A bad (simulated) day

[Chris_F]

Two nights ago I flew the default Lear Jet from my home airport in Manchester, NH to Juneau, Alaska.  Yesterday evening I decided to fly from Juneau to the Kamchatka Penninsula (that funny thing that sticks out of Russia and points towards Japan).  I didn't bother to file a flight plan, I just took off and assumed I had enough gas to make it there.

Sunset comes early this time of year over the Bearing Straight.  I passed the last of the little islands and noticed I was a little low on gas.  Nah, I got enough.

About 50 miles shy of landfall everything became earily silent.  The sun was low on the horizon and Kamchatcka was just becoming visible.  Great.  Time to ditch.  As I decended from FL330 to FL110 landfall started to look like a distinct possibility.  I tried to punch through what I thought was a lone cloud but visibility went to zero and never lifted.  Nope, the weather isn't as good down here as I thought.

Thankfully I had a nice bright multi-function display showing my attitude, altitude, airspeed and heading.  Stay the course, stay the course.  Ten seconds later the batteries died.  Uh oh.  I'm not too familiar with the lear so it took me a while to find the analogue gages (and I don't know how to read that airspeed indicator).  By the time I found the backup artificial horizon I was in a 90 degree bank (!).  So THAT's why they tell you to keep your eye on the artificial horizon and not trust the seat of your pants in IFR (especially in a sim)

At 5000 feet I started to see the wave tops.  I laid the plane on to the surface of the water as gently as I could and she slowed to a smooth stop like she was made for water landings.  Luckily I didn't dig a wing tip in to the water and flip.  

I had a breif moment after the plane stop before it sank to ponder my predicament.  The world was silent, it was getting dark, It's late fal, I was in the middle of the Bearing Straight, and I was about to go for a swim.  Oh, and I was wearing my pajamas.

Sometimes it's good that it's just a simulation.

[Travis]

Awww . . . po' wittle baby took a dip!

Good naration there!

[mark_av]

Fantastic story!  I felt like I was on the ride with you!

[Anti-Societys Snake]

how were you able to land the plane in water? (I know that it sank) I've tried that before on max reality and only got a crash sign...................

[Travis]

how were you able to land the plane in water? (I know that it sank) I've tried that before on max reality and only got a crash sign...................

FULL flaps and a light brush with luck . . .

[logjam]

Unfortunately,with the temperature of the water only slightly above freezing, a person may only last 30 seconds RIP

[Skligmund]

So basicly you died in about 1 to 2 minutes, considering the water temperature.....

I ditch in the water occasionall. I find the challenge to fly super close to the water until I get a prop strike and my motor die. Then I am usually too far from shore to land in the trees, so I ditch in the water. I have yet to get a crash until I've completely stopped, and the tail is sticking out of the water.

Kinda like this unfortunate guy, who stuck the plane in the cold currents of the Cook Inlet a few weeks ago:

[beefhole]

Hunh... I have crashes turned off and I can't land in water, and believe me I've tried.  Think it only works when crash is on?  Becasue when it's off all that happens is resets you in the air like 1,000 ft(this is what happens when you have a crash w/o crash turned on)

[BFMF]

Gotta make sure you have enough fuel for your flight. That's one thing my flight instructor taught me before she even took me up for the first time

[Chris_F]

how were you able to land the plane in water? (I know that it sank) I've tried that before on max reality and only got a crash sign...................

The key is a very low rate of decent and dead level wings.  Don't land like you would on a runway.  The key is to turn the airplane in to a skipping stone.  You can use more airspeed if it helps you control the rate of decent.

I think you gotta do it in a plane with a flat bottom as well (like the Lear).  I find that the jumbos usually crash when the engines catch in the water.  The Cessna however flies slow enough that you can land without the gear giving you too much of a problem (gotta be going slow though).

[codered]

...Oh, and I was wearing my pajamas.

I have the exact same recuring nightmare, only I am naked!

[SaVas]

The only time I fly naked is in the summertime or when its miserable outside.

*side note, I did have my webcam on once while I was flying around in FS9 (forgot to disconnect my YIM) and it was hot out. Took off the clothes and started tooling around. 30 minutes later a friend called and told me I should turn off my web cam  :o

Talk about blushing

[Anti-Societys Snake]

mUAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! that is excelent.....I on the other hand connot stand being nkaed, unless in the shower, nothing less than my johnies!

[gregbrown]

nice story . breakout the life jackets , I hope you advised ctr of the mayday ofcourse! cheers ! hope insurance covers a $17 million  perfectly good airplane!!!!

[pingerpuke]

Had an instructor on my squadron who had to ditch his seaking afew m iles off land with and engine problem, they were about to evacuate when they realised the sea was calm and the cab was strugling to stay upright.  SO rather than shut down he effectively water taxi'd to nearest beach lowered gear and beached her before shutting down.  This IS a true real life story.