Ben Counter needed me to take him down to Haiti on business with his PA...after I'd spent a week barricaded in my Port au Prince hotel we continued our flight in our now heavily loaded Duke (no idea what the cargo was - Counter wasn't forthcoming) to St Kitts and Nevis for a well-deserved rest.
I took us up to 19 000 ft on the flight...first high level flight for me since re-kick-starting my 'sim career'. Investigated the GPS for the first time ever. A lot of useful info; bearing info to VORs and NDBs especially - got some course interception practice without downloading a million charts - too much effort and printing ink to keep doing that every day.
The flight took 3 hours and I got to bed at 1:30 IRL. Too long. Looks like a good compromise for me in simulating commuter flights without any FMS is going to be hand flying the first and last stages of flight, using the GPS and MS flight plan for course info and using radios and instruments (NOT just plugging it in and just letting it fly the plane) for the climbs and descents, and letting the GPS and AP take over for the long part of the route, speeding up the time for much of it.
Anyone got any tips on good freeware commuter props for FSX?? I.e. they look good... lots of repaints and used in many parts of the world... fly reasonably accurately... and have a decent, clear panel with all the useful instruments?
Anyway, eventually we reached Robert L. Bradshaw Intl on St Kitts and touched down... I was looking forward to chilling out in the hotel bar but of course Counter had other ideas.
He wanted us to rent a seaplane and find a great place around the island to watch the sun go down and do a bit of smooching with his PA (he would be doing that, not me) and a beachside picnic. It took a while to get the Goose organised but eventually we set off on a spectacular round-island flight and I spotted a nice place to land.
I wasn't invited to the picnic so I climbed a nearby hill and watched the sun go down in solitude...tropical scents wafting by on the balmy breezes, the sounds of the surf and exotic fauna whizzing through the jungle.... what a scene!!
When we returned to Bradshaw Intl I noted that the Grumman doesn't seem to want to power down and lose speed...and that one has to be very careful on the brakes. According to Wikipedia 777s land there regularly and I managed but still... tricky plane for landing on asphalt, that Goose.
I also noted that the Duke, which I'd locked up and tied down just a few hours before, had vanished. Benjamin just said everything was being taken care of and to go hail a taxi.... hmmm...
This THRILLING 3-part Caribbean adventure shall continue in a couple of days...
Krigl
Used: Freeware St Kitts and Nevis addon, REX sky and water... 
