Nick Tselepides

Chief, Bruce Baker has done the Midway class and there are FS9 versions, I think. He is the guy who is makinf the F3H Demon. And he is always making new carriers.

The Athens Olympics are in full swing. Having walked downtown in the main squares for 2 days I saw many Americans and chatted with them amicably. The strange thing was --for me , anyhow-- that most of these people were a mix of adults escorting young people and all belonged to various religious sects, Baptists, Jesus freaks, other orgizations with all sorts of names with a Christian connotation--mostly from the south, and they all had something to give--a Bible, a pamphlet, etc advertising their wares, faith, or whatever you may call it.... Some staged mimes and small shows for the many passers-by. I wonder if this is recent socio-religious trend in the USA, and what its roots may be. Dissatisfaction with life? Identity Crisis? Lack of a Strong Traditional Base? Moral Weakness? Neglect in Parental Guidance? Fear and Lack of Self-Confidence? Conformism with others? Or just plain old American innocence and small-town behavior? I would appreciate your feedback.

Athens Olympics: so far, most things have gone smoothly, and they certainly had the best opening ceremony ever staged in the history of the games--a great success, and wonderful in terms of artistic conception. A few basic observations: 1. The games have not disrupted our life as Athenians, as we had feared. 2. Not so many tourists have come. The islands are empty and prices have fallen from 40 euros per day for a room with TV, kitchen, fridge, air condition , to 15 Euros. So come now if you plan a trip to the Greek islands. 3.Some glitches and minor misfortunes: a.Two top athletes had a motorcycle accident--Kenteris and Thanou. b.The head lady of Athens 2004,Mrs Yianna Agelopoulou, the Organizational Committee, had a reception in her villa in Athens and fired off pyrotechnics and fireworks to please the international VIP guests of hers and set off 26 or so fires in the wooded area around her villa, scaring the hell out of guest and neighbours who saw their trees burning and their houses threatened with fire--luckily the Firemen were on standby at 100 meters, so they put the fires out.The case is at D.A.'s office now--and might lead her to court. She is also being sued by the mayor of the area, and the Greek government is thinking of banning all such fireworks. The Prime Minister, Karamanlis, who was a guest in her graden party, left early with his wife, "disgusted with her snobbish showoff party"--according to Greek papers. I wonder what would have happened if, with her rocket fireworks, she had burned the pants off of Bush Senior, Jacques Chirac, Tony Blair, etc.... That would have given the world a laugh.... That is the long and short of it so far.

Vincent, Je viens de visiter ton site--le Me262 est tres beau. Tu travaille dans quel medium? Email envoye deja. Nicolas

To all those who wished me well on mybirthday, many thanks, and sorry for the delay--I reformatted one of my drives and reinstalled Windows and Office, and only now I am beginning to have my internet and email functioning again. Thanks again... Cheers

Navychief, Good luck with the house--looks great. If I ever visit you, I might spend some time under those trees painting watercolors of the scenery around. Please email me once-- I am testing my new email after reformatting one drive and reinstalling Windows XP...

The US has tried to remove dictatorships many times, some were regimes the US itself had installed which turned sour, lost many of its young men in the process, and all those countries where the US "won" are now independent and do not give a cent for the US. That, unfortunately, is the truth.

Falcon 62, That A-10 trapping on the carrier-- is it FS2004 and what did you use for catshots and arresting wires to stop--which addon, I mean? Nice post BTW.... Cheers Nick You ought to teach Navychief how to trap better--seems he is still learning... Pete, hope you are fine....

Falcon, Thanks for the info--- I know that ordeal, do it too at times... Navychief, I was just teasing you out of affection--you're probably a double centurion by now. I looked at the D'Ambrosio gauges---very interesting. Cheeers I am lucky in that my wife nevr gives me trouble about flightsimming--often she even urges me to fly, esp. when she wants to be alone and read or do needlework... By the way, Gramps is back....

