FR North Star - Argonaut WIP

**mike_cyul** · July 31st, 2015, 09:55

Just one WIP view of the North Star cockpit, seeing as it's now starting to look like a cockpit.... and in b&w, just for a 'period' look (I hope its visible enough).

Still lots to do, but its getting there. No exterior shots for now, as there is more texturing to do, but will post more views as things develop. Learning a lot from this project, for example I didn't know that after WWII Canadair purchased all of Douglas's DC-3 and DC-4 jigs and materials and remaining parts stock. I guess that Merlins were plentiful, too!

Mike

**Anthin** · July 31st, 2015, 12:55

Oh my!That looks great.I remember watching the
North stars at Malton airport,now Lester B Pearson Int.

Anthin.

**JimmyRFR** · July 31st, 2015, 12:58

Oh, this is awesome... very much looking forward to the finished product. One of those things that you wouldn't expect to see in the sim!

Thanks for sharing this peek at it!

**Ian Warren** · July 31st, 2015, 14:20

One off the impressive thing is hooking into the types not seen for a long time .. that is looking superb

***Sundog*** · July 31st, 2015, 15:00

Finally! More classic airliners that have been lacking from FSX. Although I remember someone used to make a bunch of these type of aircraft for FS9. I miss those.

Thanks for another great choice of airplane Mike. It looks great so far.

**mike_cyul** · July 31st, 2015, 15:41

Just one more, showing the view when entering the flight compartment from the passenger cabin. On the immediate left, the curtained-off coat closet and diplomatic cargo compartment, and on the right the small upper general cargo compartment with luggage net. Past the entry area, on the left is the radio operator's seat, while on the right, complete with folding map table (to enable crew entry and exit via door), is the navigator's position.

I'll put colour pics up once everything is properly textured.

And needless to say, all is WIP.

Mike

**doublecool** · July 31st, 2015, 15:44

Sweet...

**Rallymodeller** · July 31st, 2015, 16:46

Okay. I cannot put in words how much I am looking forward to this.

**fsxar177** · July 31st, 2015, 16:59

First I had heard about this one, today. Very impressive work Mike!

- Joseph

**bpfowler** · August 1st, 2015, 11:12

A merlin powered airliner...

Hot dog!

**Bomber_12th** · August 1st, 2015, 11:44

This is fantastic, Mike! Looking forward to seeing more!

The Merlin engines fitted to the North Stars/Argonauts were amongst the last Merlin engine developments made. The 600 & 700 series type Merlins fitted to these aircraft were redesigned versions of the 100 series (used on late-production DH Mosquitos and Hornets), designed for longer service life between overhaul and were built strictly for the civilian market. The post-WWII continued developmental efforts put toward the Merlin engine are considered to have been just as large as the developmental efforts were during the war, 1939-45, owing to Rolls-Royce wanting to gain a strong foothold in the civilian market following the end of WWII. These engines had vastly improved lubrication, were fuel injected, and had 2-speed 2-stage superchargers. They also had specially designed exhaust in order to be quieter. Some of the -7 and -9 Merlins fitted in Mustangs flying today have heads and banks from the 600/700 series Transport Merlins, with the idea being that you can get more hours out of them than with the stock original heads and banks (one Mustang in particular, the C-model "Boise Bee", is fitted with a straight 700 series Transport Merlin - and because the engine is fuel injected, there is no messing with the mixture). I think the standard TBO for a stock WWII-era Merlin is around 500 hrs (perhaps as little as 250 originally), where as the Transport Merlins have/had a TBO of around 1000 hrs.

**Rallymodeller** · August 1st, 2015, 12:50

The original intention with the North Star was to use standard Merlin "power egg" installations, identical to those used on the Lincoln and Tudor. The silenced exhaust, in which the inboard exhaust is gathered in a collector and looped over the engine to exit on the outboard side, was actually developed by Trans-Canada Airlines to deal with cabin noise issues -- if there was one downside to the North Star it is that it was really, REALLY noisy.

Of interest might be this National Film Board documentary, "Routine Flight". It includes an extensive tour of TCA's Winnipeg maintenance shops, and has some great footage of Merlins being overhauled, as well as R3350s and Darts. It also includes a flight on one of TCA's first Viscounts. and goes through an in-flight engine feather and defeather procedure (with passengers aboard!). At 19:23 you can see the Merlin exhaust modifications, with the collector and over-engine pipe.

