Round the World the Easy Way

**EasyEd** · November 8th, 2008, 21:47

Hey All,

So after seeing Willy's "Gone Walkabout" and Moses is on a "World Flight" I've decided to go ahead and start doing the main Flight Simulator thing I've never done - fly around the world - in one plane.

For me it's long been a problem trying to decide - what plane can I stand to fly that long - that far. I wanted reasonable speed, range, amphibious capability, pleasing aesthetics - both real world and in FS - and a realistic flight model. Also high wing STOL capability was highly desirable. Finally I wanted it to be a plane a real person might use for this purpose. The Beech D18, the DeHavilland TurboBeaver, the Cessna 185 and 206 and the Pilatus PC-6 and even the PC-12 - all favorites of mine and all failing at least one criteria were the main candidates.

However I believe I've finally settled on one that suits me on all counts and so I caught a red-eye from Nanaimo to Sandpoint, Idaho to take delivery at the factory. I'll give it a shakedown flight back to Nanaimo tomorrow and begin the journey.

-Ed-

***Willy*** · November 8th, 2008, 22:24

Good luck Ed! :ernae:

**cheezyflier** · November 9th, 2008, 06:07

very cool! i am about 1/2 way through mine, but i didn't do it all in one plane.
i switched between the 206 (most of the time) the aa-5b, the mooney, the 182, briefing time, and the dc-3. that's the order of how much i have used them so far with the 206 being used about 75% of the time so far. next i will do it all in one plane, but i will probably use the 182 or the mooney.

**EasyEd** · November 9th, 2008, 12:33

Hey All,

In Sandpoint I caught a taxi over to Murray Airport (ID36) a quiet little grass strip field not far from Quest Aircraft Company. There I took possession of a brand spankin new turbine powered Garmin G1000 flat panel equipped Kodiak. After some aircraft orientation it was off to Nanaimo (CYCD) in a shakedown flight where I'll have it fitted for amphibious floats and perform some other minor modifications before taking off to circumnavigate the earth. Only had a few anxious moments on descent and approach trying to figure out where "stuff" is in the G1000. :costumes:

Here is an introduction to the aircraft and some specs in the snap below.

[youtube]-Z7-v6lQj7Q[/youtube]

I expect that Lionheart will have the next version of the Kodiak out before I get very far into this trip. Looking forward to it as this version does have a few problems that I can live with till then.

-Ed-

Note in the snap leaving Murray you can see Idaho's bridge to nowhere in the background, Seems Sarah isn't the only one! :costumes:

DauntlessDriver546 · November 9th, 2008, 12:43

Hey everyone!

I'm actually working on a National Speed record in my Sukhoi Su-27 Flanker in FS 2002. I've gone roughly two thirds of the way across the U.S. in a little over an hour and a half total flight time. I hope to make the rest of the hop today... I've had to stop for fuel twice...

Which begs the question... does setting a speed record mean you have to go all the way across without stopping? Or can you stop for gas along the way?

**EasyEd** · November 9th, 2008, 13:00

Hey All,

Thanks for the encouragement!

The pic below is of the route. The "rules" I intend to follow are all on the pic except for one - no unrealistic flying and as for the real time thing I see no point in flying in the dark all the time on the opposite side of the world from me - a real pilot wouldn't. The route is only a very general strategy and will likely be deviated from a fair bit.

Only thing left to decide is East or West. :d

-Ed-

***Willy*** · November 9th, 2008, 13:55

Ed, I went towards the East to take advantage of the prevailing winds.

Other than a short stint in a Spitfire over the Med, most of my flight has been in Milton's Beech D18. I left off in Alaska and need to see it on home but for the past few weeks, my flying time has been somewhat limited. Just call it taking a needed break while caribou hunting up there :d.

Thinking about making a flight in something a bit slower next time. I seem to have been collecting a flying circus's worth of Fokker D.VIIs. Might have to see what I can do with them. Scotland to Australia?

**cheezyflier** · November 9th, 2008, 15:06

here is the route i have been doing. next time i want to see more of russia and africa. if the kodiak is coming, i may reconsider the 182

***srgalahad*** · November 9th, 2008, 17:02

Originally Posted by DauntlessDriver546

Hey everyone!

