Albatross!! Albatross!!!

[Ferry_vO]

In FSx ?

Haven't ported the Caribou, but will have to try the FsX Neptune. In Fs9 you need to feather the prop (shift+F1) and use the throttle to apply reverse thrust IIRC. Pretty neat trick on the STOL Caribou to use the taxiway behind you to leave the runway. :d

 

[michael davies]

Ahh, I didnt try SHIFT + F1, I was using SHIFT + F2 which is decrease prop pitch, kinda figured if I kept that up it would go to reverse, maybe its push and hold SHIFT + F1 instead, will try when I get home from work tonight, it may be a simple as not using the right key commands, just F2 on its own works for jets and turbo props.

Kindest

Michael

 

[IanP]

The A2A B377 has reverse on piston props in FSX, Michael - no idea whether they did it through a simple technique or masses of code, however.

 

[michael davies]

Thanks Ian , I caught myself this morning musing how much time I'd spent/wasted ? on something so trivial that I dont even own LOL.


Old habits die hard I suppose .

Best

Michael

The A2A B377 has reverse on piston props in FSX, Michael - no idea whether they did it through a simple techniqueor masses of code, however.

 

[michael davies]

You might be waiting a while, I read somewhere that the paint kit is 4GB and no date set soon for release. There always was/is a mute point that extra paints dont sell more models, the cost of hosting a 4GB paint kit and associated bandwidth costs might well make that point hold water in this case, especially in this currently economic lean times.

Best

Michael

I like it! When a paintkit is available i'll be buying it...

 

[LuftWayfarer]

Just looking in here. I've tested the amphibs endlessly and to change the wingtip contact floats to type 4 will result in no wake being produced by the Albatross(that is a problem with the default Goose as they are type 4 and changing them makes the wingtips inoperable). The thing is all type 4 contact points in an aircraft's config have to be touching the water at the same time in order for the effect to show at all. if there are 5 points, and only 4 are touching the water, no go on the effect. I would guess they decided on the type three contact point for the wing tip floats so that a wake could be displayed when taxiing in water as the hulls contact points will all be touching the water. You'd almost have to sink the ship to have both wingtip floats touching the water. I'm now curious as to the wake produced by the Catalina if it doesn't have the same problem.

Also, I have never seen an FSX amphib taxi into or from the water without a jump/drop. The float contact points are higher up on the aircraft than the wheels' contact points so a drop when transferring to water only makes sense. It's apparent in every Youtube vids I've watched of people taxiing in or out of water. I don't think it's avoidable without timing your gear retraction at just the precise moment and even that "should" not work. Water contact points that have a longer "stroke" and don't get in the way(bottom out ahead) of the hull's main contact points may be a way to ease a craft into the water, appearing as if you're floating in.

That's what I've discovered after a lot of testing. The 'hopping out of the water' is annoying. It wants to reset to static cg height for some reason. If there is a fix for that, I'd love to hear it.

 

[michael davies]

Thats interesting, the only way I could get the wing tips to make a wake was to use type 4, they only show if you dip a wing though, not much, just a small dip. The default goose also has type 4 and they make a wake too.

I can roll both aircraft and get hull wake and one wing tip at a time, I dont need to have all touching to get wakes, I havent tried just one tip though, my flying isnt that good .

Your right, the hop between land and water is inevitable, as you say thats the difference beteen the landing gear and the water points, you might get a smooth transition if the ramp was long and smooth enough, there is a place wher eI test where you can go from land to sea with no bump, but the scnery is very smooth into the water.

Best

Michael

 

[LuftWayfarer]

You get a wake on just the Goose's hull with one or both wing tip floats not touching? Can I get a copy or your contact points. I've only been able to see it if I lower the wingtip floats down level with the hull but then the plane acts unrealistically and the splash effect shows with the floats(one or both) still displayed above the water. Even the demo vids for the Catalina show that it has no wake because at least one float is above water. Just the splash effect which is poorly designed by MS too I might add. I just live without the wake effect because I assumed I was dealing with the impossible.

The Goose and the Albatross are beautiful planes.

 

[Fireball6]

Dear Fellows - thanks for all your efforts - this is why I`m a very happy member of SOH !!!!

After so much input and a "little" try and error - I am glad to say that it is possible to add Prop-Reverse to the Albatros

Therefor you need the AS Neptune (FSX). If you own both, simply copy the .air-file from the Neptune to the Albatros, rename it to ....._HU16.air
(backup Original first) and then open the Aircraft.cfg and change the following lines:

prop_reverse_available= 0.000
minimum_on_ground_beta= 0.000
minimum_reverse_beta= 0.000
feathering_switches=1

To let it work press STRG+F1 and apply reverse-thrust with the throttle.

Once again - thanks to all involved Fellows

Greetings Dirk

 

[michael davies]

Dirk,

Theres the clue, feathering_switches = 1, I bet if you just add that line to the Albatross it will work (or if its already there ammend to replicate the Neptune), the other three that are 0.000 may alsio need changing, I think prop reverse on the neptune was done in the air file with parameter 1511, it is not present on the Goose or albattross so the sim will look in the cfg instead, thus you will need to change those three parameters 0.00 to what we discussed earlier I think.

