tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8368765905376709812012-01-26T08:43:35.749-08:00Whatever you want to call it, here is the place where "The Cub Flounder" will be posting all of his REPORTS from F.S Flight Club International. I will only include a FEW "highlight" photos here. The full content of our feature flights, including all of the Pilot's Reports and tons of photos, can be found on the web at: www.toomuchfs.comFlounderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02198233267268360617noreply@blogger.comBlogger1121100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836876590537670981.post-36789395097019755362012-01-26T08:23:00.000-08:002012-01-26T08:24:31.413-08:00

We come to December 2011 at much the same place as December 2010 - flying only Flight Club International Liveries. I vowed to use only our new liveries between FOTMs and for the most part I have done that in 2011. (Other than Joao, no one has requested any aircraft so I assume that JoMario and I are really the only one's flying our liveries these days). Anyway...This FOTM sounds much like

Flounderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02198233267268360617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836876590537670981.post-38514625312349546602012-01-26T08:22:00.000-08:002012-01-26T08:23:31.187-08:00

Having arrived into the former headquarters of our Virtual Airline (Mumbai) just the day before, I was compelled to do one of the Flight Club Airways VA flights first this month.Flight 198 is scheduled to leave at 06:50 AM and flies to Nairobi. I took a 757 in an older-themed paint scheme (this is not Tony's original but just a poor copy) for this 2,400-mile flight across the Indian Ocean. (pict1

Flounderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02198233267268360617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836876590537670981.post-56056456184548943302012-01-26T08:21:00.002-08:002012-01-26T08:22:39.863-08:00

In September guest author Jorge Silva took us to the Azores. After completing my assignment I shuttled on a TAPortugal A318 to Lisbon. Shortly after my arrival Joao proposed to fly us to some Portugese colonies - it was the perfect segway!Once my directives arrived it was obvious that I'd have to fly this FOTM backwards. I loaded a TAPortugal A321 and headed from Lisbon to Funchal. (pict1) (pict2

Flounderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02198233267268360617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836876590537670981.post-16160496520438797862012-01-26T08:21:00.001-08:002012-01-26T08:21:52.633-08:00

Well to be honest, I knew that this FOTM from Jorge was coming so after getting the Shuttle parked and stored at Kennedy Space Center I departed at dawn (02-Aug) in the Flight Club's EMB-190 and headed directly to Santa Maria, Azores arriving just after lunch. (pict1) (pict2) I had been up all "night" with the Shuttle and only dozed off-and-on during the flight across the Atlantic so I knew I'd

Flounderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02198233267268360617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836876590537670981.post-24187139780558406352012-01-26T08:20:00.000-08:002012-01-26T08:21:10.881-08:00

I loved this FOTM!This is the first FOTM where the commute between FOTMs was the FOTM.My son and I have played around on the sim ... How high can we fly? How fast can we go? What happens above 200,000 feet? Stuff like that. I've heard that they have space sims before and my son has asked but I'd frankly never looked into it until Alejandro's suggestion that we actually try it out.Several years

Flounderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02198233267268360617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836876590537670981.post-76768467913888141982012-01-26T08:19:00.000-08:002012-01-26T08:20:11.834-08:00

From my jail cell in Brazil I was allowed one phone call ... I called Alejandro in Venezuela and asked him to make arrangements for my flight out to the next FOTM. "Flight Club aircraft this year, right boss?" he asked. "Yes AIr, please." "And you are not to worry boss" he continued, "I will have all of the arrangements made for your next flight too."After dinner on Thursday June 30th I was

Flounderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02198233267268360617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836876590537670981.post-46069758933182613102012-01-26T08:18:00.002-08:002012-01-26T08:19:31.360-08:00

This month Bill offered us something new and unique: A timed race, one single lap, around Rio, Brazil. Not just a simple lap but one that involves specific altitude restrictions and NDB navigation - all this crammed into just under 40 minutes! Wow, looked pretty tough. Especially since Bill had said that we would be closely monitored to be sure that every letter of the law would be followed.I

Flounderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02198233267268360617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836876590537670981.post-35432247128433220482012-01-26T08:18:00.001-08:002012-01-26T08:18:37.380-08:00

After landing the wood and paper aeroplane just a few metres off from the actual location of the first English Channel Crossing I had taken the train to London where I cooled my heels and enjoyed the history for a couple of weeks.Prior to the Royal Wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton I received notice from Brad that we'd be flying some "Mountains in Central Asia." At this point I took

Flounderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02198233267268360617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836876590537670981.post-39651259455228161342012-01-26T08:17:00.001-08:002012-01-26T08:17:54.576-08:00

In anticipation of the Flight Club's 100th flight together, Hans invited us to join him in Dunkirk, France. So, that's what I did the last week of March. (pict1) (pict2) (pict3) (pict4) (pict5) (pict6)Well, when April 1 rolled around and the FOTM was published I have to admit that it wasn't quite what I had expected - I guess Hans is more of a History Buff than I might have expected. Back in time

Flounderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02198233267268360617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836876590537670981.post-4542885434906733802012-01-26T08:15:00.000-08:002012-01-26T08:17:00.734-08:00

Of all places, why did I pick Egypt to end up last month? When I arrived into Sharm el Sheik on the 28th things weren't too bad but still ...Why is it that everytime Tony takes us somewhere it's frozen? He has us hauling little more than pig slop in old crates into frozen and in-hospitable places and then blames me for calling in his "assignment." WHAT IS UP? (What's more, in July 2009 when we

Flounderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02198233267268360617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836876590537670981.post-76346078330608532782012-01-26T08:13:00.000-08:002012-01-26T08:15:54.699-08:00

It was Mid-January before I arrived (via the EXTRA Flight: Tribute to the 727) into Quito. However, I had promised to fly only FS Flight Club International Liveries for the year and I had some additional testing I wanted to do on the more than 40 aircraft I now have in the Flight Club Hangar. With two parallel runways I knew that Bogata would provide a good testing ground for some of these newly

Flounderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02198233267268360617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836876590537670981.post-85448997361023400162012-01-26T08:11:00.000-08:002012-01-26T08:13:48.975-08:00

This flight of the month was inspired by my neighbor who travelled to southern Ecuador last summer to visit family and friends. (pict1) As we were talking about her travel plans it occurred to me that this Flight Club has flown in Panama, Colombia, Venezuela and Bolivia. We've done a couple of features in Peru and Chile as well as several flights in Brazil but we have never been to Ecuador (save

Flounderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02198233267268360617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836876590537670981.post-42156282115843726662012-01-26T08:10:00.000-08:002012-01-26T08:11:49.271-08:00

Wednesday November 3rd, 2010: I was aware of voices and lights. It was far too early for any commotion so I rolled over and pulled the blankets up over my head and stretching my prone form to match that chalk outline drawn at the scene of a shooting - I just wanted a bit more sleep. I tried to think if I had any flights to do today but I couldn't come up with ... "WAIT A MINUTE! THE FLIGHT OF THE

Flounderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02198233267268360617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836876590537670981.post-51506902462625938472010-11-22T09:48:00.000-08:002010-11-22T10:24:06.949-08:00

Tuesday, September 28th: The phone in my Milan hotel room was ringing!Painfully I forced myself out of my deep sleep and into semi-consciousness. It was after midnight local time .... "Flounder here" I mumbled."Hey Boss! Alejandro. Our next FOTM will be Solar Air Cargo flights in Venezuela, I hope you can make it. Adios!"With that the line went dead. Why is it we LOOK at a phone when it

Flounderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02198233267268360617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836876590537670981.post-14600095194813550072010-09-20T13:26:00.000-07:002010-09-20T13:52:37.280-07:00

Okay, so let me be clear about this: Brad wants us to break the rules? Take-off and land not always on the runways ... fly little GA planes into huge busy airports etc. I can do that - a little mix of reality and simming fun this month. Well, first off, I wasn't about to fly the 797 15 minutes to Palm Springs and flying that into LAX just seemed too ... easy. So I figured I'd break some rules

Flounderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02198233267268360617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836876590537670981.post-6068727324159847552010-07-27T11:11:00.000-07:002010-07-27T11:14:06.936-07:00

Pine Springs Ranch is a real place but not one that is in FS. This may be the FIRST EVER flight of the month to a place that is not in flightsim!Back during the late 1950's and early 1960's, my Father was the Youth Program Director for the Southeastern California Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. At that time the church organization rented a large auditorium and surrounding camp for a few

Flounderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02198233267268360617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836876590537670981.post-24095767402226075882010-07-27T11:07:00.000-07:002010-07-27T11:10:51.377-07:00

The last weekend in June I had no idea what Geert had in store for us but, knowing that I like to commute between FOTMs (and knowing that I have a hard time waiting for anything) Geert kindly invited me to make my way to Amsterdam.I left Mangalore right after breakfast and flew a little 6-seat Piper up to Mumbai, (pict1) spending the entire flight trying to figure out the new Garmin-1000 glass

Flounderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02198233267268360617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836876590537670981.post-22085451246845579352010-07-07T16:08:00.000-07:002010-07-07T16:17:23.179-07:00

On Monday May 31st I finished up my duties in northern Costa Rica and made my way back to the Capital to await Tony's instructions. My first reactions were a bit angry, "How does he expect me to fly from South America to Europe to Nepal AND complete these short runway challenges?" But as I read, and reread the instructions and poured over his staged screenshots that really failed to capture the

Flounderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02198233267268360617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836876590537670981.post-25630482085979600632010-05-30T22:06:00.001-07:002010-05-30T22:19:07.929-07:00

Here's how April went down: The FOTM in the Mirage (and subsequent deleting of that aircraft from my hangar) took one day. I spent the next week flying the Lear35 into and out-of some of the smaller Swiss airports. It was pretty fun I guess. I spent the next week relaxing along the shores of Lake Geneva.While in Europe I was introduced to the An-148, a regional jet from the Russian builder. So I

Flounderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02198233267268360617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836876590537670981.post-47688941726465162932010-05-30T21:45:00.000-07:002010-05-30T22:02:13.711-07:00

This month we have a new FOTM author taking us to ... well, lets just say that I find many things oddly framiliar:I left off last month in Queenstown, NZ. Bill took us there in June 2003. From Queenstown I flew a private Lear 35 up to Auckland. (Tony had us flying Lear 35s back in May 2005!)From Auckland I loaded up a Tanaka SST in Air New Zealand livery (I flew one of those after the April 2006

Flounderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02198233267268360617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836876590537670981.post-26694980585671445852010-05-30T21:35:00.000-07:002010-05-30T21:41:58.604-07:00

Editor's Note: This month it was suggested that we download a free flight simulator (demo version) to try our hand at flying without Microsoft.WHAT?Hans wants us to download, and install and figure out an entirely new sim? Is he insane?Actually, I kind of like the idea. It's a great plan and makes for a fun FOTM challenge.But here's the problem: It was just after my son's birthday in Mid February

Flounderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02198233267268360617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836876590537670981.post-35289281731561040382010-02-08T09:38:00.000-08:002010-02-08T09:45:34.269-08:00

There I was in southern Chile, when the invite came to see a city that is quite hilly.So I flew a plane I should fly more, (pict2) over to Brazil's eastern shore. (pict3)From there I flew all night on a Luxury Liner, (pict4) to a city by a bay that couldn't be finer. (pict5)Now you're probably wondering what I'm up to, Rhymes all month? Would I do that to you?Actually I thought I might, rhyme

Flounderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02198233267268360617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836876590537670981.post-91096864016948205762010-01-19T12:17:00.000-08:002010-01-19T12:23:07.833-08:00

After meeting up with Tony and Bill in December (pict1), I shuttled Bill and family (pict2)up to Everett, WA and Boeing Field. (pict3) It was there, at Boeing Field that Peter said we should head to Santiago Chile, so we loaded up the Flight Club's 787 and headed south from Boeing Field. (pict4) (pict5) (pict6) After an over-nighter in Panama, we arrived into Santiago New Year's Day. (pict7) (

Flounderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02198233267268360617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836876590537670981.post-49844178227265328042010-01-19T12:03:00.000-08:002010-01-19T12:17:37.207-08:00

Prior to December 1st Tony had sent out some photos of giant, radioactive Raccoons and in the corner I noted the GPS coordinates which appeared to be in the Pacific Northwest. "Great, Home for the Holidays!" So, before Thanksgiving I loaded up a 747-800 (longer fuselage, new wings, new engines (from the 787) and extended weight and range) and, leaving Helsinki before dawn, flew into Portland

Flounderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02198233267268360617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836876590537670981.post-81993769300360735762009-11-24T16:18:00.000-08:002009-11-24T16:24:04.839-08:00

Well, once everyone had arrived in Southern Cal the actual FOTM around Catalina and the Channel Islands didn't take long - then we had the rest of the month free to .... ? In the May/June Issued of "Flying Adventures Magazine" they suggested flying around Santa Barbara County, listing some great Wine & Dine locations. But for me, I had other flying to do!From Long Beach I caught a cab back to LAX

Flounderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02198233267268360617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836876590537670981.post-18177433133877331342009-10-20T15:51:00.000-07:002009-10-20T16:01:43.025-07:00

This was going to be GREAT! Back to my old High School stomping grounds.It was late Wednesday night that word came I could head to LAX. It wasn't until Thursday afternoon that I was able to depart Rio in the Flight Club's 707 and head on the long flight to Los Angeles (so long in fact that I had to stop off in Caracas for gas).Arrival to LAX was after dark but the landing was smooth - and about

Flounderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02198233267268360617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836876590537670981.post-21298954046252059582009-09-08T12:01:00.000-07:002009-09-08T12:09:40.706-07:00

After a crazy and hectic month up in Alaska, trying to find all of Peter's little red-and-white boxes I awoke before dawn on Monday the 31st not really ready to head off to Brazil. I climbed aboard, pre-flighted (is that an adverb?), walked-around and fired up "Flounder One" from KOFC. Watch this video of the 15-hour, all-day haul (with fuel stop in Guatamala) down to Sao Paulo: http://

Flounderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02198233267268360617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836876590537670981.post-28249067836835761352009-09-08T11:42:00.000-07:002009-09-08T12:01:46.179-07:00

Peter has mentioned Rogaining before but when I saw the title of this month's FOTM I thought of a Hair Growth Product called "Rogaine for Men" ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minoxidil ). I thought that Peter wanted us all to, "Look younger today! Use Rogaine to regrow hair naturally ..." Thank goodness that's not what we are doing this month.Having spent a few weeks at home I was a bit glad to

Flounderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02198233267268360617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836876590537670981.post-57219685059634788002009-07-14T11:26:00.000-07:002009-07-14T11:46:29.931-07:00

To see the whole report you'll have to go to the website after 01-Aug-09 and find my Pilot's Report. In the meantime, here's a little "teaser" from 13,300 feet above sea level.

Flounderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02198233267268360617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836876590537670981.post-82306335161162019332009-06-23T11:42:00.001-07:002009-06-23T11:52:00.739-07:00

Some have accused me of a lack of patience ... well excuse me for being enthusiastic!Geert had intentionally not shared with me any details of this months' FOTM and I took it personally. (I vowed to get him back at some point this month).The March FOTM over Niagra Falls was pretty quick and easy - with the kids' help I was done by the third. The April FOTM over Ararat was e-mailed to me last year

Flounderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02198233267268360617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836876590537670981.post-9788826000613958822009-06-12T06:41:00.000-07:002009-06-12T07:05:48.649-07:00

It's the middle of June and I am working on the current Flight of the Month feature around western Europe. In the meantime, here's another video ....

Flounderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02198233267268360617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836876590537670981.post-65938346738267103162009-05-15T07:52:00.001-07:002009-05-15T08:07:18.392-07:00

A little project I've been working on for a couple of months. Since I wasn't FLYING in May I got this finished up. If you are really missing the May Feature Flight, keep scrolling down to the next post or, go to www.toomuchfs.com and search (maybe the archives) for May 2009.There is a larger (more detailed) version of this video at: www.youtube.com/pretendpilot

Flounderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02198233267268360617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836876590537670981.post-59114574004319899732009-04-27T09:52:00.000-07:002009-04-27T10:39:39.982-07:00

Those who have been around this Flight Club any length of time know that three and one-half decades ago (Thirty-Five years) I was privileged to travel on Mission work in Central Africa. While the flightsim world lacks some detail over most of the continent, I still enjoy flying here and reliving my adventures. This month we are going to tour six remote airfields through the Ethiopian Highlands.

Flounderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02198233267268360617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836876590537670981.post-38230708069020277172009-03-23T12:01:00.001-07:002009-03-23T12:13:23.635-07:00

I'm posting early here - hoping to pique some interest ......How about this time we don't go into a lot of details about how I got from Niagra Falls to Oregon? Suffice it to say that come April 1st I was doing some work from "home" when the word came in that we'd be flying Turboprops in Turkey! With Spring Fever in the air I called the wife-unit and told her to pack and bags and load up the kids

Flounderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02198233267268360617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836876590537670981.post-31974658521653519952009-03-05T11:42:00.000-08:002009-03-05T11:53:33.673-08:00

This will be a brief report this time around - busy life and all. To read the full transcript you'll have to visit www.toomuchfs.com. This will be visible under the Pilot's Reports tab after April 1st.I left Scotland and flew to Newark aboard an Eastern Airlines DC-10. Then I took an Eastern Airlines Dash-8 up to Buffalo, NY.Finally I sailed over and around Niagra Falls in an Ultralight "

Flounderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02198233267268360617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836876590537670981.post-32584345542499394032009-02-23T10:05:00.001-08:002009-02-23T10:13:44.938-08:00

When I returned to the suite I found the yellow envelope waiting. Eagerly I ripped it open, knowing that this was my pass to freedom and taking up my simming once again. Several things struck me as I read:"...we'd visit my own country...""...Woodford as it is smaller...""...wind farms that are being built...""...Talla...Solway Firth...Gretna Green...elopments...Dumfries...Galloway...rugged by

Flounderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02198233267268360617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836876590537670981.post-78526443353698560692009-02-21T07:14:00.000-08:002009-02-21T07:16:14.007-08:00

http://www.lufthansa-usa.com/useugame2007/html/play.html

Flounderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02198233267268360617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836876590537670981.post-88197224466987997552009-01-06T09:11:00.000-08:002009-01-06T09:32:47.976-08:00

You might think that after 72 feature flights this whole idea of a Flight of the Month might be getting old (and maybe it's just me) but I, for one, am continually thrilled and amazed to see these features coming up. Hans, what a great idea! As usual, I can't wait.I wanted to get quickly into the "theme" so I loaded up an old favorite, the Lockheed Electra L-188 and left Beirut, Lebanon at 14:30

Flounderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02198233267268360617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836876590537670981.post-22445400654989108812008-12-04T10:23:00.001-08:002008-12-04T10:23:54.118-08:00

Those who have been around this club any significant period of time and those who know me, know that I have a certain affinity for things Mediterranean. This is, after all, why Peter based LGFC in the Greek Isles! Well, we’ve had feature flights based from LGFC, flights into Samos Island and Malta and this month we’ll be exploring another part of the Mediterranean Sea. Our host nation this month

Flounderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02198233267268360617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836876590537670981.post-30105818764045534732008-11-09T21:50:00.000-08:002008-11-09T22:21:40.983-08:00

I had left off last month in Newport, RI http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9T5Ix54ZNTQ on purpose - I new that would be sorta close to where Nels was starting us off for our "pilgrimage" to Meigs Field in Chicago. Rather than heading north to Norwood, I figured I could start from here and still hit many of the highlight spots along the way. My plane of choice this month will be a Piper Comanche in "

Flounderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02198233267268360617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836876590537670981.post-42662793868379984512008-10-06T09:35:00.000-07:002008-10-06T09:46:07.211-07:00

Step One: Get from Key West to Duluth, MN in another aircraft that I had never before flown. (B-2 Bomber)Step Two: Get from Duluth, MN to Kenora in an Air Canada Dash-8 (Like you've never seen me use one of those before...)Step Three: Decide what to fly for this FOTM: *There's the Default Caravan Amphibian which I've never used for a PIREP before but something says that this isn't the best choice

Flounderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02198233267268360617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836876590537670981.post-6387059101850578412008-09-17T14:45:00.000-07:002008-09-17T14:54:13.668-07:00

First off this month I had to get from Kodiak Alaska, back to something a bit more ... civilized. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fIKhcRVo3o From Vancouver I was ready to head out and within just a few days Tim said we could head to Pennsylvania. I hopped into an A-321 and took an afternoon, cross-country flight: (pict1) (pict2). Video of my landing is here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=

Flounderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02198233267268360617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836876590537670981.post-86800831558841854642008-08-04T11:10:00.000-07:002008-08-08T07:35:26.269-07:00

How it all comes together: At first I was tempted to just fly this FOTM in real-world (August) weather ... but that's like what Bill would do and what's the fun of that? I think I have a Coast Guard repaint of a Gulfstream-V which is one of Tony's favorite planes ... There are a bunch of repaints for the default Lear-45 ... I had just about decided to use the Flight Club Exec Lear-35 when the

Flounderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02198233267268360617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836876590537670981.post-52512420260198859762008-07-21T16:02:00.000-07:002008-07-21T16:10:33.961-07:00

After an all-night flight in the A-330 I arrived into ... I almost don't remember now where I was. Ah yes, I arrived into Trinidad and Tobago. Then there was a pre-dawn flight in an ATR-42 and I awoke in Boa Vista, Brazil. I was tired and jet-lagged and frankly feeling pretty out-of-sorts. I staggered down to the lobby of the hotel Joao had arranged for us and asked for an internet connection.

Flounderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02198233267268360617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836876590537670981.post-59936025474989493922008-07-02T13:57:00.001-07:002008-07-23T08:00:00.994-07:00

First things first this month! From Key West I made my way to Portland, Oregon as noted on the following videos:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OiBqXK4pG20http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZDwgeKdwxYhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knQBz7wXmkohttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbI38quI7us Saturday May 31st we were sitting out on the front porch having dinner and I heard a "different" deep rumble coming

Flounderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02198233267268360617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836876590537670981.post-38365841255244076052008-07-02T12:57:00.000-07:002008-07-22T15:33:36.508-07:00

Did you expect me to stay on Malta? Really, what's there for me? Microsoft has given us a rather dull reproduction of this island, at least in FS9, so I had taken yet another flight back to "Ron's Digs - LGFC" for the last few days of April. After sailing around the entire island I returned to my cabin for a soak in the mineral hot tub. While checking in I saw the notice from Dick that the next

Flounderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02198233267268360617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836876590537670981.post-92093132848572187302008-07-02T11:28:00.000-07:002008-07-22T16:08:48.386-07:00

The Birds!" "Those birds and their STUPID SCREECHING!" I just wanted them to SHUT-UP!As I lay there under my pillow I could swear that one of them sounded like the "death aria" from Mozart's Magic Flute Opera ... "Damn Birds!"Finally I realized that it was not a bird, but was Geert calling on my cell phone. (Duuh~) I reached out through the mosquito netting and retrieved the phone."Hello?""Hey

Flounderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02198233267268360617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836876590537670981.post-63381198657839282812008-07-02T10:57:00.000-07:002008-08-08T07:36:07.135-07:00

Arriving to the FOTM - B787 PIA: After four GLORIOUS days on my rented boat in Melbourne (pict1) I was ready to head to our next FOTM feature. Early on Sunday March 2nd I departed in a brand new Boeing 787 in PIA livery for Islamabad. (pict2) I headed diagonally across the continent passing north of Adelaide (pict3)and leaving the land of Oz near Broome. My route closely followed the legs I had

Flounderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02198233267268360617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836876590537670981.post-69515101666959876332008-07-02T10:50:00.000-07:002008-07-02T10:55:17.985-07:00

LOCKHEED LEGENDS by: Cub FlounderYou’ll hear no arguments from me that the Lockheed Constellation or “Connie” was one of the greatest aircraft in aviation history (pict1)– marking, arguably, the start of intercontinental and even trans-global air travel. I also found the link Bill provided from YouTube to be quite fascinating and informative. However, this stellar history which includes many

Flounderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02198233267268360617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836876590537670981.post-74517373471994985652008-07-02T10:24:00.000-07:002008-07-29T10:19:24.207-07:00

From December to January I had left off, after an engine failure on my DC-8, in Gran Canaria for the Christmas Holiday. Shortly after my arrival I heard that I should start doing some research on http://www.flyingthehump.net/ and http://www.palletmastersworkshop.com/hump.html This World War 2 theatre was based out of the Assam Valley in far northeastern India and kept supply routes open between

Flounderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02198233267268360617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836876590537670981.post-76185010022973929392008-07-02T10:02:00.000-07:002008-07-02T10:18:11.546-07:00

