Have you ever thought while flying the amphibious Cessna 172, "I wonder if you could put some extra fuel in those pontoons to increase the range of this thing." Well, the answer to that question is now "yes."
Yes, this is a fictitious mod, but I tried to make it as realistic as possible. I'll explain below.
I give you the Cessna 172LR (Long Range)
The highlights:
- Double the fuel capacity of the standard C172! (56 gallons in the main tanks, 56 gallons in the external pontoon tanks)
- Double the range! (1100 nm)
- Only a little bit slower! (Cruising speed ~110-118 kts)
Basically, I added two external fuel tanks, physically situated (via the flight model config file) where the floats really are, in order to give realistic fight characteristics. Based on the actual measurements from the manufacturer of the floats on the C172 in MSFS (Wipaire/Wipline), 28 gallons is nowhere near the maximum volume of fuel that could conceivably fit inside the forward section each of the floats, so even completely loaded down, you would still have plenty of buoyancy.
All of this extra weight from the fuel presented a problem for the tiny powerplant and airframe loads that the Cessna 172 can handle. So I went looking for a real-world solution and found a basis for one:
The company who makes the floats, Wipaire/Wipline, offers a modification service for the Cessna 182 (yes I know this mod is for a C172 but stick with me) called the BOSS182, which is an engine swap, port, polish, and tune to give a 48% increase in horsepower and a 37% increase in MTOW. I applied these percentage increases to power and MTOW for the C172 to bring the power and usable load up to where they need to be to handle the increased weight from the extra fuel.
Still working on the fuel gauge for the float tanks. It's there on the G1000, but it doesn't work yet.
Are you ready to fly a long way at a leisurely pace? Upgrade your Amphibious Cessna 172 to a C172LR today!
Works perfectly, looks great
and is a great upgrade for the plane.
It is compatible with SU11,
thanks for that
1 years ago
Quassel89
This mod looks perfect! It probably would be, if it was also displayed in the simulator. Too bad there are no conditions that must be met and a procedure for installing the mod. Because the normal procedure does not work and the mod does not appear in the game!
2 years ago
tibor
The thought of sitting in what is basically a rattling dustbin for 1100 miles fills me with dread !
Thanks for the mod
2 years ago
lol
2 years ago
jmdunkle
mgh65
I agree...it would be a real world question for any owner,..especially with night flying...from the Great Lakes to let's say, Key West! Thank you!
2 years ago
Problem with fluid in the floats is it changes the center point. A friend of mines uncle tried taking off wit hwater in teh float. needless to say, the play didn't make it. All that was salvageable was the wings, which still need structural repair and rewrapped. long story short, water in floats equals crash
2 years ago
rulinlouie3
GetIT
Great idea. Can you do ATW versions for other planes? Try placing extra fuel tanks in the passenger and cargo areas for trips around the world (ATW).
https://www.quora.com/How-much-does-it-cost-for-a-private-pilot-to-fly-around-the-world-in-a-small-single-engine-plane
2 years ago
bofhlusr