Ah - now that explanation makes sense!



As the pressure on the fuselage is the in-flight measurement, whether at sea-level or FL200, the reduced density at FL200 means the aircraft is moving faster to yield the same IAS, i.e., pressure on the fuselage.

 

If you start up your Lancair Legacy, there is a knob on the airspeed indicator that turns the white thingy.  You line up your altitude in thousands (in the white part at the top) with the outside air temperature which you can read from the engine panel on the right.  You can then see what your TAS is on the white tape around the outside of the airspeed indicator.  Really cool and what a great job Rob did with those instruments!

If you start up your Lancair Legacy, there is a knob on the airspeed indicator that turns the white thingy.  You line up your altitude in thousands (in the white part at the top) with the outside air temperature which you can read from the engine panel on the right.  You can then see what your TAS is on the white tape around the outside of the airspeed indicator.  Really cool and what a great job Rob did with those instruments!

Cool - I check that out. 

 

And I agree, the Lancair Legacy is, to me, the Cobra kit car of airplanes and Rob did a great job on it. I also love my Duke (I like the reciprocating model better - more soul).

I'm looking forward to the Wilco TBM which seems to be published very soon. G1000 with WAAS approach capabilities. 

Hi Geoff, 

 

I mess with the weather (a nice brewing storm) and time (at dawn/dusk) to keep it interesting, but man, there is a lot of nothing in middle 'Murica!

 

If on autopilot, you can always set simrate  to x2, x4, x8  to get past the "Boring Bits",

( unless that's not allowed  :  ie you are playing VAs  and FS Passenger  etc )

 

Or you can always listen to "Sky Blue Radio",  or "Flight Level Radio", read a book, watch TV (yawn), or find something else useful to do.

TAS is really only used for flight planning purposes.  As a pilot you are most concerned with IAS for flying the airplane, and Groundspeed for simple calculations, such as when to turn on a DME Arc or when to start a descent.

 

Typical calculation, say your groundspeed is 180kts...which is 3nm a minute.  Ok so you are cruising along at 11,500ft.  Lets say traffic pattern altitude is 2500ft.  So with a 1000FPM descent, it will take you 9 minutes to descend 9000ft.  9*3=27.  So you want to start your descent approximately 27nm  out, maybe give yourself an extra mile or two so you enter TPA before you actually get to the airport.

 

Cheers

TJ

 

PS...going fast with a big radial or V-12 up front is quite a thrill when barreling down city streets or through a canyon.  GA flying doesn't all have to be straight & level. :biggrin:

 

 

If on autopilot, you can always set simrate  to x2, x4, x8  to get past the "Boring Bits",

 

Heya Geoff, 

 

Yeah, I know, but oddly enough, I am trying to "honor" all the time my friends spent in their little car (with two dogs, no less), so I am flying all legs real-time.

 

For the really long ones, I fire up the F-18... :lol:

 

 

PS...going fast with a big radial or V-12 up front is quite a thrill when barreling down city streets or through a canyon.  GA flying doesn't all have to be straight & level.

 

Heya TJ,

 

This I know! I love blasting up either the Green River Canyon or Hell's Canyon in a fast airplane, that's for sure. An F-18 up the Columbia Gorge is pretty entertaining, too!

 

Just not on this trip...   :rolleyes:

I'm looking forward to the Wilco TBM which seems to be published very soon. G1000 with WAAS approach capabilities. 

Heya Holland, 

 

I like the flight dynamics of the TBM 850, but I also like watching the world go by, and to me the visibility out the side is very limited! At least this is the impression I got from the review pictures over at Flightsim.

 

Not true?

Hi Howellerman, you must be refering to the Carenado offering. Wilco is also producing a TBM.: 

http://www.wilcopub.com/simulator-add-on/tbm850-fsx-p3d-6586.html

Realair's Lancair, without a doubt. A fast GA plane :-)

Realair Lancair Legacy has the best view at the best speed for your dollars.

 

ORBX Lancair IVP is a bit quirkier, has less visibility (as does the real plane it is based on), has more 'feel' when flying it (twitchier, needs more concentration) and if you're into pilot realism, is pressurised for those long high commutes.

 

I have both.  I love them both.  Neither is better, neither is worse.  Each has a niche that it fills.  Each will get you somewhere at 220+ mph, and that translates to New York to Washington in less than an hour or London to Paris in just on an hour, at 50' agl if that's your fancy!

Would say the Lotussim L39C which comes in LR and RXP G430 variants would make a nice GA aircraft for you, ok no autopilot but it trims out like a beauty.

Realair Lancair Legacy has the best view at the best speed for your dollars.

ORBX Lancair IVP is a bit quirkier, has less visibility (as does the real plane it is based on), has more 'feel' when flying it (twitchier, needs more concentration) and if you're into pilot realism, is pressurised for those long high commutes.

I'll take the one with less "feel". I've either flown, or been in quite a number of high performance singles, and "twitchiness", isn't really a part of it. Haven't flown this Lancair, but know many people who own them. My plane, a Van's RV6 with constant speed prop, wasn't twitchy. But without an auto-pilot the RV doesn't make a stable instrument flying platform either. Just nudge the stick any direction, and it goes there. However, for cruise flight, it's just a case of slight adjustments for heading & altitude, and a feeling that you're sometimes not moving, when doing around 200 mph ground speed. IMO, these simulated planes that need a bunch of concentration, are a bit off the realistic scale. BTW-- My RV had a two axis A/P. I didn't care to make those little adjustments for hours on end, for long cross countries, even if it wasn't twitchy.

Would say the Lotussim L39C which comes in LR and RXP G430 variants would make a nice GA aircraft for you, ok no autopilot but it trims out like a beauty.

+1

I also recommend the Lotus Simulations L-39 Albatros as a fast and fun to fly GA aircraft.

For the really long ones, I fire up the F-18...

 

So for those same stretches in the car they switched to a Ferrari ?????  (and the dogs became Greyhounds?)

Hi Howellerman, you must be refering to the Carenado offering. Wilco is also producing a TBM.: 

http://www.wilcopub.com/simulator-add-on/tbm850-fsx-p3d-6586.html

That is quite a model! I will have to check out the other Wilco aircraft models, but I can tell you my PayPal account is twitching for that TBM.

 

And to all those that recommended the RealAir Lancair Legacy, I could not agree more: a fantastic plane on so many levels. It is my go-to aircraft for checking out new places if only because the visibility is so good out of the cockpit. And the fact it climbs well, can cruise at 220 IAS, and has speed brakes (it is really a slippery little devil) make it a great aircraft to take up and bring down.

 

I hope the Topic Starter is getting some good out of this conversation, because I sure am!    :lol: