I just tried this route, in a PIA Trident 1E, but I lost all three engines simultaneously on the climbout. I assume it was engine ice - I'm unfamiliar with the Trident, I couldn't relight the engines. The aircraft was lost with all on board . Now I'll have another go, in the HS.748...
Edit: Used the Dreamfleet 727 instead. In the dark. When I arrived at Skardu I couldn't see a thing, and triggered GPWS three times on the last leg. Told to land rwy 32, so flying heading 140, saw radalt appear 2500, 2000, 450, "Minimums!" says the FO - too right! *crunch*. Switch to a shot of the tip of a 727's tail sticking out of a steep hillside...
This time round, I'll keep the sun switched on...
Hairiest route
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PhilipsCDRW
- Meteor
- Posts: 73
- Joined: 14 Jan 2007, 19:56
Gah! Foiled again! This time, the HS.748 (which I'm also not that familiar with - I haven't used FS9 at all for most of the last 18 months!) in daylight. Figured out how to use the autopilot, after a fashion, and followed the GPS by manually feeding in HDG commands to the autopilot.
First I managed to shut down the #2 engine, by fiddling with the 'HP Fuel Cock' in the mistaken belief that it was the prop pitch control - I was wondering why I couldn't achieve the advertised 233kts cruise speed - and spent ten minutes bemusedly flipping switches and trying to get it to relight. (There's a very useful checklist telling me "Ignition: ON" for relight, but I still searched all the panels bar one thrice before I found the blasted thing!) Eventually I did achieve a restart. But at that point I realised that I had a total of about 300lbs of fuel left on board...
Fortunately I was just passing Chilas airstrip, so I cut the throttles, subdued the autopilot, announced to traffic my intention to land, completed something that resembled a cross between a circuit and a highly experimental approach to high-speed horticulture, and got the bus down. Almost exactly an hour after taking off. Just as well, really - pilot fatigue was starting to affect the flight...
For my next attempt, I may as well use a hot-air balloon and hope the wind is favourable! I've enjoyed my evening, anyway, finding new and interesting ways to return aluminium to the Himalayas!
First I managed to shut down the #2 engine, by fiddling with the 'HP Fuel Cock' in the mistaken belief that it was the prop pitch control - I was wondering why I couldn't achieve the advertised 233kts cruise speed - and spent ten minutes bemusedly flipping switches and trying to get it to relight. (There's a very useful checklist telling me "Ignition: ON" for relight, but I still searched all the panels bar one thrice before I found the blasted thing!) Eventually I did achieve a restart. But at that point I realised that I had a total of about 300lbs of fuel left on board...
Fortunately I was just passing Chilas airstrip, so I cut the throttles, subdued the autopilot, announced to traffic my intention to land, completed something that resembled a cross between a circuit and a highly experimental approach to high-speed horticulture, and got the bus down. Almost exactly an hour after taking off. Just as well, really - pilot fatigue was starting to affect the flight...
For my next attempt, I may as well use a hot-air balloon and hope the wind is favourable! I've enjoyed my evening, anyway, finding new and interesting ways to return aluminium to the Himalayas!
PhilipsCDRW
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PhilipsCDRW
- Meteor
- Posts: 73
- Joined: 14 Jan 2007, 19:56
I don't believe this...
Inspired by Jonesy2K, I thought I'd fly 'tactically' down the valley in the DSB Hawk. Shouldn't take too long at 500kts, I thought. The sheet says the Hawk has a range of 1500nm, so 40% fuel should be fine for a 250nm trip.
To be brief, it wasn't!
Edit: Tried again with the Hunter. "Crashed" while 100ft above the treetops.
Inspired by Jonesy2K, I thought I'd fly 'tactically' down the valley in the DSB Hawk. Shouldn't take too long at 500kts, I thought. The sheet says the Hawk has a range of 1500nm, so 40% fuel should be fine for a 250nm trip.
To be brief, it wasn't!
Edit: Tried again with the Hunter. "Crashed" while 100ft above the treetops.
PhilipsCDRW
Tried it the old fashioned way in a BAC 1-11. Followed the VOR 356 radial to BATAL (DME58) then turned towards GT NDB adjusting my heading for the wind (well I had a good curry in Islamabad - who wouldn't?). Took the 111 degree bearing from that NDB trying to pick up the SD NDB at the airport. Had to avoid some nasty hard/sharp bits on the descent but picked up the 137 degree bearing to SD finally and could see down the valley to the airport. WARNING don't descend below 16000 until you are going down the final valley - I did and had to do some fancy turns to avoid the valley sides. The sim threw a few nasties at me by filling the valley with cloud but not before I was able to see the airport. Finally down to 9000 passing abeam Skardu, round the big rock on the Indus then across and round for a visual onto either runway.
Had a few panics with the 1-11. There are now some fancy audible warnings in the panel which I hadn't realised were there. Spent quite a bit of time trying to figure out what was happening. I also think that I suffocated the passengers cos I didn't pressurise the cabin :shock:. Sort of explains the silence from the cabin during the white-knuckle descent down the valleys
Apart from a few erstwhile passengers :shock: , I did manage to make the complete flight and get the aircraft down in one piece without the help of GPS. But I think that I'll stick to flights around my own part of the world in the wonderful DH104 for the forseeable!
Andy
Had a few panics with the 1-11. There are now some fancy audible warnings in the panel which I hadn't realised were there. Spent quite a bit of time trying to figure out what was happening. I also think that I suffocated the passengers cos I didn't pressurise the cabin :shock:. Sort of explains the silence from the cabin during the white-knuckle descent down the valleys
Apart from a few erstwhile passengers :shock: , I did manage to make the complete flight and get the aircraft down in one piece without the help of GPS. But I think that I'll stick to flights around my own part of the world in the wonderful DH104 for the forseeable!
Andy