**The OFFICIAL All Sims Air Tour Thread**

[falcon409]

. . . .and on to KSBN!!

Screenshot 2025-12-12 190007 by Ed Wells, on Flickr

Screenshot 2025-12-12 190824 by Ed Wells, on Flickr

Screenshot 2025-12-12 192753 by Ed Wells, on Flickr

 

[falcon409]

After a late night dinner at a local Italian restaurant, antipasti followed by lasagna, followed by gnocchi, followed by tiramisu, and several glasses of limoncello... I just had to fly an Italian aircraft for the next leg.

So it's noon and I'm in the air at Lansing, with a low pass at the request of the tower.
View attachment 178278

Oh I love that airplane, lol.

 

[Melo965]

Finally flying the first leg of the tour. Hope I won't be tail-end-charlie, the last one to join in.

Leg 1: Willow Run (KYIP) to W K Kellogg (KBTL)

Flying the Percival Mew Gull in MSFS 2020. Using Active Sky FS for weather and Little Navmap for navigation.


Ready to fly at Willow Run with full tanks.


Engine started and releasing brakes to taxi. Based on the wind direction it was a rather long taxi to Runway 14 for takeoff.


Lined up for takeoff on runway 14.


Climbing out and on the way.


More than half way there. Passing by Brooks (KRMY) off my left wingtip. I settled on about 1300 RPM for the engine to give me cruise speeds mostly in the green. Hand flying all the way but staying between 2000 and 3000 feet most of the time.


Getting close. Flying over Battle Creek.


Airport spotted ahead in the upper left.


On a long final for Runway 23R. 70 kts with full flaps.


Coming in at 65 kts. Runway is made so cutting throttle to idle. The Mew Gull still wanted to float a bit so at the next airport I will probably try to be at 60 kts on short final.


Parked at W K Kellogg (KBTL)

I flew 114 miles in 51 minutes. Average speed was 134 MPH. 94% fuel still on board.

The next flight is about 60 miles to South Bend (KSBN). And then on to Meigs Field in Chicago. (KCGX)

 

[K5083]

Back to P3D4 and another Golden Age Sims classic for the Wausau to Minneapolis leg, this time the Stinson S. This was a long leg in a slow plane, took the better part of 2 hours over pretty boring terrain. Luckily I could play a podcast in the background.

 

[lucb]

After a late night dinner at a local Italian restaurant, antipasti followed by lasagna, followed by gnocchi, followed by tiramisu, and several glasses of limoncello... I just had to fly an Italian aircraft for the next leg.

So it's noon and I'm in the air at Lansing, with a low pass at the request of the tower.
View attachment 178278

Italiaan design is always interesting and sometime… strange

 

[bosspecops]

A Stipa-Caproni! Who'd have thought it?

And is there a tiny bit of room in the Mew Gull Melo? I need a lift while they fix my Audax.............

I'm thinking I may do the same as others and use different air craft for each leg, as well as I can anyway, so I'm looking for something as bizarre as PhrogPhlyer's Stipa-Caproni now. Some chance!

 

[tao]

antipasti followed by lasagna, followed by gnocchi, followed by tiramisu, and several glasses of limoncello ...

Wow ... I'd have to carb-up to fly that thing too!

 

[PhrogPhlyer]

I'd have to carb-up to fly that thing too!

The limoncello helps too !

 

[Tako_Kichi]

We got another couple of legs in last night and had another plane swap too! This time we decided to try out the GAS Stinson Reliant Gullwings.



The runway was nice and wide so a lane each was in order.



Shortly after take-off the weather socked in again. At least I can still see the ground below me!



OH OH! I spoke too soon, all I can see if FOG!



We flew in that crap for what seemed like hours but it finally started to clear up, thankfully!



By the time we got to Little Rock the weather was beautiful and it was hard to believe what we had just flown through!

 

[Tako_Kichi]

Last night continued as I ran out of Kodak room!

We had another nice and wide runway and a lane each again for departure on the next leg.



There was a lot of extra water around this big bend on the Arkansas River.



As were traveled further the WX started to fog up again. I hope it doesn't get as bad as last time!



We passed another huge river bend, this time on the mighty Mississippi.



The fog had reduced visibility significantly as we were about to turn final for Memphis.



We got down safe parked up and got an unrequested visit from the fuel truck!



While we were there we had a poke around but apparently Elvis had already left the building!

 

[falcon409]

Departing KSBN for KIGQ, flying the Mew Gull!

Screenshot 2025-12-13 083832 by Ed Wells, on Flickr

Screenshot 2025-12-13 085347 by Ed Wells, on Flickr

Screenshot 2025-12-13 090933 by Ed Wells, on Flickr

 

[falcon409]

Next up. . . .KIGQ to KMWC in the Mew Gull. Interesting tid bit on the Gull, on final I lower the flaps and upon touch down the canopy opens.

