AlphaSim Royal Aircraft Factory SE.5a The Royal Aircraft Factory's S.E.5.a went tooth and nail with the Sopwith Camel for the accolade of being the finest British fighting aeroplane of World War I. Designed by a team which included the legendary H. P. Folland, the first prototype was unveiled in December, 1916. The craft utilised a 150-HP Hispano-Suiza engine with a large, automotive-style radiator and truncated exhaust manifolds. The wings used wire-braced spruce spars and some were of solid construction. The tailplane incidence could be adjusted in flight, giving the pilot the ability to trim the aircraft to some extent. The fuselage was of standard, ribbed construction and covered with fabric, with a plywood box around the cockpit. The primary fuel supply tank was just behind the engine, with an enclosed reserve tank that would give 20 extra minutes of flying at maximum continuous power. The early engines suffered from failures, but these were remedied by the installation of Wolseley W.4a Viper 200 hp engines, which were quite reliable. The S.E.5.a was widely regarded as a tough opponent by the enemy and as a good friend in the air by its pilots. It was robust, fast, and very easy to fly. It was superior to the Albatross D-III and D-V, the Pfalz D-III and the Fokker Dr. I; not even the vaunted Fokker D-VII could dethrone it. The aircraft remains extremely popular among early aviation history buffs and WWI aficionados, and replicas abound, in both full- and smaller-scale versions. Excellent flying reproductions of the plane can be seen in the films "The Aviator" and "Flyboys", but the best place to see the S.E.5.a in action is in the restored version of Howard Hughes' "Hell's Angels". Crew: One Length: 20 ft 11 in (6.38 m) Wingspan: 26 ft 7 in (8.11 m) Height: 9 ft 6 in (2.89 m) Wing area: 444 ft² (22.67 m²) Empty weight: 1,410 lb (639 kg) Loaded weight: 1,935 lb (880 kg) Max takeoff weight: 1,988 lb (902 kg) Powerplant: 1× Wolseley Viper V8 engine, 200 hp (150 kW) Top speed: 138 mph at sea level (2,000 RPM limit) Top speed: 138 mph at 10,000' Initial climb rate: 1000 fpm @ combat power Crew: One pilot Armament: -(1) 0.303 in (7.7 mm) forward-firing Vickers machine gun with Constantinesco interrupter gear -(1) .303 in (7.7 mm) Lewis gun on Foster mount on upper wing Walkaround and Preflight. The S.E.5.a is a simple and rugged aeroplane and doesn't require much attention. As you do your preflight, check for proper control attachments, worn tires, torn fabric, or any hidden battle damage. The wooden prop is subject to knicks and damage so be especially attentive to it. Kick the tires, take a look in your tanks to make sure you have enough gas, dip the oil, and top off the coolant. Use a little dope and fabric to patch any holes or tears in the covering. Aircraft Limitations. Engine RPM: 2000 maximum, five-minute limit (use throttle to limit RPM at sea level) Diving Speed: The aircraft has enough drag to be self-limiting but be sure to throttle back to avoid overspeeding the engine. Climbing RPM: 1800 RPM maximum for ten minutes Cruising RPM: 1600 RPM maximum, no time restrictions Cockpit Starting Procedure. Put the aeroplane in a level attitude using a trestle. Fill up the fuel tank. Check the oil level. Check the coolant level and suck 2 liters in the expansion tank (use the overflow pipe in the trailing edge, right side of the cockpit, and pour the liquid back in the radiator) Get a stepladder and climb in the cockpit. Check mags off and starting mag off. Main tank valve off. Air selector on hand pump. Air release valve on the hand pump off. Fuel selector on main to emergency. Pressurize with the hand pump. (2.5 on the gauge) Open the main tank valve. The fuel will flow into the emergency tank. You know the tank is full when you see fuel coming from the overflow pipe (Trailing edge left side). Fuel selector off. Main tank off. Release air pressure and fill up main tank. Pressurize the main tank again. Fuel selector on main to carburetor. Air selector on engine pump. Radiator shutters open. Two men on the wheels to do the injections whilst a third one turns the prop. Two men holding the tail and a third with fire extinguisher. Mixture rich. Throttle closed. Main tank on. Stick fully back (with your knees). When ready: starting mag switch on, running mags on 2 The mechanic bounces the prop and you turn the start mag and catch the engine with the throttle. Check oil and air pressure. Run the engine four minutes at 800 rpm. Shut the engine down using the mags.