FS2004 Avro Lancastrian (Base Package)

A close derivative of the war-time Lancaster bomber, the Lancastrian was
fitted with streamlined nose and tail cones. Lancastrians were used as
long-range freighters, VIP transports, and jet engine test beds by the
RAF, as fast long-range airliners and mailplanes by Trans Canada Air
Lines, BOAC, BSAA, QUANTAS, and Alitalia, and as tankers by Flight
Refuelling Ltd. Charter operators were Skyways and Silver City.
Eighty-two aircraft were build, but most of them had vanished in
scrapyards by the early nineteen-fifties. In the immediate post-war
years, TCA offered twice-weekly Lancastrian flights from Dorval, Canada,
to Prestwick and London, while BOAC and BSAA (under chief pilot D.C.T.
Bennett) operated flights to Australia and South America, all based on a
rather uneconomical ratio of five crew to up to fourteen passengers. The
outbound leg from Hurn to Learmouth, Australia, took three days and well
over fifty hours flying time, with Lydda, Karachi, and Ceylon serving as
staging posts. BSAA's London to Buenos Aires flight took 56 hours.
Either way, one needs to have plenty of time on one's hands to recreate
these epic journeys. Gmax exterior model and textures by Manfred Jahn,
FDE and 2D panel by Paul Edwards (based on a panel by Phil Perrott of
Alphasim). The three texture sets included represent VM734 of 246
Squadron RAF, G-AGLY ("Norfolk") of BOAC, and G-AKFG of Flight
Refuelling Ltd.

Version information

    The model was originally published on 2 May 2007 at Classic British Files, 
    http://classicbritishfiles.com. The version presented here (19 May) 
    implements some minor panel adjustments. 


Installation

    Copy the folder Avro_Lancastrian_II contained in the zip to your Flight
    Simulator 9\aircraft folder. In the aircraft selection menu, the
    aircraft will show up under the manufacturer's name, "Avro".

    Detailed handling instructions can be accessed via the kneeboard
    checklist and reference tabs (F10).

Sound

    The soundset is aliased to the default DC-3. For more realistic sound
    effects, install Des Braban's Lancaster sound package available from
    either www.avsim.com (lncsnd1.zip) or www.flightsim.com (lancsnds.zip).

    In order to enable ATC to pronounce the words "Avro" and "Lancastrian", 
    download and install John Hinson's voicepack No. 7, available from 
    www.avsim.com (file vp-ac07.zip) or from John's homepage at
    www.adventure-unlimited.org. 

Fuel Management

    For the fuel transfer system to work, Pete Dowson's FSUIPC v3.7 must be
    present, downloadable here: http://www.schiratti.com/dowson.html,

Repaints

    Repainters interested in creating additional liveries please contact
    Manfred for a PSP or PSD paintkit.

AI capability

    The aircraft is capable of flying as AI.


Acknowledgements

    The authors would like to thank Dave Booker, Jerry Beckwith, Ted Cook,
    Doug Dawson (Dsd Fuel Manager gauge), Pete Dowson (FSUIPC),), and Leif
    Harding for help, support, and suggestions. Special thanks also to the
    forum members of Classic British Flight Sim (www.cbfsim.org) and
    FreeflightDesign (www.freeflightdesign.com).

    Original gauges from Lars Fors, Ted Cook and Des Braban, modified where
    necessary by Paul Edwards. Thank you Lars, Ted and Des.

    Many thanks to Jan Henk Peereboom for flying the Lancastrian in bad weather 
    conditions and for letting us use some of his great screenshots.

Sources

    Air Ministry, _Pilot's Notes for Lancastrian II & IV_, Air Publication
    4154A & B-PN (July 1946); Chris Bowley, "Avro Lancastrian Scale Plans
    and Colour Schemes", _Aviation News_, 9-22 November 1979, 8-10; A.J.
    Jackson, _Avro Aircraft since 1908_ (London: Putnam, 2000); Richard
    Riding, "Avro's Stopgap Airliner", _Aeroplane Monthly_ 9.4 (April 1981),
    188-93.


19 May 2007

Paul Edwards (stephen.edwards5@ntlworld.com)
Manfred Jahn (manfred.jahn@uni-koeln.de)