What do I do with your donations... and bonus screenshot!

(F-35 testing over Edwards... after all these years, sometimes FSX still surprises me)

First, I'd like to thank everybody who kindly donated money for my projects. My apologies for not having replied to each one of you - the fact is that the Paypal account is pointing to an old email account which has been receving tons of spam for years, and it is a web-based service that it has become full of ads and difficult to navigate - so I have almost abandoned it. Again, my apologies - each donation has been greatly appreciated.

It has been really helpful in several instances - and allowed me to do several things which greatly helped my Flight Simulator projects.

However, the fact is that I have a relatively secure job which is also relatively well paid - I don't have a wife and family nor a mortgage, so I can't say that I really do not have the money to support my projects. But they can get expensive, and, although I can't complain about my incomes, I still feel bad (for some reason) to invest hundreds (if not thousands!) of euros in what is basically a videogame. So, being able to spill some money from the Paypal account made some purchase decisions easier. It was thanks to your donations that I have been able to acquire the base mesh for the Tomcat and for the Viking - and it was a great help to achieve the current quality and progress of those projects. So a most sincere THANK YOU.

However, after the S-3 purchase, I do not foresee any imminent usage of the money in the Paypal account...so the money is sitting there basically giving interests to Paypal.
Therefore I have decided to start giving it away, at least partially, to selected charity and no-profit organizations. It is not a huge amount of money, but at least someone is getting a tangible value for the countless hours spent in having fun with my virtual toys.

Donations are still welcome - and I will continue using it also to fund my simulation projects if need be - I just wanted to let you guys know what I did with the money you have donated.

Avsim Reader's Choice Award (and project updates)!

The T-45C won the AVSIM PEOPLE'S CHOICE AWARD in the Freeware Aicraft category! Thanks to Avsim and thanks to all the people who voted for it, and thanks again to all the contributors, testers and user who helped to bring this project to the current quality level!

Here is a quick update to current projects:

T-45C Goshawk
I am quite happy with the current quality level of the T-45, and there are very few things I'd like to add or change. All changes have a very low priority, compared to my other projects. On my to do list:

• Addition of cockpit sounds
• Weight dependant models (and possibly droppable BDUs)
• New, custom built, MFD code - I've started creating some graphics - straight from the NATOPs..

F-14D Tomcat
There are a number of small changes coming in the F-14 update, most of which have been designed to support the Tacpack. The feature list is not complete yet, and wil partially depend on VRS schedule. Unfortunately full Tacpack integration is beyond my resources, so support will be limited (guns and visual SW for sure... everything else is "optional")... More news as the F-35 update is related.

F-35 Lightning II
As you probably know, I am rewriting the MFD code so that its interface and usage is MUCH closer to the real deal. It will be quite close to the Block 1 software - although many functions will be INOP.
The next update will also bring a number of other improvements - like weight dependant loadouts and several fixes to the models and the textures. I am confident this will be a significant improvement.
This update is almost done - most probably it will be out in a couple of weeks.

S-3B Viking
I am continuing to work on this, from time to time. Nose and tails are done... everything in between needs a lot of work. Do not expect anything before autumn. And by the way, should you have detailed, high res picture of the ejection seats would be much welcome.

That's it for the moment - all projects may be significantly slowed down due to the fact that summer is coming and I will spend most of my time at the beach....

Frequently Asked Questions

...Unrelated to the post, but I always add a picture...so here is the S-3 model so far. Hopefully it will be flyable in October/November or so. 

Browsing on the internet, and looking at the emails I get, I believe it is worth to write down an FAQ post which will hopefully cover some of the most recurrent questions. So, here we go:

Your aicrafts don't work and crash my computer! Why?

In 99% of the cases is because you are using an unsupported version of FSX. My projects require either FSX:Acceleration or FSX:Gold Edition (which is basically FSX SP2+Acceleration in the same box).
My projects will not work correctly or at all with out-of-the-box FSX, or with Service Pack 1 or 2.

Wait, but isn't SP2 the same as Acceleration minus the additional planes, sceneries and missions?

No, it is not the same. Acceleration has some additional, hardcoded features which may make Acceleration aicraft incompatible with other versions of FSX. Aside, some of my projects are aliasing assets from the stock F/A-18 Hornet in the Acceleration package.

