SR71a for FSX Deluxe Operation Guide

8/18/2019 SR71a for FSX Deluxe Operation Guide

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SR71a for FSX Deluxe Operation Guide

Information optimized for Flight Simulator and this model based on the real world SR71 Pilot Manual data.

Paul R. VarnRevised Oct. 24, 2012

Contents:

SR71a for FSX Operation Guide based on Freeware release AlphaSim SR71a Credits Features Weather Environment Special Gauges Specifications

Flight Procedures

Fuel Preparation Weather Preparation Ground Operations Take Off Refueling Mach Climb Warnings and Procedures Mach Climb Spike Settings Cruise Descent

Approach and Landing

Trivia

DESCRIPTION:Dynamic model replacement for AIR and CFG files for public freeware release of AlphaSim SR71a. Panel

http://d/SR71_manual/SR71_MAN.html%23Creditshttp://d/SR71_manual/SR71_MAN.html%23Creditshttp://d/SR71_manual/SR71_MAN.html%23featureshttp://d/SR71_manual/SR71_MAN.html%23featureshttp://d/SR71_manual/SR71_MAN.html%23Weather%2520Environmenthttp://d/SR71_manual/SR71_MAN.html%23Weather%2520Environmenthttp://d/SR71_manual/SR71_MAN.html%23SpecialGaugeshttp://d/SR71_manual/SR71_MAN.html%23SpecialGaugeshttp://d/SR71_manual/SR71_MAN.html%23Specificationshttp://d/SR71_manual/SR71_MAN.html%23Specificationshttp://d/SR71_manual/SR71_MAN.html%23FlightProcedureshttp://d/SR71_manual/SR71_MAN.html%23FlightProcedureshttp://d/SR71_manual/SR71_MAN.html%23FlightProcedureshttp://d/SR71_manual/SR71_MAN.html%23Fuel%2520Prephttp://d/SR71_manual/SR71_MAN.html%23Fuel%2520Prephttp://d/SR71_manual/SR71_MAN.html%23Weather%2520Prephttp://d/SR71_manual/SR71_MAN.html%23Weather%2520Prephttp://d/SR71_manual/SR71_MAN.html%23Ground%2520Operationshttp://d/SR71_manual/SR71_MAN.html%23Ground%2520Operationshttp://d/SR71_manual/SR71_MAN.html%23Take%2520Offhttp://d/SR71_manual/SR71_MAN.html%23Take%2520Offhttp://d/SR71_manual/SR71_MAN.html%23Refuelinghttp://d/SR71_manual/SR71_MAN.html%23Refuelinghttp://d/SR71_manual/SR71_MAN.html%23Mach%2520Climbhttp://d/SR71_manual/SR71_MAN.html%23Mach%2520Climbhttp://d/SR71_manual/SR71_MAN.html%23WarningProcedureshttp://d/SR71_manual/SR71_MAN.html%23WarningProcedureshttp://d/SR71_manual/SR71_MAN.html%23Mach%2520Climbhttp://d/SR71_manual/SR71_MAN.html%23Mach%2520Climbhttp://d/SR71_manual/SR71_MAN.html%23Spike%2520Settingshttp://d/SR71_manual/SR71_MAN.html%23Spike%2520Settingshttp://d/SR71_manual/SR71_MAN.html%23Cruisehttp://d/SR71_manual/SR71_MAN.html%23Cruisehttp://d/SR71_manual/SR71_MAN.html%23Descenthttp://d/SR71_manual/SR71_MAN.html%23Descenthttp://d/SR71_manual/SR71_MAN.html%23Approach%2520and%2520Landinghttp://d/SR71_manual/SR71_MAN.html%23Approach%2520and%2520Landinghttp://d/SR71_manual/SR71_MAN.html%23Triviahttp://d/SR71_manual/SR71_MAN.html%23Triviahttp://d/SR71_manual/SR71_MAN.html%23Triviahttp://d/SR71_manual/SR71_MAN.html%23Approach%2520and%2520Landinghttp://d/SR71_manual/SR71_MAN.html%23Descenthttp://d/SR71_manual/SR71_MAN.html%23Cruisehttp://d/SR71_manual/SR71_MAN.html%23Spike%2520Settingshttp://d/SR71_manual/SR71_MAN.html%23Mach%2520Climbhttp://d/SR71_manual/SR71_MAN.html%23WarningProcedureshttp://d/SR71_manual/SR71_MAN.html%23Mach%2520Climbhttp://d/SR71_manual/SR71_MAN.html%23Refuelinghttp://d/SR71_manual/SR71_MAN.html%23Take%2520Offhttp://d/SR71_manual/SR71_MAN.html%23Ground%2520Operationshttp://d/SR71_manual/SR71_MAN.html%23Weather%2520Prephttp://d/SR71_manual/SR71_MAN.html%23Fuel%2520Prephttp://d/SR71_manual/SR71_MAN.html%23FlightProcedureshttp://d/SR71_manual/SR71_MAN.html%23Specificationshttp://d/SR71_manual/SR71_MAN.html%23SpecialGaugeshttp://d/SR71_manual/SR71_MAN.html%23Weather%2520Environmenthttp://d/SR71_manual/SR71_MAN.html%23featureshttp://d/SR71_manual/SR71_MAN.html%23Credits


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with gauges, effects and sounds.

The book "Lockheed SR-71" by Jay Miller provided a wealth of information I didn't have access to before.Thanks to Gary Hall for loaning it to me. Also thanks to Gary Hall for finding the unclassified pilot manualonline. This provided massive amounts of information.Other references include: "Janes all the World Aircraft."Boeing Museum of Flight (A12 display and SR71 cockpit.)"SR-71 Revealed" by Richard Graham.

"Flying the SR-71 Blackbird" by Richard Graham."SR-71 Blackbird in action" by Squadron/Signal PublicationsPersonal interviews with former pilots, RSO's and Crew Chiefs.Testers:Gary HallRobert ArmstrongMarv Thompson

IMPORTANT!!! USE AT YOUR OWN RISK! THIS AUTHOR WILL NOT ASSUME ANYRESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY FAILURE WHATSOEVER, IN HARDWARE or SOFTWARE.- NO CLAIM IS MADE AS TO REAL-WORLD ACCURACY OR AUTHENTICITY although efery effort

was made to get close with reasonal effort.- ONLY ADD-ONS AND GAUGES MENTIONED IN THIS DOCUMENT WERE TESTED WITH THEMODEL. OTHER SOFTWARE MAY PRODUCE UNEXPECTED OR UNDOCUMENTED RESULTS.THE USER ASSUMES ALL RESPONSIBILITY FOR SOFTWARE NOT IN THIS DISTRIBUTION.- HIGHLY TECHNICAL AIRCRAFT WHICH REQUIRES STRICT PROCEDURES AND COMPLIANCEWITH SPECIFICATIONS.

Typical first time pilot errors include:- FS Realism settings too low- Take off from the ground with full fuel- Improper fuel loading on the ground

- Weather too warm or cold at cruise altitude- Descending from cruise at too-high rate- Inattention to engine and flight specifications and limitations- Trying to land at too-low pitch and angle of attack- Imcorrect panel switch settings- Incompatible gauge add-ons

How to set Mach Speed over Mach 3.00 in Flight Simulator

Features and images in this document may change without notice. This model requires an experienced Flight Simulator enthusiast who might enjoy high altitude, high

performance aircraft. The flight model is as realistic as my skill and FS2004/FSX will allow. All FS realism settings must be set to maximum for realistic flight . To prevent some extreme weather effects, "WeatherChanges" Tab in the Options->Display should be set to slow which helps reduce the effects of extremeweather changes while using the simulation Jeppeson online weather.The skill level required to fly the aircraft as it was meant to fly is considerable, even within the simplifiedFlight Simulator limitations.I suggest new pilots work up to this aircraft by starting with FS2004/FSX training scenarios and up throughfaster two-engine jets like the Lear or FA-18. When comfortable with the FS interface, flight procedures, andhigh speed, multi-engine aircraft, you'll be ready to step up to the fastest piloted jet plane in the world.

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Features:

BECKY real world training sortie with step by step instructions in text file:"BECKY_Training_tutorial.txt" provided in same directory as this manual along with FSX flight planand ideal weather provided in FSX saved flight start location at Beale AFB (KBAB.)

FSX 3D sound. Of course, the pilot is snugly tucked inside a pressure suit and only hears comms andhis air supply, so the sound is exaggerated for situational awareness.

Realistic after-burner (shift-F4) tied to throttle position as well as detent shut down.

Afterburner effect using smoke and flame effect triggered by AB enabled. FSX Acceleration Packenables 10 AB stages above 80% throttle. Note: APack testing has been minimal. There may be issueswith gear causing bouncing on the ground.

Nose and Spike thermal glow effect. Drag Chute (/ spoiler key) is fully implimented.

Note: Model will not fly with drag chute activated which is prevented except when opening the canopyin the air which causes the chute to open representing severe drag.

The COL has been carefully calibrated to closely follow the trim table in the official SR71 pilot'smanual when 450 EAS schedule is applied.

Engine Spike position is automatic above Mach 1.6 providing a performance boost. Below that speed,the spike can be positioned manually. Improper spike positioning can cause Un-Starts. Auto (spikeknobs straight up) is the defautl position.

Fuel loading is simplified so all tanks can be loaded to the same percentage on the ground. Onceloaded, an auto fuel maintenance program keeps the plane properly balanced.

Unstarts and compressor stalls are possible. They are not random events and may occur from rapidweather changes, steep banks, too slow, too rapid descent or pilot inattentiveness.

Fuel Dump Switch. Special Master/Slave shared cockpit switch permits flying this model in FSX shared plane mode. By

switching between master (for the host computer) and slave (for the guest computer) the gauge logic inthe panel gauges will switch so the MASTER PANEL will control vital features. Without this switch,the two panels will conflict with each other because of time delays and latency. The "panel.cfg" filecontains a special section which requires editing if a pilot wants to join a multiplayer shared session asa guest. Once the panel is edited and saved, the guest then joins the hosted session and after the plane isfully loaded in the multiplayer session, click the Master/Slave switch to the SLAVE position.The Host pilot panel will now control special features such as the possibility of unstarts, refueling,spike position, etc.When the host pilot transfers control to the guest pilot using the FSX command (shift-T) the guest pilotmust also switch the Master/Slave so the multiplayer guest panel (who is now the controlling pilot) willtake control of the special gauge logic.