I'm actually working on a National Speed record in my Sukhoi Su-27 Flanker in FS 2002. I've gone roughly two thirds of the way across the U.S. in a little over an hour and a half total flight time. I hope to make the rest of the hop today... I've had to stop for fuel twice...

Which begs the question... does setting a speed record mean you have to go all the way across without stopping? Or can you stop for gas along the way?

The official recorder is the National Aeronautics Assoc. (www.naa.aero). Unfortunately the full database and some functions require a membership to access. I don't have time to do all the digging but try a search - the most likely one is "transcontinental over a recognized course -
Bear in mind that supersonic flight over the continet would require special approval by the FAA and since the recored is held by a SR-71 they aren't likely to give permission for a Sukhoi :d. The SR-71 was non-stop, most other recent ones were AAR but there are some classes where it was just elapsed time -- counting ground time unless you are female --->
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transco...r_speed_record

but then again, you are attempting it in FS2002 so who knows...

The worldwide keeper of records is the Federation Aeronautique International http://www.fai.org

R

***srgalahad*** · November 9th, 2008, 17:03

Hey Ed,
What Nanaimo scenery is that?

Rob

**EasyEd** · November 9th, 2008, 19:57

Hey All,

Will get started tomorrow on the RTW trip.

Rob the Nanaimo scenery is at this site (under scenery near top right). The other sceneries are good too - I really like Duncan and Qualicum.

http://www.vanisleva.com/

It is a site I frequent as I live there. :d

-Ed-

**salt_air** · November 10th, 2008, 07:34

Hey Ed,

Looks like a well thought out adventure ahead. Don't let anybody change your name to AmbitiousEd.....:costumes:.

Enjoy yourself, I know you will!

Look forward to see how things are going.

All the best to you,

**EasyEd** · November 10th, 2008, 17:34

Hey All,

Being the contrarian I am I figured to go west but then decided to be contrary to what I would ordinarily do and headed east. Besides that would give me time to get my Alaska sceneries in order. Anyway - so it begins...

I petted my wife and kissed the dog (she's a good dog! :costumes

and patted the cats er I mean kids on the head and set off - I still hear my wife sayin "couldn't you just buy a sports car instead of this lunacy? - oh an is your life insurance paid up - it better be - or I'll blank you myself!" that last part was drowned out by the whine of the Pratt and Whitney turbine.

I set out on a short flight to a favorite destination - Chelan (S10) lookin forward to some good Okanogan wine with a friend. Along the way noticing all the purple clouds I couldn't help thinking of Zane Grey and his great book Riders of the Purple Sage. I wasn't fighting the Mormon church in 1871 like Jane Withersteen was but that Puff the magic dragon in the lower right of Pic 2 sure was lookin kind of threatenin :costumes: - and the clouds sure were purple.

-Ed-

An edit: Salt NO worries on that ambitious Ed part!

MM · November 11th, 2008, 05:52

Good luck. Should be great fun!

***Moses03*** · November 12th, 2008, 06:53

Blue skies Ed! :ernae:

**EasyEd** · November 15th, 2008, 22:34

Hey All,

I flew this leg a couple days ago so I better get it posted.

I took off from Chelan enroute to my next stop where in my next lifetime I will own a big ranch. The Judith Basin in Montana is an area that has impressed me since childhood. This country also impressed Meriwether Lewis of Lewis and Clark fame so much that he named the basin and the river after his fiancee. If his fiancee was as beautiful as the basin Lewis was a lucky man. I caught glimpses of the Big Snowys, the Highwoods, the Judiths and the Little Belt mountains which bound the basin as well as the Judith River flowing through the basin as I landed in Lewistown Montana (KLWT) in a bit of a snowstorm.

-Ed-

Hours - 3:27:13
Distance - 599.4

**EasyEd** · November 16th, 2008, 13:01

Hey All,

What a difference a day or 2 makes. The snow in Lewistown had apparently melted and it was time to say farewell to the Judith Basin and move on to my first geographic continental center in Rugby (KRUG) North Dakota.

Seems the car I rented to visit the actual marker had some carburetor troubles. :d

-Ed-

**EasyEd** · November 16th, 2008, 16:46

Hey All,

Moving on...

