75th Anniversary of the MacRobertson London to Melbourne.

[MaddogK]

Oh Boy MaddogK,

I tell you what, if you take a Jenny from London to Melbourne, you will be my FS hero!

What am I saying,,,,I might join you!.....

Regards,

, Maybe a Jenny was a bad idea, but if you're game I'm sure I could find the couple months to take the Jenny. If the only fuel stops are the 'official' ones all the above are out. I would like to stay era correct tho'. My GeeBee is prepped but NO WAY it's making a 700 mile hop.

[RFields]

I flew the DH-89 Dragon Rapide in the last race, and it will not make that distance. I had to make some unauthorized fuel stops, but got to the finish. The longest distance I ever flew in the plane was a test run the 654 nm from Athens to Aleppo. It took 6 hrs 34 min and I arrives with barely 3 gallons fuel left in the tanks.

Edit - found my Duenna files - my DH-89 route was
EGUN-LOWL - 580 nm - 4 hr 42 min 49 sec
LOWL-LRBS - 541.6 nm - 4 hrs 28 min 56 sec - auth fuel stop
LRBS-LTAU - 548.8 nm - 4 hrs 51 min 41 sec
LTAU - ORBS - 537.1 nm - 4 hrs 31 min 07 sec - required stop
ORBS-OIYY - 514.4 nm - 4 hrs 09 min 37 sec
OIYY- N 31 09.509 / E 57 22.636 - 164.7 nm - 1 hr 34 min 17 sec - this was a dead stick landing in the desert of eastern Iran. I apparently shut off the magentos and did not get the engine restarted - did not refuel
N 31 09.509 / E 57 22.636 - OIZH - 208.6nm - 2 hrs 09 min 05 sec - after restarting and taking off had to stop short - the extra climb cost too much fuel
OIZH-OPMJ - 402.4 nm - 3 hrs 30 min 49 sec
OPMJ-VIJO - 270.5 nm - 2 hrs 07 min 14 sec - auth fuel stop
VIJO-VIAL - 472.4 nm - 4 hr 05 min 22 sec - required stop
VIAL-VECC - 404.5 nm - 3 hr 06 min 53 sec - auth fuel stop
VECC-VYYY - 553.7 nm - 4 hr 45 min 40 sec - auth fuel stop
VYYY-VTSF - 549.7 nm - 5 hrs 16 min 06 sec
VTSF-WSSL - 487.8 nm - 4 hrs 20 min 01 sec - required stop
WSSL-WIIH - 495.5 nm - 4 hrs 33 min 27 sec - auth fuel stop
WIIH-WRRA - 562.2 nm - 4 hrs 44 min 37 sec - auth fuel stop
WRRA-WRKK - 459.1 nm - 3 hrs 32 min 30 sec - auth fuel stop
WRKK-YPDN - 444.1 nm - 3 hrs 15 min 27 sec - required stop
YPDN-YTNK - 473.5 nm - 4 hrs 37 min 40 sec - auth fuel stop
YTNK-YCCY - 362.3 nm - 3 hrs 19 min 50 sec - auth fuel stop
YSSY-YBCV - 468.5 nm - 4 hrs 42 min 14 sec - required stop
YBCV-YNRM - 362.7 nm - 3 hrs 07 min 05 sec - auth fuel stop
YNRM-YMEN - 368.7 nm - 2 hrs 55 min 30 sec - finish

As I flew, I got much better at estimating fuel burn rates and my speed over the ground with wind conditions. That enabled me to build up my average ground speed. I made a practice run a month before the race - WRKK-YPDN which took 7 hr 35 min 33 sec in the maximum fuel saver mode. During the race I cut that time more than in half.

I flew the fartherst 'off course' route of anyone. Crossing Europe through Bucharest was an authorized option in the real race. My route was 2206 nm with two unauthorized fuel stops, vs the 2516 nm via the auth fuel stops, but with the 654 nm leg. Saving 300 nm made the penalty for the two unauth stops worthwile in a plane which averaged near 108 kts ground speed. But the unintentional landing in the Iran desert hurt me by causing a extra penalty stop.

