Hi Everybody, Welcome aboard, this is a Binter Canarias Flight (flight number 48FJ), with nonstop service from Gran Canaria, Spain (GCLP) to Tenerife, Spain (GCTS). We depart Gran Canaria via RWY 03L, LOMAS1A departure. We'll cruise at 9,000' and arrive in Tenerife, Spain via LOMAS1Y arrival into RWY 07. Using: X-Plane 12 | Zibo Mod | Flightdeck Solutions | Home cockpit | Boeing 737 "Hope you enjoy the ride"  

He hasn't been on since Wednesday.  May be taking a Mother's Day trip or time off  We will see how soon he responds!

Ocean Air (operated by Avianca)  Airbus A320-214SL | PR-OCN |  Arrival in Santo Domingo

Many Thanks, Zip! 🙂

d j is still otherwise engaged and I too have been rather overburdened for the last couple of months.   The lorry's crew in reality include couple of friends with a passing interest in aviation. The collusion referred to below was -- again in reality -- the success they had in discovering that Iris's Pilatus PC-9 for FS9 is still for sale and then informing me of the link. The FS9 version is, I think, freeware that was (and still is) bundled in with the full FSX version so does have some minor omissions (starter switch...) but it's a detailed model, flies well and has a good VC.   It also has a good paintkit.   The original ZM331 is based, I think, at RAF Valley. If I haven't misunderstood, it belongs to 72 Squadron, whose badge is a swift, which - in turn - finally made it from North Africa to overhead my home last weekend, around a fortnight later than usual.   It's a comfort to have friends who know the Texan ii is really a PC-9 by another name. I'd been wanting a Texan ii for some time: they are often in the sky where I work, but never for very long... I'd tried a few freeware sevens and nines but none convinced and recently I'd all but given up the search. The boys had gone looking on my behalf-- they must have got tired of my whinging.   So now, in addition to catching up in Air Hauler, possibly visiting the other Cleddau and planning (and completing) the next RtW stage, which will take me as far as Florida, I have a new plane to learn.   ***   ***   Sometimes life is quite uncooperative. Back in mid-February, at the end of the southern section of the Australian, d j and I had laid over at the William Inglis. She'd done her homework, choosing the hotel partly for its luxury and partly because it was home to the counterpart to Corryong's Man from Snowy River. Here was Tanya Bartlett's Yearling and Leader, although strapper might be more correct (that's groom and stablehand to us in the rest of the world). Ms Bartlett also sculpted (is that the right word?) the now retired thoroughbred Winx, whose only living foal sold last month for Australian $10 million.   Yearling and Leader.   d j and I'd had 26 hours in the Arrow and a few more coming over in the C-130 but given long enough the real world was bound to intrude so the following morning, after a somewhat subdued breakfast, we took a taxi back to the airport to collect Smallfry. The crew were getting restless and had offered d j a lift back to work, saying they'd return in a few days. They'd found friends among the like-minded at RAAF Base Richmond, home to 37 Sqn's C-130Js so we quietly flew the 25 miles over from Bankstown before parting.   They all went off to greet the spring and I sat in Smallfry for a while, feeling somewhat forlorn. It's not something I can keep up for long though and thoughts of Port of Spain and the Caribbean were getting the upper hand so I wandered back indoors in search of caffeine. I needed something new and mentioned this to a few likely-looking OD overalls who shared my mess table for an AAFCANS coffee.   "Ahh mate, we've got just the thing. That is, if you want to trade and can make up what might be a bit of a shortfall..."   When I saw it, I immediately thought of Melo's Chipmunk.   Pedestrian barely begins to describe little Pipers so I returned to Bankstown and, enjoying the peace of the hotel's ornamental garden, plugged in some Floyd and got down to financial and logistical planning. Repayments on the C-130 are still costing me over a hundred grand a month. No nav with whom to talk things over left me feeling a little uncertain but I couldn't see any reason for keeping Smallfry any longer. In any case, I'd just seen at least one very good reason for disposing of it.   The crew returned for me and Smallfry and, far from being surprised (which in turn surprised me), arrived fully equipped for pulling apart a different aircraft. I strongly suspect some major collusion between the crew and those overalls. After all, it's what they're paid for.   We drove the lorry back to Cardiff and offloaded our new machine, piecemeal. The crew did their spanner and screwdriver magic and added a few bits & pieces, including GPS and autopilot. It is perhaps not as elegant as the Mosquito but it does around the same speed and, with external tanks, has a good range. Also, its functionality makes it intrinsically beautiful.   Now it just needed re-registration and a lick of paint...   New duds.   d j is still not around so I imagined her in the back seat, remembering the Arrow and complaining.   "I like the plane but... really, what is there for me to do? Point this thing at the destination and it's already there."   This is so much more fun than granny's golf cart.   "How about the Lakes? That's where the Hawks from Valley go to play when the Mach Loop is fully booked."   "Ok. Brecon VOR first, then. 117.45 and about 015°. We can visit Snowdon and Valley on the way." Planning the route on the back of the mental cigarette packet, she added "If we're going to the Lakes we can do the highest hill in Wales, England and Scotland before stopping somewhere on the north west coast."   Now that's a long itinerary but this thing really shifts, as you'd expect of a basic fast jet trainer.    "Let's see how long it takes."   Appropriately, FS9 ATC's spoken version of "Pilatus" sounds like Gwladys. I think I may change it to Dragon.   Chautauqua flying Cardiff to Ronaldsway? I really must investigate this one. Definitely another Ultimate Traffic mistake.   "... living the dream and we are outta here."   On approaching my local I discovered exactly how slick this plane is: approach and final (even with full flaps and gear down) both took an unexpected amount of air braking. My turn onto base was rather wider than was comfortable because I wasn't sure how slowly I could go...   Jumping the queue. I thought they'd got stuck.   Away northwest to Snowdonia and Valley where we behaved disgracefully, overflying the field at about 50 feet before turning tail for the English Lakes.   Not landing there. Tal y Bont farm strip.   Wales' highest, Yr Wyddfa aka Snowdon.   The addition is a definite improvement.   Gategill Fell, Blencathra and Hall's Fell in the Lakes.   Approaching Scafell, England's highest.   Somewhere over Strathclyde.   I ran out of RW time so elected to stop overnight at Glasgow. Just about to enter left downwind and this happened. No matter: the photoscenery around Glasgow was never finished and isn't particularly attractive. Third stage tomorrow.   Oh **** **   Back to earth in Glasgow. The approach et c. reconstructed.   0630Z and bright, low VFR sunshine. We were intending to head north west with the sun behind our right shoulders. The Caledonian DC-10 on the apron was a bit of a treat.   Taxiing into the morning.   Don't need much runway when you don't have much fuel...   Over the Clyde to Dumbarton, Loch Linnhe, Tyndrum and Rannoch Moor, keeping an eye out for the Buachaille and blasting over the top of Glen Coe with the Ben dead ahead. On then over the CMD arete and down the other side past Observatory Buttress and any number of Gullies with a capital G, over the CIC hut to Fort William in the Great Glen.   Buachaille Etive Mor.   The Ben.   The plan had been to fly to Plockton just south of Torridon and over the water from Skye but as ever, 1) I ran out of time and 2) realised too late that I hadn't reinstated photoscenery textures that I'd been modifying so opted for North Connel instead. It's awkwardly located for a straight in from the north, tucked away immediately behind a steep little hill, so gear down and full flaps long before the runway finally appears as you part the heather on the hilltop.   North Connel dead ahead. Look closely: it is there.   The unfinished phototextures are extremely drab but give a very good impression of the colour of the hills on a clear and frosty spring morning. Snow lingers on the Ben throughout the summer, disappearing in the autumn. It's said that were it a couple of hundred feet higher there'd be a glacier.   I've only been up there once. It rained. When the rain dried up, the cloud came down. I wandered up the tourist route from the Nevis campsite with a retired sergeant who in his past life was an ACE Mobile forward artillery controller. He'd spent years between Germany, the UK and Norway before retiring to repair electronic stuff.   Sgt Owen on Crib Goch when we were, well, not as old.   The real ZM331 in the Mach Loop. I downloaded this photo a long time ago and have no idea who took it.     I think one of these came from the RAF's pages.  

