Kalizzi's photo diary

[rupert 20]

OK!  Mae Ling is at Sea-Tac ready to take her flight to Heathrow.  We'll try to struggle on without her advice for the rest of the trip!!

 

BTW:  Great article on the DC-2 and DC-3!  I have some fond early memories of a R-4 myself.  We're obviously typically in a faster aircraft.  But we do have some time to relax NOW.  So we probably won't catch up with you during the event.  GOOD LUCK!

 

Rupert 

[kalizzi 53]

Leg 7 San Francisco to New York

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10 October, 07:00 take of San Francisco R/W 1R, lovely weather, wind calm, visibility 80km, 11 deg. C, QNH 1014.

 

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Climbing over the Bay area.

 

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07:20 Over Fairview in Alameda, with a beautiful backdrop of the bay area.

 

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07:25 Levelling off at my cruising altitude of 12,500 ft. over Stockton, CA. Stockton is the county seat of San Joaquin County in the Central Valley of the U.S. State of California. I encountered some nasty clear air turbulence at the foot of the mountains here.

 

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08:00 crossed the state borders of Nevada and veered a little bit to the north to admire the beauty of Lake Tahoe.

 

 

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08:25 Flying past the snow clad White Mountain, at 14,252-foot (4,344 m), is the highest peak in the White Mountains of California, the highest peak in Mono County, and the third highest peak in the state after Mount Whitney and Mount Williamson.

 

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09:30 Reached Ely, my first waypoint. Changing heading to 070 deg. m. Ely is the largest city and county seat of White Pine County, Nevada and has a population of less than 5,000.

 

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09:35 Overhead the Schell Wilderness. The High Schells Wilderness is a 121,497-acre wilderness area in the Schell Creek Range of White Pine County, in the U.S. state of Nevada. 

 

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11:20 finds me over the Manti La Sal national forest, to the south of Salt Lake City. The Manti-La Sal National Forest covers more than 1.2 million acres and is located in the central and southeastern parts of the U.S. state of Utah and the extreme western part of Colorado.

 

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11:50 half an hour after crossing the Colorado state border, I am over the majestic Mount Elbert, which is the highest summit of the Rocky Mountains of North America and the highest point in the U.S. state of Colorado and the entire Mississippi River drainage basin. Again some rather strong turbulence was encountered here. Still no one threw up, mercifully. Had to climb to almost 15,000 ft. for a short while to avoid hitting the ground.

 

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12:55 Reached my 2nd WP, Buckley AFB and assumed the new heading of 067 m. Buckley is a USAF base in Aurora, Colorado, that was established by the U.S. Army in 1942. The base was named in honour of World War I Army pilot First Lieutenant John Harold Buckley. I have just cleared the high Rocky mountains, have a 34 kt. tailwind that gave me a respectable 204 kt. GS while cruising at 11,400 ft.

 

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13:37 Into the state of Nebraska, doing 11,969 ft. with a GS of 175 kt.

 

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16:05 Landing at Lincoln, Nebraska with the quickly failing light of the day. Lincoln is the capital of Nebraska and has a population of around 350,000 people,. It was founded in 1856, named as the village of Lancaster, and was renamed Lincoln in 1869. Will overnight here and resume tomorrow. 

 

(tbc...)

 

 

[kalizzi 53]

(... Cont'd.)  Leg 7 San Francisco to New York

 

 

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11 November 2017: After an overnight at Lincoln, took off at 07:00, R/W 18, QNH 1004, Wind 08 kt. from 166 degrees, Temp. 02 degrees C, clear skies.

 

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07:15 Levelling off at my cruising altitude over the Platte river. The OAT is -19 C at 12,500 ft. The Platte River is a major river in the state of Nebraska and is about 310 miles long.

 

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07:20 Crossing the state borders into Iowa, not much to see because of the clouds.

 

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08:40 Crossing yet another state line into Illinois. I am now over the river Mississippi at the town of Davenport. Doing 12,000 ft. and 193 kt. GS. I am on a heading of 086 degrees magnetic. The weather has fouled up and is becoming more stormy and unstable.

