**The OFFICIAL All Sims Air Tour Thread**

[falcon409]

ScottishMike1, I had never seen the Percival Gull 6 before but I liked what I saw in your travel log and so my next flight from KRIC to KFDK will be in the Percival. For now, Still in The Stinson for yet another leg.

KFFA to KRIC-2026-jan-8-001 by Ed Wells, on Flickr

KFFA to KRIC-2026-jan-8-002 by Ed Wells, on Flickr

KFFA to KRIC-2026-jan-8-006 by Ed Wells, on Flickr

KFFA to KRIC-2026-jan-8-007 by Ed Wells, on Flickr

 

[falcon409]

. . . . .and now the Percival D3 Gull Six, thanks to ScottishMike1 for showing his in a previous Pirep.

KFFA to KRIC-2026-jan-8-008 by Ed Wells, on Flickr

KFFA to KRIC-2026-jan-8-009 by Ed Wells, on Flickr

KFFA to KRIC-2026-jan-8-010 by Ed Wells, on Flickr

KFFA to KRIC-2026-jan-8-012 by Ed Wells, on Flickr

KFFA to KRIC-2026-jan-8-013 by Ed Wells, on Flickr

Three (3) more legs to go!!

 

[MAD1]

ScottishMike/ScottishMike1(ZappaBaci), glad you're here finally. And nice to have some female, classy presence within the gaggle via Suzanne. We'll enjoy your stories I'm sure.

(For the SOH readers who aren't members of Club Chachapoya, and it's history, the history is interesting and engaging if you're into that sort of thing. It was ScottishMike who introduced the name to us of what we came to learn was a great, old, cereal 'Squits Porridge Oats'. It's a good, traditional Scottish breakfast food (i.e. 'oatmeal' in US parlance), and purveyed since the 1800s by an esteemed Scottish family company, the Squits family, who became wealthy from the product, so that nowadays as a world-wide consortium, they're able to be philanthropic and fund the 'Squits Foundation'.

Part of their wealth is invested in purchasing and operating a Concorde (as part of the Foundation). Yours truly, MAD1, has been lucky enough to ingratiate myself into the Foundation ranks and allowed to occasionally be the copilot (First Officer) on some Concorde flights. Currently the Concorde is parked at Detroit International, from where I, MAD1, flew from KYIP a hired Cessna 152 on the first leg. I drove back to Detroit and rejoined the Concorde entourage (which generally includes some Squits family members) and we're planning to take the Concorde to Richmond, Virginia soon.)

 

[MAD1]

