
                                   SFSDEMO

                    Demo of the Soaring Simulator SFS(PC)
                     Version 3.01 - September 23th, 1997

                   Authors: Detlev Schwetzler and Uwe Milde

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Differences between demo and full version:

The demo has
- only one plane type (Ka-8)
- only one landscape
- no start with tow plane
- no target and triangle flight
- frequent display of advertising text
- no printed manual
- no texture editor

Some details of this text do not apply to the demo!
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If you like to get the full version (on CD-ROM incl. printed manual), please 
print out the order form (ORDERFRM.TXT) and send it to:

        Dipl.-Ing. Uwe Milde
        Software Development
        An der Volksbank 7
        28857 Syke
        Germany
        Tel. +49 42 42 93 01 73
        Fax: +49 42 42 93 01 74

or email to:

        umilde@aol.com

For latest news and demo downloads please visit our website:

        http://members.aol.com/umilde/sfs.htm

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Some legal Hints
----------------
Full version SFS(PC):
SFS(PC) is copyrighted by the authors (Detlev Schwetzler and Uwe Milde).
SFS(PC) may not be copied, except backup copys for safety purposes.  By buying
SFS(PC), the customer achieves one license. The customer is allowed to use
SFS(PC) on one computer at a given time. The simultaneous use of the program
on more than one computer at a given time with only one license is forbidden.

Demo Version SFSDEMO:
SFSDEMO is copyrighted by the authors (Detlev Schwetzler and Uwe Milde).
SFSDEMO may and shall be copied and distributed by everyone. Please don't make
any changes to the files. If SFSDEMO is being copied and distributed for 
money, the price must not be higher than the actual costs.

For both version (SFS(PC) and SFSDEMO) applies:
The authors do not guarantee that the program works on every possible computer
configuration. The authors are not responsible for any damage or harm
resulting from the use of the program. The authors are not responsible for any
damage or harm resulting from the transfer of the characteristics of the
program to real flight. 

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0. Contents
-----------
What is SFS(PC)?............................................................1
What's new in SFS(PC) 3.0...................................................1.1
Technical Requirements......................................................2
How to start the Program....................................................3
The Menu....................................................................4
The Maps....................................................................5
The Cockpit.................................................................6
What are Thermals?..........................................................7
Important Tips for "Rookies"................................................8
How to fly..................................................................9
Start.......................................................................9.1
Turning.....................................................................9.2
Centering of Thermals.......................................................9.3
Ridge Soaring...............................................................9.4
Photographing of Waypoints..................................................9.5
Landing.....................................................................9.6
Spin........................................................................9.7
Flaps.......................................................................9.8
Depart/Finish Procedure.....................................................9.9
After Landing..............................................................10
Highscore..................................................................11
Control of the Program.....................................................12
Control of the Plane.......................................................12.1
Control of the View........................................................12.2
Control of the Detail Level................................................12.3
Control of the Tow Plane...................................................12.4
The Cockpit Instruments....................................................13
Target Speed Variometer....................................................13.1
Approach Calculator........................................................13.2
The Planes.................................................................14
The Ka-8...................................................................14.1
The Ls-1f..................................................................14.2
The SB-10..................................................................14.3
The ASW-27.................................................................14.4
Whom can I ask?............................................................15
Problems?..................................................................16


1. What is SFS(PC)?
-------------------
The program SFS(PC) is a soaring simulator. It simulates the flight with
sailplanes on IBM-compatible PCs. We use a very realistic modelation of the
flight characteristics of a sailplane. Manouvres, that you can fly with the
real plane, can also be flown with SFS(PC). Starting, landing, thermal and
ridge soaring as free flight or with evaluation are possible. On our opinion 
you can not reach more realism on a PC without special hardware. For the
visualization of the 'world' we use a self-developed graphics engine, which
generates a 256-color shaded 3D-surrounding directly from the maps. A lot of
objects and vehicles are present on the surface and also airborne. You are not
alone in your 3D-world. As a difference to most other simulators we know, the
flight characteristics of the planes in SFS(PC) are physically correct, which
means the plane reacts on rudder commands, weather and thermals just like the
real plane. Even the stall characteristics and the physical stability of the
plane are amazingly authentic. We could easily propose this with a F-14
simulator, because almost nobody would have the opportunity to fly this plane.
But when you are a glider pilot, you can prove our statements.

SFS(PC) is ment for
- all those, who like to fly with simulators
- glider pilots, who have to stay home because of bad weather
- people, who rather fly while staying safely on the ground
- pilot instructors, who want to show certain manouvers to their trainees, 
  without putting themselves in danger
- glider pilots, who always wanted to try forbidden manouvers
We are aerodynamics engineers in a german aeroplane company and therefore
concerned with flight physics. We are fascinated by flight simulators, but we
are often disappointed by the fact, that the expensive programs contain severe
errors in flight characteristics. Therefore we tried to do better...here is
the result. An early version of the program was developed for Commodore
Amiga. SFS(PC) is a successor of this program and is very much improved in
authenticity and graphics. The program grew on evenings and weekends over more
than 5 years, while we payed regard to many suggestions by experts such as
glider pilots and instructors. We want to thank all those, who contributed to
the improvement of the program with critics and suggestions. Please carry on,
because the development should not stop!


1.1. What's new in SFS(PC) 3.0?
-------------------------------
Changes compared to SFS(PC) 2.5:

  "Optical" improvements:
  - SVGA resolution 640 x 480 in 256 colors for all common graphic adaptors
    (thanks to Gruber Software for the outstanding FASTGRAPH library)
  - more realistic cockpits
  - realistic textures on the planes
  - textur editor for editing the painting of the planes
  - "real" 3-D citys
  - slide show with real plane photos during the pause function
    (thanks to Berno and Peter)
  - landscapes: more detailed ground raster and more trees 
  - 6 detail levels for adaption to computer power
  - "trace" view improved

  "Gameplay" changes:
  - new depart/finish rules
  - maps are 20% bigger
  - impact of gusts improved
  - landing gear can now be retracted during tow
  - climb rate while towing now weight dependent
  - optional altimeter re-zero before start

  "Technical" changes:
  - program runs in protected mode, therefore no EMS necessary
  - sound library improved

  Many suggestion from SFS(PC) users did result in the fine tuning of
  various details of the simulation. Thank you very much for the suggestions!

