An Alaskan adventure with the Spitfire MkII

[Medtner]

I've combined my wanting to explore the Alaskan landscape with the Spitfire. An unlikely combination, perhaps, but a very, very good one.

I started at Kenai and worked my way over to Palmer Municipal. From there I went to Gulkana, and today I flew to McCarthy (15Z).

Having just tentatively started using Prepar3d 2.4, I thought I'd share a few screenshots from today. I have shots from the whole trip so far, but I'll start with a few.

Taxiing. This beautiful repaint I found somewhere on this forum. I really love it! My own private Spitfire. The cockpit might need som modernisation, but I love that there are no naviational equpiment. I'm flying on FAA paper-charts. Dead reckoning FTW.


Low and "slow" cruising. I'm getting around 200 mph with my favourite cruise setting, which is 1850rpm and about -4 boost. I use a weak mixture as well, and am getting around 27gph. In the cold weather in Alaska these days I have to close the radiator completely to get acceptable engine temps.


Love this landscape! Flying the Spitfire makes me feel much safer than if I flew a normal GA-plane. I have the power to surivive downdrafts and mountain ridges that otherwise might be dangerous indeed...


Coming in high to McCarthy airport. Love that the sun at my six o'clock is making the compass and windshield bright and blinding.


Parked in the gravel at McCarthy airport next to an airplane that you A2A-people can very much recognise.
In the background is the dirty end of Kennicott glacier, slowly sliding down from Mt. Blackburn.


I don't have a destination yet, but my primary target is Snohomish County (KPAE). Will be a long trip - exploring the landscape and the cruising abilities of the lovely Spitfire.

[robert41]

Another great adventure. Looking forward to more screenshots and reading. I have made a few flights up in Canada last summer, the Spitfire does well with these short fields.

[Medtner]

Leg 4*: McCarthy (15Z) to Burwash (CYDB)

* I'll add shots from Kenai--Palmer Mun. and Palmer Mun.--Gulkana to the first post later.

I'm now in Canada. This was a leg that I had thorougly looked forward to - and had planned to at least some detail. I usually improvise a bit, but this time I was crossing a huge range of mountains and glaciers.

Cruising along - I really love this low and slow cruise with the Spitfire. It sounds so great when at low RPM and low boost. I'm following Chitina river and sediments coming from the many glaciers.


Indeed, here are four different glaciers in one shot: Just over my left wing is Barnard Glacier, to the front left is Chitina Glacier and in the front right is the huge Logan Glacier flanked to its left by the smaller Walsh Glacier. They are fascinating creatures in real life, and also here in sim-life - thanks to ORBX.


Just about to start my climb. I had planned to follow the Logan Glacer (directly in front of me) all the way to the top and get a look at Mount Logan (Canada's highest and North America's second highest mountain).


Shrouded in clouds, lies the enormous Mount Logan. At almost 20.000 feet I had no intentions to fly over it.


Being up here, sandwiched between the clouds, is utterly fascinating and beautiful.


I found, as planned, Kaskawulsh Glacier. It's to the north of Mt. Logan. I slid down it and made "landfall".


Coming down to Burwash I had gained too much speed to do a straight in approach as I had planned. I didn't want to waste all that kinetic energy so I did a fly-over - at around 250mph.


It was good to have done a fly-over - the field was quite bumpy and peculiar. Here I'm on downwind, canopy open below 160mph.


Parked safely at Burwash Airport. Not sure where the next leg will go - I haven't planned in detail more than this far. Time to break out my charts.



When shutting down the Spitfire I did for the first time close the fuel cocks first and then waited around a minute as the fuel pressure dropped slowly. Then I pulled the cutoff-tab to kill the engine. It then started to cough and misbehave as it often does when starting, taking 10-15 seconds to stop turning - I bet I fouled the plugs (as I did when starting it - having to visit the hangar to clean them).

[Medtner]

Leg 5: Burwash (CYDB) to Whitehorse (CYXY)

Short update - it's cold in the Yokon territory and I'm finding the Spitfire an especial challenge - I want at least 40 degrees of oil temperature, ideally above 50-60. This takes quite a bit of time to achieve, and in this time the engine coolant will work up a nice steaming temperature. It's a knife edge balance.

This is from takeoff - note the coolant at almost 110 degrees. I try to have large enough field to avoid having full power. In fact - I seldom come over 0 boost. 2600 ish RPM is more than enough for takeoff.


This is Haines Junction, having just passed over Silver City.


I'm experimenting with cruise settings. Lowering the boost to -4.5 shaves off 2 GPH - leaving a total of 25 GPH and a cruising speed of around 200 MPH. This works out to 8 MPG. Not all that different from your average monster SUV...


Turning final to Whitehorse's RWY 13R. I messed up my configuration when crossing the fence and floated quite a bit. Embarassing...



I turned off the engine with the fuel cocks again today, and had the same coughing problems as yesterday. The engine wouldn't die, throttle wide open or closed...

[Dogsbody55]

Nice screen shots, Medtner, and looking forward to more. The scenery looks spectacular - is it an add-on? I like the Speed Spitfire, too. It's a nice repaint.


Cheers,
Mike

[CafeRacer500]

Cool stuff, been thinking about buying the spit too but I'm afraid I'm running out of time to fly all these planes

[Medtner]

Nice screen shots, Medtner, and looking forward to more. The scenery looks spectacular - is it an add-on? I like the Speed Spitfire, too. It's a nice repaint.


Cheers,
Mike

It's Orbx' Southern Alaska. Masterpiece!


CafeRacer500: I'll do you a deal - I'll get the B-17 (the only A2A-aircraft I don't, for some mysterious reason, have) and you'll get the Spit. I'm sure we will both be happier for it.

[CafeRacer500]

Sounds good to me

[Lewis - A2A]

Great adventure and beautiful screenshots, thanks for posting

thanks,
Lewis

[Dooga]

Erik, I also have the issue with the Spit engine not shutting down properly, since the last accusim update. Solution for me is with the Spitfire fix that was made available separately - the update-update that followed the initial one brought the issue back for me.

Nice flight! Just flew the Spit over LHSM, Hungary (http://lhsimulations.com/freeware-zone) - it's a great plane, my first A2A plane too. For some reason (it's not necessarily skill as I haven't been practicing) the recent Spitfire landings I did were all absolute 3-point-greasers, love it!

[Dogsbody55]

I've been looking at the Orbx site lately, and tossing in my mind whether to buy or not. Might just have to make the jump


Cheers,
Mike

[Medtner]

Leg 6 Whitehorse (CYDB) to Watson Lake (CYQH)

A morning departure - in a bastardly weather. Just barely VFR - with decent forecasts for my planned route. The route is simple: From Whitehorse I follow Klondike Highway (Yukon 2) northbound to Carmacks, then Robert Campbell Highway (Yukon 4) all the way around to Watson Lake. A nice detour on my way south - also a way to explore the barren landscape in the Yukon territory. Flying the coastline is too obvious and easy.


Low over Yukon 2 hwy. I decided to stay low until the weather improved...


... which it did. Here I'm overflying Braeburn Airport, paying particular attention to the powerlines next to the highway. Don't want to get tangled up in those at 280mph...


I've just passed Carmacks, and decided to spend some time at a little higher altitude. The Yukon river and R.C. hwy is visible between the clouds.


The Spitfire is such a great cruising plane, and I never get tired of tinkering with different altitudes and power settings - although I have found this magnificent setting:


At the end of this loop around Yukon 4, I'm crossing over midfield towards a right downwind for rwy 08 at Watson Lake. The weather had just a few minutes earlier turned for the worse. Not IFR yet, thankfully.


At the ramp. Overheating is not an issue these days...



I'll probably follow Stewart-Cassiar Hwy southward next time. I'm determined to stay away from the coast. I can explore the coast when (and I'm conciously using the word "when" here) we get the A2A Accusim DHC-2 Beaver.

[EnDSchultz]

Awesome stuff. How I wish I could afford more Accusim planes...and maybe some Alaskan scenery... Oh well. Guess I'll just have to fly vicariously through your flight log!

[Medtner]

Leg 6: Watson Lake (CYQH) to Dease Lake (CYDL)

Picking up the Spitfire where I left it last year - I have been severely sidetracked by a certain Skylane.

I just wanted to get the hell out of there, as you can see - the weather is not much to speak of. My plan was to follow Stewart-Cassiar Hwy (37) down to Dease Lake. In my rush I forgot to fill the tanks of the Spitfire and this made for a scarier flight than I had planned...


Staying below the weather, following the highway. Cold, gray, lonely - but beautiful and a nice time to think, accompanied by the lovely music from the engine.


The landscape was rising slightly and I was forced to climb above the weather - scary when the only navigation one has is a VFR chart and a whiskey compass...


Finding Dease Lake was a relief - I was by now aware of my dire fuel situation...


... and what a dire situation: 6-7 gallons left. Not nearly enough to find an other airport, should Dease Lake airport be IFR...


Coming in hot is no problem with the Spitfire - it sinks like a sperm whale just having been spawned miles above a planet...


The guys and gals in the tower and on the ground was very interested in my rather unusual aircraft.

[Lewis - A2A]

Great images as normal and like the Whale comment

thanks,
Lewis