Cessna 172P
 | |
| Type | Civilian aircraft |
|---|---|
| Author(s) |
|
| FDM | JSBSim |
| --aircraft= | c172p |
| Status | Advanced production |
| FDM |
 |
| Systems |
 |
| Cockpit |
|
| Model |
|
| Supports |
 |
The Cessna 172P Skyhawk is a four-seat, single-engine, high-wing fixed-wing aircraft. First flown in 1955 and still in production, more Cessna 172s have been built than any other aircraft.
A C172 has been the default aircraft in FlightGear since 2000, when it replaced the Navion. It has had a long development and includes a wide variety of simulation features. In 2015, it went through a complete refresh, including engine options, various tire sizes and floats. This new detailed version of the plane has become the default aircraft since FlightGear 3.6.
Features
The new c172p has a much better 3D model and is now fully textured (including the interiors), has improved FDM, the cockpit switches and toggles are all clickable, has more complex procedures and new realistic checklists, has a damage model and working and it has plenty of new sound effects.
The airplane currently has five variants, all available from the aircraft menu:
- regular wheels
- 26" bush tires
- 31" bush tires
- pontoons
- amphibian
A sixth variant, snow skis, is currently in development.
Also, from the same menu, the user can select two different engines:
- 160 HP
- 180 HP (recommended when using pontoons or amphibian variants)
The airplane now can get damaged from collisions, crashes, hard landings or overload while in-flight, and the damage includes wheel collapse, wings breaking, etc. The damage can be turned off in the aircraft menu, which also contains an option for repairing the aircraft.
The FDM has also been modified. The aircraft may enter into a spin in case of an asymmetric stall (a particularly dangerous situation is when turning to final, in which the aircraft is at low speed and low height). The FDM has also been tweaked to include hydrodynamics effects while taking off or landing on water, as well as by using the more powerful 180 HP engine.
There are several liveries available, some of which have higher resolution than others (these are marked as HD in the liveries menu). Each of the HD liveries also has unique cockpit and interior textures.
Aircraft help
- If you would like to know why your aircraft is turning left, have a read at understanding Propeller Torque and P-Factor.
- The aircraft has a simulation of the Bendix/King KAP140 Autopilot.
Engine Start
- Priming: prime the engine at least 3 times
- Mixture: Rich (Red all the way in)
- Throttle: Open 1/8 (Black almost all the way out)
- Parking Brake: Applied (⇧ Shift+B)
- Prop Area: Clear
- Master switch: Both on
- Magnetos: Both (Press } three times)
- Ignition: Start (S)
Alternatively, one can use the Autostart option in the menu and then simply hold the key S in order to start the plane.
Takeoff
- no flaps
- full throttle
- rotate at 55 KIAS
Climbout
- no flaps
- full throttle
- 80 KIAS
Cruise
- throttle 65%
- mixture rich of peak
Landing
- full flaps
- 65 KIAS
V Speeds
The information in this section is based on external resources[1][2].
| Stall speed, dirty (Vs0) | 33 kts |
| Stall speed, clean (Vs1) | 44 kts |
| Rotation speed (Vr) | 55 kts |
| Best angle of climb (Vx) | 59 kts |
| Best rate of climb (Vy) | 76 kts |
| Maneuvering speed (Va) | 99 kts |
| Max structural cruising speed (Vno) | 127 kts |
| Never exceed speed (Vne) | 158 kts |
Development status/Issues/Todo
This aircraft is undergoing a constant development, which can be followed on its repository, where a list of issues and future enhancements can also be found.
Gallery
Cessna 172P above Chapada Diamantina in Brazil
Taking off from Compiegne Margny (LFAD)
About to land, showing the new ALS shadow effects in the cockpit
The new floats in San Francisco
Cessna 172P at high altitude flying over Lago di Garda
Cessna 172P landing at Aosta Airport (LIMW)
The fully textured interiors of the new c172p
A night flight, showing the instrument illumination. If using ALS, a flashlight is also available via the aircraft menu
Taking off on water, showing the particles system
Above Mata Atlantica, near Santos
During sunset
External links
| References |
| ||||||||