Couldn't Make The Airport

[John_Cillis 2,406]

I had a fun flight in XP11's glider.  After I was towed aloft to 4000 feet near Vegas I just went my happy way, and I banked and spiraled over the farmland.  Unfortunately I flew too far from the airport, so I had to look for a place to land.  Found a country road with a few cars, I circled until traffic was clear, then I set down on the roadway.  Quite a fun sim, because I did not expect to see cars on the roadway!

John

[JLSeagull 191]

You're lucky that the traffic cleared for you John. I can usually get down safely as well..... only to then be trampled by a herd of marauding deer or attacked by flocks of kamikaze birds!!

[Mountain Man 142]

10 hours ago, Cactus521 said:

I did not expect to see cars on the roadway!

Really?  Cars on roads have been a feature in consumer flight sims for years.  I'm pretty sure even Flight Simulator X had a rudimentary traffic system, and X-Plane 10 certainly had them.

[dm123 19]

On 9/21/2017 at 9:47 PM, Cactus521 said:

I had a fun flight in XP11's glider.  After I was towed aloft to 4000 feet near Vegas I just went my happy way, and I banked and spiraled over the farmland.  Unfortunately I flew too far from the airport, so I had to look for a place to land.  Found a country road with a few cars, I circled until traffic was clear, then I set down on the roadway.  Quite a fun sim, because I did not expect to see cars on the roadway!

John

I'n real life you probably would have just landed in one of those fields! When I was in glider flight training, I always heard of off-field landings in fields, never roads. Though any landing you can walk away from, right?

[Janov 2,383]

...and if you want to cheat, just pause, click on the map (m-key), click on your airplane and move up the "altitude" slider...

Jan

 

[John_Cillis 2,406]

On 9/24/2017 at 10:27 AM, dm123 said:

I'n real life you probably would have just landed in one of those fields! When I was in glider flight training, I always heard of off-field landings in fields, never roads. Though any landing you can walk away from, right?

I thought it was a challenge to line up with the road, avoid the cars, and touchdown.  There were plenty of farm fields around as landing choices.  The glider is a lot of fun with a very low sink rate, feels like a jet.  It picks up on the odd thermal so you can gain altitude if you pay attention.

I've flown in gliders in real life several times, out of the now closed Calistoga gliderport in the upper Napa Valley.  Contrary to the old Ford commercial, "Quieter than a Glider", wind noise is comparable to any aircraft.  In fact there is usually a whistling sound to go along with the wind noise.  I took a video of my last flight, on old 8mm film, then transferred it to my computer.  It's grainy but still brings back the memories.

Back then a flight was only $60 or so, lasting a half hour or so.  We'd be towed to about 2000 feet, then climb with lift to about 3000 feet.  Could stay up there for hours if the pilot wanted to.  I think the record altitude was some 25,000 feet over Mt. St. Helena, ATC had to be notified for that flight.  Too bad they closed that gliderport, it was world famous.

John