Junkers Ju-52/3m

better bomb aimer´s panel

Hello Smilo, Hello Ivan,
P.S.
Here´s a new screenshot to show the improvement on the bomb aimer´s panel,
although I was cheating in slew mode... but it shows the new scale.
This one´s from the g4e, which is a bit slower, but also has the two heights on
the scale.

There are both metric and imperial Altimeters and Airspeed Indicators,
and with the red HUD text display option, you get the Knots too!
We cater for all tastes, don´t we?

Anyhow, I think it will be better to use this kind of panel, and not the other
combined main panel with bomb aimer´s window included on the right.

Also, a good thing is that for these relatively low altitudes, Default Zoom is
used - one cause for confusion less!

So then, unless you have any further suggestions or ideas, on my part I´d be
done, and would proceed to upload the two armed versions.

P.P.S. A really strong wind-strom is raging outside since late afternoon. Some
trees have been blown over in parks. It´s the third storm in less than a week.
Last Friday and last Sunday were rainstorms, with highways and streets turning
into rivers, but this one is blowing and howling like mad!

Cheers,
Aleatorylamp
 
no ap hdg adjust gauge?
or do you want to stick fly the approach?
dang if i can remember the name of the thing.
 
Hello Smilo,
OK, thanks! I didn´t realize...
Well, instead of the AP1 autopilot, then the flat, rectangular, default
more modern, grey FS98 Autopilot can go on this panel, but better
on its own.

I have the impression that it will work better than together with AP1
like on the main panel, where there appears to be interference bewtween
the two. They won´t do a speed hold either!

I´ll change the panel layout and put it in the middle at the bottom, with
the instructions up along the sides.

Cheers,
Aleatorylamp
 
not that i am an authority on auto pilot,
far from it. i just know what works for me.

first, my choices are by no means historically accurate.
so, if anyone wants to argue the point,
let's get it out of the way...you win.

the heading adjustment gauge i mentioned above
is the stock cessna_182.directional_gyro
it's simple, straight forward and does what i want it to do.

for years i have searched for and not found
an auto pilot gauge i am completely happy with.
the dash8.apilot is as close as i can find.
it includes mach hold, nav hold, and back course hold buttons
that frankly, i could do without. i never use them.
it also has airspeed hold and yaw damper buttons
which i've never been able to make work,
so i don't bother with them either.

what i am left with are buttons for ap master on/off,
heading hold, altitude hold and the rarely used wing leveler.
included are mousable digital readouts for course,
heading, altitude, vertical speed, and the pesky IAS/Mach selector.
as i said before, with the exception of the ias/mach readout,
all of the digital readouts are mouse adjustable.

finally, i also use JWB. hud_hdg, hud_ralt, hud3_tas and hudvsi
digital readouts in conjunction with the ap readouts
just for a little more accuracy.

it should be noted that the ap1 Stephan mentioned
is a mousable auto pilot hold gauge.
basically, when the heading or altitude buttons are clicked,
the heading or altitude will hold at whatever you are currently flying.
no adjustment is easily available, except to turn off the ap,
manually change heading or altitude to what you want,
then, re engage the auto pilot.

one more thing, i have all this stuff in a small pop up window
that i can turn off or on as needed with one keystroke.
 
better instrumentation

Hello Smilo,
Thank you very much once again!

I´m afraid my ignorance in some fields is quite appreciable, and before your
explanation I was still not clear about the instrumentation in question.

So it seems that an autopilot needs a directional gyro for heading holds. OK!

Then, it would sound correct to leave the bomb aimer´s panel as it is, but
substituting the P51 Heading Indicator for the Cessna Directional Gyro, and
leaving AP1 in. Correct?

Update: It seems correct, and the brain likes learning... It´s fun: With our
friend AP1 on heading and altitude hold, I can turn the left Gyro button + or -
and the plane will fly the corresponding curve, in map view too.
...or was it the right button?

