F-94B Starfire
- Thread starter Allen
- Start date
Blackbird686
SOH-CM-2025
THAT would be an interesting event in a real world F-94B... romp the throttles up to about 90 - 95% and the guns go off!
I looked at the coding for the AB effect (which uses the smoke system) and it is somewhat intricate. Seems to work fine in my V1.9 copy so for the most part, it's best to leave well enough alone.
BB686
Mick
SOH-CM-2025
Yeah, that's right, we can't have the automatic AB and guns at he same time.
I didn't see that there was already a SmokeSystem section well down the aircraftcfg file, so I made one from scratch for the guns. It worked perfectly, but I didn't use the AB when I tried it so I didn't see that it wasn't working. Alas, what happened is that the first SmokeSystem section worked and FS didn't even see the second one. So I had the guns working but no AB.
If I put the guns and the AB in the same SmokeSystem section they would work together, just as the AB and the lights worked together when they were both in the Lights section. But if I'd seen the original SmokeSystem section I would've known not to add the guns to it.
(sigh...)
I didn't see that there was already a SmokeSystem section well down the aircraftcfg file, so I made one from scratch for the guns. It worked perfectly, but I didn't use the AB when I tried it so I didn't see that it wasn't working. Alas, what happened is that the first SmokeSystem section worked and FS didn't even see the second one. So I had the guns working but no AB.
If I put the guns and the AB in the same SmokeSystem section they would work together, just as the AB and the lights worked together when they were both in the Lights section. But if I'd seen the original SmokeSystem section I would've known not to add the guns to it.
(sigh...)
Good thing I didn't read that right away. I do have both working with out effecting each other and both have sounds. Took about a complete redo of the Auto AB it seemed.
How I did this is simple on the surface but thanks to the game and XML coding it took DAYS. The afterburner effect is now being ran from the Logo lights and still uses the dsd_xml_sound3 for sounds. Gun effects are being ran from the Wing lights.
Sound for the guns is being done from the SmokeSystem. While effects don't support looping sounds I was able to make 2 XML gauges that turn each other off and on real fast. This make the sound play over and over.
Gun sounds and effects are done by any brake key once your off of the ground. I'll attach an update. I think this is every thing needed. My brain is mush so I may have forgot something.
View attachment 49911
Mick
SOH-CM-2025
What happens when you're on the ramp getting ready to go and you turn on the lights. Does that trigger the afterburner like it did before when the AB effects were in the Lights section? That was why they had to be removed from the Lights section...
OK, I just did the test and answered my own question.
As soon as you turn on the lights, the afterburner effects kick in, even if the engine isn't running.
Same as before the AB was switched to the Smokesystem section.
Oh, well... FS9 isn't a combat sim, so we really don't need guns.
Last edited:
Mick
SOH-CM-2025
When and where is on the ramp as soon as I turn on the nav lights to get ready to fly.
I was checking to see if the guns would fire, and they didn't, but the afterburner lit up. Not what I expected!
It shut off when I turned off the lights and lit up again when I turned the lights off.
The smoke key set off the gun sound, but no tracer effects, just sound.
According to the Lights section of the cfg file, turning on the lights should activate both the afterburner and the visual gun effects, but the visual gun effects don't show up, just the afterburner, both visual flames and the "Foom!" start-up sound. (And yes, I did remember to install both the sound and effect files before I did my test.)
According to the Smokesystem section, the smoke key should activate only the gun sounds, no visual effects, and that's what happens. But this time the guns keep firing until you hit the key again to stop them. Before they stopped firing when you took your finger off the trigger (which isn't how the FS9 smoke system normally works. Dunno why it worked like that then.)
I think we're just not supposed to be able to have separate lights, afterburner and guns that all work independently. We'd need separate cfg file sections for them, and M$ didn't put enough sections into the cfg files. I guess they didn't expect us to shoot guns in FS9. (Can't blame them for that, really.) They probably never thought about afterburners either, since none of the stock jets have afterburners.
