace.com/track/ShowFlight.php?detail=flight&value=2B8PSGNOpHb7nqmx3Km427iQoOw
1,2. Mountains of Irak
3. Musadam Island in the strait of Hormuz
4. Turning final...
5. First glimpse of RW

teson1
November 7th, 2009, 14:35
I'll continue to Gwadar OPGD.

teson1
November 7th, 2009, 16:19
Interesting flight for the first 20 minutes.
Dense fog. Combat flying following the coast at 500 ft again. Pure fun :d
Fog lifted later, that gave an easy flight, but a quite bumpy landing.

http://www.fsrtwrace.com/track/ShowFlight.php?detail=flight&value=0slFINUJzgp2BQ3nkhiwZ0f9s4M

teson1
November 8th, 2009, 11:31
After a night in the middle of nowhere, on we go to Karachi OPKC.

teson1
November 8th, 2009, 13:35
Down in Karachi, OKPC. With bruises, but down...

Clear skies till 50 nm from Karachi.
Then... hello Haze of India...

Love those coastlines. Give a good line of position...
Will miss them on the next legs through india.

Landed with 2.5 nm visibility.
Duenna green, but a good bounce, and collapsed the landing gear.

http://www.fsrtwrace.com/track/ShowFlight.php?detail=flight&value=gMSAJt7bvifJIViGyyL7rjWBGc8

teson1
November 10th, 2009, 12:15
Hello India!
Karachi OPKG - Jodhpur VIJO by train. :icon_lol:
This will be a fun flight to get to Vijo with compass and watch. From a navigation challenge point of view the most challenging of the trip I think. VIJO in the middle of nowhere will be a challenge to find. And looks like some haze out there.
I've selected a nice IFR (railroads!) route, let's see where I get...

teson1
November 10th, 2009, 15:37
Yeeeeehaw! :jump:

Down in Jodhpur VIJO.
Followed the Karachi - Hyderabad - Jodhpur railway all the way.

Amazing, every bend and twist coincided with the map! (Guess they have similar sources, but still... it's marvellous what this sim allows us to do in such far away places... :applause: Towns were present and at the right place, even small hills in the plains were there and allowed precise determination of position.

Most difficult was actually to distinguish the Railroad within the FS scrub textures. Happy to have TrackIR!
But apart from that, a piece of cake :d

To be honest, however, I'm quite happy the VIJO METAR 08006 2500 HZ didn't materialize... That would have been some notches more stressful, and I'd probably be stranded somewhere in a rice paddy. Had true CAVOK instead. :naturesm:

http://www.fsrtwrace.com/track/ShowFlight.php?detail=flight&value=8MsclL0EIMoUwVmv3QTxO9XCDxA (http://www.fsrtwrace.com/track/ShowFlight.php?detail=flight&value=8MsclL0EIMoUwVmv3QTxO9XCDxA)

teson1
November 14th, 2009, 13:24
Leaving VIJO for VIAL.

teson1
November 14th, 2009, 19:10
OMG! I'm alive! :engel016:
What flight!

Down in VIAL.

On paper, this was an easy one.
Head slightly north of VIAL till hitting the Ganges, then turn right and follow the river to the airport. Right?
Rivers for navigation... I should have remembered the Euphrates fiasco... :icon_lol:

It was an epic...

5:32 (UTC) The Indian plain is shrouded in dense fog (0300 FG at VIJO), happy I don't have to follow railroads for 2 1/2 hours... Takeoff with 1000 ft visibility, climb to cruise level at 10000 ft, heading 90°.
7:09 Start descent to get into the dense fog close to the ground well before crossing the Ganges. I have to see that river! NOE flying at 500-1000 ft to see anything. Visibility still max 2000 ft.
7:28 Crossing the Yamuna river, a few minutes later than planned, but maybe there was a headwind...
7:38 Ok, Ganges, where are you? Head swivels left and right to see anything in the fog.
7:42 ...
7:47 ...
7:52 ... Time Ganges should have been there passed by +10%. Must have missed it. Turn around, and head back. Dang, have to watch that fuel. Only 1/4 left. Better throttle back.
8:17 There's the river again. Ooops, it was the Ganges, not the Yamuna... But where along its course am I on it? Only fog around.
8:29 Finally find where I am, plotting the bends of the river on a sheet of paper. Only 5% fuel left...
8:33 The fog luckily lifts, can make straight for the airport. 3% fuel left. Getting really nervous. Am meanwhile flying at 110 kts, best fuel economy, to stretch as far as possible.
8:54 Engine dies upon touchdown... Can't believe I made it. Engineers later find 1.8 gal left in the tank.

