Connie engine failure

F

FengZ

Pilot
After a bunch of practice patterns around Edwards, i wanted to try a real flight w/ this new girl.

So i took the Connie up for a test flight down in Australia - from Adelaide (YPAD) to Melbourne (YMML), cruising at FL15. Everything was going fine when...

At around 18:25, my airspeed starts to drop from 248kts down to 220kts, and the RPM from engine #4 drops down to 0.
fs9_connieoz_01.JPG


Sure enough, #4 has stopped! (i have no idea what caused this)
fs9_connieoz_02.JPG


Checking the engineer's panel; got warning lights all over #4. Tried a few restarts, but it just won't turn. Fuel level, temp, etc are fine. Strange...
fs9_connieoz_03.JPG


I'm still making good speed at 220kts, so decided to continue with the remaining 3
fs9_connieoz_04.JPG


The sun sets over the horizon
fs9_connieoz_05.JPG


It's getting pretty dark out. Still about 30min from Melbourne. Tried a few more times to restart #4; no luck
fs9_connieoz_06.JPG


30mins later, on final to Rwy 16, Flaps 80 degrees, gears down...
fs9_connieoz_07.JPG


Flaps full. I'm a little starboard heavy due to un-used fuel from #4.
fs9_connieoz_08.JPG


Seconds from touchdown at 19:18, about a hour after #4 went out; but we made it down safe.
fs9_connieoz_09.JPG


has anyone else experienced this mid-flight engine failure with the connie? I'm not sure how it happend (i didnt have failures turned on in FS9).

-feng
 
Milton Shupe said:
It is quite well known that she is the finest 3-engine propliner ever made. :kilroy:
Click to expand...

I seem to recall reading something similar several years ago after something like that happened to me in the FSDezigns Connie. I was doing a short hop from Philly down to DCA. Once I got airborne I decided I'd be slick and close the cowl flaps. All four engines quit! I was able to get 1-3 restarted, but #4 was just too stubborn. :costumes: No worries, though, she flew quite well on the other three engines and I landed uneventfully.

Nice pictures!
 
Better get a couple of those Rosenbauer Airport Fire Engines downloaded and installed just to be on the safe side.:p:

I have flown the new L-1649 from Brisbane to Cairns and back a few times without a hitch. Can't say what's causing engine failures at this point.

BB686:USA-flag:
 
Happened to me on the 1st flight. Your number 4 stalled and if it does not run for a while a altitude it gets to cold to restart. Easiest method to preven this is to use the "Supercharger and mixture set best" button on the panel to prevent this. Or monitor them very closely yourself.
 
For some reason, this beautiful bird will not run for me, lol.. Milton has a location where a special config file will keep this from happening. Then you can get in some '4 engined' flights.

:ernae:


She is one marvellous FS creation. Awesome sound, textures, panel views. Fun to fly. Really puts you back in the era...



Bill
 
I've had this happen too. There's a restart button in the engineer's panel that works as a restart. Control E or manually trying to start a stalled engine never did work for me.

Turn on automatic feathering and you'll know when you get a stall out. I never used to use it until I was wondering why 220 knots was all I was getting...

Is this a software flaw or is this aircraft just that realistic where we can expect a stall every now and then? I dont mind it so whatever works for me.
 
hehe, thanks for the answers everyone. Seems like i'm not the only one w/ this issue.

It's ok, makes it feel more real i guess. Milton's right; after reading some more about this plane, engine fires/failures was very common on the connie...

-feng
 
If I recall correctly, the problem with the R-3350 in the Connie and the DC-7 was the power recovery turbine's tendency to self-destruct. Each engine had three of these turbines and they added about 500 hp to the engine with no additional fuel use. Sounds great as long as they work. Both the Connie and the DC-7 were known for their ability to fly on less than four engines.
 
Looking at your screen shot the Superchargers were left in the off positions....aside from starving your passengers of oxygen you are also running your engines at less than optimal settings at that cruise altitude.
I suggest using the SM icon to have your FE set the chargers and mixture levers to the correct position.
1. Before Engine Start
2. Climbing through 10000ft MSL
3. Climbing through 15000ft MSL
4. Leveling off at selected cruise altitude.

And of course on the way down again.
 
I took the connie up from Chicago O'hare to Los Angeles, had just leveled off at 24,000 when I noticed I was slowing down, I brought up the fuel transfer window, the F/E window the outhouse window, even had the Head flight Attendant do the co-pilot, nothing. I had engine failure on #4 and nothing would get it going again. I was a bit dazed and confused, but loved the panic it put me in. Finally declared inflight emergency and Landed in St.Louis safely. If it is a random event that is built into the new connie I'm for it. Makes your butt pucker trying to figure it out, or wondering if the other engines are gonna freeze up too.

Ol' Jarhead :isadizzy::wavey:
 
stansdds said:
If I recall correctly, the problem with the R-3350 in the Connie and the DC-7 was the power recovery turbine's tendency to self-destruct. Each engine had three of these turbines and they added about 500 hp to the engine with no additional fuel use. Sounds great as long as they work. Both the Connie and the DC-7 were known for their ability to fly on less than four engines.
Click to expand...

That must have been very awkward with the P2V-5 / P-2E Neptune which had only two R-3350 turbocompound engines (most of them no additional Westinghouse turbojets). For years many of them must have been the largest single-engined aircraft landing at Naval Air Stations. :redf:

Cheers,
Maarten
 
I understand that P2V's had their share of engine problems as well. Little things like in flight fires, engine failure, at least one had an engine fall off during flight. Now that had to be a scary flight! Don't think that's ever been modeled in a flight sim either.
 
I have flown the L-1649A for about 35h now in both long and short flights and as long as you keep the FE panel set correctly you will have all 4 engines running.

But if you are flying at 15000ft or higher with the mixture or superchargers set for low level flying then you will end up with surprises. At the very least fuel consumption way out of plan.

If flown by the book I have not had as much as a hickup on the Starliner yet.

As for the R-3350 failing more often on a Connie/DC-7 than the P2/V....simple. On the Airliners the company bean counters dictated Overhaul/Maintenance and Operation of the engines for the greatest possible profit margin.

On the Navy's Lockheed the taxpayer footed the bill so earlier replacement was not a problem.
 
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