AlphaSim Royal Aircraft Factory
SE.5a
The Royal Aircraft Factory's S.E.5.a went
tooth and nail with the Sopwith Camel for the accolade of being the finest
British fighting aeroplane of World War I. Designed by a team which
included the legendary H. P. Folland, the first prototype was unveiled in
December, 1916. The craft utilised a 150-HP Hispano-Suiza engine
with a large, automotive-style radiator and truncated exhaust
manifolds. The wings used wire-braced spruce spars and some were of
solid construction. The tailplane incidence could be adjusted in
flight, giving the pilot the ability to trim the aircraft to some
extent. The fuselage was of standard, ribbed construction and
covered with fabric, with a plywood box around the cockpit. The
primary fuel supply tank was just behind the engine, with an enclosed
reserve tank that would give 20 extra minutes of flying at maximum
continuous power. The early engines suffered from failures, but
these were remedied by the installation of Wolseley W.4a Viper 200 hp
engines, which were quite reliable. The S.E.5.a was widely regarded
as a tough opponent by the enemy and as a good friend in the air by its
pilots. It was robust, fast, and very easy to fly. It was
superior to the Albatross D-III and D-V, the Pfalz D-III and the Fokker
Dr. I; not even the vaunted Fokker D-VII could dethrone it. The
aircraft remains extremely popular among early aviation history buffs and
WWI aficionados, and replicas abound, in both full- and smaller-scale
versions. Excellent flying reproductions of the plane can be seen in
the films "The Aviator" and "Flyboys", but the best
place to see the S.E.5.a in action is in the restored version of Howard
Hughes' "Hell's Angels". Walkaround and Preflight. The S.E.5.a is a simple and rugged aeroplane and doesn't require much attention. As you do your preflight, check for proper control attachments, worn tires, torn fabric, or any hidden battle damage. The wooden prop is subject to knicks and damage so be especially attentive to it. Kick the tires, take a look in your tanks to make sure you have enough gas, dip the oil, and top off the coolant. Use a little dope and fabric to patch any holes or tears in the covering. Aircraft Limitations.
Cockpit Starting Procedure.
Alternate Starting Procedure.
Taxi and Takeoff. Taxying is a challenge in this plane when flying solo. Normally a crew member handles each wingtip and assists the pilot in directional control. However we do not have this luxury. There are no wheel brakes, so to turn the aeroplane, you hold full left or right rudder and give a blast of throttle. You will need plenty of open space to maneuver. It is best to hold the stick right back whilst taxying because this places more weight on the tail skid and will assist slightly with steering. To takeoff, a grass or dirt surface is best. Oftentimes in a rural area you can find a nice open field somewhere and take off from there. Line up on the runway, smoothly feeding in throttle. The tail will lift nicely and the aircraft will very nearly fly itself off the runway in a mere few hundred feet. Pull your throttle back to climbing RPM (1600-1800) and angle up for the climb. Climbing. Climb at 60 mph IAS and 1600-1800 RPM. As you climb you will need to advance the throttle from time to time to maintain climbing RPM as the air becomes thinner as well as constantly adjust your mixture control. Cruising. Cruise at 1375 RPM and 90 mph IAS for normal range. This will give you a fuel consumption of 4 Imperial gallons per hour at an altitude of 2,000 feet MSL if your mixture control is set properly, and maybe a little less if you are are careful to lean out the mixture for cruise. At 10,000 feet your prop will be set to 1550 RPM for a 90 mph IAS cruise and your fuel flow will be 4.25 Imperial gallons per hour, again maybe a bit less if you are good at leaning the mixture. Acrobatics, Flight, and Trim characteristics. The S.E.5.a is a wonderful and forgiving handler, especially as compared with many of its contemporaries. It is light on the controls and loves all kinds of acrobatics, such as snap rolls, slow rolls, loops, chandelles, Immelmans, and any other kind of maneuver you can think of. The Hammerhead is a particular favorite and with practice you can master it. The trick is to get plenty of airspeed, at least 100 mph IAS, and zoom straight up. Let your speed fall off to almost nothing, and then apply full rudder to swing the nose right around. You will need to apply a bit of opposite aileron as you do this because of the dihedral effect of the rudder. If you do it right, you'll execute a perfect 180-degree turn. See the movie for an example of how it is done. The stall is not severe and if you have enough altitude, just neutralize the controls and the heavy engine and fuel will swing the nose Earthward once again and the plane will take flight of its own accord. When the trim controls are set to neutral, the plane will naturally begin to level out as the airspeed builds and it will swoop and then gently zoom climb if you leave it alone. Conversely, if the nose gets too high and the airspeed falls off, the plane's state of trim will naturally cause the nose to fall and the airspeed to build up again. Just like a good glider, the plane has excellent inherent stability. Moreover, it is rigged to climb at 60 mph with the trim neutral and very nearly hands-off the controls. Likewise, at 90 mph IAS in a level cruise, the plane is rigged to fly virtually hands-free. However, the aircraft does have a moveable tailplane which offers some range of trim control. Due to battle damage, the trim controls in this plane's cockpit don't work. (You can override that by using the controls on your keyboard or joystick but we discourage this as the plane is rigged to fly very well without touching the trim). (In FSX you will need to navigate to the S.E.5.a folder and open the movies directly.) Descent. Simply pull the throttle right back and point the nose down. Your speed will be limited by the great amount of drag from the airframe. Watch for icing conditions. Adjust throttle as desired. Landing.
Shutdown.
|