Starts a hysterical giggle, and stops shaking only after a few minutes.
Woah......

Flight distance: 641 nm
Point-to-point distance: 471 nm

http://www.fsrtwrace.com/track/ShowFlight.php?detail=flight&value=Oe0C0ZxBx1Mul6X0i0rwWCFseNw

MM
November 14th, 2009, 20:12
No problem, you had it all the way...

Oh by the way, who is the beneficiary of your insurance policy?

Great story. :cool:

teson1
November 15th, 2009, 04:16
That was quite a flight indeed! Won't forget it soon. :d
As I won't forget this race. Thanks for providing the framework for all these great experiences!

Milton Shupe
November 15th, 2009, 04:45
LOL Thank for providing the very interesting stories recapping each leg's "event", and for the super screenshots. :applause:

teson1
November 16th, 2009, 11:33
Not getting bored a bit. :d

teson1
December 6th, 2009, 17:07
What a flight from hell... definitely not getting bored... :d

I know, I know, the race is over, but this trip is just too much fun to leave the plane in India. If I survive, I plan to make it to Melbourne ... some day.

I must have a masochistic streak. That trip to Kolkatta was a real sucker.

Followed railway lines again all the way, as there are very few reliable landmarks, without going far out of the way.
However, this time METAR stated visibility 1500 BR. I think I got even less than that. Buzzing along in this visibility at 200 kts at 500 ft, trying to follow this dang railway, keeping track of position. Woah; Can you say stressful... :isadizzy:

Lost the railway several times, took a wrong branch, lost complete awareness of where I was at some point as there just was no time to glance at the map (Plan-G). Had to pause the sim; let's say the guardian angel did the navigation.

Finally found the airport. Collapsed the left gear happily bouncing down the runway at VECC. In Australia they'd said "Look Ma, a cangaroo". :d

Phew.

Btw, this was actually the second attempt for this leg. First one, identical non-visibility, ended with a crashed dead-stick landing after engine failure.

Don't need any more of that. Hope this haze stays in india... :stop:

http://www.fsrtwrace.com/track/ShowFlight.php?detail=flight&value=icM01AtG8RdqL1yzIMxcvZ5ENU8

teson1
December 8th, 2009, 13:18
GOODBYE India :icon31:- HELLO Burma :jump:

India waved me a goodbye in style - mist, mist, mist (and Mist means s**t in german - most appropriate). Visibility 1500 BR. But not this time, no street fighting, not with me; I'm flying over you, sir! :p:

Clouds till almost 10000 ft, but man, is this a pleasure. Just hold altitude and heading. Felt like nothing to do...
Then dive into the clouds far enough off Burma to pick up the coast in dense fog.

And then... fog lifts 10 min out from the airport... Heaven!
Love you, Burma! Life is beautiful!:naturesm:

(If this sounds exaggerated - I can tell you these last flights were stressfull!)

http://www.fsrtwrace.com/track/ShowFlight.php?detail=flight&value=CLvzUOUwXuMR8bkEEDQIZtAI3sc

teson1
December 9th, 2009, 14:22
VYSW - VYYY

Good visibility, smooth ride, something to look at - islands, beaches, mountains, rivers.

That's how Papa likes it. :d

http://www.fsrtwrace.com/track/ShowFlight.php?detail=flight&value=V2IHqsddA0bsB8dhCbYn4DZKMTo

teson1
December 11th, 2009, 16:06
VYYY - VTBD

1. Quite some clouds all the way.
2. Engine quit above these mountains. Going down there - that stick looked rather dead.:redface: Could restart the engine though, luckily. Nicely spiced up the flight.
Overheat again. But I wonder whether this is due to too lean a mixture? Didn't exceed 2400 RPM and didn't go full throttle this time... ?
3. Last waypoint - VTBK Kamphaeng Saen - before Bangkok.
4. Bangkok VTBD.
Now off for some massage at the Wat Pho (no, that's not the type you think...). Need that.

http://www.fsrtwrace.com/track/ShowFlight.php?detail=flight&value=Yywc6Ow9RLpQ6S4x9fjFsHCg5vM

teson1
December 14th, 2009, 14:41
VTBD - WMKA

Nice calm flight.

1. Quite some clouds on the 90 min DR leg to Ko Samui.
2. We need some UT asia! That does not do the wunderful beaches of Thailand justice!
3. WMKA.

http://www.fsrtwrace.com/track/ShowFlight.php?detail=flight&value=vHn3ovm41AVj00yc87mdU3yNkW0

Dangerousdave26
December 14th, 2009, 14:50
That sure is a pretty plane but why do you have the Tail Hook down...