Changes compared to SFS(PC) 2.14:
  - new thermals model (type A / type B)
  - new turbulence model
  - new cloud appearance (each cloud different and 3D)
  - learning mode with visualization of thermals and type
  - time compression mode to see how thermals work
  - thermal base climbs above hills
  - thermals more dependant on landscape
  - rudder pedals (or 2. joystick) supported
  - some changes in keyboard layout
  - moving switches and levers in cockpit
  - new plane type ASW-27
  - filling routines in assembler
  - airfield layout corrected
  - flaps with SB-10 and ASW-27
  - dynamic characteristics of the planes adjusted
  - stick position has influence on altitude when doing start by winch
  - spinning now possible (with specific spin recovery procedures)
  - influence of spoilers adjusted, various positions
  - autocoordination can be toggled
  - slipping now better
  - target speed vario with LS-1, SB-10, ASW-27
  - comfortable approach calculator
  - integrator with SB-10 and ASW-27
  - turning indicator with ASW-27
  - more digitized sounds
  - vario sound more realistic

Changes SFS(PC) 2.14 compared to SFS(PC) 2.10:
  - additional views: model plane view / airfield view
  - safety requester before leaving program
  - compass now rotates in the right direction
  - shows comments when crashing
  - shows explanation why starting/turning point is not possible
  - instruments pointers shake, when plane stalls or experiences gusts


2. Technical Requirements of the Program
----------------------------------------
required hardware:
- IBM-compatible PC with 486 DX processor or higher
  (we recommend at least Pentium 90 mhz if you want to use the high 
  resolution graphics)
- CD-ROM drive
- 4 megabyte RAM
- hard disk with at least 15 megabyte free space
- VESA compatible graphics adaptor with at least 1 megabyte video memory
- gameport with analogue joystick
- optional Thrustmaster-compatible rudder pedals (or second joystick)
- optional adlib- or soundblaster-compatible sound board
The programming was done in Borland Pascal 7.0 and assembler. To improve the
authenticity we did not use integer- and fixed point arithmetics, where it
would cause inexactness. 
By pressing the function keys F9 and F10 you can always select another detail
level for the display. On computers below Pentium 90 you should use this
possibility. Refresh rates below 10 hertz do have a bad effect on the
authenticity.


3. How to start the Program
---------------------------
SFSDEMO is a DOS program. Therefore you should run it under DOS or in the 
DOS mode of windows 95.

a) If you have downloaded SFSDEMO from the internet or a BBS:
   Make sure that the subdirectories DATEN and FOTOS have been created during 
   the unpack process. If not please unpack the file SFS3DEMO.ZIP with 
   option -d like 

                 pkunzip SFS3DEMO.ZIP -d

  After unpacking is finished type GO to start the program.

b) If you have received SFSDEMO on a floppy disk right from us:
   Start the program INSTALL.EXE on the disk and follow the on-screen 
   instructions. After the installation is finished type GO to start 
   the program.


4. The Menu
-----------
After execution of the START command you are in the menu. Here you can make 
your selections. The menu can be controlled by mouse or with the cursor keys 
and Enter: place the mouse cursor above the desired option and press the left 
mouse button to mark the option. A second mouse click selects the option. If 
no mouse is connected to your computer, you can control the menu with keys. 
Move between the options with the cursor up and cursor down and select 
with Enter.

Description of the options:
Main Screen
Go!                : start the flight with the current selections
Menu               : go to menu screen
Back to DOS        : terminate program and return to the operating system

Menu Screen
Selection of the different categories
Plane              : select plane type
Graphics           : select graphics resolution and chipset
Landscape          : select landscape
Flight mode        : select flight and starting mode
Weather            : select weather conditions
Sound              : select sound board and sound options
Controls           : select controller type
Difficulty         : select difficulty level
Back               : back to main screen

Plane type
Ka-8               : select plane type Ka-8 (beginner friendly)
Ls-1f              : select plane type Ls-1f (not available in demo)
SB-10              : select plane type SB-10 (not available in demo)
SB-10              : select plane type SB-10 (not available in demo)
ASW-27             : select plane type ASW-27 (not available in demo)
R/C Model          : changes the settings so that a R/C-model-like
                     behaviour results (not available in demo)
Ballast            : adjustment of water ballast (not available in demo)
Plane Colors       : editing of plane colors / textures (not available in demo)

Graphics
320 x 200          : low resolution (not available in demo)
640 x 480          : high resolution
Chip Set           : select chipset of graphics adaptor
The program tries to determine the graphics cip set used in your computer. If 
your chip set is not supported, the VESA mode is used. You may have to start a 
VESA driver before running SFSDEMO (please refer to the documentation of your 
graphics adaptor).

Landscape
Landscape 1        : hilly landscape with a big lake
Landscape 2        : very hilly landscape (not available in demo)

Flight Mode
Free flight     : free flight without evaluation to become used to plane
                  and landscape
Target flight   : evaluated flight to a selected target (not available in demo)
Target-return   : evaluated flight to a selected target and back to
                  starting point
Triangle flight : evaluated flight to two selected targets and back to
                  starting point (not available in demo)
If you select something else than "Free flight", the selection "airborne" in
menu "Take Off Method" is not possible.

Take Off Method
airborne        : the plane is already airborne
by winch        : the plane is towed by a wich unto the starting altitude
by tow plane    : the plane is towed by a motorized plane to the 
                  starting  altitude (not available in demo)
Take Off Time
morning         : about 10 o'clock, clouds beginning to grow, cloud altitude low
noon            : about 13 o'clock, clouds in all stadiums are present, cloud
                  altitude moderate
afternoon       : about 16 o'clock, very few new clouds, cloud altitude high

Thermal Strength
weak            : maximum thermal speed ca. 2 m/s, cloud altitude at noon ca. 
                  700-800 m, low cloud frequency
moderate        : maximum thermals ca. 4 m/s, cloud altitude at noon ca.
                  1300 m, moderate cloud frequency
strong          : maximum thermals ca. 6 m/s, cloud altitude at noon at least
                  1800 m, high cloud frequency
The cloud altitude (=altitude of cloud base) is rising while time advances
from morning to afternoon.

