An Air Saguenay DHC-3 Otter has made it from Québec to Kokoda, in Papua New Guinea. It is expected to work around the remote mountain airfields for a while.
Today, the Otter heads for Launumu, a mountain airfield that is at an elevation of 5082 ft asl and 1200 feet long.
The pilot has to watch for the birds in order to avoid any collision in flight…
Following the Kokoda trail is a good way to reach Launumu.
If the mixture is not adjusted, the Otter will lose a lot of steam trying to climb up to 7,500 feet to cross the first line of mountains.
Anybody landing and departing from Launumu deals with high density altitude. This is not only due to the elevation of the airfield but also to the very warm and moist air present in the region. Consequently, some additional airspeed is required on the approach and on the departure.
When a pilot lands southwestward in Launumu coming from Kokoda, he must dive in a valley to lose altitude, which will increase the aircraft’s airspeed. The Launumu runway is in sight.
If the airspeed is not promptly corrected, the approach to the Launumu runway will be too fast. Any airspeed above 60 knots forces the pilot to overshoot (unless you are ready to virtually die a few times while trying).
So, once the higher mountains are crossed, a good way of losing altitude without gaining airspeed is to use flaps (at the corresponding airspeed) and do a tight 360 degree coordinated turn while descending. That way, the pilot will end up in line with the runway and at the speed you want, which is around 50 knots.
The Otter floats endlessly because of its huge wings.
On final for Launumu, the pilot might end up having to deal with the bushes that are close to the runway. It is not unusual for the Otter or the Beaver to complete a difficult approach with bushes wrapped around the landing gear.
Launumu has a surprise for the newcomers. If the pilot lands southwestward, like it was just done here, and the aircraft is not stopped within approximately 600 feet, it starts accelerating since there is a pronounced slope downward in the second half of the runway. This slope leads to a cliff. In case of a missed approach, the pilot can use the slope downwards and dive in the valley at the end of the runway to build up airspeed and start a new approach.
Now that the hard work is done, it is time to wait for the passengers and cargo, and plan the next leg…
The virtual scenery and clouds required softwares like REX, REX Texture Direct, Cumulus X, FTX Global, FTX Global Vector and Pilot’s FS Global 2010.
There is no aircraft in the sky around the Port Moresby Jacksons (AYPY) virtual airport today. No aircraft in the sky but one, a medevac flight.
The winds blow from 240 degree at 50G60 kts and the runways are oriented 14/32. It is way above the maximum crosswind authorized for any aircraft.
But the Shrike Commander’s crew cannot wait until the wind calms down. They must land in the next few minutes in order to save a patient’s life.
As there is no traffic around, the captain has told ATC he intends to do a safe, efficient but non-standard approach.
Arriving straight across the runways, facing the wind, the crew intends to land the aircraft a few feet short of a hangar. The captain requests that someone opens the hangar doors right away. The captain will terminate the approach in the hangar, protected from the wind.
It is safer to arrive facing the wind and immediately enter the hangar, straight ahead. No taxiing with a 60 knots crosswind.
Useless to say, ATC has already refused the request. But the pilot is the only one who decides of the best landing surface, for the safety of the passengers and himself. He proceeds with the approach after having clearly indicated which path will be followed.
The main problem for the approach is the low level mechanical turbulence caused by the gusty 60 kts winds.
If ATC wants to file a complaint, now is a good time to take a picture of the aircraft and its registration to support the case.
The actual ground speed of the airplane is around 20 kts.
The steady high wind speed is actually safer for the crew than if the winds were 240 at 35G60.
Still a bit above the runway and with a 10-20 knots ground speed. The airspeed indicator shows the strength of the wind itself plus the ground speed.
Floating like a hot air balloon or almost!
As the aircraft touches the ground, it stops almost immediately. It is necessary to apply power to reach the hangar, as you can see with the white trail on the ground behind the aircraft.
In real life, the touch-down would have had to be as soon as the asphalt start since the presence of the hangar lowers the wind speed a bit.