[salt_air]

Reggie,

I remember when you mentioned having used the Dragon Rapide in the first race and thinking what an Epic journey that must have been. That fact never really hit "home" till just now after looking at your Duenna files.

Good Lord man, what a show! You must have been just as proud as you were relieved to have completed the race no matter what position you finished in.

I was sorry to have missed the first race and vowed to do the next, if there was one. This is just further inspiration. I really do like these events that take you back to another place in time and make you work them with what was available at that time. Not to mention all the "tid-bits" of pertinent history and side discussions that relate to what's happening sort of like a "wikipedia-on-the-fly".....

Thanks for sharin",

[MaddogK]

EGUN-LOWL - 580 nm is right at my limit.

:ernae:

[buzzbee]

That was what I can describe the last Mac-Roberts race as. The timing was perfect though as I was slogging through a lot of manual data entry for a restaurant POS Project I was working on. One one machine I had the Vega flying and on my other machine I was up to my elbows in PLU's. Every so often I would switch back and forth and keep track of the flight to take a break from trying to standardize PLU's.

Highmike - Was just thinking of you. Saw on the Avsim frontpage that FTX just released Tamworth. That and I heard Koop Kooper saying there is a station in Tamworth that broadcasts "The Cocktail Nation"

Might have to go get FS X now.

Cheers!

[Willy]

Gee Bee or Skymaster? decisions.... decisions......

[Highmike]

I'll have to get that Tamworth add-on when I've got the cash. I'm not sure if its just the airport or the whole town, I'll check it out now. Either way, I've heard a lot of Yankee guys envying us lucky Aussies - to have the whole continent rendered in such detail is terrific!

[RFields]

I did a custom repaint of the DH-89 in colors which showed in B&W screenshots as close to the original aircraft.

ZK-ACO did fly the original race. I'm not sure if my blue and light yellow scheme was close to the original aircraft, but looked close.

I updated the DH-89 by adding the Sperry autopilot from the Lockheed Vega. I don't know if the original aircraft had an AP, but I needed one, and that one was available at the time of the real race. I also added the dual needle RMI from the DC-3 and a ADF2 radio.

The dual RMI was actually less important than I had thought they would be on the actual route. After leaving Europe, I seldom had two ADF in range to get a two position fix until the coast of Australia.

One thing which I learned in preparing for the flights is that I had to stay on top of where I was flying. I could not walk away for an hour and come back and find my position easily.

A very, very useful thing was to have a second computer with FS, so I could check the map view, the NDB radios, etc while in flight. I also used Google Earth a lot. Most of my flights were off-line, but I never used FSNav either on or off line to check my position. That was cheating. But using FS on another computer as an expensive chart was cool.

I spend some anxious minutes comparing the shape of a lake on the flight computer screen with the map view on the other computer trying to decide if I was where I thought I was.

Another thing is that the vast majority of the flight was VFR in daytime, and I could see the ground. My hardest airport to located was VIJO which has an NDB. I made five attempts at landing before I finally saw the runway clear enough to actually land.

The longest unavoidable flight is from WRKK to YPDN. It was actually pretty easy because when you sight the Australia coast, it is not hard to know if you are east or west of Darwin.

All of the commentaries of the original race participants cite that leg to Darwin across the Timor Sea as their biggest worry. It was very unfriendly territory if you had to go down at sea. But on the scale of things, was really not terribly challenging.

Except that by the time they got to Australia, the teams in the race had pushed their engines and aircraft so hard that several were developing problems.

Remember 12 aircraft reached Melbourne, though three arrived after the end of the race, one four 1/2 months later.

Seven aircraft has mechanical problems or crashed. Two contestants died on one of those crashes.

