Flying the PMDG 737NGX Around the World

[elvisgrotto 0]

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Executive Summary: I flew the PMDG 737NGX around the world over several months and it was a great learning experience.

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Following completion of tutorial #1, and in an effort to better learn the airplane, I embarked on a round-the-world tour back in October. Life seems to limit my sim time so I take it when I can get it. My brown Labrador died last year and my wife doesn't understand, so I share my story in this forum.

 

The trip started and ended at Bristol, UK (EGGD) with the following legs:

 

Bristol (EGGD) - Bayonne (LFBZ)

Bayonne (LFBZ) - Zurich (LSZH)

Zurich (LSZH) - Innsbruck (LOWI)

Innsbruck (LOWI) - Milan (LIML)

Milan (LIML) - Rome (LIRC)

Rome (LIRC) - Athens (LGAV)

Athens (LGAV) - Cairo (HECA)

Cairo (HECA) - Mumbai (VABB)

Mumbai (VABB) - Bangkok (VTBS) missed to VTBD

Bangkok (VTBD) - Phnom Phen (VDPP)

Phnom Phen (VDPP) - Saigon (VVTS)

Saigon (VVTS) - Manila (RPLL)

Manila (RPLL) - Guam (PGUM)

Guam (PGUM) - Honolulu (PHNL) (lots of time to study FMC operation during the barely legal overnight flight)

Honolulu (PHNL) - Los Angeles (KLAX)

Los Angeles (KLAX) - Raleigh (KRDU)

Raleigh (KRDU) - Boston (KBOS)

Boston (KBOS)- Bristol (EGGD)

 

Route planning was done with the help of vataware.com and simroutes.com. I usually selected the top route for the leg.

 

With the exception of Zurich, Innsbruck, Milan, Athens, and the missed approach into VTBS (more on that later), I selected the route based on destinations I have travelled to either personally or on business. The first leg started in the morning, cold and dark, and each subsequent flight was gate to gate with short turns. KBOS to EGGD ended with a complete shutdown.

 

The exceptions to the visited places rule were due to my grandmother used to ski and chase men in Zurich, Innsbruck has cool mountains and good approaches and is a common topic in this forum, Milan is in Italy, and I had a hankering for olives which took me to Athens while I was in the region.

 

The missed approach at VTBS was because FSX does not have VTBS in its default database. This approach was in instrument conditions. On failing to receive ILS, I was forced to go missed over to VTBD (the old Bangkok International). VTBS did not exist when I visited that region as a youngster and I didn't recognize that as I planned the flight to Bangkok and basically selected the wrong airport. It was VTBD where I had been.

 

I turned on random failures somewhere between Mumbai and Bangkok with a random rate of one failure every five hours. I had some pretty benign failures along the way (loss of RA on one side, Loss of a DME, low HYD fluid). There was a more exciting failure during PHNL to KLAX (right hand door seal problem about 2/3 of the way to KLAX that never progressed to a pressurization issue). The failure that required some digging in the QRH (to no avail) was a DC Bus 1 Fail on the last leg back to Bristol about the time they were serving the croissants, non-fat yoghurt, and OJ/Coffee/Tea (1.5 hours out). I was able to troubleshoot all the advisory lights and fly accordingly, but was unable to figure out how to make things return to some level of normal. I couldn't find anything that specifically addressed DC Bus 1 failure. More study is in order.

 

ASE and (following its release) AS2012 real world weather was used throughout. Time of day was maintained from the original flight (park at gate, save flight, start next leg from the same file/time of day as previously saved). Flight was done in 1x time. If not sitting at it, I was within shouting range of the computer at all times while the simulation was running (lavatory simulation, printing appropriate plates, checking WX, etc.).

 

I used Radar Contact along much of the trip and actually finally figured out how to pick up where I left off if I saved mid-leg (be sure to point the appropriate part of RC at your FSX flight plans folder so .RCD files get saved in the right place). Now if I can figure out how to get a pop-up IFR clearance...but that's off topic and I believe not in the current version of RC. I may start flying online soon instead of just observing.

 

I experienced no problems with the PMDG 737NGX addon during this tour.

 

I completed this world tour last week and have since hopped over to EHAM to start tutorial #2.

[nrcrate 40]

Very cool flight Jeff and glad to hear you enjoyed it with this truly superb aircraft. Excellent narrative as well!

[RomeoMike 10]

Very interesting. I have been playing with the idea of a around-the-world-tour too. I had a couple of missed approaches too flying into airports not included in the default scenery. Since then, I always check if a certain less known airport was built before or after 2007. The after 2007 airports are logically speaking not included in FSX default scenery.

 

Now if anyone knows how to get your wife into FSX and PMDG, please let us know. My labrador passed away as well a couple of years ago ...

[tazisdylan 2]

Jeff

 

Sounds like a nice trip. I did start to embark on my own little hop around the world in another aircraft, but then I joined in the delights of the 737 - once I have got more familar with it, I feel a world trip coming on.

 

Nice narrative and thanks for sharing.

[killkenny1 22]

Toying with this same idea for some time. And will probably do so later this year. Need to make a "world tour" livery for my NGX first. Probably gonna start by flying to every capital city in Europe and then at some point jump to full scaled World Tour.

[WR269 367]

Good luck, i started that with 3 friends and has taken us over a year, we are only half way there!

[killkenny1 22]

Good luck, i started that with 3 friends and has taken us over a year, we are only half way there!

I did something similar with defaut 738. Flew half of the european capitals, 4 cities in Russia, Kazachstan, China, Japan, few cities in both Americas aaaaaaand got stuck somewhere in South America. All in all about 3 months. Hopefully this time it will take me longer :D.

[zmak 331]

great adventure story sounds very rewarding. I commenced mine but stopped on the third leg because I couldn't stand looking at default airports any longer, very shallow I know but have been spoiled with ORBX..

[IFR7700 228]

Jeff, Great story and thanks for sharing. Did you fly with any of those 175+ mph tailwinds off the coast of Asia? My round the world trip was in larger chunks .... I'd love to do another with more geographical exploring in mind.

[elvisgrotto 0]

Did you fly with any of those 175+ mph tailwinds off the coast of Asia?

 

Hi Dennis,

I managed to have at least some tailwind component during most legs, however, nothing really big. I am glad I had tailwind on the PGUM to PHNL leg. I had Wake Island in mind if fuel started to look like an issue for actual winds different than forecast. I think the best tailwind I had was around 75 knots across the pond on the last leg KBOS to EGGD. With the winds aloft that I was seeing, it's either "the way it was" or I don't have something tweaked right in AS2012. Winds were surprisingly light over the Eastern Pacific, but maybe that's just the way it was on that day.

[Yob 7]

Nice job and sorry bout the death. really amazing, and congratulations.

[killkenny1 22]

great adventure story sounds very rewarding. I commenced mine but stopped on the third leg because I couldn't stand looking at default airports any longer, very shallow I know but have been spoiled with ORBX..

There are always freeware sceneries. Some of them are really good.

[Foghorn 4]

Heavens forbid man......You travelled around the world and never got to Australia??? Sheesh!

 

Great story....Loved it!

[elvisgrotto 0]

You travelled around the world and never got to Australia??? Sheesh!

 

Hi Graham,

Thanks! Actually, I'm considering a loop over the top so I can hit Asia, Australia, and New Zealand. Then I have to decide between a left turn or a right turn for either South America or Africa after flying over (or is it under?) the South Pole.

[zmak 331]

There are always freeware sceneries. Some of them are really good.

 

never thought of that, very good idea