Alphasim Crusader goes native FSX

[gray eagle]

GA, the loadouts are all or nothing, you cannot add/substract single missiles/bombs.

model.F8-E : zero or 4 sidewinders
model.F8-J : zero or 4 sidewinders
model.F8-J_FrenchNavy : zero or 2 Mica's
model.F8-J_Marines : zero or 8 zuni's and/or zero or 8 bombs

I.e, you enter zero in the payload station to hide a weapon, or the weight value as described in the kneepad to show it.

According to this load out plan, that VMF235 that was fixed by henk is has the F8-J model hence no bomb pylon. I changed the model to F*-J Marines thinking
that would render pylons and bombs, but nope.

 

[gray eagle]

All well that ends well

 

[gray eagle]

Repaint by Dave Quincey adapted to native FSX using the 'F8-J_Marines' model. Thank you again Henk for the conversion. Much joy!
View attachment 32284

I changed out the texture version that Henk gave me and used this version VMF-235_F8-J_Marines.zip and was able to get bombs (full load)

Thank you.


This is my pic with the full load like others above ^

 

[bob407]

GE
Lookin good sir. Ready to rock and roll....

 

[gray eagle]

VMF 235 real deal

A little bio here http://www.vmf235.com/Aircraft/Pages/F8.html#1

Some actual pictures of VMF-235 loaded with bombs
I noticed that these F8's have a glass dome just forward of the cockpit above the nose cone. Notice the long Daisy cutter nose fuse on the bombs, anti-personnel effect.

That is some big nasty Bomb!

Note the Zunis

 

[delta_lima]

A little bio here http://www.vmf235.com/Aircraft/Pages/F8.html#1

I noticed that these F8's have a glass dome just forward of the cockpit above the nose cone.

IRST seeker, on F8U-2NE (F-8E) models with larger nose due to larger AN/APQ-94 radar. For most of their tenure with the F-8, the E was the model they flew the most. That's why DaveQ did that paint for that model. But there are photos of the smaller-nosed E in '235 paint, so I assume they had a brief earlier stint in the C or D, smaller nose. So the recent screens show a J, all bombed up, so you get the "impression" of a bombed up E, but that's not the model you see in the photos. The IRST, the Bullpup guidance package "hump" over the wing, the larger nose - all point to an E, not the J.

That's the way DaveQ first did the paint, for the E, since that was the most historically accurate to the late 60s Vietnam period - I'm not aware they flew either small nosed C or J in Vietnam combat, to my knowledge, at least.


dl

 

[gray eagle]

Vfp 62

VFP-62 texture was part of Dons conversions but after looking at the thumbnail, I see camera with 20MM gun ports. That never happened in real life. Guns and cameras.
SO, I guess I'll not do that one. I'd have to photoshop the gun ports out.

 

[delta_lima]

It's more than just the cannon and cameras not ever being together - the RF-8A (no ventral strakes) and RF-8G (with ventral strakes) were completely different airframes. Many differences, including

All were small nosed, no IRST
Fuselage was deeper and square in cross section in the forward half
Refueling probe under a flush, not faired blister door
Camera pod under chin intake

And so the list goes.

Most of the "RF" paints in Don's pack are Russel Smith's work for FS9. The cannon ports are modelled, so Photoshop will not solve that problem, alas. Though I'm a hardcore RF fan, I'm happy to sub them onto a suitable model. In this case, with the ones Hen modelled, the closest would be the C - due to its small nose, and no pylons. There are compatibility issues with some of the grey/white textures - though the later TPS lo vis one converts/applies nicely. This side of a ground up repaint, they'll do nicely.

Cheers,

DL

 

[gray eagle]

You are correct sir, As a former F8-C BB stacker (Ordnance), the gun area was the first place I looked (out of habit)

I was just bringing to light the things that were obvious to me. I don't remember ever being around RF-8A (No ventral fins) much less seen one. I googled and found one.
I think the Photo birds had a little more kick in the engine.

It's more than just the cannon and cameras not ever being together - the RF-8A (no ventral strakes) and RF-8G (with ventral strakes) were completely different airframes. Many differences, including

All were small nosed, no IRST
Fuselage was deeper and square in cross section in the forward half
Refueling probe under a flush, not faired blister door
Camera pod under chin intake

And so the list goes.

Most of the "RF" paints in Don's pack are Russel Smith's work for FS9. The cannon ports are modelled, so Photoshop will not solve that problem, alas. Though I'm a hardcore RF fan, I'm happy to sub them onto a suitable model. In this case, with the ones Hen modelled, the closest would be the C - due to its small nose, and no pylons. There are compatibility issues with some of the grey/white textures - though the later TPS lo vis one converts/applies nicely. This side of a ground up repaint, they'll do nicely.