 

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09:20 Overhead Meigs filed in Chicago. This is my 4th waypoint in this leg. Cruising at 11,750 ft. I am doing a grand GS of 210 kt. aided by a tailwind of 44 kt. coming from 269 degrees. Meigs filed is similar to Shoreham, the airport I set out from, in both having been opened in 1910. It is special because every version of MS Flight Simulator had it as the default airport up to FS9/FS2004.

 

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09:35 Overhead lake Chicago, at the point where I crossed into the state of Michigan. It is quite a beautiful stretch of water and I did notice some ships navigating it.

 

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11:35 Crossed into Ohio state and now I'm overhead its capital city of Cleveland. I am still at 11,750ft and my GS is now 188 Kt. OAT is -9 C and the QNH is up to 1019.

 

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12:35 Crossed Greenville PA my 5th and final waypoint before getting to the big apple. Now I am on a heading of 113 and have just over 300 nautical miles to go before the end of this leg.

 

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13:40 Started descending towards JFK. To my 1 O'clock is Newark airport.

 

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Over NY and the eternal landmark of the statue of liberty.

 

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The beautiful skyline of Manhattan and the bridges of one of the greatest cities in the world. New York, New York — So Good They Named it Twice!

 

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13:55 Touching down at JFK's R/W 4L after a left base circuit. This concludes my 7th leg of this journey, in which I crossed the US from west to east coasts. It was quite scenic and I am looking forward to having a good rest at the big apple. I will reunite with my trusty old Cat here to finish the one remaining final leg of this epic journey. The DC-2 was a very pleasant mount and handled exceptionally well. This is one of the models I fly a lot in FSX. Off to some beer now. Happy landings to everyone

 

 

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[kalizzi 53]

Well there is a quick end scenario for this, I can use one of those babies and do a Mach 8 hop to London in less than an hour!

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Ah well she lacks the range and the fun as well. Lets go back to the real journey.

 

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In JFK, I rendezvoused with my Catalina again. Despite the superior speed of the DC-2, I like to do the Lindbergh's hop with a plane that can land on water if need be. The reason is I can land alongside any Kiwi warship that happens to be taking the same route and scrounge some beer off their stores.

 

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 Time to transfer all of our gear back to the Cat. To make sure all is triple checked and continue with the last leg. I am doing this on the fast track is because I will be away from my sim for almost a month, so I will make as much headway as I can and upon return, I hope to finish in time with the others.  

 

[rupert 20]

Looking good as always!  But you have to hate it when life gets in the way of fun pursuits!  I'll look forward to your reports when you return.

 

Rupert

[kalizzi 53]

Leg 8: NYC to London

We are going to cross the north Atlantic! In November!

 

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This is the full leg plan.

 

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This is what I will fly today. JFK to Gander. 955 nautical miles in total.

 

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07:00 12 November, starting the take-off roll from R/W 04L JFK. The wind is 8 kt. from 080, temperature is 10 degrees C, broken clouds with 7,000 ft. ceiling, and the QNH is 1027. The first waypoint is 469 nm away in Nova Scotia and the heading I will take is 069m.

 

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07:10 Levelled off at 5,000 ft. over Oyster Bay. Oyster Bay is a hamlet and census-designated place on the North Shore of Long Island in Nassau County in the state of New York

 

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07:16 Overhead Duck Island Harbour, Suffolk County, NY. Climbed to 6,000 ft. staying below the overcast.

 

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07:58 With clouds breaking, I climbed up to 12,500 levelling off over Rhode Island.

 

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08:07 Flying past Boston, which is Massachusetts’ capital and largest city. Founded in 1630, it’s one of the oldest cities in the U.S.

 

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08:17 Over Cape Cod, a hook-shaped peninsula of the U.S. state of Massachusetts, is a popular summertime destination. It's the site of quaint villages, seafood shacks, lighthouses, ponds and bay and ocean beaches. The clouds are well clearing over the Gulf of Maine.

 

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10:55 Passing Greenwood in Nova Scotia, my first WP in this leg. Greenwood is a village located in the western part of Kings County in Nova Scotia's Annapolis Valley. Population is less than 6,000. Doing 168 kt. GS at 12,300 ft.

