FedEx coast to coast

I am pulling another long haul tonight. I pondered an EHAM-OMDB pairing but then I got to thinking that it has been some time since I was in the PMDG MD-11.

So tonight's flight was FDX#181 for FedEx in the MD-11F doing KBOS (Boston) to KPDX (Portland). Not been in the virtual cockpit of this bird since July 20th last summer. I had to clear the rust and cob webs from my head and go over the FCOM and FCTM for a little refresher. She is just different enough from a Boeing that I could get into some trouble with her if I was not careful.

This is an evening flight departing KBOS at 7:30PM and planning on arriving at KPDX around 10:50PM local time. A little over five and a half hours round trip. With the head winds enroute it was going to be a stretch to make it in under six hours mind you.

Cargo Ramp KBOS

Weather was good at KBOS and the ramp was pretty quiet too. Wind was 040/08kts, CAVOK with +1C. Taking off from runway 04L using the LOGAN.4 departure to the MHT VOR, then heading west.

Taxi to runway 04L

First thing that hit me right off the bat is how great the PMDG MD-11 virtual cockpit night lighting is. I forgot how great it is to be honest. You can back light the panels, flood them or even turn on the dome light. Very immerse with those features, and not to mention the sounds are simply the best of anything else I have flown. I feel like I am really in the cockpit of an MD-11, even though I would have no idea what that is really like as I have never even set foot inside an MD-11 let alone flown in the cockpit of one. I have seen a few MD-11 cockpit DVD's though.

Look at that head wind

The route took me north west over the great lakes to the SSM VOR and along the J140 airway, hugging the USA/Canadian boarder. With strong head winds of over 100kts at times I was glad I took a little extra fuel.

It was overcast once on the west side of the great lakes basin. And all the way west of the great lakes it remained overcast until Bismark. The head winds were still not any better and we were not expecting them to be as the FL340 charts show winds in the 90+kts range all across the continent and even into the 115kt range at times. These head winds put us behind on our arrival time by over half an hour.

We are possibly expecting some poor weather at KPDX upon arrival too. The forecast was calling for rain later in the evening. We may be in before the weather hits with any luck.

Checking with ATIS once we started our way down weather was looking much better than expected as we beat the rain in. Weather at KPDX was wind 091/08kts, clouds 2'500 few, 5'000 scattered with temperature +7C.

Just before the panel reset

Using the BONVL6 arrival via the PDT VOR it would take us right down the Columbia River Gorge and to the north of KPDX where we would turn left to land on runway 10R. But wouldn't you know that Flight Simulator was up to it's old tricks again!

Final for 10R at KPDX

For some strange reason the bird reset the panel state while over the Columbia River Gorge. It was a mad scramble to get things running and set up again (thank you to that pause button) but it did mess up the rest of my arrival and the landing was nothing to be proud of even though I did hand fly the down wind onward, all the while staring engines and half ass putting the arrival into the FMC again. That is while you will notice the clock went from 5hrs 54min to 17min after the electrics reset...... UGH!

Cargo ramp at KPDX

Turning off the active and turning on the APU with a short taxi ride to the south cargo ramp we can pack our things and head to the hotel for the night. The wicked easterly winds aloft that helped me along over the Atlantic to Amsterdam yesterday, put me over 40 minutes behind tonight.