:icon_lol:

teson1
December 15th, 2009, 01:04
Lol. Took it off, but didn't like the nasty scraping sound the tail made while taxiing.
And it's perfect for transporting the soiled underwear from earlier flights. :wiggle:

MM
December 15th, 2009, 07:44
This is quite an adventure.

teson1
December 15th, 2009, 15:14
Admitted - I had my fair share of excitement. :icon_lol:
But as long as visibility is halfway decent keeping track of position is actually surprisingly easy.
And being forced to look outside, pay attention all the time makes the flights so much more intense. And a lesson in geography at that.
Man, am I enjoying this... :jump:

Willy
December 15th, 2009, 15:36
Glad to see you've decided to finish it. :ernae:

teson1
December 15th, 2009, 16:04
WMKA - WSSL

Great flight over Malaysia.
Nice hills they have. Now off to get some Satays. Yummy.

http://www.fsrtwrace.com/track/ShowFlight.php?detail=flight&value=TPf9jyvIRPQMGL9ZpS24zI5I

teson1
December 19th, 2009, 14:12
WSSL - WIPP

Got two short flights in today.

Nice weather, no problem to navigate.
This is almost getting kind of ... boring? :kilroy:
Ah... flying isn't what it used to be... :icon_lol:

I think weather will hear me and I'll regret that one of these next flights. :d

http://www.fsrtwrace.com/track/ShowFlight.php?detail=flight&value=4VtxBRbo1aVNCVQmVxwVPWBs

teson1
December 19th, 2009, 14:15
WIPP - WIIH

True CAVOK.

http://www.fsrtwrace.com/track/ShowFlight.php?detail=flight&value=9K10c5Jy6eVIeaeBNtZxjgzEVlQ

Spookster67
December 19th, 2009, 23:18
Nice weather, no problem to navigate.
This is almost getting kind of ... boring? :kilroy:
Ah... flying isn't what it used to be... :icon_lol:

I think weather will hear me and I'll regret that one of these next flights. :d
It might be nice now, but watch out when you arrive at Port Darwin! I had great weather down through Malaysia, but then a horrible storm waiting for me in Australia... :pop4:

Keep going.... :wavey:

teson1
December 20th, 2009, 01:56
... but then a horrible storm waiting for me in Australia... :pop4:

Cool!

... I think ... :redf:

(Oh man, Gunter, keep your mouth shut...) :monkies:

teson1
December 20th, 2009, 10:45
WIIH - WRSJ

Great flight!
Chose a nice sightseeing route along Java's volcanoes.
Some of these are active.
Impressive!

http://www.fsrtwrace.com/track/ShowFlight.php?detail=flight&value=sk3NW7bfbVvOuCJ8ZWuyNdk4riA

salt_air
December 21st, 2009, 16:25
Hey Gunter,

No rush man,,,,just take your time the RTW isn't untill February,,,,really not much else to do except practice and this qualifies as that.


[Turning my back towards Gunter for a minute so I can say....]


I probably should have offered to help ferry the effort to Melbourne for the ol' boy, but I couldn't for the life of me find a copy of that aircraft anywhere....


[Okay turning back around now to say to Gunter...]


Good luck on the rest of the journey, safe passage and good weather.:wavey:

Cheers,

teson1
April 5th, 2010, 15:42
Finally getting back to my trusty GeeBee, hangared in Surabaya.
That tropical climate didn't do her well, but after some overhaul she's purring again.
What? Race is over? Nevermind, I'm having too much of a ball to stop here.
Can't believe it's almost three months since I left her. Too busy with racing around the world and other stuff.
But have I been looking forward to this? You bet! :jump:

Hey Austin, thanks for the kind offer to ferry her on, but no chance. There are some things you don't share... ;)

On we go - 8 legs left to Melbourne.

