AMPHIBIAN AREA-51's FLYING TRIANGLE the TR-3B (Tactical Reconnaissance type 3B) ASTRA LOCUST
used by the Government/Military for purposes of information gathering (spying) and special missions since the late 1980's. Yep, believe it or not.


I M P O R T A N T :

Because of the high TR-3B speed that can be attained, move the joystick only very slightly and carefully. Try NOT to exceed 5G turns at 80,000 feet AGL, as the TR-3B may get into an almost irrecoverable spin. 18G turns are possible at low altitude. It is recommended to switch ON the frame-friendly 3D-HUD, even though some gauges are then redundant. It really helps keeping the TR-3B under control by not losing orientation.

First learn how to fly this complex TR-3B at low to moderate speeds, with the Magnetic Field Disruptor (flaps) at the 1st or 2nd position. At higher Magnetic Field Disruptor settings it flies a bit like a Harrier jet fighter, but I did not manage to have it hover at zero speed. The slowest speed is around 28 KIAS with full Magnetic Field Disruptor (flaps) setting.

Use one hand for the mouse and the other hand for the joystick, because you need to operate the panel switches a lot while in flight. Always move the joystick smoothly and calmly, never make sudden movements. Especially at high altitude high speed, move the stick with extreme care. It takes an SR-71 Blackbird to turn at Mach 3 a radius of at least 100 miles, so imagine a plane at Mach 4.7. The TR-3B, however, can take 14G+ turns at Mach 4+ within a few miles radius, but only at medium altitude. At very high altitude the TR-3B may then get into a spin, so do not exceed 5G turns at very high altitude.

To recover from a high altitude Mach 5+ spin, due to excessive G turn : Switch the Magnetic Field Disruptor ON at maximum (full flaps, hit F8) and Spoiler (the '/' key) at maximum. Wait until the TR-3B slows to Mach 0.5 and then switch the Magnetic Field Disruptor & Spoiler at zero (hit F5) and put the TR-3B in a steep dive. Or simply end the flight and start again.





C H E C K L I S T :


GOOD TO KNOW

0 - There are 3 sim variations of the TR-3B : the purple Astra, the blue Locust (requires less video memory), and the white Hellas
1 - This TR-3B is not for the lazy pilot and not for the one who gives up soon
2 - You need one hand for the mouse and the other hand for the joystick
3 - There are over a 130 gauges, so there is plenty work to do
4 - Some gauges may seem redundant, but that is for either backup or for comparing the typical characteristics. They do behave all different
5 - It is very tempting to race and make quick high-G turns. That's completely fine, but at high altitudes you cannot do the same quick hi-G tricks because the air is a lot thinner out there and you will end up in a stall & spin
6 - At high altitude at Mach 4.7+ speed, take the turns very wide. A radius of tens of miles is normal for that kind of speed. Avoid exceeding 5G in such turns at very high altitude
7 - Best cruise for Autopilot flight with lots of waypoints is slightly over Mach 2 and around 27000 feet altitude. Best cruise for Autopilot flight with direct GPS is Mach 4.7 (maximum) ar around 72,000 feet
8 - Max power obtained between 36 and 72 percent throttle (numeric displayed on Alien head). Watch the best ecomnomic fuel flow
9 - Recommended maximum speed at very low altitude : Mach 2.3. Do not exceed otherise you get buffeting, i.e. the flight may be a bit rocky or bumpy
10 - In the [CONTROLS] section of the FS2002.cfg file add the entry: stick_sensitivity_mode=0 , to put the turbulence and buffeting at a more realistic value


JOYSTICK

1 - Make sure Autorudder is OFF if your joystick has twist rudder function, otherwise leave it ON
2 - Calibrate the joystick if necessary
3 - To have your joystick operating better, avoiding excessive pitch responses for all aircraft
4 - Maximum speed at low altitude is set by throttle about 72%. N2 will be far over 100%
5 - Throttle idle and flaps zero will cruise the TR-3B at approx Mach 1.3. To fly lower speed, extend the Gear which will cause lots of drag


FUEL

1 - Fill up all fuel tanks. Fuel cross feed is fully automatic, but with the tank selector you can control each flow
2 - If you run out of fuel, and your FS2002 has 'unlimited fuel' checked on, then you can keep on flying another zillennium, however, then keep in mind that the craft is lighter and slightly more difficult to land
3 - There is a multifunctional fuel gauge in the cockpit. Please do not push any of the 3 round buttons at the bottom of this gauge, unless you want to dump fuel. The other buttons are for varuous fuel display functions


