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Guest nramsey

Dreamfleet Cessna 310 (or other good payware GA twin)

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Guest nramsey

Hi all,I'm looking for a nice payware GA twin to take a bit of a break from the big iron I've been flying lately. Time to go cruise the coast or something :) I'd like to stick with payware as I haven't found a freeware package that was as complete as I would like.I'm considering the Cessna 310 from Dreamfleet. Anyone have it? How is it? Flight model? VC? Sounds? Anyone have any other recommendations for a nice GA twin? I'm looking for something I can fly low and slow, or cruise at 200+ knots for some touring. Any help would be great.Thanks!Nathan

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Guest rogue1

I'm rather partial to the Flight 1 Cessna 421. Very nice piece of equipment for the type of flying you are thinking of.Jim

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Guest Rockcliffe

I love the 310 although I wouldn't consider it a "low and slow". For that I use my DF Archer. The 310 can cover a lot of ground.I'm not a real pilot so I can't comment on flight model accuracy and so on, but it has excellent sounds, a superb VC and handles nicely.But what I love most about the Archer and the 310 is that they just feel 'real', as if these are my personal aircraft in which I am most at home. No other addon, payware or freeware, gives me the same sense of realism.Hope this helps.BlairCYOW

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Guest nramsey

Thanks Blair, that sounds like just what I'm looking for. Thanks for the other tips guys. I think the 421, while nice looking, is a bit more "business" than GA. The 310 seems like it would have more of a "a regular guy could own this" feel to it which I think would appeal to me.

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Both the 310 and the 421 are nice airplanes.. The 421 has a nicer cockpit layout and more refined handling. Easy to get into and easy to fly in all conditions, while being fast when you want it.The 310 is more temperamental and has a realistic, vintage cockpit layout.. fun, no doubt, but a bit frustrating if you are used to the logical layout of a modern airplane. A bit like comparing an old DC9 to a 737NG. BTW, if you do get the 310, set it up with no fuel in the wing tip tanks and with a symmetrical passenger load until you get a good feel for the plane... :-)


Bert

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Guest oyvindhansen

I really like the Seneca V by FSD. It has great flight dynamics, smooth and stable, and is very flyable from the VC. And I like the way it feels, like a "personal" aircraft, unlike the 421 that is bigger and feels more "professional". I also have the 310, but that one is not a favourite of mine. It is a great design, but I don't care for the way it flies.-

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Check out the Aerocommanders and the Howard 500 by Milton Shupe and others. Unfortunately they are freeware :(


Asus Prime X370 Pro / Ryzen 7 3800X / 32 GB DDR4 3600 MHz / Gainward Ghost RTX 3060 Ti
MSFS / XP

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Guest nramsey

Wow, the FSD Seneca V looks great. I'll do some more research about it. Thanks for the tip Peter and

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Guest Slacktide

>BTW, if you do get the 310, set it up with no fuel in the wing>tip tanks and with a symmetrical passenger load until you get>a good feel for the plane... :-)Not too realistic IMO. In a real 310, you must use the tip tanks while in takeoff, climb, decend, and landing. The aux tanks in the wings are used only in level flight, and only after the tip tanks have been drained to a level equal to half the capacity of the aux tanks. The aux tanks in the wing lockers behind the engines use an electric pump to transfer fuel to the tip tanks. I find the Dreamfleet 310 to have a decent flight model... except that it has a rather wicked dutch roll tendancy on approach at 110 MPH that the real aircraft does not. It gets a bit easier if you fly your approach at 120 MPH, but then you eat up a considerable ammount of runway bleeding off airspeed before touchdown. I seem to recall that you can help this by increasing the vtail_area in the aircraft.cfg file, but I don't remember the value to use.I do wish that there were some twin arcraft for FS9 that modeled VMC correctly... most that I've seen will happily stay controllable all the way down to stall speed even with one engine at full power and one shut off, and the DF 310 is no different here.My only other small complaint about the DF 310 is that it models a 310 with an aftermarket turbocharged engine conversion. I modified mine back to the normally aspirated version that I am used to. Dan

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Guest Rockcliffe

I'd be interested in trying the non-turbo version as well. How do you modify the .cfg to do that?ThanksBlair

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Guest aca_dia

FSD Seneca V is very well done as are all of their aircraft.

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Guest nramsey

Thanks for the help guys. I ended up going with the Flight1 Meridian. Not a twin, but I was woo'ed by the great reviews and inclusion of the Reality XP GPS and gauges...something I have been thinking about purchasing for other aircraft so wanted to try them out. I think I'm really going to like flying this one.

