A Race Event: Airfields of the Southwest Pacific II.
- Thread starter PRB
- Start date
salt_air
Charter Member
I would like to announce an effort, I hope will get Miss Nellies approval, in Class 2 using FS9 and default real weather w/updates.
Plan is to use my entry, in this fine event, to allow some left seat time in the Lockheed PV-2 Harpoon that Milton Shupe has just finished.
No rocket ship, but it sure is a refreshing quality model that I know I will enjoy flying and conguring up uses for in the future.
A big round of applause for the effort(s) put forth by everyone listed in the File ID text (copied to this post) as well as anyone else that may have had a hand in beta testing along the way.
In less than an hour I can tell this is yet another superb aircraft from the greatest modeling team known.
Cheers!
[Copy and Paste below from harpfs9.zip file]
FS2004 Only Lockheed PV-2 Harpoon - Full Release v1.2
by Milton Shupe, Tom Falley, Scott Thomas, and Sounds by Nigel Richards. Pilot figures by Jan Visser. Special thanks to Rachael "Firekitten" Whiteford for helping us get to the finish line with textures.
Pkg incl 8 models, a custom panel and gauges, custom sounds, custom Flight Model, and 8 liveries.
August 14, 2015
Plan is to use my entry, in this fine event, to allow some left seat time in the Lockheed PV-2 Harpoon that Milton Shupe has just finished.
No rocket ship, but it sure is a refreshing quality model that I know I will enjoy flying and conguring up uses for in the future.
A big round of applause for the effort(s) put forth by everyone listed in the File ID text (copied to this post) as well as anyone else that may have had a hand in beta testing along the way.
In less than an hour I can tell this is yet another superb aircraft from the greatest modeling team known.
Cheers!
[Copy and Paste below from harpfs9.zip file]
FS2004 Only Lockheed PV-2 Harpoon - Full Release v1.2
by Milton Shupe, Tom Falley, Scott Thomas, and Sounds by Nigel Richards. Pilot figures by Jan Visser. Special thanks to Rachael "Firekitten" Whiteford for helping us get to the finish line with textures.
Pkg incl 8 models, a custom panel and gauges, custom sounds, custom Flight Model, and 8 liveries.
August 14, 2015
Spookster67
Charter Member
Paul - here's the FM I quickly created for the Betty. All I did was edit the "drag at zero lift" figure in AAM (Record 1101, primary aerodynamics) until I got the maximum speed coming out at 230 KTAS at 17,000 Critical Altitude. It changed from 0.02880 originally to 0.05859 in here).
View attachment SG_Betty.zip
I'll be starting a Betty trip in the event, but not for at least a week yet (so early September).
salt_air
Charter Member
Hi Paul, Martin .... All,
[Thoughts from a simple mind]:
Well this is handy .... Must have tested and thrown out a dozen appropriate aircraft that were too hot.
I actually gave up looking for a Zero that would "work" and moved to other suitable IJA aircraft including this one and turned up nil.
Maybe educating to these skills could take away the need (headache) for White Lists in events such as the RTW.
Simply find appropriate aircraft .... period specific, correct Theater, whatever applies to the event's theme ... and "fix" it to fit a more realistic performance standard (what we all want anyway).
Round peg for a square hole ... no probs, pass the knife so I can start whittling .... ready to go in just few minutes (so to speak).
[Long term]
The solution to what's been an absolute nuisance for event planners and marshals for many, many years now as well as a huge source of frustration for average "Joe" flight simmer who would like to use his favorite ride, on the flip side of that coin, could disappear, for ever.
Shine some light on the fix .... what has been taboo ... and break out a complied source of standards per aircraft (whatever has been used all these years, another light switch that needs to be turned on).
Wind up with a printable sheet (performance specs) .... expect to make edits from time to time for additions if nothing else ... explain how to make a model compliant and help (always remember that word with this hobby of ours) anyone that needs it .... then hold the entrants accountable for "Correct" cfg and airfiles that would have to be submitted when they entered/registered for an event.
With that epic and too long running "Tug of War" eliminated just think about how fluent and simple event planning would become and how open and inviting events would be for newcomers.
