The A2A Simulations Community

Dear all,

I'm in the planning phase of a new trip with the new and absolutely splendid Cessna 182T Skylane. The starting point is again Robertson Field (4B8) in Connecticut, United States, and will end up on Kjevik Airport (ENCN), Norway.

The route will be warmer and more scenic than the shorter and "safer" northern route:
I'll follow the coast down to Florida (paying a visit to Kermit Weeks' Orlampa Airport) and over to Bahamas. I'll do a series of island-hopping in the Caribbian and follow the coast of South America down to a suitable place in Brazil where I will stretch the range of the Skylane to the limit by crossing the atlantic. Scary...
From there I'm not sure yet, but it sure will be fun to stop by Madeira, wouldn't it?

I'm currently doing test flights around the area, testing endurance and other aspects. My landings are still really bad - needs to be sorted out. I'm awaiting FAA charts of the eastern coast of the US plus the Bahamas and the Caribbian. When they arrive in a week or so I'll be on my way.

Any suggestions for this trip is welcomed, as I don't know much about this part of the world.

ETA? Christmas? Or is this waaay too optimistic, given my slow and prolonged trip with my Cherokee?


I've chosen the lovely Norwegian livery for my Skylane, provided by AviationNorway.
(http://a2asimulations.com/forum/viewtop ... 20&t=42984)

Have fun and enjoy the adventure. How are the landings bad? Don't get bashful, she a mean machine..you can slow her way down, full flaps, and hang on the prop for days(hoping the engine doesn't go) and put her where you want her. She will get you in and out of some pretty small places

Hey Eric, good luck buddy and have a great trip, I'll follow your adventure obviously, maybe when you reach Northern Europe Orbx will have released Norway!? Would be a good way to to end the trip, and I'm guessing it would probably be new year, take your time have fun!
That is a massive leg over the Atlantic Natal, Brazil to Freetown, Sierra Leone looks about the shortest route over, about 1500 nm!?
And yes I need to work on my landings to! As Taildraggin said, I noticed yesterday how slow she can come down when I screwed up a landing and I was pretty much STOL when I touched down with the stall horn screaming and came to a complete stop within about 60 ft lol
Personally I find it easier and have better landings when I come in faster, shallower, and with less flaps.

All the best Bud, John.

Leg 1: Robertson Field (4B8) to Millville Municipal Airport (KMIV)

Finally! I've had many days of practicing and trying out this wonderful bird, and now I'm on my way south. Winter is coming in Connecticut, and it is no place to stay - I'm heading for much warmer places...

This afternoon (local time) I started out with cold weather and some rain. Here I'm parked at Robertson Field:


Having taxied out to runway 2, I line up into the wind to do runups and the last minute setting up of instruments. While the engine warms up I check my controls are free (and correct! I verify that the control surfaces actually move in the correct directions).


Left downwind departure from runway 2 at Robertson Field. I've come to like this airfield. Pattern work is especially lovely during dusk.


Above the clouds the sky is always blue... (as long as one doesn't climb out of the photon-scattering atmosphere)


Coming over New York at 11.000 feet. Here is John F. Kennedy International Airport.


I had hoped to see more of the Manhattan skyline, but clouds were covering most of my view this trip. Manhattan is barely visible through this break in the clouds:


Being vectored almost over Atlantic City airport before my visual approach into Millville, I'm in a nasty turbulent weather. A few minutes of hail too - not nice!


Runway 32 in sight. I've worked on my landings, and I've become better, but this was not the best one...


A "junkyard dog" sitting at the GA-ramp at Millville.


Parked and tied down. Looking forward to warmer weather... The Bahamas and Caribbean will be so much fun!



Norway is about to get an Orbx-facelift, and I'm planning a tour of Norway with the Skylane. Will have to bring it across the Atlantic first. Will build severe amounts of hours on it, I suspect...

I hope you're instrument proficient, weather gets pretty nasty on the eastern seaboard this time of year.

