Northwest Passage.

[aquila1004]

Navigating the Northwest Passage in the Sea King. An ekranoplan--which runs just as well over sea ice as over open water--is perfectly suited to Arctic operations. An added bonus is that the depth of the water isn't an issue, so it can negotiate waterways much too shallow for an ordinary ship.

Starting out from Sept Ilês, Quebec.

Passing the Tourngat Moutains of northern Labrador.

Moonrise over Lawson Island, Nunavut.

Landing on the dirt strip at Hall Beach, Nunavut.

The route so far.

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I'm spending the night at Resolute Bay, just a few miles south of the 75ºN limit of X-Plane's global scenery. (Although I can go as far north as 80º with old ENV files available online.) Tomorrow I'll be heading for Alaska.


TH

[aquila1004]

Just landed in Barrow, Alaska, completing the passage. In reality, the whole area which I crossed is currently covered with sea ice: http://arctic.atmos.uiuc.edu/cryosphere ... shade.html However, being an ekranoplan, the Sea King is just as capable of flying over sea ice as over open water, although the occasional "hop" over rough areas might be necessary. It isn't clear if the ice is thick enough to land a craft the size of the Sea King on it (I would guess not), so I limited myself to landings on actual land, making stops at Sept Ilês, Quebec; Cartwright, Labrador; Hall Beach, Nunavut; Resolute Bay, Nunavut; and Barrow, Alaska.

Taking off from Resolute Bay.

Passing through the Prince of Wales Strait.

In fog off the north coast of Alaska.

Route from Resolute Bay to Barrow.

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[ Play Quicktime file ] seaking_landing.3gp [ 489.62 KiB | Viewed 12960 times ]

Whoever invented thrust reversers should win a Nobel prize.



TH