fgdata/Aircraft/c172p/NEWS.md

List of features and bug fixes

Version 2018.2

Features:

• Major overhaul of the 3D model, including:
  • Thicker wings with a more rounded leading edge
  • Improved taxi and landing lights, VHF antennas and recessed fuel caps
  • Model ribs to show through broken wing
  • Improvements to tail and rudder, including animated rudder cables
  • Cowling now protrudes around the nose
  • Front windshield redesign to allow for proper vent fittings
  • Tie-down connections on the wing look a little more realistic
  • Added a vent line pipe to the left wing
  • New landing gear strut steps and improved strut to fuselage connection
  • Improved textures of air intake, cockpit bars, trim wheel, propeller, glare shield, tires
  • Add two sided prop blur to livery system
  • Moved panel upwards
  • Improved flap model and animation
  • New exterior door handles and relocated bottom door hinges
  • Added GPS device with a new texture and added mount
  • Added rudder pedal push rod model, sump port models, animated cabin air vent, engine compartment vent, wing vent holes, elevator trim tab
  • New disc brakes, cowling handhold, animated oil door and cap, animated fuel caps
• Improved ground equipment
• The f key can be used to toggle the flash light
• Changes to the FDM:
  • Allow aerodynamic interaction between the aircraft and AI traffic models
  • Make the pitch axis less sensitive to control. Increase the adverse yaw, also results in a better slip-skid-ball behaviour
• Added a new HD livery: N73429
• Improved sounds:
  • Better engine sound based on a real recording
  • New idle engine sound which is cross-faded with the regular engine sound so that it is only perceived at low RPMs. It has that characteristic "rumbling" of low RPM
  • New crank and engine start sounds, much improved from the default ones. In particular, the engine now starts with a large "thump" just like a real engine does
  • New sound for when the engine is cut, also based on a real 172 recording
  • New sounds for the primer lever, a low volume squeak sound based on reference videos of startup procedures
• Added registrations to the bottom wing of all liveries
• Implemented engine damage when flying at a RPM higher than the red mark
• More advanced oil management and consumption calculation
• Improved hydrodynamic modeling
• Support mooring (including rope and buoy animation) and spawning at a seaport

Fixes:

• Animation of primer and carburettor heat levers so that they don't just flip between their binary positions
• Autopilot buttons are now animated
• Applied shadow effect to more objects in the cabin
• Fixed a bug with the control lock being added to a hidden yoke
• Fix some switches in the KMA 20 instrument changing the dials in the two radio's below it
• Improved DME clickspots
• Nose wheel is no longer buried in the ground
• Fix collision of beacon lights with beacon lamp model

Version 2018.1

• New images for the new splash screen and thumbnails system
• FDM improvements:
  • Fixed deflection angles of ailerons and roll moment due to ailerons
  • Added spiraling propwash effect (requiring right rudder at full throttle, low airspeed)
  • Made the elevator action at high AoA asymmetric in order to take into account the screening effect of the horizontal stabilizer in such stall conditions
  • Increasing the side force due to rudder, to make it consistent with the exerted moment
  • Decreasing the adverse yaw (the aileron trim gave too much slip-skid-ball deviation at cruise)
• Increased maximum rotation of yoke from 70 to 90 degrees
• Use shift + q to reset view
• Added avionics sound
• Fixed bug with oil temperature and pressure gauges (they were not working when complex engine procedures was toggled off)
• Fixed bug with lighting of pontoon wake effect
• Eliminated wingtip and tail sparks when over water
• Eliminated sparks of broken gear while aircrafts sits on the flight deck of a moving carrier
• Fixed some bugs with the walker

Version 2017.1

• Control surfaces can be checked for free movement during preflight inspection
• The opening of the baggage dialog was delayed as to wait for the animation of the baggage door
• Cleaning up the Aircraft Options dialog
• Improvements to the Ground Equipment dialog
• Callsigns of new users are automatically randomized to avoid them blocking other new users on multiplayer
• New About This Aircraft dialog, with information about the project as well as relevant links
• The pilot's yoke can now be locked with a control lock (lock can be found in the bag on the left of the pilot's seat)
• Fix bug with ADF timer in the radio stack
• Added view for IFR training
• Improvements to the carburetor system (icing, carb heat)
• Improvements to the engine coughs (due to fuel contamination or carb ice)
• Lowered limit of critical oil level according to Lycoming's manual
• Critical oil will not cause the engine to cough, it will simply quit when oil reaches the critical value of 2 quarts
• Improved fuel contamination system (fixed some bugs)
• More realistic bush wheels and tires
• Fuselage shows fresnel effect

