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#4012248 - 09/20/14 05:26 PM Re: Aeropostale 2014 ***** [Re: corsaire31]  
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The airplanes : Breguet XIV



End of 1916, the "Service Technique Aéronautique" launched a program for a powerful, fast and well armed plane, with a forward engine.

Louis Breguet has been sent back to his factory in Villacoublay and asks engineer Vuilleme to figure out the structure for his new prototype, named Breguet AV, for "moteur avant" (forward engine). The engine is the Renault 12 Fe, made to deliver 300 hp, but which in November 1916 only delivers 260. The plane is a two seater biplane with the pilot in front. The structure is made of aluminium, which is new for the time. The trailing edge of the wings is articulated on the whole length, maintained downwards by sandows at low speed and going up to the normal profile in flight. It is the invention of flaps !

On November 30, 1916 the AV1 reaches the speed of 179 kmh at ground level. After tests, the minister of war orders in March 1917 300 Breguet type XIV A2 with a Renault Fcx 280hp engine. Made for observation and artillery spotting, it is equipped with photo cameras and radio to stay in touch with ground troops. This version will be followed in May 1917 by the Breguet XIV B2, a two seater bomber carrying 260 kg of bombs. It is built by Michelin under licence for 1600 airplanes. Problems arise as Renault has difficulties in the beginning to follow the pace with its engines. A Fiat A12 280hp is mounted on some planes but the result is disappointing. End of 1917, the Renault 12 Fe reaches the 300hp. From January 1917 to the end of the war, 5600 Breguet XIV are built, including 600 planes for the US Air Service, equipped with american 400hp Liberty 12 engines.

After the war new versions come out : BR16 BN2 night bomber with a 450hp Renault 12k and BR17 C2 with same engine and 5 machine guns. 100 BR-14 A2 with a 320hp Renault 12 FeR and a turbo compressor. With one of them, Adjudant Leboucher breaks on July 6 1921 the altitude record with 6782m. Back in 1919 on May 24, Lt Roget and Capt Coli had made a flight from Villacoublay to Kenitra in Marocco for 1900km.

In March 1919, Louis Breguet creates the "Compagnie des Messageries Aériennes" which will become later Air Union, then Air France. He starts building a civilian version, the BR-14T, where the pilot is in the back seat while a closed cabin for two passengers is built between the wings and the profiled fuel tanks are fitted under the wings.



Pierre Georges Latécoère will use many Breguet XIV. The first 30 are former military airplanes. Some Breguet XIV are shipped to Rio de Janeiro in early 1925 to make reconnaissance flights for the future south american network. The Aéropostale will use a total of 150 Breguet XIV.



A replica with number F-POST has been built with a Lycoming 350hp engine and is still flying in my region - I will probably see it tomorrow at the Toulouse-Francazal airshow. In 2010 this plane accompanied the Toulouse-Saint Louis rally and flew from Toulouse to Cap Juby and back.


Last edited by corsaire31; 09/20/14 08:29 PM.

Gigabyte Z87P-D3 - CPU I5 4670 Haswell @ 3.6Ghz - 8 Go Ram - GPU HD 7850 2Go OC - SSD Samsung 128Go - HD 2 x WD Black 1 To - 27" Iiyama Pro Lite - Logitech Extreme 3D Pro - Saitek Pro Flight Yoke - Rudder Pedals - Quadrant - Cessna Trim Wheel - Track IR 5 - Logitech G35 headset ... and a big coffee maker !
Flying in FSX/Air Hauler, Wings over Flanders Fields, Rise of Flight, IL2 1946 Hsfx, Condor soaring.
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#4012387 - 09/21/14 12:14 AM Re: Aeropostale 2014 [Re: corsaire31]  
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a shack in da woods
thumbsup

#4012657 - 09/21/14 06:34 PM Re: Aeropostale 2014 [Re: corsaire31]  
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very cool, I am also guilty of beeing a breguet fanboi a bit ;=)

here is nice litte vid of the replica flying... really worth the watch!

http://vimeo.com/17633908

(sorry, embedding disabled for this vid..)


off course it is also awesome to fly as a warplane in RoF etc... and for silly shenanigans






it was even used in by the fins:
http://www.virtualpilots.fi/hist/WW2History-Bregue14.html


