Aero Dynamics took to their Discord server to release a new development update divulging new details about their work-in-progress rendition of the McDonnell Douglas DC-10 for Microsoft Flight Simulator. The new details share more about the aircraft’s many systems, navigation system, and their new in-house livery for the DC-10.
Table of Contents
Systems Overview
Engine Oil
The team has been working on completing many of the major systems of the aircraft and the first overview of said systems is the oil systems of the three engines. The oil operation of each engine is affected by outside temperature, the age of the oil, and the amount of oil. Over time, the engines will use the oil, contaminate it, and also burn/dissipate it. It will be paramount to ensure enough engine oil is present for safe operation. Failing to change or refill the oil can lead to engine damage or even total engine failure. Aero Dynamics’ DC-10 simulation allows users to drain, fill, and replace engine oil.
Brakes
The Aero Dynamics team has developed a realistic brake energy system which, when you have a high energy stop, results in overheated brakes. Simmers will have to pull out the abnormal brake checklist after performing an aborted take-off or landing on a very short runway by the DC-10’s standards. The brake system uses all the factors that would play a role in real life: outside temperature, brake initiation speed, aircraft weight, and runway slope.
A high-energy stop will result in hot brakes, and this temperature may take up to 20 minutes after the event (aborted landing or short runway landing) to peak. Therefore it is essential to know how much brake energy you may have remaining before taxiing into parking. When you brake, you increase brake energy which isn’t immediately converted to brake temperature.
Fire Detection
Aero Dynamics has modeled both fire detection loops (Loops A and B) that the real-world DC-10 uses to monitor potential engine and APU fires. Furthermore, each engine and APU is fitted with sensors in both loops thus creating redundancy and ensuring that if one loop fails the other is still operational and can detect a fire. If both loops detect a fire, warnings will be triggered by the system which includes warning lights and an aural call. This double-loop system increases reliability, reduces false alarms, and enhances safety.
The DC-10 from Aero Dynamics will also feature cargo smoke/heat detection. The smoke detectors are installed on the ceilings of the cargo compartments, and activate when a certain level of particulate matter is sensed in the air. The DC-10-30 model has these detectors in all cargo compartments while one is deactivated in the aft section to accommodate an auxiliary fuel tank. The DC-10-30 also includes heat detectors in the exhaust ducts of the cargo compartments and react to rising temperatures, closing their contacts and triggering a warning.
When any fire is detected, lights on the flight engineer’s panel will illuminate, indicating which specific detector was triggered. The system can also provide continuous warnings even after a fire has been extinguished due to the presence of smoke and extinguishing agents lingering in the compartment.
Pressurization Systems
To give you a brief rundown of an airliner’s pressurization system: aircraft are pressurized at higher altitudes due to lack of breathable oxygen. This pressurization is fed by the aircraft’s engine’s bleed air and is controlled by regulating the outflow of conditioned air from the pressurized sections. Cabin pressure and rate changes are monitored by the flight engineer, and cabin pressure is controlled and maintained by metered release of air using an automatic or manual mode. Electrical power is required barring the manual mode.
The real-world DC-10 has four different modes: auto, semi-auto, standby, and manual. The cabin pressure controller maintains the desired cabin pressure in relation to the altitude set on the landing altitude tape when the automatic or semiautomatic mode is selected. What the four different modes do can be read on the full update posted by the team which is on their Discord server.
Navigation System
The team has started development on the AINS-70 Area Navigation System for their DC-10 rendition. The AINS-70 is a historical navigation system that bridged the gap between older inertial navigation systems and newer flight management systems. The AINS at its core is an area navigation (RNAV) system, which derives its position from navaids and air data but with areas with no such references, it falls back on inputs from an inertial system.
Closing Notes
The team has not published a release date for their aircraft as their main focus still lies on developing the navigation systems and fine-tuning the systems already in place. The team is still evaluating their interest in making the DC-10 available on the Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 platform and will communicate a course of action soon. We also want to remind you that the aircraft will be freeware, meaning it will not cost anything once released to the public.
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