3 Days Off - Flying Anywhere Interesting?

[mtrainer 136]

Since I started keeping spreadsheets on 1/30/2017, I've accumulated 135 flights in the PMDG 737.  Wish I had started keeping the spreadsheets back in 1984...w/ Flight Simulator II by Sublogic…then again I might stroke out seeing the number of hours spent simming…..

Here is where my modest fleet of 6 PDMG 737s are now and where they are going next (sorry the formatting got ruined in the copy/paste), the forum doesn't understand tabs:

1/30/2017 to 8/31/2018: Where the planes are currently - # Flights - Last Flight Date - Next Stop(s)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
UAL 737 - Chicago Based:  In Boston, MA                          - 21 flights, last was 8/10/2018 - CYUL (new scenery), then CYYZ, KMKE, KDPA
Delta 737 - Denver Based:  In Lake Tahoe, NV                   - 17 flights, last was 8/25/2018 - To KIDA (new scenery)
BBJ 737 - PNW Based:   In Pago Pago,                              - 21 flights, last was 8/11/2018 - Explore Pago Pago Islands, then to NZAA, New Zealand (New Scenery) - headed around the world
Alaska 737 - Alaska Based:  In Monterey, CA                     - 18 flights, last was 8/31/2018 - Next stop KSTS, eventually back to Alaska I think, PAGS (New Scenery)
Caribbean 737 - Trinidad Based: In Santiago Cuba            - 40 flights, last was 8/31/2018 - Next stop TMCN, KTPA, KBOS, etc...PAKT all my payware sceneries visited in Traveling Salesman Fashion
Jamaican 737 - Kingston Based:  In Grand Cayman           - 18 flights, last was 7/08/2018 - Next stop Unknown

Total 737 Flights since early 2017: 135

I suppose it's pretty obvious I picked up some ORBX titles with the sale they just had, I have several new places to go check out.  I quit "zapping" my planes to new scenery and always take the aircraft there one hop at a time.

For those not familiar with the Traveling Salesman Algorithm, highly recommend googling the Wiki Article on it.  It is about finding the shortest route between a list of cities and visiting each one exactly once.

Anyone have any particular destinations they plan to knock out this long weekend?  I like to always mix up the FROM-TO destinations, rarely have any of the planes above made the exact same run twice.  The Caribbean Aircraft has even touched Antarctica via way of ORBX South America.  My main goal this weekend (among other things) is to try to visit some of the newly purchased sceneries.

Mark Trainer

 

[Captain Kevin 586]

I'll be working, so I won't be flying anywhere.

[speedyTC 195]

G'day Mark,

you could check out http://air-source.us/

Literally thousands of flights to choose from. I used to be a member of a couple of VAs but got tired of the restrictions and same old routings. Air-source solved my problem. Currently planning a Gatwick to Mykonos (EZY8155) hop and after that I will probably do the Denver to Seattle journey (UAL848). These two will both be in the A320 and then I will probably switch to the T7 and explore those possibilities with a relaxing long haul.

Cheers!

[hasse29 41]

I hope there is someone making Hechi airport in the future. It is a small airport here in southern China with only two destinations. But when you see the airport, you do not want to be in an airplane landing/takeoff there. It is built on the top on a small mountain. It is surrounded by steep ravines on all four sides. The only way up there is a road that reminds you of an action movie in South America or the alps, a small road that circles on its way up. And entire area is surrounded by other small mountains. There is no margin for error there. That would be a fun challange to fly in P3D 🙂

[Patco Lch 1,465]

15 hours ago, Captain Kevin said:

I'll be working, so I won't be flying anywhere.

God bless you Captain Kevin. Industrious guys like you keep this planet turning. May your tribe increase.

[captainsazzman 83]

18 hours ago, mtrainer said:

Since I started keeping spreadsheets on 1/30/2017, I've accumulated 135 flights in the PMDG 737.  Wish I had started keeping the spreadsheets back in 1984...w/ Flight Simulator II by Sublogic…then again I might stroke out seeing the number of hours spent simming…..

Here is where my modest fleet of 6 PDMG 737s are now and where they are going next (sorry the formatting got ruined in the copy/paste), the forum doesn't understand tabs:

1/30/2017 to 8/31/2018: Where the planes are currently - # Flights - Last Flight Date - Next Stop(s)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
UAL 737 - Chicago Based:  In Boston, MA                          - 21 flights, last was 8/10/2018 - CYUL (new scenery), then CYYZ, KMKE, KDPA
Delta 737 - Denver Based:  In Lake Tahoe, NV                   - 17 flights, last was 8/25/2018 - To KIDA (new scenery)
BBJ 737 - PNW Based:   In Pago Pago,                              - 21 flights, last was 8/11/2018 - Explore Pago Pago Islands, then to NZAA, New Zealand (New Scenery) - headed around the world
Alaska 737 - Alaska Based:  In Monterey, CA                     - 18 flights, last was 8/31/2018 - Next stop KSTS, eventually back to Alaska I think, PAGS (New Scenery)
Caribbean 737 - Trinidad Based: In Santiago Cuba            - 40 flights, last was 8/31/2018 - Next stop TMCN, KTPA, KBOS, etc...PAKT all my payware sceneries visited in Traveling Salesman Fashion
Jamaican 737 - Kingston Based:  In Grand Cayman           - 18 flights, last was 7/08/2018 - Next stop Unknown

Total 737 Flights since early 2017: 135

I suppose it's pretty obvious I picked up some ORBX titles with the sale they just had, I have several new places to go check out.  I quit "zapping" my planes to new scenery and always take the aircraft there one hop at a time.

