This Flight Simulator 2004 aircraft was produced with Abacus FS Design Studio 3.5.1, FS Panel Studio 2004, and Paint Shop Pro X.
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Installation FS2004:
-Extract the contents of the main zip file S43PAA.zip into FS2004's Aircraft folder. This should create a structure something like the following:
- c:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\Flight Simulator 9
--- Aircraft
----- Sikorsky S43 PAA
-------- model
-------- panel
-------- sound
-------- texture
-Once these files are extracted, Flight Simulator 2004 should exhibit a new entry under Aircraft/Select Aircraft on the menu bar:
--Sikorsky / S-43 Pan American
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Flying the S-43:
The S-43 is an amphibian. It can take off from land or water. You can fly from seaplane runways like X44 Miami FL, NK30 Brooklyn NY, 07L Agawam MA, or 22CA Sausalito CA.
There are small icons in the 2D panel for displaying the engine instruments, ADF radio, overhead panel, checklists, ATC window, map window, and GPS.
See the kneeboard checklist for manual engine starting procedures. You can start the engines with the Magneto/starter switches in the Virtual Cockpit, or on the 2D main panel.
This S-43 had 750 hp Hornet S1EG engines. Maximum manifold pressure was 40.5 inches, for ONE MINUTE. Maximum continuous was 35 inches at 2275 RPM.
For assistance with the Sperry Autopilot, see the Microsoft Flight Simulator Learning Center, Index (letter D), Douglas DC-3, Flight Notes, Using the Autopilot.
There are non-standard fuel flow gauges in the 2D engine instruments window to assist in fuel management. You need to burn around 253 pounds per hour per engine to make a 4-1/2-hour flight of 775 miles.
Use the Exit command (Shift-E) to open and close the passenger and cargo hatches.
The virtual cockpit may be better viewed if you hit the minus (-) key once or twice, to get back to a 75% or 50% zoom.
FS9 Virtual Cockpit How To:
-Move from pilot to copilot seat --- Ctrl-Shift-Enter to move right
-Move from copilot to pilot seat --- Ctrl-Shift-Backspace to move left
-See the passenger compartments --- Ctrl-Enter to move aft
-Return to flight deck --- Ctrl-Backspace to move forward
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Known issues:
-Non-historically realistic controls:
-- Fuel Flow Gauges (2D engine instr panel): I added these gauges to make it easier to track fuel consumption.
-- Radio Direction Finders: This model uses ADF and RMI direction finder displays in the 2D popup. No evidence that the S-43 actually had these advanced displays.
-- No gear lever. Click gear indicator lights in 2D or 3D cockpit to toggle, or press G.
-- No flap handle. Click flap indicator gauge (left to retract, right to extend) or use F5, F6, F7, F8.
-Sound. To save space, this model comes with a sound.cfg file that points to a default sound package, the DC-3.
Authorship:
The visual model is completely original. The textures are original. Most of the gauges are modified from XML gauges supplied in FS2004, with original artwork.
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Special Thanks:
New England Air Museum (Windsor Locks, Connecticut, http://www.neam.org/)
Personnel:
-Michael Speciale, Executive Director, for permission to photograph at the museum.
-John Craggs, volunteer, for assistance in multiple photo and research sessions.
-Tom Palshaw, volunteer, for assistance in flight instrument photo session.
-Al Charlevois, former Pan Am pilot and museum docent, for assistance in locating engine reference data.
Icarus Books (http://www.icarusbooks.com/):
-Bob Repich, for a copy of the Sikorsky S-43 sales booklet.
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Background:
The Sikorsky S-43 NC15063 (c/n 4303) was the third of 53 S-43s produced by Sikorsky, under ATC numbers 593 and 623. Thirteen were built for Pan American Airways. Others went to the U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, Inter-Island Airways of Hawaii, and airlines in France, Russia, China, Norway and Chile.
This plane was delivered to Pan Am in January 1936. It also served with Pan Am's affiliate Panair do Brasil as registration number PP-PBA. It eventually crashed.
Other Pan Am S-43s include: NC15064 (PP-PAW), NC15065 (Panagra Santa Maria), NC15066, NC15067 (PP-PAR), NC15068 (PP-PAU), NC16926 (PP-PBN), NC16927 (PP-PBM), NC16928 (Panagra), NC16930, NC16931 (PP-PBL), NC16932, NC16933.
Construction of the S-43s occurred mostly from 1935 to 1937, but one example was procured by the Army in 1942.
The S-43 was designed to carry 15 to 19 passengers. Some examples were configured for 25 passengers.
Passengers entered the plane through the hatch at the top of the rear fuselage. A forward door was used for loading crew, cargo and supplies.
Between the cockpit and passenger cabin was an area for baggage, mail, a bathroom, and the steward's compartment.
An excerpt from 'Flight' magazine, October 17, 1935 illustrates takeoff performance -- 'Finding Her Feet': "The Sikorsky S-43 amphibian (two 750 h.p. Hornets) has lately been testing her wheel undercarriage at Rentschler Field. One take-off was made in 16 sec, at a gross weight of 18,500 lb. after a run of 884ft."
=Other S-43 facts:
.One S-43 survives today in flyable condition. That was Howard Hughes's personal amphibian. Another exists, painted as a Marine JRS-1, at the Pima Air and Space museum in Arizona. Another JRS is reported to be at the Smithsonian's Garber Restoration and Storage facility.
.The S-43, piloted by Boris Sergievsky, set 4 world's Class C-3 Seaplane records for payload and altitude (0 kg and 500 kg at 24,951 feet) on April 14, 1936. On April 25, the S-43 took 1000 kg and 2000 kg to 19,626 feet, two more records.
.On a demo flight for newsreel cameras on June 1, 1935, Sergievsky took off in the first S-43 with only one engine running. One engine gave out on the takeoff run, and rather than abort the flight in front of movie cameras, Sergievsky cut power to the bad engine, adjusted the trim, and took off.
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References:
New England Air Museum, Bradley International Airport, Windsor Locks, CT
Sikorsky Aviation, 'Sikorsky S-43', ca. 1935, sales booklet.
'Flight Journal, February 1999, article 'Howard Hughes's Sikorsky S-43: The Legend Lives On'
Joseph Juptner, 'US Civil Aircraft Vol. 6', McGraw-Hill 1997
Stan Cohen, 'Hawaiian Airlines', Pictorial Histories Publishing 1986
Francis Chapman, 'Talking to the World from Pan Am's Clippers', Carstens Publications 1999
Boris Sergievsky, 'Airplanes, Women, and Song', Syracuse University Press 1999
Civil Aeronautics Administration Aircraft Specification A-593, revision 2.
http://www.seawings.co.uk Walk-Around section, Sikorsky JRS-1 (two galleries)
R.E.G. Davies, 'Pan Am - An Airline and Its Aircraft', Orion Books, 1997
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This model is freeware.
All comments and suggestions welcome.
E-mail: george_diemer@msn.com
