Another attempted flight in the Beechjet

[Christopher Low 5,353]

My second flight in the Beechjet was an improvement. I started at Medlock Field (one of the airfields that I added to the San Francisco scenery region in SANFRAN 2002, which is just north of University (and right on the edge of the high resolution scenery area). Take off was flawless :-) and the flight to Travis Aero Club was normal.Now for the difficult part ! I was approaching the airfield from a direction that was similar to the orientation of the runway. I knew from experience which part of the terrain I had to pass over to line up for runway 22, and sure enough I was on an almost perfect approach path when I spotted the runway, and I am happy to report that I kept the aircraft steady right until the moment of touchdown. This was slightly further along the runway than I had hoped, since 2000 feet isn't a lot of space in which to stop an executive jet ;)Now it was time to test those thrust reversers for the first time. Wow, what an amazingly realistic sound ! They really do sound (and feel) very powerful, both inside the cockpit and from an external viewpoint. In fact, I was so impressed with these that I forgot to help them out with the brakes :-) The result of this lack of concentration was a runway overshoot by around three plane lengths. Damn, it was so nearly perfect !Oh well, I will just have to try this flight again (this is something that I always do if I don't get it right first time). Mind you, who cares ? The experience was so thrilling that I want to do it again.God, I love the Beechjet.Chris Low,ENGLAND.PS. I also took my first flight in the KingAir 350 today. It was only a circuit at Maine Prairie (the runway here is a lot larger than some statistics would suggest), and I landed the plane without any problems. By the way, do these turboprops have any kind of thrust reverse ? Don't you have to change the propellor pitch or something ?

[Christopher Low 5,353]

After four successive failures, I have finally completed my first Beechjet flight between Medlock Field and Travis Aero Club successfully. In fact, I recorded the flight from a point roughly halfway between both airfields, so I might be able to get some screenshots posted shortly.I was a touch slow in stowing the thrust reversers, so the plane actually moved backwards for a fraction of a second ! Still, at least I managed to stop it before it reached the end of the tarmac :-) Now I just have to get it airborne with only 2000 feet of runway to work with. Full flaps will be required for that.Chris Low,ENGLAND.

[Christopher Low 5,353]

The following screenshots have been taken from the recording of my Beechjet flight from Medlock Field to Travis Aero Club. You will notice a couple of strange problems that I encountered in the video. Two of the pictures show a C5 Galaxy AI plane in the sky nearby. What you may not be able to tell from here is that it WASN'T MOVING ! It definitely was not there during the original flight, so the problem must have something to do with the recording itself.The other problem concerns the airspeed reading on the panel. You will notice that this is ZERO, despite the fact that the approach speed was around 115 knots. The "stall" sound was constantly playing whenever the view changed to cockpit mode. This always happens at the start of other videos, but the speed rapidly increases (as shown on the dial itself) until the stall warning disappears. So why didn't that happen in this case ? Is this a problem with the Beechjet and video recordings ? Has anyone else had the same problem ?Anyway, enjoy the screenshots.Chris Low,ENGLAND.

[Hans_Petter 1]

The approach angle looks sound despite the airspeed showing 40 kias. The thrust is at 60-something though. I have no idea why the video doesn't capture the actual speed. Once I get airborne again (read: "Motherboard") I'll try some black box videoes.best regards,Hans Petter

[Christopher Low 5,353]

Hans,The approach angle was perfect :-) As for the thrust, you will notice that it decreased from 63 per cent to 56 per cent between the two screenshots. Mind you, approaching a runway this small in the Beechjet would be a pretty scary thing to do in the real world, irrespective of the thrust level. It took me half the runway length to get the nosewheel down !Chris Low,ENGLAND.