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Guest Slacktide

>I'd be interested in trying the non-turbo version as well.>How do you modify the .cfg to do that?>Thanks>BlairSure thing.. I had to dig through the aircraft.cfg file and compare it to the stock one. These changes will give you a 310L with the stock Continental IO-470-VO, normally aspirated, 260HP engines. It flies pretty darn close to the performance tables in the Dreamfleet manual, and the dutch roll during approach is eradicated. Do note that the gross takeoff weight is reduced to 5200 lbs, so with full fuel you only get 524 lbs for passengers and luggage, just like real life.You'll probably want to make a backup copy of your aircraft.cfg file first. Then, edit the aircraft.cfg and change/add the following values:in each [fltsim.#] section -description=Cessna 310L with Continental IO-470-VO 260hp engines. Designed by: Louis Betti, Elmar Calbo, Ron Freimuth, Nick Jacobs, Tom Main, Mikko Maliniemi, and Aaron Swindle. Based on the real N137CM. in the [weight_and_balance] section -max_gross_weight = 5200 //IO-470-VOempty_weight = 3544 //IO-470-VO//Weight data for IO-470-VO//empty wt: 3544 lb //oil: 40 lb//max fuel: 1092 lb 182 gal//Tip + Aux fuel: 858 lb 143 gal//Tip fuel only: 612 lb 102 gal//wet weight, max fuel 4676 lb//wet weight, Tip + aux fuel 4442 lb//wet weight, Tip fuel only 4196 lb//Max payload w/ max fuel 524 lb//Max payload w/ tip + aux fuel 758 lb//Max payload w/ tip fuel only 1004 lbin the [GeneralEngineData] section - fuel_flow_scalar =0.925 //IO-470-VOin the [piston_engine] section -power_scalar = 1.1 //IO-470-VOcylinder_displacement = 78.5 //IO-470-VOcompression_ratio = 8.6 //IO-470-VOmax_rated_rpm = 2625 //IO-470-VOmax_rated_hp = 260 //IO-470-VOturbocharged = 0 //IO-470-VOin the [flight_tuning] section -parasite_drag_scalar=.9 //IO-470-VOinduced_drag_scalar=.9 //IO-470-VOyaw_stability=2.15 //IO-470-VODan

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Nathan, you'll love the Meridian!BTW, if the brightly colored icons on the A pillar get on you nerves, look for my panel manager modification in the support forums or read below...>>>>>>>>Now that the new Flight1 441 Conquest has shown the way,it is time to retro-fit the Meridian with its own Panel Managerand clean the icons off the left post when not needed.If you would like to have these icons as a pop-up anddo not mind a bit of fiddling with panel and gauge files,here is how to do it.First of all: back up your panel.cfg file!Also please note that if you use the Meridian configomatic function to chose a different panel, these changes will be lost... so if you like this version, make a backup of it as well, just in case1. Open up your panel.cfg file with Notepad.Add this line at the bottom of the VFR panel window definition:gauge36=MyGauges!Panel_Mgr, 0,720,20,40The same in the IFR window definition:gauge42=MyGauges!Panel_Mgr, 0,720,20,40One more time in the landing panel window:gauge15=MyGauges!Panel_Mgr, 0,720,20,40Note: use the gauge number that logically follows the last gauge number in the panel.This may vary depending on which panel option you have installed... if you use a highernumber, FS9 does not seem to mind...2. Add this line higher up in the window definitions:Window17=Panel Manager3. Add this window definition after the Window 16 section:[Window17]Background_color=0,0,0size_mm=48,160window_size_ratio=1.000visible=0ident=1030window_pos= 0.000, 0.000gauge00=FLT1PIPERM!OVTG, 0,0,48,48gauge01=FLT1PIPERM!PETG, 0,49,48,62gauge02=FLT1PIPERM!LDTG, 0,110,48,484. Comment out the existing icons by putting two slashes in frontof the respective lines in the VFR panel window, like so://gauge29=FLT1PIPERM!OVTG, 0,0,48,48//gauge30=FLT1PIPERM!PETG, 0,48,48,62//gauge30=FLT1PIPERM!LDTG, 0,92,48,48Repeat this for the IFR panel and the landing panel.BTW, if your landing panel is "de-activated", now isthe time to remove the slashes in Window 14, exceptfor the three lines, as above.5. Save your panel.cfg file.6. Create a new folder as a subfolder of your FS9/Gauges directory.Call it: MyGauges7. With notepad, create the following text:Panel Manager1030 ( > K : PANEL_ID_TOGGLE)8. Save this under the name of: Panel_Mgr.xml in the MyGauges folder9. Start up the Meridian... the clickspot for the Panel Manageris at the lower left of the screen. A hand will appearwhen you mouse over it.Enjoy!!Any problems, post a reply and I will try to help...


Bert

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