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Just Getting Into Carrier Ops - Where to Start

TARPSBird

TARPSBird

Moderator
Staff member
I've been enjoying FSX for the past couple months. Now I'd like to install a couple add-on carriers and try my hand at cheating death in the landing pattern with the few carrier planes I've accumulated. I've seen the "AICarriers" program mentioned so often, I assume it's almost indispensable for positioning carriers in the sim. Is that correct? I've found good old USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63) sitting a couple miles west of the Golden Gate Bridge in almost the same position as in FS9, but like FS9 it's just a hard-deck scenery object. Do you still need a program like Rich Hogan's Arrestor Cables to make some carriers landable? Thanks in advance if you can help me get set up. :)
 
I'm glad you asked this question........ I know there are several threads that deal with this.... but a current and brief tutorial would be excellent.

I would love to know how to use a korean-era carrier for the F9F or F8F.
 
TP and Sky,

First, I would say if you have FSX Accell, don't bother with the FS9-style static carriers. If you do want them, then yes, you'll need either RCBCO 3.0 for FSX or a similar programme. But honestly, it's a waste of time.

As F409's summary has outlined, there are some great carriers out there. In addition to the Clem and Leyte, there's the awesome Ark Royal IV and Victorious from Flying stations. Javier Fernandez' Nimitz. All free. Install them following the readme's - they take about as long to add into the sim as an aircraft addon - they use a very siimilar file structure.

Once you've added them to the sim and to the carrier.cfg, it's simply a matter of overflying an area you'd like your carrier to be located, and follow the AIcarrier's instructions. Also good to know is that if you prefer using mousing instead of keystrokes, all the menus within AI carriers in the sim can be moused and clicked. I used AI Carriers for a whole year not knowing that, entering the menu numers each time ... I know, smart like rocks ... :sleep:

Also, while you're on deck, you want to change course, you do it with AICarriers - and your plane truly stays put with the carrier as it steers. Very cool.

All you'll need to do in the case of a plane not originally intended for Accell are catapult settings, and in some cases, adjusted tail hook settings (taildraggers in particular). Our own "Rich" has done a bunch of these, and it has been an immense improvement.

Only "drawbacks" I know of with AI carriers:

1) Saved flights. unless you create tracks, you can't save a flight whilst on the deck, leave the sim and come back to the carrier where you saved. You'll be there geographically, but you'll be in the drink.

2) Replay. I like to replay all my carrier landings, and a moving carrier doesn't cooperate with the replay function. I don't know if there's a way of getting around this using other programmes like FSRecorder ...

So, cut your losses on FS9 static carriers and tools (which were great for their time - no doubt about that) and jump into AI Carriers - If you read the instructions carefully and go slowly and carefully with the installations, I guarantee you'll be ready for carrier ops in less than 30 minutes.

Enjoy!
 
Thanks everybody, that sure gets me started off right. Anybody else wants to put in their 2 cents, go for it.
 
It is about as much fun you can have in FSX.......

Another fun game is to try out your Nav skills and set the carrier off on a course, with a known wind, fly to say, Midway or some such, refuel and go out and find the carrier, which has been underway all this time. With a slow WWII plane such as one of the Torpeckers or an SBD, the wind and ship movement become a big factor!

Feel the pucker as you search the horizon.... add a little typical South Seas weather!

However I am currently having fits with AiCarriers on my Win7 laptop, apparently an issue with a Java update, won't load the Ai Carriers. The Expee mainframe (floortop?) at home which I take pains to not update if it is working just fine hasn't taken that "torpedo". The Java issue currently seems to be beyond my interest level to spend the time to fix.

Personal preference, I like the WWII and Korea era ops on the straight decks.

Have fun! T
 
So much of this is subjective and matter of personal preference. I still need and use fixed scenery carriers - as well as moving - as you can only add working AI to a fixed boat.

More importantly, I find the freeware RCBCO 3.0 for FSX program both ingenious and indispensible for BOTH fixed and moving carriers using AI Carriers2. Reason is I go back to the same carrier based aircraft and adding the necesary gauge entries is easy and takes a minute. Once done that's it. You can launch and trap on any carrier, anytime, anywhere. The FSX version allows you to set the cat/trap zones on "global" so you don' need to measure these out for each CV as in FS9, so each time you add a new carrier, you are good to go. Great effects and sounds too. Give it a try.
 
