FSX-SE To Antarctica - the journey (Part II)

[P_7878 6,605]

Finally, I got my Antarctic preparations done and, today, I completed the (virtual) flight to this (icy) continent...Here, I continue from my previous post to this Part II using the same nice (Thibodba57's) Lynden Air Cargo (L-100-30J) livery.

Here are the few things I did, in advance:

1. First of all, I planned to land on the NZIR Ice Runway at McMurdo (in RL, NZIR/McMurdo does accept wheeled aircraft during the early part of each Antarctic visit season). "The annual sea-ice runway for wheeled aircraft is constructed at the start of each season and is used until early December when the sea ice begins to break up". Currently, it's to be noted, however, that, with creation of the newest Phoenix (NZFX) Airfield (available since 2017), almost all wheeled (heavy) aircraft operations, to McMurdo, would use the Phoenix Rwy (as did Lynden's maiden flights into Antarctica). Lynden's Antarctic operations lasted Oct. 30 through Nov. 30 (2018). My date of travel is set to Oct. 30. I've simplified my route to comprise of six en-route LAT/LONG co-ordinates (to be used as INS waypoints) [(1) S4329/E17232 (2) S5000/E17120 (3) S5505/E17053 (4) S6460/E16932 (5) S7500/E16630 (6) S7611/E16551] Please also see the SIMBRIEF Map in my earlier post.
2. I added one unit of Delco CIVA INS (FW add-on available on the internet). I believe it's working well, here, at least, to my knowledge. Please see the GPS/CDU combo (pop-up) images at the first waypoint transition (including one image of the CDU giving Yellow ALERT sign ~10nm from the transition point). Please note that the GPS display is for reference only. GPS FPLN is not activated here.
3. I also oriented myself with the NZIR Rwy (of this SIM Scenery), ahead of time, by trialing a takeoff and a touchdown with my Aerosoft Twin Otter (in the (locally relevant) British Antarctic livery). Please see the first 4 screenshots below. The rest 16 shots are for the Lynden (L-100-30J) - takeoff to touchdown.

[Historical notes: The (unimaginably) heroic race, between Briton Robert Scott and (Norwegian) Roald Amundsen, to reach Antarctica (and the magical South Pole, 90 degrees South, where all directions point North!) is best left to the realm of (RL) myths and legends (Amundsen became the first man to reach the South Pole beating Robert Scott by a mere few weeks). The first long-distance flight landing in Antarctica from the outside world occurred on 20 December 1955, as part of the Operation Deep Freeze. Ten days before, on 10 December, one of the icebreakers, USS Glacier, had left New Zealand to prepare the ice runway for the aircraft. Six other navy vessels then left on 16 December to take up pre-assigned positions over the 2300-miles route between NZ and Antarctica - to assist with radio communications, weather reports, and also there to assist in search and rescue should it be required. On 19 December, the signal had come that the ice runway at McMurdo Sound had been completed! Additional Search and Rescue personnel in Wellington were placed on standby (with an RNZAF Sunderland flying boat ready on-call). After a (grueling) long flight from Harewood (NZ), Lieutenant Commander John (Jack) Torbert, in his ski-equipped Lockheed P2V-2N Neptune #124466 (first of six planes to leave NZ in the same endeavor), successfully flew into Antarctica and landed in McMurdo Sound, on December 20, 1955.

Here's a bit of interesting excerpt from an interview:

[...

Interviewer: Commander, let's see now your name is what, sir?
Pilot: John Torbert.
Interviewer: And you're the flight commander are you?
Pilot: I'm the pilot of 466.
Interviewer: How was the trip?
Pilot: Very dull.
Interviewer: Very dull? Nothing unusual?
Pilot: Nothing unusual.
Interviewer: How long did it take?
Pilot: 14 hours and 20 minutes. [Sigh] Can you get that stuff tomorrow, will you? We've had to fly all night long and we've got all kinds of [inaudible]
....]

Now, please find below, a (sample) set of images of my (SIM) flight from Christchurch (NZCH) to McMurdo (RwyNZIR). Unlike the previous post, here, I've deliberately taken off North (Rwy02) at Christchurch, and then activated the INS (just to more convincingly confirm the efficacy of the custom INS - one never knows in the SIM!). Please see the images of the banking and climbing (southward) turn, and also the CDU/GPS combo image shots as noted earlier.  Anyway, it was all quite exciting! Hope you enjoy this account as much as I enjoyed creating it. BTW, I'm yet to visit the stations within Antarctica (per Aerosoft's great Antarctica scenery package)...so, maybe, I'll (finally) get to wrap it all up in a week, by (separately) including a set of sights from within Antarctica in a subsequent post (it will be the Final (Part III) of this adventure).

[Meanwhile, I need a rest (and maybe a drink)...🙂...! After all, the McMurdo, nicknamed “Mac-Town” by the locals, houses more than one bar, a gym, a small supermarket, an ATM, a club and a church whose bells are ringing daily between 12am and 1pm in the scenery...]

Thanks for your interest!!

[thibodba57 462]

Nice shots! Glad you are out there exploring with the plane!

[P_7878 6,605]

Thank you, Brian!

Great plane, and, yes, a great SIM too (even though a bit dated)...lots of fun..! Glad I got back to using it again...

 

[Phantom88 3,287]

**COOL Shots** Pardon The Pun**😉

[P_7878 6,605]

8 hours ago, Phantom88 said:

**COOL Shots** Pardon The Pun**😉

Pardoned....🙂...!

Wait Patrick, till we get to the interiors of Antarctica from the edges...it’ll get COOLer..(this is no Chicago, for sure)...🙂...!

[SteveW 1,792]

One of my old favourites. Got it when it came out. Didn't see The Thing crawling around though:

[P_7878 6,605]

Nice pic, Steve! Looks good on skis!

Great aircraft to crawl around...🙂...the harsh Antarctica’s localities...

[Ted Striker 338]

Great shots. Did any twin otters actually fly to Antartica? It seems like most of the cargo area would have to be fitted with ferry fuel tanks just to get there.

Ted

edit: I did a google search and answered the question, yes. I haven't found if they had special tanks fitted or not.

Edited February 18, 2020 by Ted Striker

[P_7878 6,605]

Ted:

Regarding your query, coincidentally, the AS Package is all about a RL Twin Otter Pilot's (first-hand) account of Antarctic operations...

The British ferry flight from Canada to Antarctica is a done by the BAS Twin Otters every season (in the Bright Red Livery, you see in my and Steve's images above...)

The route is (Calgary-Casper-Houston-Cozumel-Panama City-Guayaquil-Arica-Puerto Montt-Puntas Arenas-and the final (1000 miles) leg to the (UK) Rothera Station (8 hrs. of flying))

I'd the same fuel question about the Twin Otter.

Below note/excerpt helps explain it:

"The ferry tanks hold 1576 lb of fuel in each tank, which gives the aeroplane an extra 6 hours of endurance. This is in addition to the standard tanks which are located in the lower fuselage, under the cabin floor. The capacity of the two tanks are 1235 lbs in the forward tank and 1341 lbs in the rear tank. The wing tip tanks hold a further 300lbs in each side, which adds another hour onto the endurance. (Note: the Twin-Otter uses 600 lbs fuel per hour). Thus we have a total fuel capacity of 6334 lbs or 10 and a half hours of flight before the engines will stop."

Thanks for your interest!

 

[Ted Striker 338]

I thought the otters had to have ferry tanks as the standard range was 775 miles. I just couldn't find the details on the internet. Thanks for providing that.

I did find an interesting response from one of the pilot's when interviewed about how the flight was. He just said "boring". I can only imagine after that many hours in the cockpit. Although when over freezing water in the middle of nowhere I would take boring any day over the excitement of any equipment failure. 

Ted

[Stratocaster 40]

Very enjoyable set. FSX still doing the do 😍