For those not familiar with the Traveling Salesman Algorithm, highly recommend googling the Wiki Article on it.  It is about finding the shortest route between a list of cities and visiting each one exactly once.

Anyone have any particular destinations they plan to knock out this long weekend?  I like to always mix up the FROM-TO destinations, rarely have any of the planes above made the exact same run twice.  The Caribbean Aircraft has even touched Antarctica via way of ORBX South America.  My main goal this weekend (among other things) is to try to visit some of the newly purchased sceneries.

Mark Trainer

 

When PMDG GFO releases, it will all be automatic

[Richard McDonald Woods 168]

Hi Mark,

Whilst waiting for all of the goodies to be delivered this autumn, I decided to install the Orbx NA freeware airports package. I wanted to experience the level of detail included with the airports.

Having only the PMDG 777 to pilot, I plotted flights between each freeware airport that has at least 7000 feet of runway and are a suitable flying distance apart.

I have been very impressed by the detail that is contained in these airports and gained a lot of knowledge of NA geography whilst flying. I follow the geography using an atlas and also look up the places overflown in Wikipedia.

I created videos of most of the arrivals and departures and uploaded them to YouTube (see the link below my signature).

I hope this may give you ideas,

Regards, Richard

Edited September 2, 2018 by Richard McDonald Woods

[Ephedrin 418]

Yesterday I was doing 2 flights in South America for my VA, I‘m doing a history-of-wine tour that brings me to some important wine regions. Can‘t be bad 😉 I had to use the 747 („had to“, I love it!) and do my PMDG flights with FS2Crew. Bogotá to Lima, then Lima to Córdoba. The downside: the default scenery in SA is terrible and I don‘t have any addon sceneries there. So it was a just-get-it-done-flight. Next flight I should is do a 9h jump from Córdoba to Capetown, South Africa. Not sure if I‘m that motivated, it‘s 12pm now. Probably I‘ll just do an off-VA flight with the Maddog, I still haven‘t had the time to get to learn it better. Oooor I‘ll do a 737 ORBX flight in the USA and maybe an FSL320 holiday flight in Europe. EDDN-LDDU or sth... 😄

 

ooooh god, I love that 747 

Edited September 2, 2018 by Ephedrin
Typos

[mtrainer 136]

Thanks Everyone,

Some real good nuggets of info here that I really appreciate.  I gottta google up the airport at the top of the mountain, that sounds insane!

Hi Marc - Regarding the South American scenery, Orbx did release a SA Region that you may like.  The airports it comes with though are often not much more than a concrete runway in a clearing in a forest.

Hi Richard - I did indeed download ORBX freeware NA pack and installed it, but I wasn't aware any of the airports were longer that 7,000 ft.  I got the impression that they were all small GA airports.  Short of looking each one up online, is there any way to systematically tell which airports are longer than 7,000 feet?   I may write a program that digs through sim data and pull out the 7,000 ft.+ ones, hopefully it will include latitude / longitude info in there as well, and then grind it through one of the freeware Traveling Salesman algorithms (although, as the Wiki article points out, humans somehow have a pretty intuitive knack for getting it pretty close).  I'll check out some of your videos, thanks.

Thanks,

Mark Trainer

"Of course Bucky would rather be there with you. Of course it isn't only physical. I deeply respect you as a human being. Someday I'm gonna make you Mrs. Buck Turgidson." - Dr. Strangelove

 

[downscc 1,327]

2 hours ago, mtrainer said:

Orbx did release a SA Region that you may like.  The airports it comes with though are often not much more than a concrete runway in a clearing in a forest.

This is because the Orbx SA product is not a region but rather is is a replacement landclass that they call openLC.  Improves the quality of scenery, reducing the tiled effect, but does nothing for airports or scenery objects.

[B777ER 2,486]

22 hours ago, captainsazzman said:

When PMDG GFO releases, it will all be automatic

Yes, but then others (i believe) will take his planes somewhere else possibly. No guarantee that they will be where he left them. That, to me is the downside of GFO.

[scandinavian13 5,192]

3 hours ago, B777ER said:

Yes, but then others (i believe) will take his planes somewhere else possibly. No guarantee that they will be where he left them. That, to me is the downside of GFO.

Given that GFO is really meant to be a system of aircraft, being used in a more realistic manner by being shared resources, I can't really agree that the entire point of GFO could be considered a downside.

That's kinda like getting upset that a flashlight shines light on things.

If the viewpoint is that someone owns a set of aircraft that shouldn't be touched (going off of your use of 'his' here), we already provide you with that, on your own computer, right now. If the viewpoint is that they're your toys, and that nobody else can touch them, that's fine. Don't play in the sandbox. 

[B777ER 2,486]

28 minutes ago, scandinavian13 said:

Don't play in the sandbox. 

Yep, don't plan to, not my type of sand. 

[mtrainer 136]

What's offered here is the best of both worlds.  Keep your fleet of personally operated aircraft to yourself, and manage it via Spreadsheets as I do, or yet have a couple on the GFO network.  Humans are happiest when they have options- the more the better, even if they don't always exercise them. 

Mark Trainer

 

[r_stopnicki 92]

Recently downloaded the freeware Drzewiecki-Design airports (to try before purchasing them) and yesterday, I took an 777-200F from UUEE to Liege EBLG on a fully loaded cargo run.

P3D v4.3

I did the flight on the VATSIM network with quite a few controllers, particularly in Russia, and it was a lot of fun to fly "in meters" for the initial SID for UUEE and later departure.

Roberto