Piston airplane progress

Well, I'm learning how to make piston powered airplanes as I go along. The Skyraiders and the TigerCat are my experiments. The engines appear to do what they ought to now, and I've added instruments for rpm, manifold pressure and fuel flow, that I'll put in all the piston airplanes. Engine sounds are still a work in progress.

The propeller needs some higher pitch settings. A couple years ago I made an improved propeller builder for AeroMatic, but it's still under a pile of papers around here somewhere. It has the data to extend the propeller table to 55 degrees of pitch, which is what the warbirds need.

A new AD-4 is posted now, and F7F version 1.3 (I skipped 1.2) is posted. Let me know about bugs and any suggestions! BTW, both these airplanes now use the 'e' key to fire weapons.

F7F update

Right after I released version one of the F7F I found that it wouldn't climb above about 9200 feet. Ron Jensen recommended an auto-mixture controller, and this did the trick! Adding the auto-mixture system required changing the binding for the 'Shift-Q' key, which now shuts the engines down by turning the magnetos off/on.

Version 1.1 is posted now.

F7F release 1.0

Version 1.0 of the Tigercat is now posted at the hangar. This is a single seat, Marine Corps F7F-3 fighter-bomber. The nose guns have been removed, which I've read was a common field modification. There are 11 weapons stations, with number 6 being the centerline station. The 'e' key drops/fires weapons.

I'm still hoping to make the piston engine sounds better some day. This airplane has no unit markings because I haven't found ones I like that would be right for this airplane. I also need to make manifold pressure and rpm gauges.

Future Projects

Someday I hope to get to these two. An F8F and F9F. Maybe I can fill a carrier with dark blue USN airplanes some day.

Piston engine sound

The F7F model is using some experimental sounds. I'm trying to come up with a set of piston sounds for starting, idling, running, and shutdown that sound good. Once I get the sounds right I can make these standard for the piston powered airplanes in the hangar. The jets share a set of sounds already. If anyone would like to experiment and finds a sound config that seems right, please let me know.

A-3 Skywarrior

The Skywarrior is now at release 1.0. I was thinking of making the tail guns fire, but on second thought it seems rather pointless unless they can aim at something. An aiming system can probably be cooked up in nasal, wherein it will shoot at the nearest AI/MP model that gets within range. In the future I'd like to have it drop a bomb (a nuke?). Anybody want to model a nuclear explosion? If not, then it can always serve as a supply or utility airplane.

Skies Over Hanoi

"TheAok1" has posted a nice video at YouTube showing MiG-21 vs. F-4 action. How did that Japanese guy get in there :)

F-7F Tigercat

Just started this one. It should make a nice carrier airplane. Looks like it only came in dark blue :)

Trigger key

I'm planning on converting all my airplanes to use the "e" key for a trigger. I'm doing this because FGCOM seems to be getting popular, and it uses the space bar. Let me know if you think a different key would be better, or if I should keep using the space bar.

AD-4 / DavePack updates

New DavePack is available with 2 new types of bombs, the M57 and M64 GP bombs of 1940's-1960's vintage. These were later replaced by the Mk-80 series of bombs in the 1960's. I added these for the AD-4, which now has a centerline fuel tank, two M64's, four M57's, and eight rockets. The rockets fire now.

The hold back on getting those to fire is the problem of how to make them work with the wing folding. In order for any wing ordnance to fold along with the wings the ordnance must be part of the airplane model, rather than being imported from DavePack. The stores on the non-folding parts of the airplane can be imported from DavePack.

My plan for the AD-6 is to arm it with eight rockets, two rocket pods, two Mk-82 on the wings, two wing fuel tanks, and a Mk-82 on the centerline.

Hangar Overhaul

Just updated DavePack and most of the airplanes in the hangar to include: "pick" animations, prioritized fuel burn, and new fuel gauges. Most of the new gauges will read zero if you're using FlightGear 1.9. As soon as the next release comes out the gauges will read properly again.

AD-6 Skyraider

First cut at the AD-6 project is now up. This is a livery for VA-145 "Swordsman". The time frame is about 1970, cruising aboard the USS Ranger, CVA-61. All three Skyraiders need more model work, including lots of animations.

AD-4 Skyraider

FlightGear user "Bravo" has created a new livery for the Skyraider, based on the Korean War era colors worn by the Fighter Factory AD-4. I've posted it at the hangar in the projects section. I'll be developing this one in parallel with the A-1H, and probably also with an AD-6 version, which will have a Vietnam era gray paint job.