(30 sec at 600 rpm). Check for air in the coolant circuit (air pockets could damage the water pipes or the radiator). Start the engine again (you don't need to prime, just open the fuel and turn the prop about 12 blades). Alternate Starting Procedure. Use Ctrl-E or: Check fuel is full. Set mixture control to RICH. Set throttle to about 1/4 open. Turn ON both magnetos. Turn ON fuel cutoff switch. Use the start switch in the cockpit to start the engine by clicking on it until the engine catches. Be ready to throttle back after the engine catches. Idle at 600 RPM minimum. Taxi and Takeoff. Taxying is a challenge in this plane when flying solo. Normally a crew member handles each wingtip and assists the pilot in directional control. However we do not have this luxury. There are no wheel brakes, so to turn the aeroplane, you hold full left or right rudder and give a blast of throttle. You will need plenty of open space to maneuver. It is best to hold the stick right back whilst taxying because this places more weight on the tail skid and will assist slightly with steering. To takeoff, a grass or dirt surface is best. Oftentimes in a rural area you can find a nice open field somewhere and take off from there. Line up on the runway, smoothly feeding in throttle. The tail will lift nicely and the aircraft will very nearly fly itself off the runway in a mere few hundred feet. Pull your throttle back to climbing RPM (1600-1800) and angle up for the climb. Climbing. Climb at 60 mph IAS and 1600-1800 RPM. As you climb you will need to advance the throttle from time to time to maintain climbing RPM as the air becomes thinner as well as constantly adjust your mixture control. Cruising. Cruise at 1375 RPM and 90 mph IAS for normal range. This will give you a fuel consumption of 4 Imperial gallons per hour at an altitude of 2,000 feet MSL if your mixture control is set properly, and maybe a little less if you are are careful to lean out the mixture for cruise. At 10,000 feet your prop will be set to 1550 RPM for a 90 mph IAS cruise and your fuel flow will be 4.25 Imperial gallons per hour, again maybe a bit less if you are good at leaning the mixture. Acrobatics, Flight, and Trim characteristics. The S.E.5.a is a wonderful and forgiving handler, especially as compared with many of its contemporaries. It is light on the controls and loves all kinds of acrobatics, such as snap rolls, slow rolls, loops, chandelles, Immelmans, and any other kind of maneuver you can think of. The Hammerhead is a particular favorite and with practice you can master it. The trick is to get plenty of airspeed, at least 100 mph IAS, and zoom straight up. Let your speed fall off to almost nothing, and then apply full rudder to swing the nose right around. You will need to apply a bit of opposite aileron as you do this because of the dihedral effect of the rudder. If you do it right, you'll execute a perfect 180-degree turn. See the movie for an example of how it is done. The stall is not severe and if you have enough altitude, just neutralize the controls and the heavy engine and fuel will swing the nose Earthward once again and the plane will take flight of its own accord. When the trim controls are set to neutral, the plane will naturally begin to level out as the airspeed builds and it will swoop and then gently zoom climb if you leave it alone. Conversely, if the nose gets too high and the airspeed falls off, the plane's state of trim will naturally cause the nose to fall and the airspeed to build up again. Just like a good glider, the plane has excellent inherent stability. Moreover, it is rigged to climb at 60 mph with the trim neutral and very nearly hands-off the controls. Likewise, at 90 mph IAS in a level cruise, the plane is rigged to fly virtually hands-free. However, the aircraft does have a moveable tailplane which offers some range of trim control. Due to battle damage, the trim controls in this plane's cockpit don't work. (You can override that by using the controls on your keyboard or joystick but we discourage this as the plane is rigged to fly very well without touching the trim). Watch a hammerhead. Watch another hammerhead. (In FSX you will need to navigate to the S.E.5.a folder and open the movies directly.) Descent. Simply pull the throttle right back and point the nose down. Your speed will be limited by the great amount of drag from the airframe. Watch for icing conditions. Adjust throttle as desired. Landing. Check your fuel supply and make sure the fullest tank is selected. Set your mixture control to rich. Approach the field at about 70-80 mph IAS in a circular approach. Give yourself enough time to slow down. As you approach the runway on final you should get the aeroplane stabilized at about 55-60 mph IAS. Crossing the threshold your speed should be about 50 mph IAS. Touch down at 40-45 mph IAS and let the plane roll to a stop. There are no wheel brakes. Shutdown. Ensure the aeroplane has come to a full stop. Pull the throttle right back. Pull the mixture control to idle cutoff. Turn OFF your magnetos. Turn OFF the fuel supply. Fill in Report No. 851-5762 in quadruplicate and turn in to the commanding officer immediately upon exiting the aircraft.