GRAVITY GEAR

1 - The Gravity Gear (landing gear) is in reality, for the TR-3B, a set of landing struts, but in the simulator the TR-3B simply hovers stationary when grounded
2 - In the water, the gear has a mild braking effect on horizontal movement, as it has in the air. Extended gear in the water will not cause the craft to sink
3 - On the ground, the gear damping feels somewhat like a jumbo jet
4 - When starting the engines, with Park Brake ON, the craft may rock a bit though the brakes. Just release the brakes and put Park Brake ON again



PANEL ILLUMINATION

1 - You can switch the panel lighting
2 - In dusk and night, the panel changes shades of light
3 - Main HUD (3D) ON/OFF by clicking on the left icon on left triangle overhead panel
4 - NAV Display ON/OFF by clicking on the right icon on the left triangle overhead panel



START ENGINES

1 - APU ON, Master switch ON and Avionics ON. Switch ON the Landing & Anti Collision Lights if you want
2 - Gravity Pull (spoiler) ON by hitting the / key
3 - Park Brake ON, by hitting CTRL-. (control dot)
4 - Hit F1 once, to set throttles at zero
5 - Hit F5 once, to set magnetic field disruptor (flaps) at zero
6 - First start engine-2 and -4. I desired, switch smoke ON (switch just below Eng-4). You can also use CTRL-E plus CRTL-F4 to automatically go through the start sequence of all engines. Alternatively, you can use the engine switches on right triangle overhead panel
7 - Apply a little reverse thrust with F2 if TR-3B starts moving on its own a bit too much. Do not brake, because Park Brake is already ON
8 - Reverse won't work in the water
9 - Park brake OFF by hitting the . key
10 - The switch right of NAV arc/rose is for GPS autopilot nav control
11 - Adjust the AIradarmap as needed
12 - Adjust the GPS as needed
13 - Please note that Engine-4 is located at the middle, not operated though the thrust levers but through the joystick lever. Engine-2 is located in front, Eng-1 & Eng-3 located each at rear corner. So, Eng-1 and Eng-3 must always be in sync, otherwise the TR-3B tuns around like a drunken coffee grinder
14 - When starting the engines, with Park Brake ON, the craft may rock a bit though the brakes. Just release the brakes and put Park Brake ON again


TAXI

1 - At least engine-2 running, or engines-2 & -4. Engines-1 & -3 are located at the corners, so applying throttle separately for each one of them will result into taxi turns
2 - Release Park Brake and put gravity pull (spoiler) ON with the / key
3 - Taxi speed should be up to 10 or 12 knots
4 - Steer with Rudder (for example by twisting the joystick, if it has that feature), or with banking if you have autorudder ON



SHORT TAKE-OFF (STOL)

1 - All Engines running.
2 - Hit F8, for maximum Magnetic Field Disruptor (full flaps)
3 - Set Trim at AUTO (left overhead panel)
4 - Open throttles gradually to maximum
5 - Ease the joystick backwards to lift off at about 28-30 KIAS
6 - Gear up, or if you take-off from water then leave it up
7 - Ease the joystick forward to level the TR-3B


HOVER

1 - All engines running
2 - F8 for max MFD (full flaps)
3 - / for max spoiler break
4 - Throttle max
5 - This will hover the TR-3B below 30 KIAS
6 - For faster flight, press / to set spoiler at zero


TRANSITION TO HORIZONTAL FLIGHT

1 - After near-vertical take-off, hit F6 a few times to gradually decrease Magnetic Field Disruptor (flaps) until zero
2 - Set Trim Auto OFF and click on the Trim center button (do NOT EVER forget this !!!)
3 - So, level the TR-3B to horizontal position and adjust the Trim by clicking in the center. Do NOT use auto trim at manual high speed. Fly like a jet
4 - You can exceed Mach 2+ at low altitude, but beware of buffeting
5 - Ignore the Overspeed signal at medium to high altitudes. The TR-3B will remain absolutely stable beyond maximum speed
6 - From approx 32,000 feet ASL, Mach 4.7 can be cruised
7 - Try not exceed altitude of 72,000 feet. Beyond that, the TR-3B may get unstable
8 - Autopilot works well till approx 65,000 feet ASL. Keep in mind that high Mach speed with autopilot makes the TR-3B take very wide turns around the GPS track at each waypoint. It is advised to decrease speed (to approx Mach 1) for an autopilot turn between waypoints that are rather near each other
9 - Put Yaw Damper ON, although it seems not have much effect
10 - Keep an eye on the G-meter and on the Trim at all times !
11 - When engaging Autopilot right after lift-off, make sure to stay under Mach 1 until the craft starts to align with the GPS path


