{"id":125,"date":"2023-08-15T19:05:23","date_gmt":"2023-08-15T17:05:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/superconniesim.ch\/?page_id=125"},"modified":"2023-10-24T13:01:17","modified_gmt":"2023-10-24T11:01:17","slug":"entstehung-und-testflug","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/superconniesim.ch\/en\/entstehung-und-testflug\/","title":{"rendered":"Origin and test flight"},"content":{"rendered":"

(Partial) Transcript from Report FS Magazine 5\/2015, Daniel Ludwig<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Origin<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are many modern cockpit simulators for types like the A-320 or B-737. However, there isn't one for the world-famous four-engine propeller aircraft, the Super Constellation. The only one known so far, whose pilot workstations come from a genuine \u201eConnie,\u201c is at the Sim Academy. This shares its business premises with the restaurant Runway 34, in close proximity to the Zurich Airport runway of the same name.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 1998, Hurricane George caused a ruckus in the Dominican Republic: specifically, an old Curtiss C-46 crashed into a very aged Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellation belonging to the Dominican cargo company Aero Chago, registered as Hl-548 CT. The \u201eConnie\u201c broke into several pieces and lay in this unfortunate state for years. The aircraft was actually supposed to fly for Breitling. However, the company decided to opt for a better-preserved model even before this total loss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cockpit repair<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, restoration genius Christian M\u00fcller took care of the flight deck between 2006 and 2009. He completely dismantled the cockpit, meticulously cleaning, repairing, and restoring every lever, every switch, every console, and thus the entire cockpit with the flight engineer's station.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many refurbished controls and instruments were then connected to commercially available flight simulation software using potentiometers and other tools. A simple visual using a monitor was added, and Switzerland Professional X was used as the scenery. Since then, the \u201eConnie\u201c has preferably roared past the Jungfrau, Rigi, or Chasseral in visual flight and has been exclusively flown under visual flight rules. You can try to land her in Kai Tak or majestically take off from St. Maarten Airport.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To quote the singer Prince: \u201eEverything is possible, but nothing is real!\u201c \u2013 everything is possible, nothing is real\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The shell of the \u201eIron Lady\u201c received the original Aero Chago paint scheme. The entire cockpit was mounted on a rolling chassis. The simulator can be shown as a mobile unit at trade fairs or events. In spring 2015, Sim Academy, run by Reto Seipel, acquired the Connie sim. Reto is an airline pilot and co-owner of the Runway 34 restaurant. Since then, the venerable and wonderful cockpit has been available to the public as an aviation historical exhibit and Fixed Based Simulator (FBS).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Test flight with the \u00abConnie\u00bb<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We are on runway 05 in Geneva (ICAO code LSGG), the four mighty Curtiss Wright Cyclone R3350 18-cylinder twin-row radial engines are running smoothly at idle on their oil-saturated bearings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