Wind
Adjustment of wind speed and direction: Move the mouse cursor into the circle.
If you press and hold down the left mouse button, the tip of the wind pointer
will move with the mouse cursor. The length of the wind pointer determines the
wind speed, the direction of the wind pointer determines the wind direction.
Wind speed and direction are displayed in digits at the lower edge of the
screen. To quit this screen press the right mouse button or Enter, or to
cancel your adjustments press Esc. It is also possible to control the cursor
with the cursor keys.

Gusts
Gusts            : Adjustment of wind gusts from 1 to 10

Sound
no soundboard    : if you have no sound board in your computer
Adlib            : if you want to use an Adlib-compatible sound board
Soundblaster     : if you want to use a Soundblaster-compatible sound
                   board
SB w/o Adlib     : if you want to use a Soundblaster-compatible board
                   without the FM-sounds

SB Address, SB Interrupt, SB DMA
Here you can make the adjustments for your Soundblaster board. If you don't
know what to select, you should read the manual of your sound board. If you
enter wrong values here, then you will not have proper sound, and, in the
worst case, the programm will hang.

Controller
Keyboard           : the plane is controlled by keyboard
Joystick           : the plane is controlled by analogue joystick
Joystick+Pedals    : the plane is controlled by analogue joystick and 
                     Thrustmaster compatible pedals
calibrate joystick : calibration of the connected joystick
Important: You should fly SFS(PC) only with a joystick. 
Without it flying is not that much fun and the simulation is not correct,
because the rudders work with constant deflection.

Difficulty
easy              : low difficulty level
realistic         : high difficulty level
Selection "easy" means:
- the plane may be landed harder
- the current position is indicated on the map below the cockpit
- thermals have twice the diameter compared to "realistic" level
- the thermals are not surrounded by a downwind field
- thermals are always vertically below the clouds, independently from
   the selected wind speed
- the shadows of the clouds are always vertically below the clouds,
   independently from the current sun position.
Selection "realistic" means:
- the thermals have a realistic diameter
- the thermals are surrounded by a downwind field
- the thermals are not vertically below the cloud, but have an angle
   due to wind speed and direction
- the cloud shadows move due to the position of the sun.


5. The Map
----------
After selecting "Go!" on the main screen of the menu you will see a map.
It shows the course you selected during the last session. To accept it, just
press Enter. If you want to make a new selection, move the magnifier with the
cursor keys across the map until you see the desired starting point inside the
frame, then press Enter. If you have selected start by winch or tow plane,
you have to move the frame exactly above an airfield (white pixel). If you
have selected "airborne", you may start whereever you want, except places
above the current cloud altitude. The program will notify you, if this is the
case. If you have selected something else than "free flight", you will now be
prompted to set starting point, target or waypoints. In order to do this, move
the magnifier to the desired location and press Enter. When doing a triangle
flight you have to select a roughly equilateral triangle. The program will
verify your selection. If nothing happens, when you press Enter, then your
selection is not correct. You have to try new locations, until the program
accepts them. For your waypoints, you should select special buildings or
objects of interest, like airfields (white pixels), castles (black or lilac),
towers (yellow), road crossings or similar. These objects are marked as
coloured pixels in the map and they are easy to find, when you fly. You will
have to photograph these objects later on.


6. In the Cockpit
-----------------
Now a divided screen appears: 
- On the upper two thirds of the screen you see a 3D outlook to the "world",
you are now flying in. You may look at this world from inside the cockpit or
look at your plane from the outside. To select the viewpoint go to "Control of
the view".
- In the lower part you see a "notepad", on which text can be displayed.
- On the lower left you see a map window, which moves with the position of the
plane. When you have selected "airborne" or the difficulty level "easy", the
position and direction of the plane will be displayed in the map window.
Wait, until the program prompts you to press the spacebar. After doing this,
the simulation starts. You are now in the role of the pilot and you have to
control the plane. The flight can be aborted anytime by pressing Esc. The
program execution will then be stopped immediately and you will get back to
the menu. So be careful not to press Esc accidently. When you have landed or
crashed, you will also get back to the menu after some data concerning the
flight was displayed. You may now start again.


7. What are Thermals?
---------------------
The air above the ground is heated by the sun. This warm air begins to rise
because of  it's low weight: an airstream directed upwards establishes. In
greater altitude the air is cooled down and the contained humidity condenses.
This causes the growing of a cloud. The cloud gets bigger with time. In the
surrounding of the upstream some air streams downwards to replace the
upstreaming air. The upstream is called thermal. After a certain time the
thermal begins to separate from the ground and it's base moves upwards. If the
thermal dissolves, the cloud dissolves also and disappears. Then a thermic
cycle is complete.  During the day the altitude of the clouds increases.
Depending on the situation a thermic cycle lasts from 30 minutes to one hour.
The sketches show the programmed cycle and structure of the thermal.
Depending on the wind speed the upstreaming air will be slanted in the wind
direction.  When the development of the cloud is in a late stadium, you are
not likely to find thermals below this cloud!  After some time the lower edge
of the thermal may pass your plane. Then the upstream will change to a strong
downstream. Now it is high time to level your plane and head for the next
thermal.  If you manage to climb directly below a cloud, be careful not to get
into it. You may easily lose orientation in the cloud and are likely to crash.
Two thermal types are programmed in SFS: In type A the upstreaming air is
distributed approximately equally across the cross section. There is only a
weak maximum. The maximum value in the center is less than in type B (see
below). In spite of this fact you can achieve good climbing values, because
you can fly bigger circles without much loss in climbing speed. When selecting
'free flight' or difficulty 'easy' and thermals visualization (key 'h') this
type of thermal is shown as a blue dotted line. The number of points is a hint
for the thermal strength! The distribution of upstreaming air in type B has
the shape of a parabola. The maximum has bigger values than type A. In order
to achieve high climbing rates, you have to center this thermal very
accurately, because the speed of the upstreaming air decreases rapidly in
direction of the thermal edge. This type of thermal is shown as a red dotted
line.


