F-14D version 2.20 Beta for FSX and P3Dv2

 

Since I will not be at home for few days, I thought it was a good idea to release a "Beta" version of the F-14D upgrade to version 2.20. Please do not share it on other websites as it is only a Beta. As such it is not listed in the "Download" side bar.
Take you time to test it: that is, if you find an issue please try to replicate it and find what are the exact condition in which it does show - and please provide feedback ONLY as comment to this post in this blog or in the equivalent post on facebook.
I know there are bugs, and some of the features you have requested are still not there... anyway I will surely appreciate your feedback, as usual!

VERSION 2.20 BETA
December 30th, 2013
- Completely new MFD system, much closer to NATOPS interface and graphics: realism and functions of the individual pages may vary (some pages are fully compliant to NATOPS, others are gimmick or guess work)
- Integrated Autopilot functions into the HSD page for gameplay purposes.
- SMS page now reflects Tacpack weapons, while ECM page provides Tacpack RWR functionalities
- Slight improvement pilot downward visibility
- Redone glass effects for P3Dv2 compatibility
- Replaced HSI gauge with modeled one: thin needle should now point to VOR location, thick needle should point to NDB station or VRS Tacan.
- Redone afterburner special effects (now modeled) for P3Dv2 compatibility
- Redone transonic special effects (now modeled) for P3Dv2 compatibility
- Replaced pilot figures with professional-level models
- Fixed bug preventing the Fuel indicator to display the correct fuel quantity (both Rio and Pilot cockpits) - note numbers and "column" position may differ a little: the numbers display the actual value
- Fixed minor bug in ADI indications.
- Increased drag at transonic speeds
- Lowered tolerance on airframe stress - it is now much easier to overstress the aircraft
- Minor tweaks to flight dynamics
- Miscellaneous improvements in cockpit graphics

You can download the Beta version BY CLICKING HERE.
Please note that documentation is ABSENT from the Beta release.

Have fun!!!

A flight on an Aermacchi MB.326

My fortieth (40th!) birthday is just few weeks away and so came my middle-age crisis. So, instead of buying a motorbike, I spent full monthly wage (and then some) in a flight in a Aermacchi MB.326: an absolutely unforgettable experience and a dream come true! Just a few maneuvers were enough to turn my stomach upside down, so we decided enough to turn my stomach upside down, so we decided to stick to a very basic flight, but I had the chance to take the controls for few minutes and it was totally AWESOME! Here are few pics of this incredible experience.

Let's start with the real star: the Renzo Catellani's Aermacchi MB.326 restored by the VolaFenice Group in Reggio Emilia, Italy. The Aermacchi MB-326 is a light military jet aircraft designed  in the fifties by ing.Ermanno Bazzocchi for Aermacchi in Varese, Italy Originally conceived as a two-seat jet trainer. there have also been single and two-seat light attack versions produced. It is one of the most commercially successful aircraft of its type, being bought by more than 10 countries and produced under licence in Australia, Brazil and South Africa.Simply put, the conditions of this restored aicraft are really spectacular!The aicraft looks like a brand new one - this is simply amazing, considering they started from a scrapped aicraft which has been kept in open air for years.This is a -E version, that was an armed variant, with 6 hard points. Only 12 of this variant were built. This is the only MB.326 in flying condition in Europe - and one of the very few in the world

Above is a picture of the pilot's cockpit. Keeping in mind I am a very short guy, it was not as narrow as I thought, and was actually relatively comfortable. Still, pulling the stick at full travel was kind of cumbersome as it could easily hit your legs.

And above is yours truly dressed up for an incredible flight. The military flight suit feels a little cumbersome initially, but you easily get used to it and to its weight. Volafenice provided a complete Italian Air Force military flight suit, complete with anti-g trousers - by the way the anti-g system was fully operative - and felt a little weird when in action.

Strapped in the cockpit - you can't really move much in the cockpit and that is, of course a good thing. A small lever on the right side allows (temporarily) for more shoulder movement if need be. The ejection seats (which were not operational) were a little uncomfortable - but pilot comfort in military jets is a relatively new concept.