Here are some of the carrier landings I have made in FS2002 mostly--you have first the number/type and description of aircraft/name of Flight/Carrier name/ method--b/ stands for brakes and spoilers, arrcab means that arracab was active and stopped me.: no a/c flt carrier Method 1 S2F Tracker VS-27 Grim Watchdogs, AU32, 151662 USN Carrier practice off Miramar CVN-72 Lincoln b/ 2 S2F Tracker VS-27 Grim Watchdogs, AU32, 151662 USN Carquals on CNV-70 USS Carl Vinson CVN-70 Carl Vinson Def. Near Maui,Hawaii b/ -maybe arrcab 3 S2F Tracker VS-27 Grim Watchdogs, AU32, 151662 USN Carquals on CNV-70 USS Carl Vinson CVN-70 Carl Vinson Def. Near Maui,Hawaii 4 F-4B Phantom VF-84 AG208,1474, USS Independence Carquals in the Persian Gulf CV-67 JFK (hdg 359) b/ 5 F-4J VF-41 Black Aces AE110 FDR 5847 Carquals in the Persian Gulf CV-67 JFK (hdg 359) b/ 6 RA-5C Vigilante, RVAH-3 Sea Dragons, GJ207, 150840 Carquals in the Persian Gulf CV-67 JFK (hdg 359) arrcab 7 RA-5C Vigilante, RVAH-3 Sea Dragons, GJ207, 150840 Carquals in the Persian Gulf CV-67 JFK (hdg 359) arrcab 8 F-4N VF161 Chargers NF100 Bicentennial, CAG, USS Midway Carquals in the Persian Gulf CV-67 JFK (hdg 359) mishap 9 FJ3 Fury VF142 A212 Carquals in the Persian Gulf CV-67 JFK (hdg 359) arrcab 10 A-4F VA-64 Black Lancers AG605 ,7696,USS Independence Carquals in the Persian Gulf CV-67 JFK (hdg 359) arrcab 11 F8F Bearcat, dark blue with red fus.band, V/42,94951,USN Carquals in the Persian Gulf CV-67 JFK (hdg 359) arrcab 12 Grumman Martlet Mk.VI Q-T, JV706 FAA, RN-dark slate gray ,extra dark sea gray,sky. Carquals in the Persian Gulf CV-67 JFK (hdg 359) arrcab 13 Scimitar, RAA, HMS Centaur, RN Carquals in the Persian Gulf CV-67 JFK (hdg 359) arrcab, did not use b/ 14 Scimitar, RAA, HMS Centaur, RN Carquals in the Persian Gulf CV-67 JFK (hdg 359) arrcab, did not use b/ 15 Scimitar, RAA, HMS Centaur, RN Carquals in the Persian Gulf CV-67 JFK (hdg 359) arrcab, did not use b/ 16 Fairey Gannet AS4, 040, FAA, RN Carquals in the Persian Gulf CV-67 JFK (hdg 359) arrcab, did not use b/ 17 Hawker Seahawk FB3,806 RNAS, HMS Centaur FAA, RN, WM916, C\163, ace od diamonds red insgn. on nose, edsg-white Carquals in the Persian Gulf CV-67 JFK (hdg 359) arrcab, did not use b/. Arrcab worked but I rolled off the deck into water as a/c did not stop in time--hook skip? 18 Hawker Seahawk FB3,806 RNAS, HMS Centaur FAA, RN, WM916, C\163, ace od diamonds red insgn. on nose, edsg-white Carquals in the Persian Gulf CV-67 JFK (hdg 359) arrcab, used b/ just when over the ramp 19 Hawker Seahawk FB3,806 RNAS, HMS Centaur FAA, RN, WM916, C\163, ace od diamonds red insgn. on nose, edsg-white Carquals in the Persian Gulf CV-67 JFK (hdg 359) arrcab 20 Hawker Seahawk FB3,806 RNAS, HMS Centaur FAA, RN, WM916, C\163, ace od diamonds red insgn. on nose, edsg-white Carquals in the Persian Gulf CV-67 JFK (hdg 359) arrcab, used b/ just when over the ramp 21 Hawker Seahawk FB3,806 RNAS, HMS Centaur FAA, RN, WM916, C\163, ace od diamonds red insgn. on nose, edsg-white Carquals in the