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FS2002 DOUGLAS DC-7/DC-7B
Moving Parts Version 4 8/2002
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Painted by Tom Gibson
All-new plane by Harry Follas and Tom Gibson
Metal textures by Harry Follas
DC-6B Flight Model by Brian Horsey, modified to DC-7 by Tom Gibson
FS2002 FEATURES:
1. Contrails whenever you want them (press the I key)
2. FS2002 style nav, landing, and beacon lights (press the L key)
3. FS2002 style visual effects, including touchdown smoke
4. Working NAV2 radio
5. Prop reverse (throttle to idle, press F2 for a couple of seconds,
allow plane to slow down, press F1 to go back to forward thrust)
6. Reduced Turning radius
7. If desired, you can have a smoky piston engine startup, complete
with smoke and exhaust flame
Limitations: There are currently no landing lights that illuminate the
ground. These have to be built into a new MDL file, using a new
construction program (a big project!). Someday...
FEATURES FROM EARLIER VERSIONS:
1. The nose gear will rotate if you move your yoke or joystick (assuming you
have autocoordination ON).
SPEED BRAKES
When flying the DC-7, the main gear can be used as a speed brake. Use the
spoiler key (/) to lower and raise the main gear (in spot view you will
actually see them come down!). Do not lower them at more than 255 kts,
and you should be slower than 170 kts to raise them (the hydraulic system
isn't strong enough to raise them at higher speeds). Thus they are best used
during the descent to landing.
REALISTIC ENGINE START
To start the engines realistically and individually, do this (you must have
Auto Mixtures unchecked in Aircraft/Realism):
1. Go to spot view (Shift-S) or look back at your engines (3 on the numeric
keypad with NumLock on).
2. Press Ctrl-Shift F1 to change mixtures to Idle Cutoff.
3. Press E3 to select engine #3.
4. Press M and then = (on the main keyboard); hold down the = key.
5. Wait for 6 prop blades to pass by.
6. Let go of the = key and press Ctrl-Shift F4 (mixture to Full Rich);
engine 3 will start.
7. Press E4 to select engine #4.
8. Repeat steps 4-6 to start engine #4.
9. Repeat steps 3-6 to start engines 2 and 1 (E2 and E1).
10. Normal start sequence is 3-4-2-1.
CHECKLISTS
Included are Before Starting Engines, Starting Engines, Engine Run-up,
Before Takeoff, Takeoff Data (V speeds), Climb, Cruise, Before Landing,
and After Landing. The best spot to stash the checklist is in the upper
left corner, except on landing. Then put it on the left edge of the panel
just above the radar, and just to the left of the flight instruments.
Enjoy! Thanks to John Anderson for the checkedit program, which makes
editing checklists easy (available as chke11.zip from www.SurClaro).
This plane also features textured props, and animated landing gear, flaps,
ailerons, elevators, and rudder.
Tom Gibson's comments:
I would like to thank Shoichiro Homma, Rich Boehringer, Dave McQueen,
and Mike Vidal for their help with this project.
I recommend my DC-7 IFR panel for flying this plane realistically.
The panels can be downloaded from the Cal Classic Page;
http://www.calclassic.com/panels.htm. You will need to change
the panel.cfg file; instructions are in the panel.cfg file.
Installation:
DO NOT USE THE CONVERTER ON THIS PLANE; IT IS ALREADY IN FS2002 FORMAT
When Lockheed developed the L1049 Super Constellation, TWA enjoyed an
advantage over other airlines, since the plane had non-stop transcontinental
range, and was faster than the DC-6 (TWA marketing people didn't think people
would sit still for a non-stop trip, however, and insisted on a stop until
American announced upcoming non-stop service with their new DC-7's!). To
counter this threat from the Super Conny, American requested that Douglas
develop a plane with the L1049's engines (Wright R-3350's). Douglas was
doubtful that a plane like that would sell, so American ordered 25 for $40
million, to provide an incentive. American ended up owning 34 DC-7's, and
sales were made almost exlcusively to domestic US operators which used them on
transcontinental routes, since the DC-7 didn't have the range for transocean
non-stops and thus would not be much improvement over the DC-6B. However,
they were very successful in transcontinental service, since they were faster
than the Super Constellations, and allowed American to advertise 8 hour non-stop
service.
