1938 Ryan SC-W by Steven D. Myers ( mostly, anyway ) for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004, FS9, A
Century of Flight or whatever you prefer.
smyers@email.arizona.edu
This zip file should contain one Ryan SC-W model with two versions, U.S. and Canadian.
Here's a brief look at the history of the SC-W...
Most of us are familiar with the Ryan ST series of 2-place training and sporting aircraft. Their gleaming
metal fuselages, brisk performance and smart art-deco lines caught the fancy of the aviating public very
quickly. With the success of that type assured, T. Claude Ryan thought it might be wise to offer a fully
enclosed cabin plane to the GA public. The new model would be suitable for light cross-country and
recreational use, as well as for basic training, and generally getting from here to there as quickly and
smartly as possible. The aircraft would also embody even more of the cutting edge metal construction
technology than the ST. The prototype was rolled out in the spring of 1937 and made a favoable
impression right away. They say if it looks good,it is good,and the SC looked great. Originally powered with a
150 HP Menasco inline engine, initial flight trails were carried out in that configuration. The new Ryan
proved to be an exceptionally good flyer; easy, responsive and predictable. It was not, however, an
aerobatic machine like it's older sister, the ST. In fact, besides the mostly metal construction,
the two ships had little in common. Shortly after roll-out, the decision was made to switch engines to the
145 HP Warner. The radial seemed to be less expensive, more reliable and, generally, easier to live with.
Prodution was to begin immediatly, in the spring of 1938, with an initial batch of 25 ships. No doubt Mr.
Ryan envisioned the stamping out of dozens of his little hot-rod, the metal construction techniques allowing
for brisk mass-production. Just after production began, however, government agencies both here and
abroad approached Ryan with orders for his stout ST trainer. The build up for WWII had begun and
offers were made to Ryan that he couldn't refuse. The SC was shelved for the duration after only 12 planes
were built. When the dust had cleared, Ryan decided to purchase manufacturing rights for the North
American Navion rather than re-start the SC. Unfortunately, the smart new ship of 1938 had developed a few
age wrinkles by 1946. The Navion was a far more capable machine, even if it wasn't nearly the heartthrob
the SC was. One more aircraft was built from existing inventory after the war, and the SC was put to rest
for good. Though it's production run was short, the SC left a strong impression on aviation history as an
advanced concept that was every inch a thoroughbred. Good show, Mr Ryan!
Your virtual Ryan SC-W has a 2D panel of fair appearance, and an acceptable (I think) VC. I've tried
to keep file size down without compromising appearance. I've also included Dave Eckerts' well known pilot
figure, reflective textures and the usual animation for the type, nothing fancy. The SC has a working
underside perforated landing flap that looks like a baby SBD dive flap. The conventional flap keys
operate the flap. Use shift+E to open the canopy. Use Ctrl+L to deploy the landing light. The panel
light switch will turn both the panel and nav lights on or off. After owning the SC for a while, I
had the local FBO install a seperate switch for the nav lights.;^) Now I can use the nav lights without
the panel lights on, depending on the time of day. If you want to fly your SC as a restored classic in the
present day, shift+2 pops up com1 and shift+3 pops up the GPS.
Installation
You should be able to install the Ryan SC-W right into FS9 by telling WinZip to Extract to: "C:\" (no quotes), assuming you have a default installation of FS9 (C:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\Flight Simulator 9\...). Be sure to check the Use Folder Names button, if not already checked. I've told WinZip to copy the path information so the Ryan SC-W should drop right into your Aircraft folder and appear in the Select Aircraft menu in FS9. Alternatively, you can extract everything to a Temp folder of your choosing, find the RyanSC folder, and cut and paste it into the ...Flight Simulator 9\Aircraft folder. In the Select Aircraft menu,look for Ryan, the Spirit of St Louis is in the same group. If you have other Ryans,go to Aircraft Model and look for SC-W. And remember, please to cut and paste the contents of the gauges folder into the main FS9 gauges folder. You could put the *.cab files into the RyanSC\panel folder if you wish. I have all the FS9 *.cab files in my
main gauges folder so FS Panel Studio can find them easier.
Flying the Ryan SC-W...
The SC-W is the most capable ship I've built so far. It seats 3, has a range of 450 miles and a cruise of 120mph @1800RPM.
It seems to fly pretty easy, though. I'll open the throttle slowly till I reach a speed of 60mph or so. Aim for a 900
FPM rate of climb at sea level. You'll see the RPMs lag as you climb due to the load on the engine. As you level off
to altitude, RPMs will catch up. Use the elevator trim (gauge on panel) as neccessary. The SC is a GA aircraft not
designed for aerobatics, therefore I fly her gently, with no violent maneuvers. If you exceed her limits, you're on your
own!! She seems very stable and predictable, though. THe SC could be flown with the canopy open with no ill effects.
Cruise speed drops a bit above 5000 ft. I still get cose to 110MPH. As you descend, RPMs will now lead. Throttle back
to avoid overspeeding the engine. The flap will really slow you down. Keep the power up to avoid sinking too fast.
I've landed her at much less than the advertised 60MPH. Because I'm not much of a pilot, I've flown her only in Easy Mode.
Issues...
My SC is not perfect, here's a few issues.
***Moire patterns...You may notice moire patterns around the rivets and cylinders, etc. I get it with every plane I've built or downloaded. Must be a card thing.
***The lever between the seats is the Johnson bar for differential brakes and is cosmetic only. FS dosen't support brake pedals that I know of. Many owners converted to toe brakes.
***The fuel tap is also cosmetic.
***The mixture control will kill the engine, as usual.
*** The VC. Ive included only enough to be seen in a normal seating position. If you step outside the airplane in the VC or extend your head out the top, youll notice the missing parts. Ill extend my head up a maximum of 4 Shift + Enter keystrokes. That seems to be enough.
*** Engine Lead and Lag...It's just a bit more than I'd like, but I can't seem to adjust it. No big deal, just something
to be aware of.
***Not a 1% airfile, just the best I can do. I"d welcome aany advice.
***Repainting...I haven't yet reached the point where I can accomodate the repainters out there. I have no objections to
those wishing to try, however.
Im placing no restrictions on my work, just credit me for the original and please consider the gauge designers, of which I am not one.
Thanks
Thanks to all the boys at SurClaro, SurClaro.com, Freeflightdesign.com, Sim-outhouse.com, the Golden Eagles Squadron and Blue Arrow. Your contributions to my knowledge base, knowingly or otherwise, are greatly appreciated. Especially to Michael
Davies and Au-Mav at the Outhouse for their help with my texture and quarter pie problems!!
and to Louis Sinclair for FSDS2, without which Id be S.O.L.
and to the gauge designers. I wish I knew who you are. Though all the instruments are from the sim, the throttle, carb heat knob and light switches are from other freeware projects. Im sure J.L. Stubbs had a hand in at least one of them, and Ill gladly give credit to the designers of the others. I built none of them, and wouldnt knowingly abuse someone elses rights.
A special thanks goes to Russell Williams for maintaining one of the most valuable vintage aircraft web sites on the net. Russell is an accomplished pilot and avid collector of old aircraft, in addition to being quite well versed in the subject of aircraft maintenance and repair. This fellow REALLY knows his s**t!
Thats about it, folks. The SC is really a bit beyond my ability.I'm sure I've missed several details and I've taken many short-cuts, but I think it captures the spirit of the SC-W fairly well. Please enjoy your Ryan and remember to maintain thine airspeed, lest the earth rise up and smite thee.