Last edited by DrZebra; 09/21/14 06:38 PM.
#4012695 - 09/21/14 08:39 PM Re: Aeropostale 2014 [Re: corsaire31]  
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Today was the annual airshow at the former Air Force base of Toulouse-Francazal. As expected the Breguet XIV Aéropostale replica was there and made a little flight for us :













Gigabyte Z87P-D3 - CPU I5 4670 Haswell @ 3.6Ghz - 8 Go Ram - GPU HD 7850 2Go OC - SSD Samsung 128Go - HD 2 x WD Black 1 To - 27" Iiyama Pro Lite - Logitech Extreme 3D Pro - Saitek Pro Flight Yoke - Rudder Pedals - Quadrant - Cessna Trim Wheel - Track IR 5 - Logitech G35 headset ... and a big coffee maker !
Flying in FSX/Air Hauler, Wings over Flanders Fields, Rise of Flight, IL2 1946 Hsfx, Condor soaring.
#4013090 - 09/22/14 07:17 PM Re: Aeropostale 2014 [Re: corsaire31]  
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nice pics, I really like that bird and fully admit to beeing gullible in this area of early aeronautical romantism ;=)

#4013619 - 09/23/14 10:52 PM Re: Aeropostale 2014 [Re: corsaire31]  
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Sept 23 : VFR Practice with the Stinson Reliant SR 8e

Today first VFR practice with the Stinson which will be used across South America. A lozenge flight from Toulouse Lasbordes LFCL and back flying over Moissac LFCX, Cahors-Lalbenque LFCC and L'Isle sur Tarn LFDG.



First leg is easy (follow the highway), second leg is 10 mns cross country, third leg a little more difficult with 15 mns cross empty country, last leg is "follow the road" again.



The taxiing at Lasbordes. The Stinson cockpit is wide which means there is no visibility on the right. It was a time when they were not much concerned with traffic, and the visibility upwards is also limited. ( the trim lever is overhead. ) You have to use the toe brakes a lot for turns. I lock the tail wheel for take off.



The office looks good with all that wood and there is a lot of room inside. The compass is not in a very practical place in the middle, and I will soon take visual marks in the landscape to fly straight.



After following the highway going from Toulouse to Bordeaux I soon find the Moissac airfield.



Navigating with the compass/landmarks I easily find Cahors-Lalbenque airport.



It is a little more difficult to find l'Isle sur Tarn as it is smaller and we cross large forest patches with not many villages or roads. At the end of the leg I'm a little offset to the left but making a 360 turn I visually find it.



Getting back to Lasbordes is easy and the plane is soon back on its parking place.

Last edited by corsaire31; 09/25/14 10:30 PM.

Gigabyte Z87P-D3 - CPU I5 4670 Haswell @ 3.6Ghz - 8 Go Ram - GPU HD 7850 2Go OC - SSD Samsung 128Go - HD 2 x WD Black 1 To - 27" Iiyama Pro Lite - Logitech Extreme 3D Pro - Saitek Pro Flight Yoke - Rudder Pedals - Quadrant - Cessna Trim Wheel - Track IR 5 - Logitech G35 headset ... and a big coffee maker !
Flying in FSX/Air Hauler, Wings over Flanders Fields, Rise of Flight, IL2 1946 Hsfx, Condor soaring.
#4014048 - 09/24/14 09:55 PM Re: Aeropostale 2014 [Re: corsaire31]  
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The men : Henri Guillaumet



Henri Guillaumet was born on May 29, 1902 in Bouy (Marne) east of Paris. His mother died when he was 4. After school he often went with his friends to the Chalons Camp nearby to watch the beginning of aviation (Voisin, Farman, Blériot,...)

In 1914 it is the war, the Camp becomes a military place, he cannot get in anymore and lives the war from near (the front is 10 kms away). Two years later he cheats to get his first flight on a military aircraft. His father dies in 1918.

He gets his civilian pilot licence on Dec 31 1921 by the Charles Nungesser school in Orly. During the next year he volunteers for the Military Instruction Center in Istres, and is sent to the 8th scouts squadron in Thionville, where he meets Jean Mermoz. Outstanding combat pilot, he wins in 1923 the national shooting contest in Cazaux. On June 15th 1925 he wins the famous speed contest "Military Zenith".

