Conspicuous by Their Absence

Just finished rounding up the data for the Checklist for the Hellcats. The throttle settings are somewhat confusing and vary with altitude. Now I just have to go back and make the AIR file match the Pilot's Manual.

- Ivan.
 
Just finished up the Check Lists for the two Hellcats. There isn't much difference between the two planes. The -5 is several hundred pounds heavier but a few mph faster, neither of which affects the Check List. Now the strange thing is that the Longitudinal trim is a bit different between the two planes. Original flight testing was back in 2008 and I don't want to redo it. There is a minor discrepancy: The Flight Manual states up to 60 inches Manifold Pressure under WEP. It varies a bit with altitude. My flight model uses 59.5 inches WEP. Full power without Water Injection is 54.0 inches MAP. Also, there is no "WEP Switch" on the real aeroplane. It automatically engages Water Injection when the Throttle is advanced past a switch. This also means that Water Injection is autmatically DISengaged as well. CFS has no provisions for that kind of behaviour.

While doing some flight testing this evening, I noticed that I never put Blast Tubes on the guns for the F6F-3. If I want to go back and add them, it is another pass through the SCASM process..... The F6F-5 has them already. Although the AF99 / Aircraft Animator / SCASM / Hex Edit for Collision Bubble doesn't take more than about a half hour now, it is just plain tedious.

In doing some "Lazy Flying" or informal flight testing, This plane handles well with no horrible behaviour that I have found. You CAN spin it. With full flaps and trimmed for low speed flight, it just floats in at around 70 knots and touches down at around 65 knots without a bounce.

Still have a bunch more tests to do.....

- Ivan.
 
ETA on F6F-3 was better part of a decade ago..... Original release was back in 2002 and there have been over 2000 downloads to date. This isn't a new project.... I am just redoing some stuff and hopefully improving a few things incrementally. The F6F-5 hasn't been released before but it really isn't very different. Different Paint, Gun Blast Tubes, and missing Quarter Windows describes most of it.

I'll try to finish them up quick for a re-release. I am getting really tired of testing stuff which is why tonight was just some poking around. As for panels, I am still going for functionality rather than correct appearance.

- Ivan.
 
Hi No Dice,

I have installed versions of everything on my computer. Most of the stuff isn't in a state to be releasable though. Even the F6F-3 needs a bit more work before going out. I figure I should have two AIR files for the aeroplane: One should have a tail hook. One should not.

- Ivan.
 
Hello Ivan.
Down here in MS. the word "most" means a large portion of, leaving the remainder ?

Sooooo, what about the remaining ?

Dave
 
Hello No Dice,

Here are the statuses of all my projects. The ones in Bold have been released at least once.
As you can see, there is quite a lot that I am really not satisfied with.

- Ivan.

Albatros D.Va Needs Texture, Needs Flight Model
Blohm & Voss BV 141B-0 Fix Landing Gear Animation
Chance-Vought F4U-1 Corsair Fix Width
Chance-Vought F4U-1A Corsair Fix Width
Chance-Vought F4U-2N Corsair Fix Wing Angle
Curtiss P-40C Hawk 81B Tomahawk Needs Re Paint
Curtiss P-40E Hawk 87B Warhawk
Curtiss-Wright CW-21B Demon Texture, Air File
Dornier Do 17Z-2 Incomplete
Douglas A-20 Havoc Started
Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless (A-24) Needs Texture
Focke-Wulf FW 190A-8/R-11 Flight Model Rework, Wheel Wells
Fokker E.III Eindecker
Grumman F4F-3 G-36 Wildcat Wing Roots should be hollow
Grumman F4F-4 G-36B Wildcat Wing Roots should be hollow
Grumman F6F-3 Hellcat Mk.I Textured Wheel Wells, Wheel Fairing, Gun Textures
Grumman F6F-5 Hellcat Mk.II
Heinkel He-177 Greif Incomplete
Junkers Ju 87B-2 Needs Texture and Flight Model
Kawasaki Ki-61-I Hien Needs Green Texture, Needs Red Star on Wing Guns
Lavochkin La-5FN Align Textures on Wheel Wells, Airfile Noseover
Lavochkin La-7 ShVAK Cowl Bleed from Low Aft
Macchi C.205 Veltro Serie III Needs Texture
Martin B-26 Marauder Started
Mitsubishi A6M2 Reisen Model 21b Panel, DP
Mitsubishi A6M3 Reisen Model 22 Air File, Panel, DP
Mitsubishi A6M5 Reisen Model 52a Texture Control Panel
North American P-51A Mustang Replace Pilot, Fix Lower Wing Root Joint
North American B-25C Mitchell Check Cockpit to Fuselage Joint, Needs Texture
Republic P-47D-23 Thunderbolt
Republic P-47D-27 Thunderbolt
Slingsby T.31B Tandem Tutor Incomplete
Supermarine Spitfire Mk.IXc Needs Camouflage, Needs Flight Model
Yokosuka MXY-7 Ohka Needs Flight Model and Sounds
 
I wanted to line up the columns, but all the spaces got removed. Hate it whennat happens.

Here are the designs I currently have under consideration:

Messerschmitt Me 109K
Nakajima Ki-43-II Hayabusa
Mitsubishi J2M3 Raiden
Yakovlev Yak-9
Bell P-39D Airacobra
Nakajima Ki-84 Hayate
Goodyear F2G Corsair
Chance-Vought F4U-4 Corsair
Kawanishi N1K2-J Shiden-KAI
Kawanishi H8K Emily
Focke-Wulf FW 190D
Grumman F8F-1 Bearcat
Hawker Hurricane
Kawanishi H8K Emily
Heinkel He 219 (DB603E)
Beech Staggerwing
Curtiss P-36 Hawk 75 Mohawk
 
No. Just some of the stuff that is release quality is uninteresting. You already host most of the stuff at your site, what is the point in spending the effort to make just a minor improvement when there is so much else in the works? Examples would be the Razorback Thunderbolt and the P-40E Warhawk.

Besides, even when I think something is ready for release, I find there is always something else that I overlooked. The F6F-3 Hellcat is a perfect example. The issues may be minor, but if they bother me, I will try to fix them first.

3D Design without a deadline is fun. Texturing is a pain. Flight testing is interesting but only to a point. Doing the packaging is just plain tedious.

- Ivan.
 
Just finished uploading the F6F-3 Hellcat. The F6F-5 should follow shortly but is very similar other than for paint. I think the Hellcat is a fun plane to fly. Let me know what you all think.

- Ivan.
 
Don't see it yet, must take a while,

I so much agree with the no deadline, I can't wait to take a trip knowing I will be back whenever I am done traveling and not before.

I am more than guilty of a total lack of packaging

Dave
 
I see two downloads already. Not bad for just a couple hours. Lessee if it gets up to about 18 or so like the last ones.
After the F6F-5, I wonder which project should receive attention next?

- Ivan.
 
FWIW, I already see problems with the Hellcat3 upload. Should have checked things better.

- Ivan.
 
Is there an easy way to replace an upload? The DP file issues are not severe but I do believe they should be fixed.

- Ivan.
 
Due to complaints about the Roll Rates on the F6F-3 Hellcat, Grumman has added Spring-Tab Ailerons on the Hellcat Mk.II.
Otherwise, there are no great differences between the F6F-5 Hellcat and prior versions. Let me know what you think.

- Ivan.
 
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