Pilot's Boeing B314 Clipper in Development for P3Dv4 and FSX
- Thread starter SeanTK
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stearmandriver
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Thanks for the update. I'm REALLY looking forward to this one (though I'm still stuck on FSX so sounds like I may be waiting a bit longer than some). To my mind, the flying boat era was hands down the most "romantic" period of aviation; wild, remote adventures mingled with international politics and intrigue across both oceans. I've been wanting to recreate the original China Clipper flight since I got into simming (Alameda - Honolulu - Midway - Wake - Guam - Manilla) . I've made several long flights between tiny pacific islands using only dead reckoning and sextant shots and it works great, so period navigation is absolutely doable (and would be even more reliable supplemented with the early HF direction finding equip Pan Am used, guess we could substitute NDBs)... just need a suitable flying boat now! (And man I'm looking forward to Milton's M-130, the REAL original China Clipper!)
The other half of the equation is period scenery, especially for Midway and Wake. Those atolls with clear landing areas blasted out of the coral heads in the lagoons, and the big piers and Pan Am hotels would be awesome! I guess the original FS9 Pilots 314 came with something like that?
Anyway, I sure hope this model turns out as good as it looks!
The other half of the equation is period scenery, especially for Midway and Wake. Those atolls with clear landing areas blasted out of the coral heads in the lagoons, and the big piers and Pan Am hotels would be awesome! I guess the original FS9 Pilots 314 came with something like that?
Anyway, I sure hope this model turns out as good as it looks!
BendyFlyer
Charter Member
StearmanDriver in the interim you might want to look at the CalClassic Scenery it has a number of vintage ports used in the Pacific and with the FSX libraries fixed it goes well into FSX (well most of it) check out the thread on CalClassic forum about FSX compatible scenery. I am remaining with FSX for the time being and I am a flying boat, amphibian and floatplane afficionado, as long as it has props. So there is now quite a good collection of these 'boats with wings'. JBK has a great selection of all the old ones which I flip into occasionally.
There is also the McCoy water effects latest version which is also helpful getting the spray and wakes but I also discovered a really nice spray-wake that came with the OZX Grumman Goose Redux which is pretty damn good as well.
It will be really nice to have a well modelled FSX version of the Boeing Clipper who knows others may come eventually but then again maybe not. Those I am unhappy with I get to work on and try and either modernise them or get the VC layout right and do some limited texture work as well.
FWIW I came across a gem of a Sikorksy S42 (s42nc822.zip. and s42nc822-fsx-ver2 at FlightSim.com) it was originally a MS 2004 model which has now been converted over to FSX. Not bad at all decent VC and has a nice cabin and views as well, uses the default DC-3 sounds but I am now looking for an appropriate sound package to fix that. This one went across the Pacific in 1937 and met up with the Shorts Empire boat, Centaurus, in Auckland. The S42 I must say was a real surprise as it is well very good, not sure about the bona fides of the panel, but the issue there is there are no pictures of the original panel to use in existance.
If your using FSX for this era of flying boat have a look at my reworked Shorts C Class and Sunderland Mark V both here in the Library. Very limited what one can do with VC and textures but both have given me nice FSX models.
There is also the McCoy water effects latest version which is also helpful getting the spray and wakes but I also discovered a really nice spray-wake that came with the OZX Grumman Goose Redux which is pretty damn good as well.
It will be really nice to have a well modelled FSX version of the Boeing Clipper who knows others may come eventually but then again maybe not. Those I am unhappy with I get to work on and try and either modernise them or get the VC layout right and do some limited texture work as well.
FWIW I came across a gem of a Sikorksy S42 (s42nc822.zip. and s42nc822-fsx-ver2 at FlightSim.com) it was originally a MS 2004 model which has now been converted over to FSX. Not bad at all decent VC and has a nice cabin and views as well, uses the default DC-3 sounds but I am now looking for an appropriate sound package to fix that. This one went across the Pacific in 1937 and met up with the Shorts Empire boat, Centaurus, in Auckland. The S42 I must say was a real surprise as it is well very good, not sure about the bona fides of the panel, but the issue there is there are no pictures of the original panel to use in existance.
If your using FSX for this era of flying boat have a look at my reworked Shorts C Class and Sunderland Mark V both here in the Library. Very limited what one can do with VC and textures but both have given me nice FSX models.