13,000 horsepower (HP) are waiting to be unleashed. Flap setting is handled by co-pilot Alexis Deblonde, a real ATPL pilot and simulation instructor on the aircraft at Runway34-Simacademy. Alexis has familiarised himself with the systems of the \u201eConnie\u201c and is now acting as co-pilot to the author. The huge, metallic trim wheel is operated by hand. We turn it to Take Off (T\/O) \u2013 the two yellow lines must match. Electric, hydraulic, RPM, oil pressure, fuel flow and engine temperature checks, as well as the entire run-up and all checks, are left to the virtual flight engineer who would be sitting to our right behind us. The Cyclone engines were considered prone to breakdowns and over-engineered. They are said to have caused many an engineer and pilot to break out in a sweat due to their unreliability. Pilots used to joke that their \u201eConnie\u201c was the best three-engined aircraft in the world...<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alexis names the power settings for T\/O, Climb and Cruise. However, these can only be physically achieved with considerable effort. The PropLever and Manifold Pressure levers are anything but smooth, but they do allow for very precise adjustment of the exact engine parameters. A pleasure! However, the head aches. When entering the Connie cockpit, even short hobby pilots should be careful not to get any scratches, as the Connie instruments and switches are not made of plastic, but of worn metal. We are Ready for Departure. Decisively, the four cool, metallic Power Levers should be pushed forward as synchronously as possible. But it is only with the utmost effort that they can be slowly pushed forward. The engines roar to life, and the \u201eConnie\u201c rolls off sluggishly. Even now, it is evident that the old lady represents authentic, honest hardware that demands a firm hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The machine rotates sluggishly: Positive rate of climb! Gear up! It's not easy to keep the \u201eConnie\u201c on course with the yoke forged from aluminium. Maintaining pitch while constantly watching the speed also requires effort. So, re-trim. Christian M\u00fcller believes that the effort required in the original aircraft was considerably greater than in the simulator, despite hydraulic assistance. The machine banks into a slight left turn towards Nyon, while on the right, the Mont Blanc massif tips away, and on the left, the elongated, wooded heights of the Jura appear. Alexis suggests retracting the flaps correctly, whereupon the flaps are moved down from 60 to zero using the heavy aluminium lever. At the same time, it's now necessary to reduce the manifold pressure to just under 42 and the propeller speed to 2,600 with moderate effort, and to limit the speed to 130 to 40 knots (kts) using pitch and power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If one or even two engines were to fail, for example the two right-hand ones, we would have to turn the rudder trim knob on the lower pedestal to the left to counteract the strong yawing moment to the right. The latter and the aileron trim are not simulated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Flying by sight<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We are aiming for a maximum altitude of 8,000 feet (ft). The flight will be conducted under visual flight rules to Sion (LSGS) using a right-hand circuit in the narrow valley and landing on runway 23. At Lausanne, we will level off, set the manifold pressure to 30, and the RPM to 2,100. We will accelerate to 200 kts and trim firmly. The route takes us past picturesque vineyards, past Fechy, where Phil Collins lives, past Vevey, where Charlie Chaplin was buried, and past the jazz metropolis of Montreux. The impressive Chillon Castle is clearly visible to our left, and ahead of us, the Chablais plain and the Lower Valais open up. To the right, the jagged peaks of the Dents du Midi are visible, while cumulus clouds at the rear are slightly obscuring the view.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The visual consists of two 55-inch curved monitors with HD resolution. Since the windows of the \u201eConnie\u201c are small, a wrap-around screen with projectors isn't strictly necessary. What's (still) missing are bass shakers under the seats to give the body a bit more of the engine vibrations. An additional luxury would be a detachable motion platform that simulates turbulence now and then, as \u201eConnies\u201c rarely flew higher than FL 240, so never completely above the weather phenomena like today's airliners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our \u201eConnie\u201c is lazily turning 90 degrees left at Martigny, pushing slightly to the right. New heading is 045, manifold pressure 28, RPM 2,000, re-trim, braking from 200 down to 140 kts. Runway 05 at LSGS is in sight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We drift past the three-thousand-metre peak of Grand Muveran. To the left and above, we see the Derborence valley and the Diablerets with the Plaine Morte glacier. To the right and below, the airfield and the town of Sion with the Tourbillon stadium can be seen. We skirt along the left side of the valley towards the cosmopolitan resort of Crans-Montana and, executing a sharp U-turn with our roaring Cyclones, head back in the direction of Sion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We have to hug the left side of the valley quite closely with the large propliner to correctly intercept the extended runway centerline 25. On downwind we had already deployed Flaps 60, then 80. On final, we engaged Full Flaps and braked to 130 kts, the virtual flight engineer does everything else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The landing is more or less successful \u2013 thanks to the PAPI and a constant eye on the final speed of 110 kts. The pedals are a bit too sensitive; in reality, our Connie would have veered off the runway after touchdown and reverse due to the author's overdone pedal work. It's done.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

(Teil-)Abschrift aus Bericht FS Magazin 5\/2015, Daniel Ludwig Entstehung Moderne Cockpitsimulatoren der Typen A-320 oder B-737 gibt es viele. Ein Cock\u00adpitsimulator des weltber\u00fchmten viermotorigen Propellerflugzeugs Super Constellation nicht. Der einzige bisher bekannte, dessen Pilotenarbeitspl\u00e4tze von einer echten \u201eConnie“ stammen, steht bei der Sim Academy. Diese teilt sich die Gesch\u00e4ftsr\u00e4ume mit dem Restaurant Runway 34 in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_citadela_hide_page_title":"","_citadela_remove_header_space":"","_citadela_custom_class":"","_citadela_half_map_provider":"","_citadela_half_map_theme":"","_citadela_half_map_themeOSM":"","_citadela_half_map_customTheme":"","_citadela_half_map_dataType":"","_citadela_half_map_dynamicTrack":false,"_citadela_half_map_trackColor":"","_citadela_half_map_trackEndpointsColor":"","_citadela_half_map_filterCategory":"","_citadela_half_map_filterLocation":"","_citadela_half_map_filterFeatured":false,"_citadela_half_map_noDataBehavior":"empty-map","_citadela_half_map_noDataText":"","_citadela_half_map_clusterGridSize":80,"_citadela_header":false,"_citadela_header_over_content":false,"_citadela_header_text_color":"","_citadela_header_logo":[],"_citadela_header_bg_image":[],"_citadela_header_bg_position":[],"_citadela_header_bg_size":"","_citadela_header_bg_repeat":"","_citadela_header_bg_fixed":false,"_citadela_header_bg_color":"","_citadela_header_bg_image_overlay":"","_citadela_header_transparent_bg":false,"_citadela_content_width":"","_citadela_half_layout_position":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-125","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/superconniesim.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/125","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/superconniesim.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/superconniesim.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/superconniesim.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/superconniesim.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=125"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/superconniesim.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/125\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":383,"href":"https:\/\/superconniesim.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/125\/revisions\/383"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/superconniesim.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=125"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}