I can see you planes in the game but the MFDs are not working...why?

Same as above - Acceleration (or Gold) versions of FSX should be correctly installed. Some of my projects are aliasing the MFD code from the stock Hornet in the Acceleration package. So, cases are two:

1) you do not have Acceleration package installed but the aicraft does not crash (I believe this is the case of the current T-45 version)...if it is so, FSX does not find the Hornet code so leaves the MFDs blank.

2) you are sure you have Acceleration installed, but still MFDs are blank. In this case you need to check the default Hornet MFDs. If they work, also the T-45C or F-14D ones should. If stock Hornet's MFDs do not work, you may need to reinstall/repair Accerelation which may be corrupt. I've seen several users with corrupt Acceleration installation (not caused by my planes) which lost MFD functionality.

This problem is anyway limited to the T-45C and F-14D, and should not affect the F-35 (and the S-3) as they do not rely on external code. This may change in future, as I may want to write new code for the T-45 and the F-14. Please note however that all the projects require Acceleration.

Can I use your planes in Lockheed Martin Prepar3d?

Answer is yes *BUT*... In terms of functions and functionalities Prepar3d expands on FSX:Acceleration. So my planes should load and be compatible. But Prepar3d does not include the stock F/A-18 Hornet, so the current F-14D and T-45C will show blank MFDs.
If you have a valid installation of FSX:A, you can fix this as follows:
- Navigate to your main FSX installation folder, and then in the Gauges subfolder.
- Locate the FA-18.dll file (which is the file that contains the Hornet MFD code) and copy it
- Paste a copy of that file in the Prepa3d/Gauges subfolder

Do not ask me to provide that file. This would break the EULA and I will not do that, sorry.
F-35 should work fine in Prepar3d - no action required.

Your F-35 is nice and everything... but it cannot make short takeoffs and landings! Should I buy a separate module or what?

The freeware installation of the F-35 is perfectly capable of making STOVL flights. YOU DO NOT NEED TO BUY ANYTHING. Please read the manual or look for tutorials on youtube! I know nobody does read the manual. I am an engineer, which means I don't. BUT the manual is there for a purpose: you can find it in the /docs folder of the F-35A installation folder. There are some conditions for the STOVL module to work and load, but if you do see the green message when you load the F-35, everything should be OK. If the message does not show, please read the manual.

Now: assuming the STOVL mode is correctly loaded (green message appears) here is some essential information which IS in the manual, but anyway...

- Only the F-35B (I believe the community nickname is converging to "Bee" for this version) is STOVL capable. It may sound obvious but it seems it is not, so make sure you have a -B version loaded. On the -B version, the HOOK/STOVL button activates the conversion.

- You must be below 240kts to activate the conversion. If the a/c is not able to convert because of its current attitude/speed or anthing, the conversion is rejected.

- On pressing the button the aicraft converts to "slow flight" mode: that is controls are the same of any other aicrafts. This mode is used for short take-offs, and for approaches prior to HOVER mode conversion. This is NOT the vertical landing / takeoff mode.

- When you are is "slow flight" mode, you can convert to HOVER mode only if your TOTAL weight is below 40600 lbs (like in the real deal). You may want to activate an FCS portal in the MFD - once you are in slow flight mode, you will see an "HOVER" indication. If it is RED you are too heavy, and you may want to DUMP fuel. When it turns CYAN, your weight is OK and you can convert by clicking the HOVER indication itself (NOTE this is not like the real thing - in the real thing you would click a button on the throttle).

- Control scheme in HOVER mode changes and is somewhat like an helicopter. See the manual for details.

Is there a good scenery for Eglin AFB? 

Not that I know of. There is a payware photoreal that covers the area, but it is not that good and not worth the money IMHO. I made my own with FSET, but I have never adjusted the runways nor placed much autogen. I am improving it from time to time, but I am not sure I will ever release it publicly.

Can you PLEASE do (insert name of your favourite aicraft here)?

Unfortunately I do not have much time for FSX and that will not change in future. So my bandwith is roughly 1 new aircraft every 8-10 months (best case) + upgrades to the existing fleet. Sorry...but I have a job and a social life.

