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g38ce.txt JUNKERS G 38 CE, 1933 JANUARY 2001
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INTRODUCTION
This add-on aeroplane is designed with Abacus Air Factory
and Aircraft Animator for use with Microsoft Flight Simulator
98. Thus, it requires FS98, its patch and presence of (though not
direct use of) the converter. It may well be usable in FS2K (I
would appreciate feedback in this regard.)


Through the wonders of PKWare, there will be three elements in
this unzipped download: g38ce.txt (this file, read and save
if you wish), file_id.diz (an id file, delete) and a folder
named g38ce. Put this folder in your computer's
program files/microsoft games/flight simulator/aircraft folder
and you'll have the Junkers G 38 ce as a choice.
The craft arrives with default panel and sounds. Fellow
simmer and panel designer extraordinaire J.L. Stubbs
may well offer a Junkers G 38 ce panel any time now. In
the meantime, I'm using his brabprop's panel and sound.
NOTE: The Junkers had wonderfully bizarre seating for
six of its passengers, three each in leading-edge wing-
root cabinettes. I've included a spare file, wing.air,
that places the point of view in the righthand cabinette.
To use it, rename g38ce.air as g38ce.old. Then rename
wing.air as g38ce.air. You can obviously change back at
any time.

HISTORY
The G 38 was part of Junkers's dream of a flying-wing transport.
The first example, D-2000, flew in November 1929. This second
(and only other) one, D-2500, was built shortly afterward. Both
found their way to Deutsche Luft-Hansa. D-2500 was used for
Frankfurt, Konigsberg, Munich, Rome, Stockholm and London
flights from Berlin. Eventually it was renamed D-APIS, was
taken over by the Luftwaffe and was destroyed by British
bombers in 1940.
During their Luft-Hansa days, the G 38s offered
exemplary accommodations for their 34 passengers: 11 sat in
upper and lower cabins in the fuselage, 4 had a smoker's
cabin aft, 2 sat in the glass-enclosed nose and 3 each had
leading-edge seats at the wing roots. (See the comment
about wing.air above.)


THE REAL JUNKERS G 38 CE
Wing span 144 ft. 4 1/4 in.
Wing area 3229 sq ft Length 76 ft 1 1/2 in.
Weight, maximum at takeoff 52,910 lb.
Power: four Junkers L88a, 12-cyl vee diesels (!), 775 hp
Cruising speed: 112 mph
Service ceiling: 8200 ft.
Range: 2175 miles


THE VIRTUAL ONE
I was attracted to this giant by its batwing contours,
complete with seating for two groups of three with
their own leading-edge canopy at either wing root.
Other elements worth preserving in a model are the
real plane's intricate landing gear and nose cabin.
Note, engines 1 and 4 point slightly outward, the
modeling of which was allowed by fabulous Air Animator.
Complexities of see-through flight deck, nose and
main cabin brought me right up to the AF99 limit, well
before reaching 800 parts. Originally I had the first-
class cabin rendered as well, but as I added gear and
other necessities, AF99 failed to produce the beast.
I finally settled for painted windows in this upper
cabin.


FLYING THE VIRTUAL JUNKERS G 38 CE
I had a few false starts with flight dynamics, first with
the Brabazon and then with my smaller Couzinet. What worked
the best was the Maxim Gorkii, another Thirties giant.
She'll lift off at around 90 mpg and cruise at her
real-life 112. Bleed off speed for landing and set her down
at around 55 mph, just before stall.


ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
My sincere thanks go to fellow flight simmer
Georg-alexander Maercker, who noted that the Junkers
G 38 ce was lamentably lacking from the SurClaro
library. It was he who encouraged me to build her.
I had seen photos of this giant in several aviation
sources. Primary among these was "Airliners from 1919 to
the Present Day," by Kenneth Munson, illustrated by John
W. Wood, Peerage Books, London, 1972. There are also two
neat photos of the aircraft (one, executing a really
sharp bank at remarkably low altitude!) in "Pioneers of
the Sky," edited by Kesaharu Imai, Koku-Fan Illustrated,
Tokyo 1992. This book contains an amazing array of photos
I've never seen elsewhere.


The entire fltsim community has given me much pleasure. Needless
to say, this aircraft is freeware. No responsibility is taken for
any loss or damage incurred directly or indirectly from its use.
The original unaltered files may be freely distributed, uploaded,
downloaded and shared. Please maintain proper credit, of course,
and make no financial gain whatsoever.
Dennis Simanaitis, FSEngEd@aol.com