Sponsored L-39 32 Hr Virtual Flight Live Blog

For more information about the flight click here for the event page.

Thanks to everyone for your support, the pilots, bloggers / tweeters and everyone else involved.

All of the tweets, blog updates and Facebook updates are now below along with a list of the live stream videos.

Live Stream Videos:
Part 1 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDbS63IgKsc
Part 2 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egMu1ayAF7E
Part 3 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgShK_BvKTY
Part 4 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A75DaWQ2SMo
Part 5 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mI1f5IZF3Xg
Part 6 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LuOk1XbRXN4
Part 7 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcsebk87J7w
 
22:08Z (GMT) 02nd August 2014

Finally finished flying, time for bed. I'll try to compile all the posts, tweets and blog entries into the blog page along with the live videos (little airshow at the end)

-Facebook

22:00Z (GMT) 02nd August 2014

That's finally over!! 31 hrs 46 mins of flying. Systems...OFF Canopy...OPEN Sleep...NOW! pic.twitter.com/FRKRWSRSwQ

  -@GHaley13

20:21Z (GMT) 02nd August 2014

Bad weather in the Alps and it's dark but we've made it to Innsbruck and on target for the finish

-@GHaley13

18:35Z (GMT) 02nd August 2014

And we're off. Leaving Lyon to Vodochody via Switzerland. ETA is 10:30Z (GMT) 11:30ish (BST)

-@GHaley13

18:09Z (GMT) 02nd August 2014

Final live stream to show my insanity, should be a good one as we go through the alps! youtu.be/kcsebk87J7w

  -@GHaley13

17:51Z (GMT) 02nd August 2014

On the tarmac at Lyon, time for dinner.

-@GHaley13

16:01Z (GMT) 02nd August 2014

Making good progress, quick fuel and food stop at Southampton, will be on the way again soon. Watch at youtu.be/LuOk1XbRXN4

  -@GHaley13

15:02Z (GMT) 02nd August 2014

Touch down at Leeds Bradford for fuel! Soon departing for the Midlands and South West. Lots of flyovers so stay tuned

-@GHaley13

14:33Z (GMT) 02nd August 2014

Diverting to Newcastle due to bad weather at Edinburgh. Pushing south away from Scottish weather!

-@GHaley13

13:51Z (GMT) 02nd August 2014

Livestream up: youtu.be/LuOk1XbRXN4 departing in approx 5 minutes

-@GHaley13

13:01Z (GMT) 02nd August 2014

Touch down in sunny Scotland, time for lunch! Taking off for Birmingham at 14:50, check out the live stream at 80000ftandclimbing.blogspot.co.uk

-@GHaley13

12:05Z (GMT) 02nd August 2014

Last leg before lunch, Faroe Islands to Inverness! Less than 12 hours to go! Thanks for all the support!

-JB

12:03Z (GMT) 02nd August 2014

Just refuelled in the Faroe's. Taking off for lunch in Inverness, ETA 13:55 BST

-@GHaley13

11:01Z (GMT) 02nd August 2014

Just arriving in South East Iceland, picking up fuel and then heading to the Faroe Islands. Watch us on our live feed: youtu.be/mI1f5IZF3Xg

 -@GHaley13

10:30Z (GMT) 02nd August 2014

Flying across Iceland, slightly delayed due to a slight detour.

-@GHaley13

09:05Z (GMT) 02nd August 2014

Live stream part 5 is now up, departure minute 30 youtu.be/mI1f5IZF3Xg

  -@GHaley13

08:32Z (GMT) 02nd August 2014

Now in western Iceland! Time for breakfast then ready to depart at 10:30 BST

-@GHaley13

05:47Z (GMT) 02nd August 2014

Time to get moving again then, Iceland here we come!

-@GHaley13

04:49Z (GMT) 02nd August 2014

Planned Time of departure from Greenland 05:40Z (GMT)

-@GHaley13

04:48Z (GMT) 02nd August 2014

Finally in Greenland, time for a power nap before the next long leg to Iceland

-@GHaley13

02:09Z (GMT) 02nd August 2014

As we get ready to leave Goose bay it's time for live stream part 4! youtu.be/A75DaWQ2SMo
 

-@GHaley13

02:05Z (GMT) 02nd August 2014

Long range tanks now fitted, time to push on from Goose Bay headed for Greenland.

