**The OFFICIAL All Sims Air Tour Thread**

[MAD1]

Ah, so there are TWO Kansas Cities?

Trust the US to do something like that, over here Oxford is my home town (Actually it really IS a city....) but in the US there are FIVE of them!

Funny thing twin-towns. Watched an Aussie TV show about how our country's election system works, reporter compared it with USA and visited there, inteviewing a local Mayor, in a town in Virginia I think it is, where one side of the street is in a different state, other side is in another state, state border runs down the centre of the street. Town has same name either side of the street. We have a few twin-towns also, nearby me is Coolangatta (QLD) - Tweed Heads (NSW), state border runs down the centre of the street. On the northern side is QLD, cross the street to southern side into NSW and time is 1 hour ahead due to daylight saving! Can trip people up going from here, NSW, to YCBG Coolangatta Airport (Gold Coast Airport, QLD), which has the southern end of the runway actually crossing into NSW. Have to remember they're 1 hr behind during summer. (YCBG was on the Australian Adventure route in 2024.)

 

[Melo965]

Leg 6: Wausau Downtown (KAUW) to Anoka County-Blaine (Janes Field) Airport (KANE)

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


Engine started. 67% fuel on board. In a real world aircraft I would be sitting still today and waiting it out with these weather conditions. But here in the simulator I am in last place at this point, so I decided to fly today anyway. What could possibly go wrong.


Parked next to a twin engine commuter. Ready to taxi. Now if I can just see where to go to get to the runway. Luckily there probably won't be any other aircraft fool enough to taxi in these conditions.


Made it to Runway 31 without incident. Lined up for takeoff on 31. This Mew Gull is not the best at ground handling. The aircraft easily goes left, but does not want to go right well on the ground, even with proper rudder input. So I purposely lined up right of centerline before takeoff.


Climbing out and on the way. You can barely see the outline of the runway behind and below me. I used SHIFT-H and turned on pitot heat right away.


Staying low (under 2000 feet) to keep the terrain in sight. Following the road on the left made my navigation a bit easier for a while.


In this picture I saw a sliver of blue sky up ahead and I was hopeful for a bit, but the better weather never materialized. All of my en route pictures were pretty dreary.


Finally have Anoka County-Blaine Airport in sight. For most of the flight I had a left quartering mild headwind. But in this case there was no wind at takeoff, and also no wind on approach to KANE. That made my decision easy about which runway to use.


Heading straight in for a landing on Runway 27.


Snapped this picture about 1 second before touchdown on runway 27. Check my AOA indicator.


Engine shut down. Parked next to another commuter aircraft. 55% fuel on board now.

I am really looking forward to the next leg of the journey to Mason City (KMCW) because it will be straight South and hopefully into better weather conditions.

 

[bosspecops]

Yeah, runway 27 at KANE!

That's the one I've landed on the RW, but it wasn't in something as exotic as the Mew Gull, just a stock C182. Glad to see you're back airborne Melo.

 

[jgf]

how come Kansas City ISN'T actually in Kansas, it's just over the river in Missouri?

https://kchistory.org/faq/why-there-kansas-city-both-kansas-and-missouri

 

[jgf]

I didn't fly a classic plane

While the flight is a recreation of a historic event, all aircraft are welcome. Our number one rule has always been - Have Fun!

 

[Melo965]

Glad to be back in the air again. I should be able to make more steady progress now.

When we get to Allegheny County Airport (KAGC) along the Air Tour route, it will be where I had my first ever flight lesson back in 1980. I flew in a Grumman American AA-5A Cheetah.


This is what a Cheetah looks like, although the one I flew is N26655. I looked it up and it is still flying based in Medford Oregon now.

Funny that the first aircraft I ever flew is called a Cheetah. I do tend to gravitate toward faster aircraft these days!

 

[falcon409]

Picking up where I left off, flying from KDSM to KMKC. Started with the Dragon Rapide but encountered flight control problems and called ahead to Lamoni Mun (KLWD) and was able to rent a Stinson Voyager for the remainder of the flight.

KDSM_Leg-2025-dec-17-001 by Ed Wells, on Flickr

KDSM_Leg-2025-dec-17-002 by Ed Wells, on Flickr

KDSM_Leg-2025-dec-17-004 by Ed Wells, on Flickr

KDSM_Leg-2025-dec-17-003 by Ed Wells, on Flickr

 

[falcon409]

Continued with the Stinson for the flight from KMKC to KAAO.

