Finding the MAGNETIC north pole

[FSMP 95]

By accident, I think I have found a way to find the location of the magnetic North Pole in FSX -- not that anyone really needs to find it !

 

For some time, FSX would lock up on my laptop, and I have spent some time tracking down the problem. Last Friday, I decided to try different Graphic Drivers.

Then to test for long term stability, I fired up FSX, with sliders high, and launched a plane, at 12,000ft, on autopilot, heading North with Unlimited fuel.

 

3 days later, the plane is still flying, with no sigh of FSX locking up !!

 

But now the plane is flying in CIRCLES. It cannot go any further Magnetic NORTH, so now, I assume, it must be circling the Magnetic North Pole.

 

[mosteen 111]

Hehe, that pic is wild, 3 days..., gotta love this hobby thanks for sharing

[simmerhead 885]

Cool! Pretty into this hobby when you think these kinds of things are cool

[LHookins 3,102]

Cool, Geoff! Thanks for posting that.

 

Way back when I was flying around collecting all the special locations, I overflew the north magnetic pole. This was in winter, so it wasn't particularly interesting. I remember seeing the occasionally tree in the middle of nowhere during that flight, near the north geographic pole. I somehow missed Santa's workshop.

 

The south magnetic pole was a lot more interesting. Besides the fact it was day time there, it was an interesting flight, and my first flight in the Grumman Goose, which I fell in love with from that flight. I needed a seaplane to land at the pole, and the Goose was the only one with the necessary range. I have fond memories of that flight. The magnetic compass does weird things when you get close.

 

Landing at McMurdo base was confusing the first time due to the magnetic deviation. Flying to the South Pole Station in the ski equipped Maule was... well, very very odd. FSX doesn't render the terrain very well there, clouds are squashed severely, and good luck finding the landing strip. There's a reason that it's not the south-most airport in the game.

 

By contrast, the magnetic north pole was, for me, just a GPS location, and pretty much the same with the north geographic pole.

 

Hook