Indeed it seems like I'm in for a hell of a nasty weather. I'm proficient in instrument flying, but it is tiresome and not so scenic. Hope to stay VFR as much as possible.

This first leg was IFR - the weather was way below minimums for VFR.

Hi Medtner, Bon Voyage Sir! Great to see you've started your trip, looking forward to your adventure.
I noticed some nice VC shadows, you doing this trip in P3D then?
John.

Thanks, and see you back in Europe when you've picked up your Skylane. Maybe you'll come over to Norway to explore?

Yep, P3D all the way for me now. I still have FSX on my machine, but I'm sure that I won't be using it unless my older A2A planes stop working in P3D. I need them all!

Great screenshots as always it seems Medtner

I do enjoy the flight adventures and look forward to contributing to them myself in the coming months.

Thanks,
Lewis


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Leg 2: Millville Airport (KMIV), via Billy Mitchell Airport (KHSE), to Ocracoke Island Airport (W95)

Much betterness! The weather had relented since yesterday, and I had good forecasts for my destinations. VFR all the way.

Only 9.4 hours yet. I'm sure I'll be close to triple digits by the time I reach Norway.


Taxiing out to runway 32 at Millville. Passing some heavier-than-me irons, including a Cessna Caravan.


Cruise climbing over Cape May I'm listening to a Lockheed tubeliner of some sort getting vectored into the runway I just took off from. Here it at 2100 feet.


Passing Ocean City.


Later i Passed Virginia Beach, and in the distant haze I saw a large... blob... of some description. What the hell is this?


Ahh! It turns out to be an aircraft carrier. Oceana Naval Air Station has it's base just south of Virginia Beach.


Further south I passed Kitty Hawk, where indeed our very hobby had it's birth 111 years ago. Here's Kitty Hawk Bay.


A litteral turning point for me was Cape Point (on Hatteras Island).


My first and only touch and go on this trip was supposed to be on this little airport, Billy Mitchell Airport. Here I'm on left downwind for rwy 7. Bad crosswind from the north, but we'll see how that goes...


This is after a "bump and go", and I'm puckered up - hence the view over the cowling . The wind sock is pointing towards the south...


Inbound to my full stop airport, Ocracoke Island Airport. Such a beautiful sunset...


Same crosswind, but slightly better: this is runway 6.


A shot for the record, to keep track of the hours.


And a final shot of the beautiful Cessna 182, sitting at Ocracoke.



Next leg will be somewhere halfway to Florida. Or maybe I'll go all the way? I'm headed for Polk City to visit Kermit Weeks at his Orlampa Airport. Maybe I'll take a trip in some of his warbirds?

Very nice story here. Sure will track along how this goes, and also wish you good luck. It's no joking on the Atlantic crossing. As and if you reach Norway I recommend you to do some touring in the Nordics. I live in Finland myself and can say for sure that Helsinki-Malmi airport has some excellent lunches at Gate1 restaurant.

I have also a project going on. Ferry flying a skylane from Germany to Finland via Norway. Right now based in ENCN. Which seems to be your base as well. Have a hangar there where I could put my Cessna for few nights? Of course I'll leave you some winter oil and money for gas there.

Good luck again with this and be safe!

Those are some beautiful sunset screenshots over the Outer Banks of my home state. Enjoy your stay here! I enjoyed following your trip in the Cherokee, and I can't wait to see this Atlantic crossing.

Very nice. Is that default scenery in P3D?

This is P3D v2.4, with FTX Global and Vector installed. Will install OpenLC EU when I cross the atlantic. (and FTX Norway will be installed way before I come there, I fear/suspect/reason/contemplate/accept)

Speaking of scenery. Anyone here know about any good scenery for updating the Bahamas, Caribbean and South America? Don't need payware airport quality, but just something to make it look less repetitive than good ol' FSX...

I'm looking forward to following this new voyage of yours, Medtner. Your last one was very entertaining. Bought OpenLC EU myself today ( and very good it is too ) but can't help you with the other scenery upgrades you ask about.

We eagerly await your trans-Atlantic crossing and hope to see you again on the other side.