He leaves the army in 1926 and Mermoz asks him to join with Latécoère in Toulouse. As many others, he starts with the "royal sludge", working on the maintenance, then flies between Toulouse, Barcelona and Alicante, and later between Casablanca and Dakar. On October 14th he meets for the first time Antoine de Saint Exupéry who will become his best friend.

In 1928 he receives the Honour Legion for helping in the rescue of uruguyan pilots who had been taken prisoners by rebel Moors in the Rio de Oro. In May he flies for a study trip from Saint Louis to Douala. In July he flies from Saint Louis to Brazzaville, 6000 kms over the equatorial forest.

In 1929 he joins with Mermoz in Rio de Janeiro where he starts the regular line between Argentina and Chile. On June 30, 1930 he makes a forced landing right in the middle of the Andes and walks 5 days in the snow before being saved by a local shepherd.

In August Mermoz asks him back in France for trials on hydroplanes. He gets his hydroplane pilot licence. After the Aéropostale goes bust, he goes back with his wife to South America where he will make 393 crossings of the Andes mountains and be nicknamed the "Andes Angel".

Being called back in France in 1934, he crosses on Sept 15th the southern Atlantic on the "Arc en Ciel". On December 7th 1936, while he makes his 45th crossing of the southern Atlantic, he learns about Mermoz disappearing and will look for him for two days. From there he becomes the leading pilot of the Line.

In 1938 he tackles with the northern Atlantic and flies to Port Washington from Biscarosse (Latécoère hydrobase in the south of France) on the Latécoère flying boat "Lieutenant de Vaisseau Paris". On July 15th 1939, for his 13th crossing, he flies non stop from New York to Biscarosse for a 28 hours flight.

November 27, 1940 : Henri Guillaumet is flying the Farman 220 "Le Verrier", taking off from Marignane near Marseille to transport the new High Commissioner for Syria and Lebanon. The last message from his radio says " We are under attack, the plane is burning, SOS"

His destiny makes him disappear at sea, like Mermoz four years before and Saint Exupéry four years later.

Last edited by corsaire31; 09/25/14 05:09 PM.

Gigabyte Z87P-D3 - CPU I5 4670 Haswell @ 3.6Ghz - 8 Go Ram - GPU HD 7850 2Go OC - SSD Samsung 128Go - HD 2 x WD Black 1 To - 27" Iiyama Pro Lite - Logitech Extreme 3D Pro - Saitek Pro Flight Yoke - Rudder Pedals - Quadrant - Cessna Trim Wheel - Track IR 5 - Logitech G35 headset ... and a big coffee maker !
Flying in FSX/Air Hauler, Wings over Flanders Fields, Rise of Flight, IL2 1946 Hsfx, Condor soaring.
#4014292 - 09/25/14 02:52 PM Re: Aeropostale 2014 [Re: corsaire31]  
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Thursday 25th Sept : VFR training on a full length leg

We had left the Tiger Moth in La Salanque near Perpignan, it is now time to fly it back to Toulouse for a last check before the start on Sunday




Getting ready at La Salanque


After hitting the coast I fly north


Over Port La Nouvelle we turn left for a NNW heading


Over Lézignan-Corbières


We fly over Carcassonne again, the other way around


http://www.fsfiles.org/flightsimshotsv2/images/2014/09/25/wSsOo.jpg

Under the plane is the Port Lauragais highway resting area while in the back we see the Ganguise lake where I do some Laser sailing.


http://www.fsfiles.org/flightsimshotsv2/images/2014/09/25/ocZYB.jpg

Downwind leg at LFCL to land on runway 16


http://www.fsfiles.org/flightsimshotsv2/images/2014/09/25/0rWMu.jpg

Aligning on runway 16


http://www.fsfiles.org/flightsimshotsv2/images/2014/09/25/HZsz7.jpg

One hour and forty minutes after take off the Tiger is at the parking in Lasbordes, time to go for a beer at the bar in the background.

* TEST : for the last four screenshots I put a direct link to the original size

Last edited by corsaire31; 09/25/14 07:51 PM.

