Franklin's lost expedition was a British voyage of Arctic exploration led by Captain Sir John Franklin that departed England in 1845. A Royal Navy officer and experienced explorer, Franklin had served on three previous Arctic expeditions, the latter two as commanding officer. His fourth and last, undertaken when he was 59, was meant to traverse the last unnavigated section of the Northwest Passage. After a few early fatalities, the two ships became icebound in Victoria Strait near King William Island in the Canadian Arctic. The entire expedition complement, including Franklin and 128 men, was lost.
So why not to follow
“Franklin’s lost expedition” by Flight Simulator?
The Ideas was to start in Iceland, to be exact: in Patreksfjordur.
A straight course to Kulusuk in Greenland.
From Kulusuk a course over icy Greenland to Nuuk, on the westside of this vast Island.
Out of Nook we start to follow Franklin’s traces:
- Nuuk to Aasiaat to refuel the aircraft.
- Aasiaat to a remote Island, where Franklin and his crew bunkered last supply.
- Then a flight to another remote Island, where Franklin has been seen for the last time by british whale-hunters.
- Then we are about to cross the Baffin Bay towards Devon Island and following the Lancaster Sound to Beechey Island where Franklin’s Expedition rested during the Winter 1845/1846
- After a brief rest we follow Franklin’s Route to the north. He beliefs to find an iceless route to the north polar sea. But he was forced to return to Beechey Island.
- After that we follow his route until King William Island. Here on this vast and cold coast, the Expedition was lost.
More Information about this tragic Expedition you will find here:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franklin%27s_lost_expedition
And this is the route Thom and I would like to follow!
Franklin’s Expedition 1845
Leg #1
Patreksfjordur Iceland (BIPA) to Kulusuk (BGKK) Greenland
This Leg #1 measures 326nm and with an C-47 Skytrain and 160 IAS you have to plan about 2hrs of flighttime. A straight line over the Denmark Strait to Kulusuk – and it’s wintertime here in the northern hemisphere!
Well then: Patreksfjordur, March 9th 2015 at 8:00z (10:00lt) and prepared for my first flight to Kulusuk in Greenland. As you can see, still daybreak here!
The aircraft is refueled with 2900lt of aviation gasoline and some cargo of 950kg.TOW: 11.1t
Patreksfjordur is a small village in the Westfjord of Iceland with 650 inhabitants.Amenities include a swimming pool, bank, campsite, four guesthouses, a hotel, two restaurants, two cafes and a petrol station. That’s it.
The weather en route is checked, IFR-flightplan is filed – CLR received – checklist OK, so ready to start the engines!
Let’s go for take-off runway 14 with wind 170/12 Q1018
And here I go into a new adventure!
First I follow the runway heading to come clear of the of the montains in the Westfjord.
Turning right to my mag course 297° in climb for FL80. The VAR true/mag amounts here up to 27°!
Reaching my cruising alt FL80..
.. and in contact with Reykjavik-Radar. Once in a while, I can follow the conversation of ATC and airliners travelling far above of me!
The Danmark Strait or Greenland Sound. Well known for pack-ice and during World War II, the Battle of the Denmark Strait took place on 24 May 1941. The German battleship Bismarck sank the British battlecruiser HMS Hood, which exploded with the loss of all but three of its 1,418 crew.
Finally the first sight of Greenland’s east coast with it’s icy small islands.
I’m more than happy that Greenland-Radar provides Radar-Vectors to Kulusuk for an ILS approach runway 11
Unknown land – but a grandiose and silent landscape!
On a mid final runway 11 Kulusuk. All set in the cockpit!
Some wind from the right side with 10kts – manageable!
Landing in Kulusuk at time 11:32z (UTC-2)
Snowsquall while turning back to the ramp!
What to say about Kulusuk? The island is small, 8 km from north to south and 11 km from west to east. It is hilly throughout, with several distinct mountains dominating the eastern and southern coast. The village is served by Kulusuk Airport, one of two international airports in eastern Greenland. It provides direct connections to Nuuk on the western coast, Reykjavík in Iceland, and Tasiilaq on Ammassalik Island, which links many other villages in the region through settlement helicopter flights.
Welcome to Greenland!