I would have to echo everyone else's concern about what is actually "Real World Weather". No two people see the same weather and judging from the screenshots I've seen posted people on the very same leg, same day see totally different weather patterns. Over the entire race length I never had a single day where even flying at 2500 feet I was able to make out an Island that was more than 5nm away. Even on final, in many cases I still had a heavy haze sitting over the landscape.
I understand the need for the presumption of Real World Weather for everyone, just to ensure that an individual or a group isn't flying in clear blue skies and light winds while everyone else is battling a Monsoon on approach. However it's obvious that there is no real consistency among all the various "so called" RW Weather programs. I don't know how you fix something like this. . .the only thing that comes to mind is to require every flight be made in Multiplayer and have the weather preset by the administrators. . .one weather environment for all flyers and over the course of a set number of days to complete the race the weather settings would be changed randomly on the fly, eliminating the individual weather programs completely because there is too much diversity between programs to be accurate for all.
I understand the need for the presumption of Real World Weather for everyone, just to ensure that an individual or a group isn't flying in clear blue skies and light winds while everyone else is battling a Monsoon on approach. However it's obvious that there is no real consistency among all the various "so called" RW Weather programs. I don't know how you fix something like this. . .the only thing that comes to mind is to require every flight be made in Multiplayer and have the weather preset by the administrators. . .one weather environment for all flyers and over the course of a set number of days to complete the race the weather settings would be changed randomly on the fly, eliminating the individual weather programs completely because there is too much diversity between programs to be accurate for all.
I've always been a great fan of alternatives to maintaining white lists. Just ask Mike, he can confirm this...
This event was an attempt in that direction. The speed classes in this event were meant to be more "fs speed" class than "real speed" classes. So we test planes to see how fast they go, and place them in the appropriate class. Done. Now you can fly whatever you want. The concept broke down almost immediately, however. As large variations in speed between this vendor's P-40 and that vendor's model, for example, were discovered, potentially placing them into different speed classes, which looked "un-natural". The reflexive, uncontrollable reaction was to figure out which one was "hot" and therefore illegal, placing us right back in white list territory again... And we still had to test the planes to figure what speed class they belong to, so the whole point of why I don't like white lists, the endless testing, was not avoided at all.I like the idea of a database of "acceptable" flight models for those planes deemed to be hot. We're only talking about speed, after all, and simply tweaking the static drag coefficient, like Martin did for the G4M, may be all that is required. Maybe... Tweaking one innocent looking static drag coefficient value might fix the max speed at critical altitude, but it might also throw it off at low altitude, or reduce the range performance to way below what was accurate for that plane. Flight modeling in FS is a bit of a black art, requiring appropriate amounts of chicken blood and magical incantations. Knowing real aerodynamics is only half the battle, because FS aerodynamics doesn't work like real aerodynamics, and knowing what to tweak, which may be counter intuitive, to get the result you want, takes a lot of patience and testing. I say this not as one who has figured out how to do it, but only as one who has experienced the frustration...
I've been working on a project for a couple years now. It started out as a tool that would calculate a plane's "in-sim" performance, without having to actually test it in the sim. That goal may be beyond reach, but in the mean time, the site has "transformed" into a repository of flight test data. It would be easy to add the ability to store alternate flight model files, and allow them to be downloaded. Interesting idea...
I'm switching to RealWXLite, to see how it works. Don't like the 50 NM vis and no clouds "real" weather I've been getting from the default system. The thing I don't like about RealWXLite is that when it updates the weather, my frame rate slows to a slide show until it's download the entire solar system's weather data from it's server.
We kicked around this thought for another event idea that has not come to light just yet. Maybe this Fall we can try it out.
I have had the low viz cloudy environment for the legs I have flown so far. (At lower alts anyways).
Thanks Martin!
Interesting ideas on changing the FM on each Aircraft. If each of us pilots could do this on the AC we would fly, including testing, this might shorten the workload on creating a white list.
Weather wise, yes there seem to be some big differences. My default real WX has been clear since New Ireland. With light winds.
Weather wise, yes there seem to be some big differences. My default real WX has been clear since New Ireland. With light winds.