Gigabyte Z87P-D3 - CPU I5 4670 Haswell @ 3.6Ghz - 8 Go Ram - GPU HD 7850 2Go OC - SSD Samsung 128Go - HD 2 x WD Black 1 To - 27" Iiyama Pro Lite - Logitech Extreme 3D Pro - Saitek Pro Flight Yoke - Rudder Pedals - Quadrant - Cessna Trim Wheel - Track IR 5 - Logitech G35 headset ... and a big coffee maker !
Flying in FSX/Air Hauler, Wings over Flanders Fields, Rise of Flight, IL2 1946 Hsfx, Condor soaring.
#4014323 - 09/25/14 03:38 PM Re: Aeropostale 2014 [Re: corsaire31]  
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This thread is amazing . thank you. you could consider making this an ebook
I I can suggest you link the add on airport scenarios.
and one question: ar eyou using GEX and UTX correct?

#4014359 - 09/25/14 04:51 PM Re: Aeropostale 2014 [Re: Canadair]  
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Originally Posted By: Canadair
This thread is amazing . thank you. you could consider making this an ebook
I I can suggest you link the add on airport scenarios.
and one question: ar eyou using GEX and UTX correct?


Thanks, good idea but my main source for freeware airfields is :

http://www.freewarescenery.com/fsx.html

All the airports and airfields we've seen so far are part of the "Occitania" freeware which is a compilation of airports/airfields and some special sites and landmarks for the whole South West of France.

http://occitania.gratisim.fr/fs/fsx.htm

And yes to UTX/GEX, the detail of what I use is in the second post of this thread.


Gigabyte Z87P-D3 - CPU I5 4670 Haswell @ 3.6Ghz - 8 Go Ram - GPU HD 7850 2Go OC - SSD Samsung 128Go - HD 2 x WD Black 1 To - 27" Iiyama Pro Lite - Logitech Extreme 3D Pro - Saitek Pro Flight Yoke - Rudder Pedals - Quadrant - Cessna Trim Wheel - Track IR 5 - Logitech G35 headset ... and a big coffee maker !
Flying in FSX/Air Hauler, Wings over Flanders Fields, Rise of Flight, IL2 1946 Hsfx, Condor soaring.
#4015147 - 09/27/14 05:06 PM Re: Aeropostale 2014 [Re: corsaire31]  
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27 Sept : J - 1 14:00

The first competitors in the Toulouse - Saint Louis air rally 2014 have arrived at LFCL and are getting ready :











The Breguet XIV F-POST has also landed in the early afternoon :



So far the departure is scheduled for tomorrow 08:30, but everybody is sweating because of the weather forecast for the next days :

- On the french part, we have a forecast for Autan wind, a wind blowing from the SE, which usually lasts several days and can often gust to 50 knots. For the Tiger, I have fixed my upper limit at 15 knots...

- In Spain the weather is not looking good with rain and low clouds.

Last edited by corsaire31; 09/27/14 07:05 PM.

Gigabyte Z87P-D3 - CPU I5 4670 Haswell @ 3.6Ghz - 8 Go Ram - GPU HD 7850 2Go OC - SSD Samsung 128Go - HD 2 x WD Black 1 To - 27" Iiyama Pro Lite - Logitech Extreme 3D Pro - Saitek Pro Flight Yoke - Rudder Pedals - Quadrant - Cessna Trim Wheel - Track IR 5 - Logitech G35 headset ... and a big coffee maker !
Flying in FSX/Air Hauler, Wings over Flanders Fields, Rise of Flight, IL2 1946 Hsfx, Condor soaring.
#4015261 - 09/27/14 10:00 PM Re: Aeropostale 2014 [Re: corsaire31]  
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Sept 27 : J -1 22:00



For the last night in Toulouse before departure, where else could you spend it but in the Hotel "Le Grand Balcon" ?

As soon as you enter, you are in for meeting history and the first pilots of the Aéropostale, back in the 1920s ... with right in the lounge the pictures of Jean Mermoz, Henri Guillaumet and Antoine de Saint Exupéry.



At the time, it is a pension for single office clerks, owned by three sisters, Risette, Henriette and Lucie Marquès. According to the legend of the Line, the wife of Didier Daurat, the operations manager of Latécoère Airlines fainted on the sidewalk in front of the hotel. The sisters came out to help her. To thank them, Didier Daurat decided to make it the place to stay in Toulouse for his pilots. It is in the very center of the city, a minute from the Capitole square (the heart of Toulouse) where at the time was a tramway taking the men to Montaudran airfield.

