10th Leg: HESN to OETF

After another pause (a few family problem) here's another leg: from Aswan International Airport, Egypt to Taif in Saudi Arabia. A mid-long flight across the Red Sea, then following the East coast and finally turning roughly West toward Taif. Also this region isn't very well covered by TileProxy. Failures on as usual.

Waiting to take-off at Aswan. Completely clear sky and 28 degrees:

  

Shortly after take-off, the first problem: the nose gear does not retract. I quickly decide to keep flying, I will have to go not extremely fast, but other than that, it should be fine. Maybe the problem will disappear as time goes by:

 Passing North of the Aswan dam, note how the FSX mesh is wrong (there is a kind of waterfall before the dam itself)

Shallal:

Some industrial complex, I couldn't find anything on Google Earth:

Same here:

Time to check if the landing gear problem is still there. I cycle the gear (I did that several times during the flight) but nothing happens. Pressing the test button causes the UNSAFE (red light) to come on. No way...

Crossing the Red Sea

And finally approaching the East coast. The airport that can be seen on the coast is Wejh [OEWJ]

Those small islands should be very nice, unfortunately the satellite imagery quality is very poor:

The flight proceeds

This place is called مجسم الدلة - كورنيش الرايس I did not found any translation...

Following the coast

A few miles after Rabigh airport the Twin Star begins to turn making almost a 360. I switch off the autopilot and try to understand what is wrong, then I see that the artifical horizon indicator does not work anymore. As you can see in the picture the aircraft is level, but the indicator marks a climb and a left turn. In those conditions, the NAV/HDG part of the autopilot do not longer operate and I have to fly manually from now on:

Somewhere on the right there should be the Mecca, but I am too far away

I begin to climb (from 4500 to 7500) to approach the plateau where Taif is located.

The engines have a strange noise... Indeed. By checking the fuel flow indicators, I can see that the right engine isn't working right, the Fuel Flow is less than 2/3 compared to the other (9.0 against 5.9) and I have to land pretty soon. It is not a nice situation as landing with an unbalanced thrust isn't that easy. I decide to climb higher than usual and approach Taif from a relatively high altitude, gliding and keeping the throttle to a minimum, that should reduce the unbalance problem:

Done! I had to use the rudder during the last part of the landing and also to be able to taxi properly, but at least the aircraft is fine.

Moving to a parking position. I can see a P-180 Avanti (the orange one on the right)

And while I leave the aircraft, A British Tornado comes.

Well, not bad after all. I had a few failures, more than before, and that was interesting. I will keep flying along the coast moving South and then West, coming out of the Red Sea and then in the Gulf of Aden.

9th Leg: HECA to HESN

Taking-off from Cairo International [HECA] I'll go South following the Nile to reach the airport of Aswan [HESN]. Not a very long trip after all. Failures enabled as usual, time to go!

Ready to take-off at HECA:

Shortly after take-off:

Approaching Cairo (city), flying toward the Pyramids:

Cairo, Al Mounib Bridge on the Nile:

Giza, the Sphynx is looking at the Twin Star:

The Pyramids:

Overflying the desert... Horrible resolution as usual

NAV2 failure:

Near Kewamil Bahari:

On the way to Luxor:

Luxor Airport. Below the Twin Star tail, on the ground there are 4 military aircrafts shelters:

After Luxor airport:

Approaching Aswan. Those are boats carryng tourists to the Philae temple:

Very close to the Dam, the airport of Aswan is on the right, the aircraft is entering in a right pattern, overflying the Nasser Lake to land on RWY 35:

On Final:

Okay, this is cool! I have no idea whatsoever why there are three US A-7 Corsair at Aswan airport, but I took the picture:

Parked:

Next Leg: cross the Red Sea and fly along the East coast, toward Saudi Arabia.

8th Leg: LCLK to HECA

LTime to leave Larnaca [LCLK] and head East. I'll fly toward the coast of Lebanon, then turn right going more or less South passing Lebanon first and then Israel, reaching the delta of Nile and Port Said, then finally head toward Cairo Airport [HECA], which is the destination of my flight.

Failures are enabled once again, let's see what will be my karma during this leg...

Larnaca, shortly after take-off. Note the mix of real aircraft (3D) and the photos taken fron the satellite:

After a rather long over-the-water part, I am approaching now the coast of Lebanon, near the Wujah Al Hajar airport:

Marina Dbayeh:

Overflying Beirut Airport [OLBA]

This picture is horrible, but I wanted to show it. This is what you see with TileProxy when you reach an area whose satellite coverage is poor: the images are low resolution only, so what you can see from FSX is a collection of blocks... A pity!

Same from the cockpit. It is marginally better as the landscape is not so close and and the angle of view is wider:

Nesher Power Plant, we are in Israel now:

Cesarea Power Plant, on the coast:

Ben Gurion International [LLBG]:

And the Port of Ashdod:

Ashquelon Oil Refineries:

I have left now Israel, this is the airport of El Arish [HEAR] in Egypt. The satellite imagery resolution is still bad as you can see..

Something is strange. Just after passing El Arish, I saw that the Fuel Flow of the left engine is less that the Fuel Flow of the right one. No idea what's wrong, so I will simply keep flying... 

Approaching Port Said and the entry points of the Suez Channel in the Mediterranea Sea:

Nice side view of the Twin Star:

Finally... Cairo International is in front of me, I am supposed to land on 05L doing a left circuit, so I am about to turn right, fly downwind of 05L then turn over Cairo and land. The resolution is now better: 

Passing Cairo Airport:

Turning over Cairo:

On Final:

And finally taxing to a parking place.

Not bad. Next Leg will be focused on Egypt, taking-off from Cairo, giving a look at the Pyramids (mandatory!) and then go South following more or less the Nile until Aswan