GAS WIP - Stearman

[Spad54]

I see that all variants completed to date use 1930s era cockpits. Is it possible to add a bit of modern flavor to some of them by installing full-sized radio and transponder in the VC, the way it was made in Anthony Lynch's Tiger Moth?

Our models are presented as they would have been pre, during, and immediately after WW2. There is no evidence in the pilot operating handbooks and cockpit diagrams that avionics were installed. Accommodations have been made to access the standard 2D hand held radio and GPS using SimCons located in the aft data/map case. Modeled radios and such are likely to be presented in a future release of the "Super Stearman" variants to follow later this year after this release.

 

[thunderstreak]

Really looking forward to the Stearman release! Looks great!

 

[falcon409]

Our models are presented as they would have been pre, during, and immediately after WW2. There is no evidence in the pilot operating handbooks and cockpit diagrams that avionics were installed. Accommodations have been made to access the standard 2D hand held radio and GPS using SimCons located in the aft data/map case.. . . . . .

Glad to hear it. No place for modern avionics in these classics! Beautiful work Paul!

 

[stearmandriver]

... I think everyone is going to be very surprised if not utterly blown away by the GAS Stearman and your 'maximum effort' on this pivotal
WWII trainer. No one to date has modeled the PT-13 for FSX and no one has done the PT-17 to this degree of fidelity.

I'm pretty sure you're right .

 

[Bomber_12th]

It is a awesome to see the attention being put into these different variants of the Stearman. The civilian modified version looks gorgeous - I love the raised turtle deck behind the rear cockpit and spats. That model will be a great base for a number of repaints of other Stearmans flying today in similar configuration as well.

One Stearman I'm quite familiar with is the N2S-1 that was restored a few years back by AirCorps Aviation for Paul Ehlen/Wings of the North and is one of five known surviving that was flown by President George Bush Sr. when he was undergoing his initial pilot training in the Minnesota winter of 1942/43, based at NAS Minneapolis. It was restored with absolute accuracy in every detail, including no avionics and no way of starting the aircraft except from the outside/original method - hand crank, primer and starter-engage on the front cowl. The aircraft was operated that way for about a year, only using a hand held radio to communicate with atc. After a year went by, and the aircraft had won awards, they installed some basic modern radios hidden inside the data case in the aft cockpit. I believe it still remains one of the few/only Stearmans flying today that still requires another person on the outside to start it (most have been configured now to have an electric starter with a switch in the cockpit), unless that has since changed as well.

Here are a few photos I took a few years back of that aircraft:

Note the black tape masking the fuel pressure section of the three-in-one engine gauge, which is a detail that was copied from the original factory production which calls for that to be done - since the fuel pressure part of the instrument wasn't used. In this photo, other than the modern GPS mount, everything is stock accurate to original N2S-1 production (I also have photos of all of the different stencils all over the airframe, if interested - for instance, every strut has a unique number stenciled on it, corresponding to the same numbers stenciled on the wings and fuselage where those struts mount, and every fabric surface has a stencil with fabric specifications and dates when applied).

Here you can see the limited Becker avionics installed inside the data case, so when closed, it otherwise looks completely stock.

 

[henrystreet]

It is a awesome to see the attention being put into these different variants of the Stearman. The civilian modified version looks gorgeous - I love the raised turtle deck behind the rear cockpit and spats. That model will be a great base for a number of repaints of other Stearmans flying today in similar configuration as well.

... After a year went by, and the aircraft had won awards, they installed some basic modern radios hidden inside the data case in the aft cockpit.

Really like the way the radios were handled.

 

[thefrog]

Very relieved to hear that there won’t be modern avionics in this release!

 

[alpha charlie]

No place for modern avionics in these classics!

What about that one?



Flying from London to Sydney through a multitude of airspaces is not a trivial task, I'd say. I was thinking about flying cross-Australia in a Stearman. Looks like I'll have to live with 2D popups for transponder and the like.

 

[falcon409]

What about that one?

Flying from London to Sydney through a multitude of airspaces is not a trivial task, I'd say. I was thinking about flying cross-Australia in a Stearman. Looks like I'll have to live with 2D popups for transponder and the like.

Exactly, if you have the ability to create pop-ups then you can have anything you want. The current aircraft being done by GAS are being created as they should be "old style".

 

[Spad54]

It is a awesome to see the attention being put into these different variants of the Stearman. The civilian modified version looks gorgeous - I love the raised turtle deck behind the rear cockpit and spats. That model will be a great base for a number of repaints of other Stearmans flying today in similar configuration as well.

One Stearman I'm quite familiar with is the N2S-1 that was restored a few years back by AirCorps Aviation for Paul Ehlen/Wings of the North and is one of five known surviving that was flown by President George Bush Sr. when he was undergoing his initial pilot training in the Minnesota winter of 1942/43, based at NAS Minneapolis. It was restored with absolute accuracy in every detail, including no avionics and no way of starting the aircraft except from the outside/original method - hand crank, primer and starter-engage on the front cowl. The aircraft was operated that way for about a year, only using a hand held radio to communicate with atc. After a year went by, and the aircraft had won awards, they installed some basic modern radios hidden inside the data case in the aft cockpit. I believe it still remains one of the few/only Stearmans flying today that still requires another person on the outside to start it (most have been configured now to have an electric starter with a switch in the cockpit), unless that has since changed as well.

