FS2004 Lockheed WV-2 Warning Star Super Constellation USN 141311
(6 July 2009)
This is a seaplane grey repaint of Bu.No. 141311 as exhibited in the Octave
Chanute Aerospace Museum at Rantoul, Illinois (see
http://www.willyvictor.com for pics and restoration summary). A working
installation of our Warning Star Super Constellation pack #1 is required.
The zip includes new light grey VC textures by Diego S. Barreto, a revised
model, and a no-markings paintkit for grey and grey-and-white Navy Warning
Stars. By Team 1049 - Roland Berger, Volker Boehme, Manfred Jahn, Luis
Pallas, Bill Tyne, and Stefan Werner. The 1049 project is hosted by Tom
Gibson's Calclassic forum at http://calclassic.proboards55.com.
INSTALLATION
(1) Extract the zip to a temporary folder.
(2) Verify folder "Lockheed_L1049_WV2_1" is installed and working in
your aircraft folder. If not present, download and install this first.
(3) Copy the folders model.1049vc_rtdvf2 and texture.Navy-141311 into
Lockheed_L1049_WV2_1. The model folder may already be there, say Yes when
prompted to overwrite.
(4) Edit the existing aircraft.cfg by adding the following fltsim
section. If you have added any repaints it will be necessary to adjust the
fltsim number to the correct number in sequence.
[fltsim.3] // check for correct number
title=Lockheed WV-2 141311 Grey
sim=WV2
model=1049vc_rtdvf2
panel=
sound=
texture=NAVY-141311
kb_checklists=WV2_check
kb_reference=L1049G_ref
atc_id=311
atc_id_enable=1
ui_manufacturer=Lockheed
ui_type=Warning Star Super Constellation
ui_variation=US Navy 141311 TK-15 Grey
description="C/n 4435, U.S. Navy Squadron VW-13, tailcode TK ca 1957-60. Preserved at Rantoul, Illinois."
atc_flight_number=311
atc_heavy=0
atc_airline=NAVY
atc_parking_codes=
atc_parking_types=GATE
prop_anim_ratio=0.99
In the aircraft selection menu, the new Warning Star will show up under
Lockheed > Warning Star Super Constellation.
DISCLAIMER
THE AUTHORS ARE NOT LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGE THAT YOU MIGHT INCUR AS A RESULT
OF USING THESE FILES. YOU ASSUME THE RISK OF USE.
NOTES
(1) The repaint folders include only the basic 24-bit bmps. The fins_t
file, which can be used for all Navy grey paints, is located in folder
paintkit_grey. Add decals as desired and use DXTBMP to create no-mips
DXT3 textures. For the present repaint I have used pure-white alpha
channels.
(2) You may notice that the repaint of 141311 retains the albatross kill
tally that has been removed in the current Rantoul exhibit. I also
took the liberty of retaining checkpool number 15 on the port side of
the nose and added tailcode and checkpool number to the top wing
surfaces.
(3) Flying the Warning Star (by Volker Boehme)
While based on the Lockheed Super Constellation, the 'Warning Star' Airborne
Early Warning (AEW) versions require a somewhat different handling due to
the considerable drag created by the radomes.
The checklist included has been modified to reflect the different handling,
but here is a quick summary.
Take-off is performed in the same way as in a standard Super Constellation,
but climb at normal climb power settings would only yield very low climb
rates, therefore climb is performed at METO power until reaching cruise
altitude. You will need to do a slight power reduction every 2,000 ft. Max.
CHT is 245°C. High power settings and high CHT will be hard on the engines,
but the taxpayer will foot the maintenance bill.
Patrol was usually performed at altitudes between 5,000 to 8,000 ft., but
Air Force planes equipped with a datalink to the SAGE system needed to
cruise higher, between 12,000 and 18,000 ft to keep in contact with ground
stations. Later in the career, some patrols were flown as low as 50 ft,
though. To maximize patrol time, try to fly with a constant deck angle (=
pitch). The Composite Cruise Control Chart gives power settings for a number
of deck angles at various weights. 5° deck angle is a long-endurance, low-
speed patrol. Actual deck angles in FS might be somewhat lower, especially
at low speeds, since FS does not simulate propwash effect over the wings.
Aim for predicted IAS rather at a given rather than deck angle itself - for
example, if you set power for 5°, you might get about 4.5° pitch.
Nevertheless, keep on the power curve for the predicted deck angle and check
against predicted IAS, as fuel is burnt off and weight decreases.
Approach and landing is similar to the standard Super Constellations, but
requires much higher power settings. RPM setting is 2600 rather than 2400
and you have to take care that you don't get too low and too slow. Add power
early if necessary, the Warning Star will be easy to decelerate, but very
hard to accelerate. At higher weights, landing speeds will be quite high and
full flaps might not be necessary.
Overweight take-off is permitted at weights up to MTOW 152,500 with a 2.25 g
limit, maximum overweight landing weight is 122,000 lbs. with -420 fpm
descent rate limit instead of the usual -600 fpm.
Enjoy your flight!
Please also consult the notes contained in the original Super G and H
readmes.