Gaggle Sitrep. Route maps 1, 2. (Dates are approximate, either the flight date or report date or close to. Leg number is now within the airport list.)
KYIP1>KBTL2>KSBN3>KCGX)>KIGQ4>KMWC5>KAUW6>KANE7>KMCW8>KDSM9>KMKC10>KAAO11>KTUL12>KFTW13>KDTN14>KLIT15>
KMEM16>KEKY17>KFFC18>KGMU19>KINT20>W0321>KMQI22>KFFA23>KRIC24>KFDK25>KAGC26>KGDK(I19)27>KYIP
Thu Dec 4 scotsman KYIP>KBTL
Thu Dec 4 tao KYIP>KBTL>KSBN>KIGQ>KMWC>KAUW>KANE
Thu Dec 4 lucb KYIP>KBTL>KSBN
Fri Dec 5 SH427 KYIP>KBTL>KSBN>KIGQ>KMWC>KAUW
Sun Dec 7 Tako_Kichi KYIP>KBTL>KSBN>KIGQ>KMWC
Mon Dec 8 Tako_Kichi KMWC>KAUW>KANE
Tue Dec 9 tao KANE>KMCW>KDSM>KMKC>KAAO>KTUL
Tue Dec 9 K5083 KYIP>KBTL
Wed Dec 10 K5083 KBTL>KSBN>KIGQ
Thu Dec 10 PhrogPhyler KYIP>KBTL
Thu Dec 11 lucb KSBN>KIGQ>KMWC
Thu Dec 11 Tako_Kichi KANE>KMCW>KDSM>KMKC
Thu Dec 11 PhrogPhyler KBTL>KSBN
Fri Dec 12 Tako_Kichi KMKC>KAAO>KTUL
Fri Dec 12 bosspecops KYIP>KBTL
Fri Dec 12 srgalahad KTUL>KFTW
Fri Dec 12 K5083 KIGQ>KMWC>KAUW
Sat Dec 13 Tako_Kichi KTUL>KFTW
Sat Dec 13 falcon409 KYIP>KBTL>KSBN
Sat Dec 13 (& Sun Dec 14) PhrogPhyler KSBN>KIGQ>KMWC
Sat Dec 13 Melo965 KYIP>KBTL
Sat Dec 13 K5083 KAUW>KANE
Sat Dec 13 Tako_Kichi KFTW>KDTN>KLIT>KMEM
Sun Dec 14 falcon409 KSBN>KIGQ>KMWC
Sun Dec 14 Meo965 KBTL>KSBN>(KCGX)
Sun Dec 14 K5083 KANE>KMCW>KDSM>KMKC
Mon Dec 15 falcon409 KMWC>KAUW>KANE
Mon Dec 15 K5083 KAAO>KTUL
Mon Dec 15 Tako_Kichi KMEM>KEKY>KFFC
Mon Dec 15 PhrogPhlyer KMWC>KAUW
Mon Dec 15 K5083 KTUL>KFTW
Mon Dec 15 falcon409 KANE>KMCW>KDSM
Mon Dec 15 bosspecops KBTL>KSBN
Tue Dec 16 tao KTUL>KFTW>KDTN>KLIT
Tue Dec 16 Melo965 KCGX>KIGQ>KMWC
Tue Dec 16 bosspecops KSBN>KIGQ>KMWC
Tue Dec 16 lucb KMWC>KAUW>KANE
Tue Dec 16 K5083 KFTW>KDTN
Wed Dec 17 Tako_Kichi KFFC>KGMU
Wed Dec 17 Melo965 KCGX>KIGQ>KMWC
Thu Dec 18 Tako Kichi KGMU>KINT>W03>KMQI>KFFA>KRIC
Thu Dec 18 Melo965 KMWC>KAUW
Thu Dec 18 K5083 KDTN>KLIT
Sat Dec 20 bosspecops KMWC>KAUW>KANE
Sat Dec 20 K5083 KLIT>KMEM>KEKY
Sun Dec 21 bosspecops KANE>before KMCW
Sun Dec 21 Tako_Kichi KRIC>KFDK
Sun Dec 21 K5083 KEKY>KFFC
Mon Dec 22 bosspecops before KMCW>KMCW
Tue Dec 23 bosspecops KMCW>KDSM
Wed Dec 24 lucb KANE>KMCW>KDSM
Thu Dec 25 Tako_Kichi KFDK>KAGC
Thu Dec 25 Tako_Kichi KAGC>KGDK(I19) (flown Wed Dec 24)
Fri Dec 26 jgf KYIP>KBTL>KSBN
Fri Dec 26 (flight date) Tako_Kichi KGDK(I19)>KYIP. Entire route completed! Congrats!
Sun Dec 28 MAD1 KYIP>KBTL
Mon Dec 29 bosspecops KDSM>KMKC
Thu Jan 1 tao KLIT>KMEM>KEKY>KFFC>KGMU>KINT
Thu Jan 1 Melo965 KAUW6>KANE
Fri Jan 2 falcon409 KDSM9>KMKC10>KAAO11>KTUL12>KFTW
Fri Jan 2 jgf KSBN3>(KCGX)>KIGQ4>KMWC
Fri Jan 2 Melo965 KANE7>KMCW
Sat Jan 3 bosspecops KMKC10>KAAO
Sat Jan 3 falcon409 KFTW13>KDTN
Sun Jan 4 falcon409 KDTN14>KLIT15>KMEM
Sun Jan 4 bosspecops KAAO11>KTUL
Sun Jan 4 Melo965 KMCW8>KDSM
Mon Jan 5 falcon409 KMEM16>KEKY
Tue Jan 6 falcon409 KEKY17>KFFC
Tue Jan 6 bosspecops KTUL12>KFTW13>KDTN14>KLIT
Tue Jan 6 jgf KMWC5>KAUW
Tue Jan 6 lucb KDSM9>KMKC10>KAAO
Wed Jan 7 ScottishMike1 KYIP1>KBTL
Wed Jan 7 falcon409 KFFC18>KGMU19>KINT
Thu Jan 8 falcon409 KINT20>W0321>KMQI22>KFFA
Thu Jan 8 K5083 KFFC18>KGMU19>KINT20
Thu Jan 8 ScottishMike1 KBTL2>KSBN3>(KCGX)
Fri Jan 19 bosspecops KLIT15>KMEM
Fri Jan 19 Melo965 KDSM9>KMKC
Fri Jan 19 falcon409 KFFA23>KRIC24>KFDK

