Hello all,
Thanks so much for downloading this airplane! Alot of hard work has gone into the project to make it literally "as real as it gets"! This project started when I asked Greg Pepper if he would be interested in doing the project since I was going to be flying the real airplane. Somewhere along the way we picked up Tom, then Alan, then FSAviator, and so was born this airplane your about to fly! You guys have no idea how much I love working with you guys, and how much I enjoy having the public getting to expirence what I expirence flying the real thing! Thanks a million guys!!
Flying the airplane.....
The Convair is a BIG airplane made back in the days when airliners were made to be TOUGH. She is very heavy on the controls, and in roll is pretty unresponsive. When you are manuevering the airplane, you have to think a few seconds ahead of it to plan for the turn. In pitch(especally the 240), it is pretty sensitive. It takes not alot of movement to get 100 feet off altitude! You also have to trim the airplane, so if you don't have good trim skills this airplane will develope them for you!
On takeoff, a fully loaded airplane will take up about 4000' of runway. The airplane has a big "Davis" wing, and produces plenty of lift. AS SOON as you get a positive rate of climb GET THAT GEAR IN THE WELL!!. The gear produces ALOT of drag, and you don't want that out there when an engine fails. Also, keep the nose down on takeoff until ATLEAST 126kts!! 126kts is best single-engine climb speed at all weights, so get there ASAP! Alot of people think the Convair takes up alot of runway, but thats a misnomer because we keep the nose down to build up speed and help cool the engines. Also, don't be in too much of a hurry to get the flaps up, if your slow and heavy you will need them. Takeoff with the cowl-flaps in MID. This allows proper air flow and reduced drag.
In climb expect pretty low numbers on the ol' VSI. You can expect about 500fpm in the climb when your heavy!! This was even true back in the days of 115/145 octane avgas! Also, resist the temptation to use higher than climb power(I.E METO)! This is a good way to really nuke the engines! In real life, we climb at 160-170kts(the manuals say 150kts). This still gives you 500fpm, and really helps cool the engines. Climb with the cowl flaps in MID for warm/hot days, and closed for cold days.
Plan your cruise between 6000-15,000'. Even with pressurization, these airplanes were operated pretty low. The max operating altitude was only 25,000', and RARELY did they get that high. There was just no advantage to going that high! With our unpressurized freighters, we operated USUALLY between 5000-8000'!! Also, use the book value cruise power setting(USUALLY 31"MP and 2100RPM) This will give you 175kts to 180kts indicated(about 200kts true). Be shure to close the cowl flaps in cruise
In decent, keep the power up to keep the engines warm. When it comes to heavy radials, the name of the game is "KEEP THEM WARM"! Start the decent early, I use 5 miles per 1000' as a rule of thumb. Also, don't pull any more than 3"MP at one time and usually let minutes pass before pulling any more MP off. NEVER operate the engine under "square"(I.E. 21"MP and 2100RPM)!! This causes the wind to drive the prop and REALLY f**k up the engines!! Also, BE SHURE the cowl flaps are closed.
On approach, I find that approach flaps(16.5 on the 240 and 17 on the 340/440{just TRY to tell the difference;-)}), gear down, with 26"MP and 2100RPM will give you roughly 130kts approach speed. When you select landing flaps at 1000AGL, you will slow to about Vref+10kts, and this is what you will cross the threshold with. The airplane is pretty nose down on approach, so be ready for quite a pitch chance on landings. Be shure to select landing flaps before 500' to compensate for the nose-up pitch. Any time you put flaps down, the airplane really pitches! So be ready...
This is one piston airplane with reverse thrust!! On a long runway I seldom use it. But, if your landing on a short runway, retract your flaps soon after toughdown and use reverse thrust. Reverse will really slow you down at higher speeds. On the real airplane we can EASILLY power back, but because of FS2002 limitations, we can't do this in the sim.
Sim vs Real World....
Thanks to the talent of FSAviator, the FDE is right on the money! Within the limits of FS, the FDE does everything the real airplane does! So, if you expirence something that might be weird, I can tell you the real airplane does it too!
The Cylinder Head Temps are easier to control in the real world. This is a FS limitation. In the real world, if you open the cowl doors above mid with over 100kts airspeed, the cooling air will exit the cowl doors instead of going around the engine. Also, anything above mid adds ALOT of drag! Generally, aim for 200 degrees CHT in the FS airplane. This FDE also simulates cowl darg, so if you aren't climbing very good, recheck the cowl flaps are closed.
Flap settings are based on "normal" settings. In the Convair there is no flap lever, just a switch that energizes the hydraulic motor. The flaps can be set at any position between up and 40. The airplane have three flap "families", one for low airport elevation, one for medium, and one for high. Normal flap settings are the "medium" family, and that is what is included in the FDE.
Water Injection is used to keep the engine cool while using higher power settings. Normally, excess fuel cools the cylinders and keeps the engine for detonating. Using excess fuel to cool cylinders makes the engine excessively rich and means you will not achieve best power from the engine. Water-Meth, or ADI, can be injected into the engine to cool the engine cylinders while the fuel is at the best power setting. This means you can use 60"MP and not blow the engine because of detonation! Using the ADI power settings is called "wet power", and without is called "dry power". BE SHURE to use ADI if your going to use full power, if not the engine will most definatly blow! Moral of this story, be aware of your takeoff power settings.
The R-2800 is a smooth running radial engine! When I first started one I couldn't believe how easilly it started and how smooth it sounded. It doesn't clank and bang like its little sister the R-1830(on the DC-3) It really smokes on start, and that is pretty well modeled with fs2002 effects. The start and shutdown sounds included really make my spine tingle, sometimes I start the sim and think I am at work! We have yet to find really good climb and cruise sounds, but these are very close! Really enjoy the start and shutdown though, those are GREAT!!
Anywho.....
I hope you really enjoy this airplane as much as I enjoyed making and flying it! If there are ANY questions on real-world operations, my e-mail is cptn747@dtccom.net I am more than welcome to share some of my world with the sim world! Take care and fly safe...
Capt. Steven J Mathis
CV-240 Captain and Instructor