 

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After crossing the Gulf of St. Lawrence, at 12:45 I hit the landfall of Newfoundland and Labrador at Fish Head Cove, La Poile bay. Encountered some mild turbulence. The OAT is -13 C at 12,500 ft. and the QNH is 1023. My GS is 171 Kt.

 

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14:05 In foul weather, I finally made it to the finals of my overnight destination of Gander. It is a town located in the north-eastern part of the island of Newfoundland in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, approximately 40 kilometres (25 mi) south of Gander Bay, 100 km (62 mi) south of Twillingate and 90 km (56 mi) east of Grand Falls-Windsor. Located on the northeastern shore of Gander Lake, it is the site of Gander International Airport, once an important refuelling stop for transatlantic aircraft, and still a preferred emergency landing point for aircraft facing on-board medical or security issues. Most of the streets in Gander are named after famous aviators, including Alcock and Brown, Amelia Earhart, Charles Lindbergh, Eddie Rickenbacker, Marc Garneau and Chuck Yeager. Gander is the location where the pilots of the Ferry Command of the RAF took off to tackle the Atlantic with new US-supplied aircraft throughout WWII that they ferried to Britain as the seas were unsafe because of the U-boats..

 

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14:07 Touchdown. Gander was chosen for the construction of an airport in 1935 because of its location close to the northeast tip of the North American continent. In 1936, construction of the base began, and the town started to develop. On January 11, 1938, Captain Douglas Fraser made the first landing at "Newfoundland Airport", now known as Gander International Airport, or "CYQX", in a single-engine biplane, Fox Moth VO-ADE. During the Second World War, as many as 10,000 Canadian, British and American military personnel resided in Gander. The area became a strategic post for the Royal Air Force Air Ferry Command, with approximately 20,000 American- and Canadian-built fighters and bombers stopping at Gander en route to Europe. After the war, the airbase became a civilian airport, and the location of the town was moved a safe distance from the runways. Construction of the present town site began in the 1950s, and the present municipality was incorporated in 1958; the settlement around the airport was eventually abandoned.

 

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On the ground safely, in semi blizzard conditions. I see a BA 747 there too!  After the Second World War, the town of Gander grew as the airport was used as a refuelling stop for transatlantic flights, earning its name "Cross-roads of the world". Efforts have been made to diversify the economy from being dependent on the airport, particularly as new aircraft designs permitted longer-range flights without the need for landing to refuel. Gander was the site of a major aircraft accident, Arrow Air Flight 1285, on December 12, 1985. 256 people were killed in the disaster, making it the deadliest air crash to happen in Canada. Will overnight in here and resume at dawn.

 

(tbc...)
 

 

[rupert 20]

Great Trip!!

 

I remember on my first flight to Europe (as a RW passenger, while still in high school,) we stopped and refueled at Gander!!  Which gave us enough fuel to make it to Shannon Ireland and refuel again. Of course that was 1962.   Wonderful flight route!!!  I'm planning on doing the same thing as well!! I love that little HondaJet but it sure doesn't have a huge range!

 

Rupert

[kalizzi 53]

17 hours ago, rupert said:

Great Trip!!

 

I remember on my first flight to Europe (as a RW passenger, while still in high school,) we stopped and refueled at Gander!!  Which gave us enough fuel to make it to Shannon Ireland and refuel again. Of course that was 1962.   Wonderful flight route!!!  I'm planning on doing the same thing as well!! I love that little HondaJet but it sure doesn't have a huge range!

 

Rupert

 

Thank you for your kind words. Well its nice to have nostalgic memories about a place. Unlike you, I never had the good fortune of seeing Gander. I did, however, see a documentary on British television about the Ferry Command of the WW2 RAF where Gander was the hub. The trip usually spanned from Gander to Prestwick. It is quite perilous even by today's standards. Can you not fit some ferry tanks in that -now- empty cabin of your Honda?

[kalizzi 53]

(... Cont'd.)  Leg 8 New York to London

 

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13 November, took off from Gander at 07:00. Wind was 5kt from 110 degrees, temp. 5 C, visibility 4.8km. broken clouds with a cielinof 800 ft., took a course of 65 that should get me to Narsarsuaq in Greenland in 797 nautical miles.