Ready to start the engines. Just the sound of the engine was totally incredible - and when we hit full throttle for take-off it was totally awesome.

Taxiing for take-off at the airport of Reggio Emilia. Unfortunately the weather got a little worse during the day... up to a couple of hours before takeoff the weather was absolutely perfect.

Happy (albeit a little dizzy!) after the flight! The pilot gave me controls for a little, just a couple of turns and then we tried an intentional stall. The MB.326 is easy to maneuver and very accurate. Also, bringing it to stall took forever and the behavior was really good. No surprise it has been such an extemely successfull trainer.

I think this photo speaks for itself! A dream come true...and, then, well...I'd want more! Still I feel extemely privileged of having lived such a wonderful experience

Goshawk version 2.55 out...

Just a quick note to let you know that I have released yet another small update to the T-45C... actually this isn't much of a change - and then the user base of the Goshawk is relatively low... so I will not be uploading to avsim and flightsim as I usually do.

VERSION 2.55
- Fixed FLAP Advisory light bug (lights were showing only when landing gear was down)
- Fixed MFDs Power bug (displays kept on working even if battery was switched off)
- Added (minimal and always caged) HUD page to all MFDs. Page has the CAGE command for main HUD
- Added higher brightness variants of the HUD. BRT knob now actually controls the brightness of the HUD (2 settings for each color)
- CAGE/UNCAGE control is (as in reality) available in the MFD->HUD page
- Minimal graphic improvement to a couple of VC textures
- Solved geometry issue with instructor VC
- Minor adjustments to bounding box

Download links on this blog (and on the previous release post) have been updated - and you may also download it from my Google Drive by clicking HERE.
Apologies for the inconvenience of releasing so many updated in such a short period of time.

T-45C Goshawk project release 2.55

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...and yet another update...

VERSION 2.55
- Fixed FLAP Advisory light bug (lights were showing only when landing gear was down)
- Fixed MFDs Power bug (displays kept on working even if battery was switched off)
- Added (minimal and always caged) HUD page to all MFDs. Page has the CAGE command for main HUD
- Added higher brightness variants of the HUD. BRT knob now actually controls the brightness of the HUD (2 settings for each color)
- CAGE/UNCAGE control is (as in reality) available in the MFD->HUD page
- Minimal graphic improvement to a couple of VC textures
- Solved geometry issue with instructor VC
- Minor adjustments to bounding box

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FURTHER UPDATE TO V2.52.... SORRY FOR THE INCONVENIENCE!

Getting rid of the dependency on the F/A-18 code was a little bit trickier than I thought... it turns out that it was driving also some of the advisory lights trigger I was using... so here we go with a further, and hopefully last for a while, update to the T-45C.

VERSION 2.52
- Fixed AoA indexer logic (now compliant to the real deal)
- Fixed bug preventing FLAPS advisory light to show

Download links have been amended, and file is being sent to avsim and flightsim as I write.

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IMPORTANT! UPDATED TO V2.51!
If you have downloaded version 2.50 you should download again the file - sorry for the inconvenience!

VERSION 2.51
- Fixed bug preventing AoA indexer to work properly (note: AoA indexer is currently reporting the Angle of Incidence rather than the real AoA... therefore its optimal values are different from the AoA dials, but are now consistent with the HUD indications).
- Added Hook Bypass functionality (clicking the Bypass switch turns on the AoA indexer even if the tailhook is not deployed)
- Fixed minor bug in panel.cfg showing debug data rather than GPS

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I took the chance of the release of Lockheed Martin Prepar3d v2 to create and release a (much needed) update to the T-45C Goshawk project. The major feature of this update is that there is a fresh new MFD system, written for scratch to both get rid of the dependence from fa-18.dll library AND have MFDs which are MUCH closer to the real deal (actually some pages are 100% compliant to the NATOPS).

