Virtavia A-4 Skyhawk available

Deacon211 said:
@Tarpsbird. Outstanding! I saw you were from Norfolk and wondered if you might be a Navy man. Thank you for your service! :salute:
Deacon
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You're welcome Deacon and also thank you for your service. I'm a retired Chief like NC. Did 26 years in the NavAir/intel communities, mostly in imagery interpretation but also A-6 radar targeting and misc ops stuff. Last tour was at VF-101 (F-14 RAG) at Oceana. Taught Tactical Aerial Reconnaissance Pod System (TARPS) intro and mission planning and graded the photo hops the students flew. Now I sell books part-time at Barnes & Noble and try to avoid killing myself on flight sim CV's. :icon_lol: It's all been fun.
 
P.I. Lowry AFB Course

TARPSBird said:
You're welcome Deacon and also thank you for your service. I'm a retired Chief like NC. Did 26 years in the NavAir/intel communities, mostly in imagery interpretation but also A-6 radar targeting and misc ops stuff. Last tour was at VF-101 (F-14 RAG) at Oceana. Taught Tactical Aerial Reconnaissance Pod System (TARPS) intro and mission planning and graded the photo hops the students flew. Now I sell books part-time at Barnes & Noble and try to avoid killing myself on flight sim CV's. :icon_lol: It's all been fun.
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G'day 'TARPSBird'. I have no idea about any of the things you were involved in - however I was 'lucky' enough back in your winter of 1972-3 - in DENVER, CO mostly - in the snow! to do the Photo Interpreter (P.I.) course at Lowry AFB. Unfortunately an incident back in Australia involving our Federal Government and our international security force ASIO, meant that our particular course (unlike an earlier one which recommended we continue with it) had security downgraded to 'noforn'. :-( We learnt the basics along with the mostly RAAF F-111 recon support team getting ready for the new F-111s but they were not able to talk to us (me and an RAN Photo Officer) about what they knew either. The RAN FAA had bought ONE Perkin-Elmer MiniPan camera and had trialled it on the A4G - first on the centreline [fwd of &] near aft hell hole and then moved it to a wing station structure (to get away from the oil/hyrdraulic fluid smears on the glass issues). We did learn the basics at Lowry but not the other stuff we missed out on due to the security clearance change then. Really it was a misunderstanding about events in Australia, at that time; but nevertheless that was our situation. The course was stopped for two days whilst the US pondered what to do - then we re-started with a much less detailed course.

Anyway after about five months at Lowry the large RAAF contingent went to Las Vegas/Nellis AFB, whilst we were lucky enough to go visit the Perkin-Elmer factory near Los Angeles; and then to go spend a month with VFP-63 (with me not authorised to fly though) at NAS Miramar. Great stuff indeed. Back in Australia with only one camera on the front line squadron (sometimes embarked) I never saw the camera in action again, as I was on the training squadron again, until I left the RAN mid 1975. The RNZAF had a Perkin-Elmer MiniPan also. Sadly I have no examples of the panorama shots we took during testing etc. [The minipan was intended for BDA (Bomb Damage Assessment)] but the large PDF online has a few pages about it (from mostly RNZAF sources). I was not involved in the ground / carrier side of the PhotShop (which the other non-pilot chap on the course was involved with at the time). I must say the equipment I saw at VFP-63 and their support shop stuff was just mind boggling.
 
Excellent post and suggestions SpazSinbad.

Folks might also like to check out a similar FCLP package (includes several US Navy bases) by Sylvain Parouty at the Royal French Navy website: http://royalefrenchnavy.perso.sfr.fr/RFN-1-Gauge-FR.htm

Since French units are assigned to a base and not an aircraft carrier the pilots keep their skills up with the land based FCLP before going out to the carrier if it has been a long time since their last carrier trap.
:ernae:
 
Accurate Bespoke FLOLS FCLP Missions 'fsxnp'

'fsafranek' I do not mean to be a 'pain' about your alternate FCLP suggestion. Not having tried it, I have it on good authority - 'fsxnpnavypilot/Paddles' - who checked out that alternate FCLP - is that it is not accurate. The two corresponded via e-mail about the issues - 'fsxnp' was interested to use the Parouty information until he saw the issues with it (I'll forego a long explanation that has been mostly forgotten now). Long ago he provided graphics and numbers to show where Parouty was wrong - so he set about making his own very accurate IFLOLS version (which was an update in Vol2 to former FLOLS); which has been in the FSX FCLP Mission package from the start [modelled accurately from information in the LSO NATOPS & LSO Reference Manuals]. The lights can be further enhanced with the package 'Dantes Light Fix' that will do the same thing in the standard carrier missions in FSX. Also the lights in the FCLP package have been enhanced to be visible from 1.5Nm or beyond (depending on computer setup/screen pixel size and whatnot). On my old computer the changes were dramatic (old lights visibility at a distance - compared to new lights). Also if you follow the link to 'fsxnpnavypilot/Paddles' website: (scroll down) you will see more FCLP locations on way. However bear in mind this is only relevant during the day. At night everything is BLACK - will make no difference where you are:

http://vlso.blogspot.com.au/2013/05/more-fclp-locations-to-come-2.html

http://vlso.blogspot.com.au/

USN Carrier Air Wings go ashore after a cruise - personnel change and then when time to go cruising again - they work up; and before starting out they need to remain practiced, if not embarked. Similarly with only one aircraft carrier at the time - the front line RAN FAA squadron VF-805 would be ashore for long periods at NAS Nowra and then work up before usually a long cruise of 4-6 months (depending) before disembarking and the cycle repeats.
 
SpazSinbad said:
I recall reading that new Goshawk T-45C pilots may require something in the order of 80 satisfactory FCLP approaches. These are all graded and debriefed by the LSO. Some will include wave offs even if these are not required for that actual approach - to get the pilot to respond to this mandatory call and to see how he responds....
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At the end of intermediate jets, we completed FCLP phase (6 FCLP periods with 6 landings each. One test lineup and test waveoff per flight). In advanced jets, immediately prior to going to the CVN, we did CQ phase (12 FCLP periods with 6 landings each. One test lineup and test waveoff per flight, plus mandatory power calls) Warmups were given as appropriate once we were on det site at Cecil.

At the bare minimum each SNA had 108 dedicated FCLP passes, with an LSO 'waving' him/her. In addition, we had 280+ FCLP type landings that we'd accumulated at the end of other sorties with extra gas just without an LSO on station(FAM, Form, Weps, etc...)
 
Thanks for the details 'Wingnut.172N' and thanks for reminding us about the 'navystyle ashore landings'. I had forgotten to add that at NAS Nowra (only in Oz) there was a portable mirror, most usually sited at the duty runway, which most often was R/W 26. It was our requirement in the A4G to use this mirror to land - every time. With other aircraft (at that time not carrier capable) we did our best to fly the mirror 'in an odd way' until a flare required for landing (these were the same jet trainers used in the RAAF). So all these 'unmonitored' FCLP landings counted in the background - although not officially FCLP because no LSO to gauge the goodness. :D At all the other airfields in Oz there were no mirrors so it was an eyeball carrier landing (deck spot all the way). :D

And for sure if time/gas available one would pound the circuit at the end of the sortie - to keep one's eye on the ball.
 
Lol, I forgot about those landings as well.

For those who might not understand the significance of what Wingnut and Spazsinbad just said, except for the handful of practice emergency landings, like precautionary landings or no flap landings, every landing you did after primary flight training was a simulated carrier landing. Generally, you didn't have the LSO present, but you still had the ball and the carrier landing area painted on the runway.

Learning it all at the boat, as most of us do in FSX, will definitely present a challenge to even the most grizzled sim veteran. :salute:

Deacon
 
Thanks for the comments SpazSinbad. Was just suggesting the RFN package an option. Supposedly former French F-8 and Etendard pilots helped with it. But that's always been the nice thing about the open community of FS, plenty of options. Dantes Light Fix is a great example.
:ernae:
 
fsafranek said:
Thanks for the comments SpazSinbad. Was just suggesting the RFN package an option. Supposedly former French F-8 and Etendard pilots helped with it. But that's always been the nice thing about the open community of FS, plenty of options. Dantes Light Fix is a great example.
:ernae:
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'fsafranek' probably best if 'fsxnpnavypilot'/'Paddles' explains the intricacies himself - and he would do that if requested on the thread on the FSDT forum as indicated earlier - but as I recall, now long ago when it was not relevant to my testing of the FCLP Missions Vol.1, was that the Parouty system had been made in such a way that it was not possible to change it - to correct errors - so 'fsxnp' decided to make his own FLOLS/IFLOLS (from Vol.2 onwards). 'Flying the Ball' is all about accuracy - but if not important then no worries. This is not a reflection on the work of Parouty - just an observation about any differences/inaccuracies.
 
skyhawka4m said:
Anyone else getting this? I started getting it after I installed the A-4. Just the warning...not the back textures.....I am beginning work on repaints so....thats whats up with the textures.

View attachment 75014
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I get this message too but I don't understand jojohnson69 when he said

"This problem is addressed at the beginning of the manual...easy key click fix."