***Navy Chief*** · August 1st, 2015, 17:15

Excellent video! Looking forward to this one!

NC

***Navy Chief*** · August 1st, 2015, 21:13

Originally Posted by Bomber_12th

This is fantastic, Mike! Looking forward to seeing more!

The Merlin engines fitted to the North Stars/Argonauts were amongst the last Merlin engine developments made. The 600 & 700 series type Merlins fitted to these aircraft were redesigned versions of the 100 series (used on late-production DH Mosquitos and Hornets), designed for longer service life between overhaul and were built strictly for the civilian market. The post-WWII continued developmental efforts put toward the Merlin engine are considered to have been just as large as the developmental efforts were during the war, 1939-45, owing to Rolls-Royce wanting to gain a strong foothold in the civilian market following the end of WWII. These engines had vastly improved lubrication, were fuel injected, and had 2-speed 2-stage superchargers. They also had specially designed exhaust in order to be quieter. Some of the -7 and -9 Merlins fitted in Mustangs flying today have heads and banks from the 600/700 series Transport Merlins, with the idea being that you can get more hours out of them than with the stock original heads and banks (one Mustang in particular, the C-model "Boise Bee", is fitted with a straight 700 series Transport Merlin - and because the engine is fuel injected, there is no messing with the mixture). I think the standard TBO for a stock WWII-era Merlin is around 500 hrs (perhaps as little as 250 originally), where as the Transport Merlins have/had a TBO of around 1000 hrs.

Is the Vicount a variant of the Argonauts? NC

**Bjoern** · August 2nd, 2015, 04:01

Originally Posted by Navy Chief

Is the Vicount a variant of the Argonauts? NC

Entirely unrelated as far as I know.

**mike_cyul** · August 2nd, 2015, 04:46

Originally Posted by Navy Chief

Is the Vicount a variant of the Argonauts? NC

Argonauts were just the name BOAC gave to their North Stars. As Bjoern says, they were no relation of the Vickers Vicount.

Mike

**Dumonceau** · August 2nd, 2015, 05:06

It's actually a DC-4 with Merlin Engines! That also makes the plane prettier IMHO!

EDIT: here's a pic

Johan

**ce_zeta** · August 2nd, 2015, 05:35

Wow! amazing cockpit.

**Javis** · August 2nd, 2015, 07:11

Everything you always wanted to know about the Canadair DC-4M 'North Star' but were afraid to ask :

Canadair Aircraft Ltd. took over the Canadian Vickers Ltd. operations on 11 November 1944. Besides the existing Consolidated PBY Canso flying patrol boats in production, a development contract to produce a new variant of the Douglas DC-4 transport, was still in effect. The new Canadair DC-4M powered by Rolls-Royce Merlin engines emerged in 1946 as the "North Star." More than just an engine swap, the North Star had the Douglas DC-6 nose, landing gear and fuselage shortened by 80 in (2 metres), DC-4 empennage, rear fuselage, flaps and wing tips, C-54 middle fuselage sections, wing centre- and outer-wing panels, cabin pressurisation, a standardised cockpit layout and a different electrical system.

Canadair built 71 examples under the designations: North Star, DC-4M, C-4 and C-5. With the exception of the single C-5 (which had Pratt & Whitney R-2800 engines, as fitted to the Douglas DC-6), these variants were all powered by Rolls-Royce Merlin engines and 51 of the production examples were pressurized.
___________________________________________

Couple more photos of the North Star at work :

Thanks a million, Mike, for bringing this wonderful classic to our FSX hangar !

Cheers,
Jan

**Rallymodeller** · August 2nd, 2015, 14:26

What Javis said. North Stars/Argonauts remained in service well into the Eighties in some places. I will only add that the RCAF North Star, the C-54GM, was unpressurized and had large cargo doors a la C-54. It was also faster, longer-legged and more economical than the radial-powered C-54. RCAF North Stars can be told apart from their pressurized brethren by their C-54-style oval windows All later also got C-54-style radar installations.

**Ian Warren** · August 2nd, 2015, 14:50

@ Rallymodeller - A most excellent Video , I have to post this up at NZFF in our historical video thread , just brilliant

**Javis** · August 3rd, 2015, 01:18

+1 !

**StormILM** · August 3rd, 2015, 01:46

I've heard from more than one person who flew about the North Stars that they were almost unbearably loud in the passenger cabin while at high power settings. Not knowing a thing about it, I did some reading up and sure enough, cabin noise was a well noted shortcoming of the aircraft.