Flight Simulation:Floundering around with Ron Blehm

Background: Back in 2003 I started a Virtual Flying Club but the title "President and Founder" just seemed a bit too pretentious for my skill level - so I made a dyslexic play on the words and became known as the "Cub Flounder." In this new column I will host a feature flight for you all to try on your own time. This feature could take you anywhere...and this time we'll face some rugged mountain flying. Next time...you just never know what we'll come across!

Flight History: Way back in the days of FS2000 I did an Around The World Tour and ended up taking a Saab 340 into this remote, northern Pakistan valley.

I was so impressed with the scenery and the people that I wanted to share this flight with you all and challenge you to see if you can make it in and out of here in one piece. Yes, I said in and out...two legs this time!

I was picturing that you'd be flying some type of smaller turbo-prop for this adventure (Caravan, Otter, Dash-7, Saab 340 or Jetstream-31...there are plenty of downloads but maybe you'd like to take one of "my" planes in (PAKIJ-31.ZIP or JET31AMB.ZIP). On the other hand, following the tragic real-world earthquakes in this region in late 2005 you may want to take on a bigger challenge and take something like a Hercules or C-17 into here! (You'd better be praying that conditions are VFR at the time of your arrival.) I'm suggesting that you depart from Islamabad and for this flight I used the C-130 although the photos will show what some others have tried including an Airbus?

Routing: Upon departure, head southwest to the SP NDB (317). Then turn back to about 330° and head for the QS NDB (287). The next heading will be 024° to the MF NDB (207) and finally 055° to SD (247) which is at Skardu Airport (OPSD). If you dial your nav radios (both of them) to 115.90 and set your CRS needle to 203°, you'll be over Skardu at 89 miles DME. The plate I have worked up for Skardu suggests that the runway runs about 140/320 so set up a circling pattern, while descending, over the NDB. Airport is at 7600 feet ASL so the minimum approach altitude (as you descend into the hole) is 9000 feet (DME on the north end not to exceed 92.5 miles. IAS will, of course, need to be less then 160!) I was cruising at 19,000 feet today and started descent at 80 miles DME as the H.S.I. needle started moving in.

I had not been into here in some time and felt like there was a bit more room than I recalled (you could dip into the valley earlier and follow the river in to the airport which is on the left of the valley, I think that's what our Airbus pilot tried)...but the winds were buffeting today as well! Anyway, I crossed the NDB (on heading 315°) at 14,500 feet, took DME to 92 miles and turned right to about 130-something degrees. I continued descending to 9000 feet along the river before turning right again to line up with runway 32. I landed at midfield but by this point I had full flaps and my IAS was only about 90 knots so stopping in short order was no problem at all.
This leg will be around 300-400 miles.

Leg 2: Skardu to Gilgit OPGT: "I wait until there is some good daylight in this valley before I try and leave. This is NOT a place to have an engine out departure drill! What can I say about this area but, 'Wow'?" If you don't fly here you should. The next stop is another NDB-only place, Gilgit, Pakistan. I won't give you a heading between Skardu and Gilgit because even climbing at 2000 fpm I had to make some winding S-turns to get out of the valley. Once clear of all the terrain (and there's a lot of it here folks) you'll head southwest toward the 324 NDB. You'll fly to the NDB and then sort of make something up to get you in, hopefully in one piece. The day I flew it winds were still gusting from the north so runway 7 it was! I came in from the south this time, along the 029 radial from 112.10 at DME 145 miles. Good Luck!

Other Reports: The author of the first flight sim novel, "Get Real", Bill Smith wrote this, "I found myself 'walled in' during this maneuver, with the stall and terrain warnings sounding off simultaneously - but I managed to touch down without incident."

Bill wisely chose a smaller plane for the next leg but still had this to say, "I was directly over Gilgit at 15,500 feet when I was cleared to land. I had to fly for miles along a valley before descending and turning back towards Gilgit. It is a very difficult angled approach over high ground to land on runway 25."

Brad Quiring, a Canadian living in Peru shared the following about the flights: "No sooner was everyone back in the cockpit and strapping in, when the big four-engined Lockheed was thrown violently from one side to the next as we crossed over the foothills into the mountains. The snow-capped peaks would have been beautiful to see, if they would have just settled down in one place. This ride is a violent, thrilling trip through the mountains of Pakistan - and not just because of the pilot in command of today's flight! With that, the Herc was tossed around in the air as if it were a Cessna. Coming around on base leg, the turbulence found the poor Flight Club Executives again and now the line-up was going to be really fun. The landing was one hard bounce just ahead of the numbers on the right of the center line."

Regarding the next leg Brad writes, "Where's the runway?" I asked. "The GPS says straight ahead, but I see a mountain. Do you?" was the navigator's reply. "Let's do low altitude, radar avoidance manoeuvres!" someone offered. "Let's just do mountain avoidance manoeuvres, mate." The wind had picked up, making it tougher to handle the big Cessna, but finally the runway came into view, just around the corner. With a stiff headwind, the Caravan didn't want to go down. Finally, at the point of decision, the crew brought the plane down with a carrier style slam, activating reverse thrust and full braking!" So, after those breathtaking reports, I'll send you off "Floundering Around" to see how you do flying supplies into the more remote areas of Pakistan. (Those who enjoy this will want to watch for a Nepal feature to come in this column at a future date!)