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September
flew by so fast that I barely realized that it was time for the October
FOTM. After doing last month’s hop from Seattle to Victoria, I flew
several flights out of KSEA for my other employer, Pacific
Airways gathering data for an article for yet another other employer, PC
Pilot Magazine. Are you starting to see a pattern here? Ever since I
hit the Flounder up for a 150% pay raise, I have found my envelope
getting emptier each week. I guess I should have told him I’d have
Bill write my PIREP’s if I didn’t get the raise. Unbeknownst to The
Flounder, I have had to resort to moonlighting to make ends meet.
Anyway,
there I was updating the TooMuchFS web page on one computer while I
prepared tomorrow’s flight plan and swapped insults and decorating
ideas with Bill on another when I suddenly I remembered that it was only
four hours away from October and I hadn’t even looked at the flight
yet! The Flounder had gone off on some secret trade mission and told
everyone that I was in charge. Now let’s be real, we know who he
really transferred his executive powers to… Peter. And so it was,
October’s mission was indeed handed down by the Wizard of Willyabrup.
This
was no ordinary mission either. Not satisfied with a simple flight from
point A to point B, our Denizen from Down Under had endeavored to turn
back the clock and take us back to the dawn of aviation. Our goal is not
only to re-create Orville and Wilbur Wright’s historic flight of
December 17th, 1903, but to arrive at the Outer Banks of
Kitty Hawk, North Carolina in a series of aircraft that we consider to
be all-time classics. The Supreme Allied Commander pro-tem suggested a
maximum of four planes to represent our choices so it looked like I
needed to get busy with the selection process.
This
was a tough one. Right off the top of my head, I came up with a
not-so-short list of contenders. The Boeing 707 was the first great
jetliner. The Lockheed Constellation was the greatest and most beautiful
of all the classic propliners. The 747-200 brought us into the world of
the jumbo-jet. The venerable Cessna 172 has put a lot pilots in the sky.
The Boeing 247 opened up a new era in passenger transport. The Ford
Tri-Motor was the first all metal passenger plane and popularized
passenger flight. The Lear 23 created the concept of the business jet.
Spitfires held Goering’s then feared Luftwaffe at bay during the
Battle of Britain and helped turn the tide in WWII’s air war. The
DeHavilland Comet 103 was the first and one of the most beautiful jets
to ever to carry passengers and I couldn’t forget the incredible
Pitt’s Special aerobatics plane which by the way, is one of the few
real planes I’ve had the joy of flying.
So
what were my choices? It was difficult, but I chose the following as my
classic roster.
The
Piper J3 Cub was the plane that more first time pilots flew than any
other. Designed in the 1930’s as a way to introduce the common man
(and woman) to the new world of aviation, it became the springboard for
many of America’s great World War II pilots. Simple, basic and honest,
the J3 Cub remains today as one of the purest forms of flying.
Not
long after the J3 came the Douglas DC-3, which completely revolutionized
passenger air transport. It was fast (for it’s day), comfortable,
tough and reliable. It’s range made it possible to travel from one
coast of the United States to the other in a single day for the first
time in history.
In
1942-43, American bombers were being knocked out of the skies over
Europe and aircrews lost at such an appalling rate that the daytime
bombing strategy of the U.S. Army Air Corps was being seriously
questioned. A long-range fighter escort was desperately needed and no
Allied plane had that capability until the development of the North
American P-51 Mustang. Languishing in the shadows since 1942, the
Mustang didn’t have the speed or range needed until the GM/Allison
engine was replaced with the Rolls-Merlin engine in 1944 and literally
became a world-beater. It’s historic role, performance and sheer good
looks put it on my list.
Number
four on my list was a tough choice. As much as I wanted to choose the
Boeing 707, I just had to go with the plane that grew from it, the
legendary 727. Designed as a shorter range domestic carrier, the 727 is
in my opinion, the most classically beautiful airliner ever, With it’s
swept wing and rakish lines, it epitomized the jet age while being a
plane that airline pilots say flies like a plane is meant to fly.
