Just curious as to fellow CS aircraft users and admirers who has done flights down to Antartica and back, say in the 707, or 767, C130 and what route, departure points, destination location and return. Anyone done real world weather down that way say ala REX?

As I see it the 707 would be ideal, and New Zealand, Tasmania, Southern Chile or Argentina would all be fine, Falklands to the pole should be possible as well. Much as I would like to use the 727 or 737 they just don't have the legs of the 707 and 767.

Anyway, best of the new year to you all. Like to hear some feed back on simming at the end of the earth.

Right now the vUSAF along with partner VSOA's (vUSCG, RAAFv) are flying Operation Deep Freeze.   The initial WinFly period started 30 November 2012 from Hickam/Honolulu, Hawaii to Pago Pago then on to Christ Church, NZ.   Mainbody started the initial ICE movement peirod to McMurdo Ice Runway (NZIR) and then late season Pegasus Field and Williams Field (NZPG, NZWD).   If you use the another company Antarctica X scenery it has really good airfields for NZIR, NZWD, NZPG as well as SAWB, EGAR.  

Years ago there was a South America route that started Ice Missions from Argentina but mostly today New Zealand is the route of entry.

CS LC-130s are the primary aircraft on the ice but C-17, C-5, 737 are also used for these missions.   FSX usage on the ice does take some getting used to as the plane does tend to slide around easy and turning can be difficult.   F2 and F3 is your friend on the ice to put the engines slightly toward reverse to help stop as brakes will just slide.

https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/477805_528159217194660_1639004327_o.jpg

I have flown the Captain Sim C-130 to McMurdo, and back, numerous times from Christchurch and once from Hobart. I also flew the Captain Sim 757 from Christchurch to McMurdo and back once.

If you want to do some serious FSX flying in Antarctica, then another company Antarctica x is a must. It gives you many more locations to visit. I have had quite a lot of fun down there with the CS C-130/LC-130 and a few other aircraft. Antarctica X gets rid of that very slick feel of ice runways, like what the NZIR is like in the default FSX Antarctica, that it makes flying there a lot of fun (except when the visibility is poor).

http://i669.photobucket.com/albums/vv58/Markoz958/2011-11-25_12-58-23-356.jpg
Default FSX Antarctica (near McMurdo Base)

http://i669.photobucket.com/albums/vv58/Markoz958/2011-11-25_12-56-56-73.jpg
Antarctica with Antarctica X (near McMurdo Base)

Sorry, but I was flying the Twin Otter that came with Antarctica X. :o

Thanks all, got the Antartica X from another company and did first flight down there in the C130. Very impressive, might spend some time exploring. Keeping the C130 in position after landing in a howling wind on ice was interesting, had to reverse pitch then shut down.

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All this talk of Antarctica has made feel the need to go and do some flights there. It's been a while since I last did some flying around Antarctica! :D

Flying the CS 707 to Antarctica: 
How about a sightseeing flight from Auckland to Christchurch/Auckland via McMurdo Station as was done between 1977 and 1979?

The following flight plans for the CIVA INS are derived from the original flight plan of the last - and tragic - flight, TE 901.
(There were no landings at NZPG but descents to pattern altitude in the McMurdo Sound area to do the sightseeing before climbing back to cruise altitude).


|  ICAO  | ID |  ICAO  | ID |  Latitude  | Dist | Notes
|  Freq  |    |        |    | Longitude  |      |
----------------------------------------------------------------------
| NZAA   |  0 | NP     |  1 |  S 39*00.4 |  123 | 
|        |    |        |    | E 174*11.0 |      | 
----------------------------------------------------------------------
| NP     |  1 | NS     |  2 |  S 41*18.1 |  145 | 
|        |    |        |    | E 173*13.4 |      | 
----------------------------------------------------------------------
| NS     |  2 | RY     |  3 |  S 44*08.1 |  214 | 
|        |    |        |    | E 170*16.8 |      | 
----------------------------------------------------------------------
| RY     |  3 | NV     |  4 |  S 46*24.7 |  160 | 
|        |    |        |    | E 168*19.1 |      | 
----------------------------------------------------------------------
| NV     |  4 | WP1    |  5 |  S 50*42.0 |  271 | 
|        |    |        |    | E 166*10.0 |      | 
----------------------------------------------------------------------
| WP1    |  5 | WP2    |  6 |  S 55*00.0 |  259 | 
|        |    |        |    | E 165*27.2 |      | 
----------------------------------------------------------------------
| WP2    |  6 | WP3    |  7 |  S 60*00.0 |  302 | 
|        |    |        |    | E 164*31.1 |      | 
----------------------------------------------------------------------
| WP3    |  7 | WP4    |  8 |  S 66*45.0 |  407 | 
|        |    |        |    | E 163*00.0 |      | 
----------------------------------------------------------------------
| WP4    |  8 | WP5    |  9 |  S 72*20.0 |  367 | 
|        |    |        |    | E 170*13.0 |      | 
----------------------------------------------------------------------
| WP5    |  9 | WP6    |  1 |  S 77*52.7 |  337 | 
|        |    |        |    | E 166*58.0 |      | 
----------------------------------------------------------------------
| WP6    |  1 | NZPG   |  2 |  S 77*57.6 |    8 | 
|        |    |        |    | E 166*27.9 |      | 
----------------------------------------------------------------------

