So, much like my usual flights out, decided to do a short - haul flight on the A320. Never one to shrink from a challenge, I stretched to two challenges for this particular short-haul route that is flown by Indigo Flight 45 ; VIDP - VNKT on the expert server.
Now the one thing Delhi is currently notorious for is the smog that blankets it; which sometimes is so bad that flights are delayed, diverted or cancelled. Sure enough, when I started at VIDP on the Expert server I could just about make the center line while taxiing out in the A320.
Visibility cut it close to the bare minimum at 125 meters by the time upong lining up at the runway, so rolled for takeoff. And I don’t mind admitting, without instruments this climbout was very disorienting.
So it was a relief to have a VFR-worthy clear sky just past 3000 ft, upon which I began the northeast turn to VNKT and climbing to cruise at FL320
Apart from some light turbulence in between, all went well throughout the cruise.
Now, I think any aviator knows that for an ideal approach to an airfield based in mountainous terrain would usually be the stepped approach. So, without any charts (and only the knowledge that airport’s elevation was at 4395 ft), decided to play this in what I called 3-2-1; Basically a descent to FL300, then FL200,
then down to FL100,
before a slam dunk approach once I cleared the mountains south of RWY 02.
Apart from being one of the few times I had to deploy spoilers in flight to slow for landing, touched down safely
If you made it here, thanks for taking the time to read :).
