Acme Flt 1347 to Louisville KSDF

[Lane]

Though I would do a little testing FSC 1.2 -5 Beta. DC3C Aircraft.
Set up at Indy airport SE Parking 1 for passenger run to Louisville KSDF
Loading when Normal. All keys on FCOM worked great. Used real weather from FS9. TO from Runway 5R. Climbing turn to heading 165 deg 3500 ft.
Made all my in flight reports to dispatcher. when reach cruise alt.try to start
service to passengers.but had something set wrong in FSC Admin service altitude. and FA Heidi said something? but no service during the flight.
rest of flight when normal made all me reports to dispatcher and Flight deck.
Got clearance from SDF twr to Land Rwy 35 right. made the Landing but almost crashed Was trying for a ILS Landing but almost made my turn
to the north to late. shut off my autopilot and flew east toward the runway
and made a sharp turn north over the runway and made the landing.
I think I hear Dutch say "What are you doing" ;D and I think I heard a few
screams from the passengers. ;D Then ATC control said please exit next
taxi way. then they ask were I wanted to park.? This was a surprise
I just never answer them and headed to the nearest ramp which was parking 124. message on FCOM taxi to ramp and set brake and unload.
which I did set brake and shut down both engines and open side door and
and Heidi said good by and fly with us again. ;D ;D Some of the passengers Looked a little white. ;D as they left the aircraft.
This is were I set up my return flight 1361 back to INDY.
This is another story. Since I did not have radio contact with ATC.
I Loaded another flight with passengers and taxi to Rwy 35 and took off.
With out contact with ATC they were mad and got nasty messages from them. But they got over it. ;D and ATC messages were normal back to Indy.
So how was your day See my flight reports I posted tonight Flt 1347
and 1361.
Lane ;D

[Dutch Owen]

Thanks for the story Lane

How was my day? It's still ongoing...let's see how it turns out. I'll pop back over here whenever I can to update this as the flight progresses!

I'm currently sitting no. 3 for takeoff Rwy 1 at KDCA behind an AA MD80 and a USAir 737, starting Piedmont flight 37 to Roanoke. Flying a 721-- substituting for the normal 732. No problems so far, except patience! Weather decent, overcast but 8 mile vis at KROA. Next leg will be the frightful KATL though.

Oops now we're no 1....position and hold ... a Delta on 4 mile final behind me ... cleared and we're off.

The usual frantic climb out of DC, hard left to pick up the 55 radial off GVE, but now we're at FL200, cruising normally. The controllers held me down at 12,000 then again at 18,000 so delayed my climb. Unusual -- but with RC as opposed to the predicable MSATC you're never quite sure what you're going to be handed. I like that uncertainty, you have to really listen to ATC and be ready for the unexpected. They don't like it if you constantly go "say again". I have to have a pencil and paper nearby to jot down clearances sometimes. No log to look back at

No cabin service on this short flight and soon we'll be given orders to descend. 81 PAX on board -- almost a full load. Full counting the babes in arms I heard during boarding -- if they had to pay!

After about a 12 minute cruise just got clearance for PD down to 13,000; weather 10 miles with 2200 foot overcast. TAF calls for light rain beginning soon.

Dang! At 18,000 hit icing, airspeed suddenly to zero and engines rev up to max, had to go to manual throttle until the airspeed came back online. The way MS does that isn't realistic at all. Had the probe heat on all the time, it shouldn't do that. I wonder if FSUIPC has a fix for that?

Cleared down to 12,000 now ... level in the soup at 250 knots all anti-icing (engines and wings too) full on. Hope they don't give me runway 6 .. .the ILS is not aligned properly there. I'll need to make about a 15 degree correction to line up. Winds 240 at 4 knots according to the METAR...I'll ask for 33 if they give me 6.

Let's see..scheduled arrival 15:41 and it's now 15:34. Hope we make it within the 15 min limit. And yep, they just gave me 6.
Asked for 33 and got it! With RC I'm never sure, usually they grant requests but not always.

Cleared down to 7,000 heading 245 vectors to 33, too busy to write again till we're on the ground.