Each time control is transfered, the controlling pilot also switches the Master/Slave switch. The other pilots's switch will change automatically.To fly as a single pilot online or offline as non-shared, no editing of the panel file is necessary. Leavethe switch in Master mode (default UP.) NOTE: After editing the panel.cfg file into the guest/slave mode, that panel switch will now default tothe slave mode (down) each time the plane is loaded. This will be a problem if you are no longer joining a session as a guest or are flying single-seat. If you do not edit the cfg file back to thehost/master mode default, you will have to remember to switch the panel Master/Slave switchmanually to the Master (UP) mode or you will lose control of the aircraft.Multiplayer shared sessions will work best if the host computer is the master panel because of Internet


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latency. Also, the guest computer gets the weather from the host computer, so the guest panel does notreact to weather changes as quickly as the host.

Summary (the balancing act)You will read many references to weight and weather in provided documentation.These two variables affect the performance of the model dramatically. Especially at high altitude 40K to 50Kfeet higher than typical airliners fly.You cannot fly at maximum altitude, at max weight in very high or low air pressure where the temperature is

excessively cold. Stable flight is a careful balance of flight path planning, altitude, speed, COG and fuel load.Considering the aircraft has no flaps or spoilers, it has a 200+ knots air speed range of stability at Mach cruise.The eight segments that make up the seven fuel tanks have been carefully placed to provide the required balance shift during a normal fight through natural attrition and tank switching which should not require pilotintervention except if the pilot loads the tanks incorrectly on the ground. Air refueling will maintain this proper balance. A COG warning annunciator gauge and COG readout in the fuel and main panels will assist the pilotin monitoring the balance. Error should only occur in off-nominal fuel loading or flight conditions. Fuelloading and maintenance is covered in depth later.Warning: If the tanks are unbalanced left and right which can happen from extended engine out, automated CGerrors would occur. For this reason, crossfeed is forced on.

Fuel Balance overview:

On the ground with all tanks set to the same percentage, the fuel is near the normal center of balance for takeoff (nominally ~20%.) If it's too high, rapid rotation causing tail strike may result. Attrition causes COG toshift slowly rearward to a mximum of +25.0 while over Mach 2.9 cruise and total aircraft weight under 120Klbs. The Annunciator will display "FUEL LOAD" when on the ground and less than 45K lbs fuel is loaded andthe Main (number three) tanks are too low. Near the end of the flight when the fuel load is low, the weight has shifted forward to +21.5% for 10K lbs fuellanding.An Annunciator "Hi CG" will display if the CG is more than 22.0 under Mach 0.90.There are forward and rear COG limits of +17 to + 25 in addition to more restrictive limits during certainmodes of flight.In typical flights, weight shift forward of landing COG will not occur.

The annunciator will provide yellow warnings when COG is only slightly out of limits (plane is still flyable)and red when maximum limits are exceded. A short period of yellow warning during refueling processes ornear fianl approach is normal. If you are flying at high altitude and fast under 8K lbs fuel, you might havetrouble getting down to land in time without refueling. Typical descent fuel weight is between 16K - 18K lbsand CG aft of 21.5%. Optimum landing CG is between 21 and 22 percent. OVER-LOADING THE FUELCAUSES A LETHARGIC CLIMB, SLUGGISH HANDLING AND DIFFICULT DESCENTS SOATTENTION TO FUEL LOADING FOR THE FLIGHT PLAN WILL INCREASE THE PERFORMANCE,RANGE, AND FLIGHT SATISFACTION.

The Panel is a collection of gauges from other planes which fit the general theme of grey-black high performance aircraft. Some gauges are not accurate. In some cases where accuracy was absolutely necessary, I

constructed primitive text-based and graphical XML gauges so the pilot could fly the plane to real-world procedures and specifications. It's not pretty, but functional. My emphasis has been on the accuracy andflyability of the flight model. As my elementary gauge making skill improves, I'll replace more of the gaugesand add more realistic ones. I invite gauge artists who enjoy high performance aircraft to participate in creatinga freeware panel that does justice to this amazing aircraft.

GAUGE BUGS: The "Sandel" HSI supplied with this panel has an error in the "NAV" button which

when set to "GPS" causes the autopilot heading bug settings to jump by increments of 10. I suggest not

using this mode. In this release, the Autopilot panel has been re-designed. The heading set bug is now

gone.

http://d/SR71_manual/SR71_MAN.html%23annunciatorhttp://d/SR71_manual/SR71_MAN.html%23annunciatorhttp://d/SR71_manual/SR71_MAN.html%23annunciatorhttp://d/SR71_manual/SR71_MAN.html%23Fuel%2520Prephttp://d/SR71_manual/SR71_MAN.html%23Fuel%2520Prephttp://d/SR71_manual/SR71_MAN.html%23Fuel%2520Prephttp://d/SR71_manual/SR71_MAN.html%23Fuel%2520Prephttp://d/SR71_manual/SR71_MAN.html%23annunciatorhttp://d/SR71_manual/SR71_MAN.html%23annunciatorhttp://d/SR71_manual/SR71_MAN.html%23annunciatorhttp://d/SR71_manual/SR71_MAN.html%23annunciatorhttp://d/SR71_manual/SR71_MAN.html%23Fuel%2520Prephttp://d/SR71_manual/SR71_MAN.html%23Fuel%2520Prephttp://d/SR71_manual/SR71_MAN.html%23annunciator


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SR71-FS2004/FSX Weather environment:

This graphic from NASA illustrates the earth's atmospheric layers. The SR-71 cruises at altitudes between 21to 27 Km riding the Tropopause. The air temperature reaches a low point near this altitude and warms bothdescending and climbing. In Flight Simulator 2004 (FS9) the built-in Jeppeson weather simulator includes dataonly up to around 55K ft in FSX (about 25K lower than the SR cruises.) Above this limit, the simulationcreates steadily warmer temperatures (which mimics the chart above.) Unfortunately, the coldest the sim setsat 55K ft as the top layer is 10 to 15C WARMER than is normal for cruise in the SR. The sim will not createcolder temperature than the top layer in the weather data sent to the sim.

Jeppeson emulation in FSX is better than FS9, but still has extreme jumps caused by station proximityinterpolation data errors.When using Jeppeson (or similar emulation like Vatsim) by the time you reach SR cruise altitudes, the air can be as warm as if you were flying at 30K ft. This makes high speed flight impossible without over-heating.What makes high speed flight possible is the thin-cold air at the extreme altitudes of air breathing engines.Another problem with Jeppeson weather is beyond continental and coastal station data, the lack of weatherstations causes the sim to load a default profile until new station data arrives. This default data is a fixed pressure and temperature of -58 deg and 29.92 OR whatever user-created or weather profile was loaded with asaved aircraft flight. This can cause extreme behavior as the sim transitions in and out of this default data whenflying in remote areas and over water. The SR-71 spends most of its time in remote areas and over water so


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this is why a more accurate and comprehensive weather simulator is needed.I worked with the designers of Active Sky(AS) to encourage them to emulate the Tropopause conditions forhigh performance aircraft like the SR71 and Concorde. This flight model was specifically designed to operatewith Active Sky 6.5 and FS2004 until this sim was ported over to FSX, and is now optimized to work withAS2012 SP1.

ASE and the intial release of AS2012 had excessive cold temperature above 60K ft causing severe flight problems with Concord and SR-71. As of this manual update, ActiveSky 2012 SP1 has had a major over-

haul of high altitude optimizing pressure, temperature and winds.

The setting combination of "DWC" and "DWC with Local Writes" and "Prevent Cloud Redraws with

DWC" will provide the smoothest high altitude weather with minimal cloud popping.

When ANY program sets the temperature of the highest layer, FS will gradually produce warmer temperaturesabove the highest defined layer.In FSX, this flight model has been made as tolerant of the built-in Jeppeson download weather as possible.Most of the time, flights work out OK but there are areas of the world where very bad weather emulation isalmost guarenteed. In my experience this includes: Newfoundland Canada, Coastal BC Canada, Mid Atlantic between Canada and England, Soutch EasternEngland and the US Mountain states.

NOTE: When using Jeppson Weather, make sure The Options->Display->Weather Tab->"Rate at whichweather changes..." is set to low which provides some smoothing of weather transitions at the cost of someaccuracy. In FS, better the weather transitions slowly than accurately given the extreme diversity of weatherstation data.

As downloaded data creates weather around the world, it will set the top layer to different altitudes andtemperatures. Because of this, you will never have the same flight conditions twice. Sometimes you will getweather near or colder than the operating limits. Sometimes much warmer. As in the real world, pilots flyingthe Concorde and SR71 had to ride a range of altitudes and speeds to continually optimize the conditions formaximum range. I call it "Threading the Amospheric Needle." In the sim, the most important indicators are theCompressor Inlet Temperature (EGT) Air Speed Indicator (ASI) and Fuel Flow (FFI.) To prevent structural

damage or stalls, the aircraft has to be flown between a 140 knot speed band (370 - 510 KIAS.) To preventengine failure, the combination of Compressor Inlet Temperature (CIT) and EGT must be kept within theirlimits which are strongly influenced by the Static Air Temperature (SAT) Engine RPM and air speed.

The tools you will use to juggle the temperature and structural limits are altitude and air speed.By keeping the IAS setting so the ASI is kept as close to between 400 to 410 KIAS as possible you will flyright in the middle of the structural limit range between failure and stall.By adjusting the altitude of your flight between 72K and 82K feet to keep the CIT below 427C, you managethe temperature of the air to prevent engine damage. The last of the three tools of the flight management isFuel Flow (FFI.) By keeping the fuel rate under 20K lbs/hr per engine at cruise, you will get the maximumrange the flight model is designed for.

