Alphabet Challenge Leg 10 KTRM - KKNB

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Talan2000
Posts: 207
Joined: Mon Dec 15, 2014 8:59 pm
Location: McKinney, Texas, USA, Earth

Alphabet Challenge Leg 10 KTRM - KKNB

Post by Talan2000 »

Pilots,

Ok I gutted out this flight after the Super Bowl and it was a bit fatiguing. http://peaware.pilotedge.net/flight.cfm?id=86889

Lessons Learned:

Gremlins Redux: A Gremlin is just a screwup you haven't figured out yet. I think I have had more dual engine failures in King Airs than any living pilot...I had not one but TWO episodes of dual engine flameout on this flight. I must be screwing up somewhere. Without boring you on details, I never knowingly exceed Torque or ITT or Prop RPM. I did run the engine at or about 98/99%. Apparently it doesn't like this. I also started flying with Autofeather always engaged, and engine anti-ice (contaminated sim fuel??), AND...and I think this is getting warmer - boost pumps ON... I missed this on the checklist before. I think I have been having fuel starvation. Poor systems knowledge. But on the next flight --- I did all the preventatives (ie careful checklist) + only ran at about 90% and had Zero Engine Failures. Should you ever need it best glide in a king air is 125kts..

Ask for Shortcut Maybe You'll get it: Plodding along back towards GCN, I asked ATC, "Hey, I don't really know the ins and outs of the Special Flight Rules over the Canyon, but can I get Direct to DEDKE.? (Please please please)" Sensing the fatigue in my voice he gave it to me even though I was at 11,000. After landing I took time to look up those special rules and looks like I might have to file a NASA form or contact my Congressman (Sam Johnson - great guy, Ex-USAF VN pilot )... I crossed through a No Fly Zone [up to 14500] over the canyon - just a bit East of a VFR transit corridor (darn!).
Canyon Cross.JPG
Canyon Cross.JPG (249.13 KiB) Viewed 16769 times
Questions:
But hey - ATC cleared me! I'll still probably have to NASA form it to be safe...Peter/Tim/Keith - thoughts on this?

Also - is there any way to enter a specific GPS coordinate - like this corridor has in it (but no Names!) in the 430? I don't know how I would even get to these points without a named fix. I bet they do this to be annoying on purpose to discourage you from going there :) (Tuckup Corridor)...

A basic question I should probably know already but... What should you file for your cruising altitude if you have both N and S headings enroute? The highest? The majority segment altitude? I filed at 11 and will confess I overlooked the 14500 Min Alt on the Northbound leg out of GCN. ATC cleared me at 11000. Should I have filed at 16000 to get over that 14500 minimum on the LAST segment as filed? If you do file high but don't want that high until MUCH later in a long flight how do you communicate that to ATC enroute? " King Air 3298S, no we'd rather climb and maintain 12000 if available for now?"

Too bad it was dark and I didn't get to see the Canyon...
Peter Grey
Posts: 5716
Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2010 3:21 pm

Re: Alphabet Challenge Leg 10 KTRM - KKNB

Post by Peter Grey »

But hey - ATC cleared me! I'll still probably have to NASA form it to be safe...Peter/Tim/Keith - thoughts on this?

Also - is there any way to enter a specific GPS coordinate - like this corridor has in it (but no Names!) in the 430? I don't know how I would even get to these points without a named fix. I bet they do this to be annoying on purpose to discourage you from going there :) (Tuckup Corridor)...
I was actually controlling you at the time. Simply put we don't simulate the special flight rules area, it's not on our scope so we can't easily see if it would be an issue. It's also a 1 off thing that would gain us little if we were to actually properly simulate it.

Honestly you're the first person since PE has existed to ask about it. I thought you were west enough for it not to be an issue, apparently not. Real world you won't be going IFR through there on anything except an airway and the airway MEAs are high on purpose to ensure you meet the special rules. VFR ATC won't provide services in it (which is a big reason why we don't simulate it, we don't like simulating procedures that are one off and result in lower service then you would otherwise get. At least not with a good reason).