PAX deplaning at Roanoke. A dicey airport to approach with a low overcast ... in a valley with mountains all around. We broke out at about 6 miles out. Normal landing, typical gate change from 4 to 2, no problem. On time based on ETE, 12 minutes after scheduled arrival but we're allowed 15. Got to turn it around fast we're already 15 minutes into a 24 minute turnaround. Clearance copied to KATL - 6SM in rain ceiling 800 broken. Another near full load too.

Runways switched to 15 right after we landed. Good, fewer hills in front of 15. I'm headed for 15 with a Baron coming in from the right, can I get ahead of him?

CRASH! Not me...the computer. BSOD and the system reboots. Sigh. I think it's my graphics card (Nvidia 8800GTS) - it will randomly BSOD sometimes on FS9 or FSX, most often on FSX. I know it's not FSCaptain - to bring down the OS like that you have to have privileges - it's in the Nvidia driver. I have the latest. Well, time to start up the flight again, at least not much flying time lost.

[Dutch Owen]

Flight 37 resumed after the Windows/Nvidia interruption; everything the same except now ATC is giving us rwy 33. Beat a Skylane to the hold short point, #1 for departure, and we're off. 2500 FPM climb and still we pass over the mountain at about 1000 feet. Headed for 12,000 now and cleared direct to first waypoint.

Just realizing now that I forgot to adjust for winds prior to departure. Likely to have to file an ETE rev. With any luck I'll get stuck in a hold and get a free one ...

Up at FL280 cruising. Easy climb this time and the timing is looking surprisingly good. I'm cruising at mach .78 about 5 mins ahead of ETE. If they don't mess with me too bad at Atlanta we'll be on-time both ETE and scheduled. The quick turnaround in Roanoke got us back on track.

ATL weather not looking good. 4SM with 800 foot ceiling light rain and mist. TAF doesn't look like it'll do anything but get worse. Hope I get there before it does get worse. Timing looking worse now, winds 72 knots right in our face. Asking for 24,000 where it's better...and we got it. ATC says best rate is at 26,000 but that's not what my "weather ahead" metar seems to say. I'm going with 24,000.

Looks like I was right...at FL280 GS was 352 passing through FL260 rose to 372 but at FL240 it's 393. Picked up 2 mins on the ETE - six mins ahead now. That's excellent.

We've been flying over a solid cloud layer since departure. Looks like the whole Southeast is under clouds. That's sure what it looks like outside my window

80 miles out Dispatch clears us for the approach, noting the ceiling is 800 feet.

68 miles out .. ATC clears us to cross the 40 DME from ATL VOR at 12,000 250 knots. Better start down quick!

Despite plunging at 2500 FPM I couldn't make the crossing restriction and got chided by ATC. Was 1,000 above at the 40 DME. Wasn't aggressive enough. Should have gone 3,000FPM with speed brakes. Had 28 miles to drop 12,000 feet and slow from mach .78 to 250 knots! Not expecting much are we, ATC?

Weather nasty - rain and clouds. Getting vectors to 8L. Is that what I want? Looks like everybody is getting vectors to 8L too, I'll ask for 8R...and got it. Sky full of planes and I can't see anything but grey. If it weren't for TCAS this would be suicide!

Too busy to log...

Well, that was interesting. The choice of 8R was wise, everyone else was stacked up headed for 8L. AI pilots ain't got no savvy. Low overcast, misty, and ATC put me in hot as they often do -- which I like because it saves time but you've got to be snappy. So hot this time that the autopilot couldn't take it and started to go berserk, had to disconnect, manually stabilize on the localizer, then re-engage. Got stabilized, and a good thing because we were landing right next to a line of big chunks of metal headed for 8L, any variance to the left and BOOM big headlines next day all over the world, and us not there to read them.

Broke out and saw a Delta 777 crossing the runway ahead of me. Oh nos! I waited as long as I could, and just before I was ready to gun it for GA he cleared the runway and I landed.

Got a gate change, of course, as soon as I exited the runway. A non-Piedmont gate of course -- and me with no idea where it was! Timing was critical...I had three minutes to get to the gate and set the brake. Following the FCOM heading and distance guidance I guessed the wrong side of one of those long narrow buildings, and then had to taxi around it to get to the gate on the other side. Parked in 2 minutes late, but only 10 minutes late scheduled. Score 77 -- PAX didn't like that I left the belts sign on, which was my problem -- concentrating on writing this log every spare scond I forgot to hand it over to the FO until we were well into cruise.

