NOTE: BETA VESION IS NOW OUTDATE BY THE NEWER INTERNAL BUILDS, THEREFORE IS NO MORE AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD.
THE OFFICIAL 1.0 RELEASE SHOULD BE AVAILABLE IN A COUPLE OF WEEKS...PLEASE BE PATIENT!
Here we are with the public Beta version of the Aermacchi MB.326 - this is a very special project for me, as this is the only military jet I had the pleasure to fly in reality (yes - I was in control for few minutes, but still it was an amazing and unforgettable experience).
First thing, I'd like to thank all the people involved in this project:
Alessandro Barbarini, who volunteered to redo the external textures and did an Amazing job and was a continous driver for improvements; Roy Holmes who created a very realistic flight model (I invite you to check it against actual flight manuals and be amazed by the accuracy), Mario Motta who provided additional coding and flight testing (Mario has hundreds of real-life flight hours on the 326) and Serge Luzin who, as usual, created an exceptional sound package (some of it is based on recordings taken on my joy-ride).
THANK YOU ALL - IT HAS BEEN A GREAT FUN WORKING WITH YOU ON THIS ONE!!!!
That being said, here are some things you need to know about this Beta version:
- This package depicts several versions of the Aermacchi MB.326, which can be divided in two-seater unarmed versions, two-seater armed versions and single-seater armed versions.
- There is only one virtual cockpit model. This is sort of an average between the different layouts of the mid-late 70's... hence it is similar, but not exactly the same, as any real-life version. This is a compromise I had to make to keep the project to a manageable size.
- The project has been tested in FSX:Acceleration and in P3DV2. It has not been tested in FSX-Steam Edition, nor in FSX:SP1/SP2 and may not work.
- The package supports both VACMI from Sim Skunk Works and Tacpack from Vertical Reality Simulations. Those are two add-on packages that allow FSX/P3Dv2 to have working weapons functionality. At the time I am writing, VACMI is the only one that supports P3Dv2.
To make weapons work with VACMI
The package should work without any modification under VACMI. You should, however, disable collisions with other aircrafts - otherwise, releasing a bomb may cause a collision with the aircraft. NOTE - with VACMI the following weapons will not work: MK.76, Magic 550, all guns and gunpods (cosmetic only)
To make weapons work with TACPACKIn order to make weapons work with Tacpack you MUST replace the panel.cfg in the PANEL subfolder of the MB326E folder, with the one contained in the panel_TACPACK_backup. This MUST BE DONE ONLY ON THE MB.326E folder.
NOTE 1 - with Tacpack the following weapons will not work: Matra F2 and 155 rocket pods. 2 - Beta files are not signed for multiplayer in Tacpack. If the server has anti-cheat turned on, you will be kicked out.
To fire weaponsIn order to fire a weapon, apart obviously from loading it in the configurator, you must:
- Switch the Trigger selector switch to ARMT & CAM
- Switch the MASTER ARM to READY
- Select the weapon station you wish to employ (upon pressing the key it turns green if the station ammo is not zero)
- If the weapon you wish to fire is a cannon, you must also turn on the gun power switch
- Within Tacpack: trigger fires all the forward firing weapons, pickle drops the droppable ones.
- Within VACMI: brake key (usually mapped to trigger) fires any weapon
NOTE - Guns visual effects should work even if you have no weapon package installed.
Bug reports
I will keep track of the bugs/change requests in my usual way, that is filling and updating the following list:
Bugs and change request lists
LAST UPDATE 5/2/2015
Visual Model:
MB326MDL1 - Inner frame of canopy on single-seater model has defective geometry (visible when canopy is open, single seater model only). Fixed, 3D part redone.
MB326MDL2 - Position light reflection too big. Fixed, created bespoke effect.
MB326MDL3 - Aileron trim animation not working. Actually this was not coded in the .mdl. - no time to redo all the models, considered a minor issue -> moving forward with this.
MB326MDL4 - Upper beacon light way too strong. Fixed, created bespoke effect.
Virtual Cockpit:
MB326VC1 - HSI pointer no.2 points to wrong direction. Should point towards selected NDB. station.
MB326VC2 - NDB frequency cannot be selected in the Virtual Cockpit. Fixed. User can now click in the ADF window to select the frequency.
MB326VC3 - Gear warning light does not work. FIXED. Gear warning light now works.
MB326VC4 - Would be cool to have model-specific VC (specific VC for K model, and/or one for unarmed models)- CLOSED - created additional folder with two seater model with MK.540 engine
MB326VC5 - Throttle animation does not work in the released model. FIXED - Wrong system simulation files went into Beta build. Please download BETA1A.
MB326VC6 - Miscellaneous avionic malfuctions. FIXED - Wrong system simulation files went into Beta build. Please download BETA1A.
MB326VC7 - HSI/RMI button do not work in FSX. They work fine in P3Dv2. Difficult bug to solve...it appears to be related to detection of Mouse click areas. FIXED - Reset scale in 3D model fixed it
MB326VC8 - Oxy button linked to Master Arm. FIXED animation in 3D model
MB326VC9 - Cabin pressure altimeter not working. FIXED animation in 3D model
MB326VC10 - Radio and advisory panels remain lit even in power is absent from the main bus.
