While flying around Africa I’ve become somewhat lonely. At most there were 4 aircraft within Africa. 1 was me, and 2 others were long range over flights. The 4th was another Canenado Cessna Grand Caravan in Tanzania.
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Tags: Africa, C208, Carenado Cessna Grand Carava C208, OpenVFR, Plan-G
While there are several ways across the Pacific from under 300nm (water) to over 6000nm there are several reasons for preferring one over the other.
My initial decision was to cross from Australia to Chile Via several small Islands Ranging from small to ‘not on the map’ size.
This resulted in a distance of 6400nm depending on what you call the start point. . The main problem being the longest leg was 1620nm. My new chariot the Cessna Grand Caravan has an approximate max range around 1000nm with standard tanks. The route is displayed below for you to look at. It starts in Nadi in the Fiji Islands. So the route is a little longer as I’d have to get there. But that part of the route of easy.
I wanted to go that route so I could fly up through South and North America without it feeling like a big detour.
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Tags: Pacific routes.
Well, I’ve just made it to Kilimatinde (HTKT) in a piper J-3 Cub. Not the safest of aircraft but it beat 6 hours crossing crocodile infested waters. At least that’s my inpression of the roads around here. Not leaving the Hotel I wouldn’t know to be honest.
The reason for the flight in the J-3 was to go and look at a replacment for the DC-3. I was told it was a Cessna Something. All I could really make out was that it was “Big and noisy, with a propeller on the front. That could be a C150 for all I knew. But at the moment anything was better than the road. Here is the only picture I got on the epic 80nm flight we made. it took 1:30 to do 80nm. The only good thing was that it used shag all petrol. I’m of the opinion that it leaked more then it burnt.
Tags: A2A J-3 Cub, Carenado Grand Caravan, HTKD, HTKT Kilimatinde, Kondoa
I found a fixer. He know’s of an ‘Cessna something’ that a safari owner wants to offload. He tells me it’s very loud and has one engine. Obviously an aircraft lover.
Tags: dodoma, kilimatinde
While not ideal I have a fix. It is ditch the DC-3 and get a new aircraft. I have one in mind, but I won’t tell you until I’ve got to know it better. IE does it work as advertised.
The buggers have deserted me. I had a local come to me ‘with information’ but he insisted on payment, up front, for the info. It turns out he saw Norm and the Co-pilot getting on a local commuter flight. That info cost me $50. And they were long gone.
This DC-3 problem as we know is a show stopper. I’m getting to the end of my tether. I’m thinking of changing aircraft. If I’m honest the DC-3 was annoying me. There was so much aircraft managment that I was forgetting to look out of the window except for screen shots.
I’m considering my options. I have several aircraft of a more modern varity that would do the job with similar performance as the DC-3, but are rated for single pilot flying. This means less micro managment.
I would continue with the DC-3, but I’m constantly having problems with it, and the newest one is the end of the line.
I’ll keep you posted.
Eric’s just told me that the DC-3 is scrap metal. I had to take a gulp of my Pimms before I would talk to him. He no longer works for me. And he should have been grateful for the wages that I paid him. Not that he did much.. So I’m stranded. Norm and the Co-pilot have disapeared as well. And the Hotel doesn’t supply the Times newspaper. Can it get any worse? I just hope the Pimms doesn’t run out.
Tags: Dc-3, JF, new aircraft
While everyone’s FS install has strange quirks mine seems stable at the moment. Apart from having to run SB outside of FS. But I understand that’s advised.
Weird things happen to everyone’s FS installs. I recently installed scenery for Welshpool EGCW and I’ve lost Gloucestershire EGBJ. The flatten is still there and the runway signs are there, but everything is covered by a layer of grass, and the tower has gone. Maybe during the flight from EGCW to EGBJ (32 mins) there was a disaster. Maybe a tidal wave.
Now while most problems can be overcome there are a few that cannot. I’ve got one of those on the JF DC-3. It will not take off without FSX crashing. It’ll fly fine, but not take off. This causes a problem for me. I’m not gonna cheat and take off in another aircraft. Well, maybe once, but not constantly.
It’s not just my FSX either. I’ve heard similar problems. So I’m stuck at Tabora, Tanzania with an aircraft that I cannot fly. It’s a bugger. I did fly around Kilimanjaro with a friend in the Carenado Piper Saratoga. The add on scenery we found from Flightsim makes the area very good. 38m resolution.
Tabora is within about 1 hour of Kilimanjaro and I view this mountain as my second big step. the Rift valley lakes (Malawi) in particular being the most interesting for me.
So, I’m stumped. Suggestions on a postcard to
The Crazy bloke with a un-flyable DC-3
Tabora
Tanzania
Myself, Norm, the co-pilot and Eric the engineer turned up at the ‘runway’ (flat mud in my opinion). Eric’s first words before we got within 40feet of the bird were “We are not flying out today”. I pressed him for a reason. He started speaking a foreign language. Something about crankcases and broken blocks. Of course I hold him directly responsible. My parting words as I left for the hotel were “Fix it, or leave”. Yes, I know my man management skills are stunning huh?
I shall return later on to enthuse him with more words of wisdom. Norm and the Co-pilot stayed to help Eric by pointing at things and asking “it is supposed to be like that”
Quite frankly I’m angry. The aircraft should be ready to go at the drop of a hat. And I don’t want to hear any more justifications that it’s a 50 year old aircraft. You cannot tell me they were designed this poorly. And if anyone suggests that it’s my ‘mis-handling’ that’s caused it, I will scream!
Tags: Dc-3, EGBJ, EGCW, fs quirks, glocester, JF, Just Flight, Kilimanjaro, Malawi, piper saratoga, rift vally, Tabora, Tanzania, tidal wave, Welshpool
Kalemie, Democratic republic of Congo to Tabora, Tanzania.
Nothing to report to be honest. I got a pat on the back from the engineer. Navigation was happy. ”Just follow that coast line” until I tell you. The bleeding Nav was wrong though it was a lake, not a sea as ‘coast line’ suggests.
The JF DC-3 is reinstalled, but I need to ‘fix’ everything again. Disconnect the Ap and do a repaint. Not to mention, for some reason, SP1 didn’t work.
More soon I’m on my way http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Kilimanjaro next.
Kilimanjaro, with its three volcanic cones, Kibo, Mawenzi, and Shira, is an inactive stratovolcano in north-eastern Tanzania and the highest mountain in Africa at 5,895 metres or 19,341 ft above sea level (the Uhuru Peak/Kibo Peak).[3]
Tags: Democratic republic of Congo, Kalemie, Tabora, Tanzania
I’ve been painting a C172 for a friend from the CIX VFR CLUB. Ach! I just noticed I missed the red wing tips!
Tags: g-gyav, www.G-GYAV.org.uk
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