I've added reheat to the engines to simulate water injection and then tweaked
it so that it's just about possible to take off with the full fuel load/ferry
configuration (a little under the mtow - 420,000lbs vs 450,000lbs).
It's interesting to note that the normal combat tow for the F model was
291,570lbs - equivilent to a fuel load of about 0.46 (this would actually
leave you with more fuel than in real life because some of that weight would
be the weapons load but here it's fuel)
Anyway, I've added all this info to the readme and explained some of the
reasoning behind the fdm there.
It still doesn't reach the correct altitudes, and certainly not with a full
fuel load, but it starts getting into the right ball park at combat tow.
I've also replaced the transparent instruments on the mini panel with some
text/digital ones. I wanted more accurate numbers when I was monitoring the
effects of fdm changes and the dials just didn't give the detail. They
aren't perfect and be difficult to see against certain backgrounds and in
certain lighting conditions but what the hey - nearly everything I do is a
bit of an experiment;)
Something I've noticed is that since I've started identifying flight surfaces
and gear components individually I've noticed some problems with the flaps
and gear in replay. I address the left and right flaps independently so they
have left&right-flap-pos-norms and don't get controlled by the replay
mechanism which must refer to the single flap-pos-norm. There's a similar
thing with the gear - I have to identify them individually so I can animate
them properly so on the b52 there're six gear elements but only the first
three are actioned in replay.
Personally, I think that the only way around this will be to provide
control-overrides for all these items, much like there're the AP control
overrides for throttle etc.
here's an update to the b52 - it's just some relatively minor changes to the
fdm and panels.
I've been trying to improve the take-off and landing characteristics, or at
least get them to fit the pictures and film I've seen.
The best way to take off is by using the autopilot - at sea level just extend
the flaps, punch in the altitude hold on the autopilot (and heading if you're
lazy), and apply full power. It'll also take of with the default the default
elevator trim of -0.07 but it 'staircases' a little bit - the auto pilot
smooths that out.
I've included some notes and observations about taking-off and landing in the
readme.
While I wouldn't claim any sort of accuracy for it, I hope it manages to get
some of the characteristics right.
Here're some updates for some of the instruments, the TSR2 and the B52.
The instruments are just parameterised/non-specific versions of the engine
and fuel gauges. The old gauges will still be used by the a10s and the sea
hawks until I get them done.
There're a couple of tweaks to the tsr2 yasim config and amendments to the
model file to change the angle at which the airbrakes operate, correct the
direction that the nose gear retracts/extends and to rotate the main-gear
carts during retraction/extention. There're also new panels, using the new
instruments.
The b52 yasim config has some big changes due to finding some more info i.e.
wing incidence of 6 degrees, fuel capacities and aileron changes (removed
from G & H versions!). It's now based on an 'F' model and I've put some
comments in the yasim config about it. The b52-readme.txt includes a
suggested method on getting airborne;). I've included an amended model -
B52-F.3ds, which is the default in the new model file, and a couple of panels.
I'm quite pleased with the b52 - the take-offs resemble the photographs I've
seen and I think I've got reasonable values where I've had to guess at stuff,
but the results from the yasim solver look as through the model is
approaching the limits of acceptability for yasim. By this I mean that the
model is probably a bit dodgy, not that the yasim solver is limited.
Here's a B52-H that I've done and it can be distributed under the same
conditions etc. as fgfs. It seems to fly ok but I'm sure it could do with a
bit of adjustment - perhaps Andy R. will have a look and give it a few tweaks.
It wouldn't need too much work to convert it to an -A model (different
engines, taller fin etc.) and then it could be teamed up with the X15 :)
I still can't get textures on the models but it occurred to me that if
someone could apply blank texture maps to the models I could then fill in the
blanks, as it were.
I also noticed that there don't appear to be models included for the F-104,
F-15 & F-16 and I think I could probably do some and animate them for fgfs if
they'd be useful.
Re the A10 - Andy said he'd had a look at it and made a few changes to fix a
few things that I'd done incorrectly and asked if I wanted to keep tinkering
with it or should he roll his changes into the fgfs cvs? I said to him that
I'd be happy to go with his changes as they'll be more realistic/accurate than
the stuff I've done.
I've certainly no problem with anyone doing anything with any of the stuff
I've done, so long as it's an improvement :)