Between two flights to Spain or Morocco, the pilots were staying at the first and second floor, while the mechanics used the third. It is there that Jean Mermoz brings his one night girlfriends, taking them on his shoulders, while Saint Exupéry dances sexy tangos when the dining room is used as a dancing floor. The three sisters let them live as they know this hides their fear of death and that many will never come back.

After being restored for three years, the hotel opened again in 2008. The style of the times has been kept for the stairs, the lift, the mosaic on the floor. Room n° 32 which was the room of Saint Exupéry has been redone exactly as it was, following the pictures taken then. All the other rooms, although done in a modern style have something remembering aviation and airplanes.

A 1949 movie by Henri Decoin, starring Pierre Fresnay and Georges Marchal, called "Au Grand Balcon" tells the story of the first pilots of the Line.


Last edited by corsaire31; 09/29/14 12:19 AM.

Gigabyte Z87P-D3 - CPU I5 4670 Haswell @ 3.6Ghz - 8 Go Ram - GPU HD 7850 2Go OC - SSD Samsung 128Go - HD 2 x WD Black 1 To - 27" Iiyama Pro Lite - Logitech Extreme 3D Pro - Saitek Pro Flight Yoke - Rudder Pedals - Quadrant - Cessna Trim Wheel - Track IR 5 - Logitech G35 headset ... and a big coffee maker !
Flying in FSX/Air Hauler, Wings over Flanders Fields, Rise of Flight, IL2 1946 Hsfx, Condor soaring.
#4015652 - 09/28/14 09:52 PM Re: Aeropostale 2014 [Re: corsaire31]  
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Sunday Sept 28th 09:00 : Start of the 2014 Toulouse - Saint Louis Air Rally



This morning at 09:00 the planes took off from Toulouse Lasbordes LFCL towards Alicante in Spain, a bit worried by the weather conditions over the Pyrénées and over Spain.



The news came in the afternoon that they had to give up on the way and all landed in Reus.

Full photo album at :

https://www.flickr.com/photos/corsaire31/sets/72157647689206488/


Gigabyte Z87P-D3 - CPU I5 4670 Haswell @ 3.6Ghz - 8 Go Ram - GPU HD 7850 2Go OC - SSD Samsung 128Go - HD 2 x WD Black 1 To - 27" Iiyama Pro Lite - Logitech Extreme 3D Pro - Saitek Pro Flight Yoke - Rudder Pedals - Quadrant - Cessna Trim Wheel - Track IR 5 - Logitech G35 headset ... and a big coffee maker !
Flying in FSX/Air Hauler, Wings over Flanders Fields, Rise of Flight, IL2 1946 Hsfx, Condor soaring.
#4015688 - 09/28/14 11:58 PM Re: Aeropostale 2014 [Re: corsaire31]  
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Sunday Sept 28 14:30 My own departure !

I was also worried because of the weather forecast, specially with the Autan wind. The forecasts for the next two - three days don't look good on the path of the Line. I could decide to postpone the departure by a few days and wait for things to clear up. But for one I'm "hot" as I have been eagerly waiting for this day, and for two the guys of the real rally took off this morning.

At 14:00 the Toulouse METAR says :
Wind 15 kts SE - 25 °C - Humidity 75% - Visibility +10 nm - Broken clouds at 3000 and 4600 ft - 1022 Hpa
Evolution until 18:00 Wind 12 knts SE - Visibility +10nm

At the same time in Perpignan it says :
Wind 11 knts ESE - 22°C - Humidity 78% - Visiblity +10 nm - Some clouds at 1300 ft and broken clouds at 3000 ft - 1023 Hpa
Evolution until 18:00 Wind 15 kts ESE - Visibility + 10nm - Scattered clouds 4000 ft and broken clouds 13000 ft.

This looks flyable if I leave right now, just taking time to make a flight plan, fill the tank and load 200 lbs of "mail" in the front cockpit.



The Tiger is warmed up and we start the taxi, waving a last good bye at the tower as we pass by...



After waiting 5 minutes at the hold short spot to let a Piper land, we are on for the great departure at 14:40 !



