Being somewhat new to flight sims, and aviation in general, I am always awed by the sheer amount of information that has to be processed by a pilots mind. Even doing something as simple as straight and level flight can be a challenge at times, and then when you add engine management, navigation, and communications, it can be downright impossible for a novice to have a perfect flight. This is where I come in. Me, a novice pilot, will attempt something that would challenge a real world pilot.
I shall fly around the world in the A2A Accusim Cessna 172R.
A little bit about the plane I will be flying, taken from the developers website:
“If any aeroplane ever deserved to be called “classic”, then the venerable and ubiquitous Cessna 172 in all of its many variations surely deserves that title. It is a time-tested benchmark of aircraft efficiency, utility and excellence; it is one of the most recognizable aeroplanes (although sometimes mistaken for its larger and more powerful brother, the Cessna 182/Skylane and vice versa); its value has been and continues to be well-established and constant. The Cessna 172 has endured going- on six decades, and is an undisputedly traditional design. Classic? Q.E.D..
A2A Accu-Sim C172 Trainer FEATURES:
• Immersive pre-flight inspection system designed by pilots while operating the actual Cessna 172.
• A true propeller simulation.
• Electric starter with accurate cranking power.
• Dynamic ground physics including both hard pavement and soft grass modeling.
• Primer-only starts are now possible. Accu-Sim monitors the amount of fuel injected and it’s effectiveness to start and run the engine.
• Persistent airplane where systems, corrosion, and temperatures are simulated even when the computer is off.
• Complete maintenance hangar internal systems and detailed engine tests including compression checks.
• Piston combustion engine modeling. Air comes in, it mixes with fuel and ignites, parts move, heat up, and all work in harmony to produce the wonderful sound of a Lycoming 360 engine. Now the gauges look beneath the skin of your aircraft and show you what Accu-Sim is all about.
• Authentic Bendix King Avionics stack including the KMA 26 Audio Panel, two KX 155A NAV/COMMS, KR 87 ADF, KT 76C Transponder, KN 62A DME, and KAP 140 Two Axis Autopilot with altitude pre-selection.
• Three in-sim avionics configurations including no GPS, GPS 295, or the GNS 400. Built-in, automatic support for 3rd party GNS 430 and 530.
• In cockpit pilot's map for handy in-flight navigation.
• Authentic fuel delivery includes priming and proper mixture behavior. Mixture can be tuned by the book using the EGT or by ear. It’s your choice.
• All models include A2A specialized materials with authentic metals, plastics, and rubber.
• Airflow, density and its temperature not only affect the way your aircraft flies, but how the internal systems operate.
• Real-world conditions affect system conditions, including engine temperatures.
• Spark plugs can clog and eventually foul if the engine is allowed to idle too low for too long. Throttling up an engine with oil-soaked spark plugs can help clear them out.
• Overheating can cause scoring of cylinder head walls which could ultimately lead to failure if warnings are ignored and overly abused
• Engine, airframe, cockpit panel and individual gauges tremble from the combustion engine.
• Authentic drag from the airframe and flaps
• System failures, including flaps that can independently jam or break based on the actual forces put upon them. If you deploy your flaps at too high a speed, you could find yourself in a very dangerous situation.
• Authentic battery. The battery capacity is based on temperature. The major draw comes from engine starting.
• Oil pressure system is affected by oil viscosity (oil thickness). Oil viscosity is affected by oil temperature. Now when you start the engine, you need to be careful to give the engine time to warm "
This will be the ultimate challenge for me and my measly 2 hours in the plane, and 20 total hours flying GA aircraft. My goal is to come out the other side a seasoned pilot, able to handle anything mother nature, mechanical failures, or just sheer bad luck can throw at me. I feel fairly confident in my ability to make it, I shall avoid crossing the vast oceans by going north over the Bering Sea and the North Atlantic through Greenland and Iceland. Most of this trip will be accomplished in VFR flight, except where weather makes IFR necessary.
My Route
Starting from my home airport Auburn Municipal I will head east across the USA, until I reach the Great Lakes where I will make the decision on whether to head north through Canada or stay south and and fly through America before I work my way north to Greenland. From Greenland I will fly through Iceland, the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Greece, then down through the Middle East, India, the Pacific Islands, then Japan, Siberia, Alaska, and Finally back down through Canada to return to Auburn Municipal.
Most of the way I’ll be “winging it” (lol), and not planning ahead too far. I’m not going for a speed record or any of that, so I’ll just keep a leisurely pace and fly where I want to go, and not just what will get me from A to B in the least amount of time possible.
My Plane
The aircraft I will fly is a Cessna 172R with a Lycoming IO-360-L2A, Normally
aspirated, direct drive, air-cooled, horizontally opposed, fuel injected, four cylinder
engine with 360 cu. in. displacement.
Horsepower Rating and Engine Speed:
160 rated BHP at 2,400 RPM.
Total Fuel capacity: 56 Gal
MTOW: 2450lbs
Its registration is N7274H.
Has all fairings installed and also the flap seals for maximum range.
My Rig
Thrustmaster T-Flight X HOTAS Joystick
42" Sharp LCD TV
Turtle Beach PX21 Headset (because my roommates get annoyed listening to me racing or flying at night :lol: )
PC Specs:
AMD Athalon II X4 645 Processor 3.1GHz
NVidia GTX 260
Windows 7 64-bit
Sentey GS-6000-R Case
It’s just now starting to dawn on me how huge of an undertaking this will be. Wish me luck!
