L-1649 and L-049 queries

[M.I.B.]

Howdy folks,
I hope this has not been covered before here, I've searched for these very perplexities and haven't found precisely what I want to know, if they have been covered before, I apologize. My questions concern the L-049 and the L-1649, the very first and the very last of the Connies

Regarding the L-049 (by FSDZigns): I see there isn't any kind of update for it, such as an FDE update; so I'd like to know if it is possible/OK/"ethical" to use the updated L-749 panel (the one that comes with the "Optional flight dynamics update" pack for the L-749) for the L-049. One of the features of the updated L-749 panel that I'd like to have in the L-049 is the modified/realistic fuel dump system, as the fuel dump system existent in the L-049 panel is the one that is...well...not realistic (I believe), when I dump fuel, this simulates the drop of...some tanks. So should I assign the improved L-749 panel to the L-049? If not, is there any other way I can make the fuel dump system more realistic in the L-049 (similar to the one present in the updated L-749 pane)?
PS: I see there are only 2 lines in the SMOKESYSTEM section of the aircraft cfg, which corresponds with only 2 fuel dump valves present at the trailing edge of the wings, very close to the fuselage. So I guess this all makes sense, the plane (model) has only 2 dump valves, there are 2 lines in the SMOKESYSTEM section, one for each valve, but it just doesn't dump fuel the realistic way, so i was thinking that assigning the L-749 panel to it, should be the solution, but I'm not sure this is the case.

Regarding the L-1649: Fuel dump is the subject here too; why does the L-1649 panel not feature a fuel dump system? Is there a choice I can make whether or not to have such a system in the panel (perhaps, having to modify some lines in the panel cfg)? Because I see the Starliner has those dump valves on the trailing edge of the wing, so I was thinking "this bird has got to be able to dump fuel".

If you need more explanation, I'm eager to provide it; thank you so much for considering to help me out with these, and I can't thank enough each and every one of the talented folks who made, and are still making and improving all these absolutely wonderful goodies available here..for free...

Best Regards,
D

[Tom/CalClassic]

Hi,

The Starliner was the first of the Connies released, and perhaps it hadn't been developed yet?

Why not use the later 049 developed after the FSDzigns one? It uses a panel very similar (if not identical?) to the 749 panel.

www.flightsim.com/vbfs/fslib.php?searchid=34437892

Hope this helps,

[M.I.B.]

Thank you kindly for your reply, Tom;

Starliner - probably, I'll see if I can improvise something for my personal use.

L-049 - didn't know there was a newer version of the 049. The FS.com link doesn't work though, sends me to a "no search results" page

[rally]

Dorel, are you using the most recent Starliner? Version 4.0 is the current model. Also, IIRC the dump doesn't work in FSX

There is a Jahn and co. L-049 available at Flightsim.com (with and without radar, with and without eyebrows), if the FSDZigns one isn't to your liking.

[M.I.B.]

rally, thank you for your response. Yes, I do use the current version (4.0). I'll take a look at that Jahn Connie, I don't remember knowing anything about a Jahn L-049. I've tried assigning the L-749 panel to the L-049, works like a charm, but I'll still take a look at the one made my Manfred.

[Tom/CalClassic]

Here is the download info from flightsim.com. Or go to my Constellation page - it's listed at the top.

Name: lockheed_l-49_v1_0.zip
Size: 35,933,944 Date: 08-01-2011 Downloads: 2,977

[M.I.B.]

UPDATE:
I've just analyzed the panel cfg of the Starliner more carefully, and I've noticed something strange in the "Window4" section of the panel cfg (that would be the popup panel containing the emergency shut off levers as well as the fuel dump levers):

[Window04]
//file=FuelControls_Popup.bmp
file=FuelControls_Popup_FS9.bmp //FS9 Fuel dump version only LP 070210
//size_mm=462,191
size_mm=314,191
windowsize_ratio=1.250
position=0
visible=0
ident=10004

//gauge00=L1649A!LeversFuelControl, 38,23,236,144
gauge00=L1649A!LeversFuelControlMod1649FS9RL-ND, 38,23,236,144 //FS9 No Fuel dump levers LP 2012

I am aware that I'm supposed to only use one gauge at a time (and deactivate the other one by placing 2 fwd slashes in front of it), it's an "either - or" situation; either the one that I've underlined here, or the one that I've written in bold here. Now comes the interesting part;

If I use the underlined gauge, I only get the emergency shut off levers, and no fuel dump levers (it clearly says that...written by me in italic here).