-@GHaley13

00:48Z (GMT) 02nd August 2014
Goose Bay here we come!

-@GHaley13

00:00Z (GMT) 02nd August 2014

Some high level cruising has saved us some fuel so we're skipping Halifax and powering on at 33500ft!

-@GHaley13

23:58Z (GMT) 01st August 2014

@AirplaneGeeks I'm currently in the middle of this and thought you may be interested 80000ftandclimbing.blogspot.co.uk/p/blog-page.ht…

-@GHaley13

23:55Z (GMT) 01st August 2014
Progress, darkness is coming though. Now approaching Nova Scotia! pic.twitter.com/6V6Os2XJq5

-@GHaley13

23:07Z (GMT) 01st August 2014

Time to leave behind Logan International and head out towards Halifax in Canada

-JB

23:03Z (GMT) 01st August 2014

I started a live stream on @YouTube: youtu.be/cgShK_BvKTY?a
 

-@GHaley13

23:01Z (GMT) 01st August 2014

Time for the flight sim marathon to continue. Goodbye Boston!

-@GHaley13

22:35Z (GMT) 01st August 2014
On second final into Logan International, first time we've been early. Great news!

-JB

22:32Z (GMT) 01st August 2014

On final for Logan International in Boston. Looks like we'll be on the ground early which is great to see

-@GHaley13

20:58Z (GMT) 01st August 2014
Refuelling at Toronto in thunder storms, time to head to Boston via Niagara falls! A pass under Rainbow Bridge to come!

-@GHaley13

19:18Z (GMT) 01st August 2014

Thundering away from Thunder Bay in 5 L-39's and a 737!

-@GHaley13

19:02Z (GMT) 01st August 2014

Time to roll out of Thunder Bay, keep track at 80000ftandclimbing.blogspot.co.uk

-@GHaley13

18:47Z (GMT) 01st August 2014

Now for part 2 of the live stream youtu.be/egMu1ayAF7E take off as soon as I've eaten!

-@GHaley13

18:42Z (GMT) 01st August 2014

Finally down at Thunder Bay, 40 mins behind schedule but making up for it with a short dinner break so we'll still be departing on the hour!

-@GHaley13

18:40Z (GMT) 01st August 2014
Finally landed at Thunder Bay, Canada. 40 Mins Behind Schedule but takeoff will be on time in 20 mins.

-GH

17:48Z (GMT) 01st August 2014

Leaving behind Winnipeg now, heading down to Thunder Bay for a short dinner break. Thanks for your support again!

-@GHaley13

17:45Z (GMT) 01st August 2014

Just left Winnipeg, hoping to make up some of lost time by running at full power all the way to Thunder Bay. Keep up to date on the live stream!

-JB

17:07Z (GMT) 01st August 2014

30 miles to Brandon for a low pass then onto Winnipeg Intl. Keep track of where we are on this live map: fsopen.co.uk/maps/index2.ph…

-LW

17:03Z (GMT) 01st August 2014
70 miles to Brandon for a low pass then onto Winnipeg Intl. Keep track of where we are on this live map: fsopen.co.uk/maps/index2.ph…

-@GHaley13

16:39Z (GMT) 01st August 2014

En route to Brandon Municipal Airport, taking off now, see you at the next stop

-LW

16:31Z (GMT) 01st August 2014

Just landed in Regina Intl. Time to refuel and we'll be off! Keep following, we'll be heading to Brandon Municipal Airport next. Any donations greatly appreciated.

-LW

16:27Z (GMT) 01st August 2014

Just about to land at Regina Intl. Quick fuel stop and we'll be airborne again!

-@GHaley13

15:58Z (GMT) 01st August 2014

Making progress across Canada, just over 30 mins till next stop! Keep track on the live Youtube stream youtu.be/fDbS63IgKsc
 

-@GHaley13

15:30Z (GMT) 01st August 2014
First stop in Lethbridge done and aircraft fully refuelled. Time for wheels up in Lethbridge. Thanks for all your support. Remember to keep the donations coming in!

-JB

15:28Z (GMT) 01st August 2014

Great to hear so many of you are following our epic trip across continents. Thanks for all your support!

-@GHaley13

15:27Z (GMT) 01st August 2014

On the ground in Lethbridge, a little behind schedule but planning to make up time on next leg.