MB326VC11 - Canopy lock lever not working in FSX (but works in P3Dv2, likely to be a reset-scale bug). FIXED reset scale solved the issue.
MB326VC12 - Clock "hours" needle not working. FIXED animation sequence in 3D model. NOTE: it may also apply to other projects.
MB326VC13 - Turn coordinator seems to have inverted motion.
MB326VC14 - Upper beacon light too strong.
MB326VC15 - Pitot heat indicator not working. FIXED - Pitot heat now working.
MB326VC16 - Check rudder trim switch animation. FIXED - implemented standard trim rocker animation.
MB326VC17 - One nav button inop, also in general, only standby frequencies can be changed. Closed. Fixed nav button, still user can only change standby frequencies.
MB326VC18 - Radio power button not working, also, avionics switch button missing. Fixed.
MB326VC19 - Emergency landing gear not working
MB326VC20 - Canopy frame texture improvement. Fixed - Redone all canopy texture and improved geometry.
MB326VC21 - Gunsight support graphical improvement. Open.
MB326VC22 - Control stick graphical improvement. Closed. Redone model and textures.
MB326VC23 - Ejection seat graphical improvement. Open
MB326VC24 - Further reduction of instrument glass reflection. Closed. Increased effect transparency by 50%.
MB326VC25 - Provide option to remove canopy scratches etc. Closed. Provided alternate texture in "optional_features" folder.
MB326VC26 - Trim NEUT flag indications not working. Closed. Fixed formulas in Modeldef.xml
MB326VC27 - EXT FUEL TRANSF gauge does not work. Closed. Albeit fuel transfer functions are not implemented, EXT FUEL TRANSF flag will now show ON if there is more than 5% fuel in any of the external fuel tanks.
Flight Model:
MB326FM1 - Currently "G" models (which have Viper 540 engine) do not have a specific flight model assigned. Added custom folder. Fixed.
MB326FM2 - Real Aircraft had no autopilot... change autopilot setting accordingly on all aicrafts. Fixed. Autopilot removed.
Sound package:
MB326SND1 - Gear warning horn sound does not work. FIXED
MB326SND2 - Gun sound effects do not work. FIXEDMB326SND3 - Add high-G breathing sound. FIXED
Weapons functionality:
MB326WP1 - Tacpack incompatibility (loads still suspended after release). FIXED - Wrong system simulation files went into Beta build. Please download BETA1A.
MB326WP2 - Minigun visual effect on STA2 does not work. Could not replicate the bug. ON HOLD - CLOSED. This is dependant on visual effect settings / rendering engine. Code is correct, just does not show in some cases.
MB326WP3 - Under VACMI, when selecting STA6 release, STA5 is fired. FIXED - Bug in Tactical module, found and fixed.
MB326WP4 - Under Tacpack, gun trigger does not seen to work. FIXED - Identified bug in Tactical module
MB326WP5 - Under Tacpack, files NOT signed for multiplayer. Intentional in the Beta.
MB326WP6 - Under Tacpack, cannot load SUU-11 on STA2. FIXED - Bug in Tacpack.ini file, wrong assignment for that station.
General and Others:
MB326GEN1 - Checklist and product documentation are missing.
MB326GEN2 - Removed repaint of the aicraft involved in the Casalecchio di Reno accident.
MB326GEN3 - Write a flight manual. Note: T-45 flight manual included by mistake.
MB326GEN4 - Minor mistake in scrape points, light assignment, fuel system in aicraft.cfg Fixed
MB326GEN5 - Tacpack debug screen instead of GPS - Fixed.
MB326GEN6 - Nav radio 2 not configured but present - Removed NAV2 radio from radio panel.
MB326GEN7 - Old texture set left in by mistake and unreferenced - Fixed, texture set removed.
MB326GEN8 - Abnormally high data packet consumption in multiplayer - Fixed. - Bug in gun effect code.
Color key as follows:
RED - Severe problem. Product should not be released until the issue is solved, or, should the problem become too difficult or time consuming to solve, users must be clearly notified of the defect. Solving such issues is a very high priority.
ORANGE - Moderately severe issue...it will be perceived as a defect by most users. High priority.
YELLOW - Minor issue. Better fix it, but low priority...and will not be noted by most users.
GREEN - Issue solved, still on the list for the record or verification.
BLUE - Possible improvement / nice to have: product is not defective as is, but could be better. May be introduced with an update later on.
How to download the BETA:
Beta version is now outdated and is no more available for download.
The package should work without any modification under VACMI. You should, however, disable collisions with other aircrafts - otherwise, releasing a bomb may cause a collision with the aircraft. NOTE - with VACMI the following weapons will not work: MK.76, Magic 550, all guns and gunpods (cosmetic only)
To make weapons work with TACPACKIn order to make weapons work with Tacpack you MUST replace the panel.cfg in the PANEL subfolder of the MB326E folder, with the one contained in the panel_TACPACK_backup. This MUST BE DONE ONLY ON THE MB.326E folder.
NOTE 1 - with Tacpack the following weapons will not work: Matra F2 and 155 rocket pods. 2 - Beta files are not signed for multiplayer in Tacpack. If the server has anti-cheat turned on, you will be kicked out.
