Скачать или смотреть [ MSFS2020 | VATSIM ] BVARTCC's "Wings Over New England" IFR #16-17, KSYR-KBOS-KRUT, in the WT CJ4!

When we started tonight's "Wings Over New England" training flight stream, we had doubts about how well it would go, based on the remnants of Hurricane Ida passing through the northeast. In fact, the stream did end in disaster, but not because of weather. It did so because Ida know how to plan fuel in the CJ4.

We started the night in Syracuse (KSYR) for IFR #16, which focused on a "Descend Via" STAR, and a published hold, all of which the Working Title CJ4 mod handled beautifully. Weather along the way wasn't great, but, wasn't nearly as volatile as we feared. We even tried, unintentionally, to confuse the plane's VNAV by adding in that aforementioned hold, and by neglecting to lower the Altitude Select knob after departing from it. Once we did, though, the plane followed the vertical path beautifully. We did have our hands full managing the speed and hitting all of those restrictions along the way (well, most of them, anyway). But, overall, the flight was well-executed -- and the landing, while slightly floaty (as they tend to be in that plane no matter what), was nice and smooth.

The problem came in because these IFR lesson flights are almost all shorter, and thus at much lower altitudes (and therefore much lower speeds) than my "typical" flight in the CJ4 which cruises very efficiently at Mach 0.77 and FL400 or higher. Fuel consumption is way different when lower and slower. So we ended Leg #1 significantly shorter on fuel than we'd intended to be -- and even mentioned this before taking our break from the cockpit. But upon our return, the thought had eluded me completely and we obliviously departed on Leg #2 with scarcely enough to make the trip.

That didn't cut the mustard, then, considering that part of the lesson on IFR #17 from Boston to Rutland (KRUT) is to enter the RNAV approach via a course-reversal hold, then to fly a full missed approach procedure with the hold on that as well, before returning to the airport. Had we landed on the first attempt at Rutland we would have made it, though the fuel-to-alternate plus the IFR reserve of 45 minutes would have been mysteriously missing. As it turns out, we started getting fuel warnings on climbout, immediately after going missed. By the way -- once you get fuel warnings in the CJ4 (at least the MSFS2020 version), it's time to get it on the ground IMMEDIATELY, if not sooner: at that point you have less than sixty pounds of fuel in that tank, which lasts around five minutes.

That would've been good information to have, or perhaps to deduce, when it happened. Five minutes and fifteen seconds after the fuel warning, we became a glider. And another four minutes and eighteen seconds after that, we ceased being a glider.

The omen happened when our Boston Virtual ARTCC controllers couldn't stay on for the duration of the second flight, so, we wouldn't have gotten credit for completing it anyway. Running out of fuel just sort of sealed the deal. And even though I don't technically need credit for these flights until #20-23 (as those are new to the program since I completed it last), it does sort of defeat the purpose of doing a YouTube tutorial series to show people how to do these if we end up wedged into a tree on a Vermont farm. So, we'll call that one a wash and try it again. -- Watch live at   / slantalphaadventures