I'm glad several of you enjoyed this short challenge!  Hopefully there will be more to come!  And yes, I'm already scouring my old history to find another challenge as well.  Though the next one probably won't have as much challenge per minute as this one did.   Michael   Hey RW and sim pilots, I'm sure you have some fond memories.  Please post them for the rest of us to try! 

@ViperPilot2  If Nels doesn't come back with an answer, I will attempt to check with the Root Admin at my other site and see what needs to be done to allow topics and replies to topics to take place for members.

Thanks for your Offer, Nels!   Several of us have sent PM's to the Administrators asking if there's a Feature in the Clubs where Members can both Post and Reply to Threads inside the Club. Right now, only the Club Creator can Post, and there's no mechanism for any Member to either Reply to or create a Post within the Club. Without the Ability for others to Post, the Club space is nothing more than a Billboard.   Alan (vp²) 🙂

What are you trying to do? I might be able to help.

Airbus A321  Swiss Air "Lugano" (HB-ION) landing, taxi (closeup) and takeoff at Manises Valencia Airport (VLC) with ATC audio included runway 12  

Pretty much the same with every complex piece of software in the world.

Let's hope this new sim is BETTER than the one we got - Some things STILL don't work right with the current!  

They came out of the office right quick to see me flash past!  🙂     Yes it was!  I have been almost there a few times in the past, (all in flight sim, of course) but it was great to finally complete the circumnavigation!  🙂  

Nope, nary a single Reply regarding our 'issues'. Until then, we're buggering on in both the Nine and FSX Forums, just little stuff at the moment. 🙂