8. Hints for "Rookies"
----------------------
- You will notice that a plane flies stable by itself. If using other
simulators has given you another impression, this is the case because of the
weak authenticity of these programs. SFS(PC) uses the correct pysical laws to
calculate the flight characteristics.
- Use a joystick. Only with a joystick it is possible to control the plane in
a realistic way. Use the joystick gently and not too frequently.
- Basically a glider is in permanent downhill flight. If you don't want to
land immediatly after starting (and we suppose you don't want to), you have to
do something against it. You have to compensate the downhill flight by flying
in upward moving air flow.  This air flow can be warm air (thermals) or the
upward directed wind at hill slopes that lie on the weather side. Thermals you
can find below growing clouds (shrinking clouds don't have any thermals).
- To have a better view, you should lower the cockpit by pressing the 'c' key
(This effect is like moving your head forward when sitting in the cockpit
seat). Because you can't read your instruments in this mode, the most
important data will be displayed at the upper edge of the screen.
- The peep-peep sound of the electric vario is a valuable help when seeking
thermals. Intermitted peep-peep mean thermals, continuous sound means
sinking.
- Watch the other soaring planes. They often find thermals. Just follow them.
- Thermals are more often to find on the southern slopes of hills than in the
plains or on the northern slopes.
- If you want to lose more altitude during landing approach, use the landing
brakes instead of moving the joystick forward!
- You don't have a panorama view on a home computer. Try to compensate this by
using the various outside views, to achieve a better orientation.
- Exercise your orientation sense by trying to find specific objects from the
map in the 3D-world (roads, rivers, buildings).
- The wind sound gives you hints about the flight situation. Watch them and
watch your speed.
- Landings outside regular air fields are possible on fields (colored areas),
but only when these areas are not too steep (for example on a hill slope).
- With they key combination 'Alt+F' you can save the screen contents as a PCX
file. You can later edit these pictures with a painting programm, for example.
- If you fly too fast or the stress on the plane is too big, it will break.
- The shadow of the clouds on the surface is very useful to estimate the
distance, but it can be turned off by pressing the F10 key.
- Don't fly into the clouds: this can be very dangerous!
When flying, you will often meet other planes. Very interesting are other
soring planes, because from their behaviour, you may find out about thermals.
There are "experienced" pilots, who know, where they can find thermals, and
there are  "novices", who stick to your plane, because they want to know from
you, what they have to do. Try to find out about the pilots.


9. How to fly
-------------
Realistic behaviour of the simulated planes was very important for us, when we
developed the program. Therefore the control of the plane with the cursor keys
is not recommended and just ment for "emergency cases". The most important
control element for SFS(PC) is the analogue joystick. Some view option are
only accessible with the joystick.


9.1. Starting
-------------
a) by Winch
If you have selected start by winch, then your plane will be on the starting
position of the airfield, when you start up the program. The tow rope is
attached to the plane and the plane points in the correct direction. When you
press the spacebar the rope begins to pull. Leave your rudder controls in the
neutral position, and, when using the Ka-8, the elevator too. The plane will
climb by itself. When using the Ls-1f or SB-10 you should slightly pull the
elevator, when the plane has reached a speed of 90 km/h, until the plane
begins to climb.  After being airborne, you have to care, that the plane does
not bank. Keep the plane horizontally leveled with slight deflections of the
ailerons. When you reach the target altitude, the tow rope will be disattached
automatically and a message on the notepad appears. You have to push the
elevator a bit, so that you don't loose to much speed.

b) by Tow Plane
This starting method is a little bit more difficult to do. When the program
starts up, your plane is located behind the tow plane on the airfield. Press
the spacebar to let the tow plane start. Keep ailerons and rudder in the
neutral position. The sailplane will be airborne before the tow plane. Don't
climb too high, keep an altitude of 1-2 m above ground, until the tow plane is
airborne. If you climb too high, you will pull the tail of the tow plane up,
what may result in a serious accident.  After the towplane is airborne, you
should stay in the same altitude behind it. Push down the cockpit with F3, so
that you have a good view of the towplane. You should see the wings of the
towplane in the same altitude as the horizon.  The towplane can be controlled
by pressing the keys X and Z.  If you are flying too turbulent, the pilot of
the towplane will disconnect you to avoid getting in danger. When the target
altitude (about 500 m) is reached, your plane will be disconnected
automatically and the towplane flies home. You can disconnect at any time by
pressing the backspace key


9.2. Turning
------------
You only need to use the ailerons, the adequate rudder movement is calculated
and done by the computer (auto-coordination). Flying is just as easy as
driving a car...  In the real plane the pilot has to mix ailerons and rudder
in the right proportion in order to fly a proper turn. For that, he uses his
senses (by the back of his pants).  To find the right mix affords training
(just like using the clutch in a car). In this simulation you have only the
view and the instruments to judge the current flight situation. You can't feel
the forces, gravity and acceleration like in the real plane. Therefore the
computer helps you with the auto-coordination.  To exercise the turn, you
should select a certain point in the landscape, where you plan to finish the
turn (for example by a look through the side window). Now you have to begin
the turn with a deflection of the ailerons. Use the ailerons until you have
reached the desired bank angle. Then release the stick. You are now in
stationary turn. With slight corrections with the elevator you have to keep
the plane nose from moving down or up.  When the point you have chosen appears
in front of the plane nose, you have to finish the turn. Deflect the ailerons
to the opposite direction, until the plane banks back to a horizontal
position.  When turning, have an eye on the speed. If you become too slow, the
airflow on the wings will separate (stall) and the plane banks or moves its
nose downwards. If you become too fast (more than the allowed maximum speed of
the plane, see technical data), the plane may break.