 

[MAD1]

Sat Jan 3 jgf said “This is one of my favorites, a plane so slow and lumbering pelicans fly by and laugh. It takes off at 70 kts, climbs at 70 kts, cruises at 70 kts, descends at 70 kts, and lands at 70 kts; takes 20 miles and 20 minutes to make a U-turn.” What aircraft is that please, you didn't identify it? And it looks like each engine pod has a place for a mechanic, is that so?

 

[Melo965]

Nice to see the Mew Gull parked along with all the modern stuff Melo.

A few guys came over to have a look at my vintage machine!

 

[jgf]

Sat Jan 3 jgf said “This is one of my favorites, a plane so slow and lumbering pelicans fly by and laugh. It takes off at 70 kts, climbs at 70 kts, cruises at 70 kts, descends at 70 kts, and lands at 70 kts; takes 20 miles and 20 minutes to make a U-turn.” What aircraft is that please, you didn't identify it? And it looks like each engine pod has a place for a mechanic, is that so?

That is the Staaken R.VI, one of the largest aircraft of WWI. Powered by four Daimler V12 engines, two in each nacelle, one tractor, one pusher. And yes, there was a mechanic in each nacelle between the engines; he was stuck in that little space with no windscreen, only the engines for heat, and only the upper wing as a "roof", during missions that could last 12-15 hours, usually at night. Ground handling was abysmal, so twenty men would get behind each wing and push the aircraft around the field ...in mud, slush, heat; I've seen photos of a horse team on harness to the main landing gear, and a man with a small cart with a long handle in which they would place the tail skid, he would steer as the horses pulled the aircraft around. None of these planes survive, there is a complete engine nacelle in one museum, and a couple of replicas hang in other museums. (In the "Things that make you go ooooh" thread I posted a couple of shots of an RC model Staaken with a thirty foot wingspan.)

 

[jgf]

Another hour over flat, featureless, snow covered farmland; saw a few other planes this time, though the route only took me near a couple of airports. Warming up at KAUW while a Piper waits impatiently



Was halfway along before sighting anything but farms. Boyceville Municiple, 3T3, off to the side; owned by the village of Boyceville, pop. 1100, it has one 3300ft runway, but averages around 30 flights per day. About fifty miles to go.



Twenty miles farther I pass over KRNH, New Richmond Regional Airport; opened in 1964, it is the largest public airport in Wisconsin, the only one in that county, and the only one in the state solely funded by lease fees (over 240 aircraft, including six military, are based there) and hangar taxes. A seaplane ramp was added to Lake Hatfield in 2025.



Destination ahead, KANE, Anoka County–Blaine Airport, aka Janes Field, ten miles north of Minneapolis. The tower is only active during the day, though there are around 70,000 operations per year, and over 300 aircraft are based there.