After overflying at 3500 ft Carcassonne (15:20) then Lézignan, we fly over the Corbières high ground following the compass, as the weather is clear. We are a little shaken at times because of the wind, but it's OK.



After hitting the coast at 15:45, I fly south and land at Perpignan-Rivesaltes at 16:15. During the taxi to parking, I come across some Air France heavy metal landing, they are not all on strike !:)



Once at the parking, the Tiger is covered as the weather might get wet and it is possible I will have to wait one or two days here, waiting for things to clear up above Spain.



Don't miss the next episodes !

Last edited by corsaire31; 09/29/14 09:12 AM.

Gigabyte Z87P-D3 - CPU I5 4670 Haswell @ 3.6Ghz - 8 Go Ram - GPU HD 7850 2Go OC - SSD Samsung 128Go - HD 2 x WD Black 1 To - 27" Iiyama Pro Lite - Logitech Extreme 3D Pro - Saitek Pro Flight Yoke - Rudder Pedals - Quadrant - Cessna Trim Wheel - Track IR 5 - Logitech G35 headset ... and a big coffee maker !
Flying in FSX/Air Hauler, Wings over Flanders Fields, Rise of Flight, IL2 1946 Hsfx, Condor soaring.
#4015694 - 09/29/14 12:15 AM Re: Aeropostale 2014 [Re: corsaire31]  
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Sunday Sept 28 16:30 Assistance follows !

I asked to Thomas Brittain, the chief pilot of my company Brittany Air Freight to come down from his base in LFRN to fly assistance all the way down to Dakar. He flew down with his BN2 Islander from Finist'Air to carry my mechanic, François Alibert, the tools and spare parts. He has tanked in Toulouse at 50% because of the 1000 lbs of stuff he is carrying.
I like this plane for being a rugged truck able to land on a dime and with 30 knots crosswind. If needed they can also fly ahead in case of doubts on the weather conditions.



They received my phone call that I was safe in Perpignan and they take off from Toulouse right away. Of course they have a GPS, VOR and NDB navaids, autopilot, everything comfortable... so they can fly a direct route at 5500 ft. Another good thing is that they move at 135 kts instead of my 70...



At 17:30 they have landed in Perpignan under a heavy sky, as we can see the "sheaves of lightnings" described by Saint Exupéry under the clouds topping the mountains in the South.



The Islander is quickly taken to the GA parking, and we all leave for the hotel where we could well spend a couple of days !



To be continued...

Last edited by corsaire31; 09/29/14 02:43 PM.

Gigabyte Z87P-D3 - CPU I5 4670 Haswell @ 3.6Ghz - 8 Go Ram - GPU HD 7850 2Go OC - SSD Samsung 128Go - HD 2 x WD Black 1 To - 27" Iiyama Pro Lite - Logitech Extreme 3D Pro - Saitek Pro Flight Yoke - Rudder Pedals - Quadrant - Cessna Trim Wheel - Track IR 5 - Logitech G35 headset ... and a big coffee maker !
Flying in FSX/Air Hauler, Wings over Flanders Fields, Rise of Flight, IL2 1946 Hsfx, Condor soaring.
#4015807 - 09/29/14 10:43 AM Re: Aeropostale 2014 [Re: corsaire31]  
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Monday Sept 29 : We stay in the hotel and play cards !

After looking at the weather forecast for Perpignan and Barcelona, things don't look good.
The region in France is under orange warning for storms, rain and floods. Same things in Spain with low clouds and rain. We wisely decide to stay here until things clear up.



We will see tomorrow morning ...

Last edited by corsaire31; 09/29/14 02:42 PM.

Gigabyte Z87P-D3 - CPU I5 4670 Haswell @ 3.6Ghz - 8 Go Ram - GPU HD 7850 2Go OC - SSD Samsung 128Go - HD 2 x WD Black 1 To - 27" Iiyama Pro Lite - Logitech Extreme 3D Pro - Saitek Pro Flight Yoke - Rudder Pedals - Quadrant - Cessna Trim Wheel - Track IR 5 - Logitech G35 headset ... and a big coffee maker !
Flying in FSX/Air Hauler, Wings over Flanders Fields, Rise of Flight, IL2 1946 Hsfx, Condor soaring.
#4016196 - 09/30/14 09:56 AM Re: Aeropostale 2014 [Re: corsaire31]  
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Tuesday Sept 30 : Another day in Perpignan !



