CavalierDuck

A reminder of what happens when you get it wrong at Courchevel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uw7eBmi1Lt8 There are no go-arounds - you just get to choose how you're going to crash....

The tour takes in the western Alps from Annecy (LFLP) in France to Saanen (LSGK) in Switzerland. We start at the GA field at Annecy, but before heading into the mountains proper there is a little detour into the neigbouring valley past the spa town of Aix-Les-Bains and Chambery. We won't stop at the main airport at Chambery but instead at Challes-Les-Eaux (LFLE), a smaller field used by light GA aircraft and gliders. Now we make our way round the valleys to Albertville, site of the 1992 Winter Olympics. Start a steady climb at Albertville to put you in position for the approach to Courchevel (LFLJ), the altiport of sloped runway fame. On leaving LFLJ our next waypoint is Mont Blanc, the highest point in Europe at just short of 16,000ft. How high up you want to go is up to you. Then it's downhill all the way into Italy and Aosta (LIMW). The next waypoint is another of the Alps most impressive peaks, the Matterhorn (14, 692 ft). We can then check out the private jets at Sion (LSGS), followed by another climb out of the valley to head towards our last stops: Gruyeres (LSGT) - there's a cheese connection - and finally the airports in the Orbx freeware Saanen package Zweisimmen (LSTZ), St Stephan (LSTS) and finishing at Saanen itself (LSGK). Flightplan Now available here in PLN and GFP formats. Aircraft At just over 200 nm the route isn't too long but will involve some steep climbing - you have been warned. When I put it together I had the PC-6 in mind but I now realise not everyone has it, especially the P3D v5ers. There aren't any bush strips planned, but there might be the odd sloping runway (no prizes for guessing where). Similar aircraft choices to last week would work. Scenery Orbx EU landclass and an improved mesh will help the appearance of the Alps. Orbx Saanen (freeware) Courchevel - Orbx or LLH Creations payware Courchevel freeware: there is a freeware Courchevel in the AVSIM library by Guy Nemoz. It was designed for FSX; I have tested it in P3D V4.5 and it puts a sloped runway in approximately the right place. Unfortunately the buildings are missing but it is the runway that makes Courchevel different and that works. Particulars Date and time: June 27, 2020. 1800 UTC Where: AVSIM RTWR Teamspeak - Casual Flights Channel Teamspeak Server Address: ts.teamavsim.com Cross-Platform Multiplayer: JoinFS. Latest version is here. (FSX, FSX-SE, and P3D) If you want to help others enjoy the multiplayer experience, don't forget to enter your aircraft details on the multiplayer spreadsheet (linked here). Your courtesy will save others a lot of time and effort. Thanks!

Mostly just Manchester United fans.... 😛

Oh no not another early morning start.... 🥱 😫

I don't see this as an LM issue but rather one for the 3PDs. In v5 I understand that LM has overhauled the airports so the default scenery more accurately represents the current state of the airport. Up to v4, it was the old data from FSX I believe that was used - dating back to 2005/2006. The 3PDs used exclusions to eliminate the default buildings from FSX up to v4 - but the default buildings have changed in v5. In these cases, more is required from the developer than a simple portover or just providing new v5 paths in an installer; new exclusions will be required as well for good compatibilty with v5. I expect it should be possible to make your own exclusions but I haven't tried this in v5, I've only done it in previous versions.

This has been a common way for the British airlines to serve the Caribbean - basically, they're covering two destinations with one flight. For example, British Airways flew from Gatwick to St Lucia and then on to Grenada on some days and Piarco (Trinidad) on other days. The flight from St Lucia to Grenada in a B777 took 26 minutes wheels up to wheels down. IIRC, it wasn't possible to fly just between the Caribbean islands on those flights, it was only carrying passengers to/from London. Fun? It has been repeated many times in P3D!

Are you calling my flying shed ugly?? 😛 Thanks for the photos Roman! 👍

HI Bert, Just EU LC; I recommend against having both EU LC and the Iceland demo installed. I also run Vector and the Pilot's mesh for FTX and for Iceland I get good results from that combination.

Timings for today's flight My suggestion is to set your simulator and weather date/time to 02 July 2019, 1400Z for the start of the flight.