Gusty crosswinds made landing ...interesting.


147 miles in 80 minutes. Damn headwinds.

 

[lucb]

Leg11 KAAO (Colonel James Jabara Airport Wichita) - KTUL (Tulsa International)
After taking a little rest in Wichita, it's time to get back in the air. Wichita is a city with no shortage of attractions. We recommend visiting the Kansas Air Museum. It is located in a former airport and has an incredible collection of documents on air transport. And also a nice photo of Charles Lindberg, so we left them a photo of our Mohawk.


For once, the weather was excellent: ceiling at 12,000 feet, 12°C. After take-off, we reached our ceiling of 4,000 feet for an uneventful flight with just a few slight bumps.


Upon arrival at Tulsa International, one quickly realises that the airport is enormous.


After landing, we had several minutes of taxiing to do, and after a few minutes, we had the impression that we were being followed by a very hurried aeroplane. Unfortunately for it, you can't taxi an old-timer like a jet. The way he followed us quickly annoyed Amy "I hope we get to the toilet and the cafeteria well before these people, otherwise I feel like they're going to push everyone aside to get there first." I couldn't help smiling as I imagined little Amy blocking their way to stop them. Fortunately, after the taxi incident, we didn't see them again.


Given the excellent weather, we decided to limit our stopover to the time needed for a toilet break and to grab a few sandwiches to eat during the flight.

Leg12 KTUL - KFTW (Fort Worth Meacham International Airport)


It was a wise decision because we soon encountered strong headwinds that reduced our cruising speed by 10 knots and a large cloud front blocking our path.


Fortunately, visibility remained good enough to keep the US69 and the railway line in sight, which served as our guide to Fort Worth.


Unfortunately, as we approached our destination, it started to rain. However, the approach and landing were uneventful, although the heavy traffic required great vigilance.



Flying time: 3h46

to be continued...

 

[Melo965]

Leg 9.5: Charles B. Wheeler Downtown airport (KMKC) to Emporia Municipal (KEMP)

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


Ready to start the engine on the ramp at KMKC. Parked near some very modern business jets. 30% fuel on board. Looks like another good day to be flying.


Lined up for takeoff on runway 19.


On the way. See the airport and Kansas City Missouri behind me.


Flying over a typical landscape below. Forests and fields and sparsely populated territory.

Most of my flight was at about 2,500 feet altitude. At one point I did climb to see how low the bottom of the overcast layer was. When I got to 5,000 feet it got a bit more difficult to see the ground below. Descended back down to 2,500 feet.


Over part of Melvern lake in the Melvern Recreation area.

There has been a steady almost 20 knot headwind on this flight most of the time. At this point I was more than half way to the destination, but there was a RW appointment soon. Looking around for a good alternate place to land I spotted Emporia Municipal (KEMP) on my charts. A smaller airport with a narrow runway, but it looked Ok.


I swung further West over the town of Emporia Kansas to get lined up for a landing on runway 19.


Airport in sight ahead.


On final for runway 19.


Landed safely on the narrow runway a bit left of center.


Parked on the ramp with other small aircraft. 24% fuel on board. Only 60 more miles to get to Colonel James Jabara Airport (KAAO). I should still make it to Wichita with about 20% fuel remaining.

I did look up Colonel James Jabara and he flew in WWII, Korea, and even one mission in Vietnam. He was the first USA Jet Ace in Korea.

I'm glad I stopped here at Emporia Municipal, as it would have been bad to overstress my engine and try to rush to Wichita.

 

[falcon409]

The last few hops will be done in MSFS but it was nice to fly FSX and P3D for a while. So it's on to Allegheny County (KAGC) in the PBY.