Sales eventually totalled 105, with the initial purchasers being Untited (57),
American (34), Delta (10), and National (4). However, Douglas went on to modify
the DC-7 (with more fuel) to the DC-7B, and (with a lengthened fuselage and wings)
to the DC-7C Seven Seas, and eventually sold a total of 338 of the DC-7 series, at
a substantial profit. The DC-7's proved to be less reliable than the fabled DC-6B,
and less economical as well. Thus, the DC-7's had a short stay in service with the
major airlines, and were sold soon after being replaced with jets.
The DC-7B was a direct development of the DC-7, which ushered in non-stop transcontinental
airline service. The DC-7B was externally identical to the DC-7, except for DC-7C style
lengthened nacelles filled with fuel on Pan American and South African examples. This
extra fuel often enabled non-stop transatlantic flights under normal circumstances
(anything more than light headwinds still required a westbound stop at Gander or Iceland).
Thus, many of the DC-7B's were sold to airlines with international routes, although
Eastern had a large fleet of the planes, and later DC-7 deliveries to American and
Delta were designated DC-7B's. Lockheed, after seeing the impressive speed and range
statistics of the DC-7B, hurredly began development of the 1049G model from their
current offering (the L1049E), but the DC-7B was still a little faster than even the
Super G.
Douglas ended up selling 112 DC-7B's (more than the 105 DC-7's sold), and the DC-7B
proved to be a very popular plane on overseas routes. The DC-7B is often considered
the fastest of the Douglas propliners due to aerodynamic improvements over the DC-7,
but they proved to be less reliable and economical than the DC-6 series, and almost
all DC-7/7B's have been retired and scrapped.
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NOTE: This plane and many other classic airliners can be
downloaded free from Tom Gibson's Cal Classic web site at -
http://www.calclassic.com/
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FLYING THE DC-7
The DC-7 IFR Panel contains an updated HOW TO FLY THE DC-7 file;
use that file if you are using that panel! However, for those without
the panel:
This plane has flight dynamics that make the
climb and cruise performance more accurate. Below
10,000 ft, you can fly without particular worry (monitor
airspeed on climbs, though). Any higher, and you will have to
start using the prop controls (blue knobs) to maximize
performance (above 8-10,000 ft. I find 2300 rpm works well.
You will not be able to reach cruise speeds of 300-320 knots TAS at
higher altitudes without adjusting the prop controls.
Also, adjusting the mixture for maximum power will save fuel as well.
I usually end up with a setting about 3/4's down the quadrant at
20,000 feet.
Even when you have adjusted the controls properly, when you
attempt to climb above 8-10,000 ft on the autopilot, you will
notice your speed begin to drop. Monitor your Manifold Pressure (MAP)
gauges, and as they drop increase the throttle to keep MAP constant.
Also, monitor KIAS (Indicated Airspeed, set this in
Options/Preferences/Instrument/Display Indicated Airspeed), and if it
drops much below 150 knots, level out, allow speed to increase, and then
begin climbing again. This is quite accurate; prop airliners (and many
jets above 25,000 ft) had to climb in steps to eventually reach cruising
altitude, often waiting to become lighter as fuel burned off. When fully
loaded with fuel, the recommended cruising altitude for a DC-7 was only
15,000 ft; you can climb later as fuel burns off. Typical cruising
altitudes for long distance DC-7 flights were at 19-25,000 ft.
At a true airspeed of 300 knots TAS (normal cruise speed), your indicated
airspeed will be around 241 knots KIAS.
As an example, Dave McQueen sent me a record of a PAA
Stratocruiser flight from Honolulu to Travis AFB (near San
Francisco), and the climb steps/time were:
Alt. Time
9,000 1126
11,000 1300
13,000 1430
13,000 1600
15,000 1720
15,000 1830
17,000 1930
Thus he started his final climb from 9,000 ft at 11:30 am,
stopped climbing at 11,000 (short time),
stopped climbing at 13,000 (1hr. 30 min.),
stopped climbing at 15,000 ft (1 hr),
and didn't get up to 17,000 ft until 7:30 pm!
DC-7's had considerably better performance than that; you
should be able get up to cruising altitude in about a half
hour, if you adjust your controls every 5 minutes or so for
maximum performance. Above 8-10,000 feet you'll need to stop
climbing when the speed gets below 170 KIAS or so, usually
every 2-4,000 ft. (odd thousands for heading 0-179 degrees
(9,000, 11,000, 13,000, etc.), even thousands for heading
180-359 degrees) (now you know why they carried a flight
engineer!). I hope you enjoy the new accuracy, if not you may
change the Induced Drag Scalar in Options/Design
Aircraft/Performance (FS5) or ADE98 to 0.12 instead.