Swapping in the air file will mess with an awful lot of other stuff, like cfgs, air files are bespoke to each aircraft, they must remain with each aircraft, swapping isnt a long term solution but is usefull to prove a concept.

I'll try tonight again, unless you beat me to it , try the original Albatross air file but ammend the cfg as noted above and see what happens.

Best

Michael

Dear Fellows - thanks for all your efforts - this is why I`m a very happy member of SOH !!!!

After so much input and a "little" try and error - I am glad to say that it is possible to add Prop-Reverse to the Albatros

Therefor you need the AS Neptune (FSX). If you own both, simply copy the .air-file from the Neptune to the Albatros, rename it to ....._HU16.air
(backup Original first) and then open the Aircraft.cfg and change the following lines:

prop_reverse_available= 0.000
minimum_on_ground_beta= 0.000
minimum_reverse_beta= 0.000
feathering_switches=1

To let it work press STRG+F1 and apply reverse-thrust with the throttle.

Once again - thanks to all involved Fellows

Greetings Dirk

 

[michael davies]

Luftwayfarer,

Yes thats correct, the wake only appears when the floats are lowered, not when they are up, thats seems to be some sort of MS coded trickery . Your right it does behave very badly when the floats are down, trust me the cfg points above for the Albatross do not behave the same way . I can look at the Goose for you and get it cleaned up so that it has tip wakes and behaves better on the water ?.

The tip wakes will appear where ever the vertical height of the tip point is in the cfg, if its too high then the wake will appear too high, the Goose floats seem to be a little too deep in the water, which makes me think that the float parameter is too high, which will mean that the effect is too high was well, should be easy to rectify, or at least get better.

I'll look through the Goose cfg tonight for you if you wish, might not be perfect, but should be able to get somethign a bit better than default.

Best

Michael

 

[Fireball6]

You are absolut right Michael - it is not a longterm solution but a way to prove. I am waiting with great interest what you can do.
One thing i notice is, that with those parameters like above, you need to apply full throttle to let it work. The other thing is that you have to press STRG+F4 before the Prop come to idle after you reduce the throttle - otherwise the engines stop.

Greetings Dirk

 

[Shane Olguin]

Hey guys,

I did the FM on the Albatross, you can blame me for the contact points too. Unfortunately for whatever reason contact points always seem to react different on my end than they do for others as when I released my final files to the boss everything was working correctly.

I do want you to know that I do read these forums and I am here to help. I was on vacation in Seattle for the past few days so I missed most of this, but I'm back now.

Try changing those floats from 3 to 4 and see what happens. You'll notice the plane start doing some very scary behavior! The skid point was a compromise to make it all work.

 

[michael davies]

Shane, use the cfg mods above and you'll see that it no longer gets scary with floats set as 4, they just needed fiddling with thats all. Primarily it is the damage figure, if that is too low then amphibs behave badly, its the same with the Goose. Moving them behind the CoG helps to stop them digging in.

 

[michael davies]

Luftwayfarer,

Heres a revised Goose set up

//GEAR
point.0 = 1, -20.4, 0.00, -2.9, 1600, 0, 0.52, 90, 0.42, 4.0, 0.90, 5.0, 4.0, 0, 195, 250
point.1 = 1, -0.8, -3.75, -5.0, 1600, 1, 1.25, 0, 0.50, 2.5, 0.85, 6.0, 5.0, 2, 195, 250
point.2 = 1, -0.8, 3.75, -5.0, 1600, 2, 1.25, 0, 0.50, 2.5, 0.85, 7.0, 6.0, 3, 195, 250
//FLOATS
point.3= 4, 8.1, -1.8, -2.9, 2500, 0, 0.0, 0, 0.50, 2.5, 0.70, 0.0, 0.0, 5, 0, 0
point.4= 4, 8.1, 1.8, -2.9, 2500, 0, 0.0, 0, 0.50, 2.5, 0.70, 0.0, 0.0, 5, 0, 0
point.5= 4, -5.3, -1.8, -2.2, 2500, 0, 0.0, 0, 0.50, 2.5, 0.70, 0.0, 0.0, 5, 0, 0
point.6= 4, -5.3, 1.8, -2.2, 2500, 0, 0.0, 0, 0.50, 2.5, 0.70, 0.0, 0.0, 5, 0, 0
//Wing Floats
point.7= 4, -3.1,-20.5, -1.4, 2500, 0, 0.0, 0, 0.50, 2.5, 0.70, 12.0, 12.0, 5, 0, 0
point.8= 4, -3.1, 20.5, -1.4, 2500, 0, 0.0, 0, 0.50, 2.5, 0.70, 14.0, 14.0, 5, 0, 0
point.9= 5, -6.5, 0.0, -6.0, 0, 0, 0.0, 10, 0.00, 0.0, 1.00, 0.0, 0.0, 0, 0, 0
//Scrapes
point.10= 2, -2.0, -25.5, 4.5, 2500, 0, 0.0, 20, 0.00, 0.0, 1.00, 0.0, 0.0, 0, 0, 0
point.11= 2, -2.0, 25.5, 4.5, 2500, 0, 0.0, 20, 0.00, 0.0, 1.00, 0.0, 0.0, 0, 0, 0
point.12= 2, -25.5, 0.0, 11.4, 2500, 0, 0.0, 20, 0.00, 0.0, 1.00, 0.0, 0.0, 0, 0, 0
point.13= 2, 10.0, 0.0, 0.0, 2500, 0, 0.0, 20, 0.00, 0.0, 1.00, 0.0, 0.0, 0, 0, 0
point.14= 2, -25.0, 0.0, 1.8, 2500, 0, 0.0, 20, 0.00, 0.0, 1.00, 0.0, 0.0, 0, 0, 0

