I really like the model and panel, but the flight dynamics can be a hand full (to say the least).

The plane feels fairly top-heavy on the ground and trying to taxi can lead to a serious case of The Yips (the plane starts bouncing uncontrollably) once it rolls on its side.

I goof around this plane's aircraft.cfg every now and then and I THINK I've gotten closer to taming the beast.

The main problem comes down to the [contact points] section and I've found that making small changes can lead to some big benefits and a lot more stability.

The best solution so far to making the gear more stable is adding a second nose wheel (tire) while "cheating" the main gear out a little to make a wider track.
This allows tire smoke effects to still look "about right".

Another problem was the nose wheel steering, its just way too sensitive which makes the Eagle too twitchy when its rolling.

So, here's what I have so far. Feel free to copy the following and replace the old [contact points] section:


[contact_points]
//0 Class <0=none,1=wheel, 2=scrape, 3=skid>
//1 Longitudinal Position (feet)
//2 Lateral Position (feet)
//3 Vertical Position (feet)
//4 Impact Damage Threshold (Feet Per Minute)
//5 Brake Map (0=None, 1=Left, 2=Right)
//6 Wheel Radius (feet)
//7 Steer Angle (degrees)
//8 Static Compression (feet) (0 if rigid)
//9 Max/Static Compression Ratio
//10 Damping Ratio (0=Undamped, 1=Critically Damped)
//11 Extension Time (seconds)
//12 Retraction Time (seconds)
//13 Sound Type
//14 Airspeed limit for retraction (KIAS)
//15 Airspeed that gear gets damage at (KIAS)


gear_system_type=0
static_pitch = 2.5
static_cg_height = 8.00
max_number_of_points = 8


//---Gear 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
point.0 = 1, 13.500, -1.0000, -9.00, 60000, 0, 1.672, 50.0, 1.300, 1.1, 0.750, 3.20, 3.00, 0, 250, 350
point.1 = 1, 13.500, 1.0000, -9.00, 60000, 0, 1.672, 50.0, 1.300, 1.1, 0.750, 3.20, 3.00, 0, 250, 350
point.2 = 1, -4.1500, -6.0000, -7.80, 60000, 1, 1.572, 0.00, 0.350, 1.0, 0.600, 3.50, 3.20, 2, 250, 350
point.3 = 1, -4.1500, 6.0000, -7.80, 60000, 2, 1.572, 0.00, 0.350, 1.0, 0.600, 3.50, 3.20, 3, 250, 350


//---- Aircraft Scrape Points
point.4 = 2, -7.200, 14.5000, 1.0, 10000, 0, 0.000, 00.0, 0.000, 0.0, 0.000, 0.00, 0.00, 5, 000, 000
point.5 = 2, -7.200, -14.5000, 1.0, 10000, 0, 0.000, 00.0, 0.000, 0.0, 0.000, 0.00, 0.00, 6, 000, 000
point.6 = 2, -20.000, 0.0000, 1.0, 10000, 0, 0.000, 00.0, 0.000, 0.0, 0.000, 0.00, 0.00, 9, 000, 000
point.7 = 2, 24.000, 0.0000, 0.0, 10000, 0, 0.000, 00.0, 0.000, 0.0, 0.000, 0.00, 0.00, 4, 000, 000


//---- Water Rudder Command
point.7=5.000, 0.000, 0.000, 0.000, 0.000, 0.000, 0.000, 0.000, 0.000, 0.000, 0.000, 1.000, 1.000, 0.000, 0.000, 0.000




What's changed-

-Second nose wheel, the wheels are now spaced two feet apart.

-Tires are slightly sunk into the ground to give a better "weight on wheels" look.

-Steer Angle decreased from 70 to 50 degrees for smoother turning.

-Static Compression and SC Ratio changed slightly to make the "springs" softer.

One quick note, these are "best fit" corrections in case you want to add effects like tire smoke. I think they are pretty close, but not perfect yet. If you want to try your own numbers go ahead but I wouldn't make large changes to the Static Compression and Static Compression Ratio numbers. Also, these numbers are for the IRIS F-15E Strike Eagle models. They might work with the C and D models but they may also need some slight adjustments.

One last thing to adjust is the Braking Strength. I've mellowed it out a bit to give smoother braking (think of it like a newer anti-skid system). Find the [brakes] section and replace it with:

[brakes]
toe_brakes_scale=0.775
parking_brake=1



You don't want to jam on the brakes as soon as you touch down. Rather, land with full flaps, speed break deployed, and keep the stick next to your gut for maximum aero braking during landing. Try not to touch the toe brakes above 70-75 KTS.