As you read further into this guide, you will see many references to speed and altitude limits. I hope thissummary will give you the background to understand why these limits are there and to assure you they areindeed real world. Pilots had to plan their flight and fly their plan to cooperate with these limits. Unlike airlinerflights where you set a altitude and Mach and keep them for the whole cruise, the SR71 "Habu" pilot canrarely enjoy that kind of leisure. Most flights will be relatively calm and uneventful. Some will have youchanging speeds and altitude frequently to stay ahead of the changing weather situation. Configuration for themost trouble-free flight is covered in the flight prep portion of this document.

The following graphic from NASA illustrates the effect of altitude and pressure:


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As you fly, FS is constantly comparing the distance between the plane's position to the nearest weather stationsthe weather program has loaded into memory from online weather servers.FS uses the calculated closest station pressure for the current pressure. In remote areas of the world, thesestations may be hundreds or thousands of miles apart with vastly different weather. This strategy can causelarge pressure jumps from station-to-station as you get closer to a new station and leave another behind. Youmay also leave a relatively sparse station area to a dense area where a new station becomes "closer" every fewseconds. This character is complicated by the SR's great speed traveling around 1/2 mile per second. ActiveSky adopted the unique ability to create temporary "virtual" stations in remote areas between real station data.In earlier versions this helped solve another problem the FS weather simulation causes:When there isn't enough station data to provide a local weather environment within apprx 60 miles, FS dropsall loaded data and sets a local default condition of pressure 29.92 and -58 degrees C at 45K ft. When thishappens, if the weather you were flying in up to that point was vastly different, you may get a very largealtitude transition and engine power spike (because the engines are sensitive to temperature.) The virtualstations AS attempts to create helps fill in the gaps between stations, but errors in station data still causes theFS default conditions to load once in a while. When the aircraft is flying in pressure changes representinghundreds of feet in an instant, the speed and lift of the aircraft can change drastically. Needless to say, thisdigital weather emulation leaves a lot to be desired compared to the real world. For this reason, the Habu pilothas to be attentive. You can be assured, it is possible to have hundreds of hours of trouble-free flight. I hopeI've made you aware though it isn't always that way. Even in the real world, there were some damaged andcrashed SR71 planes.


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The real plane:

Special Gauges:


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This section describes several non-standard FS custom gauges which reflect true real world limitations of theaircraft. As exceptional as it is, it's not a space shuttle. Real world pilots had limitations placed on what theycould do. In addition, there were physical limitations to the airframe and engines.These are discussed again later in this document within relevant sections:

AutoPilot Master Switch: To the left of the engine gauges is a rotary knob indicating the master mode of theAutopilot.

From top to bottom the settings are:

OFF: If the AP master switch is on, this does not turn the APMaster switch off, but it will disable any AP modes currentlyon.HDG: Enables Heading modeNAV: Enables VOR/GPS ModeILS: Enables ILS ModeBC: Enables ILS Backcourse Mode

When you use this knob to change the AP, a click on the labelfor the mode you want enables that mode and the knob rotatesto point to it. Another click on the same spot disables that

mode, which functions the same as the OFF position.

If BC mode is enabled, then clicked again to disable it, the switch will move to the ILS mode to indicate ILS isstill active. Click again on ILS or OFF mode to disable the ILS after selecting BC.

This gauges does not interfere with the AP Window or any mode set there or using key commands. Doing so,the knob will simply echo your choices.

REFUEL: The top left center of the main panel features a gauge with three functional switches.

1) Fuel Transfer Switch (Top Center- shown off in the center position)

2) READY/DISC: Ready Disconnect Switch (shown enabled.) The Ready switch must first be activated which opens the fuel door and activates the transfer electronics. Notice also when the Ready switch is enabled, two rows of numbers which were previously hidden alsodisplay.

When the Transfer switch is enabled (shown UP in the ON position) fuel will begin flowingas shown in the top row of numbers as pounds. The bottom row of numbers is the current TARGETREQUESTED amount of transfer fuel in pounds. The requested (bottom) number changes as the enginesdeplete the tank and the tank fills. Because FS2004/FSX Deluxe ADD_FUEL function always transfers fuel in25% of unused capacity increments, your fuel tank indicators will not show the added fuel until the topnumber fuel flow indicator matches the bottom number requested fuel. The request estimate is based on FS'stank fill percentage calulation. After each anount is transferred, the request number will re-estimate the amount


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required for the next update of fuel, and again when the top number and the bottom number match, the fueltanks will update.The rate at which the top number increments (which controls how fast the request number is matched) is at therealistic rate of 6,000 lbs/hour. Roughly 9 and one half minutes are required to fill from 20K lbs to 80+K lbs.When full capacity is reached, the transfer switch will shut off automatically. As long as the RDY switchremains enabled, even though the transfer switch is off, the current request amounts and transferred amountswill continue to display. This allows you to halt the transfer between updates, check the amount of fuel whichis being requested against how much you want, and continue the transfer where you left off. You can also see

the total amount transferred for record keeping. When the RDY switch is disabled, the number display willclear and show again as zeros when next activated. If the RDY switch is allowed to turn itself off whenrefueling parameters are exceeded, reactivating the switch will display the last numbers shown. Cycle thedisplay to clear the numbers to zeros. Warning: If the RDY button is left on (lit bright) the pressurization

system detects this as refueling stress and will increase the Oxygen usage. Constraints: Parameters necessary to operate the switches are very forgiving at this time:270 - 350 KIAS24K ft - 36K ftBoth engine fuel valves must be enabled (engines are operating normally.)

High fuel loads at low speeds cause the engines to be near maximum military power

during the last portion of the transfer. It's typical for Habu pilots to enable the AB onone engine and use differential engines settings to balance the yaw, thus providingmore power headroom.When refueling constrainsts are exceeded, the RDY switch will disable.KEAS Speed Hold Switch (center red) when enabled will capture current EAS andtry to hold it until disabled.To use EAS Hold while in IAS mode: Click the KEAS button (will change to brighter color) while the KEASdisplay in the Triple gauge displays the desired speed. The speed will be captured in memory and the AP IAS bug will adjust to hold that speed within a few knots. Note: The KEAS hold feature is slow to respond to rapid speed changes. To use while in Mach mode: Disable Mach hold and click the KEAS button when Triple KEAS display

matches your desired hold speed. Button will change to a bright color. You can help the hold through roughweather by adjusting the IAS speed bug manaully while hold is still engaged.To Disable: Click the KEAS Hold button again (will darken) or click the AP Mach hold button. IAS mode willdisengage.Steer On is a lamp which brightens when the nose gear makes contact with the ground.There is no switch or user action associated with this feature.

CIT/EGT:


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The Exhaust Gas Temperature display has a built-in electronic"trimming" system to lean the fuel to air mixture and reduce over-heating. If the EGT reaches 860C or more the de-rich system willengage which shuts off the AT IAS hold function and sets thethrottles to 88%. The EGT text displays yellow "LIMIT" when theEGT reaches 830 C (continuous operating limit) orange and red "hot"indicators for 845C and 900C. EGT below 400 will indicate"COLD." (as shown.)

Note: If the derich system is not engaged, high EG temperatures willresult when flown in warmer than normal air temperatures. It is a good idea to always engage Derich when flying faster than Mach 3.

The engine stack gauges from top to bottom are:

N2 Percent with digital RPM (changes from while to yellowor red near rated upper and lower limits)

EGT readout Temperature range text (COLD, LIMIT, HOT) DERICH text (when activated)

Nozzle Position IGV lights (yellow when open below Mach 2: See Inlet Temperature Gauge above) Fuel Flow (010 = 10K lbs/hr on digital display) Full Clockwise = 20K lbs on needle Oil Pressure

Annunciator: System state and failure warning system. Many of thewarnings mimic actual plane warning lights although forspace and practical purposes some lights are not included.Some warnings will also activate the Master Warning Lighton the upper right of the main panel next to the Shaker light.

The systems and warnings are as follows:

Warning Description

OIL PSI Psi drops below 25

OILTEMP

Below 15C or above177C

FUELPRESS

Below 7 Psi

OIL

LEVEL Below 15%

HYDPRESS

Below 2000psi or above3500psi

HYDLEVEL

Below 25%

BUSVOLTS

Below 22 Volts

GEN Generator Switch Off


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OFF

FAIL Engine Failed (cannotrestart)

GEARGEAR TR orGEAR

LIMIT! orGEARDAMAGED!

PITOT H

GEAR will display whenthrottle is low andaircraft below 3000ft.GEAR TR when the gearis in transit.Pitot H indicates PHswitch is off

SPEED HI and STALL Warnings

FUEL LOW

SPEED HI and STALLWARN in yellow andred to indicate variouslevels.Fuel Low indicates tank2 is below 5400 lbsAND tank4 is below

4050 lbs

COG Warnings

EMER BAT/APUOn

COG warning systemcalculates speed andweight under variousconditions and warnswhen COG is out ofconfig with yellow(minor) and red (beyondlimits) alerts. FUELLOAD while on theground indicates the fuel

quantity or distibution iswrong for take off.Green text will displayabove Mach 3 and >=30K lbs fuel suggestingideal CG ranges basedon weight."EMER BAT" indicates battery is being drained(low gen output vs use.)or APU Power Unit is

off.

TRIM CANOPY/CABINPSI

Pitch Trim is too nosedown (< -1.5) caused bytoo fast, too low or tooaft COG. CanopyOpen/Too rapid descentCabin Pressure or CabinDump Open.

LIMITER A-SKID Surface Limiter (Yaw


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TIRE Damper Off). Anti-SkidDisabled. TIREYellow=Cool DownRequired. TIRERed=Tire Temp Limit

Drag Chute:

The drag chute gauge has three states:not deployed, auto-armed (shift-/) anddeployed (/.) Full chute deploy takesapprx 5 seconds. The drag chute cannot be deployed while in the air. If youarm the chute on the ground, theground contact sensor will deploy thechute. You can arm the chute while inthe air. When there is ground contactof the main wheels AND the throttle is lowered to idle, the chute will deploy. Standard procedure requires thechute not be deployed in cross wind until front gear makes contact.

