FSX Native Howard 500 from Milton

[Milton Shupe]

Really, the 250 taildragger? I thought folks liked the tri-gear better.

Maybe I better preserve the tail gear after all.

Just finishing up the Lodestar based fuselage on this one; have not done anything yet with wings, engines, or moving the tail gear forward and the main gear aft.

I need to find some slow start code (I think that Spokes2112 did) for all these radials.

EDIT: Okay, I will preserve a 250 taildragger as well just in case.

 

[expat]

Really, the 250 taildragger? I thought folks liked the tri-gear better.

Maybe I better preserve the tail gear after all.

I have long suspected you can read my mind. Convinced now!

Yes, I think I was keen on the tri gear earlier too. Perhaps the taildragger looks better on the ground? Having either would be terrific - both would be exceptional!

 

[expat]

Those screen shots look devilishly retro cool!

 

[Sundog]

Oh wow, I didn't realize you were making the tri-gear, I just assumed the previews before were of the tail dragger. This is great and a source of frustration, because it takes me a half an hour to decide which of Milton's planes I'm going to fly in the sim!

 

[Willy]

This is great and a source of frustration, because it takes me a half an hour to decide which of Milton's planes I'm going to fly in the sim!

The struggle is real. But it usually goes to.. the Beech 18, uh... Lodestar, uh... Ventura, uh... Spartan, uh... Howard 500.....

 

[Milton Shupe]

LOL Just do them one at a time, or by day of the month.

Trying to wrap up fuselage re-mapped interior for the 250 and move on to nose gear before I can re-map the fuselage for textures.
Hope to get that done today.

Found my black window issue; failed to put the texture in the folder. Duh!
Part of the cockpit side windows will also be tinted deep to hide the cockpit rear panel and visibility into the cabin.

 

[Milton Shupe]

Oh wow, I didn't realize you were making the tri-gear, I just assumed the previews before were of the tail dragger. This is great and a source of frustration, because it takes me a half an hour to decide which of Milton's planes I'm going to fly in the sim!

Me either I get bored quickly and must keep busy. So, I thought I would see what I could do, if anything, with the Lodestar L-18 fuse. Took about 8 hours to eliminate old windows, doors, clean up the mesh, reshape the cockpit windows area and get the nose and tail and in between shaped to look right. Then recut the windows and doors, reshaping the tail fairing, and getting all the associated connected stuff to fit right. Seems like its going to work okay.

Got the interior cabin stripped out, refitted somewhat, and re-mapped for textures.

So, now, get some nose wheel doors cut in and built and animate nose gear is next up. Once that is done, I can move on to the engine changes to cowling, exhaust ring, add doors, and move the gear back, and animate them forward.

All busy work ... will get done eventually.

Have not read up on what Howard did, if anything, to performance compared to the L-18 with Wrights aside from a slicker fuselage and improved wings contributions.

Do you have anything on that?

 

[TuFun]

I can't paint anything like you Willy! It's actually Ted's (TuFun) hi res paint (N137U) which I "stepped on" i.e., re-colored very simply using dxt/bmp and GIMP. Got the idea from a photo of a Howard 250 taildragger. Also borrowed the rudder texture from someone else. I will need to get TuFun's permission to share it.

I actually find the lines of the Lodestar with Learstar or Howard 250 treatment the most elegant of the bunch. Can't beat the brutish performance of the H500 though!

Cool blue color... by all means go ahead and release this one and any others you have in mind.

@ Milton, beautiful lines that 350 has sorta a dolphin in the sky!

I like blue... making blueprints is what I do for fun!

 

[Sundog]

Do you have anything on that?

I found this at Facebook. It's a brochure for the 500 and 250. I've attached the H250 images as well.

Regards, Ken

 

[Milton Shupe]

I found this at Facebook. It's a brochure for the 500 and 250. I've attached the H250 images as well.

Regards, Ken

Whoa! Well Done Ken

 

[Willy]

That 250 is one slick looking aircraft!

 

[Milton Shupe]

That 250 is one slick looking aircraft!

It'll be a keeper, Willy. Already, I like the way it taxis, the take off, landing and rollout.

Of course, the performance and efficiency are better than the L-18 in every way; cruise speeds 260-265 mph.

Working to tweak the nose gear responses and animations now. Need to get that right before I cut in the gear bay doors.

 

[zswobbie1]

Awesome stuff.
Are we FS9'ers going to be part of the party as well?
Pleeeze!

Regards
Robin

 

[wellis]

It'll be a keeper, Willy. Already, I like the way it taxis, the take off, landing and rollout.

Of course, the performance and efficiency are better than the L-18 in every way; cruise speeds 260-265 mph.

Working to tweak the nose gear responses and animations now. Need to get that right before I cut in the gear bay doors.

SWEET!

 

[Milton Shupe]

Awesome stuff.
Are we FS9'ers going to be part of the party as well?
Pleeeze!

Regards
Robin

Not likely Robin. Interestingly, converting from FSX native back to FS9 is more difficult than FS9 to FSX; so much is lost in materials and textures, and capability.
I won't totally reject the idea at this time but I do wince with pain just considering it. LOL

Not sure if one of the model converters can do this with less pain but I am open to someone giving that a go if it is possible.

 

[Willy]

It'll be a keeper, Willy. Already, I like the way it taxis, the take off, landing and rollout.

Of course, the performance and efficiency are better than the L-18 in every way; cruise speeds 260-265 mph.

Working to tweak the nose gear responses and animations now. Need to get that right before I cut in the gear bay doors.

I've been working on this paint scheme on and off for a good while. I started on it some time ago for the Alabeo Gee Bee Z, then decided it would look better on the Howard 500. It's one of those on and off the back burner specials. I ended up using it as a "generic" AI H500. But now I'm wondering how it would look all polished up on a Howard 250.

 

[Milton Shupe]

I've been working on this paint scheme on and off for a good while. I started on it some time ago for the Alabeo Gee Bee Z, then decided it would look better on the Howard 500. It's one of those on and off the back burner specials. I ended up using it as a "generic" AI H500. But now I'm wondering how it would look all polished up on a Howard 250.

Interesting Willy; looks a bit like this Howard 350. Maybe it would be there?

On the 250, now have the gear all placed and animated correctly; now on to the doors, cowling changes, prop spinners, brake lines, nose wheel brakes, etc.

 

[zswobbie1]

That would be great, Milton. I have all, Harpoon, Lodestar, Howard, Ventura etc in my FS2004 'History' install, I I thought that collection was complete, until I saw the 250 & 350.

So, any conversion takers out there, very big please.

BTW, I did a Best of Freeware 2018 FS2004 for Flightsim.com & it got more hits than their Beast of P3D & FSX, so there is still a large following of us out there.

Thanks, in anticipation,
Robin

 

[SSI01]

Looking forward very much indeed to this latest production. I have all the aircraft listed in zswobbie1's post in my FSX hangar and even got the Howard 500 for FS9 to work after a fashion in FSX. What you're in the process of doing is orders of magnitude beyond where I am.

No hurry, Milton - just sayin'. Can't hurry perfection. Or, to paraphrase Orson Welles, "We will release no aircraft before its time."

 

[Milton Shupe]

Looking forward very much indeed to this latest production. I have all the aircraft listed in zswobbie1's post in my FSX hangar and even got the Howard 500 for FS9 to work after a fashion in FSX. What you're in the process of doing is orders of magnitude beyond where I am.

No hurry, Milton - just sayin'. Can't hurry perfection. Or, to paraphrase Orson Welles, "We will release no aircraft before its time."

My goal is to deliver decent, interesting aircraft that have reasonable models, panels, sounds, textures, and a good flight model, be easy on frame rates, and be a product that people enjoy using and keep going back to.

Perfection is not anywhere in my mission, objectives, strategies or goals. It takes too long (years) and is still subjective based on the eye of the beholder.
Wouldn't you rather fly it sooner than later?

Meanwhile, the 250 now has a nice set of refined chrome spinners. I have seen 3 types used,this is one of two.