Screenshot 2026-01-09 111358 by Ed Wells, on Flickr

Screenshot 2026-01-09 113708 by Ed Wells, on Flickr

Screenshot 2026-01-09 113817 by Ed Wells, on Flickr

Screenshot 2026-01-09 114424 by Ed Wells, on Flickr

Flying down the Monongahela River on approach to the airport!
Screenshot 2026-01-09 120355 by Ed Wells, on Flickr

Screenshot 2026-01-09 120846 by Ed Wells, on Flickr

 

[falcon409]

Onward to Greene County (I19) in the Comet. Nice airplane but my throttle doesn't seem to have an "idle" setting. I've calibrated it several times over the tour yet it insists on "surging" when I pull it back to idle, which caused one ground loop as I was taxiing off the runway.

Screenshot 2026-01-09 134336 by Ed Wells, on Flickr

Screenshot 2026-01-09 134824 by Ed Wells, on Flickr

Screenshot 2026-01-09 135132 by Ed Wells, on Flickr

My passenger. . .no sense of humor and not much of a conversationalist. . . .mostly there for ballast!
Screenshot 2026-01-09 135510 by Ed Wells, on Flickr

Screenshot 2026-01-09 150804 by Ed Wells, on Flickr

Screenshot 2026-01-09 151147 by Ed Wells, on Flickr

 

[ScottishMike1]

Meigs to (KMWC) Timmerman

Friday 9th. January (FS9/2004)

The plan was: Take off Meigs 10:00 am
Touch and go at Timmerman (KMWC) then another touch and go at Wausau (KAUW) and full stop in Minneapolis (KANE) relax and overnight.

The reality was: Last night Callum and Suzanne decided to go to town and find a Blues Brothers Bar. By all accounts they found more than one. This morning they both looked and sounded frayed at the edges. It was 10:51 by the time we made our way to Meigs and we had a new aircraft to contend with:


A British Klemm Eagle. Manufactured in the United Kingdom during the 1930s. It was a three-seat built by the "British Klemm Aeroplane Company" (which later became the British Aircraft Manufacturing Co.) Production was limited, to 43 aircraft.
A bit of an odd-ball, no flaps but manual retractable undercarriage. It had been fitted with functioning radio and navs.
Neither Callum nor Suzanne in a state to be pilot in command, so it was up to me.


I powered up and after talking to ATC (I never thought I would consider talking to ATC a delight) taxied to hold at rwy 36.


Performance from the Gypsy Major engine best described as sedate as we climbed away from Chicago:


Well, we had gone from a Falcon to a Gull and now an Eagle; names obviously deceiving. The met forecast had strong westerlies 290 to 250 degrees 33 to 50 knots and overcast above 2000’ with 25 Km visibility. Not easy conditions but just about manageable.


We crabbed our way north following the shore of the lake at 3000’. We soon ran into the overcast complete with snow.


I decided to climb up above the overcast, it cleared at 3500’.
We were on a heading 330 for Timmerman. A gap in the cloud gave us a glimpse of Batten airport.
The chorus from behind was a rendition of: “What made Milwaukee famous, made a fool out of me.”
How right they were!


We commenced our descent through the cloud and once again the radio proved it’s worth as the tower directed us to a straight in approach for rwy 33L. Advising wind was 310 at 15 knots.



The plan was to do a touch and go. Final was difficult and the landing worse. The Eagle had a habit of loosing speed easily and even though it had a very slow stall speed (around 45kts) I got nervous as the airspeed dropped to 50kts putting on power and getting above the glide slope. We ballooned our way down, not helped by calls of:

“Coffee”
“Toilet”
“Coffee”
“Need a pee!”

From the human baggage in the rear.


We came to a stop, still on the tarmac and with all three wheels still attached to the airframe.
I decided to stuff the touch and go and taxied to a full stop on the apron. I was left to do the shut down procedure on my own, my passengers out and running for the nearest toilet.

A picture of the real thing:

 

[falcon409]

Heading back north on the final leg, to where this all began. . .Willow Run (KYIP). I'm splurging this last leg and taking the Beech 18.

