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[Hellmut1956]

I used to have a pilot license for general aviation and my job got me at least 5 times a year from Europe, Germany to the USA. The video I am presenting to you is the recording of a flight I did with a good friend from "Emilia Reid" Airport in the south of san Jose, CA to the "North Las Vegas" Airport and back. The flight from San Jose to Las Vegas was with clear sky, the flight back was on a rainy day. The video is the only recording I ever did of one of my flights and probably is boring for viewers with little affinity to real flying as it also records the voices from the radio. The recording was done using an analog video camera and digitizing it. Here the link to the video stored on Youtube:



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xcrbUhOkYs&feature=youtu.be

[Hellmut1956]

As I now neither afford to fly real GA airplanes nor does my health allow me to do it I have started to build at my office desk a kind of cockpit to use with the Microsoft Flying Simulator running on my PC. This is possible thanks to my good friend from the days we flow together with his Bonanza airplane in California, Nevada, and Arizona. So I got a powerful PC with a powerful motherboard, the ASUS ROG Maximus XIII Extreme with an Intel CPU 11700k, a graphics card from MSI with the RTX3080, a Samsung M.2 SSD HD pro 980 and the latest purchase, a 32" monitor that I use with a resolution of 3840x2160 and a frame rate of up to 240Hz. The setup at my desk that I am still working on has 5 monitors. The main screen is the 32" monitor, to the left and right of it I have my 28" monitors, all connected to the RTX3080. The 2 24" monitors are connected to the motherboard via its Thunderbolt 4 interfaces so that the graphics functionality of my CPU takes care of this 2 28" monitors.


Flight specific periferals I do use the devices from Logitech, rudder horn, pedals and 2 power quadrants that make it posible to individualy control the up to four engines. Additionally I have the instrument panels that Logitech offers.


It is not the same as flying a real plane, but it is the closest I can have it this days. Amazing is that my friend who lives in Hawaii and me that lives in Germany near Munich can fly, each on its own plane on the simulator, see each others plane in realtime and make trips together.

[raflaunches]

I got to fly a Herc last year over Tel a Viv which was interesting to say the least. Seeing that city from the air at night was incredible. I got to see how heavy/light a C-130J was in the turn and climb obeying the ATC from that area. Surprisingly light for a predominantly cable controlled aircraft.
I’ve also flown a Tiger Moth and a Scottish Aviation Bulldog but not on my own!

[BrianB6]

One of our grandaughters patrtners is in the RAAF and got to stand on the open rear door of a Hercybird at several hundred metres.
Rather him than me   

[raflaunches]

Brian


Don’t worry you’d be tied in… well actually it’s a type of Velcro around your waist! Doesn’t look like much but the harnesses are surprisingly strong despite their delicate appearance!

[raflaunches]

Hercules getting airborne yesterday, you may hear about this particular aircraft in days to come as the Herc flying humanitarian aid and a field hospital to Türkiye and Syria in support of the earthquake relief. We spent all Thursday night making sure she was ready and loaded which also involved a massive cargo bay role change to convert the bay into a mobile hospital.

[Colin Bishop]

And these are the aircraft being deemed surplus to requirements despite having years of life left in them?

Colin

[Dave_S.]

We get a lot of air traffic going in or coming out of Brize Norton here in Standlake, as we are only 4 or 5 mies away, but I was surprised to walk out of the front door a few days ago to see a Hercules heavily banked over at very low altitude over the middle of the village. Lived here for ten years and have never seen anything that low here before, except for an air ambulance that landed in a field a few years ago.

[ChrisF]

Helmutt- that sounds like a great set-up for the flight simulator and nice that you can fly with your friend.

Did a motorbike trip to Munich a few years ago with friends and stayed with a German chap. Nice area.

Chris

[Tug Fanatic]

One of our grandaughters patrtners is in the RAAF and got to stand on the open rear door of a Hercybird at several hundred metres.
Rather him than me   

Many many years ago, and soon after the RAF got Hercules, I did the same thing. I was in the  RAF section of the Combined Cadet Force and we had our annual camp at a Hercules base. We had a good few rides over the week and on one flight we all got to walk the rear ramp. It was definitely an experience - and one that I would still happily repeat.

[Martin (Admin)]

Hercules getting airborne yesterday, you may hear about this particular aircraft in days to come as the Herc flying humanitarian aid and a field hospital to Türkiye and Syria in support of the earthquake relief. We spent all Thursday night making sure she was ready and loaded which also involved a massive cargo bay role change to convert the bay into a mobile hospital.

Great stuff Nick!   

[Dave_S.]

My only experiences of flying full size aircraft are a trial lesson in a glider at Booker, and more recently, an hour in a Finnish Army Hughes 500. I had been booked to help the pilot improve his English before he came over here to the Test Pilot School. He decided that the things he needed most help with were the etiquette of drinking in English pubs and speaking English while flying a helicopter. The first part was easy, we had a lesson in a local bar, the second required permission from the government for a foreigner (me!) to fly in a Finnish military helicopter.

Thoroughly enjoyed the helicopter flight, and I was given control of the heli as we flew from my house (!) to the local low flying area. Great experience, but sadly a one-off.

https://flic.kr/p/HmQfT

[Capt Podge]

For anyone interested in the Vulcan


https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-nottinghamshire-64600063


Ray.

[KitS]

One of our grandaughters patrtners is in the RAAF and got to stand on the open rear door of a Hercybird at several hundred metres.
Rather him than me   

My youngest daughter is an RAF Warrant Officer, and when she was at RAF Odiham some years ago we got to fly in a Chinook helicopter during a Families Day outing. Not just any old Chinook though, it was ZA718 'Bravo November', the only Chinook to survive the sinking of the 'Atlantic Conveyer' in 1982. 


They asked if anyone would like to stand on the open ramp, strapped in of course,  as we whirled across Hampshire at around 250 ft altitude and I got there first!   


In my youth, in the CCF, I got to fly many hours in the back of the Hercules' predecessor, the Blackburn Beverley, a great bruiser of an aeroplane but only slightly faster than a snail...............

[Circlip]

ATC 'Trip to AVROs years ago, allowed us to climb the ladder into one on the assembly line. 4 damn great blowlamps on carriages waiting to be fitted. 748s also built there. A few years after that, it was sad to see one in bits in the scrapyard at RAF Dishforth.


 Regards  Ian.


 Our 'experiences were Varsitys and Vallettas. Daughter was given a trip in a Chinook at Akrotiri, reported 'Very sick making vibrations'

[Hellmut1956]

@raflaunches: As you mentioned the amazing experience of flying over a city by night allows me to share further experiences which sadly I have no video recordings.


A sight seeing trip we did often was to fly by night over the bay area in CA starting from San Jose, heading north over the cities on the east shore, cossing to the west over downtown San Francisco and heading back southbound following the 101 grossing the San Fransisco airport. All just 500 feet above ground. Another trip I did take off from the North Las Vegas airport at night and when coming back flying pretty high the tower from Las Vegas allowed us to descend at our own discretion leading to descend flying circles over the strip. And finally this same friend made it possible for me to fly a midnight shift with the police helicopter of San Jose police department.


I do thank Gog for having been giving me so many oportunities.

[mrlownotes]

In my younger days I regularly flew an A4.
As a fast as a bullet with the wings tightly folded in.
Almost 'breath taking'.

[BrianB6]

One of our Church congregation still pilots light planes he hires.  He is only 90 this year.  Today he is helping a friend replace a fuel pump.