Other than the political problems of crossing certain countries, I would not have a concern attempting the flight today in the real world in a Cessna C-172 or C-182 - provided I had a PPL.

The world was less a political challenge and more a survival challenge 75 years ago.

[MaddogK]

'Dual needle RMI' ?? NAV radios ? marker audio ?? The stock DC3 isn't exactly 'Golden age' except in appearance IMHO.

Google earth ??

LOL

Sorry, bad day.

[Willy]

The default DC-3 radio set with the dual needle RMI can be set to two adf frequencies at the same time.

I was asked about an analog wind drift gauge. The one I use is by Glen Copeland and is file name twidgau.zip at FlightSim.

[RedGreen]

Just a little something to build some interest....

[YOUTUBE]wlVlRlCoBJ0[/YOUTUBE]

[salt_air]

Thanks Red,

Interest is building indeed!

Flew Roscoe Turner's plane in the Pan Am Race a while back. (talk about re dos),,,,didn't know he flew the Boeing 247D entry in this race.

[Thinking here,,,,noise sounds a little like hmmm]. Might have to keep with the same theme for this one.

Off to the library.......

[srgalahad]

While not from the MacRobertson race, the video in the link below sort of sums up the mood
( admittedly, Maurice Kirk may be a bit 'odd' but then..... )

http://kirkflyingvet.com/Default.aspx

Rob

[RedGreen]

Thanks Red,

Interest is building indeed!

Flew Roscoe Turner's plane in the Pan Am Race a while back. (talk about re dos),,,,didn't know he flew the Boeing 247D entry in this race.

[Thinking here,,,,noise sounds a little like hmmm]. Might have to keep with the same theme for this one.

Off to the library.......

Hey now....I was looking at the 247D myself! (Although I was thinking United colors, perhaps.)

[salt_air]

Hey now....I was looking at the 247D myself! (Although I was thinking United colors, perhaps.)

Team effort on the horizon?.....

Was also looking at the "put some bloomin' hair on your chest deHaviland Comet"!!

Thoughts,

[Willy]

The QED will fly again. I'll save the Skymaster for something else.

[srgalahad]

http://www.great-air-race75.talktalk...SS34/Home.html

[buzzbee]

If I decide to take this on, I would choose to use Milton Shupe's Spartan. Great airplane that I learned about from MM during the last Macrobertson. A joy to fly.

[Haitun]

I'm in, but only if I have a stable internet connection.
Also, flying Jenny or Wimy, or Monocoupe or something like that is an interesting option.
Another interesting option is to fly Antonov An-2 (If it's not classic - it's still modern - there are some chinese examples still produced=))).

[Willy]

I think PZL in Poland still occasionally does a run of An-2s as well.

[teson1]

Team effort on the horizon?...

Austin,
I'm game for a team effort.
I think this is really too much all on my own.

Will fly anything. Just show me where the throttle is, and which way it's to Melbourne...

I'll try to participate to the FSMPA Radio Range event this sunday, we could talk there. Am having some friends over for the weekend, but will see if I can get them out of the house in time. :d

Gunter

[salt_air]

Austin,
I'm game for a team effort.
I think this is really too much all on my own.

Will fly anything. Just show me where the throttle is, and which way it's to Melbourne...

I'll try to participate to the FSMPA Radio Range event this sunday, we could talk there. Am having some friends over for the weekend, but will see if I can get them out of the house in time. :d

Gunter

Just got back from Kitty Hawk NC and I'm (re)stoked on the Wright Brothers again. How does the Wright Flyer sound to ya?

No need to boot folks out of the house. If you (or any body else) can make it great if not, then just wait till the rules post and we can talk then.


:ernae:

[buzzbee]

The only problem with it is landing and taking off. It has an extremely long nose.

[Willy]

If we stick to what we did last time the FS9 Hughes H-1 was disqualified as the airfile was just too darn hot.

[teson1]

How does the Wright Flyer sound to ya?

Does this thing even have a throttle??