Ever since Styckx flew off the map to French Frigate Shoals and brought back some pictures, I've been thinking about heading out to look for Johnston Atoll. However, my big fear was that without NavAids I might fly several hours and then just blow right past it without seeing the island. Well, with the arrival of GMap for Flight, I could now put a moving map GPS in the Maule and off I went...I climbed to 14,500' and took a heading of 240. Weather was set to clear to minimize winds and give me a better view of the surface. I leaned out the motor to hopefully minimize my fuel burn, but kept the power in all the way as this would be a long trip and I wanted to maintain as much speed as possible.Right about here is where I appropriately earned my World Traveller award. :Party:Note that the heading shown in GMap is wrong. It always shows me on a course of around 005-010, no matter what direction I'm actually flying.Anyway... What's that smudge on the horizon?Well, it' doesn't look like much, but at least it's there.No palm trees or beaches, unfortunately.Thankfully, somebody drops by into multiplayer and I get an in-game range measurement.Nope, even down low, there's no details. Doesn't look like I'll be refueling here.Suprisingly, I've only burned half my fuel getting here. That means I could probably get home, if I wanted to make another four hour flight back, but I don't feel like that today.It also means that even far Midway Island might just be in reach of the Maule. That journey, however, I'll leave to another explorer. Any takers?

Nice job.. I thought about doing that myself after my first adventure into the blank abyss but the shoals was an easy dead reckoning and some educated guesstimating of heading. The Atoll on the other hand was a little more complicated to get to without some navaids so I never bothered. Good stuff that gmap is, nice job!

Right about here is where I appropriately earned my World Traveller award.

Looks pretty cool - doubt I would have the patience for that.Congrats on the award!!

I've found that once you get the maule trimmed up it's reasonably stable in both heading and pitch, to the point where you can leave it for fifteen minutes (maybe more) to take care of RL stuff, come back and find it within a few hundred feet of where you left it.Anyone who is aghast at that kind of flying should remember that Chuck Yeager used to routinely fall asleep on long cross-country solo trips in jets, knowing that the change in the sound of the engine when diving or climbing would wake him up. :)

I've found that once you get the maule trimmed up it's reasonably stable in both heading and pitch, to the point where you can leave it for fifteen minutes (maybe more) to take care of RL stuff, come back and find it within a few hundred feet of where you left it.

It stabilizes well for me in pitch, but it's always trying to drift off to one side or the other in roll. I can let it go for a couple of minutes, but then need to nudge the rudder trim to gently swing it back. I was watching the yokes a lot on this flight, though, and every now and then I'd notice a slight shift in their position. I'm thinking I need to increase the null-zone for my stick in the XML file. I'll be playing around with that some to see if that's the problem.

I have found that I can use the mouse controller a bit like an autopilot. Perhaps it is my controller but I can't get a safe hands off flight with it. However with the mouse controller I can. 15 minutes is pretty easy and sometimes more.

I'm thinking I need to increase the null-zone for my stick in the XML file. I'll be playing around with that some to see if that's the problem.

I doubt it, I think it is the Maule itself - especially if there is any kind of wind at all.I find when flying the Maule mine does that as well, even in just a 6kts somewhat crosswind. I will go to the kitchen for a cup of coffee or to the bathroom for a wee, come back and in those very few minutes it can be 60-90 degrees of course... I am running a slightly increased null zone in the xml file and a dead zone in my stick's software...With the Maule I think it is just the nature of the beast.

If you can work out a fairly accurate WCA then it might not be too far off course after ten minutes or so.

Matter of fact - my knickname for my Maule - " When Pigs Fly".Wish I could do a custom skin for it representing that.

I hope you did not miss the comedy gold that would ensue from saying 'There's no airport here atoll' when you got there.Al

A few weeks ago, I went out on a flight to see if the northwestern islands were out there, and I headed out to Nihoa: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NihoaI made it to where the island should have been (at least where I thought with my rudimentary navigation) and it was not there. While turning around, I noticed that dark patch, or one very similar to it. Since I was about done with my exploration, I decided to get lower, then said what the heck and landed on it. To my surprise, it is about 1 foot of water covering solid ground! I landed, got out, walked around, took some screens. Then I tried to take off, but could not get up to speed in the RV.Fun stuff!

That brings back some memories. I was stationed there in the mid seventies in the USAF. The Air Force had a S-band satellite station and two Thor missile pads, one of which was decomissioned due a nuclear tipped missile exploding on launch and the warhead burned on the ground inside the launch area. Must have been very exciting to the personel at the other end of the atoll. It is my understanding that all structures including the runway have been removed and the atoll returned to its' pre-WWII condition. So the lack of detail there might represent this.

I hope you did not miss the comedy gold that would ensue from saying 'There's no airport here atoll' when you got there.Al

Or written another way, "There's "No Airport Here Atoll.""

Some pics I took of my trip out to the great square seamount. Fly in anyone? :)http://dl.dropbox.com/u/9768374/3.jpghttp://dl.dropbox.com/u/9768374/5.jpghttp://dl.dropbox.com/u/9768374/1.jpghttp://dl.dropbox.com/u/9768374/4.jpg

Matter of fact - my knickname for my Maule - " When Pigs Fly".Wish I could do a custom skin for it representing that.

Careful about that "When Pigs Fly" Might be a Signature infrigement.Ray