FR B-24 Liberator Released

[Josh Patterson]

They are indeed fixed.

Bummer, but I understand. Heck of an add on! I see there is a PB4Y model listed, but no actual planes. (Other than the texture JK did on the J. Looks fantastic.) Is your model the glass nosed or turret nosed -1?

 

[Josh Patterson]

Has anyone else had problems with the textures for "Witchcraft", "Princess Pat" or "My Akin?" I have the Bob Rivera modified textures, but the windows and VCs on these three are black for me. Are they P3D and do not work in FSX? All the other textures I've added (Holy cow there are a lot!) have been fine.

 

[Bomber_12th]

Josh, for my repaints, I only included the files I modified or made myself. As I instruct in my readme files, you have to copy the contents of the product's Texture.461st folder and paste those texture files into my repaint folders (not overwriting my files) in order to have the rest of the needed texture files. This way too, I figured it wouldn't require so much download time for my repaints.

 

[Josh Patterson]

Josh, for my repaints, I only included the files I modified or made myself. As I instruct in my readme files, you have to copy the contents of the product's Texture.461st folder and paste those texture files into my repaint folders (not overwriting my files) in order to have the rest of the needed texture files. This way too, I figured it wouldn't require so much download time for my repaints.

Okay, thanks for the help.. I didn't read anything as I thought I knew what I was doing. I noticed some of the other add-on textures have only eight files but include a texture.cfg falling back to the 461 texture. I tried just copying that to the Princess Pat folder and that also gets everything working. Something to watch out four next time I have trouble. The bare metal repaints are nice and shiny. Just like if I owned one!

 

[Bomber_12th]

Sounds good, Josh! I had tried the .cfg file setup too, but I could never get it to work properly every time.

B-24's were very reflective and shiny when they rolled out of the factory. This wasn't due to any sort of polishing, but the fact that brand new, fresh aluminum from Alcoa with their "Alclad" finish, and from Reynolds with their equivalent "Pure Clad" finish, came that way. Skins/panels that had to be handled more and skins with complex curves became dulled in areas where tools (rollers or dies) left microscopic imperfections during the shaping processes (these duller panels can appear both brighter or darker compared to the rest of the skins, depending on the lighting/reflection scenario), but for the most part they were pretty clean machines when they came out of the factory. In the months to follow, they of course would begin to dull some with oxidation while in service - but you can even still see in color photos and movie footage taken in the Pacific, at the end of the war, of B-24's with numerous missions to their credit, still being very reflective (not always illustrated well in B&W photos). When doing "Pugnacious Princess Pat", I noticed it still had quite a high level of reflection in the surface of the aluminum skins (with 11 missions under its belt at the time), and I wanted to have it looking that way in the sim as well. I've also been inspired by model box art that typically portrays B-24's with quite a reflective/shiny finish too. On my repaint of "My Akin ?", it really should be dulled more, with all of the mission markings on it, but I really just wanted to keep it reflective and shiny with the red cowl rings, which really attracted me to it (as it is depicted with in artwork). It ensures the aircraft still looks nice flying into a modern airport or a virtual airshow in FSX or P3D as well. : )

 

[Josh Patterson]

Sounds good, Josh! I had tried the .cfg file setup too, but I could never get it to work properly every time.

B-24's were very reflective and shiny when they rolled out of the factory. This wasn't due to any sort of polishing, but the fact that brand new, fresh aluminum from Alcoa with their "Alclad" finish, and from Reynolds with their equivalent "Pure Clad" finish, came that way. Skins/panels that had to be handled more and skins with complex curves became dulled in areas where tools (rollers or dies) left microscopic imperfections during the shaping processes (these duller panels can appear both brighter or darker compared to the rest of the skins, depending on the lighting/reflection scenario), but for the most part they were pretty clean machines when they came out of the factory. In the months to follow, they of course would begin to dull some with oxidation while in service - but you can even still see in color photos and movie footage taken in the Pacific, at the end of the war, of B-24's with numerous missions to their credit, still being very reflective (not always illustrated well in B&W photos). When doing "Pugnacious Princess Pat", I noticed it still had quite a high level of reflection in the surface of the aluminum skins (with 11 missions under its belt at the time), and I wanted to have it looking that way in the sim as well. I've also been inspired by model box art that typically portrays B-24's with quite a reflective/shiny finish too. On my repaint of "My Akin ?", it really should be dulled more, with all of the mission markings on it, but I really just wanted to keep it reflective and shiny with the red cowl rings, which really attracted me to it (as it is depicted with in artwork). It ensures the aircraft still looks nice flying into a modern airport or a virtual airshow in FSX or P3D as well. : )

