VFR Flight - Where's Didcot Power Station ?

[Guest tomahawk_pa38]

The one thing you notice flying around Wiltshire / Oxfordshire IRL, is Didcot Power Station which can be seen for miles and is a terrific VFR landmark. Trouble is I can't find it in FS9 even with UK Photoreal Scenery loaded and maxed up. Yet the cooling towers next to East Midlands Airport stand out really well. Is Didcot there somewhere please ?

[Guest Adverse Yawn]

Here you go me lad: http://www.homepages.mcb.net/bones/04fs/scenery/UKANO.htmCheckout the full suite of UK related downloads there:http://www.homepages.mcb.net/bones/04fs/sc...P_Downloads.htmYou maybe interested in this too:http://www.vfraddons.co.uk/newusers.php

[Guest tomahawk_pa38]

MThankyou Mr Nameless (you'll fall foul of the moderator if you don't give your real name !!But anyway - many thanks Wow ! looks useful ?I have to say that I'm always impressed with the free help on these forums and hope some day I'll be knowledgeable enough to reciprocate.

[Guest Adverse Yawn]

No problem! What you fly he who is called Dave?Egbert.

[Guest tomahawk_pa38]

Egbert,When I get the chance - a friends Tomahawk PA 38. It's a bit lively and with the high tail, is a bit unforgiving at low speeds, but good fun just the same.

[Guest Adverse Yawn]

Ah, yes, I guess if I bothered registering your handle it would have saved question :) Also called the infamous Traumahawk (or Terrorhawk) :D I can't talk as I haven't had a go in one yet.

[Guest tomahawk_pa38]

I understand - though never experienced it (yet !) that they are well deserved nicknames.I've done all the locals (Popham, Old sarum, Compton Abbus etc) but my mate who owns the plane is out of the country until mid year - so stuck with computer flying for now unless I pay a lot of dosh.

[Rottenlungs 0]

Hehe I Did the first 15 hours of my PPL in a PA-38. They`re not that bad. The wingdrop is pronounced, and I was flying one with the flowstrips installed. They must have been interesting indeed before the flowstrips. I never spun one, apparently the important thing is not to look over your shoulder if you do - the empennage apparently shakes and bends. The example I flew (ZK-EQG) was the oldest one in NZ, with 10781 hours on the airframe. Unlike the C152, which has no limit on the airframe, the Tomahawk becomes scrap metal at 11,000 hours. Perhaps this explains my instructor`s reluctance to spin it!CheersJames

[Guest IanP]

My first flying instructor and her student were nearly killed when the club PA-38 (which was still cleared to spin at that point) refused to recover. They did get out, but had to report a Rule 5 bust (closer to 500' from any person, vessel or structure), giving you an idea what altitude she managed to recover *at*!She refused to train students in it again. The aircraft was gone, replaced by another C152, before she got an airline job a few months later. None of the instructors said they missed it at all. "Too much glass, too expensive to maintain and too d*** scary" was a later instructor's description of the type. ;-)It was banned from intentional spinning in a lot of countries not long after that incident. I'm not sure the UK was one of them, though?For anyone who doesn't know the type, the PA-38 Tomahawk has a "T-tail" empennage, where the elevators are at the top of the vertical stabiliser. Unfortunately, in low speed, high pitch flight and spins, this puts the empennage in the highly disturbed air flow from the main wings. The usual and least worrying effect of this is that they become slow to react, or less effective and require more movement to get them to do what you want. The far less common but very dangerous effect can be a total loss of stable air flow across the empennage, resulting in a total loss of elevator (and apparently rudder!) control.On topic, it's definately worth checking around the 3d add-ons for the VFR photoscenery, because there are a lot out there that are worth the effort of installing.Cheers,Ian P.

[Guest Adverse Yawn]

Chilling! I think she deserved her airline job, FI's don't get the pay to justify that level of risk!Back to topic to: I am using some of those VFR addons with FScene and FSGlobal. Looks very nice.

[Tim Arnot 5]

I generally find that if I can't see Didcot power station (I live in Didcot, btw), it's not a good day for flying! Dave, I see that your list of airfields doesn't include my home base of Enstone. Why not pop in for a visit when your mate gets back? (there's a free landing voucher in one of the rags most months too!!!) :-) Oh, and in true Blue Peter tradition, here's one I made earlier... LOLhttp://forums.avsim.net/user_files/139255.jpg(just look at those rivets: you'd almost believe it was FSX!

[Guest tomahawk_pa38]

Great picture and obviously a nice day for flying. Haven't had chance to download the power station yet (weekend probably). Good idea to try Enstone -especialy if it's free - decent cup of tea available ?

[Guest IanP]

My two homefields until I lost my medical were Halfpenny Green (now Wolverhampton Bu*****t Airport - EGBO) and Sleap (EGCV), approximately the same distance in different directions from Ironbridge power station in Shropshire.Do you get the same effect with Didcot that Ironbridge produces, where the power station has its own little micro-climate? It was a common phonomenon around us for there to be no clouds in the sky at all, but a string of little cumuli wandering off downwind from the power station! :-hahIan P.

[Guest Adverse Yawn]

I'm mainly a Pophamite but also venture out of Blackbushe every now and then. If you haven't visited Popham do so. Some fantastic resident aircraft.Anybody is thinking of a visit drop me a PM/email and I'll get the teas in :)Not been to Enstone yet, so that looks and smells like a plan!http://www.popham-airfield.co.uk/Photographs.htm

[Tim Arnot 5]

Sleap was my second landaway (Shobdon was the first); nice little airfield. Never been to Wolverhampton Spaceport, but they do say it's become a lot more friendly since the change in management.It's quite common to see gliders circling above the stacks, using them for lift. As for micro climate... it does seem to be a degree or two colder within a mile or so radius, as evidenced by the car thermometer, and it does seem to draw the clag to itself at this time of year!There are actually two distinct FBOs at Enstone - Oxford Sport Flying (OSF), who are on the North side, about halfway down the runway (a whole mile of usable tarmac LOL). They have the tower (a/g). And Enstone Flying Club (EFC) on the South side beyond the 26 hold. They have the fuel. There is a certain amount of friendly rivalry ;-) However a warm welcome is to be had from either, and both have ample parking, tea, coffee, cakes etc, although no hot food. You can pay your landing fee/free voucher at either. At some time in the near-ish future, the peritrack is supposedly going to be used by the BBC for filming Top Gear.