To fire weaponsIn order to fire a weapon, apart obviously from loading it in the configurator, you must:
- Switch the Trigger selector switch to ARMT & CAM
- Switch the MASTER ARM to READY
- Select the weapon station you wish to employ (upon pressing the key it turns green if the station ammo is not zero)
- If the weapon you wish to fire is a cannon, you must also turn on the gun power switch
- Within Tacpack: trigger fires all the forward firing weapons, pickle drops the droppable ones.
- Within VACMI: brake key (usually mapped to trigger) fires any weapon
NOTE - Guns visual effects should work even if you have no weapon package installed.
Bug reports
I will keep track of the bugs/change requests in my usual way, that is filling and updating the following list:
Bugs and change request lists
LAST UPDATE 5/2/2015
Visual Model:
MB326MDL1 - Inner frame of canopy on single-seater model has defective geometry (visible when canopy is open, single seater model only). Fixed, 3D part redone.
MB326MDL2 - Position light reflection too big. Fixed, created bespoke effect.
MB326MDL3 - Aileron trim animation not working. Actually this was not coded in the .mdl. - no time to redo all the models, considered a minor issue -> moving forward with this.
MB326MDL4 - Upper beacon light way too strong. Fixed, created bespoke effect.
Virtual Cockpit:
MB326VC1 - HSI pointer no.2 points to wrong direction. Should point towards selected NDB. station.
MB326VC2 - NDB frequency cannot be selected in the Virtual Cockpit. Fixed. User can now click in the ADF window to select the frequency.
MB326VC3 - Gear warning light does not work. FIXED. Gear warning light now works.
MB326VC4 - Would be cool to have model-specific VC (specific VC for K model, and/or one for unarmed models)- CLOSED - created additional folder with two seater model with MK.540 engine
MB326VC5 - Throttle animation does not work in the released model. FIXED - Wrong system simulation files went into Beta build. Please download BETA1A.
MB326VC6 - Miscellaneous avionic malfuctions. FIXED - Wrong system simulation files went into Beta build. Please download BETA1A.
MB326VC7 - HSI/RMI button do not work in FSX. They work fine in P3Dv2. Difficult bug to solve...it appears to be related to detection of Mouse click areas. FIXED - Reset scale in 3D model fixed it
MB326VC8 - Oxy button linked to Master Arm. FIXED animation in 3D model
MB326VC9 - Cabin pressure altimeter not working. FIXED animation in 3D model
MB326VC10 - Radio and advisory panels remain lit even in power is absent from the main bus.
MB326VC11 - Canopy lock lever not working in FSX (but works in P3Dv2, likely to be a reset-scale bug). FIXED reset scale solved the issue.
MB326VC12 - Clock "hours" needle not working. FIXED animation sequence in 3D model. NOTE: it may also apply to other projects.
MB326VC13 - Turn coordinator seems to have inverted motion.
MB326VC14 - Upper beacon light too strong.
MB326VC15 - Pitot heat indicator not working. FIXED - Pitot heat now working.
MB326VC16 - Check rudder trim switch animation. FIXED - implemented standard trim rocker animation.
MB326VC17 - One nav button inop, also in general, only standby frequencies can be changed. Closed. Fixed nav button, still user can only change standby frequencies.
MB326VC18 - Radio power button not working, also, avionics switch button missing. Fixed.
MB326VC19 - Emergency landing gear not working
MB326VC20 - Canopy frame texture improvement. Fixed - Redone all canopy texture and improved geometry.
MB326VC21 - Gunsight support graphical improvement. Open.
MB326VC22 - Control stick graphical improvement. Closed. Redone model and textures.
MB326VC23 - Ejection seat graphical improvement. Open
MB326VC24 - Further reduction of instrument glass reflection. Closed. Increased effect transparency by 50%.
MB326VC25 - Provide option to remove canopy scratches etc. Closed. Provided alternate texture in "optional_features" folder.
MB326VC26 - Trim NEUT flag indications not working. Closed. Fixed formulas in Modeldef.xml
MB326VC27 - EXT FUEL TRANSF gauge does not work. Closed. Albeit fuel transfer functions are not implemented, EXT FUEL TRANSF flag will now show ON if there is more than 5% fuel in any of the external fuel tanks.
Flight Model:
MB326FM1 - Currently "G" models (which have Viper 540 engine) do not have a specific flight model assigned. Added custom folder. Fixed.
MB326FM2 - Real Aircraft had no autopilot... change autopilot setting accordingly on all aicrafts. Fixed. Autopilot removed.
Sound package:
MB326SND1 - Gear warning horn sound does not work. FIXED
MB326SND2 - Gun sound effects do not work. FIXEDMB326SND3 - Add high-G breathing sound. FIXED
Weapons functionality:
MB326WP1 - Tacpack incompatibility (loads still suspended after release). FIXED - Wrong system simulation files went into Beta build. Please download BETA1A.
MB326WP2 - Minigun visual effect on STA2 does not work. Could not replicate the bug. ON HOLD - CLOSED. This is dependant on visual effect settings / rendering engine. Code is correct, just does not show in some cases.
