Convair CV-580

FWIW, I think in today’s flightsim world, there are far less repainters who would be interested in working on this release than there were even five years ago. As such, I would favour breaking the mega pack down into a few more specific model releases, which of course would give you more room to provide repaints yourself . . . which is of course asking you to do much more work, after you are giving us so much in this package . . .
 
Great work, can't wait! Like Calclassic if a simmer want's to go "retro" there are more passenger repaints and there is such cool vintage sceneries at Calclassic that for one's personal use with a little knowledge and time can be updated to P3D up to V4.5 and the FSX's used in P3D 1,2,3. I found in the past that there are also retro flight schedules that can be obtained for free like for Delta Airlines from the 60's. Delta has a super site and very nice and helpful dosents at their museum. Here is a link to all the Convair CV's and variants that have flown this bird all over the world:

https://www.skytamer.com/Convair_CV-580.html
 
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Here is a screenshot of the CV580 converted Calclassic in P3D V4.5 with the TextInfoGauge stock installed according to the simple instructions in the pdf. I am going to tweak it now that I know it works in P3D not just FSX. Being an xml gauge it should work in ALL versions of P3D IMO. This gauge is how Manfred Jahn created HIS in the C-47 Dakota according to MJ (Not Michael Jordan LOL). Not being any more gauge savvy probably than Scorch00 claimed above, I spent the last hour or so trying to modify this following the 12 pages of the 70 page pdf that comes with the gauge about how to resize it with no luck so as far as I AM CONCERNED, I like it and am going to use it right where it pops up. What I DID modify was the panel cfg. I swapped out the MINIPANEL which I never use anyway with this by cut and paste so that I can use [SHIFT 5] to make it a popup because there is no [SHIFT 13] because this would have been gauge 12. So it works for me. It is a really easy install if you install it as directed in the manual.
CV580 at KPTK with TextInfoGauge.png
 
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Here is a screenshot of the CV580 converted Calclassic in P3D V4.5 with the TextInfoGauge stock installed according to the simple instructions in the pdf. I am going to tweak it now that I know it works in P3D not just FSX. Being an xml gauge it should work in ALL versions of P3D IMO. This gauge is how Manfred Jahn created HIS in the C-47 Dakota according to MJ (Not Michael Jordan LOL). Not being any more gauge savvy probably than Scorch00 claimed above, I spent the last hour or so trying to modify this following the 12 pages of the 70 page pdf that comes with the gauge about how to resize it with no luck so as far as I AM CONCERNED, I like it and am going to use it right where it pops up. What I DID modify was the panel cfg. I swapped out the MINIPANEL which I never use anyway with this by cut and paste so that I can use [SHIFT 5] to make it a popup because there is no [SHIFT 13] because this would have been gauge 12. So it works for me. It is a really easy install if you install it as directed in the manual.
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That is a great find. If that panel or one very similar to the C-47 i.e. can start engines, control flaps etc. I have a squeaky brake sound that I could add to it later on. I know the C-47 has one too.
 
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FWIW, I think in today’s flightsim world, there are far less repainters who would be interested in working on this release than there were even five years ago. As such, I would favour breaking the mega pack down into a few more specific model releases, which of course would give you more room to provide repaints yourself . . . which is of course asking you to do much more work, after you are giving us so much in this package . . .
This is definitely something I'm considering at this point as I'm starting to wrap up model changes and will start on the process of doing more paints for them. Right now I'm considering the pack being at least 3 different release packages. 1 for the passenger variants which would house the CV-580, VC-131H, and the CC-109. The 2nd would be the CV-580F which would have the 580F and 580AT models, the last would be the CV-5800s on their own. So those models would basically break down like this 580 Pax Variant Pack (4 models), 580F Cargo pack (4 models), CV-5800 (1 model).

The base 580s I've kept on the same stock base texture maps, with the exception of the 5800 which has a mix of both the original map and a new one. Some things may seem a bit strange in how I set this up, but I think once you see it, it might make a bit of sense as to why I did it this way. Largely it's to keep the legacy paints that were created by all the people over the years to still work on these updated models with minor changes needed to get them to look right on the fuselages that say on the 580s, that now have actual windows and stuff like that. The 580 has been around for some time and I didn't want to have the update take away from it being around all these years with all those paints around and they suddenly be basically useless. Especially if there's fewer around to want to repaint it. There's at least options around to find.
 