I want the afterburner more than I want guns, so I'm gonnna stick with that set-up.
I fear that my attempt to arm the F-94 has only produced futility at the cost of time and effort. I should just stick to spraying paint.
I was checking to see if the guns would fire, and they didn't, but the afterburner lit up. Not what I expected!
It shut off when I turned off the lights and lit up again when I turned the lights off.
The smoke key set off the gun sound, but no tracer effects, just sound.
According to the Lights section of the cfg file, turning on the lights should activate both the afterburner and the visual gun effects, but the visual gun effects don't show up, just the afterburner, both visual flames and the "Foom!" start-up sound. (And yes, I did remember to install both the sound and effect files before I did my test.)
According to the Smokesystem section, the smoke key should activate only the gun sounds, no visual effects, and that's what happens. But this time the guns keep firing until you hit the key again to stop them. Before they stopped firing when you took your finger off the trigger (which isn't how the FS9 smoke system normally works. Dunno why it worked like that then.)
I think we're just not supposed to be able to have separate lights, afterburner and guns that all work independently. We'd need separate cfg file sections for them, and M$ didn't put enough sections into the cfg files. I guess they didn't expect us to shoot guns in FS9. (Can't blame them for that, really.) They probably never thought about afterburners either, since none of the stock jets have afterburners.
I want the afterburner more than I want guns, so I'm gonnna stick with that set-up.
I fear that my attempt to arm the F-94 has only produced futility at the cost of time and effort. I should just stick to spraying paint.
Mick
SOH-CM-2025
I'm using the standard FS9 keys, which are the only ones I know of to activate lights and smoke.
The L key turns on the lights and the i key turns on the smoke.
The L key does indeed turn on the afterburner flames and sound along with the lights, just like the other day when the burner effects were in the lights section.
Everything happens just the way the sections of the cfg file tell FS to make it happen, except that the visual gun effects don't show up when the lights are turned on, although the cfg file calls them up.
Mick
SOH-CM-2025
Bear Intercept
The Russians Are Coming!
The Russians Are Coming!
The Bear is just off Provincetown, Mass., at the tip of Cape Cod, at 25,000 feet, heading towards Otis Air Force Base at Falmouth, near the base of the Cape, for a photo run before heading on down the coast to Cuba.
It's a static model and doesn't move, so you can't really formate on it like the picture seems to show (had to use slew mode for the picture.) But you can hunt it down and make threatening passes at it, trying to intimidate it away from Otis or at least disrupt the photo run. Back in the Cold War days you couldn't shoot it down anyway, lest you turn the Cold War hot.
The Bear is the Samdim Designs model. The ReadMe file contains no prohibitions against re-posting or anything else.
Copy attached for those who might want it.
The Russians Are Coming!
The Russians Are Coming!
The Bear is just off Provincetown, Mass., at the tip of Cape Cod, at 25,000 feet, heading towards Otis Air Force Base at Falmouth, near the base of the Cape, for a photo run before heading on down the coast to Cuba.
It's a static model and doesn't move, so you can't really formate on it like the picture seems to show (had to use slew mode for the picture.) But you can hunt it down and make threatening passes at it, trying to intimidate it away from Otis or at least disrupt the photo run. Back in the Cold War days you couldn't shoot it down anyway, lest you turn the Cold War hot.
The Bear is the Samdim Designs model. The ReadMe file contains no prohibitions against re-posting or anything else.
Copy attached for those who might want it.
I can't seem to duplicate what your seeing.
You say that the guns do not turn on with the light so I looked in the panel.cfg and see that I have the gun effect gauge/trigger listed in the [Vcockpit01] so I moved the AB effect gauge/trigger down to the [Vcockpit01] as well.
I'll attach the update panel.cfg and hopefully that will fix the prob.
