Flying the Small Fields
by Mark Lee
I wrote this in 2007 for VPN using FS9 and the modded Aeronca K. You can substitute the A2A J3
Cub loaded with a passenger. Adjust speeds, etc to suit.
“…
dnk
dnk dnk
dnk dnk dnk
dnk dnk dnk dnk...”
The dainty yellow high-wing
wing creeps over the low ridge and out of the haze, floating along,
wafting left and right, rising and falling at the whim of the airs. It hangs for a seeming
eternity above us: the primitive, cranky 2-cylinder
2 cylinder engine making it sound more like the
“African Queen” than an aeroplane.
Aeronca K 36HP for FS9 by Steve D. Myers, modded by Mark Lee
Step back in time with me to an era when pilots used a road map, watch, compass and dodgy
estimates of wind to find their way, sometimes in bad weather and low visibility, from dot to
dot on the map. It’s an intellectual challenge which gives more purpose to an FSX session
than just jumpin’ in and goin’ for a fly.
Gadgets for VFR low’n’slow in FSX
What do I need for old-style
style VFR?
I recommend purchase, firstly, of the Brisbane-Maroochydore-Gold
Gold Coast VTC.
VTC If you
enjoy VFR flying, you will also want to purchase any available VTCs for your areas of
choice. Next, you will want a Whiz Wheel for calculating:
1. TAS (True Air Speed) and GS Ground Speed
2. Heading required to allow for crabbing due to crosswind to give your desired Track
across the ground and
3. ETE (Estimated Time Enroute).
The whiz wheel is a Circular Slide Rule Calculator which, in addition to the above tasks, can
calculate fuel burn. A Plotting
lotting Ruler is also handy for measuring distances and true
directions on the map. A Stopwatch velcroed to your flying desk is a good idea but you can
use the on-panel
panel clock, of course. If you don’t want to buy any of these, use a road map,
ruler, protractor and an electronic calculator or read the Fields doc in the OZx\User_Docs
OZx
folder to get a heading and distance from the nearest AFCADed field.
Why such small, close-together
together fields?
About 3½ years ago my imagination was captured by Steve D. Myers’ wonderful Aeronca K.
Now, the “Air Knocker” is definitely not a performance bird. With only 36HP from its
E113a 2-cylinder single-ignition
ignition motor on a cold day at sea level, that’s hardly surprising. In
real life, these primitive engines cut out
out regularly and you’ll have difficulty dragging 2
people over the fence, let alone the trees, on a hot day. The 60 knot cruise, 250’/min climb
and useful ceiling of about 6000’ mean you need to choose your routes carefully….and the
demonstrated crosswind capability of less than 12 knots dictates very careful reading of the
sock and often a grass- rather than runway landing. So, the “K” is why I decided to build
small fields close together – filling in all the private strips I could find in South East
Queensland
nsland (where I live) and far Northern New South Wales.
Why fly VFR with no modern Navigational
Nav
Aids?
In keeping with the vintage “K”, many of these strips are non-AFCADed.
non AFCADed. They don’t show
in the FSX Airport List, FSX GPS or on the FSX In-Game
In Game Map. The “K” had no GPS, radio
or nav-aids
aids other than the compass.
Are you ready? Well let us begin…
How about a short flight from Aratula (YAUL), stopping at Boonah (YBOA), Kooralbyn
(YKBN), Canungra (YCGA), Kagaru (YKGU) and finishing at Archerfield (YBAF). Be
strong: don’t use the in-game
game map, flight planner or GPS. Try a “s_l_o_w” aircraft like the
“K” or A2A Cub with Heidi and full fuel.
YAMB^-YAUL-YBOA*-YKBN
YKBN-YCGA-YKGU#-YBAF
1. Pencil in lines on your VTC map connecting the fields (skirt round any mountains). VTC
2. Measure your Distances (NM) and calculate your Tracks (Magnetic0=True0-110 near
Brisbane). PLOTTING RULER and Mag Dev Chart from OZx\User_Docs
User_Docs\Maps.
