TestFlightC69 (V3.7)

Flight created on 31.10.2020 (05.10.2023 V3.5 English)

Last update: 30.09.2025, Text errors in the briefing corrected.

Estimated flight time: 1 hour

Difficulty level: difficult

Task: Fly a C69 to Rivesaltes Airport.

Introduction

Since 2017, the Lourdes-Pyrenees airport has been used to park decommissioned, discarded aircraft.

Recently, you performed a glider repro assignment there.

Your boss discovered and bought a discarded C69 at this airport.

You will transfer this aircraft to Rivesaltes together with a co-pilot.

At the beginning you select the flight mode:

1) Normal Flight (default, you fly to the target while testing the C69).

2) Random Problem (5 different problems can occur, which will result in 10 different mission completions).

3-7) Here you can select a specific problem to practice.

Then you will be asked if you want to fly with/without help:

- With help you always see the current position of flaps and landing gear levers.

This does not mean that flaps and landing gear are really in the indicated position, at too high speed they do not extend. You simply see which position you have set without looking around in the cockpit for a long time.

- In addition, the co-pilot will give you help and tips on speed, mixture, propeller speed, cooling air flaps, etc..

Start

You are at Lourdes-Pyrenees Airport (LFBT).

Take off and fly the plane to Rivesaltes airport (LFMP).

On the way you will test the machine thoroughly.

Seemingly a boring routine flight, but what is Murphy's Law?

That's right: "Anything that can go wrong will go wrong."

Landing

20nm before the destination airport the co-pilot contacts the tower.

As expected, the tower directs us into a traffic pattern.

Small airplanes usually fly at 1.5km (1nm) into the counter approach.

Here, air traffic control directs us into the traffic pattern much earlier.

This is normal at controlled airports, so don't be surprised.

You are simply flying an extremely large aerodrome circuit.

Caution!

At the destination airport, everything is fine in P3dV4,

at P3dV5 the tower is placed too close to a taxiway.

So independently roll around the tower.

Info about the plane

1) This aircraft is normally flown by 3-4 people.

Pilot and co-pilot in the front and 2 other people in the back who adjust flaps, cooling air flaps, mixture, propeller speed, etc. and monitor the instruments.

You have to do everything by yourself, the co-pilot only gives you hints.

2) The autopilot in old planes works a bit different than in modern planes:

Autopilot On/Off: Activates heading and pitch.

Heading (HDG): is as usual, set heading 100 and you fly in that direction.

Pitch: This is the replacement for Climb Rate. You want to climb to 10000 feet at 1000 feet/min.

Set Pitch to about 9, then you will reach about this climb rate.

Depending on the power you have to readjust and when you reach 10000ft, reduce power and readjust pitch in the autopilot (probably set it down to +2 to 0).

3) In the aft area you will see the following instruments

(Look to the aft right, or cycle through the views to get to this display):

Here you can adjust thrust, propeller speed, mixture, cooling air flaps and monitor temperatures.

4)You will need to maintain a certain speed at times during this flight.

Here are some of the speeds you will need:

Was that all? No!

- Immediately after starting the engine, set the flaps to level 2 (and back to level 1).

If there is a "problem" something will happen.

- Try to land at "Problem1" with retracted landing gear.

- If after "Engine test" the engines do not start, you are in "Problem5".

DO NOT open the cooling air dampers if the co-pilot suggests it.

I hope you enjoyed this flight, if so please give feedback to p3d@andi20.ch . Also send error messages (spelling mistakes, wrong information, etc.) to p3d@andi20.ch, I appreciate any feedback.