F-35 Version 3.67 for Prepar3D V5 - New Installer

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EDIT - A small glitch has been detected in the F-35A PBR models (both in payware P3Dv4 and v5, v5 stock aircraft) so that if spoilers are deployed and rudder is fully deflected to the left, the right rudder detaches from the vertical stabilizer.
You can download a fix by clicking HERE - this is an XML file that goes into the panel/FCS subfolder of the F-35A - whatever version you have - and limits the movement of the rudder. SimMarket installer will be updated to V3.67.
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Prepar3D V5 is launching today and will include a (somewhat simplified) version of my F-35A/B/C models. However there are some changes in the default file names that generate an filename incompatibility with the payware version.
I have therefore created a new installer that will both change the names of the files affected and will also change their cross reference.
The new installer contains ALL the previous patches/updated.

IMPORTANT: the new installer embraces the "ADD-ON" approach of Prepar3D, that is the files of the add-on are NOT placed in the simulator folders, but rather are stored in a separate addo-on folder.
The default location of this add-on folder is \Documents\Prepar3D v5 Add-ons - this is where you should point your installer to.
All add-ons in this folder will be discovered automatically by the simulator and can be switched on and off at will.

PREPAR3D V4 USERS: despite its label, the new installer will also work with Prepar3D v4 and some users may prefer to use it as it also installs all the patches. You can do that, but, if you have previous versions of the F-35 installer, before doing that you should MANUALLY DELETE the F-35A, F-35B and F-35C folders in your SimObjects\Airplanes folder

SimMarket customer should have received an email notification. All the other major distributors of the F-35 are now out of business: if you were one of their customers and wish to receive the new installer drop me an email at indiafoxtecho@gmail.com with proof of purchase and (if you have one) your SimMarket account references (at it may be easier for me to provide a download link through their servers).

NOTE - IN MY INTENTIONS, THIS IS THE FINAL UPGRADE OF THE VERSION 3.00 F-35. I AM WORKING TO SEE IF IT IS POSSIBLE TO BRING THE F-35 TO THE NEW MICROSOFT FLIGHT SIMULATOR.

Prepar3D V4.5 Notes and Compatibility Statement

With apologies for the delays (I was on a business trip in the U.S.) here are some notes on P3Dv4.5 and its compatibility with my planes.


First thing: at the moment I am writing, VRS has not yet updated Tacpack to support P3Dv4.5. Tacpack is built in such a way that it needs to be updated each time a new version of P3D is released so it is not a surprise. However, some of my planes rely heavily on it (especially the F-35 and the Typhoon) - so you may want to wait until Tacpack is updated before switching to P3Dv4.5.

That being said, on my system P3Dv4.5 works fine with no significant issues. Actually I am under the impression that frame rates and texture resolution are improved (keeping in mind that I typically fly over large photoreal sceneries such as the ones from Blue Sky).

The only minor problem I am having is a strange and subtle "blurry" effect in VR which is difficult to describe (and may be due to my system settings)… will report on that after further testing.

As I supposed, there are no buig differences in the code or compatibility in my planes - so they all work as expected. In detail:

F-35 Lightning II
Everything seems to work fine including STOVL, custom sound and fuel system. Until Tacpack is updated, DAS, TFLIR, A/A radar, loadout configurator and weapon system functionalities will not work.

Eurofighter Typhoon

Everything seems to work fine including custom sound and fuel system. Until Tacpack is updated, A/A radar, loadout configurator and weapon system functionalities will not work.

SIAI Marchetti S-211 / Aermacchi M-345

This aircraft relies on Tacpack only for the weapon system, so pretty much everything works fine.

E-2 Hawkeye / C-2 Greyhound

These aircraft rely on Tacpack only for the IFF, so pretty much everything works fine.

All freeware aircrafts will work on P3Dv4.5 to the same extent as they did in P3V4.4.

Prepar3d V4.4 Compatibility Statement

Lockheed Martin has just released Prepar3D version 4.4, which introduces, along with a plethora of improvements, Phisically Based Rendering. PBR will only work on objects specifically compiled for it - old content will not change: it is still compatible and will show exactly as it did before.

Before upgrading to P3Dv4.4 please beware that:

- The update will disrupt VRS Tacpack compatibility. This means that if you upgrade to v4.4 you will not be able to use weapons, radars, sensors and loadout manager on my planes. Functionality will be restore as soon as VRS updates Tacpack to support P3Dv4.4: no action will be required from your side, just install the new version of Tacpack when it will become available.

- The update will remove any Beechcraft/Textron related default content (e.g. the Carenado Bonanza) so you may want to make a copy of those aircrafts before upgrading. 

Apart from the issue with Tacpack, everything else seems to work fine on my aircrafts. On my system, the update seems to provide a slightly better drawing distance and slightly sharper rendering of photoreal terrain. Also, enabling the SpeedTree functionality does not have the big impact it had before on my system (but I guess this is more important for helo and bush pilots). Anyway, here is a quick report of the compatibility of my current payware projects:

EUROFIGHTER TYPHOON: Works fine, no issues. However until Tacpack is updated, you will not be able to use weapons, radar and sensors. The loadout manager also will not work. Note that you can change the default loadout by modifying the payload on the stations - see the WEIGHT_AND_BALANCE section in the aircraft.cfg for details and the exact weights you need to apply (note that weapons will not work in any case).

E-2 HAWKEYE / C-2 GREYHOUND: They both work fine, no issues. The radar on the E-2 will also work as it is based on the FSX/P3D radar and not on Tacpack. Tacpack functionalities such as carrier navigation and IFF will not work - but you would not need them without VRSTP in any case.

SIAI MARCHETTI S-211 / AERMACCHI M-345: All the models work fine. You will not be able to fire weapons without Tacpack. However you will be able to use the configurator since, on these models, it is not Tacpack-dependent.

F-35 LIGHTNING II: No issues for this one too but for the Tacpack functions. Weapons, DAS, TFLIR, TWD, HMD and the configurator will not work. The TSD screen will work as it interrogates the FSX/P3D traffic database (does not depend on Tacpack) - as for the Eurofighter, you can also load the aircraft manually (but weapons will not work in any case). The STOVL functionality will work fine :-)

Also, as some of you have asked in the past, here is a quick recap of the compatibility of the freeware projects:

USS AMERICA - Works fine. Aside I am releasing 1.00 soon(ish).

AERMACCHI MB-326 - This has never been updated to 64bit techology: some of the code will not work. You will have issues with weapons loading and custom sounds. Works fine if you use it for VFR flights.

T-45C GOSHAWK - This does not rely on anything but XML, so no compatibility issues. You'll need Tacpack to fire the weapons.

S-3B VIKING - This one has never been updated to 64bit technology: some of the code will not work. Namely you will have issues during in-flight-refuel (you will not be able to receive or give fuel) and fuel tank capacity will not match the configuration. Also, no weapons or configurator until the next Tacpack update.

F-14D SUPER TOMCAT - This one has never been updated to 64bit technology: some of the code will not work. You will encounter some discrepancies in the fuel capacity, also no custom sounds - and then of course no weapons\radar functionality without Tacpack.

FREEWARE F-35 (OUTDATED) - This has never been upgraded to 64 bit since it has been superseded by the payware version: same issues  STOVL functions will not work.

MILITARY AVATARS PACKAGE - Works fine.