Thanks John. That's exactly how I fly 'em. As warbirds. I wish the cargo and passenger versions would be available with the glass nose so a vintage Diamond 'Lil could be done with the windows that are in the fuselage. (Although it has Catalina style cowlings on it) I just learned a tidbit on the Liberator tonight too. I noticed that the pitot tubes on the Ds are missing from the Js. I never knew they were moved. Also, whether the nose gear doors opened in or out on the Js depended if they were built in San Diego or elsewhere. Same with the waist gun positions having the opening panels or solid perspex covers with a gun mount in the corner similar to a B-25. The amount of variations on the later models can make your head swim! ( The word "most" is used a lot when the book is describing details! Seems like a bunch of "Let's do it this way unless we do it the other way today." was going on!) And still 18,000 managed to get cranked out!

 

[WarHorse47]

Josh, for my repaints, I only included the files I modified or made myself. As I instruct in my readme files, you have to copy the contents of the product's Texture.461st folder and paste those texture files into my repaint folders (not overwriting my files) in order to have the rest of the needed texture files. This way too, I figured it wouldn't require so much download time for my repaints.

John, I was going to ask you about this. My install doesn't have a texture.461st folder. I was able to get your textures loaded by copying over the contents of one of JK's texture folders, his textures included several paints from the 461st. And there are several 461st textures by tgycgijoes as well. I have the full package BTW, so I'm trying to figure out what I'm missing.

 

[mike_cyul]

John, I was going to ask you about this. My install doesn't have a texture.461st folder. I was able to get your textures loaded by copying over the contents of one of JK's texture folders, his textures included several paints from the 461st. And there are several 461st textures by tgycgijoes as well. I have the full package BTW, so I'm trying to figure out what I'm missing.

Warhorse, the 461st is listed as texture.Irish Angel in the B-24J's.

 

[WarHorse47]

Warhorse, the 461st is listed as texture.Irish Angel in the B-24J's.

Thanks.

 

[SSI01]

Thanks John. That's exactly how I fly 'em. As warbirds. I wish the cargo and passenger versions would be available with the glass nose so a vintage Diamond 'Lil could be done with the windows that are in the fuselage. (Although it has Catalina style cowlings on it) I just learned a tidbit on the Liberator tonight too. I noticed that the pitot tubes on the Ds are missing from the Js. I never knew they were moved. Also, whether the nose gear doors opened in or out on the Js depended if they were built in San Diego or elsewhere. Same with the waist gun positions having the opening panels or solid perspex covers with a gun mount in the corner similar to a B-25. The amount of variations on the later models can make your head swim! ( The word "most" is used a lot when the book is describing details! Seems like a bunch of "Let's do it this way unless we do it the other way today." was going on!) And still 18,000 managed to get cranked out!

I may be wrong but I seem to recall there was at least one B-24 variant with a "bay window" in the navigator's position in the nose, below the astrodome and on both sides of the nose. Longer than it was tall, should have given a pretty good VFR nav view from that location.

 

[Josh Patterson]

I may be wrong but I seem to recall there was at least one B-24 variant with a "bay window" in the navigator's position in the nose, below the astrodome and on both sides of the nose. Longer than it was tall, should have given a pretty good VFR nav view from that location.

Yes, that was a feature of the L model. It was bulged out as well.

 

[mal998]

Thank you for a very nice model. I bought the full set. She is a beauty. I was hoping for more detailed systems but I do understand FSX's limitations. Also, I miss the nose gear doors on this version of the B-24. I am aware that many of the earlier B-24's had this type of nose wheel set up. For me, that's just a personal preference. But again, thanks for a really nice model. Keep'em coming!

 

[Bomber_12th]

Mal, both of the different nose gear door styles are depicted depending on which variant you're flying.

Mike's attention to detail can be seen in the incredibly large amount of accurate production changes between the different variants he has covered. For instance, besides all of the cockpit changes, of which there are a staggering amount (including even such things as differences in the most basic of hardware, like early vs. late light switches), there are two different styles of nose gear doors between the early and late B-24's that Mike has covered - the early ones retracting into the wheel well and the late ones extending outward. The early ones don't have ball turrets like the later ones, and some of the early ones have a tunnel gun position instead. The pitot tubes changed over time from having two sticking above the nose to just one on the bottom left side of the nose. Mike even has the change between the early and late Martin top turrets properly depicted. You'll also notice in Mike's coverage of the B-24 that things like the nose turret, windscreen and waist gunner stations are different between even just the earlier and later J-models.