Wow. RealWXLite doesn't stop the sim entirely, just slows it down. And unless it happens on final approach, I don't even notice it. But sometimes it does happen while on final... I think I could get used to it. It does make more varied weather, and hazy horizons, which looks nice.
spokes2112
Charter Member
Miss Nellie,
Just some information about external WX engines. ( I use FSRealWX Pro ) Yesterday during a marathon session (5:30am - 4:00pm) about half way I noticed that the 51 just wasn't performing up to par. Did one more flight and then shut down everything (Sim & Comp) for about an hour before joining my teammates for a MP session. During a flight it was chatted about our WX conditions. Mine was off, not winds wise, but rather clouds and precip etc.. For the kicks of it, fingers crossed as Duenna was live, I went into FS and selected "Download Real WX" then immediately went back to FSRealWX Pro and downloaded the WX. Voila! Clouds came back, a little precip and best off all the 51 jumped up ~30 knots, INSTANTLY!
A little my fault as I should've noticed the temp being off. I assume what had happened is that during a WX write by FSRealWX Pro something got corrupted and stayed that way! Ignoring all subsequent writes. Flushing the WX by a properly formatted download from Jeppesen cured it.
It is now on my SOP to "flush" the WX before each flight and if a subsequent WX download causes the WX to "not seem right" (ex. clear skies suddenly after being in clouds) I will flush it again.
Just FYI about FSRealWX Pro/Lite - The writing stutters are fixed in the pro version and it's still free. All that's necessary is registering at the site in order to download. It seems that the pro version is now called V2 and $20 is needed for a continued "Full" package, although not necessary. --> WIKI I never got past the grace period because as of lately he been releasing updates nearly weekly. I hope that, after the grace, the program fits the bill to do one thing - inject proper, realtime WX into the sim.
Just some information about external WX engines. ( I use FSRealWX Pro ) Yesterday during a marathon session (5:30am - 4:00pm) about half way I noticed that the 51 just wasn't performing up to par. Did one more flight and then shut down everything (Sim & Comp) for about an hour before joining my teammates for a MP session. During a flight it was chatted about our WX conditions. Mine was off, not winds wise, but rather clouds and precip etc.. For the kicks of it, fingers crossed as Duenna was live, I went into FS and selected "Download Real WX" then immediately went back to FSRealWX Pro and downloaded the WX. Voila! Clouds came back, a little precip and best off all the 51 jumped up ~30 knots, INSTANTLY!
A little my fault as I should've noticed the temp being off. I assume what had happened is that during a WX write by FSRealWX Pro something got corrupted and stayed that way! Ignoring all subsequent writes. Flushing the WX by a properly formatted download from Jeppesen cured it.
It is now on my SOP to "flush" the WX before each flight and if a subsequent WX download causes the WX to "not seem right" (ex. clear skies suddenly after being in clouds) I will flush it again.
Just FYI about FSRealWX Pro/Lite - The writing stutters are fixed in the pro version and it's still free. All that's necessary is registering at the site in order to download. It seems that the pro version is now called V2 and $20 is needed for a continued "Full" package, although not necessary. --> WIKI I never got past the grace period because as of lately he been releasing updates nearly weekly. I hope that, after the grace, the program fits the bill to do one thing - inject proper, realtime WX into the sim.
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Thanks Roman! I will try to get the latest version after this flight. My current version of Lite is also doing some other odd stuff. 1) upon first attempt at downloading weather, at the beginning of the flight, it will lockup and require restart. Subsequent wx downloads go ok. 2) About a minute before a "scheduled wx update", the current wx in the sim will sometimes go to clear. Hoping the latest version fixes this.
Paul, the FSrealWX site says that lite is no longer supported and I couldn't find the download for it there (couldn't find it anywhere else either). There was a free download for FSrealWX Pro, but apparently it's a trial version as last night mine was saying I had 15 days of the trial period left. Not sure how I missed that tidbit when I downloaded it. Not sure what I'm going to do about it in a couple of weeks. Probably go back to the default Real Wx and hope for the best for now.
