DHC's Adventures?? In The Andes
- Thread starter DHC120
- Start date
Very nice story Charles,
Great job getting in and out of Ventilla unscaved...
I know that one well.
There's a windshear at the end of RW 12 caused by the downdraft (as opposed ridge lift) on the lee side of the hill that is facing the lake. It cost me 8 maintenance points and a lot of scrap metal and spare parts.
Dil
Very nice story Charles,
Great job getting in and out of Ventilla unscaved...
I know that one well.
There's a windshear at the end of RW 12 caused by the downdraft (as opposed ridge lift) on the lee side of the hill that is facing the lake. It cost me 8 maintenance points and a lot of scrap metal and spare parts.
Dil
Dil;
I'd bet that's what I got into (downdraft windshear). I crested the hill (after liftoff) then started dropping.. I thought I was in a stall, but the "Stall Light" never came on.. I treated it as a stall, nosed down to increase airspeed, but it took a while..
Glad to get out of there in one piece!..
Flight #16 SLLP-SLCB
Flight #16 SLLP-SLCB
Arrived SLCB.
Gross Weigh At Landing: 45637.9.
Fuel Used: 1311.8.
Distance: 128.5nm.
Flight Time: 00:40:43.
Max Altitude: 16,745'.
Payload: 10,000.
View attachment 44706View attachment 44707
Flight #16 SLLP-SLCB
Arrived SLCB.
Gross Weigh At Landing: 45637.9.
Fuel Used: 1311.8.
Distance: 128.5nm.
Flight Time: 00:40:43.
Max Altitude: 16,745'.
Payload: 10,000.
View attachment 44706View attachment 44707
Flight #17 (Back-To-Back) SLCB-SLSU
Departed SLCB.
Gross Weight: 45550.6.
Fuel: 4565.6.
Payload: 10,000.
Arrived SLSU.
Gross Weight: 44228.4.
Fuel Used: 1322.2.
Distance: 108.9nm.
Flight Time: 00:41:44.
Max Altitude: 15,477'.
Payload: 10,000.
Both Flights #16 & #17 were in fog/cloud cover "ten-tenths". Here I am, flying in the Andes and all the only mountains I see are those I have to climb over (or do a hard 90 degree bank to miss) in a hurry!!
Five To Go!!View attachment 44708View attachment 44709
Departed SLCB.
Gross Weight: 45550.6.
Fuel: 4565.6.
Payload: 10,000.
Arrived SLSU.
Gross Weight: 44228.4.
Fuel Used: 1322.2.
Distance: 108.9nm.
Flight Time: 00:41:44.
Max Altitude: 15,477'.
Payload: 10,000.
Both Flights #16 & #17 were in fog/cloud cover "ten-tenths". Here I am, flying in the Andes and all the only mountains I see are those I have to climb over (or do a hard 90 degree bank to miss) in a hurry!!
Five To Go!!View attachment 44708View attachment 44709
Flight #18 & #19 SLSU-SLPO-SCKP
Arrived SLPO.
Gross Weight: 46374.1
Fuel Used: 576.6
Distance: 40.1nm
Flight Time: 00:20:38.
Payload: 10,000.
Flight went smooth.. Took-off towards the northeast to do a circular 180 to hdg 220 to be able to climb up out of the "bowl" and gain enough altitude to land at SLPO. Landed fairly smooth, wasn't 100% lined-up, but got the C-87 down safely.
View attachment 44751View attachment 44752
Arrived SLPO.
Gross Weight: 46374.1
Fuel Used: 576.6
Distance: 40.1nm
Flight Time: 00:20:38.
Payload: 10,000.
Flight went smooth.. Took-off towards the northeast to do a circular 180 to hdg 220 to be able to climb up out of the "bowl" and gain enough altitude to land at SLPO. Landed fairly smooth, wasn't 100% lined-up, but got the C-87 down safely.
