CheckWX

2012-02-11T12:00:00.003-05:00

I keep looking around for an easy way to view weather forecast at my destination airport, in order to plan my trip when using real weather conditions. I don't know if any of you would like to use this simple and easy way to view your weather conditions, but I found this website that has helped me in my planning. http://www.checkwx.com/

FLIGHTS OF FANTASY

2012-02-01T08:10:00.000-05:00

Living in a fantasy world is good sometimes, at least as far as flight simming is concerned.

Recently I was in a conversation via email with one of our pilots. He and I both fly the excellent Flight1 Cessna 182TC and I had just completed a flight into known icing conditions. He was asking what effects the ice had on the sim. You see, he used to fly a real world 182 and had once been caught in icing conditions. He had carefully checked the wx maps and forecasts available then--this was more than a few years ago-- and he and his wife had taken off for their destination with things appearing to be well in hand. Along the way things changed and they began to ice up before reaching their target. Although they were fairly close to the desired destination, they changed course and crept carefully away from the ice and landed safely at a nearby airport with better conditions.

In our fantasy sim world, we don't have to worry about the real and lasting effects (yeah, I mean death) of excessive icing. By the way, the icing in the Cessna 182TC seems to be visual only, when my airplane iced up things looked nasty but I didn't feel any real performance loss.

Another good point about our fantasy world is that we can fly almost any airplane we choose. Recently another member pointed out that in the real world GVA would only own two--maybe three airplanes at best. Possibly a turbo charged something or other, perhaps a small biz jet (and I underline that small), and perhaps a Cessna 182 or something along that line. In our fantasy world we can fly whatever we like.

Of course, if you guys want to go for maximum realism I can always limit us to.... No, maybe I better not.

January is officially closed. Stats for the month below.

Total fight hours reported: 145.2 hrs

Non-GVA hours reported: 60.2

VWR hours reported: none

GVA Scheduled Service Hours: .75 hrs

GVA Charter Hours: 84.25 hrs

Total GVA Hours: 85 hrs

Number of pilots reporting flight hours: 12

Total number of flights: 97

Longest flight: 3.9 hrs by Jack Wesley in his Cessna 182TC

Shortest flight: 0.25 hrs by Johnny Rosario GVA012 in his Phenom 100LE

Average length flight: 1.5 hrs

Most active pilot: Jack Wesley GVA046 with 34.75 hours in the left seat

Peter Hayes reviews the T-38 Talon Trainer from Milviz.

Music for the month: For winter here and summer there. A selection from Ralph Vaughn Williams score for the film "Scott of the Antarctic".

Andre Previn recorded Vaughan Williams's nine Symphonies between 1967 and 1972. The first to be recorded was the "Sinfonia Antartica," from which we hear the finale. This work had its origins in the 1948 movie "Scott of the Antarctic," starring John Mills, for which Vaughan Williams had composed the score. (Recorded for RCA with the London Symphony Orchestra on 14-16 September 1967.). Courtesy of YouTube

FUELPLAN²

2012-01-30T19:08:00.004-05:00

Need help in planning how much fuel to use on your next flight? Perhaps this link will help you plan more efficient; http://fuel.aerotexas.com/

GVA COMMENTS & DISCUSSION

CheckWX

FLIGHTS OF FANTASY

FUELPLAN²