FSX RQ-4A Global Hawk UAV

SX RQ-4A Global Hawk UAV. The RQ-4A Global Hawk UAV is a high altitude, long endurance recon aircraft used by the U.S. Air Force and other agencies. This version has been modified to make her fly like the real thing, at the same altitudes, and same duration as the current available real-world specs provide. Please read the text documents enclosed, including those in the gauges and smoke subfolders. Created by Kazunori Ito. Panel by Bob Chicilo. Sound by Aaron R. Swindle. Flight dynamics and data by Douglas E. Trapp.

To install, copy the RQ-4A folder and all subfolders to your Airplanes folder in FSX. Read the instructions included in the text documents in the Gauges and Smoke subfolders in order to properly install the panel and smoke effects.

Since a lot of the details of this aircraft are still classified, and very little is published regarding the real-world flight dynamics, I had to use some guessing and experience in order to make her fly close to the real thing. Only those experienced in FS aircraft design will see this in the aircraft.cfg file, but if you simply want to fly her you will only find that she flies as high and as far as the current real-world data suggests.

The turning radius is a bit rough, but can be controlled with power and brake-tapping (I don't deal with such issues normally).

The panel is an F-86 panel only because it shows more accurate data for a single engine jet, and once installed you can simply copy the contents of the panel folder to any other single engine jet panel folder. I think you will find it works well for this aircraft.

If fully fueled this aircraft is 100 lbs overweight, so taxi from gate or stand is recommended ... otherwise fuel burn to 99% is necessary before take-off.

The biggest problem I had with this was that the real-world specs suggest an aircraft with a short body (44 feet long) with a 116 foot long wing span ... like a sailplane ... and a very small wing area. In that configuration I could not get her to fly stable above FL300 or so, but her rating is up to FL650. I had to modify things to make it fly this high for long durations based on my knowledge, and not on the available specs. The original designer tried other methods of which proved completely unrealistic, and still unable to maintain FL650.

Her maximum speed is mach .74 up to about FL410 or so. Climb rate can be up to 3,000 f/m up to about FL250, but has to be decreased above that point in order to maintain forward speed. It takes a long time to get to FL610 or FL650 at 1,000 f/m or less, but it is necessary. Cruise speed above FL410 is about mach .65, and mach .60 above FL610. This, to me, appears accurate.

Understand that the Global Hawk is not made for speed ... it is a long duration, high altitude recon UAV. I had to make some adjustments to the power in order to get her above FL610, but I think this is accurate as well.

Landing speed can be as low as 100 KIAS because of the long wings, but be careful of aircraft approaching from the rear unless you land only at AFB's. Take-off speed is about the same, without flaps.

This is still experimental, although I think you will find it a joy to fly. If you like long duration flying, take her up to FL650E to the furthest destination you can plan, and let her go for a day or so. You can take-off from almost anywhere and simply head 90 degrees to see how far she flies at FL650, mach .60, or follow high altitude airways and watch her make course corrections.

Please feel free to report any problems you find with this aircraft, especially those related to the way she flies. Remember, I'm just a flight dynamics engineer, and don't deal with issues that do not relate to that concept. Otherwise, I'd love to hear your reports because it is possible I missed something important and correctable.

Douglas E. Trapp
FS Flight Dynamics Engineer
Arlington, Texas