Interstate 7 plane and cockpit ------------------------------ First, understand that we did only alter these files, the great originals are made by others (mentioned later) so the credit should go to them first! The files will be taken from download after the race. they are only meant for the crews to prac- tise with. This plane and the cockpit will be used in the next Interstate race (for more information about this race read the i7press1.txt and i7press2.txt in this package). You should find these files in this zip; readme.txt you're reading it. i7-pal.pcx panel file i700.pix panel file i701.pix panel file i702.pix panel file i703.pix panel file i704.pix panel file lear_s.pnl panel file lr_ghead.pix panel file t-attit2.pix panel file test5.air the plane i7-press1.txt Interstate 7 info file i7-press2.txt Interstate 7 info file Installation ------------ Very simple. The panel file are dropped in your PANELS dir, please make a backup of the LEAR_S.PNL file, the existing one is overwritten. The TEST5.AIR file is dumped in the SIM dir. THE COCKPIT ----------- This cockpit was designed by Bert Vierstra but he leaned heavily on other designs (you might recognize the well known Boeing panels, by Hardy Heinlin. So they are not original but just simply adapted for the race. THE PLANE --------- The plane is also not original. Bert Vierstra worked on the colors (check the night effects!) and Jaap Korteweg (KLM pilot) and he worked very hard on the flight model. So here also the credits are mainly directed towards the original builders of the DC9, Maurizio M. Gavioli. The flightmodel is as accurate as can be, this makes the plane much harder to fly than in the well known version, but these problems, mainly the lack of power, are realistic. The only slight problem that can not be fixed is the way the plane jumps from the ground. It leaps into the air at an alarming rate, keep the nose low! The race will be flown in this DC9. The shape of the plane is as we know it from the BBS's but the flightmodel is adapted. It's vital you learn about this plane. It is even more vital that you fly with the plane to get to know it. The DC9 is an old plane. When it went into service it was one of the most advanced planes but it does show it's age in 1995. We have been able to buy 6 old airframes and they have been upgraded with some advanced avionics, the engines have had a complete overhaul and the airframe has been checked. The plane is in perfect condition. It will get you where you want it to go if you learn to live with it's problems. The engines are very sturdy but if you push them hard (as you will) they are prone to have problems. Keep a eye on the gauges, if you see some things that are not as they should be it could be warning of problems to come. Take your precautions, such as reducing the load on the engines, making a unscheduled pitstop. You are allowed to fly the DC9 at 100% turbine power. At take-off and limited time (until about 30 seconds after take-off) you are allowed max. power. This should be about 107%. 100% turbine power should have the EGT in the yellow, just below the point it will hurt the engines. 100% will give you about 420 knots (true airspeed) at 27.000' and slightly more at lower altitudes, expect about 445 at 15.000 ft. You will use a lot more fuel at lower flightlevels though and this bird does take a loooooong time reach 30.000' if loaded. So at what altitude should you cruise? Hard to say, there are many factors involved. The most important will be the wind, if there is jetstream at 30.000' heading for your destination it might be wise to use it, even if it takes a long time to reach it. A jetstreams can reach speeds up to 90 knots and that sure does help! But on the other hand, if there is a good 40 knots wind at 20.000 it saves a lot of time getting to the jetstream. Or take another example, there is hardly wind you can use and the leg is short. Should you take much fuel, fly low and fast or should you take less fuel, fly high and save a lot time climbing because the plane is lighter? Hard to tell but you can be sure this problem will be a very important factor in the race. To put it better, choose the wrong flightlevel and you will loose the race. The Flight Management System (see later in this text) will help. It shows groundspeed and if you consider everything, only groundspeed counts (but calculated over the whole leg:-) Every hour spend on test-flying your crate will pay off. But only if you keep writing down the numbers, how much minutes it takes to reach 20.000' with full tanks, with half full tanks, at high vertical speed and low groundspeed or is low climb with high groundspeed better? If all teams fly perfect, the race will be won by the team who has the numbers game right. On the other hand, numbers won't help if you crash the plane. Did we tell you, you will have to buy fuel at each stop? With real US dollars (read the rules on the money subject) and that prices vary at each airport. And that quality might vary at airports? If you are landed on any airport you can ask to have your plane repaired. It only takes 10 minutes and after that we garantee it is in the same condition as you received it from us. If you choose not to have it checked or repaired a small problem might lead to serious problems later in the race. Or it might lead to no problem at all, it's your decision! But remember, pound for pound, the Learjet we know has got two times the power this old workhorse has. It's flies pretty fast but takes ages to get at cruise speed, it takes even longer to loose speed. At low speeds it is pretty easy to fly but if you get low on altitude AND speed you are in big trouble. This is no Learjet where you open the throttle and muscle your way out of trouble. This babe needs to be flown with a cool mind, looking ahead and knowing your procedure. You have three man in the office, use them to read the dials, study the approach, listen to ATC. The pilots job is to fly the plane, the other guys only need to feed him the info he needs. In this plane a small problem might become a deadly danger if not spotted very early. Our testflights show that it is a beautiful plane to fly, it's stable, it's reliable and it's a great plane if your landing path is picture perfect. If you mess up 10 minutes before landing, you will have to wrestle it on the tarmac and it will feel like you just flown a freight train loaded with bricks powered by a 2CV engine. A smooth, powerful hand is needed. And one last warning, stay seated with your seatbelts fastened until you have parked and shut off the engines. That's the end of your leg, not a second before. The program we have build to do the special effects is called SATAN and this name is not chosen random!