A few seconds after the touch-down, the aircraft is in the hangar, protected from the wind, and both doctor and patient can quickly head out to the hospital.
Once in the hangar, the winds were adjusted to zero, which is kind of logical, unless the opposite wall is missing!
It was now time to brace for another storm, which was the inquiry that would possibly follow the landing!
(P.S.: Tim Harris and Ken Hall were the creators of this virtual Port Moresby Jacksons international airport) and it is sold by ORBX. The aircraft is sold by Carenado).
Here are a few modified screen captures of a recent virtual flight made with the Captain Sim’s B-52.
The high quality of the modelized clouds and of the landscape in the background helped create screen captures that were even more realistic. FSX was the flight simulation platform used for the flight. REX Simulations made the virtual cloud textures.
The landscape is a creation of ORBX. At the base of the three screen captures were the following ORBX products: FTX Global Base Pack, FTX Global Vector, FTX Global Open LC North America, FTX Global Trees HD and NA Southern California. The time for the flight was early in the morning.
In the picture below, a few modifications were made using Photoshop to induce a feeling of speed. When comes the time to modify the screen capture of a virtual aircraft with an image editing software, the same rules apply as for a normal picture: moderation gives better results.
The sound of the Boeing B-52’s eight engines is quite impressive. Despite the enormous power available for take-off, the flight simulation enthousiast cannot simply apply full power and hope that the military jet will get airborne. By the book procedures have to be followed, otherwise there won’t be any take-off. A parachute can be deployed when landing for a better visual effect, but the flight simulator will not include it in its calculations for the required landing and breaking distance.
For this flight, you will need the Antarctica X flight simulation software made by Aerosoft.
The maintenance of BAS Twin Otters and their Dash-7 is done in Calgary, Canada, and head to Antarctica during the austral summer, between October and March. So if you want to try a flight simulation with a Twin Otter or a Dash-7 from Chile to Antarctica, pick one of those months as it is more realistic.
Since it would be a bit long to make all the virtual flights from Canada to Antarctica, I chose to do the last three legs to see what the landscape looks like.
A Twin Otter is normally approved for a maximum take-off weight of 12,500 pounds. But with skis weighing 800 pounds and additional fuel required to fly longer legs, BAS (British Antarctic Survey) has arranged to have their Twin Otters approved at 14,000 pounds. Even at this weight, the aircraft could still operate on one engine.
First, the aircraft departs La Florida airport (SCSE) in Chile, after a mandatory fuel stop before its next destination, the El Tepual de Puerto Montt airport (SCTE), also in Chile.
This virtual flight with the Twin Otter last about 4:25 hours (696 nm) with a heading of 185 degrees.
For the screen captures, FTX Global, FTX Vector and Pilot’s FS Global 2010 were installed. Orbx has also reworked the original El Tepual de Puerto Montt airport to include some people, aircrafts and new buildings. It makes for a more interesting destination.
The next flight is from the El Tepual de Puerto Montt airport (SCTE) to Punta Arenas (SCCI), both in Chile.
This flight, made low across the Andes, absolutely requires good weather. You will have to climb to 17,000 feet to make the direct route between the airports.
There are often spectacular views available to the virtual pilot. Yes, the BAS Twin Otter is flown by only one pilot, but there is always somebody else accompanying him.
Don’t forget to lean the mixture during the climb. Also use some additional oxygen (!!) if you don’t want to start singing and flying in circles after a while. Again, pay attention to the mixture during the descent, considering that you will be losing close to 17,000 feet.
The Punta Arenas airport, straight from FSX, is not an interesting airport to look at. It is a very bare airport, with just a single building and a VOR.
But since the BAS pilot do that mandatory leg just before heading to Antarctica, I chose not to change the route. The general direction for the flight to Punta Arenas was 164 degrees and the duration approximately 4:28 hours. You can obviously accelerate the process once the aircraft is established at its flying altitude.
The last flight is from Punta Arenas, Chile, to Rothera, Antarctica.
The Twin Otter will take between six and seven hours on an average heading of 162 degrees to cover the distance between Punta Arenas (SCCI) and Rothera (EGAR).