Even
though I have my four, I have to include an Honorable Mention. While
perhaps not everyone’s idea of a “classic”, the Beechcraft King
Air Super 200 is to me, an all time FS classic. From the first time I
flew it in FS2000, it was love! This little turboprop has speed, range
and the capability to cruise at FL350. Throw in delightful handling
characteristics and you have a winner. If that weren’t enough reason
to mention it, the fact that I’ve flown this plane around the world
twice pretty much cinches it.
Great…
I’ve chosen my list, but now I need to get the planes! Peter didn’t
include that in his directive. The FSFC DC-3 was parked in Boise, Idaho
so I knew I could use it but Hans still had the “Too Much” P-51 and
didn’t seem anxious to let me have it. I think it may have something
to do with the broomstick incident a few months back. I also needed to
find a 727 since Peter was using ours due to complaints about his flying
a Monarch 727 around Australia. To top it off, we don’t even have a J3
Cub!
After
a few calls and a trip to a rather disreputable part of town, I came
across a mysterious figure known only as “the Shadow”. When I read
about Hans’ getting himself involved with some dubious types during
last month’s flight, little did I know that I would find myself
lurking about back alleys and street corners in search of airplanes.
After promising him that he would be re-admitted to the TooMuchFS Forum,
The Shadow finally told me to call a guy named Johnny Lime in Hannover,
Germany. This Lime character apparently knew where one could find what
one was looking for, if you know what I mean.
I
called Lime that evening and apparently caught him as he was just
leaving for his “office” (it was about 08:00 in Germany).
“Guten
morgen Herr Lackey. My associate, Die Schatten told me to expect your
call. How may I help you?”
He
wasn’t exactly what I expected. He sounded rather intelligent and
pleasant, but yet when crossed, I had no doubt he would set one of his
Aussie henchmen on you.
“I
need some classic planes in a hurry”, I said.
“I
am afraid I can’t help you as I am leaving today for the Island of
Samos in Greece to work on my suntan, but I can put you in touch with
someone who can”
I
was beginning to think that The Shadow had sent me on a wild goose chase
when Lime referred me to the next suspect.
“You
need to talk to Die Stromabnehmer”
“What
or who is Die Stromabnehmer?” I asked with a note of reluctance.
“Oh,
I’m sorry. I was told that you had some simple knowledge of the German
language Herr Lackey. I am speaking of The Collector of course”
He
went on to tell me that “The Collector” was a man in Valencia,
Venezuela who either had or could get his hands on virtually any
airplane known to mankind. It was going to be difficult to connect with
him since communication systems within Venezuela are not currently at
their peak. Apparently the best chance of finding him was at an Internet
Café where he conducted business.
“If
you are willing to trust me, I can get you all the planes you requested
and have them ready for you in a couple of days” The Collector told
me.
Strangely,
The Collector seemed like a pretty decent, straightforward guy.
“How
did someone like you get mixed up in the clandestine aircraft market?”
I asked.
“I
actually have a real job in the aeronautical industry and a nice family.
I love airplanes but it is very difficult to fly them here where a liter
of gasoline costs about a month’s wages, so I just collect them. I
have to do it very secretly because good jobs in this industry are hard
to find here and if my employer learned that I am associating with
questionable flight-simmer types, I would be fired immediately”
Oh
well, I sold off my pride along time ago and as long as I was getting my
planes I didn’t care how tarnished my image was now.
All
that and I still haven’t flown a mile yet! The Collector said he would
have a North American P-51D waiting for me at my home field in Bend,
Oregon so all I needed to do was get back to Bend
Muni (S07). The King Air 200 was just the ticket for this 206nm hop.
Since my trusty old Rogue Air KA-200 was in the hangar for a long
overdue rebuild, I borrowed a shiny new plane from some friends of
Alejandro’s. This is a brand new model, still under development so I
can’t tell you who I got it from. All I can say is that it will become
one of those favorite “must have” FS planes.
On
the way at long last, I received clearance from Seattle ground to taxi (Pic
1) to 34R. I lined up, pushed the throttles forward and was on my way.
This KA-200 is a bit hotter than others I have flown and found that it
could climbout at an easy 220kt indicated at 1500fpm and 80% throttle.