MB326WP3 - Under VACMI, when selecting STA6 release, STA5 is fired. FIXED - Bug in Tactical module, found and fixed.
MB326WP4 - Under Tacpack, gun trigger does not seen to work. FIXED - Identified bug in Tactical module
MB326WP5 - Under Tacpack, files NOT signed for multiplayer. Intentional in the Beta.
MB326WP6 - Under Tacpack, cannot load SUU-11 on STA2. FIXED - Bug in Tacpack.ini file, wrong assignment for that station.
General and Others:
MB326GEN1 - Checklist and product documentation are missing.
MB326GEN2 - Removed repaint of the aicraft involved in the Casalecchio di Reno accident.
MB326GEN3 - Write a flight manual. Note: T-45 flight manual included by mistake.
MB326GEN4 - Minor mistake in scrape points, light assignment, fuel system in aicraft.cfg Fixed
MB326GEN5 - Tacpack debug screen instead of GPS - Fixed.
MB326GEN6 - Nav radio 2 not configured but present - Removed NAV2 radio from radio panel.
MB326GEN7 - Old texture set left in by mistake and unreferenced - Fixed, texture set removed.
MB326GEN8 - Abnormally high data packet consumption in multiplayer - Fixed. - Bug in gun effect code.
Color key as follows:
RED - Severe problem. Product should not be released until the issue is solved, or, should the problem become too difficult or time consuming to solve, users must be clearly notified of the defect. Solving such issues is a very high priority.
ORANGE - Moderately severe issue...it will be perceived as a defect by most users. High priority.
YELLOW - Minor issue. Better fix it, but low priority...and will not be noted by most users.
GREEN - Issue solved, still on the list for the record or verification.
BLUE - Possible improvement / nice to have: product is not defective as is, but could be better. May be introduced with an update later on.
How to download the BETA:
Beta version is now outdated and is no more available for download.
59 comments:
I may just not be doing something right, but in FSX Steam Edition, the weapons do not appear on the aircraft when selected in the config menu. Aside from that, the model works and looks great!
Looks great Dino. Now I have to wait until get home from work to D/L and test it....
I will give it a good stress test in FSXA and let you know what I find or don't find. Once again, thank you so much for all of your hard work and contributions to the flight sim community.
Nice work, Dino.
My platform is FSX. Took short flight to Boeing Field for ILS landing.
Altimeter not functioning. Needle moves, but numbers do not show altitude.
Could not set HDG or CRS on HSI.
No readout on ADF.
Included documents are for T-45, not MB.326.
WarHorse47
Works perfectly on FSX Steam Edition! Weapons working ok too. Nice work. Thanks!!!
First...Thanks Dino. Great little flyer.
I noted no "Thousands" needle on the altimeter (and already someone noted no numbers).
Shift 3 does not bring up GPS, just a script.
I'll fly more with it tomorrow.
rvn817j sends!
Awesome work Dino!
I realised that the Air Brakes when deployed on the ground, cut in to the terrain. Are they meant to be deployed in the air only?
Thanks again Deano for another beauty, have something to fly around SA now.
Red emergency switch activates Weapon Rdy switch. no animation.
No oxygen on/off sw animation.
I assume gear down below 150Kts as thats where they came down.
Airbreak works fine, even the button moves on throttle when using assigned lever. Just not mouse clickable.
All,
seems that a defective piece of code was zipped into the Beta by mistake - this governs some of the systems (including some of the avionics, the throttle animation and the automatic partial brake retraction when on the ground). I will check that tonight and release an update.
Regards
Dino
Hi Dino,
excelent work. Just a few things I found: I tested the MB.326-K, as that´s the most interesting for me. I could configurate the loadout, but when fired (Bombs and A-A-rockets), they went away but left behind clones on the pylons which couldn´t be fired again. The Minigun-pods didn´t work at all. That´s if so far appart from the problems with the Altimeter. Looking forward to the patch today.
The TacPack panel.cfg is full of vACMI gauge assignments. Surely not right.
@AWG Simulations
- are VACMI or Tacpack installed? If neither is, bombs will just disappear.
@Anonymous
- that was actually intentional, as the long term scope would be to be compatible with both without any action from the user... but I may change this.
Dino, great great great aircraft.... some small stuff i picked up..it feels a little twitchy on the roll rate... then the altimeter in both the SAAF variants does not show the alt...it goes around but does not show actual no's if you understand what I am trying to say.
Also the strobes on the Impala mk 2 (K) does not seem to work.
But thank you again for a amzing aircraft!
@Dino: Sorry, I forgot, Tacpack used.
I use also Tacpack and when the Bombs and AA missiles are fired they dont disappear. The other Armament seems ok. Guns and Pods are firing. Panel.cfg in the E folder changed.
Absolutely awesome work mate, love it! I have been waiting for a MB326 to come out for FSX and this one doesn't disappoint.
Thanks and keep up the fantastic work.
This is for Beta 1A on FSXA.
Altimeter now works. Still cannot set HDG or CRS, and still no readout on ADF. Documents still with T-45,
Noticed that unarmed version does not have A/P? Easy fix.
Thanks for letting me eval.