View attachment 44751View attachment 44752
Flight #19 SLPO-SCKP Con't
Did a quick "turn-around" at SLPO. With a 9000 foot runway, I knew I'd be short on airspeed, so I gave it 3/4 flaps, firewalled the throttles and rumbled down the runway.. Right at 100 mph, the C-87 lifted off the runway.. Not only has it never done this before, the climb rate was almost straight up and banking to the right.. Needless to say, the C-87 stalled.. I'm pushing the yoke thru the firewall.. this did not help a lot.. I raised the landing gear and the flaps up one notch (25%).. this brought the horizon back into view.. I changed to "external view" and the attitude of the plane was up and to the right at a 45 degree angle.. right wing tip was a few feet above dragging the ground and the rear gunner area tail section WAS dragging the ground.. This was a crash that didn't happen.. The airspeed was still only 100mph, but the plane sorta leveled out and I felt I had regained control.. Switching back to the Cockpit view, I noticed that I had taken off with the Autopilot ON! (I do not land with it on, I land by hand, so I don't know how the Sperry got switched "on"!)..
I flew my heading, thinking the worst was behind me.. about half-way into the flight, a line of clouds spawned in front of me.. These were "Creepy Clouds"! The farther I flew, the clouds just re-spawned the same distance away from me.. If I ascended, so did the clouds, if I descended, so did the clouds. Eventually this "line" of clouds completely encircled me, but I was in clear air.. I have "Real Weather" set, but you cannot convince me that this was real weather and not Micro$lop's cute little tricks. Also, while "among" these clouds, I was being hit with side winds that turned the plane 30-40 degrees, yet the wind indicator showed no "gusts"..
This continued until I turned onto an approach heading of 167 degrees heading into Coposa. While the "line of clouds" did not follow me, they did "bracket" me.. It was rather un-nerving.. Something Alfred Hitchcock would dream up for one of his movies..
Approach to SCKP started out good, then these side winds started slapping me around, by the time I approached the threshold I was totally out of shape and going too slow to recover with the slow responsive C-87.. Needless to say, I pancaked "on the numbers" in a huge ball of flames!!
Bottom Line.... Four Maintenance Points for a Crash.. Bummer!
Did a quick "turn-around" at SLPO. With a 9000 foot runway, I knew I'd be short on airspeed, so I gave it 3/4 flaps, firewalled the throttles and rumbled down the runway.. Right at 100 mph, the C-87 lifted off the runway.. Not only has it never done this before, the climb rate was almost straight up and banking to the right.. Needless to say, the C-87 stalled.. I'm pushing the yoke thru the firewall.. this did not help a lot.. I raised the landing gear and the flaps up one notch (25%).. this brought the horizon back into view.. I changed to "external view" and the attitude of the plane was up and to the right at a 45 degree angle.. right wing tip was a few feet above dragging the ground and the rear gunner area tail section WAS dragging the ground.. This was a crash that didn't happen.. The airspeed was still only 100mph, but the plane sorta leveled out and I felt I had regained control.. Switching back to the Cockpit view, I noticed that I had taken off with the Autopilot ON! (I do not land with it on, I land by hand, so I don't know how the Sperry got switched "on"!)..
I flew my heading, thinking the worst was behind me.. about half-way into the flight, a line of clouds spawned in front of me.. These were "Creepy Clouds"! The farther I flew, the clouds just re-spawned the same distance away from me.. If I ascended, so did the clouds, if I descended, so did the clouds. Eventually this "line" of clouds completely encircled me, but I was in clear air.. I have "Real Weather" set, but you cannot convince me that this was real weather and not Micro$lop's cute little tricks. Also, while "among" these clouds, I was being hit with side winds that turned the plane 30-40 degrees, yet the wind indicator showed no "gusts"..
This continued until I turned onto an approach heading of 167 degrees heading into Coposa. While the "line of clouds" did not follow me, they did "bracket" me.. It was rather un-nerving.. Something Alfred Hitchcock would dream up for one of his movies..
Approach to SCKP started out good, then these side winds started slapping me around, by the time I approached the threshold I was totally out of shape and going too slow to recover with the slow responsive C-87.. Needless to say, I pancaked "on the numbers" in a huge ball of flames!!
Bottom Line.... Four Maintenance Points for a Crash.. Bummer!
Arrrrgh!!!!! Autopilot active takeoff. I have been bitten by that more than once. I hate it when that happens. Great job recovering it. Then fighting your way all the way to the destination only to crash on the threshold.
Arrrrgh!!!
Yup.. a real bummer Oh well, What's Ya Gonna Do??