9.3. Centering of Thermals
--------------------------
In order to climb in the thermals, you have to fly circles in them. If you get
closer to a thermal, you cross an area with air streaming downwards (only when
you have selected "realistic" level). Here, the plane sinks rapidly, so you
have to cross this area quickly. When you are in the area with upwards
directed air stream, you have to begin a turn.  It may happen, that suddenly
one wing of the plane is lifted and the plane banks, when you get closer to a
thermal. Then you are inside it with just that wing. You have to turn to the
opposite direction of the banking movement.  The diameter of the circle you
must fly depends on the diameter of the thermal. Your circle should be fully
inside the thermal, as near to the center of the thermal as possible, because
here is the strongest upstream.  If you notice that you are leaving the
thermal, just insert a short straight line in your next circle, in order to
get back to the center of the thermal. If you don't find the thermal anymore,
then it probably has dissolved or it's base has moved above your altitude.
When flying the circles, your plane's nose should point in a horizontal
direction and the plane's speed should be in the area of the lowest sinking
speed.  If another plane has reached the thermal before you, you have to do
your circles in the same direction as the other plane, these are the rules.
When you have selected the "easy" level, and you press k (Map) and then p
(position of the plane) the neighbouring thermals are shown as black pixels:


9.4. Ridge Soaring
------------------
A special form of upstream can be found on hill slopes that face towards the
wind. The wind is deflected upwards in the direction of the hillside. The
glider pilot can use this upstream when he flys along the hillside. The pilot
has to take care not to loose to much speed, because in the case of a stall he
has little room underneath him! Attention, on the other side of the hill the
air streams downward!


9.5. Photographing of Waypoints
-------------------------------
When you reach a waypoint, you have to photograph it, because you must prove
that you have been there. In the simulated plane a camera is already
installed. It is located on the left side of the canopy. If you press F2 in
order to look left, you will see a black frame. This is the viewframe of the
camera. Now you have to move the plane until the waypoint object is entirely
inside the frame. The best way is to fly along the right side of the object,
then, shortly before you pass the object, look left with F2. Use the ailerons,
to cause the plane to bank, so that the object moves into the frame. Have an
eye on the speed of your plane, when doing this manouvre.  When you are in the
right position, press Enter . Only if the photo is correct, a message will be
displayed on the notepad.  When you do a triangle flight the view direction
has to point towards the center of the triangle. If it doesn't, the message
"Wrong sector" appears on the notepad. When you are doing a target-return
flight, you have to photograph toward the direction of the starting point. If
no message appears after pressing Enter, you are either too far from the
object (more than 2 km) or the object is not properly located inside the
frame. Or maybe you are in the wrong place?


9.6. Landing
------------
To begin a proper landing you should have at least 150 m of altitude. Roughly,
the landing is done in these steps:
- pass the side of the airfield in the opposite direction than the landing
direction
- make a 90 degree turn, then fly straight, until the plane crosses the
landing direction
- make a 90 degree turn, so that the airfield lies straight in front of you
(final approach). The point, where you should begin the final approach depends
on your altitude (at least 100 m). You can find out the optimum by exercise.
- Take the landing cross (a white "T" on the airfield) as target. You should
try to exactly touch down there. Control your sinking speed with the spoilers.
Don't become too slow and don't let the plane stall!
- If you have too loose much altitude, you can manage this by the 'slipping'
manouvre. This means flying "sideways", and it is recommended only for skilled
pilots. The slipping begins with a deflection of the ailerons, until the plane
has a distinct bank angle. Then deflect the rudder (keys , and .) to the
opposite direction, so that the plane turns around it's vertical axis. The
plane now slips in the direction of the lower wing and rapidly looses
altitude. You can control the speed with the elevator.
- When you are near the ground (ca. 3-5 m) decrease the sinking speed with the
elevator, so that it becomes less than 2 m/s. Try to fly parallel to the
ground until the plane touches down. It will now roll  until it stops and lies
down slowly on one wing.
The more you exercise, the better you will get! The big advantage of a
simulator is that you can exercise as much as you want without expense and
danger. So keep calm and work with slow and well calculated stick movements.


9.7. Spin
---------
Spin is a stable state of flight, at which the airflow on the wings is
separated and the plane loses altitude with a fast rotation (mainly around the
vertical axis). The rotation is being kept approximately constant due to
inertia forces, the altitude loss is dramatic an can be as much as 100 m per
rotation. This state can occur on almost every plane type. In this simulator
you can experience spin (make sure you have enough altitude).

How to start the spin:
1. pull the stick slowly, until the plane stalls, then give full rudder and
hold it until the plane spins
2. pull the stick, when you fly a close turn
with high bank angle

Spin recovery procedure:
In this simulator there are different procedures for the different plane
types: When flying the KA-8 it is sufficient to put rudder, elevator and
ailerons in the neutral position. LS-1, SB-10 and ASW27 need rudder in the
opposite direction of the spin movement , the SB-10 nedds additionally a
slight push of the stick.

These procedures are typical. Although, don't try to use the procedures you
trained in SFS(PC) on a real plane! We are not responsible if you crash!

If you press key 'l' (trace line) during spin and select the flyby view mode (F7), you can watch
the flight path of your plane. Try this, it looks impressive!


9.8. Flaps
----------
The plane types SB-10 and ASW-27 are equipped with flaps. These are gap-less
flaps on the trailing edge of the wings which (on the outer wing they are
superimposed with the aileron function). These flaps improve the flight
performance in two ways: the main effect is that the wing profile can be
adapted to the current flight state (fast/slow flight): a plane without flaps
must have a profile that performs good across the whole speed range of the
plane. This means a compromise. A plane with flaps can have a high camber,
 when flying at low speed and a profile with less camber and less drag in high
speed, simply by changing the flap setting. The second effect is that a plane
with flaps can have a better wing to body adjustment: the camber change
because of flap use leads to a less change of the horizontal body direction,
when the plane flies at different speeds. This means that the body shape can
be designed to be more efficient. Which flap setting works optimal at which
speed, can be seen on the polars of the plane types with flaps. In SFS(PC)
the flaps can be adjusted by pressing 'Delete '/'Insert', a small digital
number in the cockpit shows the current setting. '1' is for extremely slow
flying, '5' is the fastest setting.

Hint:
In SFS(PC) we have installed a link between the position of the trim lever and
the flap setting, so that the plane won't stall or exceed its maximum speed
when you change the flap setting. The trim lever is set accordingly.


