August 2010 - Pine Springs Ranch

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 weeks each summer, but the leadership felt that they needed their own camp. So my Father was tasked with searching for, finding, purchasing and developing a church-owned youth camp. For several years this occupied huge chunks of his time and effort, "Blood, Sweat and Tears" he used to call it. During the first couple summers of the 1960's, Pine Springs Ranch came to be. My Father, the practical farm boy that he was, built many of the first cabins by hand. He helped lay the foundation for the cafeteria that still stands today. He dug out the lake on a D-5 Caterpiller Bulldozer. He built a nature concervatory and mini-museum at the camp and was the camp's director until the mid 1960's. Because of this "family history", Pine Springs Ranch is very much a part of my family heritage and it is the place we will visit this month. (pict1)

Pine Springs Ranch does not have an airport. No, not even a dirt strip out in the trees - therefore we have not made one for FS, although both Peter and Tony have offered. NO AIRPORTS AT P.S.R.! The winding mountain-pass road into the camp is not acceptable even for a Piper Cub. (pict2) If you want to fly to Pine Springs Ranch, you have to take a helicopter! (I suppose an ultralight would work but not for this months' job) Now, please understand, I don't do helos - I've tried but believe me, it just never works. The very best I've ever been able to do a slow rolling take-off or landing but vertical? Hovering? NEVER! Well kids ... if I can learn, so must you! (I guess you could slew a helicopter into position but really, that would be cheating wouldn't it?) If you'll look at the real-world photo of the camp (pict3)you'll see the ball field near the lodge and if nothing else, you'll need to try and put something down right in there, between all the trees.

I guess you all can write up the story however you like but the scenario you must complete this month goes as follows: One August morning you receive a call that there is a medical emergency at Pine Springs Ranch and TWO VICTIMS must be immediately Medi-Vac'd to Loma Linda University Medical Center! (pict4) This presents the next problem: Loma Linda University Medical Center is also not in FS. (Ooooh, the plot thickens) Looks like the Piper Cub and ultralight are out, you can't land an amphibian at the Medical Center and besides, the 10-15 minute delay in getting the victims down to Lake Hemet would cost their lives. You, oh flight sim pilot, are just going to have to make it work! (Remember how we learned to land on an Aircraft Carrier for one of Peter's FOTMs years ago? Now stop complaining and get to work!)

You can depart immediately from either Hemet/Ryan Airport (KHMT) (pict5) or Palm Springs but use the maps (red lines and circle) to get to Pine Springs Ranch. (pict6) (pict7) (Roughly at N33* 38.80 -- W116* 36.28) Land ... Pick up your two victims and any caregivers needed ... make your way down the mountain (northwest) (pict8) to LLUMC (Where I took my professional training). (pict9) (Roughly at N34* 0.63 -- W117* 11.95) (pict10)

You'll notice the red and blue lines on photo 7 above. A couple of years ago there was this article http://www.flightsim.com/main/feature/e13.htm on flightsim.com and the route I flew for that piece is shown in blue. The reason I mention that here is because when you fly down the hill I want to be sure you follow the 10 freeway not the 60! (Look again at photo 8 too, the little ridgeline needs to be on your left side)

Loma Linda University and the Medical Center is about 2 km SOUTH of the 10 freeway and as I mentioned, it is not shown in FS. (pict11) I have seen, on more than one occassion, where as many as THREE CH-47 Chinooks can land on the grass between the Medical Center and the Cadaver Lab - so if you don't find an acceptable building in your sim, land between a couple of the buildings! (pict12)

So there it is. You have your assignment so head out, take some videos and by all means, SAVE THE VICTIMS!

By the way, here is the proof that I did not use the SLEW mode to complete this FOTM! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-Izvrgvl9k

A very special THANKS to Peter for taking these additional photos in FSX. (pict13) (pict14) (pict15) This will help to give you an overview to the Pine Springs Ranch area - so you don't have to go JUST by the GPS coordinates but can actually go LOOK for the ranch.

EXTRA CREDIT: (pict16) For those for whom two legs just isn't enough ... from Loma Linda you can fly almost due north up into the mountains to perform another Life Flight evacuation from Lake Arrowhead where a boat and a waterskier have collided severing the skiers' leg! Hurry, he's loosing blood quickly.