FS2004 Lufthansa Airbus A340-300

The Lufthansa Airbus A340-300 featured here showcases a special Star Alliance finish created by the dedicated team at Project Open Sky and painted by Jeremy Frew. It comes as a complete freeware model for use in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004, offering a highly detailed representation of Airbus’s long-haul twin-aisle airliner. Lufthansa, known for its extensive global routes, frequently employs this type for intercontinental journeys, leveraging the A340’s stable four-engine design and enhanced range capabilities.

Key Visual Highlights

Model Designer: Shervin Ahooraei
Flight Dynamics Designer: Warren C. Daniel
Master Textures: Ben Hewitt, C. Vincent Cho
Virtual Cockpit Textures: Gary Hayes
FDE Advisors: Nick Peterson, Simon Ng Hin Tat
Virtual Cockpit Gauges Special Thanks: Pasquale Rinaldi
Panel: Pasquale Rinaldi
XML Programming Special Thanks: Fraser Turner, Bill Leaming
Painted By: Jeremy Frew

Unique Operational Attributes

• Fully animated primary surfaces, allowing a realistic view of ailerons, rudder, and elevators.
• Independent suspension design, ensuring realistic gear movements during ground handling.
• Dynamic wing flex responding to in-sim atmospheric turbulence (credits to Fraser Turner).
• Detailed thrust reverser behavior with full extension on idle reverse (with guidance from Fraser Turner).
• Drooping ailerons and elevators when engines power down (developed by Bill Leaming).
• Reflective textures of varying levels on fuselage sections to simulate distinct materials.
• Accurate handling performance tuned to real pilot feedback and Airbus data.
• Refined exterior visuals, including optional 2D or 3D fan blades.
• Complete nocturnal illumination with enhanced cockpit and external lights.
• Cockpit landing illumination visible from the pilot’s vantage point.
• Reflective cockpit windows that showcase lighting changes in real time.
• Integrated crash modeling for additional realism.
• Transparent navigation light lenses, offering heightened visual fidelity.
• Virtual cockpit with fully interactive switches and instruments (optimized for FS2004 in the VC variant).
• Simulated rain on the windshield when in VC view, replicating precipitation behavior.
• Wingview option for passenger-seat perspectives.
• Dynamic surface sheen on various aircraft components.
• Interactive passenger and cargo access, independently operated.
• Door controls: Shift+E for the left door, Shift+T for the right door, and Shift+E+2 for cargo hatches.
• Enhanced representation of landing gear and flap mechanics.
• More refined textures on landing gear, leading edges, and rotating blades.
• Automated vent scoops under the fuselage (actuated by Shift+W).
• Added lighting effects and condensation behavior for added immersion.
• Greater number of three-dimensional elements compared to A330 variants.

Advanced Flight Dynamics (FDE)

• All data referenced from official Airbus documentation for precise aerodynamic modeling.
• Realistic control surface deflection, matching actual travel limits.
• Accurate scraping contact points and ground impact physics.
• Leverages native FS2004 weight and payload stations.
• Multiple performance profiles: standard and high gross weight versions.
• Engine variations include A340-200 and -300 with multiple -5C2, -5C3, and -5C4 configurations.
• A specific A340-313E setup utilizing -5C4/P engines and an increased maximum takeoff weight.
• Inspection light effects built into the model for added authenticity.
• Multiple gear configurations: default (nose, left, right) plus variants with 12 wheels and four struts.
• Includes an A340 Flight Operations Manual for real-world procedural reference.
• Prototype tested by an actual Airbus A340 professional pilot.

Deployment Procedure

1. Unzip the provided package.
2. Place the unzipped folder directly into the “Aircraft” directory of FS2004.

This freeware release from Project Open Sky, with painting by Jeremy Frew, offers a fully realized Lufthansa experience for enthusiasts aiming to extend their long-haul flight simulations in FS2004. The inclusion of detailed texturing and comprehensive avionics ensures that virtual pilots can appreciate the engineering prowess of the Airbus A340-300, especially under Lufthansa’s iconic Star Alliance livery.

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