ASOBO P-51 IMPROVEMENT MOD
- Thread starter collensr
- Start date
RandallSnow
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Without the engine running to provide hydraulic pressure, the gear doors "drop", yes. However if you were taxiing they most definitely should have stayed retracted. In 2020? I'll be taking a peek to see what's up.
jcweston351
Members +
How great is this sound set, I have been flying Randall's mod all day with the new sounds & every flight I have noticed so many subtle sounds, I fly VR & with the canopy open there is a distinct but very subtle prop wind flutter/blustery sound which changes depending on the throttle setting.
I haven't been able to get any really good fly by cameras to work in VR as yet so have not experienced those sounds yet, it just completely changes flying the Mustang now. I was using flying iron's spitfire sound set prior to Randall's mod & now this... Wow!
If I'm not sadly mistaken, the inboard gear doors will stay up only when there's hydraulic pressure. So after engine cutoff, the pressure drops, and so do the doors. When you start the engine, the hydraulics get repressurized and the gear doors close.
Edit: Looks like someone beat me to it!
Edit: Looks like someone beat me to it!
LouP
Flight Sim Junkie
Sorry if I caused any confusion, Randall. When I looked, I was already parked with the engine off. I did not realize that they dropped at that point.
LouP
RandallSnow
Members +
No worries Lou! I might be wrong here, and anyone feel free to correct me if I am, but technically they should stay on the up-locks until the PIC pulls the hydraulic release handle in the cockpit as the airplanes are not stored with a pressurized hydraulic system. Maybe that's a touch of "immersion" that could be added eventually if that is in fact true.
Now that seems to be a question for our resident P-51 expert, @Bomber_12th !No worries Lou! I might be wrong here, and anyone feel free to correct me if I am, but technically they should stay on the up-locks until the PIC pulls the hydraulic release handle in the cockpit as the airplanes are not stored with a pressurized hydraulic system. Maybe that's a touch of "immersion" that could be added eventually if that is in fact true.
Priller
Bomber_12th
SOH-CM-2025
One of the few issues I have remaining with the MS/Asobo P-51D is that the hydraulic T-handle animation vs. function is reversed from reality. On the real aircraft, when the T-handle is pushed 'in', the hydraulic system is "activated", meaning that the hydraulic system will become pressurized off the running engine, and then when you pull the T-handle 'out', it releases the hydraulic pressure. In the MS/Asobo model, the T-handle animation/function is backwards. Also, unfortunately on the MS/Asobo P-51D, the inner landing gear doors drop down after shutting the engine down even without deactivating the hydraulic system, which isn't accurate.
On the real P-51D, while the landing gear itself is held up with mechanical up-locks, the inner landing gear doors (commonly referred to as the "clam shell doors"), are only held up by hydraulic pressure when the landing gear is down. Therefore on the real P-51D, if you don't release the hydraulic pressure via the T-handle after engine shut down, the hydraulic system remains pressurized and will only release pressure based on how air tight the hydraulic connections are. If the T-handle isn't pulled, the inner landing gear doors could remain in the up position indefinitely, or slowly lower over time as hydraulic pressure bleeds out of the system at any weak points. It is common practice, especially amongst modern operators, to pull the hydraulic T-handle after engine shut down so as to not keep the hydraulic system pressurized, and when doing so the inner landing gear doors will drop to their fully open position in a matter of a few seconds.
On the real aircraft too, if you pull the hydraulic T-handle, you won't be able to raise the flaps. I've seen a video on Youtube where a P-51 pilot at an airshow some years back forgot to push the T-handle 'in' prior to start (as normal checklist procedure), and so when the engine started the inner landing gear doors remained down. The pilot only noticed his error when he went to raise the flaps before taxiing and they wouldn't go up, so he immediately knew he'd forgotten to push the T-handle in. You could see by the video that as soon as he leaned forward in the cockpit to do so, both the landing gear doors and the wing flaps began to rise.