Surabaya - Mataram
WRSJ - WRRA

Started with rainy weather with limited visibility, but with all these shorelines and mountains around navigation is a piece of cake. And weather cleared up some over Bali. Great scenery again, with volcanoes, crater lakes, beaches. Man, that does feel good to be going again!
Not even a bounce upon landing in Mataram.

http://fs-duenna.com/flights/ShowFlight.php?flight=trLSQDubtxOWBxuSMdtrcEl9d8

teson1
April 21st, 2010, 12:03
WRRA - WRKK
Quite some mixed weather, from great views to being rocked by thunderstorms, for this long flight at high altitude to stretch the range.

http://fs-duenna.com/flights/ShowFlight.php?flight=8DOu7mU67eKZODpIMY7fkuEK5o

teson1
April 21st, 2010, 12:04
WRKK - YPDN
Great weather for this long flight over water. Clear skies, almost no clouds, low winds, so went straight for Darwin, and hit it spot-on, with only 5 nm drift after 450 nm.
Relaxing, easy flight. However, I'm sure early aviators were a lot more apprehensive of this leg, with all the water below, and nowhere to go but into the water in case of an
engine problem.
That comes through in Elly Beinhorn's book on her 1932 Germany - Australia (and on) flight that was an inspiration to do this trip the old way.

http://fs-duenna.com/flights/ShowFlight.php?flight=eBwskGRKrZLQuPMoLTKqeKSUFY

teson1
April 21st, 2010, 12:11
YPDN - YTNK

I'm taking my time, I know. But who would have guessed it's 1959 already...
Got a glimpse of one one of these new sharp looking plane parked in Darwin. Not even a propeller...
I'll go on to Melbourne, but after that I'll come back and have a closer look I think...

Easy Flight, CAVOK, following the Stuart Highway; one hickup though - braked too hard and nosed over landing for an intermediate stop in YPTN to switch from VOZ north to central
region :redface: - but gotta love that eye candy.

(last image - Tennant Creek International Airport)

http://fs-duenna.com/flights/ShowFlight.php?flight=M3APbJgZLFW2Q9Rg7tJDJWSglqk
http://fs-duenna.com/flights/ShowFlight.php?flight=ZV0hrLyDdR7AH8dvSfVi2yZFls

MaddogK
April 21st, 2010, 12:52
Don't tell me you're entering that Sabre in the rim-tour also?
:isadizzy:
Frigging Sabres are coming outta the woodwork lately. NICE pics.

teson1
April 23rd, 2010, 14:49
Thanks, Maddog.
Now, isn't that Sabre a sweet one. :d

teson1
April 25th, 2010, 17:38
YTNK - YCCY

Uneventful flight. Not a single cloud.

http://fs-duenna.com/flights/ShowFlight.php?flight=VZWSyNfAkikREYW2AtxAeGa7pVU

teson1
April 25th, 2010, 17:42
YCCY - YBCV

Great weather again.
Wow, really not a whole lot to look at in this part of Australia...
Just happy to fly with VOZ, don't even want to imagine what it would look like with default terrain.

http://fs-duenna.com/flights/ShowFlight.php?flight=LSexPyIYOwPxrbQJwXK0

teson1
April 27th, 2010, 15:42
YBCV - YNRM

Again a nice flight with perfect weather.
Back to civilisation - a real town!
One to go... :d

http://fs-duenna.com/flights/ShowFlight.php?flight=aZVvhklujOq8Wk9q35PcQuQM

salt_air
April 28th, 2010, 02:28
Three "G's" for the Bee Gee.....

Good Goin' Gunter!!......:applause:

teson1
April 28th, 2010, 03:25
I'd rather call it a slow limp, but I'm getting there... ;)

Willy
April 28th, 2010, 13:34
We're pulling for ya!

MM
May 1st, 2010, 15:08
A crowd is gathering at Melbourne...

teson1
May 2nd, 2010, 14:43
Hope they broughts sleeping bag and sandwiches. ;)

smilo
May 2nd, 2010, 15:42
Hope they broughts sleeping bag and sandwiches. ;)

nah, but we gots beer.

Willy
May 2nd, 2010, 16:23
Lots 'o beer

teson1
May 3rd, 2010, 01:59
Hey guys, wait for me; I'm hurrying up.

salt_air
May 3rd, 2010, 03:08
Remember the three "G's".....:wiggle:

RedGreen
May 3rd, 2010, 03:39
We're all waiting and watching, Gunther!

(No pressure, now. :kilroy:)

teson1
May 3rd, 2010, 15:48
Ok guys - who put that sugar in my tank? :angryfir:

We are NOT amused!
Some buddies - want all the beer for themselves... :a1451:

That trip is not over yet. FS crashed 13 nm from Melbourne, 4 minutes out - boy, I saw that airport...

http://fs-duenna.com/flights/ShowFlight.php?flight=wUaNf9Y7y1YPSqik4aNAQ5pKo

teson1
May 8th, 2010, 10:36
The last leg was a worthy end to the journey.

Fog with 1500 ft visibility, buzzing treetops following the railway, no time to look at the map, but just cool fast action, fun, no stress - Bee and me, we have had some good training by now.