I found the old lite version under the archive link. I downloaded the v2 version and will try it after the flight I'm on. From what Roman is saying, you can install v2, and not pay the 20.00, so it will be, more or less, a "v2 lite". That's ok with me, especially if it fixes the slowdown while downloading weather. I'll report back what I find.
Sounds good, I'll head over there in a bit to dig in the Archives.
On another note, when I'm not flying the SBD to the PI, I've been mucking about with the AH Seafire III which will be my ride on the way back. Right now, mostly supersizing the textures and converting them to dds format for FSX. This is a paint that was done for CFS 2 that I was testing about an hour ago.
Here's a link to the modified FSX aircraft.cfg that fixes the fuel & flaps issues. Will also work in FS2004
http://www.sim-outhouse.com/sohforums/local_links.php?action=jump&catid=205&id=20089
I tested it out at 330GS and a range of 300ish nm.
On another note, when I'm not flying the SBD to the PI, I've been mucking about with the AH Seafire III which will be my ride on the way back. Right now, mostly supersizing the textures and converting them to dds format for FSX. This is a paint that was done for CFS 2 that I was testing about an hour ago.
Here's a link to the modified FSX aircraft.cfg that fixes the fuel & flaps issues. Will also work in FS2004
http://www.sim-outhouse.com/sohforums/local_links.php?action=jump&catid=205&id=20089
I tested it out at 330GS and a range of 300ish nm.
Attachments
MM
Charter Member
For the return trip, I'll set up for the Mitsubishi A6M2 Zero to honor one of the remarkable designs of the era. Sorry to say, not sure about having enough time to do the job.
In its time, the A6M2 was a stunning achievement. Just as the fixed-gear open-cockpit A5M "Claude" was entering service in 1937, the Imperial Japanese Navy set out a set of specifications for an aircraft with high standards of speed, climb rate, maneuverability, and extreme long-range as well as being capable of carrier operations. All this with existing Japanese aircraft engines. The IJN correctly anticipated that modern naval air power needed to project power over a distance rather than merely defend the fleet. Nakajima's engineers slowly decided that the new standards were unachievable, but Mitsubishi's chief designer, young Jiro Horikoshi, believed that his team could do the job. (The mild-mannered Horkoshi became something of a aviation legend. His highly fictionalized life is the subject of Miyazaki's last animated film The Wind Rises.)
Horikoshi (center) and the Mitsubishi A6M1 Design Team in 1937
The new design was engineered to be of radical lightweight construction, using new aluminum alloys and every trick in the book to keep weight down. The reigning Japanese warrior philosophy was for fighter pilots to take an offensive stance, winning battles by taking the fight to the enemy, and largely ignored defensive measures such as armor-plating or self-sealing fuel tanks. The resulting aircraft, married with the Nakajima Sakae 21 engine, met and exceeded the "impossible" design requirements. It went into service in 1940 for the China war. In December 1941, it entered the broader war at Pearl Harbor and the Philippines.
In the hands of the IJN's highly-trained pilots, the Zero (Reisen) dominated the skies in 1941-1942. Eventually, the Americans found group tactics that evened the playing field. Flying from carriers as well as from land bases, it formed the backbone of the Imperial Japanese Navy's fighter corps for most of the war despite the fact that it became outclassed by 1944. Even at the end, in the hands of an expert pilot the Zero could hold its own. (The design's lack of defensive measures meant that Zero pilots were likely to be lost. And Japan just could not train new pilots quickly enough to maintain their air forces' quality. By the time the aircraft lost its technical advantages so did the pilot corps lose its high skill levels. The result was a military disaster.)
This is an A6M2-21 (the main early war variant) modeled by our friends at Aeroplane Heaven for FSX (sold by Just Flight). The tested top speed is 295 KTAS at 16,200 feet which is fairly close to the Wikipedia cited 287@14,930. The ship portrayed above flew from Clark field while defending Manila during the winter of 1944.
Following the lead of IJN pilots, we'll nickname our ship "Ronson."