The runway at Rothera is made of gravel and is 2953 feet long. That is plenty for the Twin Otter and the DASH-7. Before you make the flight, go into the aerosoft/Antarctica X file in your flight simulator and click on the “LOD 8.5” option (the default is at LOD 4.5). It will give you much better details when you are approaching Antarctica.
The Airliner World magazine had an excellent article on the BAS operations in Antarctica in its March 2017 edition. It included plenty of interesting pictures and detailed explanations on what is expected from pilots and personnel working for BAS. I compared the Rothera virtual airport with the real one through the available pictures in Airliner World and was pleasantly surprised with the level of accuracy of the details.
The BAS always prepares itself for the worst: “[It] carries parts valued at around $5m, including a replacement engine for each aircraft, spare props and undercarriage components”.
“A new development for the Air Unit has been its work with the RAF, using C-130 Hercules transports to airdrop supplies into the field. They fly from Punta Arenas and drop fuel to support our science programmes on the Ronne Ice Shelf. […] It is all part of their training system and the accuracy they drop to is very impressive. They might drop 250 drums, think how many Twin Otter trips that would have been for us (48 or more than 400 flying hours)”.
Aerosoft has made an excellent job in replicating the buildings in Rothera, BAS’s main research station in Antarctica. The biggest hangar can accommodate three Twin Otters and a Dash-7 altogether.
When your flight is over, do not forget to change the settings back to LOD 4.5 for Antarctica in your aerosoft/Antarctica X files.
Ken Hall and Tim Harris have created a new virtual scenery for flight simulation enthousiasts. It is called “Tapini” and sold by ORBX. Their penultimate creation, AYPY Jackson’s International, allowed the virtual pilot to fly in very demanding virtual airports along the Kokoda Trail in Papua New Guinea. “Tapini” represents a whole new challenge and I have included several screen captures to show you how the different runways look in this new virtual scenery.
“Tapini”, still in Papua New Guinea, allows the virtual pilot to test his skills on seven new runways located in difficult areas of the Owen Stanley Range. Those airports also constitute a serious test for any aircraft, like in the picture above where damages to the right engine were sustained at Yongai.
To improve the virtual clouds while flying between the different airports, I used either REX or FSGRW weather engines. The cloud textures and weather effects were improved by one or many of the following products: Cumulus X, PrecipitFX, REX Texture Direct and REX Soft Clouds.
As variety is more fun, and also due to the different challenges created by those runways, the following virtual aircrafts were used: Carenado C-185F, Lionheart Creations PA-18, Virtavia DHC-4, Aerosoft DHC-6 Twin Otter and Milton Shupe DHC-7.
The “Tapini” scenery gives the pilot a choice between the seven following runways:
ASB (Asimba)
A tricky, very short runway near a river.
This is a very interesting runway, best done with a STOL aircraft like the Caribou DHC-4. The inhabitants might have to help you clear out some branches along the runway, considering the size of the aircraft. The runway slopes down on take-off, which helps to build up speed.
FNE (Fane)
A one-way, really challenging 12 degree sloped runway, with unpredictable winds.
The runway sits on top of a hill. It is an amazing experience to land there. No wonder there are a lot of people watching the arrivals and departures.
If you slow down too quickly with an aircraft as big as the DHC-7 on that sloped runway, the twelve degree angle prevents you from moving forward. You must let the aircraft come down the runway very slowly, using the power to control the descent and the rudder to stay aligned on the runway, then apply take-off power for a few seconds to build just enough momentum to get above the hill.
To turn the aircraft around, it’s a combination of power and reverse thrust until you clear all the obstacles (any humans venturing behind the aircraft will also be cleared during the operation…).
There is a not so friendly man with a rifle watching the airport’s operations. Even the United Nations staff do not stay longer than necessary…
KGH (Yongai)
A very bumpy one-way sloped runway. A real bush aircraft is needed here!
Even with a real bush aircraft, there is a possibility that one of the aircraft’s propellers hits the ground while taxiing on the runway. There are so many deep holes that are hard to see, I can only wish the best of lucks to everyone trying out this airport!