KMKC to KAAO-2025-dec-18-003 by Ed Wells, on Flickr

KMKC to KAAO-2025-dec-18-001 by Ed Wells, on Flickr

KMKC to KAAO-2025-dec-19-002 by Ed Wells, on Flickr

KMKC to KAAO-2025-dec-19-003 by Ed Wells, on Flickr

 

[jgf]

Ready for the next leg, from South Bend to Chicago
Departing KSBN on a clear cold morning.


KMGC, Michigan City Municipal Airport; opened in 1940, designated "Airport of the Year" for 2007. It averages nearly 8000 flights per year, mostly GA, not bad for a city of 32000. And of course Michigan City is in Indiana.


KGYY, Gary/Chicago International, a joint civilian/military airport, opened in 1954 (wow, an airport younger than me).


KIGQ, Lansing Municipal, home of the first Ford Trimotor hangar (currently being restored) and a modern airship hangar. Oddly there is no public transportation to this airport.
ATC must have enjoyed too much New Year's revelry, this could have been an embarrassing situation.


A brief stop and off to Milwaukee.


Meigs lives on, in my world at least.


Waukegan, they gave us Jack Benny.


Milwaukee Speedway


And down at KMWC, Lawrence Timmerman Airport (aka Timmerman Field), originally Curtiss-Wright Field (hence the WC in the code), first opened in 1930, renamed in 1937 for some local political bigwig.
Total for both legs of this flight, 187 miles in 1.2 hours.

 

[jgf]

the Dragon Rapide

Beautiful airplane. I once did a flight down the Pacific coast from Vancouver to Monterey in the floatplane version.

 

[falcon409]

Heading for Tulsa in the AH P-26 Peashooter!

KAAO to KTUL_03 by Ed Wells, on Flickr

KAAO to KTUL_02 by Ed Wells, on Flickr

KAAO to KTUL_01 by Ed Wells, on Flickr

 

[bosspecops]

Picking up where I left off, flying from KDSM to KMKC. Started with the Dragon Rapide but encountered flight control problems and called ahead to Lamoni Mun (KLWD) and was able to rent a Stinson Voyager for the remainder of the flight.

KDSM_Leg-2025-dec-17-001 by Ed Wells, on Flickr

KDSM_Leg-2025-dec-17-002 by Ed Wells, on Flickr

Sorry to be pedantic, but that one's a Dh 84 Dragon, the Dh 89 Dragon Rapide's forerunner. The telling point is the square tipped wings on the Dh 84. But still a lovely looking aeroplane, there's one still flying in Ireland I think.

 

[falcon409]

Something a bit different for the lengthier flight to Ft Worth. . .The "Couzinet 71".

KTUL to KFTW_01 by Ed Wells, on Flickr

KTUL to KFTW_02 by Ed Wells, on Flickr

Here I am crossing Lake Texoma and the Red River, the dividing line between Texas and Oklahoma. You can make out the approach lights of North Texas Regional in the distance above the fuselage.

KTUL to KFTW_03 by Ed Wells, on Flickr

KTUL to KFTW_04 by Ed Wells, on Flickr

KTUL to KFTW_05 by Ed Wells, on Flickr

 

[Tako_Kichi]

That's a bird only it's mother could love!

 

[Melo965]

And it really dwarfs those Cessnas and Pipers parked next to it.

 

[Melo965]

Leg 7: Anoka County-Blaine (Janes Field) Airport (KANE) to Mason City Municipal (KMCW)

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


Engine started and ready to taxi. 55% fuel on board. Much better weather today compared to the last flight. Pretty solid overcast at about 3000 feet, but I can easily stay under that.


Lined up for takeoff on runway 27.


Climbing out and on the way. Leaving Anoka County-Blaine Airport behind. And this flight you can actually see it clearly, unlike my last flight.


Got ATC permission to overfly the edge of Minneapolis-St Paul International ((KMSP)


A little more than half way there now. You can see Owatonna Degner Regional (KOWA) off my right wingtip.

A short while later I tried climbing higher and got up to 2700 feet and was in the overcast layer, so descended again to about 2000 feet so I could keep the ground in sight.