Sea of Japan with the USS NIMITZ CVN-68 arrcab 22 De Havilland Sea Vixen F.A.W.2 ,829 RNAS, FAA, RN: VL/304, XN690, full moon on fin with black bird superimposed, white tanks with red trim, edsg-white. Carquals in the Sea of Japan with the USS NIMITZ CVN-68 arrcab 23 De Havilland Sea Vixen D3 Drone, XS577,red & yellow,Royal Aircraft Establishment. Llanbedr Carquals in the Sea of Japan with the USS NIMITZ CVN-69 arrcab 24 De Havilland Sea Vixen D3 Drone, XS577,red & yellow,Royal Aircraft Establishment. Llanbedr Carquals in the Sea of Japan with the USS NIMITZ CVN-70 arrcab 25 De Havilland Sea Vixen D3 Drone, XS577,red & yellow,Royal Aircraft Establishment. Llanbedr Carquals in the Sea of Japan with the USS NIMITZ CVN-71 arrcab did not function, / 26 De Havilland Sea Vixen D3 Drone, XS577,red & yellow,Royal Aircraft Establishment. Llanbedr Carquals in the Sea of Japan with the USS NIMITZ CVN-72 arrcab and / 27 De Havilland Sea Vixen F.A.W.2 ,829 RNAS, FAA, RN: VL/304, XN690, full moon on fin with black bird superimposed, white tanks with red trim, edsg-white. Carquals in the Sea of Japan with the USS NIMITZ CVN-70 arrcab 28 De Havilland Sea Vixen F.A.W.2 ,829 RNAS, FAA, RN: VL/304, XN690, full moon on fin with black bird superimposed, white tanks with red trim, edsg-white. Carquals in the Sea of Japan with the USS NIMITZ CVN-70 arrcab 29 De Havilland Sea Vixen F.A.W.2 ,829 RNAS, FAA, RN: VL/304, XN690, full moon on fin with black bird superimposed, white tanks with red trim, edsg-white. Carquals in the Sea of Japan with the USS NIMITZ CVN-72 arrcab and / 30 Hawker Hunter GA11 FAA, RN ,FRADU allover grey. XE685, VL/861 Carquals in the Sea of Japan with the USS NIMITZ arrcab 31 Hawker Hunter GA11 FAA, RN ,FRADU allover grey. XE685, VL/861 Carquals in the Persian Gulf arrcab 32 Hawker Hunter GA11 FAA, RN ,FRADU allover grey. XE685, VL/861 Carquals in the Persian Gulf CV-67 JFK (hdg 359) arrcab and parking brakes preset (though I don't know if the parking brakes helped--arrcab functioned) 33 Hawker Hunter GA11 FAA, RN ,FRADU allover grey. XE685, VL/861 Carquals in the Persian Gulf CV-67 JFK (hdg 359) arrcab and parking brakes preset (though I don't know if the parking brakes helped--arrcab functioned) 34 Hawker Hunter GA11 FAA, RN ,FRADU allover grey. XE685, VL/861 Carquals in the Persian Gulf CV-67 JFK (hdg 359) arrcab and parking brakes preset (though I don't know if the parking brakes helped--arrcab functioned) 35 Hawker Hunter GA11 FAA, RN ,FRADU allover grey. XE685, VL/862 Carquals in the Persian Gulf CV-67 JFK (hdg 359) arrcab and parking brakes preset and spoilers set (though I don't know if the parking brakes helped-or if arrcab functioned) 36 Fairey Gannet AS4, 040, FAA, RN Carquals in the Gulf Of Sidra CVN-69 USS Eisenhower landed off wire area & stopped with b/ and park. brakes 37 McDonnell Douglas F/A-18/A Hornet VF-81 Sunliners, AA/405, black triangle on fin with 3 a/c lines & stars, low vis. U.S.N. Carquals in the Persian Gulf CV-67 JFK (hdg 359) arrcab stopped me 38 MDD