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1. INTRODUCTION

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The AgustaWestland AW139 is a 15-seat medium sized twin-engined helicopter
developed and produced principally by AgustaWestland. It is marketed at several
different roles, including VIP/corporate transport, offshore transport, firefighting, law
enforcement, search and rescue, emergency medical service, disaster relief, and
maritime patrol. In addition to AgustaWestland's own manufacturing facilities in Italy
and the United States, the AW139 is produced in Russia by HeliVert, a joint venture
between AgustaWestland and Russian Helicopters.

The AW139 was originally designed and developed jointly by Agusta and Bell Helicopters
and marketed as the Agusta-Bell AB139, it was redesignated the AW139 when Bell
withdrew from the project. Since entering service in 2003, the AW139 has become one
of AgustaWestland's most influential products; it has been subsequently developed into
two enlarged medium-lift helicopters, the military-orientated AW149 and the AW189
for the civil market [Wikipedia].

A few years ago, a team called ICARO GROUP developed an AW139 model for FS2004®
that included a Search and Rescue version. This team used an older model from Brian
Whitelegg from 2005, redesigned by Nate Rosenstrauch later, as a very good basic. The
members of the team were: Thomas Roehl (Models, 2D/3D Cockpit, Gauges, Systems,
Textures, Documents), Joerg Hammes (Airfiles) Roman Keich (Sound System, Effects)
Steve Chase (Assistence, Background Informations) Chris Ekert (Coordinations).

At the end of 2015 I converted this outstanding model to FSX® and P3D® adding some
elements, such as an autopilot with SAR modes and quite realistic screens. Since then,
it has accumulated more than 3.000 downloads.

Now, I present a 2.0 version. 85% of the 3D model is totally from scratch, while
maintaining some parts, details and measures of the ICARO GROUP original model. Bugs
reported in the previous version are fixed, as well.

2. CREDITS AND LICENCE


This FSX® model makes use of the following module:

- XMLVARS.dll, by Doug Dawson, for the FMS, available at


http://www.douglassdawson.ca (also available at the following address:
http://www.mediafire.com/file/68bi8ug1wfwsx4u/XMLVars.zip). The module is NOT
provided by me and must be downloaded by you. It is required for the FMS.

It also uses the dsd_fsx_xml_sound gauge form Dawson’s site as well. You need not
download it because it is included.

This product is freeware and may be freely distributed as long as no payment is


requested. It may only be distributed if the original zip file remains unchanged.

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• It must not be sold single or as part of a collection without my permission.

• It may only be uploaded to websites which are available without any cost.

All rights are reserved and no part of the package may be duplicated without the written
permission of the authors.

This product is provided "as is", without any express or implied warranty. No
representation or warranty of any kind is made concerning the merchantability of this
package or its fitness for any particular purpose.

The adaptation to FSX® and subsequent improvements have been made by me, Carlos
Palacio, a helicopter pilot in real life and I hope you all enjoy flying it.

3. INSTALLATION
The installation of this model is simple. Just copy the Microsoft Flight Simulator X folder
that is provided and paste it into the folder with the same name in your computer. The
system will ask you what you want to do and you should ask “combine”.

To install the XMLVARS, after downloading follow the instructions included.

4. COCKPIT
The cockpit of this model is pretty similar to that of the real helicopter. In the picture 1
the main elements of the front panel are shown.

Picture 1

1- Pilot’s PFD (primary flight display)*.

2- Pilot’s MDF (multifunction flight display)*.

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3- Pilot’s MWL and CWL (master warning light and caution warning light). They will
illuminate every time there’s a warning or caution condition. Both can be reset by
clicking on the light button*.

4- Clock.

5- Standby-Attitude. It will give you information about helicopter attitude, speed and
altitude under most electrical malfunctions.

6- ELT control panel.

7- Pilot’s display controller and Pilot’s remote instrument controller (RIC)*.

8- (Stby.) Compass.

9- Fire control panel.

10. Digital Map Screen with controls.

All items marked with (*) are doubled in the copilot’s position.

5. QUICK START
This guide is not finished yet. In fact, I just started to write it. And my English is so poor…
It will take me some time to have it done.

