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FS2000 DOUGLAS DC-7B Panagra
Moving Parts Version 2 10/2000
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This plane features a steerable nose gear and improved vertical tail.
It is complete with moving landing gear, flaps, ailerons,
elevators, and rudder. It also features landing lights, realistic engine
start, and FS2000 checklists.
Painted by Tom Gibson tgibson@sunstroke.sdsu.edu
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
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 Classic Airliner Page;
http://members.aol.com/TGFltsim/panels.htm. You will need to change
the panel.cfg file; instructions are in the panel.cfg file.
I also recommend the Connie Sounds package, by Mike Hambly. It can be
downloaded from: http://members.aol.com/TGFltsim/sound.htm
You will need to change the plane's sound.cfg file - edit it in
Notepad; instructions are in the sound.cfg file.
It is also a lot of fun to use my FS98 Propliner Adventure or my
Startup/Shutdown adventure (use the one for R3350 engines), maximizing
the realism of the flight. Get it at the Classic Airliner Page,
http://members.aol.com/TGFltsim/
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.
STEERABLE NOSE GEAR
The nose gear will rotate if you rotate your yoke or joystick (assuming you
have autocoordination ON).
REALISTIC ENGINE START
You may use the latest DC-6 panel to do this realistically; if not:
To start the engines realistically and individually, do this (you must have
Auto Mixtures unchecked in Aircraft/Realism):
1. Go to spot view (SSSW) 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).
Installation:
DO NOT USE THE CONVERTER ON THIS PLANE; IT IS ALREADY IN FS2000 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. They worked for
many years for 2nd tier airlines and as freighters, but most have been scrapped -
suffering in comparison to arguably the best propliner ever, the DC-6B.
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NOTE: This plane and many other classic airliners can be
downloaded free from Tom Gibson's Classic Airliner WEB site at -
http://members.aol.com/TGFltsim/
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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 squares) 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 such that the EGT (exhaust gas
temp.) is 50 degrees below maximum EGT will also improve
performance (you will need to turn on Mixture Control in
Aircraft/Aircraft Settings/Engines/Mixture Control); 50 degrees
is about two movements of the needle). I usually end up with a
setting about halfway down the quadrant at 20,000 feet, with the
needles hovering about half way up the scale.
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: (FS2000 airspeed indicator is calibrated in KNOTS!)
Power plant: Four Wright R-3350-18DA2 radial engines of 3,250 h.p.
Dimensions: Span,117 ft; Length,109 ft; Height,29.5 ft
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Maximum Speed (Vne): 410 mph (356 knots) @ 22,000 ft
Max Cruising Speed: 365 mph (317 knots) @ 22,000 ft
Max operating Speed (UAL): 304 mph (265 knots IAS)
Stall Speed (clean): 100 knots
Stall Speed (full flaps): 90 knots
Initial rate of climb: 1,520 ft/min (900 fpm is good in FS).
Takeoff distance: 4,500 ft. @ sea level
Landing distance: 3,010 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 2000 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 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 (I.E. COMPUSERVE FSFORUM)(NOT THE AUTHOR'S INTENTION),
IT MAY BE DOWNLOADED AND UPLOADED TO OTHER SERVERS. THIS
NOTICE CONSTITUTES THE AUTHORS' PERMISSION TO DO THIS.
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 AND UPLOAD
PARTS OF THIS ARCHIVE. THIS ENTIRE TEXT FILE MUST BE INCLUDED IN ANY
DISTRIBUTION. 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.