BTW, there were so many different nose configurations on B-24's during the war, through both factory production block changes and post-factory modifications, that there has been a book out, that all it is about is all of the various nose configurations of B-24's and which production blocks they are attributed to. The book is called Consolidated Mess.

Here is a screenshot taking off out of Geneseo, NY, with the cowl flaps in trail and flaps set at takeoff setting (position 2), coming up on 130mph and ready to cycle the gear.

The nose gear gets hydraulic pressure first, and then it transitions to the main gear, which take their time to retract. After reducing to climb power, and once the gear is up, you can start retracting the flaps.

 

[Bomber_12th]

When the bomb bay doors are open, the white indicator light in the tail illuminates. When the bombs are released, the red tail indicator light also illuminates momentarily until after the bombs are gone.

 

[Bomber_12th]

When landing in a modern airport environment, talking with the former Collings B-24 pilots, they described the following: Coming into the pattern with the B-24 is straight forward. Around 5-10 miles out start bringing the power back to slow the airplane to 140mph. About 3 miles from the airport you can select Flaps 1 and lower the gear. The gear can take a while to cycle down so you have to plan accordingly with air traffic conditions. About midfield downwind you can select Flaps 2, maintaining 130mph, and set the propellers to 2500 RPM for possible go-around. Once abeam the numbers you can select flaps 3 or 4 depending on your position in the pattern. The base to final turn is a descending turn from pattern altitude, continuing to bring the throttles back to 22" MP and selecting flaps 4 if you hadn't already. 120mph should be maintained until the runway is assured. Once over the numbers you can close the throttles and land with the nose wheel well off the ground. This facilitates aerodynamic braking and protection of the nosewheel structure. The nose wheel should be gently lowered to the runway and work the brake pressure up to slow the airplane to taxi speed.

 

[dvj]

FSX

 

[Catboat]

Mike,s B24

Struth Mike, Holy Snapping Duckdung!! You,ve done it again-your products have always be great, but the B24 is top of the Wozza. (Sorry, I got carried away-little bit of the local vernacular creeping in there). Congratulations, very impressed. Just as an aside, I read a few years ago that some B24 pilots developed a technique at high weights, to get the aircraft on the step, of selecting flap 10 degrees, which levelled the body angle, and gained 10 to 15 knots i.a.s, despite the 180 knot flap limit. I,ve tried it with the B24, and it appears to work. Has anyone heard about this technique as well?

 

[Josh Patterson]

When the bomb bay doors are open, the white indicator light in the tail illuminates. When the bombs are released, the red tail indicator light also illuminates momentarily until after the bombs are gone.

Looks like I'll have to check out Consolidated Mess! Some of the changes or not changes I mentioned earlier I found out in Detail and Scale. Sounds like they were just showing the tip of the iceberg! For instance, nose gear doors on J models opened outward, but San Diego built Js still had them open inward......But occasionally they open outward. On the subject of nose gear and Witchcraft I was wondering... Since entry can be gained through the nose wheel well, how does Collings and CAF go about securing the aircraft when it is left outside on tour?

 

[Bomber_12th]

It would be a tough deal to try and wedge yourself up through the nose wheel well. There is just enough space between the front of the gear and the front of the well, but you have to really contort yourself to get in that way. The standard procedure of course for the crew to enter/exit the B-24 was through the bomb bay, which still required squatting and bending to get down low enough. There is an access panel on the right side of the aircraft, next to and ahead of the bomb bay doors, with a clutch inside that allows you to control the doors from the outside (the external battery/APU receptacle is located there as well). The Collings Foundation always has the doors open while taxiing on the ground for the sake of safety/faster egress if there were ever a need. With the persistent problems with fuel leaks and fumes in B-24's in WWII, it was also quite common for crews back then to keep the bomb bay doors open while taxiing and would do so in flight as well if it became too much of a problem (all of the Liberator crews were all too aware of the stories at the time of B-24's exploding without warning). There is also a hatch in the bottom of the rear fuselage, and for those who have ever been out to see the Collings bombers know that that is where you enter for the ground tours and you exit out of the bomb bay, not being allowed to go any farther forward.

 

[mongo55]

Supercharger Settings

This plane is beautiful, but I have a question about the supercharger controls and settings in P3D V5. The manual states that "n P3Dv4.5 and up, these controls do not work, but the supercharging option in the aircraft.cfg will give the necessary MP." The aircraft.cfg has the following entries by default: "turbocharged=1" and "supercharged=0." Should these be changed to "turbocharged=0" and "supercharged=1." Mike Gutierrez, North Hollywood, California.