Kayak Club

[purpleivan]

  On 1/19/2020 at 12:58 AM, Hotel26 said:

Good morning, Everyone.  I am announcing the Paramount "Mount Majestic" Trophy.  But first, a Landmark which I hereby a) claim and b) dub "Ben Creag".

Fly a jiff from Crater Rim Station on heading 150.  Ben Creag is 5km tall and it impressed me a few weeks ago when I first came across it because 1) it's one of those mountains that appears simply as an impressive triangle on the horizon when you approach, and b) it stands relatively isolated.  [Click & arrow to view]

 

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Decide to take the "old crate" out to take a look at your mountain. Small caveat... I used Vessel Mover to get out to the area, as at about 90m/s with no physics warp (the rotor blades ping of instantly if I do), flying all the way there would take hours.

Ready to take to the skies.

The intrepid duo of Jeb and Bill get airbourne.

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Time to find their quarry.

Better zip through that valley ahead, never know where a mountain's going to be hiding.

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Keep your eyes peeled Bill, that mountain's got to be here somewhere.

Well, no sign of it down here, only one thing for it.

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CLIIIMB!!!

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Heading into the sun Jeb get's the sinking feeling that it's...

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... right behind them.

Quickly turning the old crate (at around 4km ASL... not bad for a propellor biplane) Jeb brings their elusive quarry into the sights.

Now to nail that shot.

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Jeb thinks this should be close enough.

[swjr-swis]

  On 1/19/2020 at 12:58 AM, Hotel26 said:

But first, a Landmark which I hereby a) claim and b) dub "Ben Creag".

Fly a jiff from Crater Rim Station on heading 150.  Ben Creag is 5km tall and it impressed me a few weeks ago when I first came across it because 1) it's one of those mountains that appears simply as an impressive triangle on the horizon when you approach, and b) it stands relatively isolated.  [Click & arrow to view]

  

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I still had a save of my SeaPlane One in that neighbourhood from a previous exploration run, so I loaded it up. Took me a bit of time to match the angles for the screenshots, and to land for historical flagging and peak altitude measurement.

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Same view, but on high terrain detail.

Can you hear the tune in your mind?

Ben Creag officially measured at 4936m. The background view is majestic all by itself, even if this candidate doesn't win the trophy.

 

[Hotel26]

I can't resist posting this one!  "On the alphabet, it's somewhere between K... and W..."

I know also at least one Mighty Explorer has traveled this route.  (If anyone posts a Visitation, feel welcome to name it and add some stronger clues!)

I think it's a contender for the Mt Majestic Award!?

Edited January 27, 2020 by Hotel26

[swjr-swis]

  On 1/27/2020 at 9:10 AM, Hotel26 said:

I can't resist posting this one!  "On the alphabet, it's somewhere between K... and W..."

I know also at least one Mighty Explorer has traveled this route.  (If anyone posts a Visitation, feel welcome to name it and add some stronger clues!)

I think it's a contender for the Mt Majestic Award!?

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I was summoned?

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Just about the right angle to recreate the screenshot of this landmark.

A landing was attempted, about 10 m below the peak. The hatch however was obstructed for unclear reasons (what?), so we'll have to unofficially label this one at ~5266m.

Seeing as how my craft ended up upside down on the side of this rather prominent peak, I thought of naming it after the mountain/peak in the end shot of Cliffhanger. But for the life of me, I can't remember what it was called in the movie. So I'll settle for "Point Break" (from an entirely different movie).

Navigational clues:

1. Head straight NW from the KSC until you cross a large sea. You'll spot this landmark as a lone white peak on the other shore, north/right from you.
2. Or head roughly east from Hotel26's Fake Victoria Falls. Again it will be north from your path, but on the left-hand side.

[purpleivan]

  On 1/27/2020 at 9:10 AM, Hotel26 said:

I can't resist posting this one!  "On the alphabet, it's somewhere between K... and W..."

I know also at least one Mighty Explorer has traveled this route.  (If anyone posts a Visitation, feel welcome to name it and add some stronger clues!)

I think it's a contender for the Mt Majestic Award!?

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I think Bob took a crack at that one at some point during the Kerbin Sorta-Circumnavigation... looks close enough to the shoreline for it to have attracted his attention.

Might have been the one visited during the "it was all a dream" episode. If I was to guess he's have approached it from the shore to the left of the image, then come around the thing to the right side, then made it up as far as that snowy plateau about half way up.

I'll have to check Imgur after work.

[Hotel26]

  On 1/9/2020 at 11:55 PM, swjr-swis said:

 

The view from 10km up, and reason for its name.

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AT LAST!!
 

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Footstep Island, wouldn't you say:

The view from 54km above (having just bailed out of a perfectly good MiG 15g...)

(I had been to all of the 3 or 4 possibilities and I really don't know why I couldn't match the shape.  This time I went on Full Terrain Detail (but I don't think it was fundamentally different).

This had been nagging at me -- certainly unforgotten! -- in the last several weeks.  Finally, swjr-swis: you get the Discovery points you so richly deserve!)

