UALR OpNote 009

2 July 2010

Project Connie

 

As of Friday July 2, 2010 use of the Lockheed 1649 Starliner by qualified pilots is authorized on the BVA server. 

For those of you who were not involved with the beta testing of Project Connie, this update will hopefully provide you with all the information you need as to why there is a TWA logo on our OpNote this week. 

As you know, our group of pilots is a training group connected with the STC program of BVA – specifically in the area of airline operations.  For the last several months we have strived to replicate as closely as possible the experience of flying as an airline pilot on regional flights.  In keeping with our teaching and training theme, for those who elect to participate, we are taking a giant leap forward into the 1950’s by introducing a new aircraft – the Lockheed 1649 Starliner with her distinctive tri-tail, redblue exhaust flame, and unmistakable engine sound.

The Starliner is the final variation of the Lockheed Constellation – affectionately called “The Connie” - which truly began the journey to what we would now consider modern airliners.  The Connie was the first aircraft to offer up to 120 passengers the pleasures of pressurized flight.  Prior to the Connie passengers flew primarily in DC4 or DC6 unpressurized aircraft which could not climb above 10,000 feet without oxygen masks.  An unpressurized aircraft would be forced to remain in the thick of the weather where passengers had to endure terrifying thunderstorms, hail, temperature variations, and turbulence.  The majority of the general public considered air travel to be their chose of last resort.  And rightly so.  While aircraft were generally reliable, they were far from comfortable - or comforting. 

Due in large part to the visionary leadership of aviation pioneer Howard Hughes the Connie changed all that.  Mr. Hughes understood that the flying public was terrified to set foot into an airliner and understood that only until you could fly ABOVE the weather would flying become as commonplace as it is now.  Mr. Hughes commissioned the Connie, and then took a controlling stake in TWA in the 1940's and used the airline as a platform for the rollout of the Connie.  For some background on this, check out the movie The Aviator.  By the 1950's TWA’s graceful Lockheed Constellations had become synonymous with elegant travel. ''Hughes made flying glamorous for the rich and the wealthy,'' said Don Casey, TWA's executive vice president for marketing. ''When he was running the show, T.W.A. became known as the airline of the stars.''

It was a reputation that Mr. Hughes happily cultivated, sometimes by commandeering a Constellation, filling it with Hollywood celebrities and embarking on giddy sightseeing flights. Joe DiMaggio flew T.W.A. Constellations from New York to Los Angeles to visit his wife, Marilyn Monroe. And isn't that a T.W.A. Constellation with Frank Sinatra on the cover of his 1958 album :Come Fly With Me''?

The Starliner became the next and final evolution of the Constellation sporting superchargers and the most powerful radial piston engines ever built.  She ruled the skies until the inception of the first production commercial jet airliner – The De Havilland Comet 1. 

But that is another story…

Rollout of Project Connie – “I soon discovered that the airplane was a technical monstrosity requiring a crew of at least three men who knew exactly what they were doing.”

-          Ernest K. Gann: Fate is the Hunter

While Ernest wasn’t exactly referring to the Starliner when he wrote this passage, he might well have been.  This aircraft is a page from history, and should you choose to undertake the challenge of flying it you will find it to be a graceful luxury liner capable of taking you across the Atlantic - the likes of which will never grace the skies again.  But you will also find it to be quite likely the most challenging aircraft you will ever fly.  This aircraft is ALL ABOUT engine management, rate of climb, and careful deliberate moves.  The navigation equipment is old, but it will get you there.  It is also equipment that forms the basis of the equipment that we now use in our glass cockpits.  Learn this nav equipment, learn this aircraft, and you will be miles ahead of your colleagues in understanding airliner flight.  You will learn a lot from flying this aircraft. 

Here are the operational guidelines we will operate under:

1.       The Aircraft is available on the downloads section of BVA.  Due to the javascript nature of the BVA page you'll have to manually search for the file.  Fortunately it is not difficult.  Go to the downloads section and in the search box on the right enter the keyword "Starliner".  It should then show up as the top file on your search.  It is also available upon request via the usual Skype file sharing process.   Once installed it is suggest you use the first version that shows up in your livery (the 1957 version).

2.       Do not undertake flying this aircraft without trying it a few times in single player first.  One of the foremost rules of our group is not to impinge on the BVA system.  Expect to crash at least 5 times before you even get close to a successful runway landing.  Crashing definitely counts as impinging on the system.  As always STC flight officers and captains stand ready to help train you on this aircraft.  Don’t hesitate to ask for assistance.

3.       We will operate this aircraft as a group though August on a volunteer basis. You are welcome to continue to fly your traditional jet powered UALR aircraft as you see fit.  In certain UALR regional events we will request that ALL aircraft be jet powered.  In any other instance you are free to operate the Starliner as you see fit.  Towards the end of August we may seek out the best Starliner pilots for a formation flyover of Starliners for the anticipated rollout of the new and redesigned KBAF STC Training airfield.

4.       Callsigns for this aircraft will be TWAxxx.  Verbally, the aircraft callsign will be “Transworld xxx.”  The official FAA aircraft identifier for your Flight Desk aircraft type use is CON1

5.       TWA Starliners will use the North Parking area at KBOS.  However be aware of your wingspan.  The 1649’s span is in excess of 150 feet and most of the north parking areas are medium slots.  Two Starliners won’t fit side by side in medium slots. It may be wise to consult BVALive before logging in to see if any other slots in the north are occupied and plan accordingly.  Gates at other airports are at your discretion for the time being, just remember this aircraft may not fit at small or medium gates.  An open cargo ,parking area is recommended.  If you Shift + E to open the doors while at a bona fide FSX parking area, a stair ramp will appear to disembark your passengers.

6.       This aircraft is like the love-child of a precision bolt action rifle and a Mack truck.  It requires precise engine management, and tons of room to maneuver.  Be sure to not only throttle back out of the yellow after takeoff, but also to REDUCE prop RPM or your engines WILL FAIL.   Pay careful attention to weather – in particular thunderstorms, icing conditions at altitude, hail, zero viz, et al. 

7.       While in 2D cockpit mode, you will see a small open area on the dashboard just to the left of the throttles and to the right of the VOR display.  If you hover over that area with your mouse your normal FSX buttons (GPS, radio stack etc) will appear.

8.       The intent of Project Connie is to give our group an experience - as close as we can replicate with the tools we have at our disposal - as to what it was like to be an airline captain in the late 40’s and early 50’s.  This is how our grandparents traveled.  This is the era of knobs, switches, and gauges not LCD screens and buttons.  It is an era of optimism, style and romance the likes of which we will never see again. Give it the respect and consideration it is due and you will have a rewarding experience. 

I also can’t recommend highly enough that if you want to truly understand what it is like to be an airline captain in this era you should immediately run out and find the book Fate Is The Hunter by Ernest K. Gann – a true life account of one such airline captain.  From page one you won’t be able to stop reading, and you will likely never think of air travel the same way again.

Enjoy, and good skies.