The weather had cleared from the day before so I had a nice, late
afternoon flight with some good sightseeing. I intercepted the Klickitat
(LTJ 112.3) 163 radial, passing over the top of Mt Rainier (Pic 2) on my
way to FL230. Although the METAR’s showed a 10,000ft ceiling in Bend,
the visibility seemed to be getting bad. Once I crossed LTJ and the
Columbia River, I could see the cover thickening below me. As I entered
a left downwind pattern for Bend Muni, I was at pattern altitude of
1,500’ AGL and was still in the soup. I realized that the virtual
world had gone haywire and FS Meteo had gotten stuck at zero visibility.
After a quick switch to VATSIM weather, the ceiling suddenly raised to
10,000’ as if by magic. By this time, my approach was pretty mucked up
and I went missed. Coming around again for runway 34, I flew a perfectly
dreadful final and wound up bouncing the King Air down the right side of
the runway. Too bad I live here.
Leg
One: S07 – KBOI
The
Collector had managed to acquire a perfectly restored P-51D for my first
leg, the Nooky
Booky IV. This was the plane
flown in WWII by Major Leonard K. "Kit" Carson, the
highest scoring Ace of the 357th FG with 18 1/2 Victories. The legendary
Bob Hoover also owned this plane in the early 1960’s
The
P-51 was safely tucked away in the Flight Shop’s new hangar, just
waiting for me. I got Fish, the line supervisor to hook the tug up and
pull it out for me. I asked him if he had fueled it for me and he said
he had a couple of rush orders before he could fill me. He told me if I
wanted to speed things up, I could help him with his fills. I climbed
into the passenger seat of the old Chevy fuel truck with no door handle
and we headed off across 34 to the Lancair ramp to top off a new
Columbia 350 R&D plane. While Fish filled the main tank, I patiently
listened to Jim, Lancair’s production Manager tell me about why the
FAA’s foot dragging is pretty much to blame for the 27 ready to
deliver Columbia 300 & 350’s still sitting on the ramp. From there
it was back over to the GA hangars to fill a local’s sweet little
Seneca. Again, while Fish manned the nozzle, I kept Joe, the plane’s
owner busy telling me about how nicely his Garmin GPS handles a coupled
ILS approach. It’s a dirty job, but somebody’s got to do it.
I’m
not sure how that speeded things up, but I had a good time. Anyway, the
Mustang was fueled and ready to go. With a brisk breeze from the south,
I taxied over to 16 (Pic 3), pulled into position and began a nice easy
climbout. At about 1,000’, I turned to 130, headed for the Wildhorse
VOR, overflying my pasture in the process. I climbed to FL180 and
shortly I was in the soup (Pic 4), staying there for about 50 miles.
Fortunately, this classic warbird was retrofitted with a modern
autopilot and radio stack so I could handle IFR conditions easily. Soon
I was on downwind to Gowan Field in Boise. Just as I was preparing to
turn to base for 28L, the inevitable instruction crackled over the
radio… Mustang Zero One Two Foxtrot Charlie, enter right downwind,
runway ten right. Grudgingly, I made a 180 and turned back to 280 (Pic
5). I picked up the localizer and brought the Nooky Booky over the fence
at about 120kt (Pic 6), just touching the mains (Pic 7) before settling
the tailwheel down. I love this plane! Fast, beautiful and agile. Come
to think about it sounds like the perfect date! Oh never mind… I’m
married (ohmygod… I’m beginning to sound like Bill).
Peter
had agreed to part with the DC-3 long enough for me use it for this
month’s flight and it was parked over by the cargo ramp (pic 8). Peter
had seen to it that it was fueled and ready (I must remember to make a
note of that in his dossier) so I stowed my gear, did my pre-flight and
climbed into the cockpit.
Being
the centennial of flight and all, it seemed somehow appropriate to make
my stop in Denver at Centennial Field. At a distance of just under
600nm, it doesn’t seem like a big trip but when you consider that we
will be lucky to average 140kt along the way, it suddenly looks a bit
longer. 65 years ago this was considered a major step forward in quest
for swift air transport.
We
brought the grand old radials to life and took our clearance to taxi out
to 10L, completed our pre-taxi checklist and got the old beast moving.
