FS KBT L-188 Electra Airtanker Project Maybe?

[Scorch00]

I'm looking at another model conversion project to convert the Electra into an airtanker. Problem is, I haven't found any way of actually contacting anyone at FS KBT to see if I can get permission to modify it. I've had a few people also tell me it's hard to get in contact with them anyway. I honestly think it would be a fairly popular addition as that's how most are used these days. Especially up in Canada. I mean I'm sure most people are familiar with FS KBT's P-3 airtanker.

Anyone know how I could possibly get in contact with them or anyone involved with their Electra? I mean, I have prototypes done and everything. I'm really hoping I don't have to shelve it or let it go. Any assistance would be appreciated. I don't feel right just doing the mod giving them credit obviously. And just posting it somewhere without their blessing as it were.

 

[Navy Chief]

I did manage to contact them, years ago. I think I managed to do so, off of their website, which is almost all in Japanese. Found a email address and tried it. Maybe look there? NC

https://viperhiro.wordpress.com/category/p-3c-orion/

They do have a P-3 Fire Fighter version that I had forgotten about!

(Oops, sorry, went back and read your post, Scorch! Oh well, this IS a cool screenshot anyway!)

 

[Scorch00]

I did manage to contact them, years ago. I think I managed to do so, off of their website, which is almost all in Japanese. Found a email address and tried it. Maybe look there? NC

https://viperhiro.wordpress.com/category/p-3c-orion/

They do have a P-3 Fire Fighter version that I had forgotten about!

(Oops, sorry, went back and read your post, Scorch! Oh well, this IS a cool screenshot anyway!)

Thanks NC. I went through and used google translate on their page last week. Went through it multiple times. It seems they just have project updates posted on their site. No contact info anywhere. Tried some google searches, and forum searches, still no joy. I tried to bounce this off a couple other people I know, and they've had the same dilemma.

 

[MrZippy]

kbt_kbt@nifty.com

Has this email been tried?

 

[Navy Chief]

kbt_kbt@nifty.com

Has this email been tried?

I tried contacting them once at that email address, but never got a response. Maybe try searching some other forums for a clue on how to reach them. NC

 

[Scorch00]

Thanks for the assistance guys. I'm also continuing to look. Nothing is current that I've found. Latest info I saw was from 2014, and it's no longer working info..

 

[kbt]

Should I allow this project?
In short, only allow modification to an air tanker.
Please add common sense and sensible credits when releasing.

Team

 

[Navy Chief]

Should I allow this project?
In short, only allow modification to an air tanker.
Please add common sense and sensible credits when releasing.

Team

Thank you for your reply! Your projects are amazing. I fly your P-3C in P3DV5 quite often! NC

 

[Scorch00]

Should I allow this project?
In short, only allow modification to an air tanker.
Please add common sense and sensible credits when releasing.

Team

Thank you so much! I'm ecstatic! All proper credit will be given and the model will ONLY be changed into an airtanker. Your models are great. I've flown your P-3 Orion's since FS2004. This is much appreciated! Thank you KBT!

 

[Scorch00]

The main conversion process is done. The next part of this project will be completing liveries. I am planning on doing one for Buffalo, seen below. One for Conair. And then, I'm acquiring info from someone involved with Air Spray to get details and photos of their entire fleet. Air Spray is the largest user of the Electra in Canada. There are already repaints available for Buffalo (white and green livery) and Air Spray, but I will be doing my own for these models though. I haven't seen any for T-416 for Buffalo, so that's the one I went for. I have 2 plans for these. Releasing the model with Buffalo and Conair liveries and then including Air Spray's "Fleet" repaint package along side it, but separate to keep the file size down. But I will revisit that once I'm closer to releasing them. I have one other, rather substantial conversion project ahead of it. Some Firefighting Bell 212s.

 

[Scorch00]

Progress has gone well on the Electras. I still need to move the tank around on both models. But other than that, progress is good. My initial plan with these is to release the 2 models with 2 repaints. Conair and Buffalo, with a separate pack full of Air Spray's entire fleet of aircraft. That, at this point is still a tentative decision. The models will be the Passenger converted airtankers as well as the cargo version. The differences between the versions in terms of windows and markings will be more apparent on the Air Spray liveries. Since they operate the most Electras. I did also add one tweak, as it did involve the tanker conversion. On the FB page I manage, some group members brought up the fact that when using certain aircraft with Lorby's FFX, the engine exhaust effects get messed up as a result of how the effects are controlled in FFX (a lot of people use the smokesystem on their models to put engine exhaust there). So I modified and made an xml effect controller gauge to move the engine exhaust effects to the lights section. Essentially like how a lot of fighters use the logo light feature to toggle the AB on and off with throttle position. Same concept I used, but for exhaust smoke on turboprops like the L-188, C-130, P-3 Orion, etc. Other than that and adding water and retardant effects to the newly opened smokesystem section of the aircraft.cfg that will likely be it. I've toyed with adding more views as well. Can't thank FS KBT enough for allowing me to do this modification.