This makes it sit a little lower and tip floats are revised, it is much more stable on the water (certainly here anyway), especially in turns and above 30Knts, give it a try and see how you get on, make a back up of the original first.

Hope that helps.

Best

Michael

 

[michael davies]

Dirk,

Sorry no joy, there must be something else in that Neptune air or cfg thats enabling reverse prop, or else I'm stil not using the keys right , will pick away tonight if possible.

Best

Michael

You are absolut right Michael - it is not a longterm solution but a way to prove. I am waiting with great interest what you can do.
One thing i notice is, that with those parameters like above, you need to apply full throttle to let it work. The other thing is that you have to press STRG+F4 before the Prop come to idle after you reduce the throttle - otherwise the engines stop.

Greetings Dirk

 

[An-225]

Thats odd, with the current Neptune its quite simple.

Feather the props, and set the throttle to full.

 

[Rich]

Prop reverse there are 2 ways it can be done without resorting to gauges,

1. copy paste using a airfile editor I use Aircraft Airfile Manager, sect 511 Propeller Efficiancy vs Blade angle from the Neptune/ Mars to the Albatross airfile over writing the existing sect 511

2. This was posted here a couple of years back doing it in the Aircraft.cfg only, it was so long ago I do'nt remember who posted it but it works I use it on the Beverley but thanks to whoever it was.

reverse pitch props...
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
...for real!
Hi, most people say that you can not have reverse pitch props with a piston engine in fs9. Well I found a way to do it without all the fancy gauges.
Step 1
Find a aircraft that needs reverse pitch props and go to its aircraft.cfg file.
I will use the soh b-26k as a example, but this should work for all constant speed prop aircraft. Go to the prop section and find the this:
prop_reverse_available = 1
minimum_on_ground_beta = 1
minimum_reverse_beta = -14
If the section is already like this, leave it, if not change to the above values.
Step 2
Next go to
beta_max = 65
Now take that value (minus 1 + make it a negative #) and put it in the
beta_feather =
Area.
(If there is no feather value they will need to be added)
Step 3
Now the
beta_feather =
Should look like this
beta_feather = -64
That’s it for the soh b-26k but for other aircraft you must make sure that the
power_absorbed_cf =
Has a value of 0.1 or higher (I recommend 0.1) if not props will go out of control.
Step 4 test!
Use the steps below to test while aircraft is at a standstill. If it moves backwards you did it!
(Note: make sure aircraft is not overloaded before testing)
Use in the sim
To make the props reverse do these following steps:
1. Once on ground hit Ctrl + F1. (Or move prop pitch lever all the way back)
2. Then hold Ctrl + F2 and increase throttle to takeoff power.
3. To return props to normal hit Ctrl + F4. (Or move prop pitch lever all the way foreword)
4. That’s it!
__________________
Reversing Props
To reverse the props, simply pull the propeller control all the way to the minimum position by using the prop control or pressing Ctrl-F1 (or any key assignment you choose). Then use full throttle to add reverse thrust (F4). If you pull the prop control back and leave the throttle at idle, nothing will happen. F2 has no effect on prop reverse on this aircraft; it is controlled entirely with the propeller control and throttles as on a real aircraft. If you wish to back up while on the ground, you can do so just by throttling up with the prop control pulled all the way back.
To use prop reverse to reduce the landing roll, pull the prop control right back the instant the wheels touch the ground and then add as much throttle as you would like, up to full throttle. This will greatly reduce the landing roll.
If keypresses are desired (as when the prop control is not assigned to a slider), on landing hit Ctrl-F1, then F4. After coming to a halt, hit F1 then Ctrl-F4.

Obviously you will need the Neptune or Mars for the first one to get sect 511 but it should work exactly the same as either of those with the same key commands

Whichever you choose make sure you back up the origonal

 

[Fireball6]

Hello Fellows - thanks again for your efforts - hello Shane, can you add the prop-reverse to the airfile of the albatros ?

I`ll try the airfile from the AS FSX Carribou and find it works nice on the albatros - but it would be very nice to have an original airfile for her.

 

[Shane Olguin]

I can add prop reverse as long as this was a real feature of the Albatross. Nowhere in my documentation did I see a mention of prop reverse on this aircraft. Can someone show me this? If so I'll add it and send the files to Phil along with the modified .cfg edits we've come up with here.