Flying adventures: A Flight Simulator Travelog

 It's been a rush! Armed with the Turboprop rating, new mission types became available. Search. And. Rescue!!! Amazing fun, although I got very frustrated on the first attempt. Flight Simulator 2024 actively encouraged me to land in the middle of nowhere—on sloped terrain—which I messed up.  I landed successfully, but the plane appeared to be stuck in the sand.  That's a whoops! Made it down... Made it back, made it big! Well, that turned out to be absolutely thrilling. I've done two more of the missions, since. Pays great, tons of XP awarded.  I got my multi-engine rating. Not too hard! I failed the first time because I prematurely slowed and reduced altitude, unaware that the test was for a single-engine landing.  Then... well, this is interesting. It initially said "INFINITE XP" was awarded. It then settled on this. Then—for the first time ever—it crashed to the desktop, losing this result and locking me out of replaying the mission. It was super fun, too—tor...

 I was just finishing a session last night when a new patch auto-installed. It's strictly a patch for stability and some priority bugs, as apparently, a more significant patch will be released next week that promises to squish some of the broader issues plaguing our play. Certification: Turbo Prop Engine Rating I relished the opportunity to gain my Turboprop rating. The Cessna 208 Grand Caravan was my favourite aircraft in Flight Simulator 2020. Its greater speed and durability compared to the trusty Skyhawk benefited my touring and sightseeing.  What's interesting is how the certification forces you to learn some additional details -- like the 208's reverse thrust capability. Using this feature is what this certification tests you on. I managed countless flights in 2020 without ever knowing about this. This is where 2024 feels like it's planting deeper roots than the previous version, even with all its many problems. The career mode has given me a purpose I never had i...

  I took the next two certification exams. Tailwheel endorsement (taildraggers) and then the High-Performance Endorsement. The briefing scared me a little. I've flown a lot of these bush planes before. I thought I could handle whatever the exam threw at me. I then took note of the warnings about the need to apply differential breaks to help mitigate a taildragger's tendency toward instability in taxi turns. Eeek!  I thought I was going to lose the Cr 5000 it costs to take the exam. Luckily, I had no problems with the exam. You just need to take things slow and be extra careful with the landing, as you need to touch down on all three wheels for the exam. The HPE didn't quite so well. I missed out on the A grade by a hair. The Cessna 400 Corvallis is a monster hiding in a small body. After a flight in the 400, you really appreciate the Cessna 172 Skyhawk's simplicity and friendliness to trainee pilots. It's got no sharp corners, no nasty surprises. In contrast, I was ...