3. Note any Landmarks and Waypoints. VTC and FLIGHT PLAN SHEET
4. Calculate Headings required to give desired
desired Tracks when Wind is 349010knots and write
these down with Ground Speeds you’ve calculated. WHIZ WHEEL
5. Calculate and note ETE (Estimated Time Enroute) to Landmarks/Waypoints/Destinations.
6. Note altitudes to fly – consider Highest Ground in the area
area and VFR heights: East=odd
thousands+500’, West=even thousands+500’, flying above 500’agl and below 5000’amsl for
Recreational Aircraft in G class airspace. See URLs below.
7. To fly VFR you need VMC (Visual Meteorological Conditions). You must be able to fly
with a vertical separation of 1000’ and horizontal separation of 1mile from clouds with
visibility of 3.2miles. There are more VFR rules of course and you can research correct
procedures for flying in Controlled Airspace if you like.
8. Calculate fuel required if you know burn-rate
burn rate for the aircraft. Allow a reserve of 45mins45mins
cruise after an alternate destination. You will have to land and re-fuel
re fuel before you start using
your 45 mins reserve.
9. Set Wind 349010knots and Visibility 5miles, 6/8 cloud at 3500’.
3500’. Fly from Amberley S to
YAUL, QLD. Fuel up appropriately and carry a passenger. Pencil YCGA Canungra
International on your VTC using the coordinates: S27056.17’ E153006.89’ (the Canungra
field shown on the VTC is something else).
Flight Planning Table:
Aircraft: Aeronca K VH-MWL
MWL
TAS: 55knots inc climb
Fuel: ~3 gal/hr? Capacity 10gal
Wind: 349010knots
Cloud: 6/8@3500’
Visibility: 5miles
Refuel: @YCGA
Looking at the table BELOW, note:
1. We have to creep around high ground due to our poor performance and lowish cloud.
2. Even a 10knot wind affects our Headings and Ground Speed greatly.
3. YKBN will be difficult due to crosswind.
4. Our cruise height changes when our track swaps from E to W and vice versa
5. We must remember to commence descent
descent in time to keep the rate 500’/min or less
Magnetic Heading required is calculated on the back of the Whiz Wheel using desired Track0
and TAS, Magnetic Wind Direction0 and Speed. This also gives Ground Speed which is then
entered on the front of the Whiz Wheel to calculate ETE. You modify Headings
Headi
and ETEs
enroute to adjust for inaccuracies/mistakes. Comparing landmarks with the VTC hopefully
hope
will give you an idea of where you really are …and keep your eyes peeled! For example, look
out for the green strip and hotel of YKBN; large greenhouses just over the road from YCGA;
a rail bridge just near YKGU;; roads and rails leading to towns; creeks flowing out of valleys;
the shape of mountains, etc.
And in conclusion…
Hope you’re curious enough to try the above flight. It’s best attempted offline so you don’t
just follow the leader, although it can be fun with a pair of planes flying loose formation.
formation
There is a lot more to flying VFR than I’ve touched on here. Check out the Navigation link
and download the “K” if you’re interested. Unfortunately it has some issues in FSX so
realistically the A2A Cub is probably the best choice.
The aim of this article is of course to get more
more sim pilots flying low and slow where OZx
and ORBX FTX excel. Calculate plans yourself, share them around… and HAVE FUN
while you learn!
The pauses between each cylinder’s concussion fill us with suspense. Will this stroke be the
little motor’s last? There’s a wave from the window and a wide grin as, perched on the stall
with smoke streaming from the exhaust, the battle for height commences – there’s a taller
ridge ahead! Where had it come from and where was it going? The answer to both these
questionss must be “Not far”. But what an adventure! The antique Airknocker gradually fades
...out of sight
“… dnk dnk dnk dnk
dnk dnk dnk
dnk dnk
dnk
…”
...out of earshot
...out of mind?
Links:
Navigation http://www.navfltsm.addr.com/index.htm
Aeronca K http://www.4shared.com/file/22351596/4ce2d20d/aeronca_k.html
http://www.4shared.com/file/22351596/4ce2d20d/aeronca_k.html
check webpage in Aeronca download folder too
^no directions on Plan for first leg to YAUL (YAMB189021)
*YBOA coming soon in Ant’s fields
#
Erratum: YKGU called YKAG in table