Screenshot 2025-12-13 091627 by Ed Wells, on Flickr

Screenshot 2025-12-13 092502 by Ed Wells, on Flickr

Screenshot 2025-12-13 100250 by Ed Wells, on Flickr

Screenshot 2025-12-13 100758 by Ed Wells, on Flickr

 

[Melo965]

And is there a tiny bit of room in the Mew Gull Melo? I need a lift while they fix my Audax.............

I am afraid it would be very cramped. Best of luck with the Audax! Your Audax looks great by the way.

 

[jgf]

"Drove" my Waterman out of the hangar, and I'm in the air a few minutes after sunrise.

Thought I was the only one still flying that.

 

[PhrogPhlyer]

I obviously enjoyed the Italian feasting a bit too much, I forgot to post the South Bend to Lansing leg.
And of course Leg 3 was preceded by a wunderbar Abendesssen at a local German restaurant, filled myself on jaeger schnitzel, hefeweizen, topped with 3 or 4 schnaps. Of course after that meal I had to fly a German aircraft, this time a Junkers A50.

In the air once again, taking off from South Bend ID.


Another IFR (I Fly Roads) day. I fly North from the field along State Route 31. Finding Interstate I90 I head West.


Pine Lake and Stone Lake near La Porte.


Head South along Calumet Avenue.


Passing Clayhole lake on final to Rwy 27 Lansing Airport.

Now that I've got the legs sorted out... Shut down and time for another good road map review.
But first, some hot coffee to get my frozen blood pumping again.
Maybe I need to consider a closed cabin? We'll just have to see where I eat dinner tonight.

 

[Melo965]

Leg 2A: W K Kellogg (KBTL) to South Bend International (KSBN)

Flying the Percival Mew Gull in MSFS 2020. Using Active Sky FS for weather and Little Navmap for navigation.



Engine started. 94% fuel on board. I plan to keep flying on the same tank of gas and see how far around the Air Tour route i can get without refueling.


Before I started the engine, I yelled CLEAR PROP, but those two guys still did not back away. The start of my taxi was very carefully done!


Ready for takeoff on runway 31 after a short taxi.


Climbing out on the runway centerline.


Half way to South Bend. Looks like some rough weather ahead.


Weather deteriorating.


Much worse now. Down under 1,300 feet just to keep the ground in sight.

I decided to just do a touch and go at South Bend Intl. Headed to Meigs field in Chicago next.


Curved approach for my Touch and Go on Runway 27L. Just before this picture I crossed paths with a jetliner on final approach to the shorter 27R runway. He passed in front of me and slightly below my flight path. Happened too fast to take a picture.


Touched down smoothly, now retracting flaps and advancing throttle for the touch and go Takeoff.

The second part of my flight will be posted in the next message.

 

[Melo965]

Leg 2B: South Bend International (KSBN) to Meigs Field KCGX)


Climbed out from Runway 27L and headed for Lake Michigan.


Have the lake in sight, and the weather is improving.

Had an uneventful lake crossing, but as I was approaching the shoreline to get lined up for the landing at Meigs on Runway 36 I discovered that the Airspeed Indicator was frozen at 138 kts. Decreasing the throttle for approach did not move the needle at all. And there was not a control to turn on pitot heat in the simple cockpit as far as I could tell.


Here is the plane at full throttle (but still stuck at Airspeed of 138).


Here is the plane at minimal throttle. Check the AOA (Angle of Attack) indicator. (still stuck at Airspeed of 138).


Working the throttle to maintain sufficient airspeed on approach.


Safely down at Meigs Field.


Parked with the Chicago skyline behind me.

I will have to get the Mew Gull thouroughly checked before the next flight. Kit, I'm glad you did not hitch a ride. Would not want to put a friend in any danger!

Next stage is the very short hop south to Lansing Municipal (KIGQ), followed by a flight north to Lawrence J Timmerman (KMWC).

 

[K5083]

I was able to squeeze four stages in today.

From Minneapolis to Mason City, the coldest stage thus far, I stayed warm and cozy in the MSFS Fox Moth, borrowed from a Canadian friend. What a sweetheart.



The next stage to Des Moines was short, and made even shorter by the speed of the Wedell-Williams. It's many months since I last flew this lovely bit of freeware, but I took care and made one of my best landings in it. It's more honest than the Staggerwing!



Then for the Kansas City stage, one of the first but still one of my favorite add-ons for MSFS, the Fokker F.VIIb.



Then it was back to FS2004, which I finally got working on my recently built rig, for the trip to the western extremity of the tour at Wichita. The Howard DGA-15 is from the great Paul Clawson. I'm using the Golden Wings 3 addon for FS2004 and it is fun to fly in the sparse 1930s landscape. I will be doing more FS2004 flying before the tour is out, as I have many nice 20s-30s planes installed in this sim that are not available in anything newer.