CRUISING

1 - Cruising speed and altitude is, of course, at your own discretion
2 - For example, I cruised from Paris to Cairo, heading 137 at FL560 at Mach 4.7 with winds from 276 at gusts to 57, without any problem in about 45 minutes
3 - The trick is to reach cruising altitude manually, level-off the plane and then ALT HOLD
4 - Autopilot LEVEL at very high altitudes may not be the best way to stay indeed level
5 - When using GPS NAV at high Mach speeds, the craft may leave the GPS track forever, as the turns are too wide at such speeds, unless you reduce speed below Mach 1.3. Hence manual flight is recommended. Just follow the GPS track manually


TAKING TURNS AT HIGH SPEED

1 - Make sure FS2002 has autorudder OFF if your joystick has twist rudder function, otherwise leave it ON
2 - Use joystick that has rudder capability (see points 3, 4, 5, 6) or use autorudder
3 - Use rudder to go left or right, and the TR-3B will bank by itself. Exit the turn by banking to straight level. But you can also apply conventional turning technique.
4 - To speed up the turn, ease the joystick slightly backwards for socalled G-turns
5 - To end the turn, keep rudder centered and use only banking (NOT Rudder) to level off the TR-3B
6 - When exiting high speed G-turns, it is best to do so with a roll, in order to shake off excessive inertia forces
7 - At very high altitudes any turn beyond 5G may be punished by a (recoverable) stall, so you should take wide turns (like with a Blackbird or Valkyrie already at Mach 3.3+). Keep an eye on the G-meter whenever you make a high altitude turn


OVERSPEED & UNDERSPEED

1 - At low altitudes, the TR-3B will stay highly stable when you are on overspeed
2 - The TR-3B may stall near 90,000 feet ASL at Mach 6+ if you are in a spin. Remedy is explained earlier in this document
3 - Stallspeed is accompanied by a low pitch voice
4 - Overspeed is accompanied by a visual Overspeed warning
5 - At very high altitudes stay under Mach 5 and 5G's. So take a wide radius and a few minutes of turning time at such altitudes and speeds



QUITTING A SPIN AT 100,000 feet AGL

1 - Center the joystick
2 - Close throttle
3 - Gravity pull ON by hitting the / key
4 - Magnetic Field Disruptor (flaps) ON by hitting F8
5 - Autopilot OFF
6 - TR-3B may stall at Mach 6+ Keep in mind that the Prototype model is unstable at such high altitudes. The Astra, Locust & Hellas are stable
7 - Do nothing and wait until TR-3B stabilizes. It may take a few minutes
8 - Put TR-3B into a steep dive with Magnetic Field Disruptor (flaps) OFF by hitting F5 and Spoiler OFF by hitting "/"
9 - Exit the spin by applying maxium throttle and slow transit from dive to level
10 - Do not make crazy quick turns anymore at high altitude where turns need a lot more radius (the air is thinner high up there)
11 - Adjust throttle as needed, when fully recovered from the spin



DESCENT, APPROACH AND SHORT LANDING

1 - ATC as needed
2 - Pitch down and reduce speed
3 - At approx 2,000 feet, if you are still over Mach speed, use Gravity Gear ('G" key) so speed gets below Mach 0.5
4 - Or, instead of point 3 , hit F7 one notch to increase Magnetic Field Disruptor (flaps)
4 - At approx 1,200 feet Radar Altitude, hit F7 once more to increase Magnetic Field Disruptor
5 - Pitch down
6 - Control throttles carefully
7 - Gravity Gear ON and Park Brake ON, or leave it up if you want to land on water
8 - Auto Trim ON or OFF
9 - Pitch up towards horizontal level, and grafually apply more MFD (F7) notches each time
10 - At a few hundred feet Radar Altitude, hit F8 for maximum Magnetic Field Disruptor. Speed approx 35 KIAS. Do not bank anymore at this setting, or inertia will slowly rock the craft too much. So your final approach should be absolutely level
11 - Keep the TR-3B to horizontal position. Use pitch as needed but do not yaw or bank
12 - Just after touch down, hit the / Gravity Pull key, it works like a tailhook
13 - Try not exceed 700 feet per minute of vertical descent on touch down, even though the craft can have the double impact
14 - Park Brake OFF and Spoiler ON, Eng-1 and Eng-3 OFF, and taxi to the gate
15 - Radar altitude for landing on land is approx 21 feet, and on water approx 18 feet.


