HI simmers Realism is top priority for most I guess, and in fact sometimes FS seems so real (and the sim-pilot so brilliant, he, he) that it almost become too much of a frustration not to be sitting in the clouds for real...But, alas, real flying costs money, so I guess I'll have to stay tied to the screen until my soon to be degree starts giving me some cash. Hopefully within the next ten years, sigh... So, one of the ways I get the "real" feeling is by reading real pilot-stories that spell out details of a flight experience and then translating that into the sim. (Translating the wrong way you might say, but then I did already mention the money issue!)One of the better books of this kind is in my opinion "Glacier pilot" by Beth Day, which I've just reread. (May be out of print, I don't know). This describes in some detail the pioneering flights that Bob Reeve (Reeve Aleutian Airlines) made in a DC-3 from Anchorage to the almost always foggy and rainy Aleutian Islands. The author describes how Reeve initially (without passengers) used to plan his flights to stay safely out of range of the peaked islands, in altitude, then descend until the fog got see-through thin which he claimed it almost always did at least around 200 ft. He then flew (sometimes 30 miles from land) towards the destination often making land contact some ways from the destination and no way to know which way to go.Thats one real life story that gave me some sim inspiration. Also, real-weather downloads will very likely give exactly those conditions, and flying the Aleutian freeware is very fine, too. And, by the way, a Reeve DC-3 repaint just entered the library recently, (no affiliation;.)Now, if you have some titles that you like (also apart from the cold facts it presents) and what they told please tell!Happy flights Halabraham

Real life experience: in 1980 I made more than a couple of flights on Reeves from Anchorage to Dutch Harbor on Unalaska Island in the Aleutians. The aircraft was the YS-11. The first approach to Dutch Harbor (that I vividly recall) was just as you would expect for the Aleutians at the end of May. Low overcast with a ceiling of approximate 200 feet. The pilot made a descent through the soup far out to sea (or at the time, it seemed far out to me but was probably closer to 5 to 10 miles) and flew under the muk as he approached the fjord that Dutch Harbor resides in. He flew straight down the harbor and then did a massive right turn to land. I remember looking out the right window I was sitting at, and not being able to see any horizon at all. Just water... Lots and lots of water... and very very close. Had I been offered a bet, I would have bet that the wing tip of that YS-11 was no more than 15 feet off the water at the apex of his turn. I learned to have a great deal of respect for Reeves pilots. Footnote: if you would like to replicate that flight, AFG has a fantastic YS-11 that is as close as you can get to the real thing.

Hi TomThanks for the story! That sounds like a rather hairraising experience, tell me, how many pukebags were left empty ?Have you tried recreating the flight?I just sim-flew Unalaska - Dutch in an AK 737, real weather, perfect weather right now as we speak (so to speak) for that route, low clouds, light snow. Looks great with all the new cloud textures (combination) and BlueSphere which I've just installed. I

I flew with Reeves Aleutian Airlines from Anchorage to Adak in May of 1970. I think it was in a Lockeed Electra (don't quote me ). The weather was pretty clear that day with only scattered clouds at the time. I vividly remember the sky and ocean being the exact same color at some point and the white caps on the ocean looked like seagulls. We could have been flying upside down and it'd look the same. lol I spent the next 1 1/2 years on Adak and was able to fly to some of the nearby islands by helo. Best of all I got to actually meet Mr. Reeves and hear some stories first hand! Like the time he dropped in on a trapper in his ski equipped bush plane and snatched a bunch of the trapper's firewood for nonpayment of some bill. Now that's harsh! lol He was great to talk to and had a good sense of humor. (not that the trapper would agree, tho .. he he). Don't recall exactly what airplane I flew back to Anchorage in (after 1 1/2 yrs on an island I just wanted OFF), but I remember Mr Reeve's wife served homemade Lausagna!! Ahhhh...the memories. :-)Best, Rob

Hi,If you want to relive that exeperience the new Electra! DVD available many places shows the approach into Dutch - very exciting!!http://www.flyelectra.comHope this helps,--Tom GibsonCal Classic Propliner Page: http://www.calclassic.comFreeflight Design Shop: http://www.freeflightdesign.comDrop by! ___x_x_(")_x_x___

Hi,May I suggest "The Cockpit" by Paul Gahlinger (Sagebrush Press).It's the true story of a man who decided to fly all the way from California to Africa in a Cessna Cardinal .Captivating !Twister

Hi folksFirst for Rob: Thanks for the firsthand info on Bob Reeve, your description of him only confirms the colorful personality that I sensed in Beth Day