View attachment 49930
Yes I do know that the fx_afterburner.fx will still play the amb_aexp1a.wav ,amb_aexp1b.wav or amb_aexp1c.wav if you have those sounds in the main Sound folder but the flame part is not being shown.
You say that the guns do not turn on with the light so I looked in the panel.cfg and see that I have the gun effect gauge/trigger listed in the [Vcockpit01] so I moved the AB effect gauge/trigger down to the [Vcockpit01] as well.
I'll attach the update panel.cfg and hopefully that will fix the prob.
View attachment 49930
Yes I do know that the fx_afterburner.fx will still play the amb_aexp1a.wav ,amb_aexp1b.wav or amb_aexp1c.wav if you have those sounds in the main Sound folder but the flame part is not being shown.
Mick
SOH-CM-2025
No joy. It just keeps getting worse.
Now when I turn on the lights only the lights turn on, as it should be, but nothing else is right.
The afterburner comes on with the smoke key, but the flames only show for a fraction of a second before they disappear.
Worse, the automatic afterburner linked to the throttle is completely lost. Now the AB only comes on with the smoke key, and then not with persistent flames.
There are no gun effects linked to any key command.
I'm going to stick with what we had, automatic afterburner working properly, and no guns.
I fear that my initial attempt at arming the plane has led you down a rabbit hole, trying to do something that FS9 just doesn't support. I apologize for that.
Last edited:
Blackbird686
SOH-CM-2025
Usually that kind of thing happens if there is more than one effects controller, as it has with my F-100, I doubt if Allen has that going on tho. I have just left V1.9 alone at the mo, with the working AB effect, and the lights, no guns. I'll wait for V2.0 if it comes. Don't think I'll be chasing any Bear bombers tho, but I did install that copy of the AI Bear that Mick posted... pretty easy to fly along side the Russian bomber and take turns holding up photos of each others "calendar ladies"....
BB686
BB686
That is not possible. I know it works as I just did it.
The automatic afterburner come on WHEN the engine is over 50% of max RPM and throttle is at/over 98%
The guns only work WHEN the plane is off of the ground AND any brake key is pressed.
Hitting the L key once will turn on the lights but not the afterburner or gun effects. (Done with the plane on the ground and throttle is all the way back so engine is idle)
Hitting the I key once will start playing the gun firing sounds and hitting I key again will shut them off. (Done with the plane on the ground and throttle is all the way back so engine is idle)
Can you confirm that the same is happing for you?
The automatic afterburner come on WHEN the engine is over 50% of max RPM and throttle is at/over 98%
The guns only work WHEN the plane is off of the ground AND any brake key is pressed.
Hitting the L key once will turn on the lights but not the afterburner or gun effects. (Done with the plane on the ground and throttle is all the way back so engine is idle)
Hitting the I key once will start playing the gun firing sounds and hitting I key again will shut them off. (Done with the plane on the ground and throttle is all the way back so engine is idle)
Can you confirm that the same is happing for you?
Mick
SOH-CM-2025
OK, I did a more thorough test and this is what I found.
On the ramp, if I turn on the lights before I turn on the engine, the afterburner makes the "Foom!" sound and the afterburner flames appear. The flames persists until I turn the lights off.
If the engine is already running, when I turn on the light I get the afterburner sound but not the flames.
On the ramp the smoke key triggers the gun sounds, but not the muzzle flash or tracers. The sounds continue when you take your finger off the trigger, and they don't stop until you hit the trigger key again.
On the ramp the brake key doesn't trigger the guns.
The automatic afterburner sound and flames appear as they should when the throttle is fully open on take-off or in flight.
In flight, if you forgot to turn on the lights as part of getting ready to fly, and you turn them on in flight, the afterburner sound goes Foom but they flames don't come on.
In flight, either the smoke or the brake key fires the guns. If you fire the guns with the smoke key, all you get is sounds, no visual effects, and they keep firing when you take your finger off the trigger and they fire until you hit the trigger again. If you change views while they're firing, you can't stop them until you cycle through the views back to the one you were in when you hit the trigger.
