While watching the opening ceremonies for the London Games, I kept thinking of Douglas Adams- I don't remember the quote exactly, but the sentiment was "People keep running their mouths to avoid having to use their brains."
STFU already. Really.
Saturday, July 28, 2012
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Is this thing still on?
Ok, it's been a while. PC died. Never bothered to reload the FS software and start up again.
A ping from Google brought me back to the site, tho, and maybe I'll finish this trip.
Truth is, I had got as far as Juneau befor the system died, and I hadn't posted yet.
Thursday, July 01, 2010
Scenic Anadyr
The Airfield
The Market
The Harbor
The Bus
Someone tell Larry we've got a ready-made location for the next dystopian adventure film.
The Market
The Harbor
The Bus
Someone tell Larry we've got a ready-made location for the next dystopian adventure film.
The Siberian Riviera
Anadyr- with average January temps of only -12F (-25C), one of the warmest winters in the Siberian climate. My guess would be that the continantal climate is moderated by the pacific, making the strms much harsher, but the overall temps much milder than a ot of the other places I've visited this trip. Break out the fur-lined bikinis! Or not.
This was also the longest flight so far, and will likely be the longest leg this time 'round. Warming up at Sokol, my GPS said that the distance was 799nm. Actual flight path was a bit longer, of course- probably on the order of 825nm or so. Because of the dearth of scenery, I finally decided to go with a dusk flight, taking off at a little after 10:30pm local time, and flying overnight for 4.7 hours. To maximize range, I cruised at FL190, and thruttled back a bit, so cruising speed was 190kia most of the way (varied a bit.) No storms, hardly any clouds, and Passpartout got a chance to take some nice pics. Sunrise was at 1:30am.
Still had 15 gallons of fuel in the tank on landing. Plenty of margin.
Warming up at Magadan
Landing Lights!
Taking off at Dusk
(I was going to put Roamin' In The Gloamin', but that's more of a Scottish thing.)
Turning to Course (Duskily)
Climbing into the Looming Gloom
Midnight Sun(rise)
Descending into Anadyr
Just a Shot of the Aircraft I Thought Looked Cool
On Approach to Ugolny Airport
Just About to Flare (From the Replay)
Taxiing to Parking
This was also the longest flight so far, and will likely be the longest leg this time 'round. Warming up at Sokol, my GPS said that the distance was 799nm. Actual flight path was a bit longer, of course- probably on the order of 825nm or so. Because of the dearth of scenery, I finally decided to go with a dusk flight, taking off at a little after 10:30pm local time, and flying overnight for 4.7 hours. To maximize range, I cruised at FL190, and thruttled back a bit, so cruising speed was 190kia most of the way (varied a bit.) No storms, hardly any clouds, and Passpartout got a chance to take some nice pics. Sunrise was at 1:30am.
Still had 15 gallons of fuel in the tank on landing. Plenty of margin.
Warming up at Magadan
Landing Lights!
Taking off at Dusk
(I was going to put Roamin' In The Gloamin', but that's more of a Scottish thing.)
Turning to Course (Duskily)
Climbing into the Looming Gloom
Midnight Sun(rise)
Descending into Anadyr
Just a Shot of the Aircraft I Thought Looked Cool
On Approach to Ugolny Airport
Just About to Flare (From the Replay)
Taxiing to Parking
Monday, June 28, 2010
East Coast Time
I'm way way way far east now- all the way to Magadan, the city at the end of the M56 Kolyma Highway, also known as the Road of Bones. The city is by the Taui Bay, in the Sea of Okhotsk. It was featured in the book & film "The Long Way Round", with Ewan "Obi-Wan" McGregor. This point is nearly the end of the Asian part of this virtual journey.
What remains to be seen is which way now- either go north, to Anadyr, which is about 960 miles, or south to the Kamchatka peninsula. Either would be the last airport in Russia, and in Asia. Anadyr, though, is way far away. Not sure the plane would make it. May have to retrofit for more fuel, and lighten the load. Luckily, I can leave Passpartout at Sokol, and have him meet me in Anadyr, should I choose to go that way.
Oh, bugger it. It's only about 801nm. I can make that.
Update: It's really not all that far. I've already run flights of up to 760nm, and 801nm isn't that big a deal. Forgot I was looking at statute miles in Wikimapia.
At Yakutsk, just after receiving the catering delivery (minivan pulling away).
Taking off
Starting the climb out
Turning to course over downtown Yakutsk
Some mountains near Magadan
Descending onto Sokol Airport
On Final
Just before touchdown, tower view from the replay
What remains to be seen is which way now- either go north, to Anadyr, which is about 960 miles, or south to the Kamchatka peninsula. Either would be the last airport in Russia, and in Asia. Anadyr, though, is way far away. Not sure the plane would make it. May have to retrofit for more fuel, and lighten the load. Luckily, I can leave Passpartout at Sokol, and have him meet me in Anadyr, should I choose to go that way.
Oh, bugger it. It's only about 801nm. I can make that.
Update: It's really not all that far. I've already run flights of up to 760nm, and 801nm isn't that big a deal. Forgot I was looking at statute miles in Wikimapia.
At Yakutsk, just after receiving the catering delivery (minivan pulling away).
Taking off
Starting the climb out
Turning to course over downtown Yakutsk
Some mountains near Magadan
Descending onto Sokol Airport
On Final
Just before touchdown, tower view from the replay
Yakutsk! Gesundheit.
