Post by uhug on Dec 15, 2019 10:10:01 GMT
EARC Flight #17 VTBD (Bangkok) to VTSS (Hat Yai)
Thom's stomach problems seem to be over.. Bread patties smeared on it with strange stuff!
He really eats that, the soup seems to be the best! Obviously it helps!
Thanks to modern telegram technology, we know what weather awaits us on the route to Hat Yai!
Quite simply: haze, clouds and more clouds..
.. and in between: 197 nautical miles of water!
Thom gives me the lead today.. Friendly! Let's begin with starting the engine number one!
Thumbs up .. everything is OK with my aircraft!
Oops, that was probably too much power .. but at least my total weight is 9.5 tons.
The wind blows from the north, about 7 knots and the temperature is 25°C
I see!
All right, let's get started!
Goodbye Bangkok (ลาก่อนกรุงเทพ).. Difficult language! .. I think!
In a right turn..
.. on southern course!
Our chronicler knows:
„For the first hour after they have left Bangkok, the aviators had fine weather, then they were again impeded by low clouds, which forced the Vimy down to within 1‘000 feet of the sea..“
I decide against it and I climb up to 13,000 feet..
.. and keeping an eye on the instruments. There's not much to see outside anyway!
I assume this is the bay of Bangkok..
.. and this again the coast north of Phatthaya .. hopefully!
OK.. Left the coast, right water .. then I'm on the right track!
That was not a bad idea to continue climbing to 13'000 feet..
.. and just at the right time and in the right place, the clouds break open.. I pass my first waypoint
«U-Taphao» on time! Sometimes you have to have luck!
The Gulf of Thailand, also known as the Gulf of Siam, is a shallow inlet in the western part of the South China Sea, a marginal body of water in the western Pacific Ocean.
It takes a while to get to the island of Ko Samui, my next waypoint, and I have time to read a few lines from the chronicler:
"Ahead the flyers saw an omnious rain cloud which was so dense that it was imperative for the aeroplane to fly over the sea. Rain fell heavily. Googles were useless, and the aviator’s eyes were struck by rain that hit them with the force of a hailstorm.“
An almost incredible story! What am I glad to sit in my loud but cozy and heated cockpit!
After just under an hour and 20 minutes flying time across the Gulf, I reach the east coast of the island Ko Samui. The central part of Ko Samui is mostly tropical jungle, including its largest mountain, Khao Pom, peaking at 635 meters.
My next waypoint "Nakhon Si Thammarat" hides under the clouds.
The city is located about 780 km south of Bangkok in a fertile coastal plain on the Gulf of Thailand.
The river «Pak Phanang» gives me a good orientation..
.. and it is time to descend!
The town of Hat Yai is about 55 kilometers from the border with Malaysia
and is a major transportation hub of the well-known railway line that runs from Bangkok through Malaysia to Singapore.
The small airfield of Hat Yai is located a few kilometers southwest of the city and would actually be easy to find! If..
.. these cloud banks would not be!
A small slalom track..
.. and finally I have the airstrip right in front of me!
Final checks in the cockpit..
.. aiming..
.. and touch down!
On the way to the small apron .. and I'm surprised that Thom is already here .. I'll ask him about his "cruise settings". Ha, no wonder he uses so much petrol!!
Final positioning by marshaller.. super service!
An exciting flight came to an end! How was Ross Smith?
„In his account of the flight, Ross Smith described these particular weather conditions as the worst in his experience.“
I still hoped for a view of the mountain "Gunung Yong Belar". At 2180 meters above sea level, it is the highest mountain on the Malay Peninsula.
. I have no pilot license, it is just virtual flying. However I do have a technical background: I studied shipbuilding at a Dutch university. After my study I moved to the IT business which started around that time (1978) to become more common. And I stayed in IT untill I retired. At first I did a lot of design work and later I worked as a project manager. And I can tell you, I am very happy to be freed of deadlines.
Waiting for clearance runway 31.
I did not make an analysis of the altitudes around the airport. In stead my plan was to fly to lowest point in the mountains behind me, a little to the right of the runway and gaining altitude until I reached 5000 ft.
Here I am at the "lowest point" looking at Waworada Bay.
At 5000 feet course 60 in order to intercept radial 091 of VOR NMA. A last look at the airport.
The Sangeang vulcano with it's head in the clouds. It is an active vulcano.
Crossing Sape Strait and flying to the island Komodo. The island is the habitat of the largest lizard on Earth: the Komodo dragon.
Flying over the island of Flores, looking at the crater of the Poco Sesok.
A cluster of craters of peaks. One of them is Gunung Curunumbeng.
The mountainrange south of our first waypoint: the NDB RG in the city of Ruteng. After reaching the waypoint we have to cross the mountainrange.
Turning to course 115.
I am convinced I am flying high enough, but the ridge looks very close.
The last vulcano on Flores I am going to pass: vulcano Inerie.
Leaving Flores and starting a 160 NM stretch over sea.
Descending and finally land again. Semau Island in front and Timor behind.
Descending further with a view on the bay north of Kupang.
The airport of Kupang, El Tari, in sight.
Turning to base.
Turning to final. Gear down to slow down.
On final, a little too low.
Coming in on runway 25 with 10 knots crosswind coming from 318.
Parked. Again a safe trip, one to go and then my arrival in Darwin.
.
Waiting for clearance, everything is ready for the last jump.
Just after take-off it is only a small turn to the first course 106. Or to expand a little, the first half of the leg I have to keep the VOR KPG on 306 behind me.
After 8 minutes the other side of Timor is already within reach.
A unexpected cloud formation, just after leaving Timor.
I was surprised to see shallow water at 125 NM from Kupang. South of Timor runs a deep trough running in a south-west north-east direction. The southern side of the trough ends on the australian continent. Were we are flying this point is marked by the Dillon Shoal.
The crossing of the Timor Sea is almost completed. The first piece of land of Australia is in sight: Bathurst Island.
Just after TOD a nice view between the clouds to Cox Peninsula.
Darwin and runway 11/29 in sight. I will not fly straight in but do a downwind, base, final procedure.
Almost above NDB BGT (Bagot). I will use this NDB as orientation.
Parked at the final destination with a special location on the airport for us. A tent with some food and beer. And last but not least a replica of the Vickers Vimy. The original arrived on December 10th one hundred years ago.
.