Only some minor model tweaks are going on now as I now start on painting and vetting the models a bit more closely. The tankers being my biggest focus, I've started working my way through them first. I did end up having to also add my wing mods to these as I thought I could get away with not messing with them. But the model tweaks will move to the 2nd tanker model later tonight. Saskatchewan's fleet of 580 tankers is complete now. I have just got the first ship done for Conair. There will be 9 other paints for their fleet of 580s. T-42 is seen here wearing it's final service contract markings for the state of Alaska. I did get some questions on other places if I was also doing the aircraft lost in service, and the answer is yes. But usually if I include ships lost in the line of duty I affix some sort of memorial on the aircraft somewhere in honor of the crew lost with the aircraft. In this pack there will be one on T-472 for Saskatchewan and for T-48 for Conair.

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Here's a look at one of the finished Saskatchewan tankers. These too now have the other wing mods now. The Sask ships are the ones that have the Hamilton Standard props on them as well.

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The mass of tanker version repaints is nearly complete. I completed the Conair fleet tonight, but discovered some paint discrepancies with the tail numbers. Which I did address on the 50 series tankers, but have to make that change to all the 40 series paints now. Also have to correct the fleet wide base paint on the aft section on all of them. Here is T-54 with that finalized paint adjustment and markings for it's final contract operation with Alberta. All of Conair's aircraft have their markings based on their final season markings in 2020. The exception of that is T-48, which was lost in 2010. T-48 for Conair and T-472 for Saskatchewan PSA have special memorial markings on the left rear crew door in memory of the crew members lost in those accidents. T-45 for Conair was also total out on a runway overshoot incident and was scrapped, but it also has it's last season operational markings on it.


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I've done some more minor tweaks to the airtanker variants for their specific lighting additions they have over the standard models. With that on one of the two versions. I've also finished all the paints for them. Some minor tweaking of those might need to be done once I get them to people to test. I've also started working on a few more paints for the other models. I wont go too crazy with them as it just means I'll have way more files to check over once completed. Plus I know people want to get their hands on them. Here is one of the paints done for the Pax version for United Express.

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Looking great! Let me know if I can try and help with the gauges. I am by far not an expert but have done a lot of work successfully in the past.
 
Just wanted to throw another small update out there. Lots of small things being worked on that I come across, but the process is starting to have a shorter and shorter list of things to look at. Right now I'm adjusting the last paints the packs will launch with. Once those are done I don't have a lot left to really mess with. At least hopefully. Still need to look the panel over and see what all else I need to swap to get it more functional. I'll do a sweep of the models to make sure everything is there between all 9 of the expanded models. I still have to fine tune the 5800's flight dynamics updates. I started writing the readme files for them as well. I'm hoping to to get these done and out by the end of October. Not a bad split from 3 models originally to 9, but as I think I've said before, the aircraft is pretty unique, but I did have to cap how many of the variants I could do. I also received some interior photos for a modernized semi-glass panel that some of them have, which I will also try and replicate and add to the pack. As at least the Saskatchewan Airtankers and likely the 5800 have this similar panel setup. But both analog and (hopefully) glass updated panels will be in all 3 packs.

CV-580A (Aero Products Propeller)
CV-580A (Hamilton Standard Propeller)
CC-109 Cosmopolitan
VC-131H Samaritan
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CV-580F (no windows)
CV-580F (windows)
CV-580AT (Aero Products Propeller)
CV-580AT (Hamilton Standard Propeller)
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CV-5800
 
Looks great so far - but still no splitter plate between the front windscreens?
They all have them yes. It's just a very small detail. I don't think the screenshots I've posted really show it. But I will try and upload one so that you can see it there.

Edit #2: The same individual that provided me interior photos of the Saskatchewan airtankers also informed me that the reason their aircraft use the Hamilton Standard propellers, unlike their Conair sister ships is because unlike their aircraft. Saskatchewan's have more powerful 501-D22-3 engines. So a standard 580 has a 501-D13H series rated at 3,750 shp. The 5800 has a 501-D22G rated at 4,600 shp. The 501-D22-3s are rated at 4,000 shp each. So that will likely yield another separate version depending on how much different their performance actually is. Which I doubt it's that much different, but I am looking at more documents to see.

Low quality screenshot from a preview screen, but it is there.

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Did you ever notice that just when you think you almost got it...something else jumps out at ya? That is why NAS Alameda took me and my crew ALL SUMMER. Every time I turned a page of the 92 page document, I saw something else and got all kind of obsessive/compulsive about it being correct and complete as you are.
 
Oh yeah that's how a lot of these end up for me it seems like. Initially you only plan on doing x-amount and it ends up ballooning rather quickly. As originally, I had only planned on differentiating the passenger versions by doing the windows from the cargo models and shortening the noses on the tanker versions. And here we are, from the original 3 models and are at 9 lol.
 
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