Mike
In its time, the A6M2 was a stunning achievement. Just as the fixed-gear open-cockpit A5M "Claude" was entering service in 1937, the Imperial Japanese Navy set out a set of specifications for an aircraft with high standards of speed, climb rate, maneuverability, and extreme long-range as well as being capable of carrier operations. All this with existing Japanese aircraft engines. The IJN correctly anticipated that modern naval air power needed to project power over a distance rather than merely defend the fleet. Nakajima's engineers slowly decided that the new standards were unachievable, but Mitsubishi's chief designer, young Jiro Horikoshi, believed that his team could do the job. (The mild-mannered Horkoshi became something of a aviation legend. His highly fictionalized life is the subject of Miyazaki's last animated film The Wind Rises.)
Horikoshi (center) and the Mitsubishi A6M1 Design Team in 1937
The new design was engineered to be of radical lightweight construction, using new aluminum alloys and every trick in the book to keep weight down. The reigning Japanese warrior philosophy was for fighter pilots to take an offensive stance, winning battles by taking the fight to the enemy, and largely ignored defensive measures such as armor-plating or self-sealing fuel tanks. The resulting aircraft, married with the Nakajima Sakae 21 engine, met and exceeded the "impossible" design requirements. It went into service in 1940 for the China war. In December 1941, it entered the broader war at Pearl Harbor and the Philippines.
In the hands of the IJN's highly-trained pilots, the Zero (Reisen) dominated the skies in 1941-1942. Eventually, the Americans found group tactics that evened the playing field. Flying from carriers as well as from land bases, it formed the backbone of the Imperial Japanese Navy's fighter corps for most of the war despite the fact that it became outclassed by 1944. Even at the end, in the hands of an expert pilot the Zero could hold its own. (The design's lack of defensive measures meant that Zero pilots were likely to be lost. And Japan just could not train new pilots quickly enough to maintain their air forces' quality. By the time the aircraft lost its technical advantages so did the pilot corps lose its high skill levels. The result was a military disaster.)
This is an A6M2-21 (the main early war variant) modeled by our friends at Aeroplane Heaven for FSX (sold by Just Flight). The tested top speed is 295 KTAS at 16,200 feet which is fairly close to the Wikipedia cited 287@14,930. The ship portrayed above flew from Clark field while defending Manila during the winter of 1944.
Following the lead of IJN pilots, we'll nickname our ship "Ronson."
Mike
And I'm sure Miss Nellie won't mind extending the deadline if there are pilots in the air...
spokes2112
Charter Member
For either a return trip - or - a ferry then return to Santa Anna I'll be flying the MAAM-SIM B-25J Mitchell in the ship #41-30669 (Actually a "D" Model) 'Tondelayo' in class II. (FSX, FSRealWX Pro)
From the description - The B-25J Tondelayo' served with the 345th Bombardment Group known as the "Air Apaches" as it served in the 500th BS. The Tondelayo was one of three B-25Ds that sunk a 6,000-ton freighter in the South Pacific during World War II. Its story was unique in the fact that During the battle, the Tondelayo's engine was shot out and for over an hour it combated 50 Japanese fighter planes as it headed down the New Britain coast. The other two accompanying B-25s were shot down during the battle. The plane's turret gunner was given credit for shooting down five Japanese fighters and the crew earned the Distinguished Unit Citation and Silver Stars.
More information about this aircraft & crew at Pacific Wrecks dot com.
A flying rendition of this ship (44-28932) is owned by the Collings Foundation.
'Tondelayo' at Rabaul.
From the description - The B-25J Tondelayo' served with the 345th Bombardment Group known as the "Air Apaches" as it served in the 500th BS. The Tondelayo was one of three B-25Ds that sunk a 6,000-ton freighter in the South Pacific during World War II. Its story was unique in the fact that During the battle, the Tondelayo's engine was shot out and for over an hour it combated 50 Japanese fighter planes as it headed down the New Britain coast. The other two accompanying B-25s were shot down during the battle. The plane's turret gunner was given credit for shooting down five Japanese fighters and the crew earned the Distinguished Unit Citation and Silver Stars.
More information about this aircraft & crew at Pacific Wrecks dot com.
A flying rendition of this ship (44-28932) is owned by the Collings Foundation.
'Tondelayo' at Rabaul.