9.9. Depart/Finish Procedure
----------------------------
Following the wishes of many SFS(PC) users we have introduced a new 
depart/finish procedure into the simulator. This is the description:

Depart Procedure
----------------
An evaluated flight begins with the crossing of a starting line maximum 
1000 m above the air field in direction to the first waypoint or the target. 
This starting line goes right through the landing T of the air field. 
A lateral distance of the departing plane to the landing T is OK. To avoid an 
accidental crossing of the line (and thus an accidental start of flight time), 
you have to "announce" your departure by pressing the key 'A'.  
As an optical aid you can see the starting line as a dashed line on the ground.
If difficulty level "easy" is selected, you can see a frame indicating the 
"departure window" and an arrow indicating the right direction.

A typical depart:
After a take off by winch you should gain an altitude of at least 1000 m 
above the air field. Now fly about 500 m behind the starting line (behind 
the landing T in opposite direction than the target). When you are ready, 
press 'A' to announce your departure. You will see the message 'Departure 
requested' on the notepad. You will also see the dashed starting line on the 
ground (or the starting window when "easy" is selected). Now fly across the 
line in at least 1000 m above ground. Shortly before the "official" start the 
program switsches to airfield view. When crossing the line you will see a 
message on the notepad and a start photo will be saved. If the altitude is 
too high the departure is not valid (you will also see a message).

HINT: In order get a good average velocity you should climb to about 1150 m 
above ground. Then use the excess altitude to gain maximum speed when crossing 
the starting line. After depart the excess speed can be used to gain altitude 
again.

Finish
------
The time for an evaluated flight stops when the plane crosses the finish line.
This finish line goes (like the starting line) right through the landing T 
of the target airfield. There is no altitude limit for the crossing. The line 
will be shown as a dashed line on the ground when you approach the target 
airfield. A lateral distance of the crossing to the landing T is OK. 
Shortly before taking the time the program switches to airfield view. 
The time is taken when the plane crosses the finish line and a finish photo 
is saved. You will see a message on the notepad. You don't have to land right 
after the finish, but your landing must be without crash in order to get 
points for this flight.


10. After the Landing
---------------------
After the landing (or a crash) you will see a barograph plot an oversight of
the course you have flown and a highscore list
After that you will get back to the menu. If you don't want to fly anymore,
select the option "Back to DOS".
These hints about starting, flight and landing are just a tiny part of the
knowledge, that a good book about soaring can give you, and they are only
intended to be a startup help.


11. Evaluation System of the Highscore List
-------------------------------------------
The evaluation for the highscore list is calculated like this:
  points  =  dist * speed * simtype * (1 + wind/20) * thermals / index
  with   
         dist     = flown distance 
         speed    = average speed of the flight
         simtype  = 2 -> target flight
                    3 -> target return flight
                    4 -> triangle flight
         wind     = selected wind speed
         thermals = 3 -> weak thermals
                    2 -> moderate thermals
                    1 -> strong thermals
         index    = 0.70 -> KA-8B
                    1.05 -> LS-1f
                    1.40 -> SB-10
- If you have fulfilled your flight task (for example target flight), the
point amount is DOUBLED. If you made a landing outside an airfield you will
only get single point amount.
- With "realistic" level the point amount is multiplicated by 1.5.
- An altitude difference between starting point and target will be respected
with 1 point per meter.
- For a free flight there is no evaluation!
- You will only get points when you manage to land your plane without crash!
- Landings outside an airfield: you may land on fields (coloured areas) too,
if they are not too inclined. If you succed in doing such a landing, you will
get points (see above).


12. Control of the Program
--------------------------

12.1. Control of the Plane
--------------------------
The plane is controlled by the joystick. 
Ailerons        :        Joystick left/right (bank plane)
Elevator        :        Joystick forward/backward (lower/rise plane nose)
Rudder          :        , (left)        . (right)
                              or
                        Rudder pedals / 2. Joystick
Autocoordination on/off :        r

With auto-coordination on: when using the ailerons the rudder will
automatically be mixed in the right proportion. You can override the computer
by cursor keys.
With auto-coordination off: rudder is controlled by rudder pedals or 2.
joystick.

Elevator trim       : PgUp (trim up)       PgDn (trim down)
Spoiler             : Button 1 on joystick or space key
                            or
                      Home / End (setting in six steps)
Flap-Setting        : Insert / Delete (only with SB-10 and ASW-27)
                        
Ailerons and elevator may also be controlled by the cursor keys.
The program distinguishes between upper and lower case characters. 
Remember this when using character keys!
quit programm                          : Esc
demo mode (no altitude loss)           : d (only with free flight)
time compression                       : t
screen shot                            : Alt+f
waypoint photo                         : Enter (waypoint must be inside frame)
show distance to starting point        : 1
show distance to waypoint 1/target point : 2
show distance to waypoint 2            : 3
momentary lift over drag ratio         : 4
altitude of starting point             : 6
altitude of waypoint 1/target point    : 7
altitude of waypoint 2                 : 8
show refresh rate                      : i
sound on/off                           : s
vario beep on/off                      : v
undercarriage up/down                  : f
drop water ballast                     : b (not availabe with Ka-8)
pause                                  : p (you will see a slide show)
show map                               : k
indicate current position in map       : p (only during map display)
target speed vario on/ off             : * (on numeric keypad, not with Ka-8)
set value for target speed vario       : + / - (numeric keypad, not with Ka-8)
approach calculator on/off             : e (not with Ka-8)
trace behind plane                     : l
visualize thermals                     : h (only in 'free flight' or easy-mode)
time compression for cloud development : z (only in 'free flight' or easy-mode)
lower/raise cockpit                    : c


12.2. Control of the View
-------------------------
F1      : from outside view: switch to inside view
        : from inside view : lower/raise cockpit
F2      : from outside view: turn view direction left
        : from inside view: look through left window
Ctrl+F2 : from outside view: turn view direction up
        : from inside view: look up
F3      : from outside view: turn view direction right
        : from inside view: look through right window
Ctrl+F3 : from outside view: turn view direction down
F4      : outside view
F5      : look to airfield
F6      : trace view
F7      : fly by view
F8      : R/C plane view
F11     : zoom in (outside view)
F12     : zoom out (outside view)

