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4.1. CREATING THE ENGINES 61 Beneath the three thrust settings is the engine’s optimum altitude, the altitude at which the rocket achieves maximum thrust, in feet above mean sea level. In the upper right of the Rocket Engine Specs box is the “nozzle exit area” parameter, the size of the exhaust nozzle. This is used only to calculate how large an exhaust flame to display in X-Plane. The final parameter in the Rocket Engine Specs box is the engine’s specific fuel consumption (SFC). Specific fuel consumption in rocket engines is much simpler than in combustion engines; this parameter applies at all altitudes, at all power settings. It defines the pounds of fuel burned per hour for each pound of the engine’s thrust. Note that the specific fuel consumption is the inverse of the engine’s specific impulse (Isp), the number usually discussed in relation to a rocket’s fuel consumption. Working with Twin- and Multi-Engine Aircraft Creating multiple engines in Plane Maker is quite straightforward; in the Location tab, each engine has its position defined independently (as described in the “Location” section above), as well as its propeller characteristics, if applicable, as described in the “Customizing the Propeller” section above. Engines of the same type (propeller-driving, jet, or rocket) are assumed to have the same characteristics-that is, all propeller-driving engines on an aircraft will have the same maximum allowable horsepower, the same redline RPM, and so on. The only thing significantly different about setting up multiple engines is the use of the Engine Specs dialog’s Transmission tab. This, of course, applies only to engines that turn propellers. Most aircraft designs will have one transmission per engine. Thus, a single-engine aircraft will have a single transmission, a twin-engine aircraft will have two transmissions, and so on. Exceptions are designs which use a common transmission to connect multiple engines to multiple propellers, as seen in the V-22 Osprey, as well as helicopter designs, where all rotors are geared together. The number of transmissions is defined in the far left of the Transmission tab, seen in Figure 4.16. Figure 4.16: The Engine Specs dialog’s Transmission tab To the right of the “number of transmissions” parameter are the transmission settings for each engine and each propeller; engine settings are in the center of the window, and propeller settings are on the right. With multiple engines created in the Location tab, there will be one row of settings for each engine. Note that the topmost engine here corresponds to the leftmost engine in the Location tab, and the topmost propeller here corresponds to the leftmost propeller in the Location tab. Each engine can drive one transmission, as defined in the “transmission that this engine feeds” box. Each propeller, in turn, can be driven by one transmission (set in the “transmission that feeds this prop” box). Thus, in a twin-engine plane, the port-side engine might feed transmission 1, and
62 4. WORKING WITH THE AIRCRAFT’S SYSTEMS the port-side propeller would be fed by transmission 1. The starboard-side engine, then, would feed transmission 2, and the starboard-side propeller would be fed by transmission 2. 4.2 Setting Up Electrical, Hydraulic, and Pressurization Systems The electrical and hydraulic sub-systems of an aircraft are used to drive instruments, lighting, and flight controls. The pressurization system keeps the air pressure in the cabin at a comfortable level. These systems are modeled in Plane Maker using the Systems dialog box, found in the Standard menu. Configuring the Electrical System The electrical system is configured using the Systems dialog box. The Electrical tab sets the sources of electrical power, as well as the number of buses and inverters, so it is a good place to start when setting up the system. Note that the aircraft will have one battery for every battery button present on the 2-D instrument panel, and one generator for every generator button on the panel. Figure 4.17: The Systems dialog’s Electrical tab In the Sources box, shown in Figure 4.17 the parameter on the left sets the battery’s capacity, measured in watt-hours. The battery will only be considered if more amperage is required by your electronics than is available from the generator, as might occur in a generator failure or when taxiing in some aircraft. A good estimate for light aircraft is a 1,000 watt-hour battery. If the aircraft also has an air-driven backup generator to power the electrical system, check the box on the right side of the Sources portion of the dialog box. An aircraft will often have several different electrical distribution networks, called buses. These buses are often separated and powered by separate generators and batteries so that the failure of one bus will not cause electrical failure across the rest of the aircraft. In this case, a switch inside the aircraft will “tie” the buses together so that the still-working buses can power the failed ones. Set the number of buses, batteries, and generators using the corresponding parameters in the “Batteries, Generators, and Buses” portion of the dialog box. If you have more than one bus, specify which bus each battery and generator feeds using the input boxes at the bottom of the “Batteries, Generators, and Buses” box. Finally, if the buses are always tied, check the box labeled “buses always cross-tied.” In this case, all engines and batteries will feed all buses.
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U L T R A -R E A L IS T IC F L IG H
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CONTENTS iii The Body Data Box . .
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CONTENTS v 9 Performing a Test Flig
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1. About This Manual (this page) 2.
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2 1. INTRODUCTION TO PLANE MAKER 1.
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4 2. THE PLANE MAKER INTERFACE 2.3
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6 2. THE PLANE MAKER INTERFACE Spec
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