 

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07:15 Sunrise over Birchy bay. It is a small community found in Notre Dame Bay in the province of Newfoundland. Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. The name Birchy Bay is derived from the many birch trees which were found on its shores many years ago.

 

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07:22 Last sight of land of Newfoundland, from now on its only water.

 

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08:50 Cursing at 12,300 ft. over the Labrador Sea. Hdg. 49 degrees, with 45 kt. crosswind coming from 280, my Cat was literally crabbing to port to hold course. The OAT is -17 C and the QNH is 1014.

 

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12:45 First sight of Greenland. Greenland is a massive island and autonomous Danish territory between the North Atlantic and Arctic oceans. Much of its land surface is covered in ice. Most of its small population lives along the ice-free, fjord-lined coast, particularly in the southwest. Its northerly position, largely above the Arctic Circle, results in natural phenomena such as summer’s midnight sun and winter’s Northern Lights.

 

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13:20 Landfall Greenland and first sight of a living thing, a vessel to my port at 9 O'clock, it is called Sirius (inset). Greenland  is an autonomous constituent country within the Kingdom of Denmark between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe (specifically Norway and Denmark, the colonial powers, as well as the nearby island of Iceland) for more than a millennium. The majority of its residents are Inuit, whose ancestors began migrating from the Canadian mainland in the 13th century, gradually settling across the island.

 

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13:45 Aproaching Narsarsuaq. It is a settlement in the Kujalleq municipality in southern Greenland. It had 158 inhabitants in 2010. There is a thriving tourism industry in and around Narsarsuaq, whose attractions include a great diversity of wildlife, gemstones, tours to glaciers, and an airfield museum.

 

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On finals.

 

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Touchdown.

 

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Parked and refuelled. Overnighting here because of the short span of daylight. Will continue tomorrow to Reykjavik in Iceland.

 

(tbc...)

[kalizzi 53]

(... Cont'd.)  Leg 8 New York to London

 

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Another segment today. Narsarsuaq, Greenland (BGBK)  to Reykjavik, Iceland (BIRK).

 

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08:00  14 November: Take off Narsarsuaq, Wind calm, 15 C, QNH 1013, Clear skies, Runway 25.

 

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View from the cockpit while climbing to cruise altitude of 12,500 ft.

 

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09:40 Over the ocean once more after a flight over an icy desert. Greenland is behind me.

 

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11:20 In the mid-way point between Greenland and Iceland. My GS is 124 kt. and my nose points to 96 degrees magnetic, the wind is calm and there are broken clouds, with 3,100 ft. ceiling. Outside air temperature is -26 C, and the QNH is down to 1008. There really is no landmark or anything to see or photograph. just endless water.

 

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Another four and a half hours on, I hit Iceland landfall at 15:40, at Sandgerdi, which is one of the Iceland's major fishing communities and is located on the very northern tip of the peninsula. I contacted Reykjavik tower and was vectored to make a straight in approach to R/W 13.

 

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Approaching Reykjavik and through the windshield I see a spectacular landscape. I didn't expect it to be such a big place.

 

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On long final to Reykjavik and the cityscape is all over the screen.

 

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15:55 I touched down and taxied on to the GA parking. Will have to refuel and find a nice place to overnight in. The thing with flying at these high latitudes during winters is you get early ends to the day so you have ample time to rest and recharge, including wetting the whistle with a couple of beers (the icy desert view, like any desert view, makes me thirsty). Hope to continue the following day to Scotland the brave. Cheers.

 

 

[kalizzi 53]

(... Cont'd.)  Leg 8 New York to London

 

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One more segment from Reykjavik to Prestwick, 732 nautical miles, and will hold off in here for a full month the proceed to London.

 

 

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15 November 09:30 -just before the break of dawn- Took off from Reykjavik to clear skies and a 6 kt. wind from 116, The temperature was 4C and the QNH 1015. Took course of 143 straight to PIK.

 

 

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Climbing in the clear sky over Iceland.

 

 

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Dawn breaking at 09:35

 

 

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Two shots of Icelandic sunrise.

 

 

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One hour after take-off, I bid the land of Iceland farewell and ploughed on over the forbidden north Atlantic.