 

[Scorch00]

I have scaled and corrected the tank positions tonight. As well as moved onto working on the "medium" level details on a few models. My main focus is primarily on Air Spray at the moment since they operate 8 or 9 Electras. Each aircraft has a slight difference I'm trying to NOT overlook. My MO is the try and get a lot of variations out on certain aircraft, because a lot of times people are looking for a specific aircraft and/or tail number etc. Also, why I end up doing fleet size repaints sometimes. But I digress. Since I corrected the tanks, I also added bump mapping to them once I recompiled them to match the rest of the Electra. So now the tanks look like they belong. I believe I can say the models are done, now it's basically livery work. Finish Air Spray's Fleet, finish the Buffalo one I started, and finish off with Conair. Below you can kind of start to see the differences between each aircraft I was talking about.

 

[Scorch00]

Project is winding down. All repaints are done. There will be a total of 12 liveries and two base models. The freighter and passenger versions. That basically cover the A and C models. Air Spray, Buffalo Airways, and Conair have liveries represented in this pack. The entire Air Spray Fleet, 2 Buffalo repaints, and 1 from Conair. Tentative release will be September 5th, 2020. File cleanup and testing with FireFighterX are what I'll be working on the remainder of the time.

 

[Navy Chief]

Wow Scorch! You have put a LOT of work into this! Thank you. NC

 

[Scorch00]

Wow Scorch! You have put a LOT of work into this! Thank you. NC

Thank you for the support Navy Chief. It's a lot, but it's well worth it to me. The L-188/P-3 is an awesome platform. The Electra needed a tanker version, it's the go to tanker for our neighbors in the Great White North. So hopefully people will be able to hop in an Electra and tool around with the Q400s, 580s and 415s now.

 

[gray eagle]

Was you planning on making pax versions? I found some Passenger versions of the L-188 done some time ago by KBT.
Over at AVSIM there are a few commercial paints as well. I tried them on P3D V4.5 and unable to lower ladder after
the door opens. Notice on Avsim forum that back in FSX days, there was same issue.

I hope that there will be a few textures of the L-188 that are P3D V4.5 compatible and the ladder will extend after the pax door opens.

I think the ladder was broke on the older version.

 

[Scorch00]

Was you planning on making pax versions? I found some Passenger versions of the L-188 done some time ago by KBT.
Over at AVSIM there are a few commercial paints as well. I tried them on P3D V4.5 and unable to lower ladder after
the door opens. Notice on Avsim forum that back in FSX days, there was same issue.

I hope that there will be a few textures of the L-188 that are P3D V4.5 compatible and the ladder will extend after the pax door opens.

I think the ladder was broke on the older version.

These were essentially built in P3Dv4.5. Aircraft and textures will work in both FSX, P3Dv4.5, and likely 5 as well. These don't have PBR, they just have HD updated textures and bump mapping. They are FSX native models based on FS KBTs Electra that I was allowed to modify. This has both the Passenger and Freighter versions. Although these versions are obviously the ones that were converted to airtankers. From what I've seen the PAX versions I used for these have the working forward staircase. Shift+E+3 brings it down for me. I used the HD FSX native models. So I'm not sure if these are any different than the ones say, you have used in the past?

 

[gray eagle]

The L-188 I was using and referring to came from here

https://flyawaysimulation.com/downloads/files/9953/fsx-lockheed-l-188-electra-passnger-cargo/


Found the solution:

It turns out when you first load the aircraft there is a gauge or embedded XML code constantly sending key commands to adjust the mixture.
If you advance then retard the throttles, it seems to clear it and you can operate the exits & stairs normally.

Edit: The Pax door keys work now.

I misread your initial project and now see that these are just airtankers only.

What I got from link above will function with my sim; Was hoping for improved Pax/Cargo models that were better suited to P3D V4.5

 

[Scorch00]

The L-188 I was using and referring to came from here

https://flyawaysimulation.com/downloads/files/9953/fsx-lockheed-l-188-electra-passnger-cargo/


Found the solution:

It turns out when you first load the aircraft there is a gauge or embedded XML code constantly sending key commands to adjust the mixture.
If you advance then retard the throttles, it seems to clear it and you can operate the exits & stairs normally.

Edit: The Pax door keys work now.

I misread your initial project and now see that these are just airtankers only.

What I got from link above will function with my sim; Was hoping for improved Pax/Cargo models that were better suited to P3D V4.5

Ahh I see. Glad it's working now for you.

Integration with FFX has gone well. Will be adding a retardant tank section in the payload section to allow for payload management in the sim as well as for FireFighterX. Have also added custom thumbnails for FSX users.

 

[Scorch00]

Everything has gone pretty smoothly with finishing these up. I am planning on uploading these this weekend here on SOH and on Simviation, per my usual SOP. All 12 aircraft are now completed. As mentioned. There are 2 models, but I've retrofitted them to also represent the A models as best as possible. So, 2 physical models, but really 4 overall. 3 operators. Air Spray's Fleet, Buffalo Airways, and Conair. Aircraft remains largely unchanged from the original KBT model aside from the things I needed to move around to incorporate it becoming an airtanker. Swapped in a new custom xml effects controller I made to control the exhaust effects from the lights section instead of the smokesystem section to allow for the use of custom retardant/water, otherwise you'd have the annoyance of having the engine smoke on all the time or off manually, now it's automatic. Also allows the use of it in FFX without it causing an annoying effects glitch when retardant is dropped. Also added custom"tail flash" thumbnails for each aircraft for FSX users. Fair warning these are pretty texture heavy files so. they need a lot of space 6.4 GB roughly after unzipping them due to 4K textures and their associated bump/spec maps. May have to split the file up after all. Might be too large to get in a single upload unfortunately. Something I'll have to work out between tonight and tomorrow.