F/A-18AHornetVFA-192 Golden Dragons NF300 CAG,CVW-5 USS Kittyhawk full load (rpnt) Carquals in the Persian Gulf CV-67 JFK (hdg 359) arrcab stopped me 39 MDD F/A-18/A Hornet VFA-87 Golden Warriors, CVW-5 USS Kittyhawk, AJ400 "WAR PARTY" on fin & tank, Indian's head, yellow trim Carquals in the Persian Gulf CV-67 JFK (hdg 359) arrcab stopped me 40 F/A-18C VFA-25 Fist of the Fleet NK404, low-vis, fist with bolt on fin Carrier Ops in the Adriatic CVN-73 USS George Washington b/ stopped me with arrcab on 41 F7U Cutlass, 9642, nat. metal, blue tips trim, red nose and stripes on fin, USN. Carquals in the Persian Gulf CV-67 JFK (hdg 359) arrcab stopped me 42 F7U Cutlass, 9642, nat. metal, blue tips trim, red nose and stripes on fin, USN. Carquals in the Persian Gulf CV-67 JFK (hdg 359) arrcab stopped me 43 A-7E Corsair VA-37 Bulls, sand all over with black bull on fin, 302, no codes (ALPHA SIM ac) Carquals in the Persian Gulf CV-67 JFK (hdg 359) 44 A-7E Corsair VA-37 Bulls, sand all over with black bull on fin, 302, no codes (ALPHA SIM ac) Carquals in the Persian Gulf CV-67 JFK (hdg 359) 45 A-7E Corsair VA-37 Bulls, sand all over with black bull on fin, 302, no codes (ALPHA SIM ac) Carquals in the Persian Gulf CV-67 JFK (hdg 359) arrcab stopped me 46 A-7 Corsair , ltgrey-white Carquals in the Persian Gulf CV-67 JFK (hdg 359) b/ stopped me with arrcab on 47 Scimitar F.1, 807 NAS, FAA, HMS Ark Royal, RN,XD270, R/191 Carquals in the Persian Gulf CV-67 JFK (hdg 359) b/ stopped me with arrcab on 48 Fairey Flycatcher, FAA, 513 side no on red band, S1590, natmet/alu. Carquals in the Persian Gulf CV-67 JFK (hdg 359) b/ stopped me with arrcab on 49 Fairey Flycatcher, FAA, 513 side no on red band, S1590, natmet/alu. Carquals in the Persian Gulf CV-67 JFK (hdg 359) b/ stopped me with arrcab on 50 Fairey Flycatcher, FAA, 513 side no on red band, S1590, natmet/alu. Carquals in the Persian Gulf CV-67 JFK (hdg 359) b/ stopped me with arrcab on 51 Fairey Flycatcher, FAA, 513 side no on red band, S1590, natmet/alu. Carquals in the Persian Gulf CV-67 JFK (hdg 359) b/ stopped me with arrcab on 52 A-7E Corsair VA-97 Warhawks NK310,157514, CVW-14,USS Coral Sea, red and white design on fin, high-vis.rpnt (ALPHA SIM ac) Carquals off Brazil CVN-75 b/ stopped me with arrcab on 53 Piper J-3 Cub 1970's Carquals in the Persian Gulf CV-67 JFK (hdg 359) brakes 54 Piper J-3 Cub 1970's Carquals in the Persian Gulf CV-67 JFK (hdg 359) brakes 55 Beech Baron 58 Jean-Pierre Montbazet Blue Blasters rpnt Carquals in the Persian Gulf CV-67 JFK (hdg 359) arracab 56 A-7E Corsair VA-113 Stingers, NE305, 157514, USS Ranger.high-vis, bee on fin (ALPHA SIM ac) Carquals in the Persian Gulf CV-67 JFK (hdg 359) b/ stopped me with arrcab on 57 A-7E Corsair VA-113 Stingers, NE305, 157514, USS Ranger.high-vis, bee on fin (ALPHA SIM ac) Carquals in the Persian Gulf CV-67 JFK (hdg 359) arracab 58 A-7E Corsair VA-113 Stingers, NE305, 157514, USS Ranger.high-vis, bee on fin (ALPHA SIM ac) Carquals in the Persian Gulf CV-67 JFK (hdg 359) arracab

Vladimir Zhyhulskiy: THAT IS THE NAME YOU OUGHT TO SEARCH UNDER IN AVSIM -- FS2002 AND 04 ORIGINAL AIRCRAFT--IF YOU WANT GREAT PLANES--HIS BERIEV 12 AMPHIBIAN AND HIS TU-95 AND HIS TWIN PIONEER BRITISH CLASSIC ARE GREAT--GET THE PANEL BY MARK BEAUMONT FOR THE LAST ONE. THE WORK IS GREAT, THEY FLY GREAT, THEY LOOK GREAT.....

I will be soon uploading my first ever upload to avsim, a repaint of the Barry Blaisdell Dash 8 Q-200 Factory Demonstrator in Royal Navy 801 Sn Fellet Air Arm colours--fictional, of course, but nice to have for some FAA fans.

Having fun in FS2002 with me flying the Meteor and having two AI Lightings taxiing behind me, through the use of Just Flight's FS Traffic. I later let them take off before me and chased them round the sky from Athens aiprort to the islands...Great fun, this AI aircraft placement thing--adds life to the sim. However, installation of this addon can cause problems if you use ACMan for Hangars--so be warned...

I ahve one which is nice--probably V.22,zip mentioned above, and have even repainted it to make it look better.

The writer makes some good points. Unfortunately, the damage may have been done already to the Bush campaign. It is up to the people now. The John Profumo scandal in 1962 made the UK government lose the election then. And it was just a minister sleeping with a tart, Christine Keeler. Saw a movie about last night--very good it was, too. The people always vote the politcians (rascals or not) in and out of office--the best advantage of democracy. Let us wait and see.

Having fun in FS2002 with me flying the Meteor in the forground and having two AI Lightings of 56 Sqn taxiing behind me, through the use of FS Traffic. When I get in front of them, they stop taxiing until I move on and get out of their way. I later stepped aside, let them take off before me and chased them round the sky from Athens aiprort to the islands, taking screenshots of me on their tail....Great fun, this AI aircraft placement thing--adds life to the sim, but it takes some learning to do it right. This kind of playing around is therapeutic--one comes out totally revived and refreshed. Here I am flying the Red Arrows, all 4 a/c fly as one. Lots of fun this one too.

Navychief might like this, and other USN fans. Also, Mike Stone has bought out a Vickers Valiant for FS9--model is fine, its painting leaves a lot to be desired. That is the Wellesley side view someone asked me for--FS9 and FS2002 and CFS2. And here you have some RAF PR types. Credit is due to Stephen Mudgett for the A-3 profile, and Scale Aircraft Modelling magazine Vol.19, no.2 -- the artwork is by David Howley-- and all credit is his and the magazine's for the Profiles of the RAF aircraft. I will do a repaint of the Stone Valiant based on the profile here.