The failure to adjust for winds prior to departure bit me in the end. If I had done that I'd have at least an 85. I almost made it anyway.

PAX laughing and joking on the way out....no clue how "interesting" it was out there. Another day of being an aerial bus driver

I have to say this is all quite challenging. It's quite an adventure. Many, many ways to panic and blow it when you're so overwhelmed with tasks. Approach was really jerking me around out there. Cockpit full of noisy distractions - ATC saying do this! Do that! FO talking to me, FA making announcements, GPWS squawking, Autopilot howling, TCAS yelling TRAFFIC! TRAFFIC! Had a couple of TAs on TCAS, but no RAs -- a minor miracle! Couldn't see anything out the window but a wall of gray and rain beating on the windows till we broke out (this is FS9.)

Dutch

[Lane]

Dutch,

Thanks for your reports flying Heavy Iron, What kind of programs are you running to interact with ATC in your flight reports? I Just interact with FS9
ATC. Just curious I just wonder how you move around with all those AL
Planes around you? I though I understand that planes are frozen around
you with FSC on the taxi ways? Years ago I was in a virtual airline I forget
the name and I was flying Heavy. I think I was using FS98
Just got hooked" Flying DC3's when I joined dc3airways. Then I found your
DC3C and have flying it since. I just run the Random Failures in default mode. sometimes I move to the second position " Never"
A few years ago guess I still am a member of Vatsim. I installed there program and flew with there ATC Controllers Live Sure can get chewed out if you make a mistake. ;D One time I was on Vatsim and was making
a Landing at LAX I made a good Landing but the wrong direction on the runway Lucky I did not run into anybody I sure got some nasty Com's for ATC and Pilots So I taxi behind a Building and disconnected
I think I never flew on Vatsim after that.
Thanks Dutch for your reports.
Regards
Lane

[Dutch Owen]

I use Radar Contact, an add-on that'll set you back about $45. It's not perfect but it provides far more realistic and interesting ATC than the default does that's for sure.

The hardest thing is getting used to the often-poorly-recorded voices. Some are good, some are not so good. But after a while you get used to it and it doesn't seem so mechanical as it does the first few times after you are used to the professional-grade voices of MSATC. The volunteers that did the RC recordings need more guidance in maintaining a consistent volume and tone I think.

I put off getting this for years because there was no try-before-you-buy. But now I wouldn't go back to default for serious flights. I test under it some.

The RC controllers will quite professionally chide you for mistakes but aren't overly obnoxious. The worst I've had is after three altitude deviations on the same flight the controller said, and I quote "Piedmont 42 watch your altitude. Your assigned altitude is 12,000 feet. That's the third time now. If you need special assistance or direction you let me know."



To dodge other airplanes I use a freeware TCAS gauge that combines a VSI with a little radar display. When another airplane is on an intersecting course with yours it will light up in yellow and the TCAS voice will say "Traffic, Traffic" just like the real thing. If the target gets too close the TCAS will tell you what to do in a firm commanding voice - DESCEND. DESCEND NOW. INCREASE DESCENT RATE, etc. It works like a real TCAS and it's free. Search for ILH TCAS on Avsim. All ACME airplanes (aside from the DC-3C) are equipped or at least have this as an option. I wouldn't fly without it.

I too flew on VATSIM a few times in my propliner period. They didn't really pay much attention to the guy in the slow old DC-6B and kept forgetting about me. I got the impression if you weren't flying heavy iron into the big airports you weren't taken seriously. Never went back. I'm sure it all depends on who's online doing the controlling. I might try it again someday. I think I'm still a member.

Dutch

[Dutch Owen]

A note about Radar Contact controller/pilot voices. Someone pointed me to the "MeatWater Voice Pack" on AvSim. This fellow - MeatWater -- has fixed up the RC voices so they sound vastly better and more realistic. Just with audio processing. To anyone with RC, I recommend it. However, they do talk a little faster and there's some realistic-sounding static on the comms so you have to pay even closer attention to the radio.

Search for "MeatWater RC4" to find it -- it's huge (a replacement for all the audio files) in 10 big chunks.

Dutch