38 replies to this topic

[Tim_A]

When they tell you to head South for the Winter, make sure you also get a reminder of when to stop! Round these latitudes, this is what passes for Summer!

This is Rothera. Its the main base for the British Antarctic Survey. In a lot of ways you can think of it as 'Gibraltar on Ice'. Rothera is on the West side of the Antarctic Peninsula (the 'spike' that point up towards South America), and today we're on a bit of a rescue mission to take fuel to a stranded aircraft at Fossil Bluff, a couple of hundred miles South...

[UKJim]

Is this worth getting buddy? I am just thinking it would just be ice and snow and more ice and snow? I have looked on the website etc but still cannot make my mind up if it is worthy of parting with my cash

[hurricanemk1c]

Well Jim it's a 7gb download!

Great shots Tim!

[mutley]

Very nice shots Tim.
Is that a mission?

[UKJim]

Well Jim it's a 7gb download!

Great shots Tim!

WOW! I never thought you could put so much detail in ice and snow - I'm going to read further

[aeromax]

Cool ! Is a mission going on ?

[aeromax]

...system error

[Tim_A]

Not a mission as such, this is just one of the pre-installed flights that comes with the package.

[rob16584]

That looks fantastic Tim

[dodgy-alan]

Excellent !, superb scenery and the BAS twotters look good. I remember some years ago seeing the real ones at Fairoaks Airport in Surrey where they were in for maintainence. Among the the normal Cessnas & Pipers etc they looked huge! and being bright red were the focus of everyones attention!

[ShrewsburyFC]

Nice shots Tim!

[Tim_A]

It's time to go visit the neighbours for mince pies, cards & prezzies. Unfortunately the neighours are some distance away, and it'll be an eight hour round trip, even in the Twotter…


From Rothera, we'll head up to Base Marimbio, cross to the O'Higgins Skiway with supplies for a team out on the snow, cross to the Chilean base at King George Island and then back to Rothera. Round trip 880 nm.


Our plane is loaded and fuelled on the apron, and ready to go


There really should be a sign, "Penguins Crossing"…


Off we go


By that ridge, in the snow, is the emergency runway, for use if the main runway is closed. remember that.




Approaching Seymour Island, our first stop.


Hard to see from the still shot, but the runway is demarked by braziers.


This was the first airfield in Antarctica, and is still popular thanks to its suitability for wheeled landings.


You're not on the map unless you have a sign!


"just park up on the side!"




We're off to the next place...


The skyway is not clearly marked. It's here somewhere…


Ah, here we are!


Just time to drop off the supplies, and a cheery wave. We must press on, because there's a storm coming...


…and quicker than we thought! A blizzard rapidly blows in as we approach King George Island (Isla Rey Jorge) in the South Shetlands


Despite there being an ILS, it takes several attempts before we spot the runway.


This is it!


It has a reputation for the most polluted place in Antarctica, but also has the worlds southernmost lighthouse, a Russian Orthodox church, and holds an annual marathon! But the weather is lousy, and we're not staying!


On top, and the edge of the storm is in sight.


Heading back down the Antarctic peninsula. You can see the flow marks in the ice.


There's more to snow than blank grey and white textures!


We've been informed that there's a Dash-7 inbound for Rothera and as such, the runway is closed until after it arrives (in case we have an accident and block it, since there is nowhere for the Dash-7 to divert to). So we must park and wait up on the snow runway.


a quick inspection circuit


And final. Can you see the runway yet?


We're down.

[rob16584]

That looks a fun place to fly Tim

[aeromax]

Very cool Tim ! Nice Job. Looks very cold out there, brrr ..even if that is exactly no direct mission, ...it´s a wonderful ambiente super !

[mutley]

Wow, that scenery is certainly living up to expectations, superb post there Tim

[ddavid]

Can't wait for the review - good work, Tim.

Cheers - Dai.

[TedG]

That scenery (and the DH-6 paint) are really quite dramatic.
What altitudes are you cruising at there? GPS navigation or have Aerosoft included local NAVAIDS-aside from smudge pots of course.
Do the icebergs and such "move"?
And what are the winds like for flying there? I do loads of DH-6 flights around the BC/Alaska area and always get my butt kicked trying to avoid weather and hit the routine headwinds of 70mph+ flying west/NW.

I'm just trying to think of why I might want this particular scenery package other than the visuals and novelty of flying in that region.

Great screen shots though. Cannot wait to see you land on the south pole!

[Tim_A]

South pole is not included in the scenery, because FSX doesn't work properly at that latitude (just try going there & you'll see...)

Typical flight profile is 10K-12K. Navigation is by dead reckoning until in range of a VOR or NDB. All flights are IFR, but generally IMC conditions signal a no-go unless you are going to one of the main bases with an instrument approach (very few of those).

[Tim_A]

Today we're starting to head into the heart of the great white continent.


Starting from Fossil Bluff, we're heading to the forward logistics base at Sky Blu...

[mutley]

Wow that is looking really desolate now, what a superb aircraft the Twotter is!