Note: When retracting or "jettisoning" the chute, it takes 5 seconds for the lever to return to its normal position. The image at the upper right displays these three states. Notice the "normal" un-deployed state has a black center. The armed for auto deployment state shows a bright yellow center but otherwise looks like theun-deployed state. The deployed state has a bright green center and is extended toward the pilot on a red shaft.The gauge cannot be activated by mouse at this time. New Feature as of July 2012: When the canopy isopened in the air, the chute will deploy representing severe drag.

TEB: Below the engine throttles are two (Triethylborane) counters, one for each engine. The counters are maintainedseparately for each engine. Each time an engine is successfully started or the AB is enabled on a fullyoperating engine, the TEB count for the cycled engine will lower by one. You start out with 16 "shots" of

TEB. When the count reaches zero, the affected engine cannot again be restarted or its AB enabled (if off.)The TEB count is only lowered if the engine start is successful or the throttle position is 80% or more forengaging afterburners. An engine which is fully functioning will remain working if the counter reaches zerountil another failure occurs.

Spike: The Spike position gauge is a critical key to the ability of the J-58 to obtainMach 2 and 3+. Together with front and rear bypass doors, they preventsupersonic air from entering the compressor and stalling the engine. At this time,the door operation is not yet implemented. In the real SR, the spike is maintained by a computer which is simulated in this model above Mach 1.6. The spikeindicator will display positions between 0 inches (moved fully out and away from

the engine intake) to +26 inches (AFT) or fully retracted into the engine.A small text readout also shows the percentage of spike travel currently used. Youcan move the spike manually while on the ground to confirm its operation, but

having it positioned in other than zero while in flight and belowmach 1.6 will cause an unstart.


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Spike mode shown in the manual (knobs right) mode.

Manual spike operation requires placing "SPIKE" rotary knobsin the right (non-auto) position. To toggle the auto-manualspike mode, click on the center of the left knob which changesthe mode for BOTH engines. New Pilots should leave the mode in auto.

The default startup switch position is up (auto) which is computer-controlled normal mode.In manual mode, Adjust the spike position using the flaps keys (F5-F8.)Beginning at Mach 1.6 and faster, various kinds of failures related to incorrect spike position, high AOA, too-low descent speeds, and high bank angles can cause compressor stalls and unstarts. Please consult the

specifications section to order to avoid these problems. Unstarts were a well known problemon the SR-71 and happened most frequently during descents. In this simulation, you need to be more attentive to descents than other flight profiles. Note: Habu pilots refer to various modes of flight where specific procedures or aircraft

systems settings and operation are required as "schedules." You will read references to this

term elsewhere in the manual.

What's an Unstart? The "Unstart" term comes from the idea that close to Mach 1.6 and above, supersonic air flow inside part ofthe inlet has "started" and a shock wave builds behind the spike lowering the intake pressure and dirvertingexcess pressure out through bypass doors and vents in the nacel. The spike and bypass doors follow"scheduled" position changes related to mach speed, pressure, and temperature to preserve the position of theshock and bypass excessive pressure out of the nacel through grills in front of the engine. Loss of the shockwave position control allows the shock to enter the engine and causes similar symptoms as a compressor stall.When the engine unstarts or stalls above Mach 1.6, the engine RPM will drop suddenly, there will be anextreme yaw moment in the direction of the failed engine, the afterburner will go out, and aircraft speed willdrop rapidly while the Autothrottle tries to recover speed with full RPM on the remaining engine. The

computer will move the spike position forward to re-capture the shock wave for restarting the engine. Bothspikes ALWAYS move together. The computer will keep the spike forward until the failed engine condition iscorrected. When the engine RPM drops enough to restart, the failed engine will restart itself as long as alldynamic conditions which caused the failure have been corrected. While above mach 3, speed will need to berecovered to above 350 KEAS which usually requires a rapid dive and full power on the reamining engine.If you react too slowly, you'll have to restart the engine yourself with the starter switch on the panel or Contrl-E key combo. Each successful engine restart will cost you two hits of TEB (one for the start, another for theAB) so it's good to be sure all the conditions allow for a successful manual start or you will waste TEB.Restarts are normally performed at Full Military throttle and above 350 KEAS to prevent another compressorstall.The Unstart light for the failed engine side should ignite for an unstart, but may not always for a compressor

stall. Several engine annunciator lights displaying are a further indication you have an unspooling engine (aswell as all the engine gauges indicating low.)

Note: Compressor stalls are also simulated which can occur when sub mach. If the pitch is too high for theflight profile, or the mach descent is not maintained above 350 KEAS and/or the RPM drops below 6100 anengine will suddenly lose power and drop to an idle indication. The Unstart lights may not come on. Therestart switches may try and fail to ignite the engine. When this happens, level out or start a rapid descent (-4500 FPM or more). The failed engine will ignite once speed is restored above 350 KEAS. Sometimes amanual restart is necessary.


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ABThrottle: This gauge is an enhancement to the main panel throttle. The SR71 has a combined throttle AB control (likemost reheat jets.) To activate the AB, the throttle is moved to a hardware stop, then the handle is pulled out-away from the base on a spring and the throttle lifted overthe stop into the minimum AB setting. CurrentImplementation: While on the ground the throttle will not permit movement past 80% (full military power.) Toincrease beyond 80% you have to engage the AB (shift-F4

in FSX Deluxe) which simulates lifting the throttle over thestop. Acceleration Pack may have a different behavior. Once the AB is engaged, the throttle can be moved at will.If you reduce the throttle below 80%, the AB willdisengage automatically. In flight, the AB will alsodisengage below 80% and when operated manually,requires AB engaged to advance belond 80%. The Autothrottle does not have this limitation and will advancethe throttle beyond 80% without the AB.The gauge also provides a digital readout of the throttle percent setting. I added this feature for testing othercode I was working on and grew to depend on the added position visibility it provided. I decided to make it permanent. Note: The real plane has throttle/engine performance which differs from FS in an important way:

The real plane operates at near max RPM through climb and cruise. What changes primarily is the fuel sent tothe afterburner. In FS, engine power from the AB is not independent of RPM changes. For that reason exact

PRM for all modes of flight are not strictly simulated. This is also why the Autothrottle movement in the top-

AB portion is allowed for normal military power to account for restrictions in the low resolution panelmovement. This gauge also provides AB off/on and TO/GA indication. AB ON is indicated by changing the throttle percent number from green for "normal" military power to white for Afterburner. The image on the rightshows these two states with full military power on the left and 85% with AB engaged on the right. Also shownare the two TEB counters at the bottom.On the left side just under the throttle percentage readout for engine 1 is an engine selection readout. The purpose is to help confirm you have the correct engine selected for operation. Shown in the graphic is both

engine 1 and 2 is selected so the digits "12" are shown. When only one engine is selected, the display willshow a 1 or a 2 only.Take Off/Go Round power can be activated by Shift-Control-G or clicking on the Throttle Select numbers.When activated, the throttle selection numbers will change from green to orange. In FSX, the display will be blank in TOGA mode.Reducing throttle below idle will shut off the engine (into the red or negative numbers on the throttle positiondisplay.) Restart requires moving throttle lever back to idle position (green) or above (F1 key.) Note: Thethrottles can only be moved to the detent engine shut-off position when stopped on the ground.


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TRIM: Three gauges show the degrees of Pitch, Yaw, and Roll trim movement of the aircraft components. Use these before flight to make sure the aircraft is configured for controlled flight. Use the keys: Control-numpad 7 and


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1 for Pitch, Control-numpad 0 and Enter for Yaw, and Control cursor left and right for Roll. Small digitalnumbers also assist in displaying small movements. For take off, all three gauges should indicate zero. Seespecifications section for Pitch/COG limitations.

The DERICH switch permits operation of the derich feature which reduces engine power when the EGT exceeds 860C. When the switch is in the default down position,the derich feature is disabled. In addition to the emergency throttle set-back whileexceeding 860C, the derich function will also reduce the rate at which the EGTincreases when it exceeds 805 degrees. It's usually a good idea to have this switchenabled above Mach 3.0 to further protect the engines from over-heat faults during hottake-offs or extreme weather changes at cruise.

A-SKID

Anti-Skid switch limits the ground braking strength by pulsing the toe brakes while the ground speed is above12 knots during ground roll. The parking brake is disabled until at or below 12 knots. Steady "toe brake" pressure is required to activate the function when the switch is on. Anti-Skid ON is normal configuration andthe Annunciator will indicate "A-SKID" if it is off. When OFF, excessive braking and heating will result.When ON the same annunciator position doubles as tire temp high indicators. See section below "Tire Heat"for details.

As you all well know, faults of any kind are not a normal part of FS simulations. The built-in random failuresystem is so unlikely and unrealistic no one wants to use it. Alternatively, the faults built into these gaugestake some getting used to, but are an attempt to help wannabe "Habus" appreciate the skill and technicalcomplexity associated with this unique aircraft. Although Airliner pilots are known to sleep at the stick from boredom, Habus could not! Go to sleep in this aircraft and you'll find yourself in a reset in short order. Thesefaults are not random. The pilot has to fail to react to out-of-limit flight parameters for them to happen. In a normal flight (correct altitude and speed for the temperature and decent rates) and under AP Control you

will not have any faults.

Master Warning Light In addition to the Annunciator Panel, to the right of the Attitude Indicator and below the Stick Shaker Light isthe Master Warning Light and clear. The most important alerts from the Annunciator will also light the MasterWarning. These include:

Battery Discharging

Fuel Low Eng Low RPM High COG Engine Failed Canopy Open in Flight Low Cabin Pressure Low Oxygen Supply (< 2%) Cabin Pressure Dump Open Near Overspeed High CIT

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High EGT (Hot or higher) Gear Up landing Gear Down in flight Above 320 Knots Tires Hot (above 100C) Near Stall over Mach 1.5 RPM drops near minimum above M 1.5

Battery power is required for indication. Click on the Warning light to disable all warnings for this lamp. No

more warnings will indicate until switch is clicked again although Annunciator Panel remains functional. SeeQxygen stress factors below which relate to many of these same events. To check if you have disabled theWarning Light, briefly switch off both generators. If the light does not illuminate, it's disabled.