Starting in Isafjordur (BIIS) we make our way down the west fjords with stops at Thingeyri (BITE), Bildudalur (BIBD) and Patreksfjordur (BIPA). We then have to make our way across the water to the Snæfellsnes peninsula, landing at Rif (BIRF). Next is an excursion up the nearby Snæfellsjökull volcano, made famous by Jules Verne in his Journey to the Centre of the Earth where it is used as the entrance to the passage into the Earth. Following this we go to Stykkisholmur (BIST) before continuing south to the capital Reykjavik (BIRK) where we land at the city centre airport. We'll now go to the much larger international airport at Keflavik (BIKF). Keflavik is well-known for very windy conditions due to its position sticking out into the North Atlantic on the end of the Reykjanes peninsula. Leaving Keflavik we pass to the south of Reykjavik heading to Selfoss (BISF) before crossing to the Vestmannaeyjar (Westman Islands) (BIVM) where we finish. Flightplans Download your flight plans here in PLN and GFP formats. The GFP plan contains a few user waypoints as the airports aren't in the GTN database. Aircraft The plan is 274nm long so the aircraft choices are much the same as last week. Anything that can cruise above 150kts should be fine so there's plenty of choice. Comanche, Bonanza, C421 (or just about any twin) are a few GA options that spring to mind, or you might think of a small airliner like the Twin Otter, Dove or Short 360. Air Iceland used to fly a DC-3 around here too. As always, fly what you like. Scenery Same as last week. Orbx EU landclass recommended, and if you don't use it alongside the the full Orbx Vector + Pilot's FS Global mesh package I suggest checking the airports beforehand. MK-Studios Keflavik also available but completely optional. Particulars Date and time: Saturday, 18th April, 2020, 1800 UTC. Where: AVSIM RTWR Teamspeak - Casual Flights Channel Teamspeak Server Address: ts.teamavsim.com Cross-Platform Multiplayer: JoinFS. (FSX, FSX-SE, and P3D). If you want to help others enjoy the multiplayer experience, don't forget to enter your aircraft details on the multiplayer spreadsheet (linked here). Your courtesy will save others a lot of time and effort. Thanks! 

Setting yourself up there Ron, we'll all be watching very closely when you come in.... 😛

I realised that trying to get round the all airports I wanted to cover in one flight would be a bit ambitious, so I've split it into two rather more leisurely plans. The second flight will take us to the Reykjavik/Keflavik area, but this week we start in the small northern coastal town of Siglufjordur (BISI). First we take a trip out to the island of Grimsey (BIGR), which is the only part of Iceland that actually lies inside the Arctic Circle. Then we go back to the mainland with stops at Husavik (BIHU), famous for its whale-watching, and Reykjahlid (BIRL) in the volcanic highlands. Next we go to Iceland's second city, Akureyri (BIAR). I have set up a waypoint at the start of the approach from the south, which is offset and runs down a valley before a left turn onto short final for runway 01. We leave Akureyri heading to the north west fjords, landing at Alexander (BIKR) and Holmavik (BIHK) on the way. Our destination is Isafjordur (BIIS), famous for its tight circling approach to runway 08. I have included two waypoints to set you up for the approach, but once you make the final turn into the fjord you're on your own! Watch how it's done below. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fv_c6vA8DXE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9QbWCB8AzLA Flightplans Download your flight plans here in PLN and GFP formats. The GFP plan starts in Akureyri as Siglufjordur isn't in the GTN database. Aircraft We've got 289nm to do so anything that can cruise above 150kts should be fine, which gives us plenty of choice. Comanche, Bonanza, C421 (or just about any twin) are a few GA options that spring to mind, or you might think of a small airliner like the Twin Otter or Dove. Air Iceland used to fly a DC-3 around here too. As always, fly what you like. Scenery Orbx: Orbx did a full makeover of Iceland as a demo for their Global packages, which included textures, landclass and vector data. They also improved all the airports in the country. The demo was included in the Orbx EU landclass product, so if you have that you're good to go. You may also want Vector switched on for this one, to make sure coastlines align with airports. If you do not have Orbx EU landclass, then you can install the Iceland demo: https://orbxdirect.com/product/ftxglobal-demo MK-Studios Keflavik: this flight has been somewhat designed around the recently-released Keflavik package by MK-Studios. It is completely optional and not needed. As well as a very nicely done Keflavik, the package also includes upgrades to Akureyri, Isafjordur and Grimsey, with photoscenery+autogen around each and an improved rendition of BIAR itself. The only problem I have with the package is the weather! https://secure.simmarket.com/mk-studios-keflavik-p3d4.phtml Timing I set the start of the flight for 1000 local on 2 July 2019. This gives decent historical weather and I find that the photoscenery areas mentioned above look best in strong light. Particulars Date and time: Saturday, 11th April, 2020, 1800 UTC. Where: AVSIM RTWR Teamspeak - Casual Flights Channel Teamspeak Server Address: ts.teamavsim.com Cross-Platform Multiplayer: JoinFS. (FSX, FSX-SE, and P3D). If you want to help others enjoy the multiplayer experience, don't forget to enter your aircraft details on the multiplayer spreadsheet (linked here). Your courtesy will save others a lot of time and effort. Thanks! 

I also run Aerosoft Mega Airport Oslo in P3Dv4 alongside Orbx Norway. What I suspect you are seeing is not the P3D default airport but the version of ENGM included with the Orbx scenery. This can be eliminated fairly easily by searching the Orbx folders for any files with "ENGM" in the file name and deactivating these by changing the suffix from .BGL to .OFF. This may get rid of both of the problems you're seeing. This is a common issue when using other 3rd party airports within Orbx regions; e.g. I need to do it for all the UK2000 airports as I run Orbx England.

If you want to get to 12,000ft from Tingri you're going to need a spade!

I reckon it was all of 'em! Way too many suppressed smirks in that video.

WIll be late - football, Liverpool playing in Club World Cup final. How late depends on whether it goes to extra time, penalties etc.