WarHorse47
Dino, grazie for such a fun plane to fly! Just a couple of requests.
1. Could it be possible to turn off the reflection on the gauges? (Alabeo offer something similar to what I am talking about as example.)
2. Is it possible to turn off the scratches on the canopy glass? This has been requested in some of your other models. I think you code this actually into the model, not in the skins?
Some miscellaneous comments/replies:
- In the new Beta we have decided to remove one of the liveries. That is because that specific plane was involved in a serious accident many years ago. The pilot ejected, and the plane unfortunately crashed into a school causing the death of many children.We felt it was inappropriate to leave it in.
http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strage_dell'Istituto_Salvemini
-The new Beta should fix the Tacpack bug (bombs hung). A-A code may still be incomplete.
-MB.326 has no autopilot. It will be removed from all the versions.
-Gunsight switch is on the right side of the gunsight support
HI
Thanks for this excelent work, Dino, great aircraft.
So, tested the Beta 1A: I exclusively used the MB.326k in FSX Acceleration and TacPack. Bombs work now, seperation is normal, you really feel when flying with one missing. The guns worked, but not when pushing my TacPack trigger for A/A but either the left or right brake pedal (I´m using the Saitek Ruder Pedals). The AA-Missiles work very well (That poor Cherokee crossing my path.).
I couldn´t figure out how to activate the aiming reticle or any sounds connected with the aramament. They´re there in the folders but not seem to work. Lastly I don´t know its flying charakteristics but it seems a bit unstable/direct on the elevator. That´s it for now.
Btw. takiung off with full loadout of MK82 bombs, gun-pods and A/A-Missiles was only possible with flaps fully down. Is that correct behaviour or did I just pull up too early?
Beautiful model !!! Thank you Dino. 2 notes : 1- the upper beacon light reflection is to strong inside the cockpit disturbing a lot. 2- only for the single-place models: when the canopy is open, looking from the left side of the aircraft, the canopy frame almost disappear. I' m looking forward to have HDG and CRS selectors operative for the HSI and also the RMI fully operative!!! Thank you Dino
Sorry Dino, I forgot, FSX Gold edition no Tacpack bye
beautiful labour of love - a real fun one!
a couple of Questions though:
- Fuel selector INOP?
- Booster Pump
- Ext Tanks Tip/Pylon
- Dump Valve INOP?
- How to drop ext Tanks?
- unarmed means also without ext Tanks?
- HUD was dark until I read about the button on the right side ;)))
- how do I change Frqu on ADF?
- How do I switch the Intirior Lights on/off?
- The InverterSwitch is without function?
I love the smooth flyin' - the effects of the weight and how this baby flips over if you do it 'right' - it's a great one!
FSXA (SP2+Acc)
J.Case
Great model as usual Dino,
just a question:
Why frequencies cannot be changed in VC and should be done trough the pop-up 2D radio? I noticed this problem with other planes of yours.
In the Macchino the mouse changes from arrow to hand when passing over the knobs, but with no visible action.
@J.Case
Fuel selector, booster pump, inverter switch have no function.
External tanks cannot be dropped.
Also, unarmed version do not support external fuel tanks - that is because, afaik, no civilian 326 can.
@ Ezio Marcori,
actually you should be able to operate the mouse and change the COM and NAV frequencies... and then click the "swap" button.
Fantastic work Dino!
Only issue I have found is with Tac Pack, any of the guns do not fire with assigned trigger. Only time I managed to get it to work was but press 'I' (I was seeing it there was a smoke effect), however it trigger the effects for all the gun pod I had on the aircraft and the aircraft gun.
Also, I could not press the green internal gun selector on the K aicraft.
All other weapons seem fine and work okay but just the gun will not fire with Tac Pack.
Actually the swap button is the only one working...
@Ezio
I will double check that and provide additional coding if need be. On my system, you can operate the radios with the mouse thumbwheel without problems (same applies to all my other aircrafts)
@Anonymous
smoke system is only used for visual effects. Tacpack guns are "invisible". I will double check the code (which was working on my system the last time I checked). I assume you have correctly switched on the gun power (required to fire cannons).
Note that the armament panel of the K is different from the one shown in my cockput. The button you are referring to is not the internal guns selector.
Non ci sono parole od elogi sufficienti per esprimere l'ammirazione e la gratitudine per le tue realizzazioni, particolarmente perché trattasi di aereo italiano. DIno, posso chiedere se il modello funziona anche in Prepar3D? Grazie
1.It seems the turn coordinator moves to the opposite side of where it sould go. A left uncoordinated turn will cause the ball to go right..
2. Gun sight does not come on (dont have weaponpacks maybe thats why)
3. Trying to configure the oxygen panel switches the right wing armaments on.
4. Seems to be a weight unbalance pulling the aircraft right, although payload and fuel appears to be correctly loaded.
5. NAV1 morse code continues playing after being switched off.
6. The airplane does not enter an induced spin and is extremley forgiving. Maybe its meant to be like that as it is a trainer (I dont know)
7. Cabin alt gauge INOP
8. After start the EXH temp stabilizes at 685c at throttle idle. and flutters up and down at about 20% throttle
All in all a really great airplane! Loving it!