Meanwhile, I will upload to youtube some tutorials to show you how this helicopter is
flown. My aim was to make a model as close to the real helicopter as I could, because I
am a pilot and I use Flight Simulator as a tool in my personal training. So, if you have
some stuff from the real machine, you can use it.

I found a good checklists manual in the following site:

www.helicopterindia.com/yahoo_site_admin/.../FM-AW_139.242230204.pdf

You can find also limitations and more information about the model on it. From this
guide I extracted some “condensed” lists for the normal procedures, which I use to fly
in the simulator and is included in the folder /doc together with this document.

Here I’ll give you some clues to start:

- The model starts with everything ON. Engines starting and rotor speeding. Let it some
time to accelerate to 100 % NR. Then in the overhead panel, switch on both generators
(1) and switch off the bus-tie. Typically, you would switch on the position and anti-
collision lights (2). I use to switch on the pitot heaters too (3) regardless of the outside
temperature.

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- On the MFD (the left screen) you can read the messages from the CWS, which will help
you to know if the helicopter has any problem or a bad configuration that requires an
action from you.

This is the normal situation. The CWS shows 1-2 FUEL PUMP in yellow and FUEL XFEED
in green. It means that both fuel pumps are OFF and because of that, the crossfeed valve
is open. Note that the yellow message, lights the yellow caution light, called Master
Caution Light (over the screens) as well. This light can be extinguished by pushing on it
once. The yellow message on the CWS will change from reverse video to normal video.

If you switch the pumps, both messages will disappear, and the MCL will extinguish.
You’ll find the pump switches in the fuel panel, which is located in the central panel or
console panel (1). They are grey, cylinder shaped switches, while the fuel valves are red
and triangle shaped ones. The squared switch in the middle is the crossfeed valve switch.

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Near the fuel panel you can find the FMS. To have it working properly you have to
initialize the position and the performance setting. To initialize position, push the button
6R and you will read the following:

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Normally one of the three positions showed will correspond to your departing airfield
or your present position. Choose one pushing 1 to 3 R twice, and you’ll go to the active
flight plan page.

Now you have to initialize the performance data. To do it fast, push 6R.

Then push NEXT until you get this screen:

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By pushing 6R again, you will confirm the default performance data, and the reverse
video “confirm init” banner will disappear.

(If you have enough time, you can try to change some performance data. To change a
field, enter with the number keys the new number and then push the corresponding
button. Not every field is editable, due to FSX limitations. This is the case of weights that
must be changed from the FSX aircraft menu).

What will happen if you don’t initialize position and performance data? Not much. But
the FMS won’t calculate headings, distance to waypoints and estimated times to
waypoints. The aircraft, or course, keeps “flyable”.

The following thing you can do is to see your flight plan. For this push FPL key. Normally
you will find a screen like the following, showing your present airfield as your departing
and arriving points. You can change both by entering with the alphanumeric keys other
ICAO designators and pushing the key near the field. In this example I change my flight
plan from LEZL-LEZL to LEZL-LEMG writing LEMG and pushing 2R:

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Now, I want to insert a waypoint in the middle, SVL (VOR) and a user point which is
already in the FMS with the name BARCO. I write SVL, and push 2R. Then I write BARCO
and push 3R:

And so on. Note the following:

- The color code of the waypoints. White for the past waypoints (not showed), orange
for the “from” waypoint, magenta for the active waypoint, and blue for the waypoints
beyond the active waypoints.

- In green and small type you have information about distance, heading, and estimated
time to the waypoint.

If you want to delete one waypoint, push DEL key (the word delete will show on the
scratchpad1 and then push the key near the waypoint to delete. In this example, I have
deleted BARCO by pushing DEL and 3L:

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The Scratchpad is the last line on the FMS screen. Here is shown what you enter with the alphanumeric
keys. If you want to clear a letter or number on the scractchpad, push CLR.

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To finish the flight plan, push the right key near the destination point. In this example,
3R. The name LEMG will show in the scratchpad. Then push the left key below the last
waypoint (in the example, 3L which is below SVL). You’ll get this:

With this you know that the total distance to LEMG is 75.5 NM, and the estimated time
of arrival (ETA) is 35 minutes. Yes the AW139 is quite fast. The speeds used for the
calculations are in the PER(formance) page. We did not change them, so the FMS takes
the default speeds. When airborne, the FMS takes the actual ground speed.

