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  • Please see the most recent updates in the "Where did the .com name go?" thread. Posts number 16 and 17.

    Post 16 Update

    Post 17 Warning

A question about launch bar retraction in FSX.

Navy Chief

Navy Chief

Senior Member
My friend Fred Sanders emailed me this morning with an observation. I had sent him the link to Mirage's videos, and he had watched the one featuring the Razbam Corsair II.

He noticed the following things:

1. Off the cat, the launch bar retracts all by itself.
2. The cockpit view of the carrier landing is 2X faster on the video than it really is.

Well, the #2 comment is (to me) easily enough to explain. I think it has to do with the recording/playback of a sim video, and the resulting FPS when uploaded to the internet for playback. Leastwise that is what I think.

But as for the launch bar comment, I have always wondered if there is a way to set the controls so you'd have to MANUALLY retract the launch bar.

Would that be possible?

Thanks in advance.

NC
 
AFAIK, the retraction of the launch bar after a catapult shot is automatically handled by FSX. The launch bar can be operated manually, but I'm not sure if you can disconnect the autimatic retraction.
 
Well, as far as the A-7 Corsair II is concerned, I did some reading in the NATOPS manual for carrier ops.

Once the launch procedures are completed, the plane director signals the pilot to place the Launch Bar Switch to "OFF". The bar is spring-loaded to go up once the switch is set to "OFF", but will NOT raise at that point, but because it is attached to the catapult shuttle. But once the aircraft is launched it would.

So, in this case, the bar is SUPPOSED to raise automatically after the aircraft is launched because the pilot would have selected it to, once it is free from the catapult shuttle.
 
Actually I am sure on ne of my planes you have to manually raise the launch bar or the gear wont retract. Cant remember which one.
 
By default FSX retracts the launch bar if the aircraft is in afterburner when it leaves the catapult.
If the aircraft doesn't have an afterburner or isn't using it the launch bar won't automatically retract, unless the developer has specifically added some code to make it happen.
 
SkippyBing said:
By default FSX retracts the launch bar if the aircraft is in afterburner when it leaves the catapult.
If the aircraft doesn't have an afterburner or isn't using it the launch bar won't automatically retract, unless the developer has specifically added some code to make it happen.
Click to expand...

Interesting! Thanks!

But that is curious. Because the Corsair II does not have an afterburner. And Ron (Prowler) says the launch bar goes up due to FSX. So that makes me wonder what really causes the animation then?

NC
 
Navy Chief said:
Interesting! Thanks!

But that is curious. Because the Corsair II does not have an afterburner. And Ron (Prowler) says the launch bar goes up due to FSX. So that makes me wonder what really causes the animation then?

NC
Click to expand...

More likely it uses with throttle percent instead of afterburners. In this case if you use over 70% throttle for a cat shot, it will retract the launch bar automatically.
 
ZEUS67 said:
More likely it uses with throttle percent instead of afterburners. In this case if you use over 70% throttle for a cat shot, it will retract the launch bar automatically.
Click to expand...

Thanks Zeus! I thought about that after I posted my last remarks!

NC
 
More likely it uses with throttle percent instead of afterburners. In this case if you use over 70% throttle for a cat shot, it will retract the launch bar automatically.
Click to expand...

No, it uses afterburner, I tried it with afterburning and non-afterburning aircraft, e.g. the Acceleration Hornet and Dino's Goshawk.
I needed to know if I was going to have to write some code to get it to retract on an aircraft I'm working on. And I do.
 
SkippyBing said:
No, it uses afterburner, I tried it with afterburning and non-afterburning aircraft, e.g. the Acceleration Hornet and Dino's Goshawk.
I needed to know if I was going to have to write some code to get it to retract on an aircraft I'm working on. And I do.
Click to expand...

Ok, I am SO confused now!

But at any rate, regardless of what FSX does and does NOT do...... the fact that the launch bar retracts when the Corsair II launches, is correct because it is supposed to - with the Launch Bar Switch placement!

NC
 
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