Unfortunately FS crashed again at the exact same place as during the last attempt, and then again on another attempt. Finally got to Melbourne by changing to a night flight. Fortunately with weather that had meanwhile improved.

Landing at a deserted airport, everybody gone home. Which is a good thing, leaves some time to really arrive.

Taxi the plane to a quiet spot, roll out the sleeping bag under the wing, bed down, and spend a long time looking up into the starfilled night.

Hey Bee, waddayathink - the world is round...

But tomorrow I've got to run - got a plane to catch in Darwin.

http://fs-duenna.com/flights/ShowFlight.php?flight=b9RiqbUN1IJSoFxof8W7aRF9tsM

teson1
May 8th, 2010, 10:42
Pulling back the mixture lever for the last time, with a wet eye, the engine coughs, then stops, and leaves but silence.

What an absolutely fantastic journey it has been!

Thinking back to the start in England, with this huge distance ahead, Paris, first engine failures and first flight in fog skirting the tree tops, fantastic views crossing the alps, across the mediterranean to Rome, first crash in Bridinsi, on across the Adriatic sea to Athens and the greek islands, Mikonos, Kos, Rhodos ..., and on to Cyprus.

And then... getting utterly lost in the desert of Irak on the way to Baghdad - missing the Euphrates - how can one miss the Euphrates??? Only coming out of this by sheer luck. On through the mountains of Persia, and along the coast, scud running and worse.

India... the absolutely toughest legs of the trip. Again getting utterly lost in the fog - missing the Ganges - how can one miss the Ganges??? Landing in Allahabad on last fumes, engine died upon touchdown and rolling out in an eery silence, pilot slumped over the stick. And that flight to Calcutta. Following railways in absolute fog for hours, loosing the track, finding it, loosing it... Strong memories!

The moment India is left behind the fog lifts - heaven! Beautiful flights along the coasts and through the mountains of Burma, Siam and Malaysia to Singapore. Fantastic volcanoes on Java, Bali and the Small Sunda islands.

Then the big jump across the Timor sea to Darwin and on from the tropical forests of the north to the red deserts of the heart of Australia. Hours of wilderness till getting back to settled regions.

And here I am at the end of the trip.

What an absolutely fantastic journey it has been!


This ride was a geniuinely strong experience, so I'd like to thank those who have made it possible and such a pleasure:

- Thanks to the organisers for setting up this event. Well thought out, organised, interesting historic topic, route and planes. Again shows that SOH has some of the best events on the web!

- Thanks to Elly Beinhorn :). Just when info on the MacRobertson event came out I stumbled across her book on her 1932 flight from Germany to Australia, and on around the world. Got me thinking. If this 25 year old girl did it in a wooden 80 PS Klemm plane with map and compass only, maybe it's possible in FS the same way? Some simple rules - just use what she had available. Only map, compass, watch and E-6B, no radionavigation or autopilot. And that's what turned this trip into such an experience. Forced to look out all the time, and pay constant attention, finger on the map at all time. A lesson in geography. And 85% of the flights were really easy,leisurely cruising along, simple navigation, just enjoying the scenery; had my share of tight situations though - bare knuckle street fighting down on the deck in the fog, leaving me in sweat and panting. Some strong experiences. I'm hooked.

- Warwick Carter for his beautiful Gee Bee Model Z! A temperamental girl, in particular during landings, and what a pleasure to ride!

- Garry J Smith for the beautiful repaint!

- Tim Arnot for the excellent Plan-G map/flight planning program! The flight would not have been possible without it, or hugely more complicated. Anybody interested in VFR flying (and other) who doesn't have it - run and get it!

- All participants to the event (can't really talk of a race for me) who have made it so pleasant.

- Finally thanks to FS, making such an experience possible...

Three cheers to you all,

Gunter

MM
May 8th, 2010, 11:00
Congratulations, Gunter.

You've given us all a thrill as we have followed your adventures over the miles and months.

Superb all around!

Willy
May 8th, 2010, 11:21
Congratulations Gunter! The reason the airport was empty was because everyone was down at the pub waiting for you!

Vicious
May 8th, 2010, 11:56
Congratulations Gunter! The reason the airport was empty was because everyone was down at the pub waiting for you!

Congrats Gunter! Nice to see another GB complete the Melbourne Race. Good thing the pub had some rooms available since the party's been going on for a few months now. :jump:

Vicious

salt_air
May 10th, 2010, 03:11
What a show mate!

Excellent!

teson1
May 10th, 2010, 08:29
Aw... seems I missed some party there :banghead:
But nevermind, make up for that in Edwards in Pancho Barnes' room.