The MB-326 NTPS, The Wingtip fuel tank feeds my engine asymetrical.
a good testpilot is always in training Thomas L.
Good day Dino,
I flew the model lastnight. What a stunning plane. Im from South Africa and use to live close to Air Force base Hoedspruit (FAHS).And regularly use to see impalas flying in the area, such a remarkable jet trainer. I love it, thank you so much.
Just a few minor items I picked up during my flight on FSX with SP2 and Windows 7 operating system.
1) Unable to click on the handle to open the canopy.
2) I see some switches like the landing and taxi lights, it appears as if the switch has two selective modes, but only works one way, landing lights only, is that correct?
3) Nav and beacon lights is off on the exterior, but inside the VC cockpit the beacon light effect shines within the cockpit which is bright.
4) When I switch inverter, generator and battery switch off after parking, the radios and Canaopy open warning light was still on.
That's about it so far after one flight, which I conducted on the 7 Jan 2015 @ 8:30pm (GMT).
I general, great flight dynamics, great sound package.
Friendly greetings
Mark
Rustenburg
North-West
South Africa
Wonderful work Dino, thank you! Tried it for 5 mnuts, and I can say it's very good to fly. Check documents (they are from T45) and the strobe light is a bit too strong.
Can't wait for the 339!!!
roccio
Thank you soo much Dino for this fantastic model, which is smooth and pleasurable to fly, and gentle with the frame rate despite the great modeling accuracy.
Only thing I noticed is a certain difficulty to find the right elevator trim for level flight, a certain instability with a sort of porpoising, but it could be my joystick settings (sidewinder FF2, FSforce2 plugin).
I flow your Macchino on P3Dv2.4
Thanks again, best wishes!
Hi Dino! I've also noticed that Nav lights have a very big and unreal reflection red and green on the aux fuel tanks when installed. Once again thank you. FSX Gold- windows 7 no tacpack.
NICE!! Sweet flying and not too hard to figure out. The landing gear would not retract in view (chase) mode...but that might be my computer/keybd problem. I am a fan.
Hi,
after performing some VFR flights around Ysterplaats,I've noticed a 10.000 too brighten beacon effect (DX10).
Anyway, it is a very great piece of art !
BugDani.
thanks for the hint Dino,
I didn't know about the mouse thumbwheel control.
Now the next topic: in the VC the HDG and CRS knobs seem inoperative (no hand tool). Am I doing something wrong?
@All,
As per the bug report log, I have indetified a "Reset Scale" bug which makes some areas non-clickable in FSX (but they work fine in P3Dv2). Please be patient and wait for the final release.
Hi Dino,
I don't understand why but I cannot fire the guns. Here is the procedure I use, I select AMRT&GUN, GUN PWR On and Ready on the right red cap switch. I select the gun stores and when I shoot with the trigger, nothing happens.
I also noticed that the minigun on station 2 does not load whereas it loads on the station 5.
Other than thisn I haven't noticed any problems.
@Rafale mirage
Have you installed the .fx files? The gun bullets (both in Vacmi and Tacpack) is "invisible" - you need the proper files installed.
As for the SUU-11 not loading in station 2, that should not happen. Please note that the configurator is "reversed" (i.e. you are looking the A/C from the front)... so on the config it is STA6-5-4-3-2-1... If that is not the problem please specificy it that happens on all models on only in some.
Hi Dino,
For the guns, I have neither the effects nor the actual firing from Tacpack (no smoke puffs on the ground where I am firing.
As for the store, it is the one marked "2" on the loadout manager le middle left wing if I am correct. This happens with all the aircraft apparently.
I tried to re-install the aircraft but it did not change anything.
Seb
@Rafale Mirage
It seems the trigger is not firing...
Have you swapped the panel.cfg with the specific Tacpack one as per the instructions in the blog?
Can you launch rockets?
What I meant is that if you look at the labels of the configurator they go from STA6 to STA1 (left to right) because you are viewing the plane from the nose, while, when in the cockpit, it is STA1 from STA6.
Hello Sir,
First of all, I would like to SINCERELY thank you for this project; this aircraft is really GREAT. However, it has some issues as you would expect from a beta. Here are some issues I've found with the MB.326 on my computer:
- Some gauges (especially the ADI) and the canopy seem to be "rough" in appearance compared to those found in your Goshawk and F-14 Tomcat. Texturing quality in some parts of the cockpit (generally the side panels and the place where canopy and the windshield meet) also seems to be somehow lower than that of your T-45 and F-14. While I understand that this project is still in beta, I still wanted to express my concerns.
- Clicking the pitot heat switch in the VC does NOT cause any change in a gauge which I think is an indicator for pitot heat on/off (it is located right on top of the G-meter, named "Pitot Anti-Ice").
- Cockpit lighting works fine, but panel and gauge lighting switches cannot be opeated manually by clicking on them.
- Rudder trim switch doesn't seem to animate although clicking on it changes the rudder trim.
- Turn coordinator seems to be working the opposite way.
- Upper beacon light is too strong as stated by some other people.
- Canopy Jettison handle does not work (I'm not sure if it was meant to work or not, but I still wanted to notify you).
