Doing the trip in reverse order. Starting Dienbien to VVNB Hanoi. In the Cessna C337 Skymaster 'Don't Shoot'.
How relaxing. I ate my sandwiches, drank my coffee and stared out of the window. It's amazing what you can see at 140kts. Incidentally, did anyone else get a crash box at Dienbien? At the end of the runway with the control tower on your left. Just as you draw level with the aircraft anti blast walls.
Just want to mention: That is a cool as heck paint job! I hope it says that on the bottom of the wings too. Those things took a LOT of ground fire. Maybe it would give someone pause. Hopefully, anyway!
Have fun low-n-slow!
Pat☺
A long time from stating my intentions and carrying them out. I got put on KP.
An interesting trip, in that I was hit by quite a few 'chin dropping onto chest' moments. Scary when you pop out of a bit of shuteye to see the horizon standing upright! Even me, as the driver, was given to 'are we nearly there yet' whinges.
Great pics Ron!
MB: GIGABYTE GA-X299 UD4 PRO ATX
CPU: Intel(R) Core™ Processor i9-10900X Ten-Core 3.7GHz
MEM: 64GB (8GBx8) DDR4/3000MHz Quad Channel
GPU: RTX 3080 Ti 12GB GDDR6
OS: Win 10 Pro 64bit
HP Reverb G2
Happened to me too. Turns out that the two, VTED and VTUD, are essentially co-located on the same field, like Yuma has a military and civilian side on the same property, sharing runways, but the Duenna only reads one of them: VTED. Higher in alphabetical order? I dunno. Just don't feel bad about it. Same airport, alternate ICAO, hows that?
Move along, nothing to see here
Have fun!
Pat☺
Told ya so, told ya so! So there, neener
Sorry. I couldn't resist
Pat☺
Departed the renamed VTUD for VTPI. I thought I'd leave at an hour after dawn, thinking I'd easily catch her up. No such luck though.
Weather was interesting. Very overcast to start, leading to thunder and lightning and eventually, sunny uplands. I was so convinced the airport was just beyond the next little hillock that I almost overshot it. loads of spiraling ensued(I'm terrified of stress!) and landed safely.
At least I didn't ditch the 337 in the sea! A flight not without it's excitement. Trundling along without a care in the world. Sticking resolutely to 166 degrees.(Or thereabouts) Eventually I came upon the curly river I was keeping an eye out for. It passes through Bangkok. Keep that on my right and I'm on course. My suspicions were aroused by the quantity of curls in said river, far too many. Check Skyvector. Wrong flippin' river! A rapid readjustment of course and the coast at last.
I love coasts
On final for Pattaya I was astounded to be passed by a 747. It took me so by surpise I was a bit late with the V key.
Great fun. Landed safely behind it.
Off to the next one VTUU. I've decided to make my first waypoint(that's to say my first recognition point) a lake about 42nm out. If I find that I'll set another course for another lake 67nm away. It takes me out of my way a bit but it's 150nm of featureless bleh. We'll see how well it works.
See ya.
That worked well....Up to a point! The point where I got lost. made it to the first lake. 'check'. Made it to the second lake. 'check'. The big ol' river that winds around VTUU should be easy to spot, yes? Not when a fog came down when Opus refreshed the weather. Go lower, I went lower and eventually, it seemed like a lifetime, I found her. Follow it round the big bend then peel off left and there should be an airport. Tada! Thank God that's over.
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