Screenshot 2026-01-09 153437 by Ed Wells, on Flickr

Screenshot 2026-01-09 153656 by Ed Wells, on Flickr

Screenshot 2026-01-09 181347 by Ed Wells, on Flickr

Screenshot 2026-01-09 183818 by Ed Wells, on Flickr

Screenshot 2026-01-09 184030 by Ed Wells, on Flickr

Screenshot 2026-01-09 184449 by Ed Wells, on Flickr

Many thanks to "ViperPilot2" for putting this tour together and giving us a chance to fly to many areas we might not otherwise have visited. Great Fun!! Kudo's also to all the pilots who have taken up the challenge and joined in the adventure. Bravo All!!
.

 

[tao]

I found another singleton of an aircraft type, the Vega Model 2 Starliner.

Be careful boss ... this prototype had anything but a stellar reputation ...

'The prototype was first flown by Harry Downs at Plant B-1 in Burbank, California on 22 April 1939, making an emergency landing when the propeller entered fine-pitch. Flight testing continued after repairs, but another forced landing occurred after the undercarriage failed to extend. Repaired again, the Starliner completed its flight test program, before the aircraft was sold to a movie studio for use as a non-flying prop.'

 

[lucb]

Screenshot 2026-01-09 135132 by Ed Wells, on Flickr

as a Belgian, “Reine Astrid” is my preferred Comet.

 

[Melo965]

Leg 10: Emporia Municipal (KEMP) to Colonel James Jabara Airport (KAAO)

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


Ready to start the engine on the ramp at KEMP. I already told that fuel truck that I did not need any more fuel. 24% fuel on board.


Lined up for takeoff on runway 01.


On the way. You can barely see the airport behind me in these conditions.


Staying low enough to keep the ground in sight in this murk. Just over 2000 feet. And fairly turbulent as well.


Glad to break out into better weather. Continued on with similar weather so the rest of the flight was more relaxing.


Airport in sight ahead. Based on wind direction, I turned left to get on the downwind leg for runway 36.


Base leg for runway 36.


Using the taildragger curved approach as I often do in my Spitfire!


Over the numbers on 36. An easy landing this time.


Parked on the quiet ramp. Even here the weather is not wonderful, so not many others flying today. Finished with 20% fuel on board so my earlier estimate was good.

Next stop is Tulsa International (KTUL). 113 Nautical miles away so still no need to refuel. I will for sure top up in Tulsa though.

 

[ScottishMike1]

(KMWC) Timmerman TO (KAUW) Wausau TO (KANE) Anoka Minneapolis.
10th. January
FS9/2004

None of us had much appetite to brave the bad weather further in the Eagle. Callum and Suzanne headed off into Milwaukee to nurse their hangovers and find us a decent hotel.
I wandered into the FBO to see what craft might be available for hire for the next two legs.
A Grumman Widgeon would be available tomorrow. I booked it.

Saturday the 10th. and Suzanne was happy to fly the Widgeon.
Pay load was smaller than expected, with the three of us and baggage we could only fill the tanks with just over 70% fuel, however it’s range was meant to be around 800 n.m. full tanks, so 70% equated to some 560 n.m. more than enough to cover the 310n.m. we had calculated for the two legs.

The guy hiring the Widgeon gave Suzanne an hour of familiarisation and this machine needed it. It was obviously designed as a water baby, taxiing on land it waddled, rather like the duck it was named after, taxiway turns limited to 8 knots or she could keel over. Good brakes, but even moderate braking causing a ground loop. Take-off also idiosyncratic, no flaps or pull back, just full power and she lifted off the ground of her own accord. Any flap or pull on the stick caused her to stick to the runway as if weighed down with lead shot.

Ready to go we waved goodbye:


Timmerman was IFR only, so we had filed a basic IFR flight plan.
We were cleared to 15L:


Full power and she lifted into the air with ease. In the air the Grumman a delight to fly. A sweeping turn brought us onto the 330 degree heading for Wausau.
Despite the IFR stipulation conditions were not too bad, we had a tail wind 186 degrees at 14 Kts.


