What a surprise! A colleague of mine from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences has been following this blog, and tracked me down at my hotel last night. He lives here in Israel, and he's insisted that I come spend some time with him and his family. He'll give me a true local's tour of Israel, and quite a bit of fascinating history. I'm going to take him up on his offer.
In addition, I'm about to take a week-long vacation in real life as well. I will be back on August 10....
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
#41 Jerusalem #42 Tel-Aviv
Start: LCEN, 0823; $7590.36 and 15gal
I'm a little nervous, I don't mind telling you. Today should be a day full of history and adventure, but it's just a little too adventurous for my liking. I'm heading to the Middle East. Jerusalem and Tel-Aviv are on the list, and I can't pass up these two historical cities. But to get there, I'll have to travel through some pretty unsettled spots. My plan is to land, drop off my passengers and pick up my next ones, and high-tail it out of there.
I'm starting this morning with 3 Ave del Parasio passengers bound for Latakia, Syria. No problem; IFR plan filed, just fly it by the books....
Well, that just goes to show you. While my passengers weren't exactly chatty Cathys, they were pleasant and polite. Approach and landing in Syria was smooth and easy.
End: OSLK, 1003; $9145.29 and 45gal
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Feeling hopeful (but still, I must confess, a bit tense), I'm now headed to Beirut with 3 different Ave del Parasio passengers. I've gassed up to meet the rest of the day's needs. I figure what better place to get fuel than the Middle East!
After a very smooth flight, there's dense fog rollling off the sea as I approach Beirut. But ATC vectors me in with no problems. I just didn't get to actually see Beirut!
End: OLBA, 1117; $11131.59 and 37gal
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
So far, so good. Rather unexpectedly, from Beirut International Airport, I now have 3 Ave del Parasio passengers going to the unusual sounding Jurish Highway Strip. Sounds more like a shopping mall than an airport, but it's in Israel, just 20 miles or so from Jerusalem, so I'm game! It is, however, in the West Bank, so I won't tarry too long.
Well, the name wasn't so inappropriate after all! The runway was apparently supposed to be a highway; construction was halted, so they turned this long (but very narrow) length of asphalt into an airstrip!
End: Z14Z, 1236; $13139.49 and 29gal
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Nobody here wants to go to Jerusalem but me, so I'm off empty on this leg. I'll fly VFR so I can meander around and get some good shots of the city.
Jerusalem was not what I was expecting. As I approached, I was disappointed to see how modern it looked, and rather generic. I mean, I know people live there, and this city (like any other) will continue to develop and evolve. But I thought I'd see more signs of "Antiquity". And then, all of the sudden, there it was: The Temple on the Mount, with the Dome of the Rock and Al-Aqsa Mosque. I just wish I could have gotten a good photo of Warren's Gate!
End: LLJR, 1301; $13139.49 and 27gal
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
One last short leg today. From Jerusalem, I'm taking 3 Rastamans to Tel-Aviv (20 miles away; seems like they could have just taken a bus!). I'm getting pretty hungry for some lunch, but this is such a short hop, I think I'll just finish my flying, and then settle down for food and touring in Tel-Aviv. To my aerial eye, Tel-Aviv is a thoroughly modern, perfectly respectable but ultimately uninteresting city. Gorgeous ocean views, though.
End: LLBG, 1332; $14154.69 and 24gal
Total Distance Flown: 11,536 nautical miles
I'm a little nervous, I don't mind telling you. Today should be a day full of history and adventure, but it's just a little too adventurous for my liking. I'm heading to the Middle East. Jerusalem and Tel-Aviv are on the list, and I can't pass up these two historical cities. But to get there, I'll have to travel through some pretty unsettled spots. My plan is to land, drop off my passengers and pick up my next ones, and high-tail it out of there.
I'm starting this morning with 3 Ave del Parasio passengers bound for Latakia, Syria. No problem; IFR plan filed, just fly it by the books....
Well, that just goes to show you. While my passengers weren't exactly chatty Cathys, they were pleasant and polite. Approach and landing in Syria was smooth and easy.
End: OSLK, 1003; $9145.29 and 45gal
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Feeling hopeful (but still, I must confess, a bit tense), I'm now headed to Beirut with 3 different Ave del Parasio passengers. I've gassed up to meet the rest of the day's needs. I figure what better place to get fuel than the Middle East!
After a very smooth flight, there's dense fog rollling off the sea as I approach Beirut. But ATC vectors me in with no problems. I just didn't get to actually see Beirut!
End: OLBA, 1117; $11131.59 and 37gal
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
So far, so good. Rather unexpectedly, from Beirut International Airport, I now have 3 Ave del Parasio passengers going to the unusual sounding Jurish Highway Strip. Sounds more like a shopping mall than an airport, but it's in Israel, just 20 miles or so from Jerusalem, so I'm game! It is, however, in the West Bank, so I won't tarry too long.
 |
| Snow in Israel? No, just the fog rolling back in. |
End: Z14Z, 1236; $13139.49 and 29gal
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Nobody here wants to go to Jerusalem but me, so I'm off empty on this leg. I'll fly VFR so I can meander around and get some good shots of the city.