In flight, if you fire the guns with the brake key they stop when you take your finger off the trigger. You get sound and muzzle flash, but no tracers.
It's manageable if you remember not to turn the lights on until the negine is running, and if you remember to shoot the guns with the brake key and not the smoke key. I suppose adding tracers along with the muzzle flash would be simple enough.
Still, with a couple things to keep in mind that one might not recall if not having flown the plane for a while, it's probably more trouble than it's worth.
My inclination is to stick with what we got to the other day, an automatic afterburner that works seamlessly, lights that can be turned on at any time without having anything else happen, and no guns. I really wish I'd never thought about adding the guns.
On the ramp, if I turn on the lights before I turn on the engine, the afterburner makes the "Foom!" sound and the afterburner flames appear. The flames persists until I turn the lights off.
If the engine is already running, when I turn on the light I get the afterburner sound but not the flames.
On the ramp the smoke key triggers the gun sounds, but not the muzzle flash or tracers. The sounds continue when you take your finger off the trigger, and they don't stop until you hit the trigger key again.
On the ramp the brake key doesn't trigger the guns.
The automatic afterburner sound and flames appear as they should when the throttle is fully open on take-off or in flight.
In flight, if you forgot to turn on the lights as part of getting ready to fly, and you turn them on in flight, the afterburner sound goes Foom but they flames don't come on.
In flight, either the smoke or the brake key fires the guns. If you fire the guns with the smoke key, all you get is sounds, no visual effects, and they keep firing when you take your finger off the trigger and they fire until you hit the trigger again. If you change views while they're firing, you can't stop them until you cycle through the views back to the one you were in when you hit the trigger.
In flight, if you fire the guns with the brake key they stop when you take your finger off the trigger. You get sound and muzzle flash, but no tracers.
It's manageable if you remember not to turn the lights on until the negine is running, and if you remember to shoot the guns with the brake key and not the smoke key. I suppose adding tracers along with the muzzle flash would be simple enough.
Still, with a couple things to keep in mind that one might not recall if not having flown the plane for a while, it's probably more trouble than it's worth.
My inclination is to stick with what we got to the other day, an automatic afterburner that works seamlessly, lights that can be turned on at any time without having anything else happen, and no guns. I really wish I'd never thought about adding the guns.
First I have no idea why your turning the engine off. The game starts with it on and far as I can tell there is no way to stop the F-94B engine in game WITH OUT changing to another aircraft and stopping its engine than change back to the F-94B. The bug could be from doing this. I can't get the same to happen no mater what. Would need to know what Airport and what runway at that Airport, Time, Date and how you shut the engine off.
The "Foom!" sound was coded to the fx_afterburner effect. I changed the "Foom!" to be controlled by the dsd_xml_sound3.gau. Now if the afterburner is OFF you won't hear the "Foom!" sound if you press L. If the afterburner is on and your press L you still get the "Foom!" sound. If that is a prob just swap the AB_Start No Sound.wav and AB_Start.wav.
NEVER EVER PRESS the "I" or Smoke key.
GUNS DO NOT WORK ON THE GROUND. EVER!
That is how things should be. Sound and flames appear as they should when the throttle is fully open WITH engine running.
Same bug as #2. Fixed as can be.
Again NEVER EVER PRESS the "I" or Smoke key. Use one of the brake keys F11, F12 or "." Not a good idea to use the Parking brake (Ctrl + ".") Just because you have to hit the Parking brake key to start and again to stop the guns.
Having the muzzle flash, but no tracers. I have seen that it takes time for the game to play the tracer effects. The tracers are in same FX as the muzzle flash. I now made a deacated tracer effect. Not sure that this makes things better or not.
Try below and see what you get.