Altimeter Pressure Trend Although not a feature of the real SR-71, it's provided to help the pilot navigate the digital and often quirkyworld of FS weather.On the left side of the main panel altimeter is a small digital display which shows one of three characters as a pressure trend:= indicates there has been no atmospheric pressure change in the last 2.5 seconds.+ indicates the atmospheric pressure has increased in the last 2.5 seconds.

- indicates the atmospheric pressure has dropped in the last 2.5 seconds.In addition, the letters "H" or "L" will appear for high and low pressure indication:LL indicates atmospheric pressure is below 1000.0 mbL indicates atmospheric pressure is betweem 1000.0 and 1109.82 mb No Letter indicates average atmospheric pressureH indicates atmospheric pressure is between 1016.59 and 1025.0 mbHH indicates atmospheric pressure is higher than 1025.0 mbExample:=Flying within average normal pressure (1009.8 - 1016.6 mb) with no recent change.-L

Flying in low pressure which is dropping below 1009.82 mb.Rapid cycles through these symbols means the pressure changes are very small.Although there is no equivalent on the real plane, this feature greatly assists the pilot flying in the quirkydigital weather world of FS. If the pressure trend has been up or down for an extended period (30 seconds ormore) during (L) indication, the pilot may be encouraged to increase speed and/or decrease altitude to forestallany surprises building up affecting the lift of the plane should the trend continue. Sudden pressure drops affectthe aircraft as temprary increases in air speed. After the Autothrottle compensates, the result is reduced powermargin as if the plane were flying much higher.If pressure then increases suddenly, the result is not enough power to compensate, forcing a descent to regainair speed or recover from unstart.In low pressure (L) the pilot should avoid altitudes above 78K ft and may have to fly as low as 74K ft in "LL"

indication depending on the temperature. In my experience, although high (H) pressure can mean you may flyin the range above 80K ft, these high pressure ridges are often short lived.Better to be safe than sorry. In hundreds of hours in Jeppeson weather flying around the world up to 11 hoursat a time, stable flights can be found in the altitude range between 74 - 80 thousand feet. In Active Sky 2012SP1 with recommended settings, weather disturbances which force the pilot to fly off-normal profiles are rare.

Tire Heat: Hidden gauge "tire_temp" measures weight, speed on the ground, braking intensity and friction temperature tocalculate the effects of taxi and breaking. If the special gauge panel "Flight Data" and its associated gauge"Data" is enabled in the panel configuration, a constant readout of the main tire temperatures are available.


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A new feature added to the annunciator tied to the Anti-Skid function above is when Anti-Skid is enabled theannunciator will report when surface temperature, braking temperature, and speed combine to heat the brakesand tires above safe levels. Yellow "TIRE" indication requires a parked hold before take off roll. Red "TIRE"indicates temperatures are too high on one or both tires for high speed roll (over 100C.) Wait for yellow TIREinidcation to go out before starting take off roll.If Anti-Skid is disabled, these temperature indications are disabled. Above 50K ft the tire warnings aresuppressed. The Anti-Skid switch can toggle between display temp warnings or anti-skid off warning in theannunciator. Anti-skid should always be on for landing/roll or excessive brake pressure and heating will result.

Typically, when stopped and the yellow "TIRE" warning is illuminated, ~60 seconds is required to cool from90C to below 40C for a safe take off when the surface temperature is near 95 deg F on the ground.Surface wind and cold air help cool the tires.

Oxygen System: Shift-4 opens up the Fuel and Oxygen panel. There are three gauges and three switches associated withOxygen and Pressurization.The upper left "OXY SYS" switch controls which oxygen tanks are being used. The default on startup is "PRI"(UP) which uses the primary Oxygen tanks to pressurize cockpit and suits. Primary consists of 2ea, 10 literliquid tanks providing 20 hours under normal usage. STB (DOWN) is the standby 10 liter tank providing anadditional 10 hours for two crew at

normal usage rate. The "PRESSDUMP" switch at the bottomdefaults to off. When ON (UP) theoxygen system is switched off. Thesuits will use internal oxygen andthe Annunciator panel will display"Cabin Psi" until the switch ischanged to off. To the right of thePRI/STB switch is the OXYGENPRESS gauge which alwaysdisplays the pressure in both

systems in pounds. Theseindicators will display within theupper half until the relevant oxygenquantity is nearly depleated. Whendepleated, pressurization will failand Mater Warning light will stayon unless forced off or supply isswitched to a pressurized tank.The lower "Oxygen Quantity"displays the system which iscurrently in use. To save space, since the Primary tanks 1 and 2 are used together, the same ten liter indicator

is used to display both 10 liter Primary tanks.To prevent unwanted oxygen system usage while on the ground, open the canopy (shift-e) which willautomatically position the Cabin Press Dump switch to the ON (UP) position and shut off the oxygen system.The Annunciator panel will display the warning "CANOPY".On the upper right of the panel, the "PRESS SEL" switch selects between Normal 26K ft (default UP) and 10Kft cabin pressure. The gauge to the left of the switch indicates the current pressurization level. Below the pressure gauge is a digital readout of the current pressure selection. When switching between the two altitudes,about 3.5 minutes is required to fully transition to the new level. NOTE: Using the 10K ft pressure causes alarge increase in oxygen use rate.When ready to start engines, close the canopy (shift-e) and click the cabin dump switch to the off (DOWN)


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position. Careful not to click the Fuel Dump switch by mistake!The Annunciator "CABIN PSI" warning will stop illuminating.During use, it's very unlikely you will run low or out of oxygen with between 28 (at worst) and 30 hours ofsupply unless you have a very stressful flight with a lot of faults or use the 10K ft pressurization.There are conditions in which oxygen will be used at different rates based on stress factors.Stressed rates are around 1.4X normal. When there have been no stress factors for 1 hour or more, arelaxed/calm rate of 0.8X is used. Many of these factors are tied to similar Master Warning lights.IMPORTANT NOTE: With a severe loss of cabin pressure (cabin dump or canopy open) above selected

pressurization altitude (10K or 26K ft) the system may not be able to repressurize the cabin in a steep climb.Level off or reduce climb until pressue is nearly equalized. Repressuring the cabin at high altitude after a pressure dump or open canopy will cause a large loss of liquid oxygen quantity.

Increased Anxiety Oxygen usage (1.4x) when:

10K ft pressurization selected Engine Failed Battery Draining Low fuel (under 9500 lbs) Take off or landing

Near Overspeed Near Mach Stall Low Speed Stall Eng Unstart, Low RPM High bank low speed, near ground High descent rates over Mach 1.5 High Descent Rates close to the ground Refueling (Refuel door open "READY/DISC") High CIT (over 427C) High EGT (Hot or higher) High COG (over 25%)

Excessive hot breaking or ground speed

Lower than normal usage when: No Anxiety for 1 hour

Fuel System: On the same Fuel and Oxygen panel are various digital indicators of fuel quantity and COG Fuel PumpSwitch. The digital COG % indicates the same as on the main panel. The Digital fuel level displays areorganized roughly in their positions on the aircraft. The previous Concorde fuel pump has been replaced by acustom pump with three positions. Auto (center) is the normal position for all modes except for minorcorrections when attempting to land under 8K lbs fuel. The built-in fuel balancing system will maintain an

ideal CG throughout the flight for all but the most unusual conditions. If you need to intervene, a brief click onFORE or AFT (Upper/lower 1/3 of the switch) returning the switch to STOP (click in the center) should do thetrick. Note: The fuel pump will not return to the auto position automatically. Upper portion of handle clicked, handle positioned forward and forward pump light

illuminated. New (for July 2012): Fuel supply switches for the Left and Right engines have beenadded. If you are having trouble starting the engines, check these switches. Theyshould be in the up position for normal operation. The auto-start feature normally toggles these to ON (up) atignition.


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In the October 2012 update, I added a display under the CG%: TGT% which informs the pilot what the CGfuel system is targeting for an ideal CG. This display normally indicates limits being placed on AFT CG. Youcan use this information to decide if you want to assist the computer with a small tweak. An indication of zeroon this display means the fuel systems is no longer targeting a CG limit, but rather letting the default fuelattrition system work its magic. The computer will fight you with its own settings if an off-nominal conditionis created by the pilot. Note: Descending fuel loads over 39K lbs, the automatic system will not configure the CG for landing. The

pilot will have to manage the CG with the pump switch.

The Fuel Dump switch does not have a safety and is a simple toggle. Its default position is OFF (down.)When clicked, the switch positions up and fuel is purged from all tanks at the rate of 41.6 lbs/sec.The Fuel Dump switch is inhibited when the center tank four is 4060 lbs or less. Another click when enabledstops the fuel dump.

Fuel Annunciator: On the far right of the main panel, the Fuel Annunciator indicates when a tank is empty by lighting bright andwhen all the tanks are being used for both engines. The later is the case when the Auto CG system is in itsdefault non-managed state of fuel attrition balancing in which case the xFEED OPEN lamp is bright. In thisstate, FS defaults to tank usage based on its own internal logic and BOTH left and right tanks are used for bothengines (no isolation.) If you click on this lamp you will force the Auto CG system OFF. You might do this if

you dissagree with the CG balance and want to use the pump on the fuel panel to change it without the Autosystem over-riding your adjustment. NOTE: If you click on this lamp while it is lit, and it does not go out, is an indication the default attrition

system is already operating. In this case, when the Auto system needs to operate, it will be disabled and thelamp will stay lit. In this situation you run the risk of the CG getting out of configuration. It is best to click on

this lamp when it is unlit (meaning the Auto system is operating) and you want to make a temporary

adjustment to the CG. It is not a good idea to click this lamp unless you are sure what you are doing. Innormal

operation, the lamp will flash on and off while switching between passive attrition mode and activemanagement mode when enforcing CG limits. This will happen most often when the plane is heavy during

climb and descent and at cruise when the CG has reached max. At the bottom of the set of lamps is a test toggle. When clicked ALL the lamps will light up regardless of their

logic state. Click again and the ones which should be in their off state will do so.See the detailed explanation of this model's fuel balancing system for more explanation.