VERY SHORT LANDING

1 - As above, points 1 up to 11
12 - At few hundred feet radar altitude, hit the '/' Gravity Pull key and then F8 for maximum MFD
13 - Apply full throttle to hover
14 - Level the TR-3B.
15 - Descent approx 500 fpm
16 - Touch down at radar altitude of 21 feet on land, or 18 feet on water


HORIZONTAL LOW/MEDIUM SPEED FLIGHT

1 - Use all engines
2 - Set Trim AUTO or OFF
3 - Hit F5 and immediately F7 once or twice to set Magnetic Field Disruptor (flaps) at 2nd or 3rd position
4 - Apply additional throttle when making turns



VERY SLOW HORIZONTAL FLIGHT

1 - Use all Engines.
2 - Autotrim ON or OFF
3 - Hit F5, then F7 3 or 4 times to set Magnetic Field Disruptor (flaps) at approx 40% position
4 - Full throttle for lift-off
5 - Speed approx 50-80 KIAS
6 - Take turns very smoothly, adding throttle, and correct banking inertia well in time. Apply throttle to reduce banking inertia by increasing forward speed
7 - It flies a bit like a very heavy sluggish helicopter or overloaded Harrier


TAKING TURNS AT LOW SPEED

1 - Engines ON, and Autotrim ON or OFF
2 - Magnetic Field Disruptor (F7) in second position
3 - Speed approx 80-120 KIAS
4 - Use rudder/banking to make turns. Anticipate end of turn by letting the TR-3B level off by itself and by counter-banking by the pilot (you)
5 - This turning technique is used for example at slow flight, much like a helicopter
6 - Use throttle to change altitude



LANDING LIKE A NORMAL AIRPLANE

1 - Autotrim OFF and centered
2 - Magnetic Field Disruptor OFF by hitting F5 once
3 - Close throttles and put F7 Magentic Field Disruptor (flaps) at 1st, 2nd or 3rd position
4 - Approach at approx 150-130 knots. Control altitude with throttle rather than pitch
5 - Gravity Gear down and Park Brake ON, or leave gear up if you want to land on water
6 - Before outer marker, reduce speed to approx 120 knots
7 - Touchdown and apply reverse by hitting F2
8 - Do NOT brake, because park brake is ON
9 - Taxi to the gate at approx 10 KIAS with gravity pull (/ key) ON and Eng-1 & Eng-3 OFF


ALTERNATIVE LANDING LIKE A NORMAL AIRPLANE

1 - ATC call approach
2 - Gravity Gear down
3 - Park Brake ON
4 - Before outer marker, reduce speed to approx 120-160 knots, flaps 1st position
5 - Touchdown and apply reverse by hitting F2
6 - Do NOT brake, because park brake is ON
7 - Gravity pull ON, by hitting the / key
8 - Release Park Brake
9 - Taxi to the gate as usual
10 - At gate parking lot, put Park Brake ON



LANDING ON WATER

1 - You can land the TR-3B on water as above, like a normal airplane, or using the short landing technique. Apply similar operations as any floatplane, but keep an eye on the VSI not to exceed 900 fpm or so.
2 - Leave gear up, but if gear is down, the TR-3B will not sink right away
3 - Once in the water, a special effect shows bubbles and steam. The TR-3B is then hot and needs to cool down. It has further no implications on the operation of the craft, just some nice CFS2 effects
4 - Another way of land on the water is by short-landing
5 - Land with care at approx 35 KIAS approx VSI 500 fpm at full flaps (F8), full spoiler ('/'), full throttle (F4). Keep it level and keep it from stalling