Functions of the joystick buttons:
press button 2: toggle inside/outside view 

press and hold button 2 in outside view and move joystick forward/backward:
zoom

press and hold both buttons in outside view and move joystick:
the viewer moves around the plane

press and hold button 2 in inside view and move left/right:
the pilot turns his head sideways

press and hold button 2 in inside view and move joystick forward:
cockpit will be lowered

press and hold button 2 in inside view and move joystick backward:
look up

press and hold both buttons in inside view and move joystick:
the pilot turns his head in the indicated direction


12.3. Control of Detail Level
-----------------------------
decrease view range           :        F9
increase view range           :        F10
decrease detail level         :        Ctrl+F9
increse detail level          :        Ctrl+F10


12.4. Control of Tow Plane
--------------------------
turn left                     :        z 
turn right                    :        x
Detach                        :        Backspace 


13. The Cockpit Instruments
---------------------------
SPEED INDICATOR: shows the speed in km/h relative to air. When you have strong
wind this speed can differ very much from the ground speed! Critical areas are
marked yellow and red.
ALTITUDE INDICATOR: shows the absolute altitude in m.
BAROMETRIC VARIOMETER: indicates, whether the plane climbs or sinks (in m/s).
The indiction has a time delay! This vario is not energy compensated.
ELECTRIC VARIOMETER: this variometer indicates too, whether the plane sinks or
climbs, but it is much faster and doesn't show climbing or sinking because of
elevator movements (energy compensated). It is ideally suited to find
thermals. Only the types Ls-1f and SB-10 are equipped with this vario (in this
simulation).  The electric variometer has a beeper. When you fly into thermals
the continous sound of the beeper changes to an intermitted sound. The higher
the frequency and the shorter the breaks of this sound, the stronger is the
thermal.  Although the Ka-8 has no electric vario in this simulation, it is
equipped with the beeper, to make finding thermals easier.
COMPASS: shows the direction of the nose of your plane.
THREAD on the canopy front: indicates slipping of the plane.
If you press F1 from the cockipt view, the cockpit will be lowered. As a
compensation for the instruments, which you cannot see now, there is a display
on the upper edge of the screen:
- speed in km/h
- flight direction in degrees (0=north, 180=south)
- sinking- respectively climbing speed in m/s
- altitude (above ground!) in m.
Pressing F3 again raises the cockpit. If you press F3 from the outside view,
these data will also be displayed.


13.1. Target Speed Variometer
-----------------------------
In order to fly a long distance in a minimum time, there must be calculated a
compromise between the time to stay in a thermal (long time = big altitude
gain) and the approach flight to the target (fast flight = short time /
flight with good l/d ratio = long time). Therefore many tools have been
created to do this optimization during flight, when you know the actual
thermal conditions. The most common of them is the 'MacCready ring', a
mechanical supplement to the compensated vario, on which the optimum approach
speed can be read after adjusting the actual climb speed. Also, there are
varios, which can be toggled between vario mode and target speed mode. The
electric varios in all planes in SFS(PC) except KA-8 can be switched to target
speed mode. We preferred this method, because a MacCready ring would be hard
to read due to the limited resolution of cockpit display in SFS(PC).

How to use the target speed vario:
While the plane circles inside a thermal, the average climb speed is
calculated. When you have sufficient altitude to begin the approach flight to
the next thermal, you switch the vario into target speed mode with '*' on the
numeric keypad. The corresponding switch in the cockpit will move and two
small digits will change from 'X.X' to '0.0'.  With '+' and '-' (numeric
keypad) you can adjust these digits to the assumed climb speed in the next
thermal, for example 3.0 m/s.  If you are flying at a low speed, the vario
pointer will then probably indicate a negative value. This means: you are
flying too slow (assumed that the adjusted climb speed is correct). To fly
with optimal speed the plane must be trimmed until the pointer indicates '0'.
Positive Values mean that you are flying too fast, you have to trim 'nose
up'.

The value of optimum target speed is influenced by all vertical movements of
the air, like thermals and upstream on hill slopes. If you fly through
downstreaming air you have to fly faster in order to cross this area as fast
as possible. When crossing upstreaming air you should fly slower accordingly.
This effect is taken into account when the vario is in target speed mode. The
current situation is being checked all the time and the result is being passed
to the target speed vario and displayed on the notepad. You will notice that
the indicated target speed changes due to vertical airflow. If you cross a
thermal without intending to stay in it, and your plane is set up for flying
through zero climb air, you won't normally change the setup although a
different target speed is indicated for a short time.

In planes with flaps the calculator shows both the target speed for the
current flap position as well as the target speed for the optimum flap
setting. The display is for example: 'actual TS: 135km/h K:2' and 
'optimal TS: 180km/h K:5'.

If you have water ballast aboard, this circumstance is automatically
calculated. In this point, the calculator is more comfortable than in the real
plane.

Much literature exists concerning this issue. To optimize your style of
flying we suggest that you read some of this.

Hint:
When you enter a thermal, don't forget to switch the vario back to normal
function! It can be very irritating to watch the weird behaviour of the
vario pointer, when trying to center the thermal.


13.2. Approach Calculator
-------------------------
An approach calculator is used to optimize the approach to the final airfield.
Such a calculator can show for example, to which altitude you have to climb to
reach the airfield without further thermals. You can check, whether the
current altitude is sufficient for a direct approach and which approach speed
you should use. Normally (when the calculator is not attached to a GPS) the
remaining distance must be read from the map. There are different devices, for
example the 'St”cker calculator', which can help you to calculate the minimum
altitude and approach speed, with respect to plane polars, wind speed and
direction and mean climbing rate. The important item here is the minimum
flight time. The integrated calculator in SFS(PC) makes this work much easier.

Use of the calculator:

You can toggle the calculator on/off with the key 'e'. After turning the
calculator on you may see one of the following messages on the notepad:

'Target not in range' means that you will not be able to reach the target
airfield even if you would climb unto cloud base and make the approach with
the best possible lift/drag ratio.

'Approach with 130 km/h.' means that with your current altitude you can reach
the target airfield (with a security altitude of 200 m) when you keep an
approach speed of 130 km/h.