Yes there is a way to put coordinates in a real world 430, X-plane 430 I have no idea as I've never tried. Next time I fly a plane with one in x-plane I'll try it.
Peter Grey
PilotEdge Director of Quality Assurance and Operations
peter@pilotedge.net
Peter Grey
Posts: 5716
Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2010 3:21 pm

Re: Alphabet Challenge Leg 10 KTRM - KKNB

Post by Peter Grey »

What should you file for your cruising altitude if you have both N and S headings enroute? The highest? The majority segment altitude? I filed at 11 and will confess I overlooked the 14500 Min Alt on the Northbound leg out of GCN. ATC cleared me at 11000. Should I have filed at 16000 to get over that 14500 minimum on the LAST segment as filed? If you do file high but don't want that high until MUCH later in a long flight how do you communicate that to ATC enroute? " King Air 3298S, no we'd rather climb and maintain 12000 if available for now?"
Missed this one.

You only need to file the "initial cruise altitude" you will fly. Later on you will need to climb to meet higher MEAs. If you don't catch it and ask ATC should give it to you unprompted.

Once you're enroute simply let ATC know when you want a different altitude and traffic permitting they will allow it.
Peter Grey
PilotEdge Director of Quality Assurance and Operations
peter@pilotedge.net
Talan2000
Posts: 207
Joined: Mon Dec 15, 2014 8:59 pm
Location: McKinney, Texas, USA, Earth

Re: Alphabet Challenge Leg 10 KTRM - KKNB

Post by Talan2000 »

Peter Grey wrote:

Honestly you're the first person since PE has existed to ask about it.
All right Peter! That's what I strive for :)

T
snglecoil
Posts: 62
Joined: Sun May 18, 2014 6:15 am
Location: Charlotte, NC

Re: Alphabet Challenge Leg 10 KTRM - KKNB

Post by snglecoil »

Wasn't in the mood for a long IFR, so I decided to pull out an old pad of VFR nav logs and trusty manual E6B to dead reckon the entire flight for this one. Pretty happy. Course, time, and fuel burn was really close to plan. 11 checkpoints along the way. Definitely kept the engagement level high on what could have been a really boring flight. I might have to do the same thing for the next leg to Long Beach!
Chris
PE Call signs: N714VA or N619CT
flyingdrill
Posts: 271
Joined: Sun Jun 22, 2014 4:15 am

Re: Alphabet Challenge Leg 10 KTRM - KKNB

Post by flyingdrill »

Finally had the opportunity to get this leg done! I had started it a couple of times (once in poor weather, which was interesting), but something or other curtailed my efforts, and I abandoned them. Decided to just do it IFR from VOR to VOR, using real weather but putting the time into "daytime", as I couldn't face hours of looking at a black outdoors with just the instrument lights. I know a lot of guys stream hours of PMDG's 737 or 777 (or Aerosoft's Airbus) going Transatlantic, or wherever at night. Great simming, but not as engaging as looking out of the window at the Grand Canyon!

Anyway, I used the new X-Plane Navion, which is super, but I hadn't thoroughly read the manual (hardly read it, to be truthful), and had a bit of trouble with run-away trim and the S-Tec A/P. This caused me some difficulty twice in levelling off, and I apologised to the controller (it was PG), who kindly shrugged it off :)

I read the manual during the flight, and later got things right. I also got disconnected from PE twice, but immediately re-established contact (although, on one occasion, PE's scope was showing me as transmitting on the wrong frequency, despite me having the correct one tuned. We fixed that by disconnecting and reconnecting!). I think the most likely reason for the disconnect was either a momentary Comcast glitch, or a wi-fi wobble.

So, here we are, sitting in a nice airport in the middle of X-Plane nowhere! Now I have to get to Long Beach, and it's a long way. I'm planning it IFR again, but may leave the Navion where it is for this one, and "buy" a faster plane!
stevekirks
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Joined: Wed Oct 01, 2014 6:00 pm
Location: KSGF
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Re: Alphabet Challenge Leg 10 KTRM - KKNB

Post by stevekirks »

This one I tried to have a little fun instead of the grind out to the desert...

VFR - Took off from Thermal, left heading 030 and flew at 200kts in the Lancair Legacy around the mountains and down in the valleys. Once I got clear of the fun stuff, I did a 500ft/min cruise climb to 11,500ft heading for Goffs, Boulder City and then flew over the top of the Las Vegas Bravo, Next was the right turn at Mormon Mesa and back down to the deck. I was just coming into Kanab when I spotted a glint or strobe off to the right. It was a trusty KS Lear 25 drone! Didn't even realize that they were out this far. The Lear's climb was burning jet fuel like it wasn't coming out of his wallet, so he was no factor.
Steve Kirks (sKirks on Twitch)
KSGF--I-10 rated
Student Pilot
I invented the Alphabet Challenge, what's your excuse?
Alphabet Challenge
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