Here is a flight I started making yesterday to challenge myself. I make a lot of flights based on nostalgia such as flying my CV580/440/340 from NAS North Island to NAS Point Mugu (KNZY-KNTD which the airline I used to work for ran) or flying a C172 from Apple Valley to Big Bear (KAPV-L35 which I used to fly with my mom and flight instructor friend). I also like to fly challenging flights so I make long runs from Bremerton to Spokane (KAPV-KSFF) or to Boise or even North Island to Roswell (KNZY-KROW).

I'm a fan of C.W. McCall and this time I wanted to fly around Telluride and Pagosa Springs Colorado, which he wrote about. So I figured I'd fly out of Telluride (KTEX) and just bop around in the Beech Baron. NOT! Stupid Baron couldn't even get off the ground. Why you may ask? Well, Telluride is only at 9000 Ft elevation.  Well I decide I'd launch from Pagosa Springs (2v1 (in reality it's KPSO)) but it's still at 7700 Ft and the Baron just doesn't want to get started at that elevation.

So I decided to make the run 2v1-KTEX and did it in the Mooney Bravo direct over the mountains at FL180. No problems. So then I did it in a C172. I couldn't get to the FL170 to get over the peaks but I took it to 15K and went around the taller mountains.

That got me to thinking, what's the most difficult way to make this flight. So I did it in the glider! Yes, the glider. It took a few hours to make this 68 mile flight. I had to spend a lot of time in the few thermals I could locate (yes, that could be the one cheat, I set it so I could see the thermals) and ride them to the very top. But after a couple hours, and back tracking a few times I finally made it.

What kind of challenges do you all make for yourselves?

Sir Puma wrote on Aug 31^st, 2011 at 9:18pm:


Personally, seen that FS(anynumber)'s simulation of wind effects in the mountains is crap (micromanagement of small weather phenomena is NOT something FS does well at all, not even with the best external add-ons available. ActiveSky, for example, can give the user microbursts and windshears, but the simulation of sometimes challenging wind phenomena happening in mountainous areas, like ridge turbulence and unpredictability of wind vector due to mountains deflecting wind flows normally happening in reality, is unavailable even using these add-ons), unless I want to bring a given plane to its limits, doing something like you did with the C172, I usually try for some challenging approach or bad weather and/or limited visibility pure VFR flights.

Ketchikan, AK to Stewart, British Columbia, Canada in a C185 .... Major thunderstorm with 30 knot winds, at night ... stay below the mountain ridges and fly the valleys and crevices.    talking about hair raising...


or for even harder conditions, try it in a DODOSIM 206 (setting 4 or 5) {same weather}