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Curtiss Wright C-46 Commando for FlightGear

The Curtiss Wright C-46 Commando is a WWII twin-engine, taildragger and cargo aircraft. It was designed in 1937 as a pressurized passenger airliner. In WWII there were 3,181 build - around half a dozen Commandos are still flying today.

Table of Contents Curtiss Wright C-46 Commando for FlightGear Features Flying Download Startup Taxiing Takeoff Climbout Whats next? Done Cockpit Do you want to help?

Features

Note: Some of these features might exist on development branch only!

• Detailled 3D exterior model
  • Exterior animated
    • Landing gear animation
    • Animated surfaces
  • Livery system
    • Aerocondor Colombia
    • Delta Air Freighter
    • Lufthansa
    • Tinker Belle
    • US navy blue
• 3D Cockpit
  • animated center console
  • Panel based on TinkerBelle, including lightmap and clickspots
  • Overhead panel, contolling the electrical system
  • Animated seats
• JSBsim FDM
  • costumized with 419 pages real handbook data (link)
  • Engines tuned in air and flight dynamics using MATLAB
  • Systems for (Oil-)cooling, Carburetor heater and Tailwheel lock, as well as superchargers, gear and flaps.
  • Fuel system with feeder tanks, fuel valves, crossfeed

Flying

Download

Download this file: Go to https://github.com/SkybikeFG/c46/archive/master.zip. Download the file (Green button in the upper right "clone or download v" > "Download ZIP") and unzip it. Name the folder "c46-master" as "c46". (Without this step you would just see a yellow glider) Then move it to $FGdata/aircraft/.

Startup

1. Start FlightGear with the c46 at an airport.
2. Switch the magnetos to 3 ( } button three times).
3. Start the engine starter with s. This takes a few seconds
4. When you hear/see the running engine release the s button.

Taxiing

1. Set the flaps to two notches (] two times).
2. Release parking Brake (B or lever on center console).
3. Lock the tailwheel by pressing l (or using the lever on the center console), or use your brakes on , and . (float/point) buttons for steering.

Takeoff

1. Full power to takeoff.
2. Rotate at correct takeoff speed for load.

Climbout

1. Bring up gear by pressing g.
2. Open oil cooler doors by using levers on center console.
3. Retract the flaps as needed.
4. Begin to lean mixture at 7,000 ft.
5. Set Supercharger to high (lever up) upon reaching 10,000 ft.

Whats next?

• 3D-cockpit:
  • integrate comm/nav panel on code side
  • animate all fuses/switches on overhead panel
    • electrical system and autostart needed
  • improve Cockpit
    • improve seats
    • window sells
    • heater panel
    • Cockpit textures
    • animate copilot
  • more
• animate Cowl flaps (3d-Work) and (Rudder/Elevator) Tab
• shadow and propeller fast spinning animation
• Startup system with autostart option
  • Tutorials
  • Complete checklists
• Enhance fuel and payload system (dialog?)
• Tune oilcooler/cowlflaps/fuel pressure system
• Electrical system
• Oil system
• Advanced engine controls (priming)
• Enhancing the audio
• Landing lights
• More Liveries
• Pullback
• Rear cabin with seats and other configurations (dream big)

Done

Major Updates in 2018

• Animated Pedestal
• New sounds
• New AO maps (paintkits)
• Instruments
• New propeller
• Help file
• Fuel system
• Panel model, texture, lightmap

Large Updates in 2019

• Finished Panel (all instruments and buttons, tooltips,...)
  • Alternate source, ai cage, electrical system
• New (real c46) startup sounds, interior sounds (Development branch only)
• Overhead panel
• new yoke, new pedals
• new lights
• new livery

Cockpit

The Cockpit ist based on the Tinker Belle and has some modern instruments. I intended to develop an airplane that could fly today (some do!). WWII cockpits are designed for a whole crew (many Instruments only once), modern cockpits are designed for two pilots, no matter on which seat he/she is. So for a single user this modern one schould be easier to fly as well. In addition it is hard to find pictures.

Do you want to help?

• test the aircraft and write bug reports
• take screenshots as splash screens
• create liveries of your favourite airline