 

 

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12:00 -Midday- finds me abeam the Faroe Islands. an archipelago between the Norwegian Sea and the North Atlantic, about halfway between Norway and Iceland, 320 kilometres (200 miles) north-northwest of Scotland. The islands are an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark. It is comforting to know they are there,.in case of need, there is some terra firma somewhere near. Well, relatively near.

 

 

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13:35 I catch my first glimpse of the bonnie lands of Scotland, in the form of the Western Isles, or the Outer Hebrides. It is an island chain off the west coast of mainland Scotland, Most of the islands have a bedrock formed from ancient metamorphic rocks and the climate is mild and oceanic. The 15 inhabited islands have a total population of 26,900 and there are more than 50 substantial uninhabited islands. From Barra Head to the Butt of Lewis is roughly 210 kilometres (130 mi). 

 

 

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10 minutes on, at 13:45 I pass the island of Benbecula, an island of the Outer Hebrides, and the little airport it has is visible through the pilot's window.

 

 

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14:00 I am abeam the Isle of Sky, passing the Bay of Talisker.  the largest and northernmost of the major islands in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland.[Note 1] The island's peninsulas radiate from a mountainous centre dominated by the Cuillins, the rocky slopes of which provide some of the most dramatic mountain scenery in the country. Skye is notorious for Peaty whisky, even the blended is peaty, the only fuel they have is peat and it adds this heavenly smokiness touch to the Whisky. Talisker, the bay we are passing now, is the name of a famous brand of single malt whisky that is a standard setter. The "peatiest" Talisker is called Talisker Storm! Now I'm thirsty!

 

 

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14:41 Over the Firth of the Clyde. Below me is the island of Bute and on my 9 o'clock is the town of Largs.  The Firth of Clyde is an inlet of the Atlantic Ocean off the southwest coast of Scotland, named for the River Clyde which empties into it. It encloses the largest and deepest coastal waters in the British Isles, sheltered from the Atlantic Ocean by the Kintyre peninsula which encloses the outer firth in Argyll and Ayrshire. The Kilbrannan Sound is a large arm of the Firth of Clyde, separating the Kintyre Peninsula from the Isle of Arran. Within the Firth of Clyde is another major island – the Isle of Bute. Given its strategic location, at the entrance to the middle/upper Clyde, Bute played a vitally important military (naval) role during World War II. The Firth's climate enjoys the benefit of the Gulf Stream from America.

 

 

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14:45  Passing Ardrossan, a harbour town on the North Ayrshire coast. It is historically significant because 96 years ago, in December 1921, the first short wave transmission across the Atlantic was made from here. The other end was Connecticut in the USA, more than 3,000 miles away, pioneering global radio broadcasts.

 

 

 

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Closing to Prestwick, my segment destination, I am abeam Irvine, an ancient settlement, in medieval times a royal burgh, and now a new town on the coast of the Firth of Clyde in North Ayrshire, Scotland. It is the birth place / hometown of the current Scottish PM Nicola Sturgeon.

 

 

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On the crosswind leg of R/W 31 Prestwick where I will be landing.

 

 

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And now on the downwind leg.

 

 

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Over Ayr, in the downwind of R/W 31, which is large town and former Royal Burgh on the west coast of Ayrshire in Scotland. It is the administrative centre of the South Ayrshire Council area and historic county town of Ayrshire. It has a population of  50,000 (including my son).

 

 

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Short final and it started raining! Welcome to Scotland!

 

 

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14:58 Touched down at Prestwick. Glasgow Prestwick Airport is an international airport serving the west of Scotland, situated 1 nautical mile (1.9 km; 1.2 mi) northeast of the town of Prestwick in South Ayrshire and 32 mi (51 km) from the city centre of Glasgow. It is the less busy of the two airports serving the area, with the busier being Glasgow Airport which is situated within the Greater Glasgow conurbation itself (located in the town of Paisley in Renfrewshire). It could become the European hub for commercial space flights and is Scotland's main candidate for development as the first UK Spaceport in competition with two sites south of the border, Cornwall Airport Newquay and Llanbedr Airport in Gwynedd. An announcement about which candidate will be officially licensed to go ahead is expected in the summer of 2017.