View attachment 49948
The "Foom!" sound was coded to the fx_afterburner effect. I changed the "Foom!" to be controlled by the dsd_xml_sound3.gau. Now if the afterburner is OFF you won't hear the "Foom!" sound if you press L. If the afterburner is on and your press L you still get the "Foom!" sound. If that is a prob just swap the AB_Start No Sound.wav and AB_Start.wav.
NEVER EVER PRESS the "I" or Smoke key.
GUNS DO NOT WORK ON THE GROUND. EVER!
That is how things should be. Sound and flames appear as they should when the throttle is fully open WITH engine running.
Same bug as #2. Fixed as can be.
Again NEVER EVER PRESS the "I" or Smoke key. Use one of the brake keys F11, F12 or "." Not a good idea to use the Parking brake (Ctrl + ".") Just because you have to hit the Parking brake key to start and again to stop the guns.
Having the muzzle flash, but no tracers. I have seen that it takes time for the game to play the tracer effects. The tracers are in same FX as the muzzle flash. I now made a deacated tracer effect. Not sure that this makes things better or not.
Try below and see what you get.
View attachment 49948
Mick
SOH-CM-2025
The game only starts with the engine on if you have it set that way by having the engine running at the start of your default flight, when you save it and make it the default flight. I guess it comes out of the box with the stock default flight set that way (not sure, it's been so many years) but I don't know why anyone would leave it that way and I doubt that many did. And unless Seattle was their home airport, why would anyone want to keep a default flight that starts there?
You stop the engine in the game by pushing the engine shut off key, which is whatever key you set it for. (Any unassigned key will do.) Or there might be a shut-down switch on the panel. The F-94 is no different. Why finish a flight and walk away with the engine running? You wouldn't do that in a real airplane.
The behavior I got with the F-94 has nothing to do with the airport or ramp I started on. (Ramp, not runway. I never start on a runway.) As it happened, I did my tests in a couple different places, first at my default airport, then by selecting Previous Flight, at the airport I landed at after the first test. Anyway, I can assure you that there's nothing about FS9 that would allow a plane to behave any differently depending on where it was located in the FS world. Scenery doesn't affect the aircraft unless you crash into it.
Yes, the guns do indeed work on the ground if you hit the smoke key (not the brake key) but the visual effects don't show, just the sound. So they half work on the ground.
We really have no need for guns, and since having them complicates the situation and make the operation of the afterburner and lights not seamless and natural, they aren't worth putting up with. It would be different if this was a combat sim and we could actually shoot things with the guns, but FS doesn't allow that. If we want to really shoot things with the F-94, we can put it into CFS2 and arm it with a damage profile. That would be a very nifty thing to do, and I'm sure some folks will do it. I would like to, but I don't have enough hobby time to get involved with a second sim (I wish I did!) so I'm going to stick with FS9 and stick with the F-94 set up with seamless operation and no guns. And I am still really happy to have it that way.
Last edited:
Blackbird686
SOH-CM-2025
Boy-oh Howdy! Seems we're getting nowhere fast with all of this. I currently have a copy of the freeware IRIS MiG-23/27 for FS9 that has BOTH an afterburner effect controlled by throttle position and engine RPM, AS WELL AS a working gun effect. Let me have a close look at that model and see if I can figure out how it clicks... and I'll get back to everyone on this later. 
ITMT -- I'll just keep the guns unloaded, and enjoy this little fighter for what she is... an excellent flyer that looks really good, and has a kick in the butt afterburner effect.
BB686
Seems we're getting nowhere fast with all of this. I currently have a copy of the freeware IRIS MiG-23/27 for FS9 that has BOTH an afterburner effect controlled by throttle position and engine RPM, AS WELL AS a working gun effect. Let me have a close look at that model and see if I can figure out how it clicks... and I'll get back to everyone on this later. ITMT -- I'll just keep the guns unloaded, and enjoy this little fighter for what she is... an excellent flyer that looks really good, and has a kick in the butt afterburner effect.BB686
Blackbird686
Found the IRIS Classic MiG 27 and I'm looking at it now. The afterburner code is not like what I have. I'll change to the Iris code and change the conditions (Iris code needs 90% throttle while I need 98% throttle) This code seem to be stable for Mick as I'm using code just like it for the guns.