Defalt all off : Test ALL ON:

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CG Over-ride/Crossfeed:

How to set Mach Speed over Mach 3.00 in Flight Simulator: Flight Simulator wasn't designed for aircraft which flew over the speed of the Concorde at the time theautopilot controls were designed, so Mach 3 was considered fast enough I suppose. Up to Mach 3, the Machspeed set window converts the current IAS into Mach but will not over M3.00. If you try to click on the Machsetting window past Mach 3.00, nothing happens. There is a work around which solves this problem. EnableIAS and advance the IAS window setting. Although the Mach display does not change, it will when you clickon Mach hold after advancing the IAS bug upwards. With a little practice, it's quite easy to switch back andforth between IAS Hold, advance or decrement the setting, then switch to Mach Hold to see what you get. Youwill discover one knot is just over one hundreths of a Mach, so changing the IAS one knot will change theMach by one digit (roughly.) The autopilot panel controls have been arranged to minimize the mousemovement when performing this operation.

Aircraft Specifications:

FUSELAGE: Length: 103' 10"Height: 18' 6"Wing Area: 1,605 sq' (some sources claim 1,800 ft sq)Wing Span: 55.6 ftWing Area (W/Chine): 1750 sqftWing Sweep: 52.6 degWing Dihedral: 0 degV Stab Area: 70.2 sq'

Gross Weight (MTOW): 135,000 to 140,000+ lbs (Pilot Manual) 170,000 lbs TypicalZero Fuel Weight: 56,500 to 60,000+ lbs (Pilot Manual)

ENGINES:


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Weight(2): 13,000 lbs (6,500 lbs ea)20' long, 4',5" wide

Model: (2ea) P+W JT11D-20B (J-58) Turbo Ramjet.Static Thrust: 32,500lbs @ sea level(45,000 lbs with after-burner)Single Rotor, 9 stage 8:8:1 ratio compressor. Note: Rolls-Royce/Snecma Olympus 593 (Concorde) = 15:1:1General Electric CF6 (747) = 30:5:1


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Bleed Air Bypass Transition: CIT 85C to 115C, Mach 1.8 to 2.0Military Max Thrust sea level: 70% of totalMilitary Max Thrust high alt: 28% of totalAB Min detent Thrust at sea level: 85% of totalAB Min detent Thrust high alt: 55% of totalStarting RPM: 3,200

Typical Idle RPM: 3,975Max RPM: 7460?Min RPM above M1.5: 6100Typical Cruise RPM: 7050-7150Overspeed RPM: 7450 < 300C CIT, 7300 > 300C CITCruise Inlet/Engine power ratio: 80%/20%Core Airflow: 450 lb/sMax Inlet Spike Movement = 26 inches.Inlet Shock "start" movement: Between Mach 1.6 and 1.8Inlet Guide Vane (IGV) Transition: Axial/Cambered = apprx CIT 85-115C Mach 1.9 and above.


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FUEL: Fuel Load (JP-7) at 100,000 lbs Gross Weight: 11,570 lbsFuel Capacity: (real world) 83,302 lbs JP-7 (12,200 US gal @6.9 lbs/gal)Fuel Capacity: (this model) 80,653 lbs FS "JetA" (12,038 US gal @6.7 lbs/gal)

Unusable: 32.4 Gal (217 lbs) Standard temperatures and pressures:Rated Cruise: Mach 3.20 @80,000ftFuel Rate at Ground Idle: 4800 - 6300 lbs/hrFuel Rate MAX Take Off Full AB: 80,000+ (both engines)


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Fuel Rate at refuel speed and alt: 24K lbs/hrFuel Rate (rated cruise): 36-41,000lbs/hrFuel Rate (Average Climb): 22,500 lbs/hrFuel Rate (Average Descent): 16,500 lbs/hrFull Fuel:Fuel Dump Rate: 2,500 lbs/minute (42.08/sec) until tank4/6a reaches 4700 lbs, then auto-terminates.

PERFORMANCE:

Min Take off Runway length: 9,000ft. (with after-burner)Min land Runway length: 7000ft (10K lbs or less fuel)Typical Runway Take off Roll (45K lbs fuel): 4800ftMax Crosswind landing: 25 knots dry, 20 knots wet.Caution: 16+ knots @ 55+ degreesProhibited: 25+ knots @ 20+ degreesGear Extended Limit: 300 KEAS/330 KIASGear Cycle Limit: 10 times per flightMax Ground Tire Speed: 238 KEAS, 239 KIAS, 275 MPHTire Cooling: 9 minutes for every 14,000ft or 2.75 miles of taxi distance at 70 deg F.Max Taxi Speed (recommended): 40 MPH(35 KIAS)

TirePressure: 400 PsiTake off Tire Failure: 10K ft @72 deg FMax initial braking speed 10K lbs fuel: 209 KIAS @70 deg F"Brake Walk": Oscillations @ 10 cycles per second.Anti-Skid Min Speed: 10 knotsMin Ejection Altitude: 15,000ftTouch Down Vertical Speed: Typical- 50 to 100 fps, Max- 600 fpsLanding Threshold Pitch: 10 degLanding Threshold AOA: 9.5 deg>Pressurization (normal Cruise:) 26K ft:2ea 10 Liters Oxygen

Standby = 1 ea 10 Liters OxygenTank Pressure 65 - 100 psiConsumption: 1 Liter/hr for two people10K ft:1.4 Liter/Hr

V Speeds (45K lbs fuel): V1 = 156KIAS (acceleration check speed)Vr = 180 KIAS, (full weight) = 205KIASV2 = 210 KIAS66K lbs fuel:(full TO Weight) = 220KIAS


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Max

Speed: Mach3.45/558KIASFromSR71flight

manualsection 5-8Maximum Mach:" Mach3.2 is thedesignMachnumber.Mach

3.17 isthemaximumscheduledcruisespeedrecommended fornormaloperations.

However,whenauthorized by thecommander, speedsup toMach 3.3may beflown ifthe limit

CIT of427C isnotexceeded."Maximum Design Structural Limitation: 500 KEAS (559 KIAS.)This speed would be exceeded if the plane was flown above Mach 3.0 below 65 thousand feet.Recommended Operational Ceiling: 85,000ft (model tested stable to standard weather.) Altitudes muchhigher than this are rare in FS Jeppeson download weather.


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Normal Cruise Altitude: 79K ft westbound, 80K ft Eastbound.Range: 3,250 miles un-refueled (based on ideal static weather, no wind)Initial Cruise Speed: M3.0 @ 72K ft.Mach Cruise Bank Angle Limit: 35 degreesMax Bank Angle during Climb: 45 degreesMax Rate of climb: 11,810 ft/min (60 m/s) - 9999 under AP controlMax Rate of Descent: 1 mach per 3 minutes above Mach 1.8 (roughly exceeding sustained -6200 fpm 75K ftthrough 60K ft)

Cruise Range Loss from Turn: 2.5 miles per 10 degrees

Minimum Single Engine Approach Speed = 200 KIAS 25,000 lbs fuel.Minimum Go Around Alt = 300 ft.

Temperatures: From 600 to 900+ degrees Fahrenheit on the airframe.Temperatures on the J-58 engine exhaust reach 3200 degrees F.

Min Operating Air Temperature = -75 deg C

Sub-Mach Max Climb Speed (no turbulence): 400 KEASMax Performance Climb Speed: 450 KEASSub-Mach Max Climb Speed (max turb penetration): 350 KEAS

Minimum Turn Airspeed: 220 KIAS

Landing Speeds:

Fuel lbs Approach Spd Touchdown Spd


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Temperatures between -55 to -70 C: Design Mach Speed = 3.2 (above 35Kft)Maximum Operational Mach = 3.35Overspeed Mach =3.45Maximum Indicated Air Speed = 559 KIAS, 500 KEAS.

Max Safe Altitude = 85Kft (without special auth.)

Max Rated Altitude = 92K ft (can go higher when weather permits.)

Max Pitch at cruise = 7 deg (Speed loss/Stall Instability @ 6.0 deg)PITCH WARNING!!!: Do not let pitch rise above +7 deg or below level on the Artificial Horizon while aboveMach 3.0

Min Supersonic Airspeed = 310 KEAS Note: Descend rapidly if the weather system causes a sudden drop in EAS to a value near this speed.Mach 3 stall: Below 240 KIAS

No Power Glide (80K ft Mach 3.2):

375KIAS @ -11,600 ft/min6 minutes to 10Kft (102nm)

Ground Lift effect: Within 30 ft.

Peak Aerodynamic Pressure: Apprx 670 lbs/sq ft (Dypsey Doodle Climb 450 KEAS through 35K ft.)

Refueling: Normal Alt- 25K - 35K ft (35K feet with latest tankers.)AOA 3 deg low fuelAOA 6 degrees full tanks

Typical distance between tanking: 2000 milesRefuel Rate: 6,000 lbs/minTypical Refuel Time: 15 minutes

Max Deceleration above M 1.8 = 1 mach per 3 minutesBelow Mach 1.8 = No limit

MLW: Not Limited (suggested 40K lbs fuel max) Note: APP AP is very unstable at this weight Normal Landing weight: 10K lbs fuel or lessTouch and Go Limit: 25K lbs fuel

CIT Compressor Inlet Temperature:

Max Inlet Temperatures (mach 2.8 @85Klbs gross weight)

SAT(C) CIT(C)

-69 250

-61 270

-57 280


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-52 290

-44 310

(mach 3.0 @85Klbs gross weight)-

SAT(C) CIT(C)

-67 300

-60 320-57 328

-52 340

-45 360

Nominal Inlet Temperatures (Mach 3.2 20K lbs fuel)

SAT(C) CIT(C)

-66.8 350 (typical Cruise)

-59.8 370

-56.5 380/Max: 427C (801F)@ M 3.38

-52.9 390

-49.5 400

-46.2 410

RPM:


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EGT: Idle: ~430C @ sea level (typical)Max start temp (idle) = 565 CNormal Cruise Range: 780 - 820CContinuous Limit: 830CEmergency Zone = 805 - 845 C up to 15 minutesRed Zone: 900 C up to 2 minutes950 C up to 15 seconds


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COG: Modeled MAC in FS2004 = 51 ft (wing + forward fuselage chine).Typical range: Forward- +17% to Aft- + 24%Ideal Take off: 17 % (Published), Typical: 20%


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Max at cruise: +25%Max Take off and land: +22Max below Mach 0.9: +24Min COG above Mach 1.8 and 11,570 lbs fuel: +17Min below Mach 1.8 and 11,570 lbs fuel: +14.5Ideal Landing: +21.0 to +22.0Max at Mach 3.30 = 24.3% MAC

Trim Limits:Subsonic level=-1.5 deg nose down.Supersonic level: Min=+0.5 @ M2.6 (normal 3.1 at full weight.)Max=-1.5 @ 25% COG (normal 0 at Mach 3.0 near 24% COG.

