Trans Atlantic Flights in Xplane

[oregonboy109]

Has anyone done a trans Atlantic flight? Are the times pretty much the same as real life? Any stories about long xplane flights?

Oregonboy109

[arno54]

I've done many crosses with multiprop of my own (imaginary or historical), old fashion way.

Including one real-time West-East via the North Road with a MD312 (was achieved IRL, once), and several direct come-and-go with our B17 (that's is REALLY challenging because of fuel load)

I could write a whole book on this subject - as long as we speak of piloting.

If you are not a FMS-GPS maniac, that's really a great adventure.

If you are, it's only a 10hours electricity bill over endless water, you set up your start during your morning coffe, and witness landing when you're bacj home after work. It has absolutely no interest at all with a modern plane.

Times are exact (the xplane world is actually spherical) and orthodromy is definitely reliable. With a map, a ruler, a timer, and a lot of calculations, it's pure art of piloting.

[oregonboy109]

Cool, I was thinking of taking off before school and then put the autopilot on (for my first time across) then land after school but is it good for your computer to do this?

[Kaphias]

Cool, I was thinking of taking off before school and then put the autopilot on (for my first time across) then land after school but is it good for your computer to do this?

Should be fine on any computer, just make sure it's well ventilated and kept cool, especially if it's a laptop.

[Hampster]

I sometimes take off at singapore changi and fly over to heathrow overnight. Takeoff at 10:00 pm - sleep overnight with sim running - land at 8:00 am the next morning. It is a good flight, but i somtimes do something wrong and wake up to a plane somwhere in the middle of nowhere, or even crashed.... (Rookie pilot).

below is my flight plan on a 747 flying 35 - 40,000 ft:

:NZAA: ------------- 10 hrs ------------------ :8 hr stop @ Changi:

7 am start = 2 pm land

:Changi: ---------------------------13 hrs --------------------------- :Heathrow:

10 - 11 pm start = 6 - 8 am land

Edited September 24, 2011 by Hampster

[FlightSimElectronics]

Shouldn't be a problem at all. I worked as a repair tech for years and now do electronic circuit design. I can tell you the hardest hit on the electronics is when you first power up your pc, just like when turning on a light bulb. The initial "shock" of current surge is what strains electronic equipment. That's why most light bulbs go out when you first turn them on. You do want to make sure your pc has good cooling. Most modern motherboards will shut off if the temp rises above a set point (which you can change in your bios).

If you are really concerned about it though, look into getting some software that will shut your pc down if your graphics card starts overheating. More often than not a failed fan is what results in a failed card. And I don't recommend overclocking, that's just asking for a reduced lifespan on your pricey equipment.

EDIT: Kaphias beat me to it

Edited September 24, 2011 by FlightSimElectronics

[oregonboy109]

Awesome I will try one later this weekend.

[namaui]

If I ever spend the time flying for 10 hours straight in X-Plane, it'll be in something with old navigation. Letting an FMS do most of the flying for more than a couple of hours is boring (unless there's ATC online). One day I'll have to try it in the B-17.

[arno54]

In this case you will need a light PM tweak to mimic an extra bomb-bay-tank.

And even though, it's a challenge. But it CAN be done. I did.

[Lukasz]

No need to take onto Atlantic Ocean in a jet for a few hours of fun

YSSY - NZKT, 1093nm, Corvalis TT, 6h8 flight (6h30 total time - sim time, in fact that took a bit more real time).

On GPS and autopilot, but the real trick was engine and fuel management for maximum efficiency. Real weather was used, with 20kts or so side wind. Landed with 4 gallons of fuel in one tank.

PMDY - PADK, 1421nm, An-24, 5h36 flight (6h total time).

Felis has modified the plane for me, to an extended range version (as also were done in real life - slightly bigger wing tanks). This time no GPS at all, no radionavigation, just pure ded reckon. I've only used radar drift indicator, as real weather was loaded, with side winds aloft. I've made it, but run out of fuel while taxiing to the ramp I did a little mistake and used standard cruise power setting, instead of maximum range one.

One thing worth noting for this flight, is that An-24 has modelled real gyrocompass drift, as a function of time passing by and changing latitude. Since I was flying northbound, I had to manually adjust the gyro at predetermined positions. Add to that visible changes in magnetic declination, since the North Pole was close enough. It was the most precalculated and planned flight, I've ever performed.

I do my "logbook flights" on free saturdays, so I have all the time necessary. Honestly, setting up an autopilot to fly along INS or GPS line is a bit boring (have you ever literally fallen asleep over a joystick? I did!), so I try to complicate things on long flights by either not using modern navigation or autopilot, to have something to occupy me all the time. Doing absolute maximum range flights without any room for error serves the same purpose

[Malchaeus]

Took the B17 from Newfoundland to Great Britain with a stop in the Azores. Sucking fumes at each landing but loads of fun to navigate that plane across millions of square miles of empty ocean. Thank God for VOR's and accurate chronometres.