Great Post. I flew on the "Reever" into Attu on a Coast Guard mission in the early 80's...it was a Lockheed Electra at that point. We have a LORAN C transmitting station there that we supply with C-130's from Kodiak. There is no published approach procedure for Attu, like many of the airports in remote Alaska. Quite an experience!!Didn't know that Reeve had also operated the YS-11, those big turboprops are great airplanes for flying the great white north. I had a good friend who was a Herc pilot and was the operations officer at CG Air Station Kodiak until he retired 3 or 4 years back. He got to know the Reeve family well (nothing but praise for them) and was considering hiring on as one of their pilots, but he had heard that financially they weren't doing so well. Sadly, they went out of business shortly after. He now flies cargo in 3 holers for Fedex in the lower 48.I've also been a pax on the Alaska 737 that runs from Anchorage out to Dutch Hbr (Unalaska). A pretty short runway for a 737, we were told to assume the crash position for routine landing there! I also had the unpleasant experience of getting caught in a "williwaw" with 60-70 kt gusts and blinding snow trying to get out of Dutch Hbr in one of our larger cutters...I could just imagine what dealing with this type of thing in an airplane must be like. You've got to respect the pilots that operate in and out of there, they are the best of the best. I've heard that ASA only qualifies a few of their best pilots for this run. There is a fellow named Bill Schultz who did the Electra Video and FS add-on, I believe for FS-98 to start. Great guy and very knowledgeable. I'd definitely pay for an FS2004 add-on of the Reeve Electra. Brings back memories, and so does this post.regards,

I was on a research vessel working out of DH and the reason for my flights in there. I can remember tying up at the fuel pier there and watching the Reeves' bird land and depart, wondering "How the heck do the pull that off, day after day". Quite a spectacle.By the way, do you know a retired CG O6 by the name of Ray Miller? Aviator type?

As far as I remember, he landed in Greenland and Iceland :-)

Tom, what would you recommend for the best combination of model, sound, panel for an Electra? I don't think yours is updated for FS9 yet... I have the YS-11 but want to try some of these flights with the Electra too. Thx!rgds,billg

Research vessel out of Dutch huh...take your pick, the Bering Sea or the Gulf of Alaska, both can be very nasty, as I'm sure you know. I know a couple retired Capt Miller's but not a Ray aviator type, I'll ask some of my winged friends if they do. The fuel pier at Dutch (it's called the Delta - Western Pier, if memory serves) has been smacked so many times by CG Cutters trying to get in and out of that "coffin corner" of a harbor that I'm surprised it is still standing. In the early 1970's, the CGC JARVIS (on her maiden voyage, a 378' ship) was blown aground in Dutch Harbor near this pier after dragging anchor in a williwaw. A temporary patch was applied to the hull and she set sail for Honolulu...about a day out a severe storm kicked up and the patch worked loose, disabling the ship and setting her adrift and down on one of the Aleutian rocky outcrops. The engine room was flooded and the ship had no power. Only a Japanese fishing vessel and some heroic seamanship getting her in tow saved the ship and crew from disaster, about 45 minutes from when she would have fetched up. We were leaving anchor in Dutch one time and our proximity to the airport and height of our mast prompted an Alaska 737 on final to do a go around, whereby we got a quick call from Juneau on behalf of the FAA!The CG unfortunately lost a Herc in 1982 on approach into Attu when the pilot mistook one point for another...fortunately most (but not all) of the people on board were rescued after surviving the impact. We just happened to have a cutter nearby with a helicopter embarked. I'm sure GPS has made flying much safer in Alaska.People that have been in the Aleutians all have many stories like this to tell! It is an incredibly demanding place to sail or fly...regards,

"Bering Sea or the Gulf of Alaska"... How about both? :)Speaking of "oops's"... How about the Unisea Inn? Ah, forget that, we won't go there. We had a couple of incidents with our R/V's beyond the storm stories. The one that I remember with a lot of clarity is making a stop in Cold Bay and running aground. I really thought we were going to be there a very long time.

Hi,For the plane Bill Schulz's repaint of Chris Buff's GMAX Electra: raa_l188.zipAnd the texture update: l188_texture_updates_wcs.zipI think you need the original plane too: l188electra.zipFor the sound Bill's great Electra sounds: l188soundupdate.zipDon't know about the panel - try Chris'.If you are using the default Dutch Harbor you can try Bill's detail file: dut_ak_fS2k.zipAll available right here, of course.Hope this helps,--Tom GibsonCal Classic Propliner Page: http://www.calclassic.comFreeflight Design Shop: http://www.freeflightdesign.comDrop by! ___x_x_(")_x_x___

wow, thx Tom. I'll prolly meet a lot of other electra's up there now, all of us skimming the waves under the soup, hehe. :-)billg