Long Group Flight ’06 #1

Our first event of 2006 was the longest event ever staged in EuroHarmony history - a trans-Atlantic slog from our new continental USA hub Atlanta [KATL] (opening Real Soon Now™) to one of our longer established hubs Lisbon [LPPT], with a compulsory stop off in Gran Canaria [GCLP].

Participation in our first event of 2006, and our first long flight event (which I have definitely decided will be a regular quarterly event through 2006 at the least) was impressive, and I am sure that for most of us it was a great event, marred only by a lack of experienced ATC. There should be lots of pictures and stories from this event, so make sure you get them sent to the [ Online Flying Department ], unless they are already in the gallery/screenshot forum.

Brief precise; departures from KATL started just before 09:30Z with everyone in the air by 10:30Z; a number of routes across the Atlantic were "on display". Following travails for all participants (some of us having more troubles than others) everyone that was landing had landed by 17:00Z, and as "promised" a one-hour break was agreed upon. Come 18:00Z, and those of us taking part in the second leg began to depart. Again, travails struck all participants, but the leg itself was a simple South to North affair and we were all landed by 20:30Z.

Leg 1 (KATL-GCLP) participants, in callsign order:

Leg 2 (GCLP-LPPT) participants, in callsign order:

"I arrived in time to Atlanta, but almost everybody started the flight. Standed next to Murray, who was fast departed. I was following the mates when FS graphically crashed on the ground. I could not see anything, but I did not lost the locked 747. I quickly reloaded the whole stuff, and was glad that Gergely just joined the club. He also waited me for taking off, so I was not the last who left Atlanta. But after he took off, fired his VC10 rockets and quickly disappeared in front of my big lazy 747, so I was the last in the EHM convoy. Near between the coast and Bermuda, FSPassengers realized something and simply disconnected, so I lost not only ProPilot but FSP as well. I hoped nothing worse will come. I could join the company TS channell, and were listening as the others were chatting with each other, and joking a lot. I had to prepare for my exams, so I stood quiet and took off the headset many times during the flight. We approached Gran Canaria and decided in the landing order, when that slow ATC guy mixed everything. I had to slow down but he just did not get me descending clearance, rather forced to switch server, because the region was full of traffic. Well, I did change server but that was a deadly decision as I could not go online anymore. I just listened others on TS as descending and landing, but after 7 hours in the air, I did not reach Las Palmas. I was very angry and did not join the group for the next leg. 2 days after I tried the route once more and everything went fine, as there was not ATC at all. Apart from the end it was a very good EHM flyin again, and hoping that I can join even more in the future."