 

 

 

 

[swjr-swis]

  On 1/28/2020 at 12:12 PM, Hotel26 said:

Footstep Island, wouldn't you say:

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Indeed it is! Welcome to our little retreat. I'd offer a coconut drink with an umbrella, but the island is all out of coconuts. Settle for an umbrella?

[Hotel26]

  On 1/28/2020 at 12:20 PM, swjr-swis said:

the island is all out of coconuts

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Luckily, I brought a couple of coconuts!

Unfortunately, I believe they are now floating amidst the oil and wreckage of my ex-MiG about 28 km due east.  Any idea the direction of the prevailing winds, old bean? 

[purpleivan]

  On 1/27/2020 at 9:10 AM, Hotel26 said:

I can't resist posting this one!  "On the alphabet, it's somewhere between K... and W..."

I know also at least one Mighty Explorer has traveled this route.  (If anyone posts a Visitation, feel welcome to name it and add some stronger clues!)

I think it's a contender for the Mt Majestic Award!?

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Val and Bob took Boxo out for a spin to your mountain @Hotel26

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Heading for the top.

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Unusual view from the cab.

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Ok... not quite at the top yet.

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View of the mountain.

No... don't do it Val.

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Crazy Val and here crazy landings.

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Time to get back in the air.

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Pretty around here.

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Moody dusk.

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View in the morning.

View during the Kerbin Sorta-Circumnavigation... a tourist shot from a distance, as Bob didn't have a crack at this mountain as it was a bit too far from the shore.

Edited January 28, 2020 by purpleivan

[Hotel26]

  On 1/28/2020 at 9:37 PM, purpleivan said:

Heading for the top, etc...

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Aside from the bravery in landing, I'm nominating this photo-shoot for a Kulitzer Krown for Imagery.  You really captured the mountain!!

[Scores will be updated later today]

Edited January 29, 2020 by Hotel26

[James Kerman]

Congratulations @Hotel26 and your group of intrepid Kerbin explorers, this thread has been awarded thread of the month.

[Castille7]

@Hotel26 Congratulations man! Too cool TOTM 

Edited February 1, 2020 by Castille7

[Hotel26]

(Temporarily) speechless, actually...  quite verklempt[*]

In a thread which is fundamentally a troop of intrepid (and valiant!) explorers traipsing over the Kerbin countryside at supersonic speeds, having fun (and laughs!), often on bingo fuel and/or in poor weather conditions; shooting stunning photography that National Geographic would be proud of; and occasionally pulling amazing feats of aviation, such as e.g. landing on high-altitude, sloping icy crevasses or landing in deep valleys, I can only say that this:

TOTM Award

has been earned and deserved by every participant of this thread:

@Castille7	@Chryssalid 8492	@TheFlyingKerman	@James Kerman
@purpleivan	@SuicidalInsanity	@Alienwall
@Vanamonde	Sir @fulgur	@swjr-swis
@Klapaucius	@Retro Starship	@Poodmund

with a Special Accolade to Kayak Club Supreme Judges, Castille7 and purpleivan who have performed a Truly Marvelous job in maintaining Law & Order amongst we Wild Pioneers.

Backed up very ably by this thread's Sheriffs, Vanamonde & James Kerman.  And I do wish to personally thank the Moderator Team for its effort (and keen sense of humor) across the whole forum and particularly for the work it takes to present the TOTM Awards every month.

Finally, on a matter of Administrivia, the Judges and I will shortly convene an Internal Audit to enquire into two issues:

1. a prima facie case of an apparent Violation of Article I of Kayak Club Rules and possibly Article X as well.  We will need to investigate.
2. how to settle the theory, gaining currency, that this thread was started merely to bring out everyone's marvelous Flying Machines for dastardly @Hotel26 to copy-cat.

Thanks, lads, all, for being such jolly good sports!!

 

* Verklempt, and will admit this time I don't know what that word means, but as it does entail symptoms of a tightening throat, palpitations in the chest and teary eyes, I do hope it passes soon. 

 

Edited February 2, 2020 by Hotel26

[purpleivan]

Val, Bill and Bob made a trip out to @swjr-swis Footstep Island this afternoon.

They flew in something more conventional than my recent planes... but it does have afterburners.

Out, out over the sea and not a footstep to be found.

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But wait... what's that on the horizon.

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Looks like they found the island and to make sure they took an image flying North at 10km for comparison.

Val dipped the wing to get a better look at it herself.

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Bill was pretty stoked... actually that's his expression half the time, he's just that kinda guy.

After taking a pass flying North, Val swung back around to make a landing.

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Giving the pair in the back a good view on the way in.

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Kind of middling place to make a landing, not too bumpy, but not billard table smooth either.

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Now time to enjoy the scenery.

[swjr-swis]

  On 2/8/2020 at 2:30 PM, purpleivan said:

Val, Bill and Bob made a trip out to @swjr-swis Footstep Island this afternoon.

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I think that's officially the highest population the island has ever had.

[purpleivan]

  On 2/8/2020 at 4:37 PM, swjr-swis said:

I think that's officially the highest population the island has ever had.