In future revisions I will teach you how to introduce user waypoints, SAR patterns and
more. But you can play around with it and soon you’ll master it, because it works like a
standard Honeywell FMS.

6. PRE TAKE-OFF CHECKS


Now, the helicopter is nearly ready for take-off. The rotor is spinning, with 100% of NR.
How can I tell that? Just looking the MFD.

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This screen has almost all the information regarding engines and aircraft systems. You
can choose by clicking on the top “buttons” four different pages. Here is shown the
default one, called “Pwr Plant”. In the upper middle you find information about engine
parameters, such as NG, ITT, TQ, NR and NF. Below you have other critical information,
that I will explain in detail in further editions. Note that now the CWS tells us that we

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have switched on the pitot heaters (1-2 means 1 and 2). Remember that during take-off
and landing this screen must be selected.

Let’s do the pre- take off checks.

1. AFCS engaged. In the AFCS control panel you should see something like this:

Both AP1 and AP2 activated. If not, push on the corresponding button. You can choose
whether to fly in ATT mode (selected by default any time you engage autopilots) or to
fly in SAS mode. This works more or less like most real helicopters.

In SAS mode, the helicopter is free. You can move the cyclic with your joystick.

In ATT mode, the cyclic is stiff. You can`t move it, because the AFCS tries always to
maintain the selected attitude. To change the attitude, push F, put the desired attitude
and release F. In ATT you can trim the attitude with the following keys:

- E: nose down.
- C: nose up.
- S: roll left.
- F: roll right.

For an initial flight I would choose SAS mode.

2. MFD select PWR PLANT page. I got it.

3. PARK BRAKE handle released. As it is.

4. Floats switch armed. This is here, in the console panel:

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5. Engine mode selectors, both to flight. The EMS are two wheels, one for each engine,
with three positions: pointing to left, engine off, pointing forward, flight position, in the
middle, idle position.

6. ECL both to flight. The Engine Control Levers are on the overhead panel. Normally you
don’t have to touch them, because the engines are controlled with the EMS. Here you
have to check that both levers are in the “flight position”.

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7. TAKE-OFF
The AW139 has many different types of take-off profiles. The most common one is the
following2:

- Go to hover. Check NR at 100% and PI.

- Nose variation from hover to 7º down. Apply collective to hover PI plus 5%.

- Accelerate forward and climb to a point with 50 feet and 50 kias, then continue
accelerating to 80 kias.

- At 80 kias (Vy) maintain speed and keep climbing.

- At 200 feet, gear up and after take-off checks:

. Landing gear confirm up.

. Landing lights, confirm off.

. Engine parameters within limits.

. MFD as required.

BTW, what is PI? It is a measure of the power used or applied by the pilot. This data can
be read in the PFD (or Primary Flight Display). Here:

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CAT. B Take-off.

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8. CRUISE.
Once at your desired flight level or altitude you can fly manually or you can use the
autopilot modes. In further guides I will cover this topic in detail, but now I will give only
some notes about the autopilot:

- Engage modes pushing the different buttons in the control box (console panel).
Remember that ATT mode must be selected.

- Engaged modes will show on the top part of the PFD:

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- The top line means:

88 is the selected airspeed.

ALTA mode is engaged.

IAS mode is engaged.

HDG mode is engaged.

VS of 1000 fpm (climb) selected until 1150 altitude is reached.

- Note that magenta color means “selected” to be flown by the autopilot while blue and
white is just information.

- The references for altitude, speed, and VS can be changed by using the trim switches
in cyclic and collective (mouse wheel up and down):

SELECTED MODE ACTION


IAS Increase or decrease
reference airspeed.

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SELECTED MODE ACTION
ALT Increase or decrease ref.
altitude.
VS Increase or decrease ref.
VS.
RHT Increase or decrease ref.
radio height (also when in
hover).

The reference heading can be modified using the wheel in the front panel (mouse
wheel). Click on the wheel, and current heading will be selected.