Cheers,

DL

 

[gray eagle]

Vf 84

 

[delta_lima]

You are correct sir, As a former F8-C BB stacker (Ordnance), the gun area was the first place I looked (out of habit)

I was just bringing to light the things that were obvious to me. I don't remember ever being around RF-8A (No ventral fins) much less seen one. I googled and found one.
I think the Photo birds had a little more kick in the engine.

Yes, the RF-8As didn't last long until replaced with (or remanufactured into) Gs. That said, they (RF-8As) together with RF-101 Voodoos, got some of the critical tactical photographic intel during the Cuban Missle Crisis. When Carl modeled these, I begged him for an RF ... he said, no, but would I be happy with the J ... the rest is history.

As to speed, I'm not aware that their engines different from their fighter equivalents, but certainly the aerodynamics were superior on the RFs, chiefly around the absence of all the extra blisters for refueling probes, wing humps, etc. In particular, the smaller nose was a factor, evidenced by how the fighter D model (also small nose) was faster than the otherwise identical E fighter. The D was considered the best performing of the fighter series. They were "cleaner", for sure, and the RFs were the "cleanest". Pilot accounts mention how they (escorts) would have to be in afterburner just to keep up with the RFs at military power.

The photo-Crusaders are, hands down, my fave models ...

 

[gray eagle]

VU-7

 

[gray eagle]

One More

 

[delta_lima]

Wicked, GE!!!

What model is that? I didn't think Henk had converted the "B" (no strakes). That (and indeed all of Pierre Llereux's paints were among some of the best, back in the day. Still keepers - and esp that one.

If a strake-less B is available native, then that might be the model I (try to) plop one of the RF paints on to ...

Thanks,

dl

 

[gray eagle]

Wicked, GE!!!

What model is that? I didn't think Henk had converted the "B" (no strakes). That (and indeed all of Pierre Llereux's paints were among some of the best, back in the day. Still keepers - and esp that one.

If a strake-less B is available native, then that might be the model I (try to) plop one of the RF paints on to ...

Thanks,

dl

You are correct in that is one of Pierre Liereux's repaints

from here http://library.avsim.net/search.php?SearchTerm=drone+crusader&CatID=root&Go=Search

If you look at the files inside the texture it looks a little strange in the there are Two liveries in the one texture.
Now the model it calls for I got/used from Dons converted F-8's and is the model.F8U-1E.
I did not convert the bmps to DDS files. They are running on raw bmp's.

I set up the aircraft.cfg as such:

[fltsim.x]
title=ALPHA DF-8F Crusader
sim=ALPHA_F-8v2 <<<<< Changed this line to as it is now.
model=F8U-1E <<<< Added this model to the Henk's F8 native V2.
panel=
sound=
texture=drone
KB_checklists=f8_check
kb_reference=
ui_manufacturer=Vought
ui_type=F-8 Crusader
ui_variation=DF-8F Drone Controller
description=© ALPHA Simulations 2005\n\nIn 1953 the F8U-1 Crusader won the Navy competition for the new carrier-based day fighter. It flew supersonic on its maiden flight in 1955. A Crusader set a national speed record in 1956 by flying over 1000 mph, for which it won the Thompson Trophy. In 1957 Major John Glenn flew an F8U non-stop from Los Angeles to new York, setting a transcontinental speed record. In 1958 Vought received the first Certificate of merit ever awarded an aircraft manufacturer by the Navy Bureau of Aeronautics for the design, development and production of a US Navy aircraft. In the Vietnam conflict the Crusader had the highest kill ratio over communist jets of any Navy aircraft. The F8U series enjoyed a long service life which was extended in the 1960s by remanufacturing and updating existing aircraft. Crusaders flew in Navy reserve units until 1987, and the French navy flew its Crusaders well into the 1990’s.
atc_id_color=0x00000000
atc_heavy=0
atc_id_font=Verdana,-11,1,600,0
visual_damage=0
atc_id=
atc_airline=
atc_flight_number=
atc_parking_types=MIL_COMBAT


Now the wierd think is the in that texture you will see some bmps for another squadron. VF-84. Both squadron textures are in the one drone texture.
Can't figure out how to split them up to their own separate textures.

So, that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

 

[delta_lima]

Thanks GE,

You're seeing those VF-84 textures because they're the ones the F-8B (F8U-1E) model calls for by default. It's another manifestation of the weird way Carl worked with shared textures. The solution is to dump all but the model-specific textures, pulling the shared textures from the common textures file by use of the texture.cfg. By now, I'd know which ones to keep, so I should be ok - I just didn't know Henk converted the B - not sure how I missed that.