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Don't say that... I'm now thinking of making an enormous tourist bus of a plane to flood the island with little green photo snappers.

[Castille7]

I believe we are all familiar with this Island. I don't think anyone put claims on it yet, I'll call it "Target Island"

I'm sure everyone knows how to find it!

"Target Island" 

 

Managed to land on it somehow

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Edited February 9, 2020 by Castille7

[Hotel26]

  On 2/9/2020 at 3:14 AM, Castille7 said:

I'll call it "Target Island"

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Extra kudos to whomever identifies the "best" landing site![*]

* for heavy operations, so: longest, flattest...

Edited February 9, 2020 by Hotel26

[swjr-swis]

  On 2/9/2020 at 3:14 AM, Castille7 said:

"Target Island" 

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  On 2/9/2020 at 3:36 AM, Hotel26 said:

Extra kudos to whomever identifies the "best" landing site![*]

* for heavy operations, so: longest, flattest...

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Does a 45t supersonic passenger airliner count as heavy operations?

First let's scout the place. I still had a seaplane nearby that location (from a previous visitation of Ben Creag), so time to extend that trip a little.

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From a distance, the north-western end of the island looks to offer the smoothest land, but up close it is either treacherously bumpy, perilously sloped, or both.

Luckily, the mountain top at the SE end offers a surprisingly flat and minimally sloped tableau that could host a decent airfield.

Zooming in slowly to give a good impression of the scale of this location. There's a seaplane parked dabsmack in the center of it.

For those who favour visual cues, the natives have even mowed the grass almost perfectly W-E. It also slopes up just a tad when approaching from the east, which should help limit braking distance.

Now for the real test, let's land a supersonic airliner. Flying over the site W-E to align the approach pattern.

After doing a 180 (some passengers did not appreciate the method), we're on final approach here.

Highly recommended to touch down early and at minimal velocity. Note though that this plane has no braking assistance of any kind, so if this can do it, most other planes should too.

Landed on 2nd attempt. Note the sudden drop off with the slight incline up to it - it actually makes aborting easier as it allows spooling up the engines and retrying if you overshoot.

Alright, where's the loo? Been holding it up since we left from KSC. Nothing? A tree, a bush, anything? Oi...

 

Edited February 9, 2020 by swjr-swis
got my compass mixed up

[Castille7]

  On 1/18/2020 at 10:53 AM, Hotel26 said:

When you fly a fixed heading, you are flying a "rhumb line" and it curves due to the spherical nature of your surface.   A direct A-to-B route is known as a "great circle" and your compass heading, flying it, will change precisely as you describe.

And what, pray tell, do thee dub this magnificent reef/sanbdar/atoll/and/or/promontory, Learned Squire?

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I flew 135 off the runway and ended up next to Kayak River and you can see these Sand bars, not sure if this is the place @Klapaucius is showing here?

[Klapaucius]

  On 2/9/2020 at 4:36 PM, Castille7 said:

I flew 135 off the runway and ended up next to Kayak River and you can see these Sand bars, not sure if this is the place @Klapaucius is showing here?

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You are halfway there.  Head about 120ish from here. You should have a small range of tall mountains on your left. Keep flying until you reach water again. You want to be a bit north of the main archipelago.

[Klapaucius]

Target Island in "Bugs", my single seater STOL.  A very fun plane to fly.  I short flight from the Dessert Airfield.

 

You might notice something is amiss with my environmental mods... Flying windmills!

 

I would also like to submit, for you worthy consideration ladies and gentlemen of our esteemed exploration club, a new name for this island. It is just like a target, and being one who likes wordplay, I propose: Bullseyeland.

Edited February 10, 2020 by Klapaucius
typo

[Castille7]

  On 2/9/2020 at 8:31 PM, Klapaucius said:

I would also like to submit, for you worthy consideration ladies and gentlemen of our esteemed exploration club, a new name for this island. It is just like a target, and being one who likes wordplay, I propose: Bullseyeland.

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Any other ideas out there for the name of this Island?

I'll start a poll after we get a few names in the Hat and we can go from there

[swjr-swis]

  On 2/9/2020 at 8:31 PM, Klapaucius said:

You might notice something is amiss with my environmental mods... Flying windmills!

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Could be the newest hyper-realistic feature of the mod: fata morgana!

[swjr-swis]

  On 1/18/2020 at 9:38 AM, Klapaucius said:

In the meantime, I am making it harder on you all!  Find this one:

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Finally found it:

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Land ahoy! I'm not sure these count as islands; more of an atoll. I'm flying at less than 500m altitude here, any higher and you'd probably miss it entirely.

Forgot entirely to take pictures in flight, so this will have to do as proof. Rotate it upside down to see the likeness.

Bob and Bill dared each other to go for a nightly dip and ran into the water. Now they seem a bit awkward at realizing neither one took off their suits...

I would name this one Bermuda Atoll, for making Klapaucius' heading go all weird (which even more fittingly turns out to have a perfectly logical explanation).

Edited February 10, 2020 by swjr-swis
Naming