Back in the air on this journal flying Aerosoft’s CRJ for Microsoft Flight Simulator. I wasn’t sure if I was going to like this airplane but despite its bugs its growing on me in a big way. In this journal I flew the jet from Washington DC to New York and then back again. Different airports, different times of day and dramatically different weather situations.

Calm night

Flying from Washington’s Ronald Reagan International airport to JFK in New York was a real joy in the CRJ 550. Flying the United Express livery, my route took me out to the coastline hugging the Jersey shore and then up to New York.

This flight was ultimately uneventful but it was extremely peaceful and a fun way to to fly the CRJ. A rising moon and the last remnants of the sunset made for great visuals lighting up the airplane and the surrounding scenery with the Atlantic glistening in the distance.

Coming in for a landing JFK went well touching down on the runway and then taxiing the plane to the terminal. All in all a pretty good flight and better yet it left me with a calm and almost serene feeling. I understand a little better now what many real world pilots say about how calm a night flight can be… this was one of them. My next flight, however, would be more exciting and a bit stressful.

Storm day

For my second flight with the CRJ 550 model I was once again sporting a United Express livery and departing from Newark International in New Jersey – in full view of the New York skyline. Or it would have been easy to see the skyline except for the frontal system passing through featuring heavy rain, thunderstorms, and challenging wind conditions. Off we go into the storm!

After a long taxi, we departed on runway 4R and almost immediately got hit with some turbulence and a slight crosswind on takeoff. The CRJ is reasonably capable of handling itself in these situations in the sim but it still required some correction right away and I hand flew the first part of the route taking me up and away from the airport and out towards New York before hooking right and heading south.

Avoiding one storm directly ahead, I deviated from course slightly and climbed up through the lighter clouds to the west of the city emerging into a stunning cloudscape.

In all directions there were towering storm clouds in one of the best examples of the power of MSFS’ live weather system that I’ve yet seen. Flashes of lighting dotted the clouds and the ground in nearly every direction.

Another storm rose up in my path requiring me to divert course several times. The experience was one of the best that I’ve had with airliners yet providing for thrilling visuals and problem solving. High winds also meant the aircraft was, at times, crabbing significantly into the wind just to stay on course. Dodging storms was fun for sure!

The biggest challenge was the landing. Coming in to land at Washington Dulles I struggled to get the ILS system working and then between that and a very offset landing route I ended up botching the first landing attempt. I was too high and the runway was obscured by rain until I was over it.

A go around with a bit of overcontrolling by me at first ultimately ended up with a better view of the runway and a slightly better approach and landing. A successful landing but a clear need for more tutorials and more practice on ILS – a system that I still need to better understand in all of the airliners I’ve been flying.