After many commitments, withdrawls, and other assorted mayhem, the Team United Roster seems to have finally settled itself down (more or less).
Pilots
1) RedGreen
2) DHC_120
3) salt_air
The race is finally here, and Team United is ready to depart in the "City of Oakland" Boeing 247D for Melbourne. The first stop: Paris (LFPB). A nice short leg to get the next few crazy weeks started.
Hard to believe that the English Channel was considered such a great barrier in Bleriot's day. Even in the leisurely pace of the 247D, one is liable to miss it entirely if they happen to be too engrossed in a book.
Having flown this exact leg beforehand, navigation was simplicity itself. Was a little high on approach, and had a one-bouncer on landing, but overall it was good leg to kick off our effort.
http://www.fsrtwrace.com/track/ShowF...OS2Ql2lFxNigY0
After a night of wine, women, and song...(I never realized that Austin was such a great Tenor!)...Team United is heading out again, with Team Captain Red Green at the controls again. This time we're heading down to Marseilles (LFML), a journey of about 350 miles from Paris.
Onward, and (hopefully) upward!
[QUOTE=RedGreen;274190]...(I never realized that Austin was such a great Tenor!)... [QUOTE]
Ah yes......and quite the dancer too!
But there are a lot of miles yet to fly....have a good flight my friend.
salt_air
Pilots heading to Marseilles today, take heed. Mother Nature has quite a ride in store for you. Light rain pelted the plane upon takeoff from Paris, and a demon-like headwind seemed bent on preventing my arrival. It rose from 20 knots, to 30, to 40 knots! I started becoming concerned about my fuel mileage and ducked from 9000 feet to 5000 feet in hopes of finding friendlier skies. The wind gods laughed at my pathetic attempt. Headwinds at 5000 feet were 38 knots! I became so concerned about fuel that I began plotting out airports to divert to in case of a crisis.
This all turned out to be much ado about nothing, as I arrived at Marseilles with 15% fuel left. That didn't mean Nature was going to cut me any slack on getting back to Earth. The landing involved about three miles of visibility, heavy rainfall pelting the windscreen, and a 17 knot headwind. Thankfully, made the landing safe and sound.
Lesson (re)learned, check those weather reports before departing in unbridled optimism!
http://www.fsrtwrace.com/track/ShowF...8g6sNPlI0uATBY
Nice
Good one here mate!
Your unbridled optimism is probably what got you through....
Good Night Red
salt_air
Team United is getting ready to depart Marseilles. No Grand Tour (or Gran Turismo, if you prefer,) of Europe would complete without a stop at Rome, so LIRA will be our next destination.
Well, the winds played havoc with me today. Had a couple of different sessions where the winds kept violently changing every 5 seconds for at least a full minute. Put me in "Overspeed" territory on the 247D, but thankfully came away with a clean Duenna.
It was soupy in the 9000 foot range leaving the French Coast, but it had cleared up brilliantly by the time we reached Corsica. A nice early morning flight for today.
http://www.fsrtwrace.com/track/ShowF...eI6WUUJWmJSTMA
Hang in there Red,,,,,cavalry is on the way.
Charles got his compooter back together and I finished up last night in the Vega.
salt_air
Ready to depart LIRA Rome for LIBR Brindisi
in the Boeing 247D.
Racing for Team United.
Charles
Good Luck Ol' Buddy......
Have a good flight and a good time!
[Use the edit function on your first post to change Athens to Rome]
:ernae:
salt_air
Yippee! Someone else flying for a change!
Best of luck, Charles!
I don't know Red
I think its time to send out the Search and Rescue Party.
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Yep 300 NM in 3 hrs is officially missing........:isadizzy:Originally Posted by Dangerousdave26
salt_air
I finally landed at LIBR Brindisi, Italy...
Take-off from LIRA/Roma was beautiful blue skies, a puffy cloud here and there.. Climbed and maintained heading, trying to "learn" how to calculate speed/distance in my "spare time"..
During climb-out, I hit "Overspeed" for two seconds.. clearly my fault as I should have throttle back BEFORE I leveled off.. Duenna is rather picky!