Cheers,
Aleatorylamp
 
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reading your last post, i thought,
no, that doesn't sound right.
so, i fired up the gaming machine,
went into freeflight and got distracted.
i needed an easily available ap gauge.
lo and behold, the stock lear_45.autopilot.gau
is almost identical to the dash88...close enough.

with the ap1 you can not fine tune the altitude,
or, for that matter, anything else.
it's merely a set of ap on/off switches.
need i say more?

so, where was i? oh yeah, you need an auto pilot gauge.
it's right there in your gauge folder.

about the directional_gyro,
hover your mouse above the lower left knob.
it will say, "heading indicator adjustment knob"
for the time being, don't click on this knob.
(i'll try to explain later, if you want)
now, hover over the lower right knob.
it will say, "heading bug adjust"
clicking on this knob + or -
will move the orange bug
and if auto pilot hdg is switched on,
the gyro will indicate the aircraft is turning to that setting/heading.

if you install the lear autopilot,
you can also adjust the heading
by clicking HDG readout + or -
same goes for the altitude and vertical speed readouts.
fyi, changing COURSE and IAS/Mach readouts do nothing.
at least, they do nothing for me.

update;
rereading your post, to answer your question,
yes, you can leave the panel as is
and substitute the directional gyro.
the lear auto pilot, or something like it,
is not a requirement.
it's just a personal preference.
 
More correct and useful instruments

Hello Smilo,
Yes, I agree that the lear45 autopilot is better, and probably
more practical or useful.

The only reason I was using AP1, was because it´s more vintage.
Thinking about it, I´ll remove the AP1 then, and use only the
lear45 one on both the main and the bomb aimer´s panels.

Thanks for your comments - also for the details on the workings
of the Ap and the Directional Gyro. Very helpful!

Update:
Here´s 2 screenshots of how the 2 panels are now.
The gear up/down lights on the main panel are there only to tell you
if you will have the normal virtual cockpit view or the extra ones.

Then, the Boost gauge on the bomb aimer´s panel is just so you
check if you have WEP on or off, so that you can achieve the
speed required by the scale.

Cheers,
Aleatorylamp
 

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New news: 4 guns also for the night-flier.

Hello Folks,
It´s amazing what you don´t see on pictures or videos when you expect not to see it, or don´t look in the right place.

The 3x725 Hp Tante Ju in night-flier camo, salvaged from Lake Hatrvikvannet, had two extra 7.92 mm fuselage guns, but not in the aft-most windows like on the g5e, but in the 4th counting from the front!

They are clearly visible on the museum photos and on the salvage ones, but I´d missed them!
So that unit also has a respectable fire-power, and I´ll be making the necessary corrections to the model, Dp files and ,air file.

Cheers,
Aleatorylamp
 
an interesting location, Stephan.
i would think directly over the wing
would severely limit the field of fire,
but, then again, i don't know the reasons for doing so.
whatever...someone, somewhere must have thought it a good idea.
 
Hello Smilo,
I thought it was rather wierd myself - a terrifle field of fire!
I´m having a nightmare trying to write the guns into the SCASM code.

I got them glued to the fuselage, but the wingroot causes bleeds, so
they have to be written in glued to the wingroot, but it´s not working.

One alternative is to put simplified guns into the AF99 model, re-compile
it and repeat all the additional SCASM work I did... but it´s too much work
for a debatable gun position!

So, I´ve decided to use the other 4-gun model with the better-placed
waist guns for the 725 Hp version, and texture that one with the camo
night textures.

Gun positions in the Ju52 fuselage were not fixed anyway, and could be
changed around, so it´s a good solution.

Why they had the machine-guns in the forward windows on that mission
could really only be because the aft windows (and cargo doors) were blocked
by the cargo. They were taking pieces of heavy artillery to prepare a mountain
battery on higher ground some miles away from the lake.