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llanning08
SOH-CM-2025
stearmandriver
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Bendy, thanks for those aircraft suggestions! That S-42 looks really good, and heck, that's actually the first aircraft Musick took on the Pacific Clipper route as a proving run for Pan Am, so using it would be really cool.
I had looked at the Calclassics scenery. They've done a great job, but don't appear to have any period stuff for Wake, Midway, Guam or Manilla. I'd say Wake and Midway are the two most necessary. I'd be glad to do the landscaping myself, but my 3d object creation skills are non existent lol.
I had looked at the Calclassics scenery. They've done a great job, but don't appear to have any period stuff for Wake, Midway, Guam or Manilla. I'd say Wake and Midway are the two most necessary. I'd be glad to do the landscaping myself, but my 3d object creation skills are non existent lol.
Seahawk72s
SOH-CM-2023
Imagine a set of polished metal external textures and new textures for the 2D and VC panel...
Seahawk72s
SOH-CM-2023
I agree Tom; this looks awesome!
Happy they chose the B314 as I have the M130 on my list to do.
However, secretly, I wish that they have the M130 in the wings awaiting assessment of sales for the 314.
She, an M-130, would be a beauty....(Compliments of Ron Cole)
BendyFlyer
Charter Member
I also came across the Sikorsky S44 this was a surprise as well as it has a fully modeled interior including the FE, Radio Operator and Navigator Stations as well as the passenger cabin. I think the textures and paints could do with an experts touch but hard to ignore this one either.
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The original Pilot's B314 included period scenery for Wake, Guam and Manilla but not Midway for some reason. Hopefully the new package will.
CalClassic has Wake and Guam. Look in Asia-Pacific in the individual list of all airports in "Scenery".
stearmandriver
Members +
Ah hah, thank you for that. I had looked on this page:
http://www.calclassic.com/scenery.htm#Oceania
... and they weren't there. I didn't go quite deep enough down the rabbit hole ;-).
Josh Patterson
SOH-CM-2023
Oh boy, looks like Lake Winnebago is going to get a little more crowded! Hopefully no one does a Hughes H-4...Oh wait, there's still room on Lake Butte des Morts!
BendyFlyer
Charter Member
Seahawk I do, I do, but alas that is beyond my capacity as a re-painter (the right program and skills), I call it a bit of a dark art getting metal textures right, there are a few folk who do it very well here at the Outhouse but I would not be so forward as to ask. And you can make stupid mistakes like the Shorts Empire, which I thought was polished metal but it turned out that they were not bare metal but were indeed painted with a sort of matt silver-white colour all over, so the original texture colouring was correct. Finding data or even a colour photograph of this era of aeroplane is nigh impossible but I came across a series colour shots taken by LIFE magazine in New York in the 1930's which was a real bonus.
BendyFlyer
Charter Member
Agree, but in the case of the Shorts it was an all metal construction, it was an interesting choice of paint scheme, quite frugal, the silver-white all over with just the odd big of lettering and a couple of meagre stripes here and there. Have a look at this one:
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BendyFlyer
Charter Member
Anyway after this digression onto flying boats generally. Having a look at the pre-release pictures at the web site, it certainly looks well advanced. One thing in particular caught my eye the fact that it seems they have modelled mooring buoys with ropes to the aircraft, that is a first I think. The interior is impressive. Another golden bird awaited with happy anticipation.
Just a note on George Diemer the maker of the Sikorskys, I have had a little correspondence with him and he is still about but has done no more modelling since 2011. Given the tools he had and the state of the sims back then, his S44 and S42 are very impressive indeed a lot of time and effort obviously went into them. His rendition of period working radios is amazing actually. In fact I would go so far as to say were they given a makeover texture wise these models would be the equal of modern releases in FSX.
Just a note on George Diemer the maker of the Sikorskys, I have had a little correspondence with him and he is still about but has done no more modelling since 2011. Given the tools he had and the state of the sims back then, his S44 and S42 are very impressive indeed a lot of time and effort obviously went into them. His rendition of period working radios is amazing actually. In fact I would go so far as to say were they given a makeover texture wise these models would be the equal of modern releases in FSX.
stearmandriver
Members +
Wonder what happened to a fall release? Anyone heard anything? 
Seahawk72s
SOH-CM-2023
Martin Mars
From their web site...
From their web site...
I've sent them 2 emails over the past 2 months but haven't received replies to either, which is a shame. I'd like to think that they're still pressing on with the new B314 but it would have been useful to have more updates on their web site as there's been nothing new since the original announcement.