-@GHaley13

15:24Z (GMT) 01st August 2014

@GHaley13 On final to Lethbridge for first stop of the 32 hour marathon! pic.twitter.com/dnESeteK9E

-@jamesrbaker

15:14Z (GMT) 01st August 2014

Live updates available on the blog also 80000ftandclimbing.blogspot.co.uk

-@GHaley13

15:10Z (GMT) 01st August 2014

Were 15 minutes out of our first stop at Lethbridge. Glad to see so many of you enjoying the live stream on youtube. Remember to keep up to date on twitter @GHaley13 and @jamesrbaker If you are able to donate, see the details on the event page. Thanks

-JB

15:02Z (GMT) 01st August 2014

We're making good progress across Canada. Expected into Lethbridge in approximately 25 minutes at 15:25Z/16:25GMT or 08:25 Local (UTC-07:00)

-@GHaley13

14:24Z (GMT) 01st August 2014

Back online again! Back in the air in the next few minutes

-@GHaley13

14:19Z (GMT) 01st August 2014

Some slight technical difficulties... will be back in the air ASAP

-@GHaley13

14:12Z (GMT) 01st August 2014

Fundraising for @1206SqnATC new flight simulator with a 32 hour Flight Sim Flight from Vancouver to Vodochody, CZ. Keep donations coming in!

-@GHaley13

14:07Z (GMT) 01st August 2014

We're in the cruise now at 11,000ft and leaving Vancouver behind us.

-@GHaley13

14:03Z (GMT) 01st August 2014

Airborne in the 32hour flight sim marathon. Watch online on youtube.com/watch?v=fDbS63… and follow live updates on the blog! 

-@GHaley13

14:00Z (GMT) 01st August 2014

We've got positive rate, and gear is up

-JB

14:00Z (GMT) 01st August 2014

And it's breaks off in Vancouver!

-JB

13:58Z (GMT) 01st August 2014

We're taxiing now! Live stream is up and ready. Pre-flight checks complete were ready for breaks off in 45 seconds

-JB

13:36Z (GMT) 01st August 2014

Getting close to wheels up now. All set up and ready for you to watch online. Join us on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDbS63IgKs which is going live in just under 24 minutes!

-JB

10:23Z (GMT) 01st August 2014

Not long until takeoff now, 14:00Z (GMT) or 15:00 British Summer time for those in the UK.

Make sure you tune in a little before then as the takeoff roll will start at 14:00:00Z :)

-GH

18.45Z (GMT) 31st July 2014

For all the Tross pilots there is a new Aircraft package available from the downloads section of the events page.

-GH 

14:02Z (GMT) 31st July 2014

Wheels up at 14:00Z tomorrow as we depart Vancouver!

Final preparations are done and will be moving the computer this afternoon or tomorrow morning.

For those not familiar with military time codes Z (Zulu) is UTC/GMT so for those in the UK it's an hour behind local time.

-GH

 For more information about the flight click here for the event page.

Event Page

Hi Everyone,

Apologies it's taking me so long to get round to writing a post but I seem to be even busier on 'holiday' than when I was at Uni.

Anyway, the event page for my L-39 birthday flight is finally up so you can go and have a look at that while you wait for another post!

Event Page

Red Bull Air Race - Race 3 (Putrajaya)

The Malaysian round of the Red Bull Air Race has only just finished but the live stream is already up http://www.redbullairrace.com/en_GB/event/putrajaya

I'm watching it now so can't comment on results or flying but I'm sure it'll be worth it.

Graham Out.

Flight Sim

Hello Everybody,

Before I go rather quiet for a few weeks as I deal with the joy of exams, I thought I would try to get one more post out...

Firstly, thank you to everyone who is reading this as the view count on the blog has now reached over 4000 and for the first time ever there are consistent views on a daily basis :)

Secondly, the third round of the Red Bull Air Race is on tomorrow, Hannes Arch dominated qualifying today but I will be sure to post as soon as the catch up stream goes live.

Ok, so the actual reason for the post is that I'm sure my girlfriend is not the only one who wonders what enjoyment I get from Flight Sim. There are a few minor things and a few major reasons why I enjoy it, so here goes.

Some of the things are a simple as relaxing a little and simply not working but at the same time learning quite a lot. Other times there is a lot of work and learning involved (yes, you can learn on Flight Sim) but completing a challenging approach or a good arc is certainly rewarding.