Cheers,
Aleatorylamp
 
Hello Smilo,
Thanks for your moral support!

OK, I´ve just done it! It was a bit cumbersome, as I wanted different model and
texture names, so I did it by renaming the SCASM code and its texture calls, to
to compile the new corrected model. So it went OK!

Good night now! It´s cold, but at least the storm is over. Now they say there´s
another one with wind AND rain coming for the weekend.
That´ll be the 4th storm in 2 weeks!
Cheers,
Aleatorylamp
 
four storms in two weeks?
that sounds like the pacific northwest.
so, i'm curious, what do you consider cold?
be safe
 
Hello Smilo,
Well, as soon as it gets below 14 degrees C (57-F), with the high humidity
percentage where we live, the sensation of cold is quite strong.

Then you have to add that nobody has any heating in their houses because
winter is not so long and not so harsh, so you end up sitting at the computer
with an overcoat.

Anyway, further to the improvements on the two Tante Ju´s with 4 guns:
I was wondering why it was so quick to be shot down, so I continued fixing the
Dp files. I had the engines at 100% damage each, and stock models only have
35 or 40%, so it´s better now.

Then I was also fine-adjusting the scale on both bomb aimer panels, and it´s
more accurate now.

Cheers,
Aleatorylamp
 
i considered teasing you about 57f being "cold",
but, quickly reconsidered.
it's all relevant to what you're accustomed to.
i consider myself a weather wimp
when it gets to the low 40s.
we just had a couple weeks of snow and in the 20s.
i thought it was cold, but friends in montana
were enduring sub zero temperatures.
(that's sub zero fahrenheit)

back to the ju52;
other than a few damaged engines
incurred during head on passes,
i hadn't noticed the ju52 being easy to shoot down.
but, then again, i was only going up against
one rookie at a time...in a hurricane.
i can't imagine a ju52 being all that hard to knock down,
but, i have no facts to back it up.
good call, lowering the dp engine damage.
 
3x725Hp Night-flier WIP

Hello Smilo,
Well, today we have a sunny day!
We had sunny days between the last three storms...
Let´s see what happens at the weekend.

After all the trouble I have had with the night-flier version,
I was making sure that everything is OK.

I also got all the underneath grey bits and pieces of the
other armed version into dark olive, and the textures are all
correct, so I think it´s OK now.

I was wondering, just to be on the safe side, if you would
like to check that all´s in order with this version.
Just in case I´ve missed something!
If you don´t have time, don´t worry.
Here´s a WIP for the armed g4e attached.

As an added incentive, this one already has the precise
bomb-aimer´s panel, as well as the adjusted Dp files.
Here are 2 screenshots. The panels are those shown in post #225

Thanks!
Cheers,
Aleatorylamp
 

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Hello Smilo,
OK then! Thanks a lot, that will be fine.
You can also check how the 3-VC views work with the landing gear down for
the normal VC, and with it up, it toggles the 2 extra views with the Spoiler key.
Cheers,
Aleatorylamp
 
well, that was fun.
lots of time spent in quick combat,
making bomb runs while fending off attacking fighters.
toggling back and forth from padlock mode
and the three available vc views,
then, back to the bomb aimer view,
trying to get lined up for the bomb run.
fun stuff, maynard.

all in all, i give the gunship a thumbs up.
although, it does take one a bit to figure out
how to toggle the three vc views in padlock mode.
especially, when under pressure from attackers.
i am curious about the ventral view.
which crew member does this view represent,
or is it just a better, unobstructed aft view
from the aircraft center of gravity?
that huge engine blocking the forward view
of oncoming attackers makes one quickly learn
to toggle the cockpit gunner's view with the / key.

as for the bomb aimer panel, i like it, but,
found the "adjust and centre map window" feature,
shall we say, a bit cumbersome.
of course, that's just a personal preference.
to explain would entail another long winded post
and possibly, a whole other thread.
 
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