I'm using the MB.326 BETA1A in FSX Acceleration.
Please don't get me wrong; I'm not writing all these things to discredit your work, I'm writing these as some sort of feedback to you, just as you requested from us.
On the plus side, I have to say that the sound package seems to be quite convincing and the flight model is pure pleasure for a simmer AND the aircraft feels AMAZING in general although it is only in beta right now. While I have never flown a real plane in my life and can't comment on how "authentic" the flight model of your MB.326 is, it really has a fluid, progressive and "alive" characteristic which makes it a joy to fly. I haven't stopped flying it since it first came out and I think a donation to you for this excellent effort is on the way as soon as I get some monthly pocket money from my family! :-)
Finally, I'd like to ask you some questions about your other projects if you don't mind, sir:
a) If we assume the flight model accuracy of your MB.326 to be 10/10, how would you rate the flight models of your T-45 and F-14?
b) I can't adjust the brightness and contrast levels of the MFDs in your T-45 although the manual talks about those settings. I also cannot select the night mode (N.) in the MFDs. Is this normal?
c) In a recent post by you, you said "MB326VC12 - Clock 'hours' needle not working. FIXED animation sequence in 3D model. NOTE: it may also apply to other projects.". Does this mean that your other projects, including the Goshawk, will be updated with a fixed(?) clock? If so, when should we expect them?
I know this has been quite a long post. Thank you very much for reading and answering it, Mr. Cattaneo. I'm looking forward to hearing your answers.
Best Regards,
GrowingPains
Hi Dino,
I swaped the panel.cfg and I can fire rockets. Only the guns are not firing.
For the assymetrical store, you can see a screenshot here :
http://i580.photobucket.com/albums/ss243/rafalemirage/2015-1-13_8-23-59-410.png
It was taken at the start of the flight, I did not take of and fire anything yet nor jettisoned anything (if it's possible).
Really weird, I checked FSUIPC and I have nothing mapped on my trigger and trigger is set correctly in the tacpack Manager. Apparently, it is something that's wrong only with me, don't bother too much about this issue.
Other thing, would it be possible to have the Matra rocket pod fire, even if it is only an alias of the LAU-68.
Thanks Dino and great work ! (no, I'll will never say it enought !)
@Rafale mirage
...kind of strange. You should, at least, see the smoke puffs of the bulletts hitting the ground (guns are invisible on Tacpack). Matra gunpods cannot work as you cannot alias weaponry in Tacpack.
@Growing Pains
- Texture quality. It is a bit subjective, and actually I am quite happy on how the MB.326 cockpit looks. Difference is that for some of my projects I had high resolution pictures to start from, and for the MB.326 I had to hand-made them (actually, believe it or not, I was so excited when I flied it that I forgot to take them when I could!!!!)
-Pitot anti-ice: noted
-Canopy light controls: due to Reset Scale, apparently fixed
-Rudder switch: will check
-Turn coordinator: will check
-Upper beacon is the default effect... will look into changing it
-Canopy cannot be jettisoned
Misc.replies:
a) I have no idea. Afaik, the T-45 should be pretty close to the real deal, both considering the flight manual and reports I get from real pilots. The F-14 is probably slightly forgiving with respect to the real thing. Flying real planes and flying computer simulations is comparing oranges to apples anyway. And the MB.326 flight model has its flaws: for one, spin behavior in the real thing is much different.
b) Brightness/contrast could be adjusted in the old version (which used the stock F/A-18 gauges). They cannot be changed in the new, bespoke ones -(manual is outdated).
c) Theoretically I would ALWAYS like to continuously improve the all of my aicrafts. But I am a professional engineer... and I do not have enough time to do that. But an update to the F-14 is plannes somewhere in February.
Hello again, Mr. Cattaneo.
This will be a (long) list, so I will post them in 2 separate comments. Sorry about that! :-)
I know no flight model can be perfect in FSX (or in any other flight simulator, including those 20-million-USD Level-D simulators), so I'm more than content with what you give us for FREE as long as it doesn't have any fatal flaw. For me, a generally realistic flight model is better than a flight model which is realistic in extreme situations but bad or only mediocre in normal situations, so I can't really complain.
As for the textures, I NEVER meant they were bad. I just meant to say the roundness of the canopy & the texturing in Goshawk and F-14 seem better to me, but taking into account that the best VCs in FSX are generally created by using a mixture of photorealistic and hand-made textures, I really can't fault you when you don't have the photos of the cockpit. I also watched your flight in the MB.326 before and enjoyed it very much, so I can understand your excitement very well, sir :-)
Now that I probably have bothered you more than enough with chitty-chat, I would like to share some new observations with you:
- On the communications radio panel in VC, the frequency selector knobs for the first frequency seem to change the values of the second frequency.
- On the navigation radio in VC, the decimals knob for the first freuquency does not work at all (it can't be clicked on), and the main frequency knob for the first frequency changes the second main frequency.
- The knobs used to turn the radios on/off are not usable (=clickable) in VC.
