Fairchild Metro III of Horizon Air
================================================
AFX/FDE Copyright (c) 1997 Marty Baclawski/Tony Bolton
Repaint Copyright (c) 1999 Frank Safranek

====================================================================

This aircraft represents N382PH, operated by Horizon Air, as it
appeared in late 1980s.  

Horizon Air began service in September 1981 from Seattle, Washington.  
They purchased Air Oregon in June 1982, adding the Metro II to 
their fleet.  These aircraft were later returned to Fairchild to 
be replaced by 20 Metro IIIs.  

In 1986 Horizon Air merged of Alaska Airlines.  As part of the terms, 
Horizon Air would keep its well established name and identity.  
Beginning in 1991, Horizon introduced a new livery scheme to more 
closely match the colors of Alaska Airlines.  By the end of 1992, 
Horizon's fleet of Metro IIIs had grown to 32.  

In the mid 1990s Horizon began taking deliveries of DHC-8s with the 
intention of phasing out the Metro IIIs by the end of 1998.

For more on the history of Horizon Air and Alaska Airlines, as well 
as other Flight Simulator aircraft in Horizon Air and Alaska Airlines 
colors, visit the Virtual Alaska Air Group website at 
"http://homepages.infoseek.com/~asqx/horizon/index.html".

====================================================================

Installation:

FS98: 

1. Using WINZIP32, expand METRO3HA.ZIP to your \FLTSIM98\AIRCRAFT\ 
   folder.  A folder named "metro3ha" and all necessary subfolders 
   will be created.

   For FS98 this aircraft includes light landing lights thanks to 
   the LLADD utility.  Use CTRL-L to toggle them on/off at night.

FSFW95: 

1. Unzip the FS5.ZIP file to a temporary directory.
2. Copy the texture files (METRO3HA.?AF) to the same directory.
3. Use the Microsoft Aircraft and Adventure Converter for FSFW95 
   to convert the files.

FS5: 
 
1. Unzip the fs5.zip file to a temporary folder.
2. Copy the METRO3HA.AIR file to your FS5 \PILOTS directory.
3. Copy the texture files (METRO3HA.?AF) to your FS5 \TEXTURES 
   directory.

====================================================================

While a percentage of the effort towards producing this aircraft can
be attributed to others I do consider my efforts to be copyrighted in
as much as they can be.  This Flight Shop aircraft was not created 
with the intention of making any money.  Therefore no one has my 
permission to use this aircraft in any way that could lead to profit 
unless they have first acquired written permission from me.  That 
includes any sort of distribution for which there is a charge -- be 
it diskette, CD-ROM, pay-per-use BBS or FTP, or whatever.

Copyright (c) 1999, Frank Safranek
Email: fsafranek@usa.net
http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Arcade/6721/
(The Pre-Flight Checklist Web Site)

For more of my expanding freeware aircraft collection, my Flight 
Simulator aircraft Pick of the Week, and a really cool panel/sound/
situation control program (not free, sorry) visit the Pre-Flight 
Checklist Web Site.

Check out the FREEFLIGHT Design Shop for a great selection of Flight 
Shop AFX/PCX files.  All are authorized by the original author(s) for 
repainting and alteration. (http://geocities.com/~freefltdesign/)

=====================================================================

Marty Baclawski's and Tony Bolton's original text document follows...

*** Fairchild Metro III ***


Thanks for downloading this aircraft. Features include night
lighting effects on passenger windows and landing lights when
gear down.

Designed by Marty Baclawski

Flight Dynamics by Tony Bolton

If you have any comments please drop either of us a line, 
it will be greatly appreciated.

This aircraft is freeware. If you would like to upload it to 
other online services that's ok as long as it's not for 
profit and you acknowledge us as the original creators. The
inclusion of this file on retail shareware/freeware collections
is expressly forbidden.

                            - Tony Bolton, 24 May 1997

**********************************************************

Fairchild Metro III
-------------------
The Metro has it's origins in the Merlin executive aircraft built
by Swearingen Aircraft based at San Antonio, Texas. The original Metro
entered service in 1970. In 1972 Fairchild took over Swearingen and 
continued the development of the aircraft with the Metro II in 1974
and the Metro III in 1980. There are many variants of the Metro III
including executive and cargo, the latest passenger version is the 
Metro 23 which is certified to FAR part 23.

The 19 seater is very popular with regional airlines where it competes
with Beech's 1900, though the 1900D does have the advantage of a 5'11"
cabin height compared with the Metro's 4'9"!