Mini-review: Frank's Dolomites

I love my country (Italy, that is)! Surely it has its own share of problems, but it is a wondeful and incredibly diverse and culturally rich country.
Unfortunately for our hobby, the great variety of the landscape means that it is not easy to develop complete scenery for the whole country - let alone the ugly FSX default rendition that looks nothing like the real thing (colors, vegetation, buildings...everything is not only ugly, but completely wrong).
Several people tried to create very large sceneries to cover the whole country - but failed. On the other hand, few dedicated developers created wonderful sceneries for specific parts of Italy - which resulted in true masterpieces, like the freeware rendition of Isola d'Elba and Northern Tuscany, or the amazing rendition of Venice from Aerosoft.

In this scattered coverage, Frank Dainese's wonderful rendition of the Dolomites is an authentic masterpiece. Frank has been developing mountain sceneries for quite a while, and its sceneries are works of pure love for our mountains.
His sceneries are simply breathtaking: detailed, crisp and amazing. With an almost unique feature: 3D modeled mountains. That is, instead of relying on FSX's terrain engine, most of the mountains are sculpted in 3D and then textured with high-resolution pictures straight from Frank's camera. The result is incredibly realistic and the washed-out effect of the default engine at high slope angles (where the engine must stretch the photo-texture) is gone!
Also, its sceneries are completely covered with Autogen buildings and trees (both accurately placed down to the individual building) and there are lots of custom building.
The current scenery covers the airport of Bolzano (which is however on a corner of the scenery), the airstrip of Dobbiaco and the (abandoned) airport of Cortina D'Ampezzo (a much popular winter resot whose airport has been closed and abandoned for several reasons, including the fact that the approach is challenging and dangerous - it is worth googling for its story!).
Frank is also constantly upgrading and expanding his sceneries, which however are only distributed privately by email.

PROs
- 3D sculpted mountains with custom, high resolution textures are incredibly detailed and realistic.
- The whole scenery is covered with accurately placed Autogen (including alternate textures for better color match)
- Custom buildings where needed
- Freeware does not get much better than this

CONs
- As with all photoreal sceneries at a certain point it comes to an end. And this means to see the ugly FSX default.

To get this scenery, you must go and visit Frank's blog, navigate to Frank's profile and send him an email requesting the scenery. Frank's blog address is this:

http://scenarialpinifsx.blogspot.it/

Happy flying!

Projects updates...suggestions welcome!

In the past weeks I have been mostly working on the Tacpack SDK - understanding the basics and exploring its possibilities...therefore my plans have changed a little. Also, in order to make the Tacpack work, I had to venture into features which I had not implemented before, with benefits also to non-Tacpack versions of my models. In general, however, I am trying to code Tacpack features so that the model are "Tacpack aware" i.e. they can be used with and without the Tacpack (although, of course, weapons and tactical systems will only operate if the Tacpack is present). Anyway here is a brief update of all the projects I am working on. Suggestions are welcome!

Grumman F-14D Super TomcatThis is my testbed for Tacpack integration. To properly intergrate the Tacpack, I would have to write completely new codes for the avionics (which are currently aliased from the stock Hornet) - and I do not have the time to do that. Besides, Aerosoft is working on a top-notch F-14A which will surely be much better, realistic and more detailed than mine...and it makes no sense to compete with them in realism. So, for the moment: Guns, AIM-9M (visual launch), ECM, NVG and refuel features will be implemented. Actually most of the already are in place and they seem to work fine. AIM-7M and JDAM implementation is also feasible, but it may come at a later date. The new .mdl file will have weight-dependent loadouts.

Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II
Since the F-35 already has code for custom avionics, it will be much easier, for me, to integrate Tacpack functions in it. F-35A and -B have already been modified to include variable, weight dependent loadouts (AIM9X, AIM120, GBU31, GBU12, CBU-not supported by Tacpack, JSOW and fuel tanks and missionized gun pod) - I am not sure I will be able to achieve "full" intergration with Tacpack (again, lack of time). Also, several minor fixes to texturing and modeling are planned.