If I use the gauge written in bold, I get no fuel dump levers, and not even the emergency shut off levers, so that window now features no gauges at all. I only get the bmp image. I found the reason for this to be the simple fact that the gauge written in bold (named LeversFuelControl) doesn't exist in the L1649A gauge zip file, in the panel folder...it's missing from there. However, I found that there is another Window4-specific gauge present in that zip file, that is not included in the Window4 section of the panel cfg file, this gauge is labeled LeversFuelControlMod1649FS9RL. And I slightly modified the Window 4 section of the panel cfg to read (I'll only provide the gauges section):

//gauge00=L1649A!LeversFuelControlMod1649FS9RL-ND, 38,23,236,144 //FS9 No Fuel dump levers LP 2012
gauge00=L1649A!LeversFuelControlMod1649FS9RL, 38,23,236,144

The "new gauge" that I found is written in bold here, and I've integrated it into the panel by adding that line (written in bold). Now this gives an unexpected result, this is how my emergency shut off levers popup panel looks like now:



Now it does feature the fuel dump levers, and they appear to work as they should (with the exception that although the Starliner has a set of inboard fuel dump valves as well as a set of outboard valves, only the inboard valves "are accompanied" by streams of fuel, spilling from them, in spot view, but I can fix this easily). However, unlike in the case of the Super Constellation panels, these fuel dump levers don't have tracks "cut" into the stack, through which they can move, and the red labels "DUMP TANK X AND X" are also missing, as well as the fuel dump-related WARNING panel. This is how the Super Connie equivalent looks like:



Now I have 2 options; I can either stay with these odd looking L-1649 fuel dump levers that don't have any tracks, or I can integrate the Super Constellation levers into the L-1649. I just don't know how accurate that would be....

[Defender]

Hi,

I recommend you try a new download of the Starliner V4 and refer to the manual. I've just loaded the release version myself. It has the gauge L1649A!LeversFuelControlMod1649FS9RL-ND in the .cab and the shut off levers appear in window 04.

The Starliner had a completely different dump system from the L1049's hence the new bitmap and the dump levers removed.

Hope that helps.

Bill

[M.I.B.]

Hi Bill,
Thank you for that, now it sure makes a lot of sense. I can't believe I was so dumb that I was about to do what I said I was about to do. I also have the latest version of Starliner (v4.0), and while I was tweaking it, I kept an original non-modified backup of it, so...

Mar 5, 2015 19:10:55 GMT -5 Defender said:

It has the gauge L1649A!LeversFuelControlMod1649FS9RL-ND in the .cab and the shut off levers appear in window 04.

...this of course applies to my copy of the Starliner.

One question left though; I properly activated the fuel dump system for all tanks, yet this is all I get in spot view:


I only get 2 streams of fuel spilling out, but the L-1649 has 2 sets of dump valves on the trailing edge of the wings, an inboard and an outboard set, clearly visible. So shouldn't there be 4 streams of fuel behind the wings instead of only 2?

What I get in spot view corresponds with the SMOKESYSTEM in the aircraft cfg file:

[smokesystem]
// new dump system, only for FS9
//smoke.0 = 0.00, -15.00, 48.10, fx_1649_fueldumpoutbrd
//smoke.1 = 0.00, -15.00, -48.10, fx_1649_fueldumpoutbrd
//smoke.2 = 0.00, -18.00, 9.90, fx_1649_fueldumpinbrd
//smoke.3 = 0.00, -18.00, -9.90, fx_1649_fueldumpinbrd
//smoke.0 = 2.00, -10.10, 48.10, fx_1649A_fueldump // original
//smoke.1 = 2.00, -10.10, -48.1, fx_1649A_fueldump // original
smoke.0 = 0.00, -18.00, 9.90, fx_1649_fueldumpinbrd
smoke.1 = 0.00, -18.00, -9.90, fx_1649_fueldumpinbrd

Only 2 lines are not slashed out. Is this the way it's supposed to be?

[Defender]

Hi Dorel,

Glad to hear that you've kept the Starliner authentic.

Actually, the real Starliner (according to the flight manuals) only had the two inboard dump chutes, each draining the three wing tanks. The [smoke system] slashed lines probably should have been left out altogether as obsolete. The alternative [window 04] gauge choice is simply because Doug Dawson's .gau type gauge which controls dumping doesn't work in FSX.

The other "pipes" on the trailing edge between the flaps and ailerons certainly appear on photographs but I can only assume that they served some other purpose, vents possibly?

Bill

Edit - Just checked fuel diagram again. They were indeed just tank vents.

[M.I.B.]

Wow, now this is quality intel, makes even more sense now, you've been very helpful to me Bill, thank you so much sir! I've been flying these Connies for some years now and I still learn new things (I never really bothered to use or learn how to use fuel dump for instance). I've still done a final retouch on the Starliner (actually, I've done this to my whole Connie fleet), I've properly (?) aligned the fuel streams with the dump chutes, as they were quite...non-aligned




Best Regards,
D

[Defender]

Hi Dorel,

Hate to have to tell you this but I'm afraid the pipes at the wing fillets were actually the cabin heater exhausts! I know one of the Connie books wrongly describes them as dump pipes. To be honest, I don't think we ever found out exactly where the dump chutes were other than between the inboard engines and the fuselage but they did retract into the wing unlike the L1049's where the chute was in the rear of the inboard nacelle.

I hope I haven't put you off asking questions. A lot of research and testing was put into all these models before release but it's still best that folk raise issues here rather than just live with what they think is a defect or omission.

Bill

[M.I.B.]

Given the limited resources, these are stunning simulations indeed, I truly am surprised at the level of realism that you guys managed to "inject" into them. Oh don't worry, the more uncertainty/mystery building up, the more questions I ask that's how we all get a better understanding of these things.