Especially when having good thermal conditions it pays when you input the
average climbing rate (which you had so far) into the calculator (with the
keys + and - on the numeric pad). Then a message like 'H:1410m  v:165km/h '
appears, which means that it would be better to climb on 1410 m and then make
the approach with 165 km/h instead of making the approach now (assumed that
you have a thermal with 2.5 m/s). The time 'from now on' until reaching the
airfield would then be minimal. The remaining time is shown also on the
notepad.  When you fly a plane with flaps the optimal flap setting is also
displayed.

The approach calculator switches itself off after 10 seconds to avoid showing
out-of-date information. You can switch it back on any time you like. This is
recommended to check if the displayed data is still valid. If the actual
climbing rate is different to the rate you entered into the calculator this
will of course affect your target altitude!

After reaching the calculated optimal altitude, you will see the request to
make the approach, like 'Approach with 165 km/h [K:5]'.  During the now
following approach flight the electric vario can be switched to a target speed
display, when the approach calculator is active (key '*' on numeric keypad).
All data from the approach calculator are passed to the target speed vario.
Now you can adjust the target speed with the elevator trim as described above
(vario pointer on '0'!). In this mode of the target speed indicator no regard
is payed to thermals! To compensate downwind, it is better to begin the
approach flight with more altitude than calculated. Start the approach flight
when the calculator displays a speed which is clearly higher than the speed of
best l/d ratio.

In planes with flaps the recommended flap setting for the approach flight is
displayed on the notepad and must be adjusted manually (using
'Insert'/'Delete').

The calculation pays regard to ballast, flap setting, wind influence, the time
and altitude loss needed to achieve target speed, and a security altitude of
200 m above the target airfield.
The differences in flight time using different settings (flaps/speed/altitude)
are sometimes very small, so that the displayed data seems to 'jump'. Then
the proposed configurations are almost equivalent.

Hint:
If you switch the calculator in target speed mode, you must not press 'e'
again, otherwise it will lose the internal data.  If this does happen, the
procedure must be repeated (approach calculator on, then switch to target
speed mode). Maybe the calculator displays 'Security altitude < 200m'. This
means that with your current approach you won't be able to reach the airfield
with a remaining altitude of 200 m. Normally, this can be ignored. It is more
dangerous, when the message 'unsufficient altitude' appears. This means, that
even with best possible lift/drag ratio you can't reach the airfield. You have
to find a thermal!


14. The Planes
--------------


14.1. The Ka-8
--------------
Very suitable for beginners
Name                        : Ka 8
Maiden flight               : 1958
Length of fuselage          : 7,0 m
Wing span                   : 15,0 m
Wing area                   : 14,5 qm
Max. take-off weight        : 310 kg
Water ballast               : none
Wing ratio                  : 15,5
Vmax                        : ca. 170 km/h
Vwsmin                      : ca. 70 km/h
Vmin                        : ca. 65 km/h
Max. lift/drag ratio        : 27


14.2. The Ls-1f
---------------
Common standard plane
Name                        : LS 1 f
Maiden flight               : 1974
Lenght of fuselage          : 6,7 m
Wing span                   : 15,0 m
Wing area                   : 9,75 qm
Max. take-off weight        : 390 kg
Water ballast               : 90 kg
Wing ratio                  : 23,1
Vmax                        : ca. 230 km/h
Vwsmin                      : 73 km/h
Vmin                        : ca. 70 km/h
Max. lift/drag ratio        : 37,0


14.3. The SB-10
---------------
High performance plane
Name                        : SB 10
Maiden flight               : 1972
Length of fuselage          : 10,36 m
Wing span                   : 26 m
Wing area                   : 21,8 qm
Max. take-off weight        : 889 kg
Water ballast               : 100 kg
Wing ratio                  : 31,0
Vmax                        : ca. 200 km/h
Vwsmin                      : 85 km/h
Vmin                        : ca. 80 km/h
Max. lift/drag ratio        : 51


14.3. The ASW-27
----------------
Competition plane
Name                        : ASW-27
Maiden flight               : 1991
Length of fuselage          : 6,55 m
Wing span                   : 15 m
Wing area                   : 9,0 qm
Max. take-off weight        : 500 kg
Water ballast               : 180 kg
Wing ratio                  : 25,0
Vmax                        : ca. 280 km/h
Vmin                        : ca. 70 km/h
Max. lift/drag ratio        : ca. 48



15. Whom can I ask?
-------------------
If you have questions or comments concerning SFS(PC), write to the following
address:

        Dipl-Ing. Uwe Milde
        Software Development
        An der Volksbank 7
        28857 Syke
        - Germany -
        Tel. +49 42 42 93 01 73
        Fax: +49 42 42 93 01 74

or eMail to:

         umilde@aol.com
 
For news about SFS(PC) and downloads of newest demos visit our website on:

        http://members.aol.com/umilde/sfs.htm

16. Problems?
-------------
This software has been developed and tested carefully. But it is never 
guaranteed that complex programs like for example a flight simulator run on 
every possible system configuration without problems.

a) If you encounter problems while running the simulator under Windows 95,
   please try to run it in DOS mode. 
   Start your Computer in DOS mode, then go to the directory where the 
   simulator is installed, for example:
          CD C:\SFS3DEMO

   Then start the program:
          START

b) If the program hangs after showing the title picture, the cause may be 
   an incompatibility between your memory manager and the simulator.
   In this case please remove the memory manager (for example EMM386.EXE) 
   from the file CONFIG.SYS.

c) If the simulator refuses to run, there may be problems with programs and 
   drivers which are loaded during startup of your system. In this case you 
   should boot your computer in a clean configuration from a boot disk. 
   Take a bootable disk (preferrably without CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT) and 
   put in into floppy drive A:, then reboot the computer. After the boot 
   procedure has finished, go to the directory where the simulator has been 
   installed, for example:
          CD C:\SFS3DEMO

   The start the program:
          START

d) If the program INSTALL.EXE refuses ro run under Windows 95, please try to 
   run it in DOS mode. 
   Start your Computer in DOS mode, then start the installation:
          A:\INSTALL

We wish much fun and happy flying with SFS(PC)!
                             Detlev Schwetzler and Uwe Milde.






















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