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Northrop F-15A / RF-61C Reporter

Thanks again, its finally up for download!! Doubt it will take long to fly from Point A to Point B in this thing!! LOL
 
One thing I wonder about the F-15 (and P-61) is why Northrop decided to have the struts on the outside of the main gear so that it looks "backwards"? I wonder if that caused ground crews any grief while changing wheels/tires or if there was enough room under it that it didn't matter?
 
Awesome work Dean and Pam ! This aircraft flies so well. Just did my initial test flight with it and I love it ! Mike :applause:
 
Flight Dynamics hotfix 27-04-18 immediate release.

OK guys.. we made a mistake..
I'm happy that you all are enjoying our humble offering, but your not flying the whole bannana. Your manifold pressure never rises above 54 in/Hg and the WEP doesnt do anything.
This hotfix corrects that. MP should go to 63 in/Hg on mil power and 73 in/HG on WEP. This lets you achieve the full speed this aircraft is capable of. Top speed of the aircraft should rise to 450 MPH at 25000 feet in level flight. The plane should fly by the book and i guarantee your experience will be better over all..
Please download this file and replace your current FDE with it.. This is a mandatory fix.
As this is the Beta stage of development, I will be continuing to work on and improve the flight characteristics till we have them absolutely correct. I welcome any and all feedback as it really does help me see things i may have missed so that i can improve them and correct them..
I look forward to your replies..
Pam

http://www.sim-outhouse.com/sohforums/local_links.php?action=jump&catid=4&id=23606
 
Many thanks to all who contributed to this fantastic wee beastie :applause: :applause:

It's pure American muscle and an absolute joy to fly. :jump: :jump:

Pete.
 
RF-61 reporter flight instructions addendum.

OK, before people start getting confused and angry because the plane isnt behaving as hoped I want to add this so that you all can understand and not become discouraged.

For the record:

YOU CANNOT FLY THIS PLANE LIKE ANY OTHER PLANE YOU HAVE FLOWN!

This aircraft requires that you fly it literally, by the numbers. You cannot simply increase or decrease the throttle. You MUST adjust the rpm and manifold pressure throughout each phase of your flight. That said, I am placing the correct combinations of settings below for takeoff, climbout, cruise and approach, below. You can also find these settings in Northrops P-61B Pilots Manual, though the performance of the engines in the P-61C and RF-61 are somewhat higher at the top end..
You will need to configure a joystick axis or keyboard button to control RPM. Manifold pressure is controlled through the throttle.
Enjoy.
Pam


Takeoff:
2700 rpm
63 In/Hg MP

Climbout:
2450 RPM
63 in/HG MP

Cruise:
2450 RPM
(Correction )45 in/Hg MP

Approach:
2000 RPM
30 in/Hg MP

Landing:
2000 RPM
20 in/Hg MP till short final.
 
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OH, Also, before i forget again.
I've added in the two outboard fuel tanks that the plane could carry. Each fuel tank carries 150 gallons of 130 octane fuel, and maybe its the extra lead in the gas, but the plane can be a little wobbly right after takeoff.. The four external tanks, combined with the internal tank give thi aircraft a max range of 4300 miles.
IF you do not plan on ever flying that far, you can comment out the entries for the external tanks in the aircraft config. It will also help the lateral stability of the craft. Enjoy!
Pam
 
Flyboy208 said:
Awesome work Dean and Pam ! This aircraft flies so well. Just did my initial test flight with it and I love it ! Mike :applause:
Click to expand...

Thanks Mike.. It means a lot to read that. With the hotfix uploaded and the settings for MP and RPM recorded, the flight experience will only get better.
Fliger pointed out some deficiencies in the release fde and i tested the hotfix against AFSD . The new FDE is very very close, and i'll be working on tightening it up even moreso. I hope this plane brings you and everyone hundreds and thousands of hours of flying enjoyment. :)..
Pam
 
Josh Patterson said:
One thing I wonder about the F-15 (and P-61) is why Northrop decided to have the struts on the outside of the main gear so that it looks "backwards"? I wonder if that caused ground crews any grief while changing wheels/tires or if there was enough room under it that it didn't matter?
Click to expand...

I'll be honest.. For someone who knows more about P-61s than almost anyone else, I can only guess that it was a design choice to allow the wheel to reside as close to the center of the wing as possible, creating a better over all balance of the planes physics.. But thats just a guess.. The originl designer of the P-61 was a Czech immigrant with a hell of a lot of insight into war and combat already having lived during the spanish civil war and the buildup of Nazi forces. All that insight went into the design of the P-61's.

I tend to go with the idea that locating the wheel higher in the wing supplemented the balance, because frankly, by design, these were the easiest and most stable aircraft created during WWII. It was frustrating as hell when i started the P-61B because I REALLY wanted to give you folks a challenge. I wanted this to be as real as it gets, and I would have made it extremely difficult right??