Got it! Is it really bugging those of you who haven't found it yet?? 😈

Lovely paints Ron! Thanks 👍

For maximum enjoyment of today's flight, my suggestion is to set date and weather to 21st June 2019, with a start time of 1730 local. This will put us into Shoreham just as dusk is falling. I'm not a fan of the Orbx autumn/fall textures for England, just a personal preference, to me the spring and summer look much better.

NOTAM At Popham EGHP, the normal runway is 26/08. Use of the second runway 21/03 is restricted. Most often, the runway in use will be 26. The approach to 26 is offset to avoid a petrol (gas) station just off the end of the runway. There is a white arrow painted on the ground in the field just north of the petrol station to show the correct approach. In the Orbx Popham addon scenery, this is all modelled and the approach can be flown correctly. It's a little harder than it looks at first; the runway is short and slopes uphill a little; long landings will end badly! Chart on the Popham airfield website: https://www.popham-airfield.co.uk/copy-of-airfield-information

Er, yes, what Roman says. Sorry about that. It was a while ago when I downloaded it as I had it shortly after release. The "FSX native" ones didn't come up when I searched for it so I decided it had to have been the one I linked originally. Thanks for the correction Roman

South East England Low 'n' Slow First, thanks to Gunter for his original flight plan which has been extended a little for Saturday use. This week's flight will take us on a tour of smaller GA airfields in the south east of England. We'll start at Duxford (EGSU), site of the Imperial War Museum and a popular field for warbirds. Fly south (following the M11 motorway) towards London, and weather permitting the skyline should be visible. First stop is Stapleford (EGSG), after which we turn west and fly across the northern edge of the London suburbs to Elstree (EGTR). From here the airspace gets particularly congested due to Heathrow, so we'll go around it via Denham (EGLD), White Waltham (EGLM) and Fairoaks (EGTF). Continuing south west we visit Popham (EGHP) and Old Sarum (EGLS) before turning southeast and flying over the city and port of Southampton to Lee-on-Solent (EGHF). Next we make a quick trip over the Solent to the Isle of Wight, calling in at Bembridge (EGHJ), then heading back to the mainland and Goodwood (EGHR). We end the flight at Shoreham (EGKA). Fish 'n' chips in Brighton afterwards is optional but highly recommended. Flight plan Can be downloaded here in PLN and GFP formats. Aircraft This flight is intended for "low 'n' slow" aircraft around the 90kts mark and is a perfect opportunity to jump into one of the excellent biplanes that have been released recently - particularly Anthony Lynch's Tiger Moth or Nigel Richards' Avro Tutor. The Tutor was made for FSX but works well in P3Dv4. There are many liveries also available at Sim-Outhouse. Nigel's Tutor (freeware): http://www.sim-outhouse.com/sohforums/local_links.php?action=jump&catid=34&id=25100 Ant's Tiger Moth Pro (payware): https://www.antsairplanes.com/tigermothpro.html Ant's Tiger Moth Pro (demo/freeware): http://www.antsairplanes.com/downloads/AntsTigerMothProDemo.zip Note that Ant's Tiger Moth demo/freeware is completely new; you may be familiar with his previous freeware model. The new release is the Tiger Moth Pro minus a few additional features: no customisation options or PBR, no damage/wear model and just 2 liveries. For the purposes of our Saturday flights though it is fully functional. If neither of those are your cup of tea feel free to fly anything you like but I recommend staying under 100kts. In a Legacy you'll be waiting in Shoreham about two hours for the rest of us. Scenery The plan is built around Orbx England and we will visit a number of their add-on airfields. Most of us I think know ACG's nice rendition of Duxford. ACG Duxford (freeware): https://library.avsim.net/download.php?DLID=163126 ACG Duxford 2013 update (optional): https://library.avsim.net/download.php?DLID=180331 We will be flying in the London area which is particularly challenging to our hardware. You may want to consider moderating some of your settings to allow for smoother flight. I found the leg between Stapleford EGSG and Elstree EGTR to be the most demanding and might be suitable for testing purposes. Where & When Date and time: Saturday, Nov 23, 2019. 1900 UTC. Where: AVSIM RTWR Teamspeak - Casual Flights Channel Teamspeak Server Address: ts.teamavsim.com Cross-Platform Multiplayer: JoinFS. (FSX, FSX-SE, and P3D). Multiplayer Experience To help others enjoy the multiplayer experience, don't forget to enter your aircraft details on the multiplayer spreadsheet (linked here). Your courtesy will save others a lot of time and effort. Thanks!

Having spent the afternoon figuring out how to get the Hawk stopped in 2500ft at Milford Sound, I then realise it's only a touch'n'go 😡 RTFP!! Pity, I was looking forward to seeing Steve's Tomcat trying it.....

It's there, Ron. Top news feed on A2A front page. Changelog: Version 19.10.20.0 Changes Fixed bug causing 'pulsating' effect at high power settings with low airspeed. Previous version was 19.5.24.0, which I will hazard a guess was in May this year. It doesn't look as though it's the end of the world if you don't get this one.

Clear preference for the edgier Hendrix version, so put me down for the Spitfire. Maybe I'll fly that on Saturday, I haven't had it out for a while.