Mick
Can you attach a saved flight so all I have to do is hit L so I can see the bug my self. Nothing I can do will cause the same bug for me. Saved flights are in your Documents or My Documents than go to Flight Simulator Files or you can go to it by C:\Users\*YOUR_PC_USER_NAME*\Documents\Flight Simulator Files
Also try this out.
View attachment 49959
Found the IRIS Classic MiG 27 and I'm looking at it now. The afterburner code is not like what I have. I'll change to the Iris code and change the conditions (Iris code needs 90% throttle while I need 98% throttle) This code seem to be stable for Mick as I'm using code just like it for the guns.
Mick
Can you attach a saved flight so all I have to do is hit L so I can see the bug my self. Nothing I can do will cause the same bug for me. Saved flights are in your Documents or My Documents than go to Flight Simulator Files or you can go to it by C:\Users\*YOUR_PC_USER_NAME*\Documents\Flight Simulator Files
Also try this out.
View attachment 49959
Mick
SOH-CM-2025
Getting Warmer
OK, I just tried the most recent evolution and here's what I get.
Sitting on the ramp, when I turn on the lights the lights come on and nothing else. Just as it should be.
When I hit the smoke key the guns fire. As the cfg file comes from the zip file, only the gun sounds happen. I added the tracers. Perfect.
When I start the engine and open the throttle the afterburner kicks in, but could use some tweakage.
- The "Foom!" or "Whump!" ignition sound doesn't come on.
- The flame effects are way up inside the tailpipe; they need to be moved rearward some ways.
So, major progress! No matter what key I hit, nothing happens that isn't supposed to happen. Woo-HOOO !!!
The tweakage that remains to be done is, hopefully, simple:
1 - move the AB flames back down the tailpipe so they shoot out the back like before. (Maybe not quite as far as before for a plane of this vintage.)
2 - restore the afterburner ignition sound (Foom or Whump).
Attached, as you requested, is a flight start, the one I've generally started with. It puts you on the Air Guard ramp at Barnes Municipal Airport, Westfield, Mass. (KBAF) on a bright autumn afternoon, "cold and dark": engine stopped, canopy closed, lights off, parking brake set and the sim in Pause.
Actually, since you'll be at the stock KBAF, you might find yourself parked out in the weeds, but you shouldn't start with a building crash. I think you'll be on pavement at least.
Open the canopy, get in, close the canopy (OK, you don't have to do that part.) Turn on your lights and now, finally, you should see that when you turn on the lights, the lights turn on and nothing else happens.
Next start your engine. For some reason I always have trouble getting jet engines to start in any view but 2D panel view. I don't know why, or if it's like that for anyone else. I'm too impatient to go through the full cockpit checklist routine; I just hit Ctrl+e to start the engine. (If you're not used to starting that way, hold those keys down until the gauges are in the green and you can hear that J-33 howling.)
Taxi out to take-off (the active is probably the near end of the main runway, almost right in front of you, or follow an AI plane. Line up with the centerline, go to full throttle, and the AB kicks in. You won't hear the Foom! but you'll hear the engine get a little bit louder and if you're in Spot view you'll see just the tippy tips of the afterburner flames poking out the tailpipe enough to let you know that the AB is on. When you ignite the AB nothing else happens.
Like a real plane, the guns shoot whether you're on the ground or on the air (so be careful not to shoot up those F-51H's parked there on the ramp!) When you hit the smoke key the guns shoot, and nothing else happens. When you take your finger off the trigger the guns keep firing until you tap the key again. Not perfect, but not a big deal - although for a while there, in one of the confabulations we tested, the guns stopped when I lifted my finger. Still, not a big deal, completely tolerable. The big thing is that when you shoot the guns, nothing else happens.