You can save a flight on the deck of a moving carrier by editing a line in the .FLT file from SimOnGround=True to SimOnGround=False.
 
dhasdell said:
You can save a flight on the deck of a moving carrier by editing a line in the .FLT file from SimOnGround=True to SimOnGround=False.
Click to expand...

That is an AWESOME tip ...

so both your plane AND the carrier will be exactly in the same place as when you save? Whenever I tried this in the past, not only did I spawn in the water, but the carrier was nowhere to be found ....

will have to try tonight...

thanks,


expat said:
as you can only add working AI to a fixed boat.
Click to expand...

That's a fair counterpoint, Expat. Unless someone figures out how to do AI on moving carriers in FSX (likely not possible), then fixed carriers (as static scenery) is a must. And of course, if you want to do CATOBAR ops on those same boats, then RCBCO or 3Wire are also a must.

You're right - depends on what you enjoy doing. I've pretty much given up on AI tinkering, so the experience of flying on / off moving carriers has outweighed the issues around AI in FSX. But if AI is your thing, then I see your point of view.


dl
 
Well, my tip (can't remember where I came across it, but praise to whoever discovered it) does seem to work, but it's a bit iffy. The a/c appears on a moving deck, and there is sometimes a bit of movement, so don't try to park too close to the stern.
 
Well, my tip (can't remember where I came across it, but praise to whoever discovered it) does seem to work, but it's a bit iffy. The a/c appears on a moving deck, and there is sometimes a bit of movement, so don't try to park too close to the stern.
Click to expand...

The main things to remember with saving on a moving deck are that you can't do it on an AI Carriers generated ship*, and you shouldn't use it as your default flight. For some reason default flights will start at the current time on your PC, not the time the flight was saved whereas if you load flights they start at the time you saved it. Not sure why.

*Actually if you have the flight in slew mode when you save, when you load it the flight will load in slew mode and you could use AI Carriers to generate a ship at your current position, i.e. underneath you.
 
Well, I have the AI Carriers program running and I am able to place CV's and task groups. My next two questions are:
(1) How do you get moving carriers?
(2) Why am I not able to trap onboard?
I have been flying Tim "Piglet" Conrad's Spad. Have made numerous good approaches on the default modern CV and USS Leyte (CV-32) and haven't caught a wire yet. Over the ramp, down the deck and off the angle/bow I go, over and over again. :banghead: And yes, my hook is down. I recall a few days ago, in another thread somebody mentioned that sometimes hook position adjustments have to be made in the aircraft.cfg files. Anybody know about that?
 
TARPSBird, just confirm you have FSX acceleration, I have my carriers set up on fixed routes and times not using AI carriers.

Currently have HMS Ark Royal and HMS Victorious plying routes in and out of Manila Bay and north south back and fore between Subic and the mouth of Manila bay
 
TARPSBird, ok If Piglets Spad is a Skyraider it should have the tailhook settings but will tip you on your nose if you catch a wire, I did a fix for that but since you are not tipping onto your nose you are not catching a wire for whatever reason.

The Leyte is the Michael Davis model I take it which I think has accel wires though not absolutely sure should give you a arrested landing, nothing wrong with the model I just use British carriers.

There was no cat settings for the Skyraider think I fixed that too.

Check you have a section like this in the aircraft.cfg for your Skyraider, this one is out of a Sea Venom so do'nt copy paste it into your Skyraider

[TailHook]
tailhook_length= 5.700 ;(feet)
tailhook_position= -12.200, 0.000, 0.600 ;(feet) longitudinal, lateral, vertical positions from datum
cable_force_adjust=0.94
 
TARPSBird, maybe a good trainer might be the Flying Stations Swordfish, landing speed around 60 Kts
 
Rich,
I do have a [tailhook] section in Piglet's Spad. Guess I'll have to do more flying tonight after work and see if I can't trap aboard something. Repeated bolters kinda take the fun out of it. :frown:
Rather than using AI Carriers, I'm more inclined to set up carriers to steam on fixed routes like you mentioned in your previous post. Fly out from a shore station and find the ship at some point on its track. How do you set that up?
 
Tarps, so I know you have a ship that does have cat and wires working download and install Flying Stations HMS Victorious it comes with 3 saved flights putting you on deck in a Cessna you can then select a different plane, be aware if you select a twin you will have to start No2 engine.

I will dig out my Swordfish saved file which puts you on the runway at Sangley point at 1000 around the time Vic starts her run, you can take off turn right and you should see Vic steaming east to the South China sea.
 
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