A couple of important notes:
- I have slightly modified the HSI page so that some soft keys are assigned to basic AUTOPILOT functions (rather than Waypoint management)
- Some pages are non-functional - sorry you have to live with that. Some will show "INOP", while some others like the DATA page will show authentic, but inoperative, layout (this is just to show what would be the pilot interface in reality).
- You can make MK76 training bombs appear by clicking the STRS -> A/G -> BOMB buttons. These bombs are cosmetic only and are non-droppable
- The files are signed for Tacpack multiplayer... but there are no weapons whatsoever. The only working Tacpack functions is support for Tacpack Carrier Navaids: you have to enter the Tacpack "VOR equivalent" frequency into NAV1: if Tacan is detected, NAV2 will be automatically scanned for Tacpack Carrier ILS frequency. Tacpack navaids will show ONLY in the HUD (will not show in the MFDs HSI or anywhere else)
- To install the aicraft in P3D you should follow the same procedure as for FSX (with the obvious changes... unzip in the Prepar3d main folder rather than the FSX main folder... I hope this goes without saying, but you never know!)

Detail of the changes are as follows:

VERSION 2.50
- Full compatibility with Prepar3d v1.X and v2.0!
- Completely redone MFD system, now features an (almost) complete and (partially) true to NATOPS bespoke MFD system.
  Acceleration F/A-18 files are not require anymore.
- Changed pilot figures with professionally made models
- Minor tweaks to glass representation, both in exterior models and interior models
- Aircraft has now 3 Master Modes (NAV, A-A, A-G) selectable from the STRS page
- User can make (non functional) MK76 training bombs to appear by selecting BOMB in the STRS page 
- Added proper A/G DEPression controls, will show in the HUD A/G mode
- Autopilot now routed through the HSI page
- Minor tweaks to the VC geometry
- Support for TacPack Carrier NAVAIDS (only through HUD - Tune NAV1 to Carrier TACAN, ILS will be tuned automatically on NAV2)
- Files are now signed for TacPack multiplayer (although the plane is completely disarmed)
- Minor tweaks to AoA inidcations (still not 100% correct, but should be better)
- Removed voice alerts
- Fixed minor bug in instructor MFDs
NOTE: FLIGHT MANUAL NOT UPDATED

Well... I believe that is all. The file, for the moment, will be hosted only on this blog to limit its diffusion in case of major bugs. It will be uploaded to the usual repositories as soon as it is verified it works as intended.

You can download the file by clicking HERE , or by clicking on the side bar.
Have fun!

Project updates and miscellaneous information

The past few weeks have been very busy for me - especially for my real world job. This has caused a significant slowdown in my flight simulation projects, and I need to refocus my priorities and objectives in that field, given that, most likely, I will not have much more time in future than what I had in the past months.
Also, as many of you are aware of, I have been invited to the Beta stage of Prepare3d v2 - which is awesome. I was really impessed by the work Lockheed Martin did on this product and, finally, it is a huge step forward from Flight Simulator X.

So, here is a the list of projects I am working on, and the scopes I'd like to achieve for each one. Feedback is, as always, welcome.

BOEING T-45C GOSHAWK

The fact that P3D does not feature the FA-18.dll (that is the library that draws the Acceleration F/A-18 HUD and MFDs) makes it so that you cannot rely on its presence to devop add-ons... so I decided to create new, bespoke MFDs for the T-45C. So an update is on the way - it will also feature some minor graphic improvements along with very minor fixes. The update will alwaHere is how it looks in P3Dv2:

GRUMMAN F-14D TOMCAT

For the very same reasons of the T-45C update, a further improvement to the F-14D is planned. Bespoke MFDs will be created and there will minor graphical enhancements along with other minor fixes.
This update will also possibly bring some minor fixes to the Tacpack functionalities... still TBD.

LOCKHEED MARTIN F-35 LIGHTNING II
I have also been working on a F-35 update to fix some bugs and enhance Tacpack functionalities (including Head Mounted Display and AIM-9X off-boresight firing)... then during the Beta stage of Prepar3D I have identified some minor incompatibilities which I'd like to fix.
Aside, a limited, CTOL only version of the F-35 will be present in the default installation of Prepar3D 2.0.