Later, during "Cruise Mode".. I had tuned to two NDB, would watch the needles until they passed the 3/9 o'clock position on the RMI, and try to calculate time to LIBR.. or the BOD point (The B-247D doesn't like sudden decents!).. During this time, I was showing 150Kts IAS.. I took a "pause for the cause" and when I came back the Duenna was showing anadditional 28.6 seconds of Overspeed.. My IAS was STILL 150Kts!! Twenty-five minutes later, same drill.. I was showing 150Kts IAS, 171Kts Ground Speed, altitude 4550 and I got 7.4 MORE seconds of Overspeed.. Honest, Officer.. I was NOT speeding!!
Upon approaching Brindisi Airport, the weather was socked-in.. white ground, white sky!! I'm following my heading as the BRD NDB is at the opposite end of the airport on approach.. My "Ten Finger Calculator" said I ought to be "close" to LIBR and way off to my left, I spot a set of PAPI lights. Too far over to my left to be MY airport, so I followed the NDB heading..... until I was out over the water and the RMI needle was pointing back to where I was.. I could have use the SAR folks cause I was lost! I knew I was in Bribdisi, I flew over (and sighted) the NDB three times, but never saw that airport, or any PAPI lights for nearly forty-five minutes (and Salt-Air wonders why I fly with full fuel tanks!)
Finally put the B-247D down in THE ugliest, crabbing sideways landing you'll ever see.. But I got a Green Duenna!!
Charles
And thats all that matters
Good Show
Congratulations
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Dave hit the nail on the head Charles......Good Job!
And thats all that matters
Good Show
Congratulations
:ernae:
salt_air
Guys;
Thanks for the support.. It is appreciated.. Thinking I might just go ahead and go on to LGAT, Athens. Gonna ponder it for a short..
Charles
Waitin on Charles......you and Red work on it.
I'll catch up tomorrow............
salt_air
Excellent piloting to get down in the whiteout. Nicely done.
-Mike
Well, Charles hasn't posted about going to LGAT yet...
And since I got back from working on a Sunday, I have an extra hour to work with thanks to Daylight Savings Time....
You thinking what I'm thinking?
If it involves taking a 247D from LIBR to LGAT, you're on the right track!
It was still foggy at Brindisi when I departed, but flight was very enjoyable with a short jaunt over the sea and over the mountains of Greece. Approach was on the sloppy side. I was way to the right of the airport when I got sight of it, and gave it a couple of good bounces on the landing.
But now Team United has made it to Athens! Break out the togas!! :ernae:
http://www.fsrtwrace.com/track/ShowF...uZFol5FqcZ41RU
Go Team!....
salt_air
Ready to depart LGAT Athens for ORBS Baghdad.
Racing for Team United in the Boeing 247D "City of Oakland".
Is there an “Iron Butt” Award for seven hour long
Flights?
Charles
Landed safely at ORBS Baghdad!!
Took off 0630 local time (Athens).. Red must have slept-in 'cause he and all those almost-toga wearing female "mechanics" he had working? on his plane never showed up to see me off..
Flight was basically unevenful (aka LONG!) except for some 7000' tall mountains where the map said they were 5000' instead (and I'm cruising at 5000' in thick clouds.
At one point, I was at 8500' and decided to get under the thick clouds.. Was down around 3000-3500 "hunting" for clean air.. Instruments said I had a 30Kt tail-wind but I was being slapped around more than a drunk sailor at a church social. Finally went back to 8500'.
The "last NDB's in the known world" were in Cypress, I think (Banias & Latakia).. From there is was compass heading only to Baghdad. Salt-Air fitted my plane with a Wind-Drift/Compass/Heading Bug/Beer Dispenser gizmo that I can only say is worth it's weight in gold.. The "first" NDB to pick-up in Iraq is ten miles north of Runway 15R and has a whopping range of 22nm.. I got a 22nm wide "bullseye" to hit from 400nm out... And I did!! I had the timer going and had roughly computed how long it "should" be to pick-up the NDB.. I was sweating it until that RMI needle swung from it's 3 o'clock position to "Twelve O'Clock High!". I had already dropped altitude from the 8500' down to 4000', but I had to dump another 2500' in a hurry without incurring the wrath of the "Overspeed Cops"..
I landed long (and a little fast), let it roll on out, bleeding speed before I even thought about tapping the brakes.. Damn sure didn't want to "nose over" after a six+ hour flight!!
Bottom Line: Green Duenna!!!
Charles
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