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FSX Aerodynamic Formulas FSX Aerodynamic Formulas

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There was a time when there was no Internet, although we had computers. Microsoft Flight Simulator 3.0 was a DOS based program available in the mid ‘80s of which ran directly from a 3.5” or 5.25” floppy disk. As computers became more sophisticated, so did Flight Simulator, and there were even rival companies attempting to master flight simulation. By the mid ‘90s there was no doubt that MFS was superior to all others, especially when they developed cooperation with aircraft manufacturers such as Cessna and Boeing. Today, Microsoft Flight Simulator is at the top of the rank for P.C. Simulators, and incorporates every aspect of engine and flight dynamics mathematically so the program can simulate almost perfect and realistic flight characteristics. Once the Internet became available, CompuServe and AOL provided forums for MFS enthusiasts, and some of these people began to create their own aircraft for the program, and this was great. The problem was that although the aircraft looked better than the default provided by MFS, they used default characteristics from other planes within the MFS structure. That is when we started learning how to change the data within the aircraft.cfg and .air files to make these new planes fly like the real thing. It was a slow and long learning process for me, but through my persistence I educated myself to a point well beyond all others in this field. Today, if I download any aircraft from any site, I do not even take it for a test flight before I check and correct as many critical aspects of the aircraft.cfg file (at least), and usually add further data to the .air file later for more accuracy. Because the Internet now contains almost all of the Real World data for almost any aircraft, I find it much more enjoyable to take my time to make these corrections rather than try to fly a cosmetically correct, yet aerodynamically incorrect aircraft. The data below includes mathematic formulas of which most are taught in primary Schools, but may not be familiar to all who read this. This paper is offered for those of you who desire to make your planes fly correctly, rather than looking at how nice they look on the tarmac. If you learn a lot from this, and you think my effort is worthy, please send a donation to the PayPal location listed at the end of this document … and make sure you send me an E-mail after you do so because I will surely help you further upon request. If you don’t learn anything after reading this, you shouldn’t be reading this. Much of what I will provide here are the formulas I’ve learned and/or developed through the years. Some of this is copyright by Douglas E. Trapp, and some of this is Real World. If you use any of this information to create aircraft for upload, please ask me for permission. If you are creating an aircraft for payware, the rules still apply here because some of the following are copyright by me. If this is the case for you, it might be in your best interest to simply hire me to make your plane correct, rather than use the formulas and take a risk of copyright infringement.



Author Douglas E. Trapp

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