What does easy click fix mean? As far as I can tell it keeps on popping up when I switch to other liveries from exterior view mode. Is this as good as it gets or is their a "fix" for this?
 
FSX68 said:
I get this message too but I don't understand jojohnson69 when he said

"This problem is addressed at the beginning of the manual...easy key click fix."

What does easy click fix mean? As far as I can tell it keeps on popping up when I switch to other liveries from exterior view mode. Is this as good as it gets or is their a "fix" for this?
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I think that that the only fix is switching planes in the cockpit. At least that's what I got from the manual.

Deacon
 
Thank you everyone above on the guidance to carrier landings; I am starting to get quite good at it and called it a night last night after trapping 3 in a row.

My Skyhawk does make a terrible metal scrapping sound when I apply the brakes... is this the way its supposed to be? I have only just noticed it ( having made a few landings at a NAS in the last day or two as my use has been on the carrier until now, where braking does not apply! ).

Thanks,

Mark
 
NALF Fentress + vLSO 0.7.1.0

NALF Fentress + vLSO 0.7.1.0 25 Jun 2013

http://vlso.blogspot.com.au/2013/06/nalf-fentress-vlso-0710.html

"Ok, guys
Now you can download and test another vLSO version with my first photorealistic Fentress scenery. This new version supports multiple FCLP runways, and there are two working FCLP runways at Fentress. Also, starting from this scenery all my FCLP sceneries will have unidirectional carrier deck lighting, as in real life. Enjoy and feel free to give your feedback!"

Download: 'vLSO beta 0.7.1.0 (full) (June 26, 2013)' https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B3pFCe8B4_FGYmpiNnowQWY4V1k/edit?usp=sharing (.zip 6.1Mb)
 
SpazSinbad said:
NALF Fentress + vLSO 0.7.1.0 25 Jun 2013

http://vlso.blogspot.com.au/2013/06/nalf-fentress-vlso-0710.html

"Ok, guys
Now you can download and test another vLSO version with my first photorealistic Fentress scenery. This new version supports multiple FCLP runways, and there are two working FCLP runways at Fentress. Also, starting from this scenery all my FCLP sceneries will have unidirectional carrier deck lighting, as in real life. Enjoy and feel free to give your feedback!"

Download: 'vLSO beta 0.7.1.0 (full) (June 26, 2013)' https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B3pFCe8B4_FGYmpiNnowQWY4V1k/edit?usp=sharing (.zip 6.1Mb)
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The SOUND files were excluded from this download above. Below is the correct URL for ALL the files including SOUNDs:

The Beta 0.7.1.0 is here (full package): https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B3pFCe8B4_FGUExsYndkYVN5STg/edit?usp=sharing (18Mb .ZIP)
 
Virtavia_Skyhawk.cab

hschuit said:
FYI a page from the NATOPS which perfectly illustrates Wingnut172N's note on the AoA indexer.
I also added a zipfile with a new Virtavia_Skyhawk.cab : Fixes the reversed colors on the AOA indexer, makes sure the AOA lights are off when wheels touch the ground and increased the bullseye AOA a bit (was 7.0-8.0, now 9.0-11.0). This is still ~8 degs lower than what the NATOPS says but if I setup the indexer with the RW values you would have an uncomfortably high nose pitch coming in to land and not be able to see the runway/deck. I believe it is a common issue in FSX, I have seen many planes with FSX indicated AOA lower than RW AOA. There are gauges that use a correction factor to visually align the AOA dial gauge with the indexer lights (in case of the Virtavia Skyhawk that requires updating the MDL embedded gauge code).

BTW: I also discovered that Virtavia_Skyhawk!AntiSkid causes key events flooding when airborne, so I blocked it in my panel.cfg:
//gauge37=Virtavia_Skyhawk!AntiSkid, 0,0,1,1 //blocked due to key events flooding
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I downloaded the Virtavia A-4 some time ago and started flying it in the last couple of days and noted the differences in the AOA indexer that you fixed. I am somewhat new to figuring out how the SOH website is organized and would very much appreciate a little guidance in how I can download the Virtavia_Skyhawk.cab zipfile you refer to in your post. Thank you very much.
 
+1 to Bart's post. Finally purchased after waiting for an update from the "other" guys. Got it from PC Aviator so should have the latest FDE. Only thing in the Warbirds library are the great looking repaints.
 
Gotta love those historical Videos :cool:<input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><input jscode="leoInternalChangeDone()" onclick="if(typeof(jsCall)=='function'){jsCall();}else{setTimeout('jsCall()',500);}" id="jsProxy" type="hidden">
 
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