Vitus
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Hello everybody,
I take the chance and present my project: Lockheeds model 10A "Electra".
(wikipedia.org)
This aircraft was developed during the 1930ths and it was one of the first all-metal passenger aircraft and was able to transport up to ten passengers. Equipped with two Pratt & Whitney 985 Wasp Junior engines the aircraft gained remarkable cruising speeds of up to 200 miles per hour. The Electra (model 10E) was the aircraft of choice of Amelia Earhart for her attempt to fly around the world.
The exterior currently looks like this:
But I will remodel most of it once again. I want to redo the front window section and the undercarriage within the next weeks.
During the last month I focused on the VC. The result so far:
My major problem is that I am not quite sure about the layout of the instrument panel. That's the reason why the panel still looks very unorganized. I will rearrange the gauges as soon as I have a better understanding.
It is very hard to get reliable information on that aircraft, especially photographs or drawings of the cockpit are very, very rare. Even in the three different operating handbooks I bought is nothing to find about the standard instrument layout. I hope to be able to have a look in the original aircraft displayed at the "Museum of Transportation and Technology" here in Auckland. But you need a lot of patience with these guys until you get an appointment .
Many of systems work quite well right now. The artificial horizon is quite cool:
It's gyros are vacuum-driven and you can select the left- or right engine vacuum pump as source. The AH gyros will drift over time, therefore you have to cage it from time to time during flight. It can also starts to tumble - and can even jam - when the aircraft is shaken by heavy turbulences.
All systems that are driven by air-sources (static port/pitot tube/venturi tube) can get clogged when flying in icing conditions resulting in false indications.
Also, all the surfaces can slowly get covered by ice. You can check this by looking outside - the ice will be visible! That results in a decreased performance and a increased stall speed (also simulated!).
I also included a payload editor:
It finally works! Using the simconnect interface it is quite easy to manipulate the actual payload of the aircraft.
Another interesting toy is the electrical system. The Electra was equipped with a very small 12V battery and one (!) small 50A generator mounted on the left engine. As you can imagine that leads to some trouble. For instance you should not operate the flaps- and gear motor at the same time because it will result in a massive drain of the battery. Even the drain of the lights - especially the two landing lights - can get you in trouble. All that is simulated in my Electra - you need to have a look at the volt- and ampere meter all the time.
I am also working on a new radio navigation system:
I don't want to get into detail right now, but you will be able to choose different antennas and operating modes. Also you will have to determine the bearing to the radio stations by yourself - by turning the loop antenna and find the minimum.
The engine startup procedure is complex as well. Before cranking the engines, you have to prime them:
But be careful! Your engines can get overprimed and therefore refuse to ignite. You can get rid of the fuel by opening the throttle, cutoff the mixture and crank the engine.
I also included the a freak method of priming the engines that is often use by pilots in the real world to start the engines. That is by opening the mixture and start to "pump" the throttles. That method now also works in FSX.
Ok, that's all for now. Looking forward to read your comments!
All the best!
Vitus
I take the chance and present my project: Lockheeds model 10A "Electra".
(wikipedia.org)
This aircraft was developed during the 1930ths and it was one of the first all-metal passenger aircraft and was able to transport up to ten passengers. Equipped with two Pratt & Whitney 985 Wasp Junior engines the aircraft gained remarkable cruising speeds of up to 200 miles per hour. The Electra (model 10E) was the aircraft of choice of Amelia Earhart for her attempt to fly around the world.
The exterior currently looks like this:
But I will remodel most of it once again. I want to redo the front window section and the undercarriage within the next weeks.
During the last month I focused on the VC. The result so far:
My major problem is that I am not quite sure about the layout of the instrument panel. That's the reason why the panel still looks very unorganized. I will rearrange the gauges as soon as I have a better understanding.
It is very hard to get reliable information on that aircraft, especially photographs or drawings of the cockpit are very, very rare. Even in the three different operating handbooks I bought is nothing to find about the standard instrument layout. I hope to be able to have a look in the original aircraft displayed at the "Museum of Transportation and Technology" here in Auckland. But you need a lot of patience with these guys until you get an appointment .
Many of systems work quite well right now. The artificial horizon is quite cool:
It's gyros are vacuum-driven and you can select the left- or right engine vacuum pump as source. The AH gyros will drift over time, therefore you have to cage it from time to time during flight. It can also starts to tumble - and can even jam - when the aircraft is shaken by heavy turbulences.
All systems that are driven by air-sources (static port/pitot tube/venturi tube) can get clogged when flying in icing conditions resulting in false indications.
Also, all the surfaces can slowly get covered by ice. You can check this by looking outside - the ice will be visible! That results in a decreased performance and a increased stall speed (also simulated!).
I also included a payload editor:
It finally works! Using the simconnect interface it is quite easy to manipulate the actual payload of the aircraft.
Another interesting toy is the electrical system. The Electra was equipped with a very small 12V battery and one (!) small 50A generator mounted on the left engine. As you can imagine that leads to some trouble. For instance you should not operate the flaps- and gear motor at the same time because it will result in a massive drain of the battery. Even the drain of the lights - especially the two landing lights - can get you in trouble. All that is simulated in my Electra - you need to have a look at the volt- and ampere meter all the time.
I am also working on a new radio navigation system:
I don't want to get into detail right now, but you will be able to choose different antennas and operating modes. Also you will have to determine the bearing to the radio stations by yourself - by turning the loop antenna and find the minimum.
The engine startup procedure is complex as well. Before cranking the engines, you have to prime them:
But be careful! Your engines can get overprimed and therefore refuse to ignite. You can get rid of the fuel by opening the throttle, cutoff the mixture and crank the engine.
I also included the a freak method of priming the engines that is often use by pilots in the real world to start the engines. That is by opening the mixture and start to "pump" the throttles. That method now also works in FSX.
Ok, that's all for now. Looking forward to read your comments!
All the best!
Vitus