The trip from Chuleman to Yakutsk is a shorter hop again, at 345nm. Basically due north, over the mountains that form a ring around the coal deposits. Took off from the minimalist landscape at 5am. Because there's nothing paved, FS put me at the end of the runway, and proceeded to pretend that I had to taxi to the runway. Took, like, no time at all...
At the end of the runway
It's another looooooong one...
Looking back
En Route
Coming even to Yakutsk, on the Lena river. There's no bridge for hundreds of miles, but the highway is on the other side. In the summer, you cross on a ferry, in the winter- drive over the ice.
On final
At the end of the runway
It's another looooooong one...
Looking back
En Route
Coming even to Yakutsk, on the Lena river. There's no bridge for hundreds of miles, but the highway is on the other side. In the summer, you cross on a ferry, in the winter- drive over the ice.
On final
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Middle O'Nowhere
This leg takes me to ...another place in Siberia! Imagine! FSX really just stopped trying with this airport. There's no town graphics, and there's nothing at all at the airport but the runway, the tower and the fuel box (see last photo.) According to Wikipedia, though, this airport sees two airliners a day or so, so it isn't off the grid or anything, plus it's designated as an emergency diversion airport for polar routes.
Here's the actual airport:
And it doea appear that there is an actual city there...
The flight was longer this time, 764.4nm, cruised at FL190 for fuel efficiency. The clinb up to FL190 happened over Lake Baikal, and there were some mountains- so this is not tundra in this area, nor steppe.
The destination, Chulman Airport, was built to service the area administered at Neryungri, which was founded in 1975 over a very large coal deposit. The airport and the towns around it all sit in a coal basin. It's as though if Siberians do anything, it's bleak. Bleak, Bleaker, Bleakest. If there were shellfis, you might say it was bleakest before the prawn.
Way to far to go for that joke.
Warming up at Irkutsk
Climbing Out
Over Baikal
On Approach to Chulman
Still Life with Fuel Pump and Aircraft
Here's the actual airport:
And it doea appear that there is an actual city there...
The flight was longer this time, 764.4nm, cruised at FL190 for fuel efficiency. The clinb up to FL190 happened over Lake Baikal, and there were some mountains- so this is not tundra in this area, nor steppe.
The destination, Chulman Airport, was built to service the area administered at Neryungri, which was founded in 1975 over a very large coal deposit. The airport and the towns around it all sit in a coal basin. It's as though if Siberians do anything, it's bleak. Bleak, Bleaker, Bleakest. If there were shellfis, you might say it was bleakest before the prawn.
Way to far to go for that joke.
Warming up at Irkutsk
Climbing Out
Over Baikal
On Approach to Chulman
Still Life with Fuel Pump and Aircraft
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
More Siberia...
On to Irkutsk, which, not content with being just another Chicago of Siberia, has a nickname of the Paris of Siberia. What evs, dude. Seems like the Siberians have City Envy, or something. On the other hand, this phenomenon ain't uncommon- Chicago (the Chicago of the Midwest) has had some New York envy at times, as evidenced by the "Second City" and all. So, if Chicago is the New York of the Midwest, then would Omsk & Novosibirsk be the competing New York of the Midwest of Siberia? That seems headed down the rabbit hole.
Anyway, the flight was 480nm, cruising at FL190. The thunderstorms & I seems to be pacing each other as I head east. The route took me near the junction of Siberia and Outer Mongolia- where the steppe meets the mountains (the Alps of Mongolia?) Ok,I'll stop now.
Warming up at Krasnoyarsk
Note the looooooooooooong runway...
Straight out departure
There's those thunderstorms
Where Siberia meets Outer Mongolia
Approaching Irkutsk
Instant Replay: Over the Threshold; View from the Tower
Anyway, the flight was 480nm, cruising at FL190. The thunderstorms & I seems to be pacing each other as I head east. The route took me near the junction of Siberia and Outer Mongolia- where the steppe meets the mountains (the Alps of Mongolia?) Ok,I'll stop now.
Warming up at Krasnoyarsk
Note the looooooooooooong runway...
Straight out departure
There's those thunderstorms
Where Siberia meets Outer Mongolia
Approaching Irkutsk
Instant Replay: Over the Threshold; View from the Tower
Monday, June 21, 2010
About Half Way Across Russia
Off to Krasnoyarsk, which is, oddly enough, not known as the Chicago of Siberia. Flew it at FL190, distance of 341nm.
But, hey, their hydroelectric power plant has a trading card:
(For more Power Plant & Industrial Trading Cards, go to http://www.industcards.com.
Taking off from Novosibirsk
Over Downtown
There's Some Actual Scenery near Krasnoyarsk
Descending before making a left turn to approach- because of winds, landed form east to west.
There's no Frikkity Grass Runway(!)
This airport is supposedly one of the most modern in the area, and Lufthansa was comitted to moving their Asian cargo hub here in 2008, but there was a problem in that the airport did not have ILS, or approach lighting, so they noted they would wait until moden safety features had been installed. As of when FSZ was published though, back in the early aughties (it really feels dumb to type that phrase), none of those features had been installed. All the field has here is a VOR. As usual, though, the runways are so long that it really doesn't matter- take all the time you want lining up. Go have a lunch break, come back, settle in, and flare. And you'll still roll out for yards. I'm not saying that's a bad thing, it's just a thing.
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