[Guest]

Dear Chris,I am glad you are falling in love with the Beech Jet. It is indeed exciting to fly, and gets too exciting when you flame out on final!The stall / zero KIAS bug on recordings is ubiquitous. Don't be offended. Unlike other jets modeled on Flight 3, the Beech doesn't maneuver (or as you would write, manoeuvre) like a pregnant yak mated to a Weather Girl.Another, somewhat partisan method of taking off with the Beech is climbing a hill with it and taking off like Sea Harrier skijump ramps on Royal Navy carrier decks. If you don't have enough flying speed, you can always reverse back down the incline and try again, popping the flaps as your landing gear leaves terra firma. I would, however imagine that such an exercise would void your insurance in real life.I always dig your screenshots. You capture the best of this sim.Best regards, Lior Bar-On

[Christopher Low 5,353]

Lior,Thanks for the response.With respect to the "stall/zero KIAS bug" in the flight recordings, I have noticed that this only happens when a recording is startedDURING the flight. This happened on three occasions, but the one recording that I made from the startup sequence didn't exhibit the same problem. So maybe we should all record ENTIRE flights if we want to post these video files in the FU3 file library (which is something that I might do with a short Beechjet flight).I will be posting a few screenshots shortly that show my approach to Garibaldi in the Beechjet. Unlike my experience with Travis Aero Club, I nailed this landing at the first attempt.In addition to the great thrust reverser sound effects of the Beechjet, I also noticed that there is a subtle change in sound when the landing gear has been lowered (probably increased air turbulence). This is another wonderful effect that really makes a difference, despite being seemingly trivial. I haven't noticed it with the other default planes.I will be posting quite a few screenshots of my Beechjet flights in the near future, so keep watching !One final point for anyone regarding texture "shimmering". My recent experiences with FU3 have indicated that 4xS anti-aliasing with my GeForce 3 Ti 200 has virtually eliminated this annoying effect. The FU3 terrain now looks smooth and aesthetically pleasing near the horizon. No need for those Voodoo 5 5500's anymore :-)Chris Low,ENGLAND.

[Guest Quaxo]

Hi Chris,>I was a touch slow in stowing the thrust reversers, so the plane actually moved backwards [...]Well, in real life, the thrust reversers should be stowed once you speed has decreased below 60 Kts, to prevent exhaust gases from entering the engine again (at least I think this is the cause). So, you was *very* slow (and not just "a touch") on stowing them! :) Cristian

[Christopher Low 5,353]

Cristian,I will bear that in mind for future flights.By the way, I have seen large airliners using reverse thrust almost until they have come to a complete stop. Does this mean that I should report a few pilots for "screwing around with expensive airline equipment" ? :-lolChris Low,ENGLAND.PS. I have just completed a flight between Garibaldi and Scotts Valley in the Beechjet. I twice missed the approach (my first attempt wasn't even in the same STATE as the runway :-lol), and I had to come in over the top of a landing Cessna to get down for the third :-) It was a pretty rough landing, but the undercarriage survived.

[Guest Quaxo]

Hi Chris,Maybe the '60 knots' rule only applies to some kind of reversers... for example, the "shell" kind (I don't know if it's the right word), but sure enough, every aircraft/engine has its specific limits and procedures...As for landing the Beechjet, I noticed I have started doing much better landings when 1) I started actually using the RadioAltimeter; 2) I stopped going below 130 Kts on approach.Cristian

[Christopher Low 5,353]

Cristian,I don't seem to be having a problem landing at around 115 knots, but then you may be aware that my flights are generally undertaken at a constant speed. In other words, I have been flying around San Francisco airspace with flaps set at 20 degrees, a high angle of attack...........and an airspeed of 115 knots :-)I know that pilots use something called trim in the real world :-) but this would make the Beechjet fly far too fast for my liking. I prefer to sit back and admire the scenery, and you can't do that at 450 knots !When I approach my selected airport, I just lower the landing gear, and reduce the airspeed slightly. This enables me to descend at a comfortable speed, with only small tweaks of the throttle necessary during final approach. It may not be how a Beechjet is flown in the real world, but you will probably appreciate by now that I like to fly everything by "feel" ;) I'm not interested in autopilots, trim wheels and check lists. Just let me fly the damn thing :-lolChris Low,ENGLAND.