Johnny Meyers said "no, not going to happen". Johnny was the chief test pilot on the P-61 and every time he took the plane up, he would storm into Northrops design area and start grilling the designers over what he thought had to be changed. It helped make the P-61 one of the best designed aircraft in WWII, not to mention one of the most expensive. If there were someone in the cockpit to adjust dials and gauges, the P-61 could be flown, quite literally, by a hydro-cephalic monkey, or any common 18 year old kid, and it would bring him home safe and sound even after taking a few 20mm rounds. It had no real stall characteristics, no bad behavior, nothing. It was a real choir boy in behavior, with four cannon and four machine guns.. Guess even choir boys can have an attitude..

But yeah, thats why I think the wheels are inside the struts.. It's all about balance..

OH, and yeah. There was plenty of room under the wings for the ground crew. This plane wasnt big, It bordered on HUGE.. ( and it could out maneuver a p-38 and a hellkitty )

1st-Saipan-2.jpg



Addendum edit: After studying the physical plane a bit more I feel a bit silly.. Shame on me.. The wheels sat entirely inside the nacelle. Placing the strusts on the outside however, allows for a wider stance and greater stability during landing: a quality that would get tested on a hundred rough hewn strips throughout the world..
 
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For a plane that big, and I will presume heavy, compared to those other two, being more maneuverable is a heck of an achievement! Truly an impressive example of quality engineering.

Just out of curiosity, is that plane parked at Moffet Field, maybe before it even was Moffet? The hangar in the background looks kinda familiar...

Thanks SO much! It is a real joy to fly this bird. The size of a bomber, flies like a fighter.
Friggen amazing!
Pat☺
 
Wellll, now that you mention it, that does look like Hangar one a bit and i dont recall there being mountains in either new jersey or Ohio, but no. thats not moffett. Moffett as built between 1931 and 1932. That P-61B didnt exist untill 1944. A little research comes up with the pic being taken on Saipan, which would explain all the army combat uniforms and equipment ( not to mention full uniforms as Saipan as a main base where the brass likes spit shine and pressed pleats) instead of a forward airfield where boxers and topless was as close as it got most days.
 
Great catch Pam! :)

We have a few minor tweaks to perform on the Reporter but so far, so good. This is my first ever airplane build for flight sim, where I was both building and learning on the job so to speak, so I'm expecting there to be a few niggles. Share 'em here and we'll clean 'em up before the plane is released to the wider community.

I really hope everyone enjoys the Reporter. I'll be building the P-61C fuselage ready for release as a second package once the Reporter is in the clear. Rejoice! :wiggle:
 
Lights

Made a few light changes, operation and location, in the aircraft.cfg.
As an FYI their is a belly strobe that seems to be embedded in the model, not controllable by any switch.(?)
I also added a beacon and recognition switch to the vc.
(I'm sure improvements will be suggested and made)

Code: 
[lights]

//Types: 1=beacon, 2=strobe, 3=navigation, 4=cockpit, 5=landing, 6=taxi, 7=recognition, 8=wing, 9=logo, 10=cabin

light.0 = 3, -19.60, 33.00, 3.45, fx_navgre
light.1 = 3, -19.85, -32.90, 3.46, fx_navred
light.2 = 1, -24.863, 0, -2.900,fx_shockwave_beaconh // fx_lightObsRedSteady
light.3 = 4, -8.109, 0, 1.645, fx_vclightGreH
light.4 = 4, -16.92, 0, 3.78, fx_vclightGreH
light.5 = 5, -20.80, -23.30, 1.50, fx_Shockwave_landing_light // Shockwave light
light.6 = 5, -20.80, 23.30, 1.50, fx_Shockwave_landing_light // Shockwave light
light.7 =6, -7.20,  -0.30,  -2.85, fx_shockwave_landing_light_747_lw,  // Taxi Light

light.8 = 7, -33.500, 9.50, -1.030, fx_navred        // bottom red fuselage recognition
light.9 = 7, -34.500, 9.50, -0.970, fx_navwhi        // bottom amber fuselage recognition
light.10 = 7, -35.500, 9.50, -0.970, fx_navgre        // bottom green fuselage recognition

light.11 =2, -19.60, 33.00, 3.45, fx_strobeh ,  //Wing tip
light.12 =2, -19.85, -32.90, 3.46, fx_strobeh , //Wing tip
 
For a first effort, it's pretty good! There is lots of potential here.

A few observations using FSX/Accel boxed edition.

Frame rates and overall computer performance are excellent.

Issues:
Propeller rotation is backwards.
Generator gauges are blurred out and non-functional.
Cowl flaps indicator gauge is not working.
Left engine is linked to right engine gauges, right engine is linked to the left engine gauges.
Strobe light on belly is constantly "on", no way to turn it off.

I'm also getting a crash to desktop with the generic "Failed to read from file" message during takeoff. I'm not sure what's going on with that.

By the way, strobe lights did not come into aviation use until the late 1970's. Red rotating or flashing beacons were introduced in the 1950's.
 
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