Keep a close watch on the area near the little house at the end of the runway. The DHC-6 was really shaken while turning around for take-off. One of the propellers hit the ground but no problems were detected…until the aircraft was airborne. The fire alarm then went off, just as the aircraft was passing the runway threshold, seconds before flying over a cliff.
So much for the planned trip… and it was out of the question to return to Yongai on one engine. I had to pull the handle to stop the fire, feather the prop, cut the fuel where it was not needed anymore then head to the Kokoda airport as it was a sure alternative, having a long runway and an elevation that did not require the use of extra power.
KSP (Kosipe)
A relatively short runway that requires good calculations from the pilot, since it is located high in the mountains.
The Cessna C-185F is a very well suited aircraft for that runway. Make sure not to be too heavy on the brakes, as new C-185 propellers are hard to find in Kosipe. You can land in both directions. Ensure that the mixture is set properly as the airport is above 6300 feet.
ONB (Ononge)
A curved and very bumpy runway! For those who like low flying. Make sure you choose the good aircraft here; there is not much manoeuvering area once on the ground.
Ononge looks really scary when you show up on final for the first time. You wonder if the little trail that you see can really be a runway. For that kind of situation, the little Piper Pacer is an excellent aircraft, approaching slowly and braking on a dime. The runway is curved in the middle so you will need a bit of right rudder to keep the aircraft aligned with the runway.
I guess all those people with their cargo are waiting for a bigger airplane than mine…
TAP (Tapini)
A challenging one-way sloped runway nestled in a tight valley. You can even use an ILS to arrive there!
This is a superbly designed area and airport. I visited it with the DHC-4 Caribou but any other big STOL aircraft would have fitted there. There is enough room to manoeuver. It is not too bumpy. There is an interesting slope: it starts downward and ends upward: this helps to slow down the aircraft after landing.
WTP (Woitape)
Looks like a no brainer, but there is no margin of error on this one-way slightly sloped runway. Very precise calculations and settings are required if you want to land there with something else than a small aircraft.
I found the runway to be very slippery with the De Havilland DHC-7. I must say that there was a good crosswind, as I was flying with real life weather and winds. The DHC-7 behaves like a big boat while decelerating on such a runway.
The Woitape scenery is gorgeous. It is nice to have all those well designed virtual aircrafts, people and animals on site as this makes the scenery so much more realistic.
I love this new Orbx product. When you fly in such a realistic scenery, the brain does not make much difference between what is real and what is virtual. It really works! And if you use real life weather downloaded from the internet, it’s even better.
I tried the seven airports included in the “Tapini” virtual scenery and they are quite demanding. Yongai was the most challenging airport of them all. I had to do two missed approaches there since I ended up too high on the approach. I eventually got it right, like in real life!
I used the Microsoft flight simulator X (FSX) for all the virtual flights, but other platforms would have worked as well (Dovetail Games FSX Steam edition (FSX: SE) and all versions of P3D). The following products were also installed on my flight simulator: FTX Global, FTX Global Vector and Holgermesh, as well as Pilot’s FS Global 2010.
It is a totally immersive virtual experience and you have to forget everything else when undertaking those challenging virtual flights… if you want to make it “virtually” alive!
For more articles on flight simulation on my web site, click on the following link : Flight simulation
Using ORBX Global program, I took this FSX screen capture of the Graf Zeppelin over Germany. The cloud effects are derived from REX and the Zeppelin itself was found on flightsim.com and it is a free software. For a better atmosphere, if you decide to take a screen capture, fly the Zeppelin either during the morning or at dusk while there is still enough light, and so that the sun will strike the balloon from the side.
Few videos are available on YouTube to show you how to deal with the Zeppelin. It’s not enough to apply full throttle and hope that it will rise because it will not. You first have to take care of the ballasts. But within only few minutes of watching the videos and applying the correct manoeuvers, I promise that you will be airborne and then the rest will come pretty naturally.
The picture was slightly edited with Photoshop to add some constrasts to the screen capture.