SPEED BOATING

1 - Once on water, let only engines 2 and 4 running and gear UP !
2 - If you use all four engines, then it the craft will duck into the water and submerge. Besides, it won't boat any faster
3 - Center the trim first, and then put Autotrim ON, or keep it centered at zero
4 - You can boat at Mach 1+ over the water. Radar altitude may decrease from 18 downwards, which is fine
5 - Apply throttle gradually, especially when reducing speed again, to avoid ducking. No brakes required, as due to water resistance the craft stops quite quickly
6 - Taking high speed turns on the water is risky. The TR-3B may crash & splash. For a very quick stop, hit first the "/" key and then zero throttle
7 - Turn by using only the Rudder, twist joystick, like a boat, not by Banking unless you have autorudder ON, but only at then at low to moderate speed on the water
8 - To go from water on land, just before reaching the shore, lower the Gear and go 10 knots on land (like a hovercraft)
9 - To go from land to water, after touching water, raise Gear as soon as you float, unless you want to speedboat
10 - If you use all 4 engines for speedboating, then put gear DOWN, otherwise you'll be taking off due to power lift


AUT0PILOT

1 - From take-off to medium cruising altitude FL400-FL500, you can use autopilot. At Mach speeds, the autopilot may not take sharp GPS path turns correctly
2 - Auto Level be switched manually, is not automatic
3 - Autopilot will not work correctly if gravity pull or Magnetic Field Disruptor is ON
4 - Better never use autopilot, except for holding altitude and level at low to medium speed.
5 - Autopilot with GPS works well up to half speed, i.e. up to Mach 2. Above Mach 2 the turns become too wide and the autopilot won't handle it correctly
6 - If you use GPS NAV and Hold ALT at high speed high altitude, then it works well at approx FL600 at Mach 4+ . When approaching the desired altitude, reduce vertical speed to approx 700 feet/minute
7 - If you use Flight Planner for GPS NAV, it is recommended to take Direct GPS, because at mach 4+ speeds it takes very long turns and short GPS legs may fail. Alternatively, when using waypoints with GPS NAV, set throttles idle and use Gear drag to get to Mach 1- to take precise short turns
8 - When flying GPS autopilot (flight planner) try not to exceed Mach 2 until at desired GPS leg, only then double the speed and make sure that TRIM is centered and OFF. Autopilot will trim automatically anyway



ADDITIONAL EFFECTS
1 - The landing lights switch will also intensify the light at the circular Magnetic Field Disruptor centered on the outside bottom of the TR-3B
2 - When the TR-3B is on ground (mud, grass, sand, etc.), the surface at the TR-3B may show dust and particles jumping up
3 - The TR-3B , once landed on water, may show off some smoke and bubbles
4 - After FL300 there are 4 jet-trails, 2 overlapping because of the engine locations, so 3 jet-trails are visible at straight level flight. At any altitude & low to moderate speed there are hover smoke trails visible as well
5 - The exterior of the TR-3B has holographic effects when the lights are on. I tried to create flat disk-like lights - for the 3 elecromagnetic propulsion engines and for the magnetic field disruptor vimaana engine - rather than spheric shape, but did not manage getting the fx working correctly that way



TO KEEP IN MIND AT ALL TIMES
1 - Trim check : Auto ON or OFF or centered
2 - Magnetic Field Disruptor (flaps) setting
3 - Throttle maximum engine power effect at flight is at approx 50%, except when Magnetic Field Disruptor (flaps) settings are greater than zero. Throttle approx 33% at cruise Mach 4.7 at FL700 for reduced fuel flow
4 - High-G turns at low altitude, medium-G turns at high altitude
5 - Gravity Pull (landing gear) can be used from any speed. It causes considerable drag which may be useful in speed control
6 - Zero KIAS hovering is unfortunately not possible because the airfile is not for helicopters and has more than one engine. Minimum speed is about 30 KIAS at full flaps & spoiler at short landing on land or water at approx 400 fpm VSI.
7 - Radar altitude for touch down on land is approx 21 feet, and on water approx 18 feet. So, not zero feet
8 - The TR-3B is a heavy plane. In reality a lot larger than a 747. So even though the MFD makes it lighter, yet it does fly like a heavy jet, especially at low speeds. The faster, the more maneuverable. At extremely low speed it will not react fast on turns, so use throttle then
9 - For scenic VFR flights at low speed low altitude, keep MFD (F7 flaps) at first, second or third position, with Autopilot AltHold ON, and fly approx 80-120 knots, manual steering. Enjoy the ride !



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