After wafting for a couple of Alaska Airlines 737’s to depart we got
takeoff clearance and were rolling. Once the tailwheel comes up, it
seems like forever before the plane wants to lift. At about 90kts we did
however and we were once again on our way. After a leisurely initial
climbout at 800fpm (Pic 9) we turned onto the Lucin (LCU 113.6) 156
inbound radial and continued our climb to 11,000 ft. Since the DC-3
isn’t pressurized, this was 1,000 ft higher than a comfortable cruise
altitude but because we were going to be crossing the Rocky Mountains
very soon, it seemed a reasonable choice. As we passed through 5,000 ft.
it began to get a bit bumpy (pic 10), so we cinched down the lap belts
and held on… the weather was going downhill in a hurry. We knew that
there were reports of thunderstorms about 60 miles to the east but Peter
was very clear that we were to persevere in our historic quest, no
matter what. Sure enough, about 50 miles out of Boise, it began to rain
and we started seeing lightning off in the distance. Soon the distance
began getting a bit closer (Pic 11) and we were seeing bolts within a
few hundred feet. One was close enough that the thunder darn near
startled the breakfast out of us.
We
skimmed over the tops of the Rockies and at Rock Springs (OCS 116.0) we
turned to a heading of 111 and headed for Denver Centennial. Once over
the Rockies, the weather turned beautiful and we had a nice quiet visual
approach to runway 35L.
When
I checked in at the Pilot’s Lounge, I was handed a phone message from
The Collector. It seems that his Internet provider had suddenly been
nationalized and the monthly rate went up to 200,000 VEB (USD $125.00).
He had failed to pay the additional funds within the twenty minutes that
El Presidente had given customers to pay up so he couldn’t get an
e-mail to Centennial to arrange for parking. His pilot, Philippe wound
up leaving it at Denver International for me.
Leg
3: KAPA to Norfolk, Virginia / Norfolk
International Airport (KORF)
I
took a long taxi ride up to Denver International and made my way through
the security obstacle course to get to the ramp. Interestingly, the only
question the security people kept asking was, “Are you now or have you
ever been associated with Bill Smith?” It seems that there was
apparently something of an ugly incident a couple of years back for
which FAA and US authorities are still seeking him. Since I was in a
hurry, I fibbed a little and told them that I had never heard of him or
any of his alter-egos so they let me pass.
Once
on the ramp, I had a chance to do a walk-around and admired the shiny
aluminum of the recently retired 727 (Pic 12), which The Collector had
acquired from American Airlines. I filed my flightplan, did my preflight
and forwarded the bill for 60,000lbs of Jet-A to Ron at Club
Headquarters. Once cleared for taxi, we began the long journey out to
17L. I think it may have taken as long to get from the terminal to the
runway as it takes to get to Norfolk. We finally got there and were
quickly cleared for takeoff (Pic_13). Climbing out on the PLAINS TWO
departure, we turned direct EMMYS (Pic 14) and then on to the McCook (MCK
115.3) VOR. I’ll never get tired of looking at the 727! This was
another uneventful flight other than the fact that since there is no FMC
in this bird. We got to fly VOR’s all the way and it was a nice change
from simply plugging in the numbers and pushing the button.
Three
and a half hours later, we were on the TERKS2 arrival (Pic 15) for KORF
and cleared for the ILS runway 5 approach (Pic 16). Everything looked
fine on final until we crossed the fence and the wind gusted, causing
the landing to look more like a low speed fly-by. We floated about (Pics
17-21) half way down the runway before getting the mains down and
testing the effectiveness of the reversers and spoilers. Sheepishly
turning off at the last exit, we taxied to the gate and parked between a
couple of 737’s (Pic 22).
Leg
4: KORF to Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina / First
Flight Airport (KFFA)
This
is actually the leg I have been looking forward to. After zooming around
in a fighter, nursing a lumbering classic over the Rockies and trying to
keep from turning an airliner into a dune buggy, it was going to be nice
to sit back and enjoy a relaxing visual flight down the Outer Banks in
the J3 Cub. Once again, The Collector had come through, having a bright
yellow J3 waiting for me over at the GA ramp (Pic 23).
