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FS2000/FS98 DOUGLAS DC-7C
Moving Parts Version 2 6/2000
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This plane features a steerable nose gear and working speed brake.
It is complete with moving landing gear, flaps, ailerons,
elevators, and rudder. It also features landing lights, realistic engine
start, and FS98/FS2000 checklists.
Painted by Tom Gibson
All-new plane by Harry Follas and Tom Gibson
Metal textures by Harry Follas
DC-7C Flight Model by Brian Horsey
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-7 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
After Lockheed introduced the L1049G "Super G" Constellation for TWA,
Pan American needed an aircraft that was able to fly non-stop transatlantic
services, even westbound with average winds (their current DC-7B service
usually required a stop). Douglas responded by stretching the fuselage by
42 inches and, more importantly, lengthening the wings by inserting a 5 foot
extension at each wing root. This gave the new DC-7C Seven Seas (in a
clever pun on "7C") not only more room for fuel, but placed the engines
further out on the wing, lessening the noise and vibration of the rather
loud Wright R-3350 radials. More powerful engines of 3400 hp each were
fitted to the DC-7C, and all these improvments stretched the range to 5635
miles, allowing non-stop routes never before possible with Douglas aircraft.
The first Seven Seas service was introduced by Pan American on June 1, 1956,
and a total of 121 DC-7C's were eventually delivered to the airlines.
The DC-7C went on to fly new non-stop routes across the US, as well as in
transatlantic, transpacific, and even Great Circle routes over the North Pole.
Lockheed was forced to play catch up to the DC-7C, and finally developed the
L1649A Starliner, which was originally supposed to be a turboprop, but ended
up with R-3350's and was slightly slower than the Seven Seas, although it had
a slightly greater range. It was introduced too late for substantial orders,
however, and Lockheed lost a lot of money on the project. In service, the DC-7C
was not as reliable as the DC-6 series, and was the last piston-engined Douglas
airliner model introduced. In fact, when the last KLM DC-7C was delivered in
December 1958, the Boeing 707 was already in service, marking the end of an era.
soon as the jets were in place the airlines either converted the DC-7C's to
freighters, or sold them to second tier operators. Most DC-7C's did not have
long lives, and virtually all have been scrapped.
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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-7C
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!).
When you descend, you should not drop the power to idle; power on
descents were the norm to avoid overcooling the engines. You may
use the speed brake (/ key) to help you slow down, but keep in mind that
you needed to slow to under 170 kts to raise the speed brake (main
gear).
Approach speeds are listed below; be sure that you don't land with full fuel!!
(see below).
SPECIFICATIONS: (FS2000 airspeed indicator is calibrated in KNOTS!)
Thanks to Jon Cox (ex Braniff) for much of this information!
Power plant: Four Wright R-3350-18EA1-1 radial engines of 3,400 h.p.
Dimensions: Span,127 ft; Length,112 ft; Height,31.7 ft
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Weights:
Zero fuel wt: 101,500 lbs
Empty weight: 78,890 lbs.
Max TO Wt.: 143,000 lbs
Max Landing Wt.: 109,000 lbs
Fuel Capacity: 7824 gal (useable)
Performance:
Max speed @ 22,700 ft.: 353kts
Max. Cruise speed @ 21,600 ft: 301 kts
(Long range cruise speed would be lower)
Stall speed: 84 kts (flaps and gear down)
Rate of climb @ 20,000 ft at max wt.: 230 fpm
Service ceiling @ max wt: 21,700 ft
Takeoff Distance @ S/L: 6,360 ft
Landing Distance @ S/L: 5,100 ft
Range with Max Fuel and 15,310 lbs payload at 274 mph and 15,000 ft: 5,635
miles (statute)
Range with max payload: 4,635 miles
The DC-7C has a large difference between max takeoff weight and max
landing weight - DO NOT TRY TO LAND WITH FULL FUEL!! You should
be at less than 27% full at landing to remain within max landing
weight.
Approach speeds at Max Landing wt:
Visual Approach:
Downwind: 165 kts
@45 degrees from the runway numbers on downwind:
flaps 20, 155 kts, gear down, 2400 rpm
Base leg: flaps 30, 135 kts
Final: full flaps, 120 kts
At fence: 100 kts until touchdown
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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.