Perpignan :
METAR: LFMP 300930Z 01008KT 350V060 9999 -SHRA BKN020 19/18 Q1025 NOSIG
TAF: LFMP 300500Z 3006/0106 35005KT 9999 BKN010 OVC015 TEMPO 3006/3015 2000 RA BR BKN005 SCT020TCU PROB40 TEMPO 3010/3015 0400 TSRA FG BKN003 BKN010CB BECMG 3015/3017 VRB03KT BKN020 TEMPO 3015/3021 SHRA BECMG 3021/3023 NSW NSC

Barcelona :
METAR: LEBL 300930Z 33004KT 260V360 8000 -RA FEW014 FEW030TCU SCT035 20/19 Q1024 NOSIG
TAF: LEBL 300500Z 3006/0106 05005KT 9999 SCT020 TX24/3012Z TN19/0106Z TEMPO 3006/3019 4000 SHRA BKN013 SCT025TCU PROB30 TEMPO 3006/3019 2000 TSRA SCT023CB TEMPO 3006/3015 05015KT

The Tiger Moth has an open cockpit, we'll wait until tomorrow...


Last edited by corsaire31; 09/30/14 10:15 AM.

Gigabyte Z87P-D3 - CPU I5 4670 Haswell @ 3.6Ghz - 8 Go Ram - GPU HD 7850 2Go OC - SSD Samsung 128Go - HD 2 x WD Black 1 To - 27" Iiyama Pro Lite - Logitech Extreme 3D Pro - Saitek Pro Flight Yoke - Rudder Pedals - Quadrant - Cessna Trim Wheel - Track IR 5 - Logitech G35 headset ... and a big coffee maker !
Flying in FSX/Air Hauler, Wings over Flanders Fields, Rise of Flight, IL2 1946 Hsfx, Condor soaring.
#4016516 - 09/30/14 09:43 PM Re: Aeropostale 2014 [Re: corsaire31]  
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corsaire31  Offline
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Toulouse, France
Tuesday Sept 30 23:00 : Lights in the dark



The lighthouses of the Line, witnesses of the first hours of business aviation are a forgotten legacy of the years 1920-1930. They helped improve the night flying. Bazièges and Montferrand saw regularly Mermoz, Saint Exupéry and the other pilots fly over them, who had to fly the Line at all times.

Right after World War 1, the aerial navigation service (SNAE) took the responsibility for aeronautical infrastructure. They soon realized that the development of business aviation would imply flying day and night. It was not yet IFR flight, but more like night VFR. The SNAE started in 1923 to build a network of aerial lighthouses for night flying on the most important routes. In 1932 there were 140 lighthouses, some white, and some orange-red (the red is easier to see through the fog).

For the route Paris - Bordeaux - Toulouse - Perpignan, each lighthouse sent a combination of long and short signals corresponding to Morse letters identifying each of them. For instance, Baziège sent a G ( _ _ .) and Montferrand the letter R (._. ). Out of order in 1940 because of the radio navigation, some like Bazièges and Montferrand have been spared and are still up today.



The town or village were in charge of the lights. These were lit when requested and the man in charge of the starting airfield would send a telegram through the Post Office asking for the light and stating times of overfly. In Bazièges it was the miller who did the job, his windmill was next to the lighthouse on the hill. In Castelnaudary it was the gardener of the castle, in Barbaira the teacher. This chain of village people has helped developping business aviation. They were in a way the ancestors of today's air controllers, insuring regularity and security. They deserve not to be forgotten.



Source : "Couleurs Lauragais"


Gigabyte Z87P-D3 - CPU I5 4670 Haswell @ 3.6Ghz - 8 Go Ram - GPU HD 7850 2Go OC - SSD Samsung 128Go - HD 2 x WD Black 1 To - 27" Iiyama Pro Lite - Logitech Extreme 3D Pro - Saitek Pro Flight Yoke - Rudder Pedals - Quadrant - Cessna Trim Wheel - Track IR 5 - Logitech G35 headset ... and a big coffee maker !
Flying in FSX/Air Hauler, Wings over Flanders Fields, Rise of Flight, IL2 1946 Hsfx, Condor soaring.
#4016913 - 10/01/14 08:49 PM Re: Aeropostale 2014 [Re: corsaire31]  
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Posts: 1,428
Toulouse, France
Wednesday October 01 14:00 : Que viva Espana !

