Current flight path:
http://goo.gl/k0K3nR
Lessons learned so far:
- I've become too reliant on a GPS. When flying in the A2A Cherokee in FSX, you can easily disable the GPS and fly on dual nav/com radios so that was my first checklist step. As it turns out, the range of some of the VORs up north (in FSX) haven't allowed me to fly 'point to point' as easily as I thought. That said, there are some NDBs that have saved my bacon.
- Visually identifying a grass or gravel strip at night is next to impossible. I've had to use a combination of dead reckoning, VOR triangulation and in one instance, DME and a radial to get the airport located. In most cases, that also meant descending to pattern altitude and flying a quick search pattern in the vicinity to eyeball the strip.
- Originally I had decided to take the 'northern passage' over the Rockies around Casper, WY and then Salt Lake City, UT and then crossing Nevada. The lack of FSE jobs meant that a southbound trip would make more sense. Right now, I'm on the ground at Two Bar ranch in Wyoming with a plan to hop over to Phifer Field (KEAN) to pick up fuel and jobs for a trip south toward Colorado Springs, CO.
- FSX isn't that bad, but the lighting and such isn't very realistic compared to how X-Plane 10 looks. I miss it already. I am getting good frame rates and makes it pretty easy to fly.
- I know I could have waited for the Baron, but the Cherokee seems like more fun flying around the 46CA area.