LOCKHEED S-3B VIKING
With all the things above, I believe it's no surprise that the S-3B development is suffering some delays... at the moment, the external model is 99% done (it just misses the lights, the squadron marking and some minor texturing tweaks) and I have started working on the VC. Beta by the end of the year is probably an unrealistic target.

So, this is the situation. Too much stuff for me to handle simultaneously so I'll go one-by-one, starting from the T-45C udpate.
One last note is the fact that you may have noticed that I am not updating this blog as often as I did in the past... Well, I do not have time to do so - I will mostly use Facebook in future, just beacause it is faster. But this does not mean this blog will be terminated: it will still be used for major updates and will provide the official links to the latest versions of my projects.

F-14D Tomcat version 2.11

As discussed on my facebook page, here is a minor update to the F-14D which fixes some minor inaccuracies that were both annoying and easy to fix - also, I've been working with VRS to solve the Tacpack carrier navaids issue. There are still some annoying bugs here and there, but this release should be good for a more widespread distribution. Release notes are as follows:

VERSION 2.11
October 27th, 2013

- fixed the AIM-7 mounting position for STA1B and 8B
- fixed the taileron animation
- improved the Lantirn pod material rendering
- fix the main landing gear animation speed
- added HUD indications for Tacpack-generated Tacans (the boat and the refueling tanker)
- added HUD indications for Tacpack-generated Carrier ILS (note ILS fequency is automatically tuned once the Tacan is tuned with NAV1 Radio)

Just to clarify the note on the carrier navaids, carriers in Tacpack are spawned with specifc, Tacpack driven Navaids (although they may have their own "embedded" in their mdl files). In the Tacpack "generic" implementation works as follows: the NAV1 active frequency should be tuned to the Tacpack Carriers TACAN equivalent frequency (MHz), while NAV2 should be tuned to the ILS frequency of the boat.
To make things a little easier in my implementation, you should tune NAV1 to the Tacpack Carrier TACAN, and then, if you are within 20 miles for the boat, NAV2 is automatically adjusted to the ILS frequency of the boat. Tacpack specific navaids will ONLY show in the HUD.

Download link to version 2.11 is HERE.

F-14D Tomcat Version 2.10 (Limited Introduction)

Given that I will not have much time for FSX in the next few weeks, I have decided to pack the latest build as it is and release the F-14D version 2.10 right away.
This version has not been tested as long as it should have been...and I am sure it is plenty of bugs. On the other hand, I simply will not have much time for the next month or so... so here we are with version 2.10.
The big thing, as you are probably are aware of, is the Tacpack support - which is more or less on par with what I provided for the F-35 (hopefully!).
Please note, however, that the F-14D has MUCH less automation than the Superbug and the Lightning II... hence it requires you to switch to the Rio cockpit from time to time.
Also, please HAVE A LOOK AT THE MANUAL. At least the Weapon Systems Reference Guide - some switches need manual operation for some systems to work!

Change log is as follows:

-added weapon models: AIM-9, AIM-7, AIM-54, GBU-31, GBU-10, GBU-12, Mk.82, Mk.83, Mk.84 (weight dependant, see manual)
-added Lantirn Pod model
-fixed tailhook design 
-fixed taileron pivot position
-fixed miscellaneous texturing errors
-changed RIO-cockpit 3D model geometry (now correctly mimics a typical F-14D Rio Station)
-fixed wheel anti-skid function
-revised RIO displays functionalities and graphics
-addeed landing gear kneel animation when launch bar retracts
-fixed RIO station fuel indicators
-Added limited integration with Vertical Reality Simulations Tacpack package version 1.4.0.9 or above (see below)
-Added Weapons Systems Reference Document for Tacpack Functionalities
-Added Weapons Configurator for Tacpack weapons
-Partial rework of sound cues
-Reworked engine performance in attept to achive a more realistic behavior
-Improved special effects (a/B, heat shimmer)
-Minor changes to roll rate and general handling for realism
-Added Miscellaneous Repaints courtesy of Jiri Soukup and Groom Lake Simulations.

For the moment, please DO NOT upload this file anywhere else. I'd like to be sure it is free from major bugs before it spreads too much over the internet...

Download link is HERE