vote your conscience. I’ll be happy with whichever
2 Likes
Ok actually yeah, besides the cargo hustle the Porter seems the most capable. Please be careful landing it tho.
1 Like
Every time I scrolled down I thought, “No, this is the one!” but settled on the Porter in the end because I’d like to see yeso grow into the best pilot he can be.
3 Likes
watching tailwheel training on youtube
2 Likes
how did the twin otter lead dissipate so much since i last checked the poll? stop the steal!
4 Likes
minor update: Micro$shaft still can’t get the Twin Otter together (weird texture problems, random engine failures) and the Porter and Islander developers haven’t updated their products yet either. However, the good old Kodiak should be back in action on Thursday, so in the days after will get back and moving again. Probably the best solution in the end
6 Likes
ok back in action
Bélabo, Cameroon → Bayanga, Central African Republic
Boarding Tuesday 2/4 @ 2030 CST
6 Likes
heading out in a few
4 Likes
Bélabo, Cameroon → Bayanga, Central African Republic
Flight Time - 1:24
Distance - 238 NM
Fuel Burn - 204 KG
Landing Force - 0.94 G
Conditions at takeoff
Partly Cloudy
84 degrees
Humidity 71%
Winds <2 kts
ok after a lengthy delay thanks to Mi¢ro$haft releasing Flight Simulator 2024 in a sorry state we’re back in action. Here’s our good old heretofore reliable Daher Kodiak 100 II where we last left it, idyllic Bélabo in eastern Cameroon.
We got the big “tundra tires” on there, which are basically low-pressure and spongy to help with traction on the unpaved and uneven airstrips. As we make our way across the width of central Africa, these will come in handy. They do make for slightly more challenging takeoffs since the plane can sway a bit behind that high-torque turboprop. Found myself using the rudder more than usual to keep us centered
our slow turn clockwise north west to a southeast course
which takes us back over Bélabo and then on our way to Bayanga
Our view was more or less uninterrupted rainforest canopy.
I programmed a flight plan into the AP, but for whatever reason (definitely not human error though), it never captured the course. So we navigated by heading, keeping an eye out for the Kadei River, following which would guide us onto approach into runway 2 at Bayanga.
A quick note about runway designations: the #s refer to the heading direction of the runway. Bayanga has the one strip so it makes for a simple example
there’s our landmark
one of the hazards of flying into remote airstrips is that we’re at the mercy of Procedural Generation. There’s no developer hand making sure all the buildings and trees etc are where they should be irl. Witness the big ass tree right on the edge of the runway, which would definitely not be there in reality lol
But thanks to some meticulous handling we’re able to glide over it and down onto the strip with runway to spare
10 Likes
So good to see you back up in the air!
4 Likes
Next flight boarding Monday 3/10 @ 2000 CST
Bayanga, Central African Republic → Lisala, Democratic Republic of Congo
4 Likes
heading out in a few
3 Likes
Bayanga, Central African Republic → Lisala, Democratic Republic of Congo
catching up on the last flight…
Conditions at takeoff
Few Clouds
Temperature - 75 F
Wind - <1 kt N
Pressure - 29.79 in
Humidity - 65%
about to depart Bayanga
we’re rockin the puffy tundra tires. Not exactly a cool look but you need them for unpaved runways.
And this is essentially the view for the next 300 miles. My main takeaway from this endeavor so far is that Africa is big. The Sahara was enormous and now the African rainforest seems neverending itself.
until our first real landmark: the mighty Congo River
we break from the direct flightpath to follow its course west into Lisala, just for dramatic effect
some sources report a gravel runway, some asphalt. MSFS went paved it seems
Flight Time - 1:59
Distance - 331 NM
Landing Speed - 63 kts
Landing Force - 0.96 G
10 Likes
Oh yeah we’re back, nice screenshots.
2 Likes
going to get moving along the mighty Congo
2 Likes
Lisala, Democratic Republic of Congo → Kisangani, Democratic Republic of Congo
Conditions at takeoff
Scattered Clouds
Temperature - 75 F
Wind - 8 kts
Pressure - 29.79 in
Humidity - 81%
Long shadows for our late afternoon flight upriver to Kisangani (formerly Stanleyville)
Up over Lisala and banking eastward
We’re on a straight shot to Kisangi, which takes us along the Congo, then over the pristine forest of Maringa-Lopori-Wamba Nature Reserve
Until the river bends back southeast and we catch sight of it again.
The city of Kisanangi in view
Our landing procedure takes us in a long circuit over the city. It was pleasant seems like a nice place
Peering over the console to spot the runway, Everything looks a little muddy with the sun behind us and in the misty humid air
made it in one piece pretty serene flight all told
The Live Traffic plugin has finally been updated for 2024 it may not be 100% accurate at this point though. RAF-Avia is a Latvian cargo line so sure why not. Looks like a Saab 340. But I dont think United Express operates a Fort Wayne to Kisangani route…
New to 2024 is the addition of animals walking around. I dont know what these are sorry. Asobo Studio also works on the Zoo Tycoon series so now we have the animal kingdom in our flight sim. Neat imo although Kisangani International should get that border collie out there to chase those guys away for safety purposes
Flight Time - 1:41
Distance - 282 NM
Fuel Burn - 282 KG
Landing Speed - 61 kts
Landing Force - 1.00 G
8 Likes
This rules so hard. MSFS really is something else. Do you have the whole fancy pants setup with VR, fancy controllers and such, or is this mainly mouse and keyboard?
2 Likes
Just like moderate fancy. I have yoke and throttle setup with a basic autopilot panel and rudder pedals. Not the real high end stuff (which can go for 5 figures for the truly insane). I’m happy with mouse and keyboard for the miscellaneous other control stuff.
Still have the barely-used Turtle Beach Velocity One set for sale cheap if anyone wants to take the plunge. It has triggers on the yoke you can use in place of pedals too so it’s everything one would need for a “proper” set of controls. Make me an offer!
2 Likes
5 figures sounds like it’s way above the More Money than Sense threshold that enthusiasts sometimes dive into where there’s really no tangible benefit past a certain dollar amount. It’s always interesting to see what that number is in any given hobby.
a VR headset seems like the obvious thing to me but then I suppose you lose most of the cool tactile peripherals in exchange for looking out the windows for realsies?
Is this kind of like a workbench where everyone has their own layout that’s best for them, or is there a “perfect” setup?
I find super thorough hobbies like this very fascinating if that wasn’t obvious haha.
1 Like
I think it depends on what aspect of the sim they’re most interested in. Some people go for a close approximation of airline piloting: there are replicas of 737 and A320 flight controls and panels, and if you look around YouTube you’ll see dads and old guys showing off their custom stuff. Way too much for me. I’m more interested in smaller GA planes that to me have more personality and challenge. So a compact set of controls that can work for a range of that sort of aircraft is enough for me. As far as VR goes - it doesn’t seem that popular among “serious” flight sim people. I personally just don’t like putting stuff on my head so that’s a nonstarter for me. But I think it’s also not a great device for this kind of simulation because as you surmise it means you can’t see your irl controls, and also you cant pull up other windows and applications to do more flight planning and navigation (or in my case looking up what an alarm means) etc
2 Likes