|  ICAO  | ID |  ICAO  | ID |  Latitude  | Dist | Notes
|  Freq  |    |        |    | Longitude  |      |
----------------------------------------------------------------------
| NZPG   |  0 | WP1    |  1 |  S 72*20.0 |  343 | 
|        |    |        |    | E 170*13.0 |      | 
----------------------------------------------------------------------
| WP1    |  1 | WP2    |  2 |  S 70*00.0 |  140 | 
|        |    |        |    | E 170*03.6 |      | 
----------------------------------------------------------------------
| WP2    |  2 | WP3    |  3 |  S 65*00.0 |  300 | 
|        |    |        |    | E 169*46.6 |      | 
----------------------------------------------------------------------
| WP3    |  3 | WP4    |  4 |  S 52*32.5 |  748 | * approximately:
|        |    |        |    | E 169*09.3 |      |   WP4 = Campbell Island
----------------------------------------------------------------------
| WP4    |  4 | SW     |  5 |  S 45*47.7 |  408 | 
|        |    |        |    | E 170*28.6 |      | 
----------------------------------------------------------------------
| SW     |  5 | CH     |  6 |  S 43*30.2 |  163 | 
|        |    |        |    | E 172*30.9 |      | 
----------------------------------------------------------------------
| CH     |  6 | NZCH   |  7 |  S 43*29.8 |    1 | 
|        |    |        |    | E 172*31.4 |      | 
----------------------------------------------------------------------

A cool picture with the C-130 lineup. And a nice destination for the old 707. INS nav makes sense down there I guess.

I replicated a Qantas flight from YMML (MEL) to Antarctica and back in the Captain Sim 767-200. I know Qantas used a 747-400/400ER for the flight, but my "other" 747-400 wouldn't do the distance (I probably messed up the planning), so I selected the long range of the 767-200 for the trip. I did this in late 2009 or early 2010, long before Antarctica X was released. I took quite a lot of screenshots of the flight over and around Antarctica, but the default scenery was pretty boring to say the least. But it was a fun flight even back then.

I found the Qantas Antarctic flight plans online somewhere, but I no longer remember where.

I did plan to do the Air New Zealand flights too, but I couldn't find them. I was going to use the "other developers" DC-10 (ANZ livery), but I never flew that plane much. I even thought of trying them in the "other" MD-11 (also in the ANZ livery), but never got around to it.

Thanks for the 707 flight plan data. Might take the C130 back from YWKS to Hobart then swap over to the 707 for an Antartic Flight. Just need the time to do it, always an issue in this house for various reasons.

Did McMurdo to YWKS, the Australian Ice Runway. Still a 3.5 - 4.0 hour run across the continent. Couple of snaps to go.

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Departing McMurdo

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On the ground at YWKS.

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Clear weather? It's been very cloudy in McMurdo, Enigma Lake/Browning Pass and Dumont d'Urville (the area I'm currently flying around) these last two days.
But I am using real world weather at the moment, so that could explain why. ;)

Edit: Nice repaint for the Herc. Which one (livery) is it?

Guys! I live near Ural mountains. You got summer and you fly in snows, i got -20C OAT and i fly in AU :)

MarkOz, yeah that would be right re the weather. I was using REX Essential. Weather was crap, low cloud etc on the McMurdo side then came and went to FL's till about 3/4 of the way across, then it cleared to clear with light winds at the Wilkes ice runway location. I used the MAP feature to check WX stations enroute of which there are heaps marked with little blue circles incase I had to divert to Chile or similar.

I was also impressed with the way you started to see sea ice and icebergs on the way into Antartica, that was a pretty good effect to build into Antartica X.

Quote:

I was also impressed with the way you started to see sea ice and icebergs on the way into Antartica, that was a pretty good effect to build into Antartica X.

I think it's a very impressive add-on. There are (were?) going to be further updates for it, but none have been forthcoming yet. I think there are some 3rd Party mods around, none by another company. I'm still waiting patiently for some further improvements. ;D