Had to fly carefully over this large wind farm which was directly in my flight path and stretched out to the east and the west besides. Too high and I would be in the overcast and not see the wind turbines, or too low and a wind blade might really ruin my day. I was very happy when I swerved a bit and dodged the last wind turbine.


Mason City Municipal is in sight ahead. The current wind direction indicated a left turn to get on downwind and then base for runway 30.


On final for runway 30.


Landing on runway 30. I was perfectly lined up on the numbers, but then was fiddling with the camera to take a snapshot and drifted a bit right of center line. Still made the runway with no problems. Broke the cardinal rule of Aviate, then Navigate, then Communicate.


Parked at KMCW on a quiet ramp. Still have 47% fuel on board, so no need to refuel yet.

My next flight will be a touch and go at Des Moines International (KDSM), followed by a full stop landing at Charles B. Wheeler Downtown (KMKC) in Kansas City, Missouri.

 

[PhrogPhlyer]

Only five of us participating?

I counted up the list and there are ten pilots still flying somewhere on the route.

Now that the holidays are past, I'll be back in the air sometime next week,

 

[bosspecops]

From the sublime to the ridiculous.................

My choice of aeroplane type for the next leg to Wichita couldn't have been more different than the Albatross last time, and I chose an HP42 Heracles, the last large British bi-plane airliner!



To say it dwarfed everything else on the ramp would be total understatement, it's ENORMOUS, but only carries 20+ pax! The model is OK, but only has a 3D panel, and the massive control wheels prevent you seeing the instruments, which makes having the panel a little pointless.



I searched through the FS world to find a decent 2D panel for the HP42, but it seems no-one's ever done one, so I did..........



At least I could see how high I was and how slow I was flying, and I do mean slow. The HP42 cruises at 100 kts so it takes an age to get anywhere, but you do get to see the scenery easily.

She doesn't taxi all that well, despite having a steerable tailwheel, but luckily she's designed for taking off and landing on grass and she has BIG wheels so I taxied to the threshold across the grass mostly. Lining up I put the flaps down, except the HP42 doesn't have any, what it does have are the HP designed wing slats at the outer ends of the top wing and they work a treat. They also come out automatically as you near the stall, which is at around 45 kts!



Taking off was so easy it wasn't true, with a southerly wind at 20 kts I'd hardly opened the throttle before the tail had lifted and she was off before I had time to draw breath! Such are the advantages of a VAST wing area. Heading south west across Kansas' fields at around 5000 ft and 100 kts was slow and steady of course.



Further south the surface became quite a bit more barren, without the field boundaries, so how they know who owns what I'm not sure. Navigating was a bit of a problem as my own design panel didn't pick up the only VOR beacon on the route, even when I was very close to it, and I wasn't flying all that close to my flight plan route really.



But with the aid of Google Earth (which of course all HP42s were fitted with ) I figured the distinctively shaped lake ahead was Melvern Lake and that got me back on track.



Before much longer I was approaching Wichita itself and I could see my target airfield, KAAO, over to my right, and the large Beech Factory Airport ahead of me, and I needed to thread past Beech to get on the approach as the wind had changed to northerlies by now.



For some reason I'd managed to climb way up to around 7000 ft and needed a hefty descent rate to get on the correct flight path, but I managed it OK. With such a low wing loading the HP 42 was a bit of handful in a gusting wind so I went for a grass landing to the east of the main runway at KAAO, which made life a lot easier.



Again the grass taxi capability came in handy and I was able to park up on the very busy ramp (NOT!) and wonder what the tiny aeroplane was over to my left...........



So that was the slowest leg by far, at an average speed of only 93 kts, but it was 'interesting' to say the least.

Something faster will needed for the next legs to Tulsa and Fort Worth I think.

 

[jgf]

couldn't have been more different than the Albatross last time, and I chose an HP42 Heracles

There is a certain charm to flying such aircraft ....the term "lumbering" was devised for them. 93kts wasn't bad for your flight.

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.

 

[jgf]

Something a bit different for the lengthier flight to Ft Worth. . .The "Couzinet 71".

Interesting aircraft. Reminds me of the old definition of a camel - "a horse designed by a govt committee". But even into the fifties the French did design some ....unusual... aircraft.