Mach 3 Environment Temps: Interior: 300 deg FNose: 800 deg FWindshield: 600 deg FExhaust: 1,200 deg F (649C)

Oil Pressure:

Min safe operating = 35 PSINormal = 40-60 PSI

Fuel Pressure: 7-9 Psi

Hydraulic Pressure: Normal = 2200 - 3000 psi at or above 3000 Engine RPMReduced Control = down to 1500 RPM Control Failure = below 1500 RPM

Electrical:

2ea 60KVA direct drive generators. 155/200 volt, 400 cycle.2ea 28 volt, 25 amp/hour batteries.Emergency AC buss (supplied by battery 1): 1KVA.Battery Duration (essential equip only) 40 minutes.External MD-3 or MD-4 power connector.

G Load Limits: Mach 2 and Less (below 50K ft): -.2 to +3.5Mach 2 and less (above 50K ft): -.2 to 2.5Mach 2 to 2.6: -.1 to +2.0Mach 2.6 to 3.2: -.1 to 1.5

Min Airspeed Restrictions: Supersonic: 310 KEASSubsonic and >= 25 Kft: 300 KEASSubsonic and < 25 Kft: 145 KIAS

Pitch Trim: The model under ordinary fuel and speed operation and auto-pilot control will conform to thefollowing flight trim settings:


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--------------------- FLIGHT PROCEDURES: ----------------------

This general overview of technique for flying this aircraft in FSX is not real-world but based on manipulatingthe sim to obtain consistent results. Unrealistic weather conditions strongly affect performance. The details hereare also provided as checklist and reference items within the panel Kneepad feature. New for sr2012Updt1c arehtm checkist and reference files elliminating the problems the previous text files produced.

o PRE START PREPARATION: FLIGHT PLAN loaded into GPS or another navigator that performs turn prediction. FS2004 GPS turns about2.8 miles prior to the waypoint at high speed. This is JUST enough to maintain control during turns. At cruise,

waypoints should be 500 miles apart or more if they have moderate turns, No-turn waypoints can be as close as100 miles. When flying over water to your destination (ATC hate mach speed in their space) a careful flightPlan will include a way point close to the coast (assuming your destination is somewhat inland) for use as adescent calculation target. This is explained in the descent profile later.

Fuel Loading: To provide a wider performance margin on take off in case of an engine loss, the Air Force flew the SR-71 withone of three fuel loads:45, 55, or 65K lbs.If using SFP or NAV3, range and fuel estimating should be close using the following table:

CLIMB CRUISE DESCENT

SPEED 900 1780 700

FUEL RATE 28900 38100 12300

VERTICAL RATE 1920(ave) 2900(ave)

ALT 80000


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(EDITED for update sr2012Updt1b) Note: The SR71 is capable of fuel balancing automatically for the entireflight flight and approach. Automatic fuel tank selection and tank attrition schedule built into the model


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simulates the auto transfer system AS LONG AS you load the tank percentage below on the ground and left andright tanks are balanced. The balancing system is in auto mode when the FORE AFT pump switch is in the center (AUTO) position.

Easy Rule of thumb:To set typical take off weight of 45K lbs, set all the tanks in the FS fuel menu to 56%. This will provide a COGclose to 20% for take off. Any COG between 19% and 22% is acceptable for take off or landing.To set 55.6K load: all tanks 69%

To set 66K load: all tanks 83%Warning: There are EIGHT(8) fuel tanks in the FS fuel dialog. Failure to set ALL of them to the same

percentage may cause the auto balancing system to provide less than optimum performance. This system of setting all the tanks to the same percentage was adopted to make fueling the SR-71 simple for the pilot even

though the CG system is very complex. Detailed explanation of this model's fuel balancing system.

FS Fuel Dialog:

Ltip = Tanks 1 + 1aRtip = Tanks 1 + 1aLmain = Tank 3 L

Rmain = Tank 3 RCntr = Tank 2 Foward TrimCntr2 = Tanks 4 + 6a Rear TrimLaux = Tank 5 + 6bRaux = Tank 5 + 6b

Fuel distribution is as follows (rough):

< NOSE to TAIL(111ft) >

1,1a 2 3LR 4,6a 5,6b

< pilot LRtip Cntr LRmain Cntr2 LRaux >

|

o o

Min Usable:1 = 2300 lbs2 = 3400 lbs4 = 2400 lbs5= 1900 lbsMin Landing Fuel Weight:5000 lbs

These tank assignments and positions are based on FS2004/FSX built-in default tank attrition schedule whichchooses the order in which tanks deplete until empty. A complex system of tank switching at capacities enhancethe attrition for optimum CG and trim near Mach 3 and above. Habu pilots considered 60,000+ lbs fuel weight a"heavy" jet. At the typical take off weight of 45K Lbs fuel, you'll find the plane nimble and fast-climbing. Ifyou need a fuel load over 70K lbs, it's best to take off with the default loads of 45K, 55.6K or 66K lbs(depending on when you can intercept the tanker) and plan on an air refuel.IMPORTANT: At Fuel Weight below ~8000 lbs OR over 39K lbs OR tank 3 is over 3100 lbs total , the

autmatic system will not maintain the landing CG of 21.5%. Landing below 10,000 lbs normal landing weight

or over 39,000 lbs will require the pilot to use the pump switch manually to compensate. Also, it may not be

possible to get the CG under 22.0% for landing when over 27,500 lbs fuel.

http://d/SR71_manual/SR71_MAN.html%23FBSystemhttp://d/SR71_manual/SR71_MAN.html%23FBSystemhttp://d/SR71_manual/SR71_MAN.html%23FBSystem


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END FUEL PREP.

WEATHER PREP:

The SR71 is sensitive to pressure and temperature more than wind speed because of the high altitude. Near theflight limits large pressure changes can throw the flight model well beyond its operational limits. Pressures over30.10 inHg are problematic because they force you to fly very high (which can be fun, but increasingly risky.)Recent retail versions of FSUIPC for FSX provide temperature, wind and pressure smoothing which greatly

enhance the flyability of this aircraft when using Jeppeson weather. Very low presure will force the pilot to flyaltitudes between 70-74K ft. Active Sky 2012 SP1 is the preferred weather source and does not require FSUIPCfor smoothing.

Check for strength and direction of prevailing winds. Typically, in the northern hemisphere, you will havemostly head winds traveling West and tail winds heading East. I add 1000 lbs when going West and subtract1000 from the estimate going East. The exception would be flights more N/S than E/W where I don't modify theestimate.

80,000ft should be used for flights East and 79,000 for west. Although the model supports flights up to 85K ft(normal limit is 82K ft) with pure Jeppeson-only weather source, unstable weather over coastal transition

boundaries (300 - 500 miles from land crossing over large bodies of water) may cause highly unstable flight.Engine power is reduced by periods of extreme off axis air flow. The payware version of FSUIPC has a windsmoothing feature which helps reduce rapid wind axis changes.Active Sky also solves this problem.

Weatherset: A useful tool for checking the quality of the weather generation is a free program which comes packaged with FSUIPC called Weatherset. FS2004 and FSX users should use Weatherset2. This programdisplays all the weather data being sent to FSUIPC by the weather program in a numerical display (rather thanthe FS weather dialog tabbed graphical display.) This lets you see all the current weather settings at a glancewithout scrolling or tabbing.

Another useful tool comes with the online multiplayer connection program FSINN. Along with a large packageof tools in the main FS menu is the "Pressure" indicator. This places a current pressure display in the sim so youcan see what the current pressure is at all times without switching to the desktop. As you get more experienced,you will come to expect certain IAS readings at certain altitudes.This panel has a special enhancement to the Altimeter to display relative pressure changes.Higher or lower than normal air speeds at Mach 3.2 are an indication you are flying in unusually low or high pressure. The Altimeter has a special enhancement which shows simply at a glance if the pressure is changingand whether it's normal, high or low. This can help the pilot take pro-active measures to reduce the effects of pressure changes.

FSUIPC-

The following settings in the WINDS section of FSUIPC are necessary to smooth the wind for Mach speedflight. If you are using the free version, you cannot set this resulting in less than satisfying weather conditions inall aircraft:CHECK "Smooth Changes"Knots or degrees/second = 0OR for this many seconds for each 1 degree = 2After weather clear delay smoothing by seconds = 0CHECK "smooth only when airborne."

Active Sky-


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Without FSIUPC, Active Sky 2012 SP1 users will get the best wind smoothing in DWC mode with rate ofchange slider set to zero. When using Active Sky AND FSUIPC, set all FSUIPC weather features to off. FurtherAS configurations are detailed near the top of the document.

NOTE on PRESSURE: In practice, pressures during M3+ flight OVER 1024.4mb (30.25Hg) or UNDER997.3mb (29.45Hg) are problematic. You can expect to have to climb very high (90K+) to obtain M3 ordescend very low (72K ft and under Mach 3) to avoid stall near these pressures. Avoid IAS over 500 or under380 at cruise. I cannot stress enough that the most maintenance-free flights will have cruise speeds near

410KIAS/360KEAS (the middle of the model's stability range.)

