The virtual F-35 AA-1 model parked at Edwards AFB. As visual treat, SHIFT+E+4 will remove the pilot and add engine covers and "remove before flight" ribbons as shown in this picture. I should probably add wheel chocks. By the way SHIFT+E+2 will open the in-flight refuel receptacle and SHIFT+E+3 will open the weapon bay doors.I've just read that the real life F-35 AA-1 has been officially retired by Lockheed Martin after 91 test flights and 3 years of service. But instead of being placed in a museum, it will be the subject of live fire testing for battle damage assessment purposes.
AA-1 is(was) the first F-35 test aircraft built, and it is(was) roughly 5000 lbs overweight compared to the current CTOL test aircraft, named AF-1 which took flight for the first time in November 2009. And it is the only model that will be depicted in the Beta.
Goodbye AA-1.
EDIT: Here is a link to a montage of the AA-1 test flights straight from the JSF website
http://www.jsf.mil/video/f35test/AA-1%20Montage_high.wmv
9 comments:
Thats a sad ending to a revolutionary aircraft. But hey, we may not be able to fly or even look at the first f35, but with your project, we can look at it anyday we want in our virtual world.
Anyway, I was wondering if you will have operational liveries, such as proposed royal australian airforce f35, or the fictional scheme proposed to rplace the harriers in the royal air force.
Not sure about the liveries.
I'd like to add add them, but at present most of what I've seen are "proposals" - and I don't like fictional liveries too much...
Hi Dino, the bird looks amazing, definitely AAA stuff :) I sent you an email a couple of days ago about the HMD/HUD - I wonder if you got a chance to look at it?
@ neutrino
Yes, I'm sorry - I've read it but had no time to reply so far.
I'd love to have a realistic HMD but the F-35 is being developed as a one-man-band, low cost/low price approach... so I am not sure which would be the best way to distibute the whole thing.
Couple of quick comments:
1) I am under the impression that real F35 simulators (at least the one being shown on the web) do not have "HMD" in sense their pilots do not wear it. All the data is projected on the screen.
I may be wrong, but I think some of the data are "fixed" with respect to the pilot's eye (i.e. you see them wherever you look -airspeed/altitude) while the horizon and everything else is "fixed" (collimated) in space.
2) The approach I am taking for now is two gauges: one "pop-up" fixed 2D superimposed via SHIFT+F1 and another "horizon" in 3D (possibly collimated - there is something I can't get to work properly).
3) One possibility would be I setup the models to use both mine (simplified) and yours (realistic) gauges so that you can distribute them on your own. I'd love to include yours in the base package, but I am not sure I have much to offer in exchange.
@ neutrino
Sorry if I reply here...but I am writing during lunch-break from my office with no access to email.
OK, thanks Dino, I will reply in an email :)
@ Neutrino
Ok - will look at it tonight. Cannot guarantee a quick reply:when I am using my home PC, 99.9% of my time is dedicated to the completion F-35 Beta...
Nice details.
If you will spend time to add wheel chokes, i am sure that ground stairs and/or pilot standing next to it, could be very attractive additions. AFAIK only Flight One Cessna Mustang has a realistic implementation of this "eye-candy".
You are definitely creative modeller - be original too :-)
BTW promo video of Cessna in my blog, if you interested.
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