That model will do me fine!

dl

 

[Wings of Gold]

Long and short nose Crusader versions

There is a lot of confusion here about which Crusaders versions should have long nose models, and which should have short nosed models. The confusion is caused by Alphasim (Virtavia) mislabeling what their models should have been! If you look at either the Detail & Scale or In Action publications, you will see that the F-8E (F8U-2NE) had the larger AN/APQ-94 radar from the onset. The F-8E radar nose was therefore the longer and rounder version (hence the term "Long Nose"). The F-8J's were remanufactured F-8E's with various features that had been developed for the French Navy's F-8E (FN). These features included double hinged leading edge droop, BLC and a little larger horizontal stabilizer. However, for our purposes the F-8E and F-8J look the same, and both have the nose IR sensor. Therefore you should use the "model.F-8J" for all your F-8E and F-8J squadron textures (just label the textures accordingly). Alphasim did include a short nose version - but wrongly called it the "model.F-8E", which it is not (because no F-8E had a short nose). The only Crusader variations that had a short nose were the F-8C (F8U-2) and the F-8D (F-8U-2N), These were also remanufacturer by Vought as the F-8K and F-8H. The remanufactured versions retailed their short noses. So, you should only use the short nose (what Alphasim called "model.F-8E") with F-8C and F-8D squadron textures. The beautiful VF-84 texture is for a F-8C that was flown for several cruises on the USS Independence (CV-62).

Question for our wonderful model maker / slash anyone else: The original Alphasim model (and our present one) has a gray 'shelf" that that you can see in the lower left and right hand side, just forward of the Windscreen frame (alongside the outer edge of the instrument cowling). Surely the space between the inside of the windscreen glass and the forward instrument cowling wasn't like this (not near this wide)?


ATB, Bill

 

[delta_lima]

There is a lot of confusion here about which Crusaders versions should have long nose models, and which should have short nosed models. The confusion is caused by Alphasim (Virtavia) mislabeling what their models should have been! If you look at either the Detail & Scale or In Action publications, you will see that the F-8E (F8U-2NE) had the larger AN/APQ-94 radar from the onset. The F-8E radar nose was therefore the longer and rounder version (hence the term "Long Nose"). The F-8J's were remanufactured F-8E's with various features that had been developed for the French Navy's F-8E (FN). These features included double hinged leading edge droop, BLC and a little larger horizontal stabilizer. However, for our purposes the F-8E and F-8J look the same, and both have the nose IR sensor. Therefore you should use the "model.F-8J" for all your F-8E and F-8J squadron textures (just label the textures accordingly). Alphasim did include a short nose version - but wrongly called it the "model.F-8E", which it is not (because no F-8E had a short nose). The only Crusader variations that had a short nose were the F-8C (F8U-2) and the F-8D (F-8U-2N), These were also remanufacturer by Vought as the F-8K and F-8H. The remanufactured versions retailed their short noses. So, you should only use the short nose (what Alphasim called "model.F-8E") with F-8C and F-8D squadron textures. The beautiful VF-84 texture is for a F-8C that was flown for several cruises on the USS Independence (CV-62).

Question for our wonderful model maker / slash anyone else: The original Alphasim model (and our present one) has a gray 'shelf" that that you can see in the lower left and right hand side, just forward of the Windscreen frame (alongside the outer edge of the instrument cowling). Surely the space between the inside of the windscreen glass and the forward instrument cowling wasn't like this (not near this wide)?


ATB, Bill

I mentioned all of that to Carl a decade ago when beta testing these. Notwithstanding his talent, and not wanting to blade colleague not able to defend himself - the reality was when he had a plan, that was the plan, however compelling the case for accuracy or other considerations might have been. That was one of the few challenges to this project. We have what we have, and I'd say the glass is still more than half full.

dl

 

[Wings of Gold]

Hi DL,

Perhaps I wasn't clear. Everything works just fine - and you can get all the variation to appear correctly - if you just ignore the labels that Carl put on the models. Incidentally, I also advised Carl while he was doing the original Alphasim release, but. as you say, he remained adamant.

Bill

 

[delta_lima]

Hi DL,

Perhaps I wasn't clear. Everything works just fine - and you can get all the variation to appear correctly - if you just ignore the labels that Carl put on the models. Incidentally, I also advised Carl while he was doing the original Alphasim release, but. as you say, he remained adamant.

Bill

Yes, those inaccuracies, coupled with the pre/post 1962 Tri-service naval aircraft designation changes, across which this model spans time-wise, makes for easy misunderstanding.

All good.