Pellston Regional (KPLN) was my next destination and so leaving behind Rugby North Dakota I set off to the east. Was a nice flight but clouds the whole way usually obscuring my view of the ground. Despite that I did catch glimpses of Lake Superior and Lake Michigan as I passed over them. Three plus hours of cloud combined with the detail of the Pellston airport did make landing a bit of a slideshow but not too bad. This is a really fine addon if you don't have it.

-Ed-

Hours - 8:59:32
Distance - 1632.9

**salt_air** · November 16th, 2008, 18:53

Hey Ed,

Rollin' along nicely I see. Some great screenies there too!

Looks like you and the Kodiak are getting to know each other.

All the best to ya!,

**Milton Shupe** · November 16th, 2008, 19:06

Hey Ed

Looks like a great aircraft choice for some great fun.

Having circled the globe many times in the last 9 years in FS versions, I must say my strategy was to always look for the mountain ranges. I have flown the mountains of every continent many times and took the time to explore the culture and sites in every country along the way. My wife has been part of some of these jaunts and did the research while I did the flying. Its great to add the history, sites and culture to the geographic exploration. Most entertaining and fulfilling for us both.

Have fun and enjoy.

**EasyEd** · November 23rd, 2008, 17:21

Hey All,

Salt and Milton Thank You! This will be a fun trip.

Should have posted this leg some time ago.

I left upstate Michigan thinkin I'd visit the hometown of one of my favorite authors - Mark Twain aka Samuel Langhorne Clemens and so I set off for Hannibal Missouri. Nice Scenery too I hear. Uneventful evening flight.

-Ed-

**EasyEd** · November 30th, 2008, 09:09

Hey All,

I landed at Hannibal Missouri cause I have always liked the scenery since it includes farming (and cows!) even though it doesn't match seasonally. I rented a 182 while the Kodiak was getting a minor service for a brief local tour before moving on...

Oh an one of my favorite Twain quotes on:

AIR TRAVEL

It is a subject that is bound to stir the pulses of any man one talks seriously to about, for in this age of inventive wonders all men have come to believe that in some genius' brain sleeps the solution of the grand problem of aerial navigation--and along with that belief is the hope that that genius will reveal his miracle before they die, and likewise a dread that he will poke off somewhere and die himself before he finds out that he has such a wonder lying dormant in his brain.
- Letter from Mark Twain, San Francisco Alta California, August 1, 1869

-Ed-

**EasyEd** · November 30th, 2008, 09:26

Hey All,

Leaving Hannibal behind it seemed only right on my first flight around the world to stop at the place where it all started - Kill Devil Hills.

-Ed-

**EasyEd** · November 30th, 2008, 09:31

Hey All,

A few days later decided it was time to head for continent number 2. Couple stops in Florida and on to South America. Nice cloudy day for a flight down the eastern US seaboard to a busy little airport (nice scenery BTW). Pretty good headwind all the way though and it seems the Governor of North Carolina like Sarah Palin likes bridges to nowhere.

-Ed-

**EasyEd** · November 30th, 2008, 11:03

Hey All,

So I'm hangin around Craig Municipal in Jacksonville Fla waiting for it to stop raining when I get the idea. Gangster Bulls (Tedesco for those who know) is in Gainesville about 60 miles away so I called thinkin I might be able to stop by. Larry the Cable Guy answers the phone an invites me down to see the great bull Chicken on a Chain that he is part owner of. Says his assistant is in Jacksonville and will pick me up an drop me back at the airport. Hellll Yeah I says lets Git er Done!

Nice corvette Thank God it wasn't that ol pickup!

A favorite Larry the Cable Guy (not rude or vulgar but definitely not politically correct)

[youtube]AZqyP-ScMLc[/youtube]

Heres a great ride on Chicken by Justin McBride who a few years ago rode one bull for 8 seconds for $200,000 - you do the hourly/yearly wage on that one!

[youtube]ZGY8Av5hrYc[/youtube]

Now I don't know how many bulls have a page on myspace but Chicken on a Chain does!

http://www.myspace.com/chickensoffthechain

Says he's there for "Networking, Dating, Serious Relationships, Friends" ethnicity is "other" an he's a Scorpio. :costumes:

Nice evening but it's time to move on.

-Ed-

PS Just tryin to keep this thread entertainin time to time!