Cruising at 3500’ with the tail wind we were slipping along at a ground speed of 153 kts and were soon over Oshkosh. Had we more time and better weather it would have been interesting to land and have a look round.


Soon we were approaching (KAUW) Wausau, the wind was changing direction like a Dervish, first 320 then 280 then 230 between 9 kts and 26 kts. The tower only giving automated weather. Suzie decided on Rwy 300 for our touch and go:


Nicely done, touch:


and go:


We climbed away turning onto a 270 heading for Minneapolis:


Visibility had improved a lot but the wind now a strong 240 to 280 head wind of 17 to 26 knots.
The worry now: Fuel consumption, according to gauges we were consuming 16.5 gallons per hour per engine giving us an endurance of just over one hour. We should make it but only just.
Suzie reduced RPM from 2400 to 2100, according to the gauge this increased our endurance to 1hr. And 15 mins.
Head wind was not decreasing. I got the map out to plan diversion airports if we were going to be forced to refuel somewhere.

“I think we’ll make it guys” Suzie said with confidence. It was still squeaky bottom time.
The fuel gauges were hovering around 0 as we turned to final:


She brought her in nicely:


And we taxied to parking very slowly, we did not want to kill this duck in the taxi.
We powered down with 9 gallons left between both tanks. Time 12:37 local.

 

[ViperPilot2]

@ScottishMike1 Ahhh... Joe Binka's Widgeon! Very nice!

 

[K5083]

You guys continue to impress with what you are pulling out from what for me would be the back of the hangar for this trip. I am running out of legs to try out some of the ideas you are giving me.

For now, still in tribute mode for some of the planes I saw and learned about on my France trip last month. The Restauravia Caudron C.460 got me to W03, a rather odd stop in being not near any town of consequence, but I guess a good rest stop between Winston-Salem and the coast.



The airplane is brilliant. We don't talk enough about the great job the Restauravia guys have done, and continue to do, bringing us these classics for free.



Next leg to the North Carolina coast was to be in another Restauravia product, the Breguet XIV. It is a shame that there are only 2 or 3 of these left. It may be no thing of beauty, but the XIV was innovative, long-lived, and very successful, pretty certainly the best single-engined bomber of WWI. I need to build a model of one of these soon. Restauravia's P3D implementation was to their usual high standard.



At B.XIV speeds, that leg was a long haul, to be honest. But it was followed by the shortest leg of the trip, the little hop to Kitty Hawk. For this short flight, the choice was easy. While in Paris last week I checked a big box on my airplane life list by dropping in on THE channel crossing Bleriot, preserved at a relatively little-visited technology design museum on the east side of town.



Surely only the Wright Flyer could be a more important airplane. The Wing42 Bleriot for MSFS pretty closely resembles the aircraft as preserved; maybe a little too closely in coloration, as I believe the plane was more of a pale linen color in 1909 and has only aged to this chocolate brown over the decades. Well, whatever. The color made it easy to pretend to have pulled the ancient artifact out of the museum for the occasion. I don't have a lot of time in this aircraft, and it is a handful through probably still easier to fly than it should be. Thoroughly enjoyable, anyway. I put it down on the Wrights' original flight track rather than on the KFFA runway.



The legs get longer from here, and I didn't fancy doing the next 120 nm in one go, so I decided to split it by making a stop at the Military Aviation Museum in Virginia Beech, 42VA. First half was in the MSFS version of the Breguet XIV. This is just about a straight port-over of the P3D plane, but that isn't such a bad thing.




The second part was going to take me over the Norfolk shipyards, so I decided it was time to switch to something US Navy to show the flag a little. Back to P3D5 and Jerry loaned me his N3N for the trip. This was my first flight in the Golden Age N3N as I had not gotten around to buying this particular release before the recent freeware release. The weather was closing in, but I scud-ran to Richmond without incident.



Four legs to go! Looks like I might make it!