Sister City Flights - week 1 - Denver

[Storm]

ROUTE	Start	1st stop	2nd stop	3rd stop	Last stop
Old codes	2V2	KBJC	KAPA	KDEN	1V5
	Brand	Jeffco	Centennial	Denver Intl	Boulder Mun
New codes	KLMO	KBJC	KAPA	KDEN	KBDU
	Vance, Brand	Rocky Mtn Met	Centennial	Denver Intl	Boulder Mun

Flight plans: https://tinyurl.com/storms-flight-plans (both .PLN and .FMS files available)

Cruise: 90 knots indicated (approx) at 6500-8000 ft.

Aircraft: Something appropriate for that speed. Fixed and rotary wing both OK. :eagerness:

Note: All airports are above 5,000 ft.

Server: SimLink AU server: 101.165.150.139

Simulators: All welcome: FS9, FSX boxed, FSX Steam edition, Prepar3D, X-Plane.

X-Plane pilots:

• You will need X-Plane plugin XSquawkBox. You don't need to use/install the FSD proxy if you use XSquawkBox's current release, version 1.3.3, pointing it directly to the SimLink server's IP address. This is the cleanest and simplest way to connect to the SimLink server.**
• The .FMS flight plan file can be used with your GPS. Put it in X-Plane 11\Output\FMS plans\
• The .PLN flight plan file can be used with Plan-G. Plan-G doesn't support X-Plane 11 data format at present so use old XP9/10 data or FSX or P3D data. You will need X-Plane plugin XPUIPC to track aircraft live on Plan-G.

**Although using the FSD proxy is unnecessary, if you still want to use it anyway, you'll find current release XSquawkBox version 1.3.3 won't connect. You'll have to use older version 1.3.1, pointing it to "localhost" instead. If you don't have version 1.3.1, please visit Storm's Hangar and look in the Ω Utility workshop section under X-Plane 11.

__________________________________________________ ________

The overall idea
We depart from our 'focus' city for that week and fly around its local airports and exploring its landmarks, typically in two, three or four hops, using SimLink as our multiplayer platform. I'll choose the following week's focus city from the official list of "Sister Cities" for this week's city. (They're usually listed in Wikipedia.) We just carry on around the world, hopping between Sister Cities, trying not to repeat ourselves.

Example
The first week of the series, our focus city will be Denver, Colorado, simply because that's where I live. Denver is also the second oldest participant in the Sister City network, starting out in 1948, and it has amassed the following 10 Sister Cities:

• Brest, France, (1948)
• Takayama, Japan (1960)
• Nairobi, Kenya's capital (1975)
• Karmiel, Israel (1977)
• Cuernavaca, Mexico (1983)
• Potenza, Italy (1983)
• Chennai, India (1984)
• Kunming, China (1985)
• Axum, Ethiopia (1995)
• Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia's capital (2001)

So the week after we fly around Denver, we'll be flying around one of those 10 cities. (I'll make sure I choose a city with more than one Sister City, otherwise we'd be flying back in Denver the week after!) If, for example, I chose Brest, that's where we'll fly for the second week. And since Brest also has 10 Sister Cities (Denver + 9 others), I'll have nine to choose from the following week. And so on.

What's a Sister City anyway?
Look at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sister_city and http://www.sister-cities.org/ or http://sistercities.org/


Why SimLink?
I want to maximize the number of simulators pilots can choose to participate. SimLink is a proven and reliable technology for us and currently allows pilots on the greatest number of different sims to fly together: FSX, FS9, P3D and XP.


What aircraft?
Each week I'll publish the target cruise speed (which most weeks will be fairly slow, though not always). The speed will depend on how much distance we have to cover in two hours. You choose something appropriate for that speed and then select one of our standard SimLink codes accordingly.

Won't SimLink's five second delay cause problems?
For most flights, ground speeds will be just 25-50% of some of our other group flights (viz. cargo props or airliners) so the five second SimLink delay will be less significant. We'll all still appear in close range of one another (if not in true formation).