Jerusalem was not what I was expecting. As I approached, I was disappointed to see how modern it looked, and rather generic. I mean, I know people live there, and this city (like any other) will continue to develop and evolve. But I thought I'd see more signs of "Antiquity". And then, all of the sudden, there it was: The Temple on the Mount, with the Dome of the Rock and Al-Aqsa Mosque. I just wish I could have gotten a good photo of Warren's Gate!
 |
| This could be almost anywhere, but... |
 |
| This is Jerusalem! |
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
One last short leg today. From Jerusalem, I'm taking 3 Rastamans to Tel-Aviv (20 miles away; seems like they could have just taken a bus!). I'm getting pretty hungry for some lunch, but this is such a short hop, I think I'll just finish my flying, and then settle down for food and touring in Tel-Aviv. To my aerial eye, Tel-Aviv is a thoroughly modern, perfectly respectable but ultimately uninteresting city. Gorgeous ocean views, though.
 |
| Tel-Aviv |
Total Distance Flown: 11,536 nautical miles
Monday, July 29, 2013
#40 Istanbul
Even on an island in the Aegean Sea, you can always find an ATM nowadays. Good thing, because I needed to put another v$10,000 in the bank. And for those of you detail-oriented folks, you may notice that I got a second set of national flag decals. I got tired of Colleen's side of the plane looking so blank, so I put on a second set!
I'll start off today hauling a load of the ever-popular canned goods to Kos.
 |
| Greek islands -- just look at that water! |
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Sometimes it's just a little too easy. I land at Ippokratis (Kos), and there's the perfect job waiting for me -- 2 Ave del Parasio passengers going direct to Istanbul. Piece of cake!
Except for the turbulence. I'm glad I unloaded the cans at my last stop, because otherwise I'd have been beaned in the head! Wow, they've got some strong wind gusts today in Turkey. Coming over the mountains, I got bounced around pretty good.
But it turns out that it was well worth it. Istanbul is done very well in FSX. After touring around Europe these past few weeks, Istanbul looks decidely different. The churchs look more like mosques, and the dense buildings are somehow often different from the common rectangles and polygons I've been seeing.
 |
| Istanbul |
 |
| Istanbul |
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
I wasn't quite sure where to go from Istanbul. I want to head to the Middle East, and then on to Egypt. But I'm uncomfortable leaving my plane (and my self!) overnight in some of the more "unsettled" parts of this region. But then I found a job going to Cypress, and that seems like a really good idea. It also turned out to be a good flight, as there is some beautiful, rugged terrain as you fly across Turkey. But holy cow, I had to climb to 9,500 ft -- it's like being back in the Alps!
Well, this is going to be interesting -- my destination airport (LCEN) doesn't exist in FSX (FSE uses the FS2004 database, so there are infrequent conflicts like this)! I've got the GPS zoomed in, so I can see where I marked this spot in on my flight plan. And I've got Plan-G (which shows two runways for Ercan) running on another computer, so I can get lined up (more or less) with the non-existent runway! Luckily, the ground is flat and empty in FSX, so I land and FSE is happy.
End: LCEN, 1813; $7804.72 and 11gal
Total Distance Flown: 11,178 nautical miles
Sunday, July 28, 2013
#39 Athens - Aviation Hopscotch
Now that I'm ready to leave Budapest, my next targeted destination is Athens, more than 600 miles away. Between here and there are a number of countries that I'm not sure I'd visit in real life. But I would like to see the scenery in this part of southeastern Europe that I know so little about. So, I think I'll let FSE guide me; I'll do my best to head south, but FSE will pick the destinations I visit on my way to Greece.
Start: LHBP, 0743; $6089.04 and 40gal
My first leg is about as perfect a fit as I could want; 3 Group Charter passengers going on a course of 185. So, I'm going to get to visit Sombor in far western Serbia. Very flat landscape, and no big cities visible, so just a straight flight this time.
End: Z27V, 0909; $7032.39 and 31gal
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
There aren't many choices from this small airstrip, but I found 184kg of canned goods heading for central Romania. And I'm so close to the border, I'm going to do a touch-and-go at Klisa, just to visit Croatia. So be it.
If I do say so myself, that was a really nice touch-and-go -- didn't even rattle the cans!
End: LDOS, 0925
After a 15-second visit to Croatia, I'm airborne again, on my way to Sibiu with my cans. Still a very flat, rather unremarkable landscape. So, just for something to do, I think I'll file an IFR plan for this leg. I mean, I could talk to the cans, but I don't speak Romanian.
The closer I get to Sibiu, the hillier the terrain gets. And, as often happens, ATC must be bored because they are giving my new headings every few minutes!
Sibiu turns out to be a larger town than I expected. Don't know why I expected anything at all, because I've never even heard of Sibiu before! Turns out, it's a good sized city.
End: LRSB, 1151; $7773.68 and 40gal
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
My next two legs take me into Bulgaria. I've got 1 Travel Service technician headed for Sofia and 2 Travel Service technicians headed for Plovdiv. In Sofia, I'll exchange 1 Travel Service technician for another also heading for Plovdiv. Not too far out of my way, and the money's good! Plus, we got to see an excellent example of FSX's "extreme farming" in Romania!
End: LBSF, 1405; $8598.08 and 25gal
End: LBPD, 1505; $10670.78 and 20gal
How about that? Exactly one hour, and 5 gallons of fuel. That's pretty good efficiency, especially with 3 passengers!
New End: LBPD, 1510; $10551.22 and 45 gal
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
My luck continues to hold! Although it's farther than I would have picked myself, there are 3 Travel Service tourists heading for Heraklion, Greece (which I almost got to visit in real life). So, instead of stopping in Athens, I'll just do a scenic fly-by.
Athens is pretty good. The Parthenon is excellent, and the city is rendered well. But, there are too many generic auto-gen buildings, so much of it looks like any other large European city. I wanted more white-washed walls and red or blue roofs. Still, I'm glad I was here.
I got so wrapped up in shooting photos of Athens, I didn't realize how late it was getting, or how long this last leg would take. I've got nearly 2 hours before I get to Heraklion, and it's going to start getting dark. So, I'm on my way, and I'm filing an IFR flight plan.
Ninety minutes later, I'm over the Aegean Sea, and let me tell you, when it gets dark, it gets DARK! My GPS tells me I'm 30 miles from the airport, but all I see are a few stars (which are significantly farther away!). No more photos today, I think.
End: LGIR, 1946; $13,143.22 and 16gal
Total Distance Flown: 10,369 nautical miles
Start: LHBP, 0743; $6089.04 and 40gal
My first leg is about as perfect a fit as I could want; 3 Group Charter passengers going on a course of 185. So, I'm going to get to visit Sombor in far western Serbia. Very flat landscape, and no big cities visible, so just a straight flight this time.
End: Z27V, 0909; $7032.39 and 31gal
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
There aren't many choices from this small airstrip, but I found 184kg of canned goods heading for central Romania. And I'm so close to the border, I'm going to do a touch-and-go at Klisa, just to visit Croatia. So be it.
If I do say so myself, that was a really nice touch-and-go -- didn't even rattle the cans!
End: LDOS, 0925
After a 15-second visit to Croatia, I'm airborne again, on my way to Sibiu with my cans. Still a very flat, rather unremarkable landscape. So, just for something to do, I think I'll file an IFR plan for this leg. I mean, I could talk to the cans, but I don't speak Romanian.
The closer I get to Sibiu, the hillier the terrain gets. And, as often happens, ATC must be bored because they are giving my new headings every few minutes!
Sibiu turns out to be a larger town than I expected. Don't know why I expected anything at all, because I've never even heard of Sibiu before! Turns out, it's a good sized city.
End: LRSB, 1151; $7773.68 and 40gal
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
My next two legs take me into Bulgaria. I've got 1 Travel Service technician headed for Sofia and 2 Travel Service technicians headed for Plovdiv. In Sofia, I'll exchange 1 Travel Service technician for another also heading for Plovdiv. Not too far out of my way, and the money's good! Plus, we got to see an excellent example of FSX's "extreme farming" in Romania!
 |
| Just exactly how do they plow all those fields without getting seasick? |
End: LBPD, 1505; $10670.78 and 20gal
How about that? Exactly one hour, and 5 gallons of fuel. That's pretty good efficiency, especially with 3 passengers!
New End: LBPD, 1510; $10551.22 and 45 gal
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
My luck continues to hold! Although it's farther than I would have picked myself, there are 3 Travel Service tourists heading for Heraklion, Greece (which I almost got to visit in real life). So, instead of stopping in Athens, I'll just do a scenic fly-by.
Athens is pretty good. The Parthenon is excellent, and the city is rendered well. But, there are too many generic auto-gen buildings, so much of it looks like any other large European city. I wanted more white-washed walls and red or blue roofs. Still, I'm glad I was here.
 |
| Is this the Olympic village? |
 |
| The Parthenon |
Ninety minutes later, I'm over the Aegean Sea, and let me tell you, when it gets dark, it gets DARK! My GPS tells me I'm 30 miles from the airport, but all I see are a few stars (which are significantly farther away!). No more photos today, I think.
End: LGIR, 1946; $13,143.22 and 16gal
Total Distance Flown: 10,369 nautical miles
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