Glasgow Prestwick is Scotland's fifth busiest airport in terms of passenger traffic, after Edinburgh Airport, Glasgow Airport, Aberdeen Airport, and Inverness Airport, although it is the largest in terms of land area. Passenger traffic peaked at 2.4 million in 2007 following a decade of rapid growth, driven in part by the boom in no-frills airlines, particularly Ryanair which uses the airport as an operating base. In recent years, passenger traffic has declined; around 670,000 passengers passed through the airport in 2016.

 

 

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Parked at Prestwick. The airport began life around 1934 primarily as a training airfield. A hangar, offices, and a control tower were constructed by the end of 1935. The airport's original owner was David Fowler McIntyre, also the owner of Scottish Aviation, with backing from the Duke of Hamilton. MacIntyre and Hamilton were the first aviators to fly over Mount Everest in 1933. In the Second World War the RAF controlled trans-Atlantic flights from Prestwick.The United States Air Force (USAF) Military Air Transport Service (MATS) 1631st Air Base Squadron opened a base in 1952 on the site of the original airport using former Royal Air Force (RAF) facilities, and in 1953 expanded to the Monkton side of the airport. The USAF base closed in 1966. FUN FACT: Glasgow Prestwick Airport is the only place in the United Kingdom where Elvis Presley was known to have set foot, when the United States Air Force transport plane carrying him home stopped to refuel in 1960, en route from Germany. A lounge bearing his name and a marker reflecting this event were inaugurated in 2006.

 

 

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Scottish Aviation built a factory using the original terminal building and hangars at Prestwick, which from 1974 produced aircraft such as the Prestwick Pioneers, and later the Jetstream and Bulldog. One part of the factory, a large white art-deco building which remains to this day, had been the Palace of Engineering built as part of the Empire Exhibition at Bellahouston Park in Glasgow in 1938. When Scottish Aviation merged with British Aerospace following the Aircraft and Shipbuilding Industries Act, BAe maintained aircraft production at the site until 1998, primarily updates of the Jetstream line. A total of 1,243 complete aircraft were built at Prestwick by this time. Today BAE Systems retains a small facility at Prestwick for its BAE Systems Regional Aircraft division, with the adjoining main manufacturing site, producing components for Airbus and Boeing aircraft, having been sold to Spirit AeroSystems in January 2006.

 

Thanks to Wikipedia for the info. I will be away from my sim for a full month, hence the long stopover at Prestwick. Will continue to London hopefully by the 21st of December but will remain in touch with the forum. Off for some rest now and a wee dram (a glass of whisky) and a chaser (a pint of beer to go with it, you sip the whisky and chase it by a sip of beer, that's the traditional Scottish way of drinking! and oh trust me, you can't go wrong with that!). Cheers, or rather, slangevar! 

[MM 137]

Great stuff. (And a salute to the DC-2 driver!)
Looking forward to your return. We shall all share a few tales...and enjoy a glass of whiskey or two.

[rupert 20]

I find it fitting you're in Glasgow!  I still have relatives living along Loch Lomond very near there.  Happily I also still have relatives living in Crail which is very near to several internationally famous golf courses. 

 

If you're ever interested in a really good scenery package for Scotland you might look up Scot Flight or Scot Flight for ORBX.  They are done as a part time gig by some college guys and both have things you wouldn't imagine in them.  They include sights like the Falkirk Wheel plus lots of interesting sights along the various Lochs and much of Scotland.

 

Hope you have a good month!  We all look forward to hearing from you again! 

 

BTW:  Before you go too far away from Scotland you might try a wee dram of "Highland Park."  (Which thankfully is also available in the US!)  IMHO that's easily the best brand of single malt I've had the honor of quaffing! 

 

Rupert

[kalizzi 53]

On ‎15‎/‎11‎/‎2017 at 4:05 AM, MM said:

Great stuff. (And a salute to the DC-2 driver!)
Looking forward to your return. We shall all share a few tales...and enjoy a glass of whiskey or two.

 

Thank you Mike for your kind words. Looking forward to having a whisky with you too. Cheers.