Specifications: (FS2002 airspeed indicator is calibrated in KNOTS!)
Power plant: Four Wright R-3350-18DA2 radial engines of 3,250 h.p.
(R-3350-18DA4 in the DC-7B)
Dimensions: Span,117 ft; Length,109 ft; Height,29.5 ft
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Stall Speed (clean): 100 knots
Stall Speed (full flaps): 90 knots
Maximum Speed (Vne): 309 kts
Maximum Operating Speed (Vmo): 265 knots
Max Flaps Extended: 0-20: 170 kts
30-50: 159 kts
Max Landing Gear Extended: 170 kts
Max Landing Lights Extended: 212 kts
Max Altitude: 28,000 ft
Max Takeoff Weight: 122,200 lbs
Max Landing Weight: 97,000 lbs
This model is at Max Takeoff Weight with full fuel load.
For Max Landing Weight you must be below 24% fuel load.
Takeoff Power 56.5" MAP at 2900 RPM Limit 2 min. (~500 ft AGL)
METO 47.5" 2600 (to ~ 1500 ft AGL)
Climb 43" 2500 (~175 kts)
Max Cruise 41" 2400
Descent 17" min 1700 min (do not exceed Vmo)
(keep at least 1" MAP for each 100 RPM - i.e. no less than
20" map at 2000 rpm)
(700-800 fpm max if pressurized, 300-350 fpm max if not)
Initial rate of climb: 1,520 ft/min (900 fpm is good in FS).
Takeoff distance: 5,500 ft. @ sea level
Landing distance: 4,010 ft.
Empty weight: 66,306 lbs.
Maximum takeoff weight: 122,200 lbs.
Maximum landing weight: 97,000 lbs.
Max range: 3900 miles
Max payload range: 2850 miles
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Now the legal stuff:
COPYRIGHT 2002 BY TOM GIBSON AND HARRY FOLLAS, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
THIS AIRPLANE IS THE PROPERTY OF THE AUTHOR, AND CANNOT BE
RE-SOLD OR PACKAGED WITH ANY PRODUCT FOR SALE, WITHOUT THE
EXPRESS WRITTEN PERMISSION OF THE AUTHORS. THIS INCLUDES
"FREE" CD COMPILATIONS WITH A CHARGE OF ANY KIND. THIS IS
FREEWARE!!
YOU MAY UPLOAD THIS PLANE TO ANY OTHER SERVER THAT HAS A FREE
DISTRIBUTION POLICY. IF THIS PLANE IS UPLOADED TO RESTRICTED
SERVERS (LIKE THE OLD COMPUSERVE FSFORUM)(NOT THE AUTHOR'S INTENTION),
IT MAY BE DOWNLOADED AND UPLOADED TO OTHER SERVERS. THIS
NOTICE CONSTITUTES THE AUTHORS' REQUIREMENT TO ALLOW THIS.
THIS FILE ARCHIVE MUST NOT BE UPLOADED TO A SITE OR LOCATION THAT
CLAIMS ANY SORT OF COPYWRITE ON THE FILE; COPYWRITE REMAINS WITH
THE ORIGINAL AUTHOR. UPLOADING OF THIS FILE TO SUCH A SITE DOES
NOT CONSTITUTE PERMISSION OF THE AUTHOR TO VIOLATE THESE TERMS BY
THAT SITE.
THIS FILE ARCHIVE MAY NOT BE UPLOADED TO SERVERS THAT HAVE A CHARGE
FOR THEIR USE; IF A VIABLE FREE OPTION IS PROVIDED THIS FILE MAY BE
UPLOADED THERE.
THIS FILE ARCHIVE MUST REMAIN INTACT; YOU MAY NOT REMOVE OR UPLOAD
PARTS OF THIS ARCHIVE. THIS ENTIRE TEXT FILE MUST BE INCLUDED IN ANY
DISTRIBUTION.
REPAINTS OF THIS AIRCRAFT ARE ALLOWED WITHOUT FURTHER PERMISSION.
HOWEVER, IF YOU REPAINT THE PLANE YOU MUST CREDIT THE ORIGINAL
AUTHORS IN YOUR TEXT FILE AND INCLUDE THIS TEXT FILE.
THE AUTHORS ARE NOT LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGE THAT YOU MIGHT
INCUR AS A RESULT OF USING THESE PRODUCTS. YOU ASSUME THE RISK
OF USE.