Flight #19b SLPO-SCKP Retry (refly?)
Arrived!! SCKP
Gross Weight: 44295.6.
Fuel Used: 2612.8.
Distance: 182.1nm.
Flight Time: 01:20:52.
Max Altitude: 16,988'
Not too long into this flight, I was "hit" with winds out of 327* at 35kts. I could go to the "12'o'clock High" position, looking straight down from above the C-87 and actually see the terrain features angling from southwest to southeast.. Had I a "degree grid", I could read the wind drift, but I did pretty good using the "wet finger out the window/seat of the pants method.
I had the "Creepy Clouds", again, on this leg.. A line of clouds spawn directly in front of, about 10-15 miles in front of me, but they STAYED at that distance, regenerating and getting larger and creating a "C" shape around me. At one point, when the clouds were only a third of a circle in front of me, I changed my heading to where there were no clouds at all.. It didn't take long for new clouds to generate in front of me. Stayed, and built larger, the closer I got to SCKP.
I was ziging & zaging around mountains to avoid climbing during my approach to SCKP, by this time the cloud "cover" was "nine-tenths", I turned to my approach heading (or where I thought my approach heading ought to be) and, lo & behold, a hole in the clouds just big enough to show the PAPI Lights appeared. I corrected my heading and, of course, the clouds closed in and the lights disappeared.. I held my line, continuing my descent and the clouds disappeared At this point I was to high so I did a Missed Approach and attempted to land at the other end of the airport.. Got turned around, runway in front of me, a few degrees off then it happened, I guess a helluva gust of wind all but turned that C-87 sideways! By the time I corrected, I'm not lined-up anymore and the threshold is even with the co-pilots window.. another "half go-around".. This time, in spite of the same wind gust trying to keep me from landing, I got the big bird on the ground.... and ultimately on the runway!
View attachment 44875View attachment 44876
Arrived!! SCKP
Gross Weight: 44295.6.
Fuel Used: 2612.8.
Distance: 182.1nm.
Flight Time: 01:20:52.
Max Altitude: 16,988'
Not too long into this flight, I was "hit" with winds out of 327* at 35kts. I could go to the "12'o'clock High" position, looking straight down from above the C-87 and actually see the terrain features angling from southwest to southeast.. Had I a "degree grid", I could read the wind drift, but I did pretty good using the "wet finger out the window/seat of the pants method.
I had the "Creepy Clouds", again, on this leg.. A line of clouds spawn directly in front of, about 10-15 miles in front of me, but they STAYED at that distance, regenerating and getting larger and creating a "C" shape around me. At one point, when the clouds were only a third of a circle in front of me, I changed my heading to where there were no clouds at all.. It didn't take long for new clouds to generate in front of me. Stayed, and built larger, the closer I got to SCKP.
I was ziging & zaging around mountains to avoid climbing during my approach to SCKP, by this time the cloud "cover" was "nine-tenths", I turned to my approach heading (or where I thought my approach heading ought to be) and, lo & behold, a hole in the clouds just big enough to show the PAPI Lights appeared. I corrected my heading and, of course, the clouds closed in and the lights disappeared.. I held my line, continuing my descent and the clouds disappeared At this point I was to high so I did a Missed Approach and attempted to land at the other end of the airport.. Got turned around, runway in front of me, a few degrees off then it happened, I guess a helluva gust of wind all but turned that C-87 sideways! By the time I corrected, I'm not lined-up anymore and the threshold is even with the co-pilots window.. another "half go-around".. This time, in spite of the same wind gust trying to keep me from landing, I got the big bird on the ground.... and ultimately on the runway!
View attachment 44875View attachment 44876
Flight #20 SCKP-SCDA
Departing SCKP.
Gross Weight: 45484.
Fuel: 4499.4.
Payload: 10,000.
Why is it, when "loading" the real-time weather, it's always Clear, little to no wind and vis is ten miles.. Then, thirty seconds after take-off, you are in pea soup?? That's happened on nearly every flight! Oh well, that's why we get the Big Bucks.... We are getting "Big Bucks", aren't we??
Departing SCKP.
Gross Weight: 45484.
Fuel: 4499.4.
Payload: 10,000.