On the real P-51D, while the landing gear itself is held up with mechanical up-locks, the inner landing gear doors (commonly referred to as the "clam shell doors"), are only held up by hydraulic pressure when the landing gear is down. Therefore on the real P-51D, if you don't release the hydraulic pressure via the T-handle after engine shut down, the hydraulic system remains pressurized and will only release pressure based on how air tight the hydraulic connections are. If the T-handle isn't pulled, the inner landing gear doors could remain in the up position indefinitely, or slowly lower over time as hydraulic pressure bleeds out of the system at any weak points. It is common practice, especially amongst modern operators, to pull the hydraulic T-handle after engine shut down so as to not keep the hydraulic system pressurized, and when doing so the inner landing gear doors will drop to their fully open position in a matter of a few seconds.
On the real aircraft too, if you pull the hydraulic T-handle, you won't be able to raise the flaps. I've seen a video on Youtube where a P-51 pilot at an airshow some years back forgot to push the T-handle 'in' prior to start (as normal checklist procedure), and so when the engine started the inner landing gear doors remained down. The pilot only noticed his error when he went to raise the flaps before taxiing and they wouldn't go up, so he immediately knew he'd forgotten to push the T-handle in. You could see by the video that as soon as he leaned forward in the cockpit to do so, both the landing gear doors and the wing flaps began to rise.
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RandallSnow
Members +
I see now how the animation/interaction is backwards, and even the entire "emergency gear system" isn't really close to how the system functions, as I recall.
The system in place basically just says "if the lever is pulled, trigger the event Gear_Emergency_Lever_Toggled". This forces the gear down even if the lever stays in the UP position. There is no detailed description of this specific key event in the SDK either.
I'm going to add this to my list of improvements to investigate because there should be a complex hydraulic simulation available with some of the airliners in the sim. As I'm learning more about LVars I recognize how powerful they can be when used properly.
The system in place basically just says "if the lever is pulled, trigger the event Gear_Emergency_Lever_Toggled". This forces the gear down even if the lever stays in the UP position. There is no detailed description of this specific key event in the SDK either.
I'm going to add this to my list of improvements to investigate because there should be a complex hydraulic simulation available with some of the airliners in the sim. As I'm learning more about LVars I recognize how powerful they can be when used properly.
I've tried this with the AH P-51 but the Echo 19 soundpack audio seems to overlay the AH soundpack instead of replacing it. I wonder of the original AH soundpack needs to be deleted.I'm also unsure if you all have seen this or not, but Echo 19 is making a soundpack for ALL the Mustangs currently available (AH, Asobo 2020 and 2024). I keep replaying the video because I get goosebumps every time.
I've been asked to notate any specific sounds that would be nice to have and report back to the developer. So far I've recommended the iconic Merlin cough when the power comes to idle, opening canopy sound, and keeping the gunport whistle on landing.
RandallSnow
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RandallSnow
Members +
What the... As far as the clamshell doors, I have a good idea that "fixing" it will require rewriting the entire "hydraulic" system to move away from the Asobo Template system.
Wheel artifact is going to require some debugging. First instinct says it's an LOD issue. Might be an easy fix, but definitely need to look.
Yes. What I'm doing now is a delete and update of the AH P-51. Seems I missed the January 25 update. Hope this fixes the audio.
RandallSnow
Members +
No sir. There is a known issue with the way the marketplace is handling the soundpack files.
You can either manually copy the soundpack folder to your Community folder, or reach out to Echo 19 with Proof of Purchase and they'll provide you the installer from their store directly which installs the sounds to your Community folder to begin with.
From E19:
"If you bought the Mustang sounds on the Marketplace and are having issues getting them to work with the Aeroplane Heaven model on PC, it's not just you!
Unfortunately the load order is not translating correctly and the sounds will not work. Good news though: reach out to me with proof of purchase, and I'll send you the local installer (which will solve the issue).
You can also manually move the mustang audio folder from the "Official" directory to your community folder.
We are trying to figure out why this is happening and are working with Microsoft on a solution."
RandallSnow
Members +
Not mine, I just happened to help them out with some testing and refinements.