What to fly in the Race?

[jt_williams 291]

Mike (2002cbr600f4i) asked for recommendations aircraft for the race. I thought this question deserved its own thread.The best place to start is the 2006 General Rules:http://users.adelphia.net/~mattsmith19/RTW/rules.htmSection 2.a.II of the 2006 General Rules states: Aircraft must fit into one of the following categories:i) Piston-powered fixed-wing aircraft.ii) Turboprop-powered, fixed-wing aircraft of two engines or fewer.iii) Rotorcraft.So we are looking for a propeller driven aircraft that can go fast for two hours. Ruggedness is also useful for landing on short strips. I

[Guest kickin_chicken]

I've got the PA42 Cheyenne down to a science - it's my horse!

[Guest sfoofficer]

How many bounces would you like with this landing?OMG! :D I forgot about those!Boys and girls. For this sing along, just follow the bouncing 'Pony'. LOL

[Guest thespazzz]

Heh, I still break my Nose Gear more than I like. I swear by the end of the race last year the thing was held on by duct tape and balling wire.

[Guest 2002cbr600f4i]

Hmm, I'll probably be sticking to the built in aircraft rather than add-ins since I have a lot more experience with them. So, of the built in stuff in FS9 and FSX what would people recommend?Also, I've seen people mention that they participated last year, but didn't carry the baton. What exactly were they doing then?I'm very interested to see how this is all done. It's not like all the teams are flying on a multi-player environment together, right?Guess I'll learn more during practice on Sat night...BTW, trying to rope 2 other buddies into joining in as well...--Mike

[Guest thespazzz]

Well something your consistant and can fly well with is your best choice.Of the default FS9 aircraft if I had to pick I'd probably fly the KingAir.

[cbtaylor 15]

I was also a first time flyer last year, and flew wing or "entourage." I was very happy in Dave Copley's "definitive Lightning," which is available as freeware here on Avsim, I think. Easy to fly (and land!) and very forgiving. I've purchased the FSD Cheyenne and the ** P-51D/H package since then and have been warming up on those to try to keep up with the speed demons this year. I just need to learn how to see in the dark. ;-)CB

[jt_williams 291]

Just finished moving my P51H over to FSX. Had to leave my RealityXP avionics behind though. http://forums.avsim.net/user_files/164976.jpghttp://forums.avsim.net/user_files/164977.jpghttp://forums.avsim.net/user_files/164978.jpg

[Guest 2002cbr600f4i]

Sweet....If you could, please give me the links to where I can get everything needed for that. I'm (planning) to fly using FSX and it sounds like the P-51 would be a good choice for fast...How much work did you have to do to convert it over for use with FSX?--Mike

[jt_williams 291]

It's a commercial title. $24.95http://www.shockwaveproductions.com/store/p51/The installer is for FS9. Had to find the files in my FS9 and copy them to the correct place in FSX. Klas pointed me to this post in the Shockwave forums which had a list of files to copy. http://shockwaveproductions.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=6459FSX folders are similar to FS9 except the "aircraft-folder" goes into SimObjects/Airplanes instead of Aircraft. Jeff

[Guest 2002cbr600f4i]

Ah, gotchya. Hmmmm... What's top speed on that while @ 8000 ft? (since I assume we'll be limited to 8500 again this year...) And what sort of range?I have the Abacus Flight Deck 4 for FSX and it has a E-2 Hawkeye in it. I just did some testing and it'll do 300 kts @ 8000 ft and seems pretty easy to fly. Best I could get out of the default FSX King Air 350 was around 220 kts, so the Hawkeye is probably the fastest prop in my stable right now. It'll also easily do that for 2 hours flight time. (Ferry Range 1600 miles!)--Mike

[buzzbee 51]

I carried the baton at least once last year, but when not carrying the baton, I flew along, flew ahead, scouted out the weather and cheered the team on. It was my first real introduction to multiplayer and I have to say it was a blast just to be a part of it.I flew the free P-38. Was fast. Easy to handle on takeoff and landing.

[buzzbee 51]

Where did the DC-7 come from? I'd like to get that one. I am looking for some prop powered airliner. Maybe a Connie.

[jt_williams 291]

The DC-7C can be found at California Classichttp://www.calclassic.com/dc7c.htmPanel, sounds, & effects are separate downloads on the same site.Here's a pic of Chris in the Seven Seas at Ascension Island after his leg flight in last years race:http://forums.avsim.net/user_files/165007.jpgJeff

[MM 422]

In addition to all written here, Here is a great post for further consideration:http://forums.flightsim.com/dc/dcboard.php...g_id=3710&page=It is mostly "Easy Ed" (who hangs out mostly at SOH) with comments by Reggie Fields (FlightSim and everywhere!). Very good reading for everyone, especially those considering which types of aircraft they want to choose.Important to say, even if repeating: you should feel very comfortable with your aircraft when flying under difficult circumstances. You'll surely fly in the dark, with limited visibility, and land on strange, short fields in sizable crosswinds. That is the fun of it!Best.Mike