Yesterday, I had to run to a Ministry of Education Bureau to apply for the teaching hours I want for next year in a new school. Finished in 15 minutes with the red-tape and went across the street to the very old cafe opposite Athens City Hall. Cheapest cafe in the square, and the most interesting as the customers come from all walks of life, mostly old Athenians from working classes, many retired old men wearing short-sleeve shirts and well-shaven, some younger men and passers-by who stop for a refreshment in the heat of the day. The other day, I noticed a thief at this same cafe, sitting next table, about 35 or so, who had had bunches of stolen watches, rings, and bracelets wrapped in yellow kitchen-roll paper and kept taking them out from deep in his jeans pocket and resorting them by smaller groups into pieces of tissue paper, 5-6 per group, and redistributing them in other jeans pockets, each time having to stand up to put them deep in one pocket. Ordered his coffee in a loud voice and paid it. Yesterday, same cafe, father and daughter, cute girl of about ten, and Greek worker next table engaged in conversation about everything. Across from them, 3 retired men, 60-70, each at his own table, new shoes, paper to read forgotten folded on the seat, neat-looking, enjoying their free time after who knows how many years of work. At the next-door cafe, double-price compared to this for coffee, beer and the rest, 6-foot tall lanky Greek blonde girl, about 27, hair done in a bun, orange top with thin straps under which the nylon straps of her bra showed (cannot ever align them properly so that the top strap covers the bra strap), black pants ending 20cm above ankle, make-up, coming and going with the orders, and stirring desire in all men customers. For 20 years I have resisted sitting in that cafe--today I came close to sitting there just to talk to her and see her eyes up-close, hear her voice, see if it all fits the image. The classical aesthetic: visual contact with the object creates the desire to have the object, consume it, or be part of it—true in the time of Plato, still true everywhere today—the basis of all classical art and sculpture too. Humanity going by--Egyptian, Russian-Greek, Arab workers. Women in pairs. Suddenly a beauty I had noticed in the ministry walked past, having also finished with red tape there. Gazelle-like, with a light gait, looks as if she would crumble and melt if touched lightly. Why do women always shake up men? The Chinese lesson: A young man looking at a girl is like an old man looking at his flowers. Characters. Pensioners: Old man with straw hat, short-sleeve shirt, worrybeads, trimmed moustache. Arab in white beard and Arab head-dress and in Sunday boubou robe, white with knitted ornamental lace, sitting with younger men in normal clothes. Isolated 40-year-old Greek, red-haired, so neat-looking in American-style clothes he looks a misfit here. Suddenly, three “business executives’ walk past, all wearing beige jacket and tie, grey pants, one holding paper dossier, robot-like walk and mind probably. A BMW motorcycle, black and large, with a tall and slim Greek woman on it, long black hair down to her elbows, enters the street and leaves it as suddenly—the girl looking like an Amazon riding a wild horse, and worried, as if she was looking for someone who had not turned up Thirty minutes later. Red tape again—at the Cultural Section of the City Hall, I get a piece of paper stating the documents one has to present to get married outside the church,--civil marriage—for our daughter. Walking out, I stumble again on the gazelle I saw at the Ministry and at the café later. Same gait, this time she is drinking water off a plastic bottle. The natural thirst of the body. Whose body. In the metro I notice that there are four policemen, armed to the teeth and wearing bullet-proof jackets, at every station. Yesterday they announced the security measures for the Olympics go into effect. Today, with all the cops, not a single immigrant is to be seen walking in Athens. Their papers expired the 30th of June, today 2nd of June. Those beaten by the crazy red tape are in hiding. Stopped, they put them in cells with 20 people each—men and women apart—and at 3 o’clock in the morning a van pulls up by the jail and an enterprising Greek sells plastic bags full of food for breakfast, carried to the cells of the girls by other girls, usually Russian,Moldavian,Bellorussian,Ukrainian, Romanian and Albanian prostitutes working the bars of the local area, while he waits for them to come back down and drive them to the bars and collect his money for the food. I saw all this one night when I had to drive at midnight last Saturday night and pick up a Russian girlfriend of my wife who had been taken there by mistake as she had forgotten her papers at home. Talked to the guard downstairs for 2 hours while they waited for her security clearance, and then released her. He provided a lot of this information I knew nothing about. As long as there is human misery, someone will always make money out of it---from politicians to lawyers to street peddlers like this one. The girls in these jails are not penal cases—they are just without a permit to stay and are awaiting deportation, the Greek state feeds them three good meals a day, but they buy de-luxe extras for breakfast, French croissants, German fruit juices, Spanish cakes and candies, Italian industrial cakes and other related imported poisons. As someone said in a book, prostitutes and plumbers in the U.S. make more than 100$ an hour while others sweat for 5 times less for 8 hours. Same here. When on the 1st of May Poland joined the European Union, all Polish girls and men in these “temporary detainment” jails were released in one hour, as they had become citizens and needed no permits or papers but their passport. No one brought breakfast food for the detained men... The painting gives you an idea of the cafe... Maybe stop here, and wish all the American friends reading this a happy 4th of July.

