Post by Jonathan Beckett on Apr 28, 2022 8:42:46 GMT
After a successful trial last night, we are going to try and schedule regular IFR flights on Wednesdays. Going forwards they will start at 8pm BST (1900 UTC) - and then during the winter months, 8pm GMT (2000 UTC).
The IFR flights are intended for the "big jets" - to give people an opportunity to fly the Airbus, 747, CRJ, CJ-4 etc - and of course the new aircraft that are coming; the BAE-146, the MD-80 and the 737.
We have no ATC on the flights. They are relaxed, informal, and a great place to either learn a new plane, or share knowledge should anybody have questions about an aircraft or it's systems en-route.
There will be no published flightplans for the flights - only a departure airport, and a destination airport. You can explore all of the flight planning opportunities available, and settle on your own. We would suggest looking at Simbrief, LittleNavMap, Navigraph, or any of the other flight planning resources available. Typically (as happened last night) pilots will arrive half an hour before the flight, check the live weather, and make their plans together - discussing runways, and so on.
Departures and destinations will be chosen each week based on a typical flight between them taking between 60 and 90 minutes. Sometimes we will deliberately choose difficult destinations as a "challenge" (such as the LaGuardia Expressway approach, or a destination with a significantly offset ILS approach).
Next week (Wednesday 4th May) is another straightforward route - from Adelaide to Sydney - 629 nautical miles. If you've not flown the big jets, it will serve as a great introduction.