Certainly brings back the memories.

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/856/jgne.jpg

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/19/u49n.jpg

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/30/e6dw.jpg

My ongoing AAR for WOFF:

http://woffaar.wordpress.com/

Oooh, might need to do some Hawg flying this week/weekend...

P-3 Search

I decided to go on a real-time simulated flight to hunt for MH370 in the current search area, on a USN P-3C (wanted to fly as RAAF, but unfortunately wasn't able to find a repaint for this lovely aircraft). Here are the results!

http://i.imgur.com/0S5u2zb.jpg
We begin our journey from RAAF Pearce Base, near Perth, where the search efforts are focused. Boarding the aircraft shortly before 9am (local time).

http://i.imgur.com/poNenV1.jpg
Ready to start. We won't be the first aircraft on station today, and expect to arrive on station at around 1pm.

http://i.imgur.com/XfpTtT3.jpg
Powering up the engines.

http://i.imgur.com/qDFBDNs.jpg
Taxiing out from the ramp.

http://i.imgur.com/SbwTU6o.jpg
Takeoff!

http://i.imgur.com/56Nbxz5.jpg
Climbing into the sky with a full load of fuel - aircraft is a little heavy.

http://i.imgur.com/qzd3itx.jpg
Leaving Perth behind...

http://i.imgur.com/89aYgzZ.jpg
...and heading into the open ocean

http://i.imgur.com/eH4zSYP.jpg
A 4-hour trip to our distant search quadrant awaits us.

The media seem to often refer to the location as being "near the Australian coast". Here is how "near" it actually is:
http://i.imgur.com/XeyoGzs.jpg


http://i.imgur.com/aBFO2tI.jpg
Arriving in the search area, we find that it's a bit cloudy down below

http://i.imgur.com/uIVyfI1.jpg
Descending into snow/rain squalls to get below the clouds and begin our search.
Normally, the P-3 shuts down one or two engines while searching (to save fuel and improve loiter time); unfortunately feathering a prop in FS doesn't stop it from spinning (at least graphically - the physics effect seems to be correct), but as you can see from the instruments, I've done just that while preparing for our search.

http://i.imgur.com/fo4IjWV.jpg
For the first part of the search, conditions are not very good. There are squalls in the area and we drop down to 1500ft to get a better view.

http://i.imgur.com/xsbz1vK.jpg
However, soon afterwards, the squalls clear up...

http://i.imgur.com/U1YG8Ua.jpg
And we get our first sighting!

http://i.imgur.com/kcVSuGE.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/raun7mU.jpg
It's the Norwegian freighter (car carrier) MV Saint Petersburg, the first ship to arrive in the search area.

http://i.imgur.com/GL8nJBh.jpg
Compare to the real picture:

http://i.imgur.com/1CSUTbe.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/tdRQsdY.jpg
With the visibility improved, we climb up to 5000ft and continue our search.

http://i.imgur.com/ywehfub.jpg
However, no other sightings besides the St. Petersburg are made - just miles of endless ocean, far away from any land.

http://i.imgur.com/tlgbmPg.jpg
After almost 3 hours in the search area, we start getting low on fuel, so I get all our engines back online, climb over the clouds, and head back to Perth at almost 30000ft.

http://i.imgur.com/d25niTS.jpg
Soon, the sun begins setting already.

http://i.imgur.com/jQlPHcF.jpg
Sunset over a very remote part of the ocean.

http://i.imgur.com/x4TdwtH.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/Pfnxpxf.jpg
We make our way back towards Perth in the dark.

http://i.imgur.com/KBHcN8L.jpg
Lined up on final to Pearce, more than 11 hours after we took off from the same runway.

http://i.imgur.com/5eJYGKz.jpg
Taxiing back to the ramp...

http://i.imgur.com/mrHmzF1.jpg
And that completes our flight for today. The real crew would be ready to fly againt he next morning.

Hope you enjoyed it! :up:

Nice flight! I'm sure that was fun to sit through. :)

Haha, who said I was sitting? :P (I work from a stand-up desk these days). It didn't stop me from cooking a couple of meals, going out to the store, and taking a nap, lol

Most interesting :cool:

Great stuff. Although be aware these screenies will no doubt end up on some news channel as genuine footage. :)

I would love to see the reaction of air passengers if the pilot said that over the intercom.

I would almost pay to see that.

To be fair, the standard P-3 crew has 3 pilots on board, just 1 of whom can perfectly well fly the aircraft on his own if needed. And for airline flights of more than 8-10 hours, there's always a relief crew - and again, only one pilot needed at the controls for the cruise stages of flight.

Now, the guys I don't envy are some of the bomber pilots. B-2s routinely fly 20+ hour missions with only two crew, no relief pilots, just taking turns at power naps - that's stamina!

I know somebody who is related to one of them.

Sounds really really fun to be honest. Leave in the really early morning, fly to the middle east, blow crap up, come home for dinner. :D

EDIT: Man get on Skype sometime! I've got fast enough internet to talk!

I'll try and get back :D Like I said, just been really busy...

***

Meanwhile, that thought with the bombers and stuff sort of got planted into my head :O:

http://i.imgur.com/1RXpnRk.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/6tXFzyp.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/oBHXhdG.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/IbHYwIF.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/X3vODxq.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/ex7S6BN.jpg

Ah...the B-1!

I love flying the B-1 on "missions" in FS2004. It's quite fun.