It would seem that the afterburner, the lights and the guns all work independently. I'd just about become convinced that this was impossible!
And they all work properly, except that the AB flames need some tweakage and the AD ignition sound has gone off somewhere.
Finally, everything works the same whether the plane is on the ground with the engine off, on the ground with the engine running, or in the air with the engine running.
But now you don't have any glitches to look for, unless the afterburner flames and sound look different to you than what I just described. I hope those will just be simple edits, though I don't know how to do that editing, so I must leave that to you.
OK, I just tried the most recent evolution and here's what I get.
Sitting on the ramp, when I turn on the lights the lights come on and nothing else. Just as it should be.
When I hit the smoke key the guns fire. As the cfg file comes from the zip file, only the gun sounds happen. I added the tracers. Perfect.
When I start the engine and open the throttle the afterburner kicks in, but could use some tweakage.
- The "Foom!" or "Whump!" ignition sound doesn't come on.
- The flame effects are way up inside the tailpipe; they need to be moved rearward some ways.
So, major progress! No matter what key I hit, nothing happens that isn't supposed to happen. Woo-HOOO !!!
The tweakage that remains to be done is, hopefully, simple:
1 - move the AB flames back down the tailpipe so they shoot out the back like before. (Maybe not quite as far as before for a plane of this vintage.)
2 - restore the afterburner ignition sound (Foom or Whump).
Attached, as you requested, is a flight start, the one I've generally started with. It puts you on the Air Guard ramp at Barnes Municipal Airport, Westfield, Mass. (KBAF) on a bright autumn afternoon, "cold and dark": engine stopped, canopy closed, lights off, parking brake set and the sim in Pause.
Actually, since you'll be at the stock KBAF, you might find yourself parked out in the weeds, but you shouldn't start with a building crash. I think you'll be on pavement at least.
Open the canopy, get in, close the canopy (OK, you don't have to do that part.) Turn on your lights and now, finally, you should see that when you turn on the lights, the lights turn on and nothing else happens.
Next start your engine. For some reason I always have trouble getting jet engines to start in any view but 2D panel view. I don't know why, or if it's like that for anyone else. I'm too impatient to go through the full cockpit checklist routine; I just hit Ctrl+e to start the engine. (If you're not used to starting that way, hold those keys down until the gauges are in the green and you can hear that J-33 howling.)
Taxi out to take-off (the active is probably the near end of the main runway, almost right in front of you, or follow an AI plane. Line up with the centerline, go to full throttle, and the AB kicks in. You won't hear the Foom! but you'll hear the engine get a little bit louder and if you're in Spot view you'll see just the tippy tips of the afterburner flames poking out the tailpipe enough to let you know that the AB is on. When you ignite the AB nothing else happens.
Like a real plane, the guns shoot whether you're on the ground or on the air (so be careful not to shoot up those F-51H's parked there on the ramp!) When you hit the smoke key the guns shoot, and nothing else happens. When you take your finger off the trigger the guns keep firing until you tap the key again. Not perfect, but not a big deal - although for a while there, in one of the confabulations we tested, the guns stopped when I lifted my finger. Still, not a big deal, completely tolerable. The big thing is that when you shoot the guns, nothing else happens.
It would seem that the afterburner, the lights and the guns all work independently. I'd just about become convinced that this was impossible!
And they all work properly, except that the AB flames need some tweakage and the AD ignition sound has gone off somewhere.
Finally, everything works the same whether the plane is on the ground with the engine off, on the ground with the engine running, or in the air with the engine running.
But now you don't have any glitches to look for, unless the afterburner flames and sound look different to you than what I just described. I hope those will just be simple edits, though I don't know how to do that editing, so I must leave that to you.