Unreal Aviation Focke-Wulf Triebflugel by Kevin Bryan.
Amazing triple-winged ramjet-powered rocket interceptor.

Never built due to the war ending (phew!), this aircraft got as far as wind tunnel testing and showed promise as a cheap, fast homeland defence interceptor.

Had it been built it would probably have terrified its pilot as much as the enemy, being impossible to bail out of.  The whirling mass of its huge ramjet-tipped propeller wouldn't have done it any favours as far as manoeuvrability was concerned either as gyroscopes don't like being disturbed much and when they are they tend to move in an entirely different direction to the one desired.  One can imagine the prospective victim/pilot of the Triebflugel studying the pilot's notes for the Sopwith Camel in order to get some insight into gyroscopic precession and combat tactics...

As a flightsim model though, it's a cracker.

Sorry there is no VC but the model refused to compile when I got to that level of complexity.  Dunno why....  :-(

Please note that this aircraft was designed specifically for FS2002 and although reported to work in FS9, I don't have that sim and anything that doesn't work properly is due to my lack of psychic ability.


Installing:

Drop the 3FL folder into your main Aircraft folder.
Aircraft will show up as Unreal Aviation Focke-Wulf Triebflugel.

FS2002 users must move the gauges and the Unreal folder in the 3FL panel folder into their default Gauges folder.
FS9 users can leave these alone.


Flying:

Start the engine with CTRL SHIFT F4 and wait for the rotor to reach 100 percent before opening the throttle.

Believe it or not, it's a helicopter so crash in the normal way.  Seriously, Test Pilots only need apply as it is really rather tricky to land.  Takeoff is easy enough and transition is relatively easy as it all happens automatically.  The aircraft gets more stable as you gain speed (FS2002) and will reach a speed of over 500 knots with perfect stability (FS2002).

On cross-countries, you can engage the autopilot (SHIFT 2 to call up the panel) but please note that the AP drops the ball above 365 knots (FS2002) and the aircraft will start to weave and eventually go out of control.  You must either back off or disengage the autopilot.

Rolls are beautifully axial (honest, it's a helicopter) but loops are disastrous as they cause too much drag and inverted flight is impossible (see, I told you it was a helicopter).  The real thing would have had a very high operational ceiling but due to the helicopter flight dynamics, this FS model starts to run out of puff above 18000 feet and is at its best below 10000.

Landing is the real challenge...

Close the throttle and wait for the speed to bleed off.  You can throw in some tight turns to slow it down quickly if you don't have several minutes.

Below 100 knots, the aircraft will tilt to the vertical and the landing gear will lower automatically.  Land as a helicopter but be warned, due to the high centre of gravity and the relatively small landing gear footprint, the aircraft is easy to tip over.  A small amount of forward or backwards movement on touchdown is OK but ANY lateral drift will flip the bird.  This is in the sprit of keeping it real, of course.  :-)

The autopilot is probably familiar to most by now and is Dirk Fassbender's version of Antti Pankkonen's amazing work.  Engage it above 40 knots at an altitude above 200 feet by clicking the button with the yellow light above it.  Disengage by clicking the button again.  The three buttons to the right are Heading, Airspeed Hold and Vertical Speed Hold.  The rest you can work out...  DO NOT attempt to land with the AP engaged and attempting to fly down an ILS will most likely end in tears.

For FULL instructions on using this AP, I suggest you search for and download "Easy HAP".


Thanks to Stick (Patrick Waugh) for the code for the Tilt3FL gauge that made this aircraft possible.

Thanks also to Dan Johnson and his Luft 46 website where I sourced the (sketchy) information on this aircraft.  Due to the rather limited information and the fact that this aircraft never flew I hope that I will be forgiven for the small liberties I have taken with the design, like the windows in the cockpit floor and the 'guessed' landing gear.

I must also mention that the rather lovely panel is by László Becz, from his Junkers Ju-126 and used with kind permission so extra special thanks to him.


That's it, have fun.  I enjoyed solving the various problems with the aircraft and making all the complex animations.


Kevin Bryan
Unreal Aviation
whirlybug@cix.co.uk