END WEATHER PREP. PRE-START PREPARATION CONTINUES...

PRESET THE AUTOPILOT to have AutoThrottle ENABLED, set initial altitude (usually 10,000 AGL to28,000) 255 knots IAS on AP bug (for low alt restriction) and 4500 ft/min climb rate. When using normalunrestricted climb, set initial alt to 28K ft and AT IAS bug to 450 KIAS. This will hold close to 400 IAS (350KEAS.)Alternatively, use the KEAS HOLD in the Refuel section (prefered) to hold climb and decent speeds.

Switch NavGPS switch to GPS (note: GPS mode disables ILS approach so you need to toggle the switch back

to NAV during automated ILS approach.)END PRE-START PREP

o Start-up: If necessary, activate the fuel pumps with control-shift-F4 or the fuel pump valves in the fuel panel.on the left of the main panel, click and HOLD each engine start button until ignition (apprx 22% RPM.)Alternatively, activate the autostart sequence with shift-e. The Chevy V8s will spool up loudly. Once the engineignites, the TEB counter will lower by one (starts at 16) to indicate one shot of Triethylborane was used to startthe engine.

o Taxi: Move all control surfaces and visually verify correct operation. When engines have stabilized, start taxi not

exceeding 20 knots ground speed. Avoid rough ground so as not to damage the gear or debris intake damagingthe engines.Frequent breaking will be necessary due to high engine idle RPM.Warm surface temps and frequent breaking will activate the yellow "TIRE" warning.

o Position and Run-Up: -Position on the runway into the wind, set the breaks and bring up the autopilot.-Inspect all gauges and switches for correct position for take off. -Place the DERICH switch in the up (enabled) position.Wait for yellow TIRE warning to extinguish.-Activate Pitot Heat and also De-Ice if you are passing through freezing clouds on the way up.

-Check Roll, Pitch and Yaw trims for zero position. Operate pitch roll and yaw stick controls and observe theyall move to maximum positions (100%) and return to zero.-Tap the numpad-5 key (with numpad off) to center your control inputs.-With breaks set, smoothly advance the engines to full military (80% green) for correct operation. IGV lightsshould illuminate. Return throttle to idle. IGV lights should go out.-Set decision altitude bug to 350 ft on the radar altimiter.-Test proper IAS hold operation by briefly clicking on the IAS hold in the AP. The bug should stay where you placed it. If it moves, reset it. Next time you activate it, it will not move. Set throttle back to idle.-Double check everything.


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o Take-off: KIAS vs KEAS:Equivalent Air Speed is used for high speed flight. You will see KIAS (Indicated Airpseed) or KEAS used inspecifications and procedures depending on documentation available or whether the flight mode is subsonic orsupersonic.Set the AP AT IAS bug to 255 KIAS for restriction or 464 KIAS (to obtain an initial 400 KEAS) non-restrictedclimb. Preset your desired initial climb rate. This is typically between 7000 and 10,000 ft per min. (The defaultis 1000.)

-Smoothly advance the throttle to 80% (full military.)-Release the breaks and engage the Afterburner (shift-F4.) Throttle position numbers will change from green towhite and the TEB counter will drop another number to ignite the ABs.-Activate full take-off power (TO/GA) by tapping the key combo Shift-Alt-G or click on the left throttle position number next to the top of the throttle (the numbers will change to orange or dissapear.) Using thisfeature will help prevent over speed on the engines.-Passing 156 knots (speed check) you should be over half way through your roll distance. Be prepared to pullthe throttle back soon to avoid EGT limits in hot weather or conform to any area speed restriction which might be in place. If your climb is unrestricted, keep the throttle in TO/GA mode through the initial climb.Observe EGT temperature and do not advance throttle beyond 850C unless absolutely necessary. 900C can only

be used for 2 minutes maximum and 950C has a 15 second limit. Normally, the de-rich system will preventexceeding 960C on take off. Note: At standard temperatures (50-60 degrees F) full throttle will rarely exceed 850C EGT. Note: Very warm surface temps will limit climb rate.

Crossing 156 knots Indicated during roll, reduce throttle to apprx 85% to prevent over-shooting terminal areaspeed restriction of 250 KIAS when in ATC control. Otherwise, when non-restricted stay in TOGA mode.-At full weight (66K lbs fuel) rotate the nose steadily at apprx 205 KIAS to 10 degree pitch and hold until lift-off into a 2000 ft/min climb (strong down pressure will be required to prevent nose up.)-When using 45K lbs fuel (Normal loading) use 180 KIAS rotation speed.-On positive climb raise gear immediately. Gear will break above 300 KEAS/330 KIAS. Retain AB through

climb.-Engage AP (Z) and tap Contrl-T to temporarily hold climb profile @ 1,500 - 2000 ft/min and click IAS speedhold 255 KIAS in the autopilot (when flying in restricted space.) Closing on 250 KIAS (restricted) disengageAB and click ALT hold in the autopilot with the mouse. This will happen very quickly!!! The 255 bug settingyou set earlier will hold close to the 250 KIAS in restricted space.-Tap Cntrl-H to hold current heading.-Unrestricted, you must first obtain an initial airspeed of 300+ KIAS while at a low climb rate. Continue toclimb on TO/GA and set best climb rate to hold as close to 400 KIAS as possible transitioning to IAS speedhold of 465 KIAS when the speed nears 400 KIAS (350 KEAS.)

Note: Clicking the speed hold with the mouse has a different effect than using the key combo Control-R.

When using the keys, the AT will be set to the CURRENT air speed of the plane. The mouse will set the AT tothe TARGET speed set in the AP bug control.

At this point the plane will be under stable autopilot control in trimmed flight. Resticted: As the speed reaches250KIAS increase normal climb to 3500 ft.min.Unrestricted: Max climb off the runway with gear up can initially be as high as 10,000 ft/min on full throttle/ABafter passing 300 KIAS. Sustainable climb using 7000 ft/min is possible up to 24K ft in normal temperatureconditions.

o Terminal maneuvers:


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Use ATC instructions or bring up the navigation aids (GPS etc) and navigate to intercept the 1st flight planwaypoint. Observe the 250KIAS speed restriction when flying near controlled airspace. Engage autopilot NAVmode to start GPS flight plan control. External control programs require staying in HDG mode.

-Engage Yaw Damper (Surface Limiter) above 330 knots Indicated (LIMITER in the annunciator .)-Crossing 18K ft, reset altimeter to 29.92. Crossing Mach .85 set Mach Hold 0.90 for cruise to tanker circuit.Otherwise, hold M.9 for your cruise-climb to unrestricted Mach climb area.On long flights where fuel top-off is necessary, intercept the tanker altitude @ 28 - 35Kft.

Older tankers require 25K - 30K feet. In turbulence, use 350 KEAS for the sub-mach climb, otherwise, use400KIAS. New tankers modified for the SR71 can use 34K - 35K ft. Note1: 35,000ft and 350KIAS is the highest and fastest the plane can fly and still remain sub-mach (apprxM.97) 28,000ft and 400 KIAS is more typical providing M.95. Note2: Max turbulent speed is 350KEAS so only use 400 KEAS in calm conditions.

o Refueling: Intercept the tanker between 280 and 305 KIAS or Mach 0.85 (whichever is slower.) Under current modelconfiguration, fuel top-off is typically filling ALL available tanks. When refueling with take off COG at 22%, aCOG over 24% will result in a warning. The warning will clear as soon as speed in the climb over Mach .9 isobtained. Using the supplied refuel gauge, enable the RDY/DISC button so "0000" is displayed on both top and

bottom rows of numbers and click the "Air Refuel" switch.The rate is @6500 lbs/min, all tanks simul-filled 5-10 minutes at 56-70 psi. The refueling gauge operation isalso discussed in the Special Gauges section above.At typical tanking speed of @280 - 300KIAS, and full fuel, the pitch attitude will be around 5+ degrees.Marginal military power at high pitch can be compensated by enabling AB on one engine and using differentialengine control to compensate for yaw.

Dipsy Doodle (modified for FS9):This is the most common technique used to accelerate into the mach climb after refueling to a heavy conditionwhich helps to transition through the high drag of mach 1 at low pitch. After refueling, set AT hold for speedMach .9, engage AB (or remaining AB if one side already enabled) and set climb rate to 2000 ft/min.

Between 30K-32K ft increase ATspeed bug to Mach 0.95. Passing M0.95 and 33K ft set AT bug initially for524 (for 450 KEAS climb) or 464 (for 400 KEAS climb) and start a -1500 to -2500 descent through Mach 1.15.Passing 320 to 340 KEAS (on the triple gauge) slowly increase climb to +2000 fpm or more. Continue climbadjusting Autothrottle IAS bug by 2 knots at a time to hold 400 or 450KEAS on the climb until reaching M3.0at 70K ft.The "Dipsy Doodle" is designed to transition through high pitch drag around M1.05 - M1.15 as quickly as possible after refueling to a "heavy" jet.

o Mach Climb: There are two common climb speeds "schedules" used:450 KEAS which is the "normal" high performance climb into a high risk area after tanking. Fuel burn rates are

fairly high reaching 40-44K lbs/hr at Mach 3. On a 1.5 hour flight, around 2000 lbs more fuel will be used thanthe 400 EAS schedule. This profile gets you over the target area at high speed, but low altitude again soon forre-tanking. Climb discussions in most books about the SR mention this profile as it's commonly used forincursions close to enemy recon targets.400 KEAS is used when longer range is needed between refueling. Mach 3 fuel rate is closer to 38K lbs/hr. This profile gets your plane higher sooner, but establishes cruise at a lower initial speed. The world record flights between Beale and Farnborough used a profile similar to the 400 KEAS schedule.

When flying light (45K lbs fuel or less) and refueling is not used, it's possible to start the climb without theDipsey Doodle. Starting from level at Mach .95, advance the AB and set the AT bug to 460 (to obtain 400

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Documents

SR71a for FSX Deluxe Operation Guide