Version 2016.4

• Improvements to the oil management (better function, oil now changes CG and weight of the plane, etc.)
• New ALS external view navigation, taxi and landing lights
• Added fire extinguisher and ELT models
• Bug fix for flashlight effect not illuminating the baggages
• Bug fix for interaction with external items in one of the tutorials
• Improvements to the autostart function

Version 2016.3

• Radio stack has been reworked (textures, 3D model)
• Radio stack illumination has been vastly improved and includes a daylight mode now (via RADIO LT at 0%)
• Fix bug with airspeed indicator
• Fix bug with the 3D model of the key in the ignition
• Fix bug which allowed to click on external hotspots while inside the cockpit
• Better autostart function, should work under more situations and warns the user if the engine fails to start
• The tooltip of the primer lever now shows the number of strokes
• Clock now displays local time
• Fix bug with battery: voltage now drains normally
• Add battery options and recharge button to aircraft menu
• Improved yoke model
• New splash screen no. 1
• Add ground equipment like safety pylons, ladder, fuel tank trailer, and ground power unit

Version 2016.2

• Decreased rudder authority
• Added propwash effect for 180 HP version
• Improvements to the irradiance effect
• Better oil dialog
• Flap lever is now dragable and scrollable
• Added normal map to wheels and other objects
• Improvements to the heading indicator
• Correct rudder pedal animation
• Updated tutorial to Barcelona
• Changed "Autostart" menu item to actually start the engine as well
• Split instrument light knob into a knob that two knobs: one that controls the instruments, and one that controls the radio's

Version 2016.1

• Ski's
• Amphibious plane improvements:
  • Added two metal reinforcement bars in the cockpit
  • Added panel for gear deploy and retract
  • Added water rudders retraction mechanism
• Saving state of switches is now optional
• Zooming with mouse scroll wheel in Helicopter View, Model View, and Walker Orbit View
• Additional views for co-pilot and passengers
• New sounds:
  • Rain (ambient and windshield) and thunderstorms
  • Wing damage
  • Wheel damage
• Windshield rain overhaul
• Opening the baggage door displays a window which allows weight to be added. Baggage will be displayed if the weight is high enough
• ASI now shows the IAS instead of the CAS
• Adjusted stall horn volume to sound to about 5-10 knots above stall speed
• Carburetor heat toggle now drops RPM as expected
• Oil consumption and management have been implemented
• Refactored fog/frost system: air flow now depends on airspeed and engine RPM. Supports overhead air vents, windows, and doors. Humans add extra heat and humidity.
• Preflight inspection improvements:
  • Added "Preflight Inspection" checklists and tutorial
  • Pitot tube can be clicked to add/remove a red "remove before flight" label
  • Nose wheel can be clicked to add/remove chocks
  • You can tie down the wings and tail to the ground. It will hold the aircraft even with full engine power.
  • Each fuel tank can randomly get contaminated with water. Samples from the fuel can be taken to test for contamination.
• Added GPS 196 device
• Fixed glass reflection in external views
• Improved lighting, including better looking navigation lights (and depending on viewing angle) in ALS
• Improved textures of instruments, primer, cabin air/heat levers in cockpit, and flap lever
• Smooth instead of instant animation of yoke, pedals, and parking brake
• Added menu item to open a web panel in your browser, showing most instruments
• Improved interior shadow and reflection cubes

Version 3.6

• Various ALS effects: flash light, 3D shadow, interior shadow, fog and frost, rain splashes, landing light
• Damage system:
  • Gear can be damaged upon rough landings
  • Wings can be damaged or break if g load limits or airspeed are exceeded
  • Smoke and sparks
• New HD liveries, panels and interior textures
• Improvements to the exterior 3D model: ADF antenna, back of the fuselage and rudder
• Cockpit panel improved:
  • Added primer, master switches, avionics switch, circuit breakers, cabin heat sliders
  • Better magneto's/starter switch
  • Improved textures of several instruments (AI, altimeter, CDI, HI, Hobbs meter, TC, VAC gauge, fuel selector)
• New sound effects (doors, parking brakes, knobs, trim wheel)
• Added (positioned) sounds to all buttons and switches
• Added flight recorder to record state of aircraft, including switches, damage, and effects
• Bush kits: 26" and 36" tires
• Sea plane variants: pontoons and amphibious. Amphibious variant has retractable gear. Both sea plane variants have water rudders
• Effects, lighting, damage, and human models visible over multiplayer
• 160 HP and 180 HP engine choice
• FDM improvements:
  • Better stall and spin behaviour
  • Float chamber
  • Hydrodynamics for the sea plane variants
• Improved sound and behaviour of stall horn
• Improved and new checklists
• Small improvements to instruments in radio stack
• Random splash screen while loading FlightGear
• Human models visible