Just to see whether I could, decided to do a strictly visual/VFR flight from Sherburn to Norwich in FS2002. It's one I did quite a few times in real life a few years ago now but then I'd never have considered just jumping in and flying.
Haven't been to Sherburn in years but recognised it immediately from Richard Maxted's scenery. That used to be Hornet Aviation's hangar in my day - is it still?
Settle into the left hand seat of the good ole Turbo Commander and get ready to go. Taxi out to rwy 24 as instructed and take off. Gear up, steady climbing turn to the left and flaps up at 500 ft. Settle onto an easterly heading at 2000 ft.
The view of this part of Yorkshire out of my side window is spectacular - just as I remember it. I see there's something like 1/8 broken cloud at this height but that won't be a problem.
I would normally have taken a more southerly heading but I want to catch a view of the Humber Bridge. There it is over the Humber estuary. Is it still the UK's longest suspension bridge?
I remember flying over it in real life in my old TriPacer. Now's the time to turn onto something like 160-170 deg otherwise I'll be heading for the North Sea. Really happened once when I'd been flying VFR on top. The cloud cleared and I was heading out over the sea with the Norfolk coast fortunately just visible on my right wingtip. Scary when you have no survival aids on board.
Over the Norfolk coast at Hunstanton. I check with my old half mill Southern England and I can see that M$ have done a good job on the coastline just here. The squiggly bit near Burnham is pretty well spot on.
OK, stay on a heading of about 110 deg and now's the time to keep my eyes open. The big green open bit below
looks like Swanton Morley where I learnt to fly but I'm not sure. I call up Norwich and get the details for a landing on 27. Ah - that long single straight runway on my nose is totally unmistakable - Coltishall. In my day I would have been due a bo**ocking as I'm already a bit too close. Is it still active? They had a sense of humour when I was a student pilot and used to love coming up onto a 150 from your 6 and blasting past just off your port wingtip. Great fun! The CFI just used to tell you to ignore it.
But that means Norwich is over to the right - yep, there it is just as ATC gives you clearance to land. Bit high and close, but don't worry, soon slip that off, flaps and gear down and a greaser.
Park up next to what looks like a Flying Club 150. Is Al Bason still there? Doubt it - too many years have gone by.
As I sit here I think, after Kai Tak maybe I'd better sort out this scenery - unless Will/Smoke2Much gets round to it in the meantime.
So there you go. Do you think I need ACOF?
Nahh! Not on your nelly.
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