- The ten thousands digit altimeter of the altimeter seems to lag significantly, especially compared to the analogue altimeter found in the latest version of Goshawk (v2.75). This results in the altimeter showing a wrong value for much longer than the Goshawk while passing through ten thousand feets and it is especially noticeable when you are passing through 10000 +/- 500 feet during a slow climb/descent. The lag is present around 20000 and 30000 feet, too, but it is much less and closer to the Goshawk. If you fly both aircraft as I describe, you'll see what I mean.
- I don't know how exactly the emergency gear handle in the actual MB.326 works and whether you have modelled it in your MB.326, but it doesn't seem to work in FSX regardless of the state of the aircraft (trying a mixture of engine and/or systems on/off doesn't seem to make any difference).
- I don't know how hydraulics system in the real-life MB.326 works, but turning the system on/off does not seem to change a thing in FSX. Things like the control forces becoming heavier and the aircraft becoming less sensitive to inputs or the landing gear not working in case of switching the hydraulics off (or in the event of a hydraulics failure) would be nice. Also, setting hydraulics failures in FSX, including hydraulics leakage, does not seem to affect the hydraulics system and/or hydraulics quantity. Again, I don't know how the system works in real life and whether you have modelled it in FSX, but I still wanted to notify you, sir.
To be continued...
- Gear warning horn switch is not available although it is shown in the cockpit. I checked the aircraft.cfg and gear warning horn system is not available, so this definitely is NOT a bug. However, having the system available would be cool IMHO. Again, this is more like wishful thinking and not a bug since you appear to have chosen the system to be deliberately so.
- Aileron trim works, but its animation does NOT seem to work, regardless of whether one looks at the wings from inside the VC or from outside the aircraft. Also, I don't know how the trim indicators work in the real aircraft and whether you have modelled them in your aircraft, but the trim indicators below the g-meter does not seem to work, either.
- One final thing: Recognition light switch does not work. Also, I think it would be more appropriate to label the texture of it as on/off instead of bright/dim since "dim" means "not bright", but not "totally dark without any light" in English. Please do note that I don't know how the recognition light is labeled in the real life aircraft. I also noticed that turning the lights on/off by pressing the lights key "L" turns on/off a small, bright, flashing white light right behind the canopy which cannot be turned on/off by the switches in the cockpit.
The last bug I reported could be the problem described in "MB326GEN4" by you, but since there was no explicit explanation, I still wanted to report it to you, sir. Sorry if I have re-reported the same thing to you.
All my tests were conducted with your MB.326 BETA1A in FSX Acceleration with the Aeritalia model.
Thank you very much for reading this loooooonnnggg post, Mr. Cattaneo.
Regards,
Growing Pains
Oh, I meant "Alitalia" when I said "Aeritalia", sir. Sorry for the mistake!
Good Night,
Growing Pains
@Growing Pains
Thanks for your detailed report.
As for the textures, actually I would not even been offended if you meant they are bad... It is subjective, and a negative comemnts, if anything, it is a motive to do better.
Anyway I am redoing the textures and the model in those areas.
-Radio buttons: known issue... probably I'll leave it as they are.
-Nav buttons: known issue. Should be able to fix the inop button, but will operate the standby frequency (this and the previous points are the result of using standard FSX code...but I have no time to create custom code for everything)
-Radio knobs inop. Known bug. Actually they were not programmed to work.
-Ten thousand digit altimeter. Actually, the animation code is linked to a more exact formula :-S
-Emergency gear...never tested it. I'll have a look. Low priority.
-Hydraulic system...basically no specific system simulation is provided. FSX standard code, meaning, most of the controls are inop.
-Gear warning horn: the default is disabled as the real one is a little differently. But never had the time to write the custom code for that.
-Aileron trim animation was not implemented due to bugs/corrupt geometry.
-Yeah, I know what "dim" means... I just kept the real world labeling even when the function was not properly simulated in FSX/P3D.
Regards
Dino
Hi Dino! Being the 326 an italian trainer, it should be (IMHO) fine to add some more AMI paints even if they all have the same orange base. Almost all the "Stormi" had at least one of this bird for many tasks and I'm sure that this request will make happy all italian simmers. Thank you for your attention.
Ciao Bruno
Actually, the model we depicted is the MB.326E. AFAIK, only 6 were built (and apparently another 6 were converted to the same standard). We have depicted every livery we know of to be historically accurate, we left out only the one from Villafranca as explained elsewhere.
It is true, however, that the biggest difference (from the external model point of view) is the fact that MB.326 had no provisions for hardpoints.
Hi Dino!
I didn't know it , really . Thank you for your answer.
Hello Dino. The livery located in the folder "texture.70" of the model MB326E is not assigned entry in the aircraft.cfg of the MB326E (Version Beta1A). Is this the aircraft involved in the accident, or did you leave it out deliberately for another reason? (Or maybe you simply forgot to add it to the aircraft.cfg?)
...no. I believe that livery was left there by mistake. The aircraft involved in the Istituto Salvemini air disaster was 3-65.
More info here:
http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strage_dell'Istituto_Salvemini
For those who cannot read Italian, in 1990 a pilot lost the control of an Aermacchi MB.326 and ejected - unfortunately the aicraft crashed into a high school killing 12 students.
I also thought so, but I just wanted to confirm... Thank you very much Dino!
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