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Please see the most recent updates in the "Where did the .com name go?" thread. Posts number 16 and 17.
Douglas F5D-1 Skylancer (WIP)
- Thread starter LE151
- Start date
Sundog
SOH-CM-2026
Wow, Rob, I hope she has a full and speedy recovery. Or should I call you Chef Rob? 
Like Delta Lima, Rob has also allowed me to fly it and I'm loving it. I've been meaning to post some pics as well, but I've been busy making a complete new version of the news letter for the modeling (IPMS) club I'm in using software I haven't used before, which has been time consuming. Having said that, the news letter has to be completed tonight so I'll have free time this weekend to post some shots of the Sky Lancer as well. You guys are gonna love it when it's released.
Like Delta Lima, Rob has also allowed me to fly it and I'm loving it. I've been meaning to post some pics as well, but I've been busy making a complete new version of the news letter for the modeling (IPMS) club I'm in using software I haven't used before, which has been time consuming. Having said that, the news letter has to be completed tonight so I'll have free time this weekend to post some shots of the Sky Lancer as well. You guys are gonna love it when it's released.
hae5904
Charter Member
Let me share some WIP pics of this awesome plane Rob allowed me to use.
Rob, I hope your wife is having a speedy but healthy recovery to get you back to "work" .... or are you're planning to become a new "Gordon Ramsay" ??
Hank
Rob, I hope your wife is having a speedy but healthy recovery to get you back to "work" .... or are you're planning to become a new "Gordon Ramsay" ??
Hank
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delta_lima
Charter Member 2015
Hey Rob - how your wife is getting better!
As promised (however belatedly) - finally had a few minutes to take some shots. The venue is a beta I'm so thrilled to be a part of - Calclassic's Bernie Bockheim is working on a "Cape Canaveral 1962" FSX scenery pack. Can't think of a better way to combine two amazing projects. They're not intended as glamour shots, just part of beta feedback, so the FPS counters are there for reference sake. I'm not a noddy, dvj or other screenshot superhero, so I acknowledge these are pretty basic. Anyway, some pics ....
Full scenery dev thread here: http://calclassic.proboards.com/thread/6867/reaching-stars-classic-space-exploration
The confluence of both this scenery and this aircraft is the "right stuff" of dreams I never imagined would come to light in FSX. Here's to some great devs who are making them come true.
dl
As promised (however belatedly) - finally had a few minutes to take some shots. The venue is a beta I'm so thrilled to be a part of - Calclassic's Bernie Bockheim is working on a "Cape Canaveral 1962" FSX scenery pack. Can't think of a better way to combine two amazing projects. They're not intended as glamour shots, just part of beta feedback, so the FPS counters are there for reference sake. I'm not a noddy, dvj or other screenshot superhero, so I acknowledge these are pretty basic. Anyway, some pics ....
Full scenery dev thread here: http://calclassic.proboards.com/thread/6867/reaching-stars-classic-space-exploration
The confluence of both this scenery and this aircraft is the "right stuff" of dreams I never imagined would come to light in FSX. Here's to some great devs who are making them come true.
dl
hae5904
Charter Member
delta_lima
Charter Member 2015
As to the real one? Just snapped a page from one of my F5D books:
According to the FY 1957 Fighter Aircraft Readjustments memo sent to the Secretary of Defence, the following summary captures some of the performance highlights vis-a-vis some of the current / soon-to-arrive / competing fighter platforms. Specifically, approach speeds were charted, and according to the report, its' approach speed (at 142 kts) was tied with the proposed F8U-3 III (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vought_XF8U-3_Crusader_III), with the highest being the current F8U-1 (production Crusader) at 145 kts. All others listed (Skyray, Phantom, etc.) were lower, with the F3H Demon the lowest at 130 kts.
That element alone might seem problematic, but as a whole, both the Douglas factory pilots, Patuxent River lead Navy test pilot Cdr Tom Gallegher and others noted very few performance or capability issues - certainly compared to those faced by the Skyray. By all accounts, its fate was political (near monopoly by Douglas on Navy procurement) and potentially duplication of capability with F-8 Crusader. Over the two first phases of test flying (1. factory, 2. NATC Patuxent River) it passed with flying colours. The third (3. Navy Preliminary Evaluation) is where it hit the skids, with the lead test pilot (Alan Shepard - yes, that Alan Shepard) of that phase recommending against its requirement. The rest is sadly, history.
That is, until its NASA rebirth, which gave it a long, albeit narrowly focused career.
DL
delta_lima
Charter Member 2015
Indeed, SD.
"Out of the box " with the intended engine - it was easily the equal of the F-8 (and I'm a big fan of the F-8). Had the major production focus been the F5D, it'd be easy to imagine it having done everything the F-8 did in Vietnam, save perhaps for the photo-recce work.
Capability / complexity wise, it could easily have been a contender for some of the Mirage III and F-104 customers with some avionics downgrades, and if sufficient production volume to plateau unit costs to around the $5MM - $7MM, might have been economically viable.
dl
"Out of the box " with the intended engine - it was easily the equal of the F-8 (and I'm a big fan of the F-8). Had the major production focus been the F5D, it'd be easy to imagine it having done everything the F-8 did in Vietnam, save perhaps for the photo-recce work.
Capability / complexity wise, it could easily have been a contender for some of the Mirage III and F-104 customers with some avionics downgrades, and if sufficient production volume to plateau unit costs to around the $5MM - $7MM, might have been economically viable.
dl
NickB
Charter Member
The confluence of both this scenery and this aircraft is the "right stuff" of dreams I never imagined would come to light in FSX. Here's to some great devs who are making them come true.
dl
Hey DL,
Your patience has finally been rewarded. The Skyray paint was uploaded in 2008!
The right stuff indeed.
NickB
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delta_lima
Charter Member 2015
Hey Nick - you remembered! And I was flying the F4D in FS9, no less, back then.
Yes, and though I now have my beloved F5D in the hangar, I still have that paint of yours on the ported over F4D. Since you did that as a request, I'll still keep it on that F4D model as a reminder of how privileged we are to have folks do great freeware addons/paints. So it's not going anywhere.
dl
Yes, and though I now have my beloved F5D in the hangar, I still have that paint of yours on the ported over F4D. Since you did that as a request, I'll still keep it on that F4D model as a reminder of how privileged we are to have folks do great freeware addons/paints. So it's not going anywhere.
dl