I'm sure you have all heard the famous story that starts with the line, "It was a dark and stormy night ..." Well, I was thinking of that as I flew the DeHavilland Turbo Beaver "Raven" from Fort Yukon to Fairbanks, Alaska. Sure, it was only 124 miles but at "Oh Dark Thirty" AM it was only about 11* F and the wind chill put us near zero degrees. "It was a dark and cold morning as I set out toward

Flounderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02198233267268360617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836876590537670981.post-65516478442348483952008-07-02T09:41:00.000-07:002008-07-02T10:02:28.558-07:00

Colombia to California: Alejandro and I had enjoyed some time in Valencia, along the beaches and dining out - great kids you have there AIr, and tell Mildred "Thanks" for cooking. Of course, one cannot hang out with "The Collector" without learning of new things out there, and we had just recently discovered that the Starbucks Coffee@ A-330 would be flying from Bogota to San Bernardino. Problem

Flounderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02198233267268360617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836876590537670981.post-35265077543417119352008-07-02T09:28:00.000-07:002008-07-22T16:07:57.506-07:00

The Commute: I left off in Sao Paulo, Brazil after three 737 flights down the eastern coast. Now I was off to Colombia...Cartagena to be specific. I had heard that some others were visiting Brad in Arequipa or Alejandro in Valencia but you know what they say, "no rest for the boss." Having flown down to Brazil in a repaint designed by my son, I was planning on flying out of Brazil in a repaint

Flounderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02198233267268360617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836876590537670981.post-308194298647438212008-07-02T09:08:00.000-07:002008-07-02T09:25:29.659-07:00

Here's the deal: I'm planning on being off (out of town) most of the month of September. (Good for me, Bad for flying) However, Joao had already given me the FOTM details (Good for flying) so I took the last weekend in July to fly this FOTM early. (Good for the September FOTM)Having arrived into Recife (SBRF), Brazil I was ready to set out in a 737: First one up is a repaint of the default 737-

Flounderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02198233267268360617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836876590537670981.post-32384363958785860662008-07-02T08:50:00.000-07:002008-07-02T08:59:34.519-07:00

After a weekend near the beach in Dunedin, I caught a ride up front in the Flight Club's T-6 Trojan trainer. We made the rather short flight over the middle of New Zealand's south island, landing at the first and original Flight Club HQs, NZFC. From there I spent the final week at the nearby hotel Peter had built. One day Brad and I were afloat on a small yacht discussing some topic of religious

Flounderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02198233267268360617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836876590537670981.post-55578780333878365492008-07-02T08:28:00.000-07:002008-07-02T08:43:58.369-07:00

While hanging out in Melbourne (I really do need to try and get here in real life) I was walking home from an evening on the town when I heard some old, familiar music. (This music was not from http://www.plr.org/ by the way) I followed the sound into a small corner café where a group of old World War II pilots (and some of their friends and colleagues) were hanging out telling stories. I slipped

Flounderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02198233267268360617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836876590537670981.post-973737403909791792008-07-02T08:14:00.000-07:002008-07-22T16:06:00.698-07:00

Sometimes in this Club pilots get notification of the next flight via a phone call, or fax or e-mail or a full-blown package on the doorstep - heck, I've even been KIDNAPPED before and taken to the next FOTM against my will! So, there I was relaxing on the Beach in Central Peru when one evening there was a message for me at the hotel desk from Bill Smith, "Head to Melbourne for the next feature."

Flounderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02198233267268360617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836876590537670981.post-80462432674776960722008-07-01T16:08:00.001-07:002008-08-01T08:22:47.195-07:00

Nazca Lines PIREP By Ron Blehm Note: All times listed are local US West CoastSunday April 15th – 06:55 AM: After doing a little bit of Flight Club paperwork at the cabin, I flew the default Lear 45 from LGFC back to Friedrichshafen (pict1) for some additional sight-seeing and a road trip (in a BMW) up into the Alps and Lichtenstein.Friday April 20th - Noon: I take a six-seat Piper around the

Flounderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02198233267268360617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836876590537670981.post-26302716817262910622008-06-30T16:00:00.001-07:002008-07-01T07:09:13.174-07:00

My March report ended with my Do328jet flight into Caracas, Venezuela. Now, I had most of the month left to tour the Caribbean Coasts: Venezueala, Colombia, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatamala, Benin and finally into Mexico. I had flown in an EMB-120, EMB-170, Jetstream-31, GA-8 Airvan, Twotter-on-Floats, PC-12 and even a DC-3. While sitting under a palm tree on Cozumel Island I

Flounderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02198233267268360617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836876590537670981.post-89244226160207732482008-06-30T15:48:00.000-07:002008-06-30T15:56:27.816-07:00

Okay, quick review so y'all can catch up with the story here: 12-Feb-07 = After crashing Peter's Piper Cub attempting to get into one of the Scar Creek Outposts, I was MediVac'ed to Vancouver via Campbell River. I got out of hospital Saturday having recovered well thanks to lots of time listening to http://www.plr.org/ and http://www.allclassical.org/. Now that I was well-enough to "recover" I

Flounderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02198233267268360617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836876590537670981.post-74028967224371876392008-06-30T15:22:00.000-07:002008-06-30T15:48:26.210-07:00

I had flown to Rhodes. I had checked out Santorini. I had made the tough approach into Samos again (See the December 2003 FOTM). I had watched some planes come and go from my cabin at the southeast end of “Ron’s Digs”. I had done a couple of on-line flights. I had painted a couple of Flight Club and Air Zaire planes for the virtual airline. I had listened to http://www.plr.org/and http://

Flounderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02198233267268360617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836876590537670981.post-54198986978913230742008-06-30T15:15:00.000-07:002008-06-30T15:22:44.379-07:00

Well, regardless of when you fly this FOTM, weather should not be an issue! I have had great fun – and really have appreciated Peter Stark’s work on LGFC, known as “Ron’s Digs”. This will be our hub for this FOTM. It seems that recently we have gotten out of the habit of using specified aircraft for our features so this month I would ask each of you to fly in the same type of aircraft I will give

Flounderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02198233267268360617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836876590537670981.post-44913293951887457812008-06-27T12:54:00.001-07:002008-06-27T13:00:25.582-07:00

Well, do you really want all of the details? It had been a long time (or at least it had felt like a long time) since I had flown a Feature Flight. I last left off having landed the F-14 Tomcat back into St. Maarten after completing Alejandro's November feature.From there I had some contract work to do in Colombia so I flew an EMB-170 in to Caracas. Then the Flight Club's A-318 in to Bogota.After

Flounderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02198233267268360617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836876590537670981.post-74665437303894960092008-06-27T12:43:00.000-07:002008-07-23T08:01:03.803-07:00

Or this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKU_lfibNX4The brief version of my PIREP - to go along with my video: I took an AFA A330 directly from Amsterdam to St Maarten...over the VOR 5,000 feet, heading northwest to DME 15 for the standard rate turn back onto 093*, OVER the fence and landed.Next I was in to AIr's C206 Turbo for two of the shorter hops including St Bart's. With the new terrain

Flounderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02198233267268360617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836876590537670981.post-44540037689509418222008-06-27T10:46:00.000-07:002008-07-22T09:37:08.033-07:00

Saturday Sept 30: After a fun, full and scenic month in the Philippines, I had returned (via a PAL MD-11) to Flight Club International Airways HQ in Mumbai, India. (Weather was pleasant enough with hazy highs around 80*F and widely scattered thundershowers) I returned to my Flight Club Executive suite after church Saturday to find a note from Geert: “Fly to London and catch a domestic flight to

Flounderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02198233267268360617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836876590537670981.post-10979513181781740842008-06-27T10:31:00.000-07:002008-07-29T10:14:35.240-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acfnfCRC9NQAren’t vacations great? I had a fun little surprise last month to get to spend some time in the amazing nation of Madagascar – who knew? But now I was getting Dick’s call to “fill-in” for a travel catastrophe in the Philippines. The Philippines is another scenic and colorful nation, certainly fun to visit! This was truly exciting! I had featured a

Flounderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02198233267268360617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836876590537670981.post-37298344781200973622008-06-27T09:37:00.001-07:002008-07-22T10:03:51.010-07:00

Searching for a Mosque on an IslandIntroduction: This was a rather bizarre request but then again, it sounded a bit fun – kind of reminded me of my favorite TV show, “The Amazing Race” which apparently has quite a large worldwide following. Just to let you all know an aside, my application, sent in with a friend from church, Russ, has apparently not been accepted as we have not as yet been

Flounderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02198233267268360617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836876590537670981.post-12629142660232093062008-06-27T07:17:00.000-07:002008-06-27T07:31:21.397-07:00

Bill had said something about sending a postcard this month so my report was just that - photos designed as postcards. Well really, the only way to see that is to visit http://www.toomuchfs.com/ and on the left side, click on THE ARCHIVES, then scroll down to July 2006. Orrrr, the little video is ... well, it's a bit choppy but you'll get the idea anyway. pretendpilot@yahoo.com

Flounderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02198233267268360617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836876590537670981.post-79075271244587621562008-06-26T13:11:00.000-07:002008-06-26T13:54:15.590-07:00

The June 2006 Feature Flight: The French / Spanish Boarder Tour By: Cub FlounderWell, after several weeks in Hanover I think Hans and his dear wife were good and truly SICK of feeding me and washing my clothes. I figured I may as well take a little vacation until the June FOTM came out. I booked a flight from Hanover to Nice and arrived at the airport to find out that we’d be riding down in a

Flounderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02198233267268360617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836876590537670981.post-68131060475545240932008-06-26T12:52:00.000-07:002008-08-08T07:36:45.505-07:00

First Bill tells us about a new “Reality” show on TV where they take several non-athletic computer geek/nerd types and make them into a soccer team. The first match was against the (did I get this right?) local girls’ High School team…the geeks lost 11:0. I dunno, sounds to me like they are trying to give some poor geeks heart attacks.“ALASTAIR! Bring the paddles!”Then Brad releases this FOTM

Flounderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02198233267268360617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836876590537670981.post-80070599500838569032008-06-26T11:43:00.000-07:002008-07-29T10:22:52.578-07:00

Enroute video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2kFCeW4KY0 Leg A = Hans had graciously released the FOTM info early and we were each off to make up our own Scandinavian tours. I suppose I could be called insensitive for flying a B-17 over Germany at dawn but I haven’t had a B-17 in the hanger since FS2k and I was excited to get started – so I took this old warbird up for a loud and bumpy ride into

Flounderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02198233267268360617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836876590537670981.post-16929022861906426532008-06-26T09:03:00.000-07:002008-07-29T10:13:09.471-07:00

This FOTM was my first attempt at making or including a video as part of my report. Here it is: Or you can try this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mz6lGenNI8Y

Flounderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02198233267268360617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836876590537670981.post-88826807109609422162008-06-26T08:49:00.000-07:002008-06-26T08:59:06.006-07:00

Over the din of the city streets I recognized the sound of an electronically modified Gorge Friedrich Handel work and knew it was my cellular phone. “Hello?” I answered. “Ron? Peter here” the voice on the other end responded. “Where are you?” Doesn’t this guy ever read my PIREPs? What does he think, that I write these blasted things just to keep my fingers loose? Sigh~ “Ummm, Panama Peter, I’ve

Flounderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02198233267268360617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836876590537670981.post-86409419117781169992008-06-25T15:53:00.000-07:002008-06-25T16:01:11.620-07:00

Voice 1: Acabo de necesitar para estar seguro eso por la mañana, allí complacerá es alguien allí recoger las medicinas. Voice 2, from outside: ¡Oye! Julio. Apenas esté por favor seguro no amontonar los frascos de vidrio demasiado altos. Voice 1: No, nuestro piloto no está disponible todavía. El estará listo para volar mañana. A woman’s voice: ¿Piensa usted que nuestro gringo está despierto

Flounderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02198233267268360617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836876590537670981.post-33756243074515570472008-06-25T15:48:00.000-07:002008-07-29T10:21:04.900-07:00

What I hope to present for you each this month is…well, something for any flight simmer to try regardless of what you like to fly. No, I have not run out of ideas, (in fact I’ve recently been working on my FOTMs for 2006) I was just curious as to what you liked to fly and wanted to see how you’d handle the weather into this, sometimes tricky, airport. Besides, this would be a GREAT PLACE to spend

Flounderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02198233267268360617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836876590537670981.post-39432442532545736872008-06-25T15:45:00.000-07:002008-06-25T15:48:17.661-07:00

Salina is Known ‘Round here as: Queen of the Heavies -- Yet she’s rather a small woman, so she presents us with a bit of a dichotomy. Speaking of dichotomies, my theme this month is the Boeing 747SP. I used to joke that the SP stood for Small and Puney. My first Trans-Pacific flight was LAX → Taipei on a China Airlines SP.After hanging out in Hawaii for 2-3 months I was relaxed and ready to move

Flounderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02198233267268360617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836876590537670981.post-89296297948977270172008-06-25T15:38:00.000-07:002008-06-25T15:44:30.355-07:00

Okay, let me back up here: In August I flew the Scenic Yellowstone FOTM. Then I was off to Hawaii to wait for this flight, but in September there was that extra feature in Egypt (which was actually to make up for the lack of a flight in August??) Aaaanywaaaaaaaay, from Hawaii I was off to Egypt via Singapore and Mumbai and then I spent some time on assignment for Peter Stark in the Mediterranean.

Flounderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02198233267268360617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836876590537670981.post-60127683296951560632008-06-25T15:30:00.000-07:002008-06-25T15:38:41.554-07:00

Editor’s notes: I have reworked most of these texts either for length or for clarity. Also, please note that this task was begun in early 2003 so sims, pilots and e-mails may have changed over the past 2-3 years.This FOTM poses a question of each of you: What is your favorite airliner? This can be a classic liner from years past, a favorite paint scheme or something that you see overhead each day

Flounderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02198233267268360617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836876590537670981.post-43927383128854415602008-06-25T15:22:00.000-07:002008-06-25T15:30:19.449-07:00

The month of winter in Perth, W.Australia, motivated me to do some work for Flight Club Airways…so I did some repainting of our L-1011 fleet. Then it was off to the August feature flight – although I wasn’t yet sure what, exactly that was. Leg One was in our Standard FCA liveried L-1011, Perth to Hong Kong. PHOTO-1 Leg Two was in our Administration livery L-1011, Hong Kong to Honolulu. PHOTO-2Leg

Flounderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02198233267268360617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836876590537670981.post-2240441470129086952008-06-24T11:36:00.000-07:002008-06-24T11:47:34.841-07:00

Our sincere thanks to Salina Chan of Singapore for creating and sharing this promotional video with us. "THANKS Skygirl!"

Flounderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02198233267268360617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836876590537670981.post-62382860279440806292008-06-23T16:18:00.000-07:002008-06-23T16:29:14.148-07:00

After a lovely month in Cape Town, South Africa (thanks Hans) I was off to Western Australia.Back in February 2004 at least six of us joined up for a live, on-line session of flying. The results were quite mixed and so far as I know we have not tried to coordinate getting ALL of us on-line again since that time. But, according to my information, Bill found all the chatter distracting enough that

Flounderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02198233267268360617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836876590537670981.post-59076605041073874862008-06-19T11:38:00.000-07:002008-06-19T11:45:30.090-07:00

As usual, I started this FOTM early. Hans had told me that we’d be heading to Africa…somewhere, and needless to say I was thrilled. You know, the default FS scenery here isn’t worth writing about – and I don’t do mesh on my old system. But for me, it’s the memories of Africa that are so special. So with that, I set out from where I ended the May flight…Portland, Oregon. In a recreation of my

Flounderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02198233267268360617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836876590537670981.post-79736226688667526712008-06-19T11:34:00.000-07:002008-06-19T11:38:46.044-07:00

Location, enroute to Walla Walla Regional Airport (KALW), Washington State: I’m leaving the town known as College Place, Washington, home of http://www.plr.org/ as well as Walla Walla College. The nearby city of Walla Walla is home to the more famous (locally) Whitman College and my nearest Starbuck’s! I drive very slowly down College Avenue, the speed limit is like 10 mph here and you don’t want

Flounderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02198233267268360617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836876590537670981.post-61888367165239029062008-05-30T10:34:00.001-07:002008-07-29T10:24:38.479-07:00

Getting there:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqbxiWDSBesShockingly, I received an e-mail reply from Peter regarding the April FOTM! (Now, I want you all to notice that I’m doing something different this month so this paragraph starts back in Mid-March, 2005 and you’ll read UP from here.) A quick web search indicated that we’d be flying in Nepal – “Great” I thought to myself, a chance to log some

Flounderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02198233267268360617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836876590537670981.post-60440316900084286032008-05-06T15:38:00.000-07:002008-05-06T16:00:05.326-07:00

Here’s what we know:The inspiration for this month’s offering(s) come from my first ever, World Air Routes DVD - featuring ATRs around the Canary Islands. (Christmas 2004 – so read on and then do the math)Actually I had a couple of these worked up last year but…Once I got started on these shorter regional flights, I couldn’t stop! There were just too many neat places I wanted you to go. So I

Flounderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02198233267268360617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836876590537670981.post-53322345523507220532008-05-06T15:28:00.000-07:002008-05-06T15:37:13.043-07:00

LLAAADIIIIIIEEEEES AAND GENTLEMENNNNNN! WEELCUUUUUUUM TO THE FIRST EVER, FLLIIIIIGHHHHT CLUUUUUB AIRSHOOOOOOOOWWWWWWW!WE HAVE QUITE THE SHOW FOR YOU TODAY – THE CUB FLOUNDER RECEIVED NOTICE OF THIS EVENT MONTHS AGO AND HAS BEEN WORKING FEVERISHLY TO PUT ON A GRAND SHOW FOR YOUR ENJOYMENT…BUT FIRST THE BUSINESS OF THE DAY:First Aid needs will be addressed by alastair@mash4077.f9.co.ukLost

Flounderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02198233267268360617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836876590537670981.post-91945072848811407952008-05-06T15:20:00.000-07:002008-05-06T15:28:25.996-07:00

Friday, 17-December, 14:22: While sitting there listening to the manager of our section ramble on about, “…you have shown more productivity this past year…there have been fewer complaints…you are completing requests accurately and on time…there’s no money for bonuses or raises but hey, at least no one’s getting fired!…” I found my mind wondering into the virtual world of my next FlightSim flight

Flounderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02198233267268360617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836876590537670981.post-37546963634136407732008-05-06T12:56:00.000-07:002008-05-06T13:14:05.482-07:00

I have never had to take a story into two-months worth of PIREPs before but this was beginning to read more like one of Bill’s books. (You HAVE purchased your copy of GET REAL – the FlightSim Novel haven’t you?) Anyway, this is not that book but you may need to go back and read the Flight Club’s December FOTM PIREPs to get all the background information.The RPMs rev and the tires squeal as I put

Flounderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02198233267268360617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836876590537670981.post-8171888260890396382008-04-30T15:55:00.000-07:002008-04-30T16:04:21.163-07:00

There is just something about being on a quiet tropical island that makes me feel famous, or at least privileged. The warm tropical sun, the cooler sea breezes…the silence – other than the quiet lapping of nearby waves…the barely perceptible motion of the hammock…the gentle rustling of the palm branches…the smell of ??? Coconut suntan oil? I open my eyes to see the most beautiful woman ever

Flounderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02198233267268360617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836876590537670981.post-35449826578169266972008-04-30T15:37:00.000-07:002008-04-30T15:55:02.156-07:00

Monday November 1, 2004: Arequipa, Peru – 08:38 AM: 01 - Flight Club Airways Flight 749 departs enroute to Sao Paulo, Brazil.Near La Paz, Bolivia: 02 - Flight 749 passing some scenic mountains.Near Sao Paulo, Brazil: 03 - Flight 749 sets up for arrival on the ILS. 04 - Passengers watch as the flight slows.Sao Paulo, Brazil – 18:07 PM: 05 - FCA Flight 551 departs for Johannesburg, South

Flounderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02198233267268360617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836876590537670981.post-65635480449710442222008-04-30T15:33:00.000-07:002008-04-30T15:36:38.944-07:00

I think Peter Stark from Australia has inspired me to take a new tack with my PIREP. This year, Peter has given thought as to what instruments we all might play, what we’d like to drink, what sport we might play or what music best fits our personalities. In this PIREP I’m not going to “pick” on my fellow simmers (This in itself is newsworthy!) but rather, I will attempt to make analyses with the

Flounderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02198233267268360617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836876590537670981.post-19544694279283842762008-04-02T14:28:00.000-07:002008-04-02T14:31:11.663-07:00

In an unusual turn of events, I was sitting at home watching a movie…as the final, dramatic scenes of “The Scarlet Pimpernel” began playing on the screen the telephone rang. On the other end of the line was a proper-sounding British gentleman. “Ron, Roy Handley here, good day.” Roy is one of our Flight Club reporting members, he is also a former RAF pilot himself. He too is a fan of Lesley Howard

Flounderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02198233267268360617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836876590537670981.post-30210369096667151952008-04-02T14:23:00.000-07:002008-04-02T14:27:34.232-07:00

Somewhere through the fog of unconscious slumber I hear the rumble of a Beaver-on-floats departing from the bay. As I awaken a bit more I hear the distant hum of a motorboat. With eyes still closed I fully awaken to the sound of gently lapping waves. I sense a very subtle rocking – barely perceptible. I was on the houseboat near Skagway, Alaska and life was good!I had returned home after a 50-day

Flounderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02198233267268360617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836876590537670981.post-67211677339750718052008-04-02T14:13:00.000-07:002008-04-02T14:22:52.386-07:00

Day 1:   “Mister Ron?” “Mister Ron, there is a call for you.” While at first I thought it was the nurse from Bill’s May FOTM I quickly woke up enough to realize that it was a messenger from the nearby village. “What?”   “A call for you, sir, on the radio.” I scrambled to find my glasses and sandals in the tent and then followed the young boy the few hundred meters into the local village. It was

Flounderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02198233267268360617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836876590537670981.post-80259215523093848342008-04-02T13:50:00.000-07:002008-04-02T13:53:51.100-07:00

Actually it was 30 years ago this month that I left for my Missions Trip to Central AfricaWhen I started working up this FOTM I did a very little bit of research on http://www.flightlookup.com/ and it appeared at that time that there were no real world flights covering this route, maybe political situations dictate this somewhat? Lucky for us, there are no politics in FS so we can enjoy flying to

Flounderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02198233267268360617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836876590537670981.post-17161859091330388872008-04-02T13:41:00.000-07:002008-04-02T13:46:29.456-07:00

The Commute: I’m not sure I need to go into all the details as to why I was in Vancouver, BC around the first of the month but my job now was, obviously, to get to Peru. I looked up a series of flights on http://www.flightlookup.com/ and set-up my plan accordingly. Pushing back from Vancouver at 8:45 AM I taxied the Alaska Airlines MD-80 out to the runway and received clearance a short time later

Flounderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02198233267268360617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836876590537670981.post-6632312934463628482008-03-31T14:32:00.000-07:002008-03-31T14:38:07.922-07:00

Written for the Cub Flounder but flown by “Ivan Allen”Pretendpilot: Having finally arrived safely back in Guadalupe after a month-long tour of Venezuela [Photo-001] , I called the Cub Flounder on cell phone. His arm was feeling much better, (He had been having his rehab done by a “specialist” in Nepal) his tan was significantly darker and he was about to head back to Oregon to attend to the

Flounderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02198233267268360617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836876590537670981.post-7746422040894426502008-03-31T10:04:00.000-07:002008-03-31T10:14:54.333-07:00

Flown and reported by: “Pretend Pilot”I had been standing there going over my daughter’s homework when the phone rang. It was the Cub Flounder, “Ron, Flounder here, I need a little bail-out,” he said. “I’ve been going crazy: Greece to South America to Japan to Australia…now I’m in Vegas and I’m beat! Could you cover the March FOTM for me?” I had recently returned from my own adventures but after

Flounderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02198233267268360617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836876590537670981.post-32376312180328575782008-03-31T09:57:00.000-07:002008-03-31T10:04:14.445-07:00

Alastair, Alastair....? I think you are the only member of the Flight Club who doesn't ever fly in his own neighborhood! “…plenty of interest…in the western United States”?Okay, well, before I get to February I want to be sure that everyone is caught up (truthfully) about all of the events of January. One great thing about this Flight of the Month Club is that it lets us have our “other” FS lives

Flounderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02198233267268360617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836876590537670981.post-20073434808599237962008-03-31T09:53:00.000-07:002008-03-31T09:56:38.343-07:00

Sure, being the head of an International Organization has some perks, like recognition and fame....but it also kind of sucks because you are always "in charge." So, while the rest of the gang has had a nice vacation in Greece, I had some "business" to attend to in South America. So I departed Greece early in a 757 bound for the Canary Islands. Then into "Flounder-One" for a trip into Valencia,

Flounderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02198233267268360617noreply@blogger.com