Falcon Six Two, Great work you did with photoshop-- I saved it and will use it. Thanks.

Athens is in celebrations, fireworks, car-honking, dancing--you name it. Portugal was beaten 1-0 tonight in a tough game where both teams played well. This is the first time in Greek history that such a victory is achieved and it is mostly due to the good coperation of our players and the excellent coaching of Ottto Rehagel, their trainer. I bet money for the first time in my life, 150 Euros, and won 435 Euros, collectible tomorrow. Wishing all Americans a Happy Independence Day, the Portuguese a quick recovery from the loss. Cheers.

Greece today won the semifinal of the Euro 2004 cup, beating the Czechs 1-0. The goal came 30 seconds before the 15 min extension of time.... They played well and deserved to win. Now they will play against Portugal on Sunday, and it is just possible, though not sure, that they will become European Football Champions. Athens has fireworks and 200,000 people in the streets celebrating.

Looks sickening as a shape to me, as most stealth a/c do. To my taste, these things look more like like frying pans and the day the USN puts one on its carriers will be a sad one for me. Of course, others may have different taste--totally respectable to me.

Steven Coonts is a former USN A-6 pilot who flew across the US in a Stearman biplane and wrote a great book about it, "The Cannibal Queen-- A Flight into the Heart of America". His plane is downloadable for FS2002 and will also fly in FS9 without the prop showing. Made by Bill Lyons of Golden Age fame.Go to his site to get it. I am 3/4ths into the book, and find it fascinating. You can fly Coonts' flight legs in any order you wish, making your own flights as you go, and having flown a few of the first flights of his journey and a couple on the East Coast, I flew some flights out west today over the Sierras, from Reno down to Chino,, then over Yosemite Ntl park and the San Joaquin valley to Vaisila KVIS and Meadows KBFL by Bakersfield, Calif., then on to China Lake after having flown through the Techachapi Pass through the mountains, and breaking out over the crest to the red desert. As I fly I consult the book and find many of the land features he talks of in it in FS--amazed at how well MS have captured the area. I set up every next flight by the book and will now head into the Mohave Desert and the area of Edwards AFB. I also change planes in midflight at times to fly faster, but always take off and land in Coonts' s "Cannibal Queen" Stearman biplane. I am thankful to Navychief who sent me this book, as I could not find it Athens. The book also has a lot of insights about America, and some of Stevens's thoughts on larger issues are very interesting. For 8$ or so so you can have at least 15 hours of excellent and enlightening entertainment by reading the book and many more by flying out his flights in your FS2002/04. The experience of flying his flights also gave me the chance to get out of the tyranny of downloading stuff and putting the planes into the sim, and allowed me to fly by the seat of my pants, VFR, with a peek at the map from time to time, and see the American landscape from the air. If you find some flights too long, you can always cheat a bit by selecting the Map View and moving your plane further along the route towards your destination.

Dutchy, You confirmed what I thought all along--that he is anice man. I am so glad. Thanks for the vaulable info. Cheers

For a very interesting aircraft, download the Wellesley by Jeff March, for CFS2 and FS9. The screen shot is from a flight I made from Vancouver Intl CYVR to Boundary Bay CZBB--CZBB is at a heading of 101 at 12 nm from CYVR and is interesting to land on because of the triangle formed by the runways-- I am landing here-- only a 10 minute flight.