Power		  2 x 1100shp Garrett TPE331-12UA-UAR-701G turboprops
Cruise speed
   Maximum	  293kts TAS
Range             1,114nm (with 19 pax and FAA IFR reserves)
Service Ceiling   25,000'
Max takeoff wgt	  16,500lbs
Max Speed         Mach 0.52
Stall Speeds      103kts (clean) 89kts (full flaps) 


Flying the Metro III
--------------------
Notes:
The airspeeds given are indicated airspeeds (IAS) so you will need to
select this option in the 'options', 'preferences', 'instruments' menu.
Takeoff and climb data is for the aircraft at maximum takeoff weight.

The throttle settings are given as n2 readings, this corresponds to the
'turb' meter on the learjet panel.

The flight model was designed using a more realistic temperature
gradient than the default weather provided by fs. The Outside Air
Temperature (OAT) should decrease by 3.5 Farenheit (2 Celsius) for
every 1000' of increased altitude. So if the temperature at sea level
is 59F the OAT at 40,000' should be -81F not +14F as the program
defaults to. Flying with the default temperatures will cause a marked
decrease in the aircrafts performance and range.

I have adjusted the maximum fuel available to allow for a typical
payload of passengers or cargo. The maximum fuel is now 500 galls
which I estimate will give you the published range with a full
passenger load of 1,114nm (plus fuel for 45mins holding, a 50nm
diversion and 5% reserves).

The aircraft has been test flown after conversion to fs95 and flies
as per the numbers below. Although below 10,000' fs95 aircraft seem
to fly faster than in fs5 so I recommend you use a slightly lower
n2 of 93-94% for the takeoff and climb. 

Take off:
Apply 1 notches of flap. Open the throttle to 95% n2 and rotate at
118kts, the aircraft will leave the ground at 130kts. Gear up on 
positive climb and aim for the initial climb to be at 135kts. As the
airspeed passes 140-145kts remove the flap.

Climb:
Maintain the throttle at 95% n2 for the climb. Trim the aircraft to 
climb at between 170-180kts IAS, initially this will give a climb rate
of about 2000fpm and if you get the trim right the aircraft will hold
the airspeed and slowly reduce the rate of climb without any further
pilot intervention.

Cruise:
The service ceiling is 25,000' however for the aircrafts typical
commuter flight a cruise altitude of between 10,000 & 20,000' will
suffice. Level off and reduce the throttle slightly and let the  
airspeed build up, cruise with the power set to 91% n2 for the
maximum speed of 293kts TAS. At 12,000' this will equate to M0.45

Descent:
I have added a 'spoiler' to the flight model to simulate the drag from
the propellors during the descent. So extend the spoiler (the / key)
and lower the nose to start the descent. If you set the autopilot 
altitude to the desired altitude and put the Alt Hold on you will 
descend at just over 1,500 fpm. Adjust the throttle to maintain an
airspeed of between 210 - 220kts IAS.

If you don't want to use the 'spoiler' then you will need to throttle
right back to just above idle to keep the airspeed in range.

Holding/Approach Pattern:
Retract the 'spoiler' and adjust the throttle to maintain between 210 
- 220 kts IAS. 

Landing:
When you start the descent for the final approach, extend the 'spoiler'
and set the throttle up to 85% n2. I have been adding 1 notch of flaps
at 10nm out and at 5 miles out extending the gear and adding another
notch of flaps. The gear creates a lot of drag so you will need to 
watch your rate of descent. Shortly after add the final notch of flaps
and adjust the throttle so you touchdown at around 110kts.

Use the reverse thrust (reverse pitch on a turboprop) and brakes to
slow down. Remember to retract the 'spoiler' before you taxi to the 
ramp.


Flight Sim data
---------------
The following data was collected during my test flights. You may find 
it useful for programs such as Navigator and adventure creators which
want climb and descent rates with true airspeeds and fuel flow figures.

Taxiing
	Fuel burn	   6 gals

Climb to 11,000'
	Average climb	1790 fpm
	Average speed	 183 kts TAS
	Fuel burn	 145 gals/hour

Cruise at 91% n2 (293kts TAS)
	Fuel burn	  98 gals/hour

Descent (using a/p alt hold)
	Average descent	1555 fpm
	Average speed	 225 kts TAS
	Fuel burn	  73 gals/hour

Holding
	Fuel burn	  68 gals/hour

Fuel Capacity	 	 500 gals
Reserves		  5%

