Skagit Regional

Yeah I'm a little slow at posting flights. I have actually been doing plenty of flying in the sim but mostly brushing up on my MD-11 flying skills and doing some very short legs, spur of the moment sort of thing.

I did get some inspiration form SpeedBird217 and his excellent blog FL380. He is currently in his second round the world tour so check it out as he has some excellent flight reports. He gets a perma link on the page here his blog is that good.

Each month after reading my AOPA magazine I get the itch to fly some TnG's in some of the fab general aviation birds FSX has to offer.

Today I decided to be like Dick Collins and do some general aviation IFR flying, making use of some of the Carenado birds I have in my hangar (after the 40% off sale they had over the past holidays). Just like Mr.Collins would, I took the trusty Cessna T210M from KBVS (Skagit Regional) to KHQM (Bowerman).

On the ramp at Skagit

Weather was not the greatest but for the PNW it was pretty decent. KBVS weather was wind 070/09kts with 1'400 few and 2'900 broken and +4C. Scattered showers were in the area. Using runway 10 for takeoff we were in the air in no time.

On runway 10 at KBVS

I filed an IRF plan ISLND-CVV-CARRO-OZALU. It has me follow the V165 low airway for most of the trip, avoiding the KSEA air space and the Olympic Mountains on the way down.

The Route

Once up in the air I flew over Whidbey Island and got a great view of the Deception Pass Bridge. I got to see the island in real life back in the spring of 2008. Click HERE to see my real life blog post with some great pictures about the trip to the Boeing Factory and to Whidbey Island.

Deception Pass Bridge

I climbed to FL080 and was in and out of clouds for most of the route. It got a little choppy as I flew south on V165 just west of KSEA. But the clouds were starting to clear and weather at KHQM was looking good so I cancelled my IFR and went VFR for the rest of the trip and got a great view of the Olympic Mountains.

Olympic Mountains

Arrival weather for KHQM was wind 270/10kts and 6'000ft overcast at +6C. I planned on a visual runway 24 landing. I noticed when loading the airplane that my COG was well forward causing a definite nose down attitude upon landing. With two people sitting up front (me and my fictitious friend from Carenado) and only 10 pounds of baggage in the back.

Final for runway 24 at KHQM

My landing was not the best but I did walk away from it. I was using ORBX scenery and the new Accu-Feel from A2A that adds even more immersion to the sim.

Maybe lunch at Lanas? On the ramp at KHQM.

For an HD video of my terrible landing that Dick Collins would critique to no end click HERE.

Fifty five minutes on the log. Think I might head to Europe and do some flying in the LDS 767 next? I'm off to TNCM for a real world holiday towards the end of March so I may do an AAL leg down to there..

Alberta Rose

Well, only 31 flight reports on the blog in 2011. In 2010 I had 52, an average of one per week. Stacking up 31 reports for 2011 was not bad considering I did not have my main motivator Onur there to push me on.

No matter what, I did clobbered Onur's ass in the flight totals (he did one flight report in 2010!). Don't care if he moved and got promoted, I still kept at it (wink)!!

My first flight in 2012 is in Alberta (wild rose country) and it is a flight I have flown as a passenger on with WestJet back in 2007, in a brand spanking new 600 no less.

WJA #144 is a short hop in the 737-600 from CYEG (Edmonton) to CYYC (Calgary). It's winter in Alberta, with CYEG ATIS saying wind 150/12kts and cloud's 16'000 few with 20'000 broken. And a coldish -4C (down right balmy for Edmonton in January!).

WJA144 at CYEG gate 14

119 Passengers are making the trip to Calgary this afternoon. Departure procedure for CYEG was the CYEG.3 SID off runway 12. This has you fly past the ZAB (Leduc) ADF with vectors to the first fix of BACOS and then onto the J508 airway to CYYC.

Taking to runway 12 at CYEG

Departure was routine and I am in love with the sound of the PMDG NGX. Click HERE for an HD video clip of the take off....

After over a month off the "virtual" line I was pretty rusty to say the least. I got really behind the airplane to be honest. As fast as you get her up you're bringing her back down on this leg. I admire the crews that do these short hops even more after flying this route.

ATIS at CYYC was saying winds 180/09kts and clouds 18'000 broken at -6C. Calling for a EPLUR.DUVNO2 arrival on to runway 16. I got a great view of the city of Airdrie while on final to runway 16.

The foothills off to west (right side of photo)











Airdrie below and the Q.E. II highway

Using a VREF of 135 and flaps 30 the landing was a grease job with the forgiving 600 and the extra long runway 16.

Final for runway 16 at CYYC

I logged 41 minutes on this leg gate to gate. The PMDG NGX 600 depicts reg C-GPWS. I actually shot C-GPWS at CYYZ this summer, click HERE for my picture of it I posted over at FlightAware.