Boeing T-45C Goshawk
At the moment the Tacpack does not support BDU-33...so I am not sure it is work updating the Goshawk for this. However, some minor tweaks to the cockpit (like "click" sounds when you activate the switches) could be a nice addition...

S-3B Viking
I have to confess I have neglected the Viking a little lately... but work is proceeding and the tail section of the outer model is done - and just needs animations. Given several factors, it will be a early (i.e. prior to MAD boom removal) S-3B...

Suggestions and comments are welcome as usual!

VRS Tacpack integration (i.e. WORKING WEAPONS!)

Killing drones over NAS Fallon

Shooting drones is a quite fun way to learn the basics... 

 ...although I have to admit I am pretty bad at aerial combat!

Guns only for the moment....but still, it is quite fun!

I never ventured into the "working weapons" functionalities so far, for several reasons - mainly the lack of time, and the fact that I am more interested in flying rather than shooting things. However, the people at Vertical Reality Simulations were kind enough to provide me with access to the Tacpack Software Development Kit - and I was very impressed.
For those who don't know (very few I assume), VRS has developed an incredibly complete and realistic rendition of the F/A-18E Super Hornet - which is IMHO the best military plane for FSX - and, on top of that, they have developed the Tacpack - an add-on module for FSX which implements working weapons (an a lot of other features, like the drones you see in the screenshots). Not only weapons are working, but they have a realistic behaviour and can be used in multiplayer. For the moment, their Superbug is the only plane supported, and it is required for the installation - but this will change in future. More information here:

http://www.vrsimulations.com

Long story short, I fell in love with the Tacpack - and I am working to integrate some of its functionalities into my projects. For one, the F-14D has now a working gun and can shoot down things in Tacpack (well, only in the SDK build for the moment...you will have to wait a little!).
The Tacpack module provides many functionalities that, I have to confess, I thought they were impossible to implement in FSX and they bring a completely new perspective for military flying in FSX.
Unfortunately, due to my (ever increasing) lack of time, it is unlikely that I will be able to fully support the package - so the Tacpack integration from my side will be limited to very basic functionalities. But still, shooting things is fun!

F-35 Lightning II updated to version 2.12 - screenshots over NAS Fallon

NOTE: IT TOOK LONGER THAN I EXPECTED TO UPLOAD THE FILES...BUT THEY SHOULD BE UP AT GOOGLE DOCS NOW, AND SHOULD BE AVAILABLE AT AVSIM AND FLIGHTSIM SOON.

In order to create the RIO PTID screen, I had to learn a thing or two I did not know on FSX mapping functions - thanks to a wonderful manual from Bob McElrath: "CustomDraw fs9gps:Map - An empirical xml guide"...  It is a really good an informative document for the FSX standard mapping and radar functions - I highly suggest you Goggle for it and read it if you want to develop this kind of features.
Of course I could not resist and implemented some changes to the MAP mode of all the F-35 models. So here is an update to the F-35, which is now upgraded to version 2.12.

Here is the list of changes:

Version 2.12

March 17th 2013

Minor fix to F-35C VFA-101 “Grim Reapers” livery

Redone code and graphics of radar/map and terrain mode of MFD for better readability. 

Terrain graphics closer to the real deal (NOTE:extremely heavy on fps – use at your own risk!)

Airborne and ground vehicles should be visible with details in map mode

Minor fix to external views pan rate

Minor adjustment to HMD superimposed graphics

So it is a minor update, but you may still want to download it from the link on the side column of this blog, in either the "full install" (about 220Mb) or "upgrade only" (about 70Mb). Upgrade also includes version 2.11, so it works with either version 2.10 or version 2.11.

I will also upload the upgrade to avsim and flightsim (although lately I had many difficulties sending file to flightsim...).

By the way, let me remind you that in the "docs" subfolder of the F-35A (in your SimObjects/Airplanes folder) there is a short user manual tha goes through all the features of the package - including the STOVL operations and limitations.

Below are some screens of the F-35B neraby NAS Fallon, Nevada. Photoreal scenery by Blue Sky Scenery (http://www.blueskyscenery.com/), airport by Jim Dhaenens (BTW my understanding is that Jim wanted his files to be removed from all repositories)