FSX Pan American Sikorsky S42

Pan American Sikorsky S42. Upgrade for George Diemer's FS2004 Sikorsky S-42, Pan Am Brazilian Clipper. With these simple additions to the original FS2004 aircraft, FSX users can enjoy flying her as well. Requires the file S42NC822.ZIP. By Jim Donnelly.

The Sikorsky S-42 was one of the great early flying boats. An excellent version of this plane for Flight Sim was created by George Diemer. Unfortunately it was created for use with Flight Sim 2004 (FS9) only. As is, George's files will not work in FSX. I have included here some simple modifications that allow his S-42 to work in FSX.

NOTE: THIS IS VERSION 2 OF THE MODIFICATIONS

If you DID NOT download and install the first version (s42nc822-fsx.zip), go directly below to INSTALLATION: You do not need the s32nc822-fsx.zip file.

If you DID already download and install the first version (s42c822-fsx.zip), you only need to replace the S42.CAB file in the aircraft's panel folder with the S42.CAB included here. This will speed up the initial loading of the aircraft in FSX by a factor of more than 3.

INSTALLATION: First off, you will need to download the plane itself. The file needed is:

s42nc822.zip by George Diemer.

After downloading and unzipping the file, DO NOT follow George's instructions for installing since these relate to FS9 only. Instead copy or move the folder called Sikorsky S-42 NC-822M to your Airplanes folder in FSX. In a default installation of FSX, the path to use is:

C:/Program Files/Microsoft Games/Microsoft Flight Simulator X/SimObjects/Airplanes/

Now, using the files included here, inside the Sikorsky S-42 NC-822M folder:

1. Replace the Aircraft.cfg file.
2. Replace the panel.cfg file in the panel folder.
3. Replace the S42.CAB file in the panel folder.
4. Add the thumbnail.jpg file to the texture folder.

NOTES: The Aircraft.cfg contains modifications to George's original file including:

* The callsign "Pan Am," and the flight number "822" to match the plane's ID.
* Modifications to the 'contact points' for behavior on the water.
* Added viewpoints for a total of 10 (5 Cockpit Views and 5 Aircraft Views).
* Disabled autothrottle which isn't part of this plane.
* Modified the autopilot to allow banking while holding altitude (I like that).
* The panel.cfg has one line removed from the FS9 version which corrects the display.
* The S42.CAB file has modified textures from the FS9 version to speed up the initial loading of the aircraft in FSX.
* The thumbnail.jpg, created from George's image, will show in FSX when selecting the S-42.

ATTENTION: This airplane DOES NOT work in Preview DirectX 10 mode.

My restrictions concerning these files are the same as George Diemer's in his files. It is freeware.

My thanks to George Diemer for his approval and permission to publish this upgrade.

Jim Donnelly