[kalizzi 53]

On ‎15‎/‎11‎/‎2017 at 6:58 PM, rupert said:

I find it fitting you're in Glasgow!  I still have relatives living along Loch Lomond very near there.  Happily I also still have relatives living in Crail which is very near to several internationally famous golf courses. 

 

If you're ever interested in a really good scenery package for Scotland you might look up Scot Flight or Scot Flight for ORBX.  They are done as a part time gig by some college guys and both have things you wouldn't imagine in them.  They include sights like the Falkirk Wheel plus lots of interesting sights along the various Lochs and much of Scotland.

 

Hope you have a good month!  We all look forward to hearing from you again! 

 

BTW:  Before you go too far away from Scotland you might try a wee dram of "Highland Park."  (Which thankfully is also available in the US!)  IMHO that's easily the best brand of single malt I've had the honor of quaffing! 

 

Rupert

 

 

Thank you for your lovely message Rupert. I will definitely look up the Scot Flight Package. As for the Highland Park I am already familiar with it. I think it is produced in the Orkneys, its a good peaty whisky too. I will have one to your health. Enjoying the cold of Scotland and the non-stopping rain. Keep safe. Cheers

[DaveLTB 48]

Are you going on to London immediately, leaving the rest of us half a world behind, or are you taking a well-earned holiday in the Scottish highlands while we all catch up?

 

Greetings

Dave Britzius

(Cape Town)

[Jeff W 112]

I think you should conduct quality control inspections of all of Scotland's Distilleries before you resume your journey to London

 

Jeff

 

[kalizzi 53]

2 hours ago, DaveLTB said:

Are you going on to London immediately, leaving the rest of us half a world behind, or are you taking a well-earned holiday in the Scottish highlands while we all catch up?

 

Greetings

Dave Britzius

(Cape Town)

 

Hello Dave. I intend to be in London on the 21st of December, not a minute sooner. Its the lowlands actually. Best wishes.

 

20 minutes ago, Jeff W said:

I think you should conduct quality control inspections of all of Scotland's Distilleries before you resume you journey to London

 

Jeff

 

Jeff bud, I will prepare a detailed report of the inspections and avail it to you upon your arrival, to double check and verify for yourself, and endorse

[PeSt 28]

Captn Mops and i waiting at heathrow, big welcome and respect for your great tour. And Rupert, come in we have Highland Park

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Mops and ithinking about a new world tour, maybe fast in our Habu (A-12), like you in the cat or in Anuschka (AN-2) like Windsweep. We will see.

 

best regards and thanks for your excellent pictures and travel log.

 

PeSt

[kalizzi 53]

On ‎22‎/‎11‎/‎2017 at 5:36 PM, PeSt said:

Captn Mops and i waiting at heathrow, big welcome and respect for your great tour. And Rupert, come in we have Highland Park

Please login to display this image.

 

Mops and ithinking about a new world tour, maybe fast in our Habu (A-12), like you in the cat or in Anuschka (AN-2) like Windsweep. We will see.

 

best regards and thanks for your excellent pictures and travel log.

 

PeSt

 

 

Hello PeSt, many thanks for the kind words. This cat is gorgeous, by the way! and so is the Highland Park.

 

What I am enjoying now is an unusual whisky: a blend that is better than single malts. This is because it is a blend of 3 leading Speyside single malts (regular blended whiskies contain grain whisky and other malts, this one has no grain whisky at all). It is called monkey shoulder, after a repetitive shoulder injury men acquired from shoveling malted barley in the olden days. It would leave one arm hanging. This blended malt whisky is comprised of three single malt distilleries: Kininvie, Glenfiddich, and The Balvenie. The trio gets acquainted in a tun for three to six months before being bottled on site. It is aged in ex-bourbon casks. This is not peaty at all but still one of the finest whiskies around. It is produced by William Grant. If you get a chance to try it please do not hesitate.

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I drink to your health! Cheers.

 

[rupert 20]

That Monkey Shoulder does look interesting!!  I like all three parts of the blend.  Sadly I usually have to leave Ky. to find too much variety in Scot's whiskies.  We have our on local products that are heavily featured around here.  They're called Kentucky Bourbon.  Speaking of which, if you're feeling flush Pappy Van Winkle of any age is a good choice!!  But then again you can save a few hundred and be quite thrilled with Elijah Craig.