That's a clever way to hide the radios. Our model's data case is animated to open revealing the SimCons for the pop ups. I might try throwing a stack in it. My concern is that the radio faces may be hard to see but I'll give it a go. No GPS though. Got to leave that as 2D. We've also modeled the a/c to require a "two" person start as an option. There is a VC cockpit view that places the eye point at the starter equipment panel and allows the user to prime, wind the inertia starter, and pull the starter clutch release. Before doing so one will have to set mags to on, master battery to on and mixture rich. Helps to set the parking brake too.

 

[mgchrist5]

That's a clever way to hide the radios. Our model's data case is animated to open revealing the SimCons for the pop ups I might try throwing a stack in it. My concern is that the radio faces may be had to see but I'll give it a go.

That sounds like a fantastic plan. I can see both sides of the coin here - with the desire to keep true to the vintage original avionics (or lack thereof), while still making them somewhat equipped for operations in modern airspace with a simple comm & transponder in the VC. Agreed with the 'no GPS' policy. My brain is already mush enough, and I like to use DR with vintage planes in FS in an attempt to keep my gray matter from drying out from disuse. I just imagine these planes operating in a '60s-early '90s timeframe - still equipped with radios, but before GPS became the norm.

Regarding the radios in the data case - perhaps just a flat VC callout, so users can insert the avionics of their choice via the panel.cfg - or none at all? Either way this package will be a winner.

 

[Bomber_12th]

For reference-sake, the Becker com and transponder avionics heads installed in the Stearman I show/described are the exact same as are also in the FSX default glider. Many of the significantly authentic WWII aircraft restorations over the past several years (including the Flying Heritage Collection B-25, Lewis Air Legends' A-20, the P-51D "Upupa Epops", P-51C "Lope's Hope 3rd", P-51D "Sierra Sue II", the Flying Heritage Collection's Fw-190A, the Flying Heritage Collection's P-47, the P-47 "Dottie Mae", etc...) have this same set of avionics installed, as they are extremely basic and small, don't detract at all from the completely authentic nature of the cockpit (usually mounted in hiding spots or to removable brackets that are easy to take out), and are just enough to get by with and still be able to fly cross-country in today's ATC environments. I believe contained to the right of the com and transponder heads is just an avionics on/off switch and two mic/headset jacks (there may be a couple hard-to-see circuit breaker switches to the left of the com head).

 

[henrystreet]

My concern is that the radio faces may be hard to see but I'll give it a go. No GPS though.

I use TrackIR and the effort to see the radios for me would be about the same as in the actual cockpit. More realism Thanks for no GPS.

 

[tgycgijoes]

Thanks for all the updates

This keeps getting better and better. Patiently but anxiously waiting for it to appear. Like said it is possible to create 2D popups to have the equipment YOU would put in YOUR own Real life personal Stearman. I have done that in FS Panel Studio in a lot of aircraft to "tweak" them to my own personal preferences.

 

[Spad54]

That sounds like a fantastic plan. I can see both sides of the coin here - with the desire to keep true to the vintage original avionics (or lack thereof), while still making them somewhat equipped for operations in modern airspace with a simple comm & transponder in the VC. Agreed with the 'no GPS' policy. My brain is already mush enough, and I like to use DR with vintage planes in FS in an attempt to keep my gray matter from drying out from disuse. I just imagine these planes operating in a '60s-early '90s timeframe - still equipped with radios, but before GPS became the norm.

Regarding the radios in the data case - perhaps just a flat VC callout, so users can insert the avionics of their choice via the panel.cfg - or none at all? Either way this package will be a winner.

Here is the solution. It's a hybrid combination of 3D modeling and 2D projections. The avionics master switch is also in the case. The lid of the case is animated so with one click the whole shebang can be hidden from view, thus restoring the authentic quality of the aircraft of that era. I retained the pop-up option for the "visually challenged" among up us . Its slaved to the modeled part so the settings can be manipulated from either location. Also since there is no radio in the front cockpit, if sharing in multiplayer, the front occupant can manage the comm from the pop-up

 

[tgycgijoes]

A gentleman and a scholar

Paul,
You are a gentleman and a scholar continually trying to please all who share this thread. Keep up the great work on it. Can't wait!

Richard

 

[mgchrist5]

Here is the solution. It's a hybrid combination of 3D modeling and 2D projections.

Perfect! I’m sure that’ll please many people looking for radios in the VC. The Stearman would be a must-buy for me regardless, but this is just extra icing on the cake. Many thanks, Paul.

 

[henrystreet]

Here is the solution. It's a hybrid combination of 3D modeling and 2D projections.

Paul, that looks fantastic. Functional but optional.

 

[Portia911]

A very neat solution indeed. Well done Paul.

 

[heywooood]

happiness is flying a Stearman...officially in beta and looking SWEEEET