The weather forecast looks better today, and we decide to leave Perpignan and fly to Barcelona. The plan is to do it like they did at the time, following the coast through Port Vendres, Roses and Lloret del Mar. For us the Costa Brava beaches !



I take off from Perpignan at 14:35 local under the sun.



After hitting the coastline over Canet en Roussillon and stabilizing at 3500 feet, I fly over Port Vendres at 14:45. I can see far away some of the "black dragons" described by Saint Exupéry, but they don't look very mean.



After Roses, welcome in Spain ! The fog kicks in over the Costa Brava and I have to go down to 1500 ft in order to see something.



I come across some container carriers coming from the Barcelona harbour.



Thirty miles from destination, the weather clears up. Great ! I start relaxing...



Well I relax for a short time... As I close on Barcelona, I find a superb thunderstorm cell right over the city. Too late to divert, I have to push on. It is Christmas in the sky and totally grey under. ATIS tells me runway 07 is used, so by taking a 250 heading from a landmark on the coast I find El Prat in the soup. Nice from them guys to turn the lights on !



Beware of aquaplaning during the taxi.



16:30 local : here we are, the Tiger is covered, I now have to get to my hotel, take a good shower (a warm one, this time...)and call the assistance boys to tell them to rejoin tomorrow morning. No point in taking more unnecessary risks. I guess I will remember this spanish welcome !



As a comparison, here is what the Barcelona stop for the Line pilots looked like in 1929 :



Last edited by corsaire31; 10/01/14 11:41 PM.

Gigabyte Z87P-D3 - CPU I5 4670 Haswell @ 3.6Ghz - 8 Go Ram - GPU HD 7850 2Go OC - SSD Samsung 128Go - HD 2 x WD Black 1 To - 27" Iiyama Pro Lite - Logitech Extreme 3D Pro - Saitek Pro Flight Yoke - Rudder Pedals - Quadrant - Cessna Trim Wheel - Track IR 5 - Logitech G35 headset ... and a big coffee maker !
Flying in FSX/Air Hauler, Wings over Flanders Fields, Rise of Flight, IL2 1946 Hsfx, Condor soaring.
#4017251 - 10/02/14 05:45 PM Re: Aeropostale 2014 [Re: corsaire31]  
Joined: May 2011
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corsaire31 Offline
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corsaire31  Offline
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Posts: 1,428
Toulouse, France
Thursday October 02 : Barcelona for ever !

While reading the weather forecast this morning, I understand right away I will have a free day to visit Barcelona. The risks of wind, rain and thunderstorms over Alicante are too high to fly there with the Tiger. So I call my guys in Perpignan to tell them. François tells me it's OK as he has a couple of things to do on the Islander, and that they will rejoin in the afternoon.

They take off from LFMP at 15:30 intending to make a VOR to VOR flight along the coast at 3500 ft.



As they close on the spanish border, they encounter some "black dragons" and decide to go over them as they start to be a bit shaken.



In fact they have to climb at 80 knots over 8000 ft to find the blue.



But at some point you have to go down again and this is done as a slalom between the thunderstorm cells, which carries them over the sea outside of Barcelona.



Just like me yesterday they get a wet welcome from the rain over El Prat where they land on runway 07R.



And they taxi to the general aviation parking where it looks like the end of the world.



If the weather stays like this, it's going to take a long time to get to Santiago and Punta Arenas! mad

May be this will make us feel better :


Last edited by corsaire31; 10/02/14 07:40 PM.

Gigabyte Z87P-D3 - CPU I5 4670 Haswell @ 3.6Ghz - 8 Go Ram - GPU HD 7850 2Go OC - SSD Samsung 128Go - HD 2 x WD Black 1 To - 27" Iiyama Pro Lite - Logitech Extreme 3D Pro - Saitek Pro Flight Yoke - Rudder Pedals - Quadrant - Cessna Trim Wheel - Track IR 5 - Logitech G35 headset ... and a big coffee maker !
Flying in FSX/Air Hauler, Wings over Flanders Fields, Rise of Flight, IL2 1946 Hsfx, Condor soaring.
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