 

Since you're hanging at Prestwick I have a suggestion as you head south.  Make sure you fly over maybe stop in Swansea Wales.  The scenery along that coast is as nice as any I've seen in the UK! 

 

Also, if you're a history buff, Pembrey West Wales Airport (EGFP) is just to the North and very near by.  Amelia Earhart was said to really like that place and that was one of the last stops she made in Great Britain before heading off on her ill-fated round the world trip herself.  During WWII the airfield was hugely expanded as a RAF location.  So now about 2/3s of the RAF base is a motorcar race course.  It's kinda cool how it looks from the air.  Perhaps I'll Targis over there and take a few shots to show you what it's looks like.

 

Rupert

[DaveLTB 48]

On 11/27/2017 at 5:22 AM, rupert said:

That Monkey Shoulder does look interesting!!

It looks downright dangerous...

 

Dave Britzius

(Cape Town)

[kalizzi 53]

On ‎27‎/‎11‎/‎2017 at 3:22 AM, rupert said:

That Monkey Shoulder does look interesting!!  I like all three parts of the blend.  Sadly I usually have to leave Ky. to find too much variety in Scot's whiskies.  We have our on local products that are heavily featured around here.  They're called Kentucky Bourbon.  Speaking of which, if you're feeling flush Pappy Van Winkle of any age is a good choice!!  But then again you can save a few hundred and be quite thrilled with Elijah Craig.

 

Since you're hanging at Prestwick I have a suggestion as you head south.  Make sure you fly over maybe stop in Swansea Wales.  The scenery along that coast is as nice as any I've seen in the UK! 

 

Also, if you're a history buff, Pembrey West Wales Airport (EGFP) is just to the North and very near by.  Amelia Earhart was said to really like that place and that was one of the last stops she made in Great Britain before heading off on her ill-fated round the world trip herself.  During WWII the airfield was hugely expanded as a RAF location.  So now about 2/3s of the RAF base is a motorcar race course.  It's kinda cool how it looks from the air.  Perhaps I'll Targis over there and take a few shots to show you what it's looks like.

 

Rupert

 

Hi Rupert,

 

Hope all is well with you. Sadly I am away from my simulator so my wings are clipped. I will most definitely fly to Pembrey after the Journey. As for your KY bourbon suggestion, I followed and bought a bottle of this:

 

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It is nice, to say the least.

 

On ‎02‎/‎12‎/‎2017 at 11:02 AM, DaveLTB said:

It looks downright dangerous...

 

Dave Britzius

(Cape Town)

 

True Dave. It is dangerous goods that is not allowed on board. I had to drink it all.

 

Cheers to all and safe flying.

 

 

 

 

[rupert 20]

Hey There!  Whiskey Tango Foxtrot!!  Here in Kentucky we've not  seen this product!!  Having said that, it does look good!!

 

I just grilled a rack of lamb on my grill and served it with steamed fresh asparagus and home made mashed potatoes.  In Kentucky it's 69*F tonight.  But the forecasts are for much colder weather starting tomorrow, so I felt I'd best do what I could when I could!

 

After the bottle of Chateau Lafron-Rochet 1996 with dinner, we made do with a dram or two of Elijah Craig bourbon and good strong black coffee to end our evening.

 

Rupert

[kalizzi 53]

On ‎05‎/‎12‎/‎2017 at 12:43 AM, rupert said:

Hey There!  Whiskey Tango Foxtrot!!  Here in Kentucky we've not  seen this product!!  Having said that, it does look good!!

 

I just grilled a rack of lamb on my grill and served it with steamed fresh asparagus and home made mashed potatoes.  In Kentucky it's 69*F tonight.  But the forecasts are for much colder weather starting tomorrow, so I felt I'd best do what I could when I could!

 

After the bottle of Chateau Lafron-Rochet 1996 with dinner, we made do with a dram or two of Elijah Craig bourbon and good strong black coffee to end our evening.

 

Rupert

 Spot on, I looked on the back of the bottle and it says made for the British market. Took a photo and will post it. Now I'm back from travel hope to continue the last segment of my journey from Glasgow to London soon.