9. NAVIGATION
The AW139 is equipped with a FMS, two VOR/ILS with DME, one ADF and a Marker
receiver. You can change frequencies for communications and navigations equipment
from the FMS. Push RADIO and it will show this:

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To change the COM1 frequency:

1. Push 2L, a white square will display on the stby frequency.


2. Put the mouse over the outer wheel (of the fms). With mouse wheel up and
down you can increase or decrease the “wholes”.
3. Put the mouse over the inner wheel. With mouse wheel you can modify the
decimals in the same way.
4. Once the desired frequency is in the stby. Frequency, push 1L, to change it to the
active frequency.

Push 5L to display de TCAS/XPDR menu. Push 6L to change between TCAS/XPDR modes.

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Another way to change the radionavigation frequencies consists in using the PFD. Here
I clicked on the COM1 square. Now it is bigger and if I scroll down or up over it with the
mouse wheel, I can change the standby frequency. If I click again, active and stby
frequencies exchange. With right click, the square is deselected.

How the navigation information is displayed and used is controlled by a control panel
called Pilot Display Controller (it’s on the front panel).

NAV selects VOR/ILS 1 or VOR/ILS 2 as main navigation source. The information of this
source will be shown on the PFD (in this picture, VOR1 is selected, course selected is
340):

LNAV selects FMS as primary navigation source. PFD will show information about next
waypoint in FMS flight plan:

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Note that in both cases, the heading banner is in magenta, what means that we are
flying with heading mode selected. If we want the AP fly following the navigation
equipment, we have to select NAV mode, pushing NAV button on the AP control panel.

Now we are flying with AP coupled with the FMS, the heading banner is blue and the
FMS banner is magenta. Remember: navigation source displayed on the PFD, is the
navigation source for the Auto Pilot.

The buttons with BRG banners activate (and deactivate) two pointer needles. In the first,
you can display bearing to VOR1, ADF or FMS. With the second, you can read bearing to
VOR2, ADF or FMS. Push two times on any of the buttons and see what happens.

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In this example, I selected VOR1 for the first needle (white) and FMS for the second
(green). These needles are ONLY for information. They do not drive the Auto Pilot.

HSI button changes the mode of the HSI on the PFD. There are three different modes.
HOVER, ARC and ROSE. The ROSE mode is shown in the above picture. ARC mode is more
or less the same but it displays a bigger moving chart, and a map with the flight plan
waypoints (pushing MAP button). HOVER mode is shown in page 20. It is auto-selected
any time hover mode is engaged. It displays the relative position of the hover point
(magenta circle) and the target position (blue square). HOVER mode doesn’t display
navigation information, so it’s not suitable for IFR flights.

To fly an ILS, fly the approach or follow the vectors. Tune the ILS frequency. When
approaching the ILS area with HDG mode and ALT mode, select APP. LOC mode and GS
mode will arm (white letters). When inside the localizer, the AP will switch off the HDG
mode, and LOC mode will be armed. When in the GS, the ALT mode will be switched off
and the GS mode will be armed. At 50 ft over the runway, the mode ALVL (Autolevel)

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will be armed, switching off the GS mode, and the helicopter will maintain a height of
50 feet over the runway.

But I will show you this and much more on the videos!!

For your personal use, I will add to this docs folder some training guides for the
helicopter and the Honeywell FMS that will help you to understand what this simulator
model can do. If you have any doubt, everything is in these guides.

10. LIGHTS.

The light control box is on the center panel or console panel. Here you can switch on
and off the dome light and the instrument lights.

The first swith on the left is for the dome light. This light is overhead and it acts as a
“flood” light. It illuminates the whole cockpit.

The three switches on the right are for the instrument lights. If you click on one of these,
all the three will change their position. The instrument lights will illuminate the system
control boxes in the overhead panel, the console panel and the instruments. In the real
helicopter you have to move the three switches one by one but there’s no sense in flying
with one in off position while the rest are in on position, so here we have made things
easier.

The following picture shows two views of the cockpit at night. The first with instrument
lights off, and the second with instrument lights on. Of course, you need power in the
electrical system to have the lights working.

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Regards,

Carlos Palacio.

Santiago de la Ribera, December 14th, 2015.

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