Southend ILS
® Graham Haley

Shining Light
© Graham Haley

Firmly Attatched
© Graham Haley

Another thing is the social aspect of Flight Sim, many of my screenshots have other aircraft in, these are flown by other people who (in general) share a similar interest in aviation. I usually fly with a various group of people 2 or 3 times a week, we talk at the same time as flying, partly to prove that men can multitask but also to share stories, thoughts and experiences, but I think they would agree that we all have some fun. I think a lot of the fun comes from the world of aviation itself where people are respectful and professional, traits which have for the most part migrated to flight sim. Yes, we crash occasionally and our flying is not always brilliant but no one will tell you that you're crap. If you are pretty dire then there is always someone that will try to help, whether that be your flying, navigation, communication or all of it. A lot of the enjoyment comes from the shared experiences, whether that be flying through the Alps or Grand Canyon together, flying round the same navigation course or just cruising over the skies of the UK and Europe.

Rollin'
© Graham Haley

Duelling Helicopters
© Graham Haley

Cleared for Contact
© Graham Haley

Finally, where a lot of the enjoyment comes for me is the screenshots. As you may or may not know, when I have a reasonable camera I enjoy taking pictures, especially of aircraft. Flight Sim offers me the ability to take great air-to-air, air-to-ground and ground-to-air shots and it is something that many of us enjoy sharing with each other after a long evening of flying together. I have put a very small selection of my favourites in this post but I urge you all to go and look at my photobucket album (in full screen) so that you can see what I enjoy. 

Neon Fire
© Graham Haley

Warm and Wonderful
© Graham Haley

Noblemen
© Graham Haley

Again, thank you all for reading, please like subscribe and comment on both the blog and photos. For those with exams like me, good luck and I will be back in a few weeks.

Until then...
Graham Out.

Red Bull Air Race - Race 2 (Rovinj)

The video from the Red Bull Air Race in Rovinj a couple of weeks ago is up!

Well worth watching, Pylon hits galore!

http://bcove.me/uz3j08i9

Can't wait until Ascot in August now.

Graham Out.

Arduino Update

Well I said I'd be in touch with an update on my Arduino project so here it is...

Unfortunatly this is going to be rather a short post as the news is that the Arduino switch box doesn't work.
I've taken a few snaps for you all to look at so you can see the hours of soldering that's gone into it!

One day it will be finished but with exams coming up I don't expect to have any more news on it until late June.

I am working on a proper post which I hope to have finished by the end of the week.

Until then...
Graham Out.

28 Hours of Flight

Ok, so I'm sure you probably all noticed that I had a bit of an Easter break but I'm back in Sheffield now trying to prepare for exams in just over a month.

Anyway, I'm not trying to think too much about exams for now, instead my first Arduino switch box for Flight sim is nearly finished (a few more things I need to get tomorrow but then it should be done so I'll post about that soon). Now, I'm sure anyone that read my last post will remember my 'project', well the title of the post gives it away a bit...

 








I am planning to do a sponsored flight (on flight sim) from Vancouver to Vodochody airfield in the Czech Republic. Sound easy? Well it would be but the plan is to fly it in an L-39 Albatross jet trainer with no auto-pilot and a maximum range of around 700 miles. Fortunately 700 miles is just about enough to run the 'prop' route for the North Atlantic stopping in Northern Canada, Greenland, Iceland and then Scotland.

You may ask why I would do it in an aircraft that isn't really capable of the flight but the simple reason is that the 3rd of August this year will mark the 5th anniversary of the Lotus Simulations L-39, an aircraft often flown by the ATC Magic group of which I am a part. The aircraft has also been the basis of the route, I wanted the flight to be long and challenging, else why would anyone sponsor me to do it? The real aircraft was built by Aero Vodochody in the Czech Republic (No prizes for guessing where they are based) and the designer of the flight simulator X version lives in Vancouver.

 






 










So the final question is what am I fundraising for? Well my Air Cadet squadron (1206 (Mercian)) is currently fundraising for a flight simulator and what better way of fundraising for one by using my own to fly online with some friends (at least for parts) of a flight to celebrate an aircraft we all love.

That's it for now, like, comment, share, subscribe and generally interact in whatever way you choose.
I'll be back in about a week (fingers crossed) with a working Arduino switch box for flight sim.