Why is it, when "loading" the real-time weather, it's always Clear, little to no wind and vis is ten miles.. Then, thirty seconds after take-off, you are in pea soup?? That's happened on nearly every flight! Oh well, that's why we get the Big Bucks.... We are getting "Big Bucks", aren't we??
Flight #20 SCKP-SCDA
Arrived!! SCDA.
Gross Weight: 44084.3.
Fuel Used: 1368.6.
Distance: 85.5nm.
Flight Time: 00:42:22.
Max Altitude: 16,505.
Payload: 10,000.
View attachment 45046View attachment 45047
Arrived!! SCDA.
Gross Weight: 44084.3.
Fuel Used: 1368.6.
Distance: 85.5nm.
Flight Time: 00:42:22.
Max Altitude: 16,505.
Payload: 10,000.
View attachment 45046View attachment 45047
Flight #21 SCDA-SCCF
Arrived!! SCCF.
Gross Weight: 42341.8.
Fuel Used: 1651.2.
Distance: 138.5nm.
Flight Time: 00.52.58.
Max Altitude: 10,078'.
Payload: 10,000.
View attachment 45053View attachment 45054
Just as I was beginning my take-off roll, as if magically, appeared "that" Learjet that has been bird-dogging me on these flights.. He wasn't "on" the airport as I lined-up for take-ff.. That's what makes is so weird.. After I took off, the Learjet took off right behind me.. He "paced" my heading and altitude as I headed almost due south, then the Learjet banked to about 090 degree, went over the mountain and disappeared from view. I fully expected to see this plane enroute to El Loa.. but Nada..View attachment 45056View attachment 45057
Second screenshot shows the first time I've seen "ground" during these flights! There has always been ground fog or heavy cloud cover.. and I get to see a flat desert.. Just my luck!
One to Go.. So, cool down the drinks and warm up the wimmin'!! I'll be heading to Salta soon..
Arrived!! SCCF.
Gross Weight: 42341.8.
Fuel Used: 1651.2.
Distance: 138.5nm.
Flight Time: 00.52.58.
Max Altitude: 10,078'.
Payload: 10,000.
View attachment 45053View attachment 45054
Just as I was beginning my take-off roll, as if magically, appeared "that" Learjet that has been bird-dogging me on these flights.. He wasn't "on" the airport as I lined-up for take-ff.. That's what makes is so weird.. After I took off, the Learjet took off right behind me.. He "paced" my heading and altitude as I headed almost due south, then the Learjet banked to about 090 degree, went over the mountain and disappeared from view. I fully expected to see this plane enroute to El Loa.. but Nada..View attachment 45056View attachment 45057
Second screenshot shows the first time I've seen "ground" during these flights! There has always been ground fog or heavy cloud cover.. and I get to see a flat desert.. Just my luck!
One to Go.. So, cool down the drinks and warm up the wimmin'!! I'll be heading to Salta soon..
Final Flight! SCCF-SASA
Stick A Fork In It, It's Done!!
Arrived: SASA Salta.
Gross Weight: 44110.9.
Fuel Used: 2850.6.
Distance: 235.9nm (I flew thru a lot of valleys trying to avoid 17,500')
Max Altitude: 17,523' (I didn't miss that one!)
Flight Time: 01:24:05..
In spite of some "issues" on my end (still don't know what caused the glitch),
I had a ball flying this event.. It would have been nicer if MicroSlop FS had not kept
interfering with the "Real Weather".. Jepperson said "Clear", I'm flying in ground fog and pea soup at altitude.. Would have been neat to "see" the Andes, even from a Flight Simulator.. Oh well.
A round of drinks on me!!
Stick A Fork In It, It's Done!!
Arrived: SASA Salta.
Gross Weight: 44110.9.
Fuel Used: 2850.6.
Distance: 235.9nm (I flew thru a lot of valleys trying to avoid 17,500')
Max Altitude: 17,523' (I didn't miss that one!)
Flight Time: 01:24:05..
In spite of some "issues" on my end (still don't know what caused the glitch),
I had a ball flying this event.. It would have been nicer if MicroSlop FS had not kept
interfering with the "Real Weather".. Jepperson said "Clear", I'm flying in ground fog and pea soup at altitude.. Would have been neat to "see" the Andes, even from a Flight Simulator.. Oh well.
A round of drinks on me!!