After
a quick pre-flight I had my head hanging out the Cub’s side window (Pic
24), taxiing over to runway 5. Within a couple of minutes, I was
airborne and looking out over the airport (Pic 25). Once I had a good
rate of climb, I made a left turn (Pic 26) to head south toward the
Outer Banks. Just as I finished rolling out of the turn, I thought I saw
another plane behind me (Pic 27) but knew nobody would be silly enough
to fly up that close behind another plane. Oh well, must be my
imagination. A few miles further, I thought I heard another engine out
the starboard side and looked out the window. Sure enough, there was
another Cub about thirty feet below (Pic 28). Just as I saw the plane, I
heard a voice come over the radio.
“Hello
Tony” the voice crackled in an unmistakably Australian accent.
“I
thought I had better make sure you completed your monthly flight.
Alejandro is still upset that you didn’t report August’s”
Indeed,
the voice in the other Cub belonged to none other than the Wine Wizard
of Willyabrup, Peter Stark.
“After
ducking out on our last two weekly flying sessions, I thought I had
better keep an eye on you, mate” he said in a rather suspicious way.
“Besides,
The Collector wanted me to make sure that you didn’t bend up any of
his planes”
This
from a man who is single-handedly responsible for the demise of more
nose gears than any other in flight sim history.
For
the rest of the trip, I enjoyed the scenery while discussing Bill
Smith’s innate fear of microphones and Roger Wilco with Peter. Every
few miles I would hear Peter tell me to hold my position so he could
take pictures (Pic’s 29-33) but otherwise, it was a pretty uneventful
flight.
I
asked Peter if he had ever met this “Collector” and he said he had.
He told me that The Collector also went by the name ”AIr” and was a
highly respected and very famous panel designer in Venezuela.
“In
fact, he is the head of the prestigious International Panel Panel”
Peter told me.
Soon,
we had First Flight and the dunes in sight. With a little breeze from
the northeast, we began our approaches to runway 02. I was a little high
so I did a little 1,500fpm dive to get rid of some altitude. Just after
turning to final I heard Peter say, “I wouldn’t slow too much if I
were you” and assumed that he was probably following a little too
close again (Pic 34).
I
was happy to report to Peter that I had a very nice, soft landing in the
Cub (Pic 35), but Peter said something about an ugly landing and muddy
grass. Apparently he chose a more organic landing surface, some thirty
feet or so right of the runway. Nonetheless, we were both down safely
and taxied to parking (Pic 36).
The
Grand Finale: The first Flight
Since
one of the main purposes of this trip was to duplicate the Wright
Brother’s historic feat, I continued on with my quest. The Collector
had secured an exact replica of the Wright Flyer and it was waiting for
me on the dunes of Kitty Hawk. I was surprised th find that The
Collector had even arranged to have a perfectly restored 1934 Ford
roadster waiting for me (Pic 37) to drive out to the dunes. After a
short drive (Pics 38/39), I was there
So
finally there it was, sitting out in the middle of the sand dune (Pic
40). Two things struck me… first of all, it was too spindly and
fragile looking to ever possibly fly and secondly, how the hell did The
Collector get his hands on this? As far as I know, there are only two
potenentially flyable replicas of the Wright Flyer in the world. This
guy is good.
After
donning the requisite period attire and crawling into a prone position,
the little engine came to life. Soon I was roaring down the sand dune at
a blazing 22 MPH and the fragile little Flyer took to the sky (Pic 41).
The rest as they say, is history.
Thanks
Peter for coming up with a wonderful Flight Of The Month for the
centennial year.
The
Players: (In order of appearance)
-
Beech
King Air…
A yet to be released beta model (watch the front page for
announcements)
-
Reno
Air Racers P-51…
The base package is available at FS.Com
as are the “Nooky Booky IV” textures.
-
Douglas
DC-3 by Bill Rambow and Jan Visser…
The FSFC retro livery can be found in our Hangar.
-
Boeing
727-200adv…
Unfortunately, I have lost the original docs and don’t
know the author (sorry…).
-
Piper
J3 Cub…
One of Bill Lyons’ great classics (Get it at FS.com)
-
1903
Wright Flyer… A very fun package by Paul Beardley.
-
Johnny
Lime was played by Hans Linde
-
“The
Collector” is Alejandro Airausqiun
-
The
maniac in the other Cub was none other than Peter Stark
-
I
played myself
Tony
Radmilovich
tony@toomuchfs.com
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