When will Sister City Flights start?
Our first Sister City Flight will be on Friday July 14th 2017 (and weekly thereafter, holidays notwithstanding). I'll update this post (at the top) with details for the first flight.

When will they end?
They needn't! But they can when people get fed up of the idea, or when I get fed up of leading them. Otherwise, when we've traced every line on this map!

[Coast]

Fist Happy Independence Day to all! Storm the ever inventive and imaginative person he is, not to mention his generosity has come up with another unique group flight theme. I hope to be able to participate.

-Coast

ps: The picture looks a little like a peacock.

[Storm]

Route, flight plans and cruise details now added to start of opening post, so choose your aircraft and SimLink codes accordingly. :eagerness:

[Oz-Flyer]

You will need to use Google to find sister Cities as Sister-cities.org look to only list US sister Cities.
Look up some OZ cities and only US sister Cities are listed.

[Storm]

You will need to use Google to find sister Cities as Sister-cities.org look to only list US sister Cities.
Look up some OZ cities and only US sister Cities are listed.

• I never use Google for search, so I wouldn't recommend it.
• The main Sister City site link was only to describe the organization and its history to those unfamiliar with the concept.
• Wikipedia is by far the easiest, most accurate and most comprehensive way to find sister cities, anywhere. For example, Melbourne has Osaka, Tianjin, Thessaloniki, Boston, Saint Petersburg and Milan.
• Thanks for the interest. See you on Friday evening!

[Karl]

• I never use Google for search, so....

I think its safe to say Google in today's linguistics is close enough to a common verb that saying Google is synonymous with saying "internet search engine". It just a lot easier on the tongue. Even easier than Duck Duck goose. :stung::stung:nthego:

[Storm]

I think its safe to say Google in today's linguistics is close enough to a common verb that saying Google is synonymous with saying "internet search engine". It just a lot easier on the tongue. Even easier than Duck Duck goose. :stung::stung:nthego:

Ah Karl. Even you will be welcome on the Sister City flights...

[Karl]

Ah Karl. Even you will be welcome on the Sister City flights...

I already knew that.

[Storm]

UPDATED! X-Plane pilots:

• You will need X-Plane plugin XSquawkBox. You don't need to use/install the FSD proxy if you use XSquawkBox's current release, version 1.3.3, pointing it directly to the SimLink server's IP address. This is the cleanest and simplest way to connect to the SimLink server.**
• The .FMS flight plan file can be used with your GPS. Put it in X-Plane 11\Output\FMS plans\
• The .PLN flight plan file can be used with Plan-G. Plan-G doesn't support X-Plane 11 data format at present so use old XP9/10 data or FSX or P3D data. You will need X-Plane plugin XPUIPC to track aircraft live on Plan-G.

**Although using the FSD proxy is unnecessary, if you still want to use it anyway, you'll find current release XSquawkBox version 1.3.3 won't connect. You'll have to use older version 1.3.1, pointing it to "localhost" instead. If you don't have version 1.3.1, please visit Storm's Hangar and look in the Ω Utility workshop section under X-Plane 11.

This message copied to the opening post. XSquawkBox is what X-plane pilots use instead of vPilot.

[Storm]

Reminder! Join us at 9pm eastern this evening at 2V2/KLMO for our first Sister City Flight, this week around Denver at 90kts(ish). This is a SimLink flight, so FS9, FSX Steam, FSX boxed, P3D and XP11 are all welcome. Fly whatever you like, fixed wing or rotary wing, as long as it can do 90kts at between 5,000 and 8,000 ft. Don't forget to use the SimLink code for your aircraft (and only one of those listed codes).

Next week we'll be over 4,000 nmi away ...

[AIRWOLF]

Thanks for an excellent flight! I look forward to the rest of the series.

[Storm]

Approach to final destination (Boulder Municipal 1V5/KBDU) taken in X-Plane 11.


Thanks everyone for making the first Sister City Flight a success! Here's to many more. :eagerness: