SOH P-61 project

[Whitehawk]

Definately rudder all the way! Ok so is that the physics behind the 'raise the dead' practice? I take it the slight unco-ordination caused by raising the dead slightly and maintaining direction is behind shifting the thrust line inwards?
I'm assuming that it helps because tilting the lift vector towards the live generates a horizontal component in that direction that opposes the force generated by using rudder to maintain direction wings level witch would cause the aircraft to crab. Hope I'm making sense lol!

[fliger747]

Yep, that's it. Just tested the spin again, can be forced into a spin, but comes out if you neutralize the controls. I have flown planes like that....

T

[Whitehawk]

Thanks for clarifying! I find it helps me a lot to know why something works, not just that it does lol!

[warchild]

Yep, that's it. Just tested the spin again, can be forced into a spin, but comes out if you neutralize the controls. I have flown planes like that....

T

You guys are awesome.. Thank you..
I've been focusing on tweaking that loss of lift and asymmetrical thrust all morning and was able to get it to react almost dramatically, but that opened up a few other deficiencies which i've been working on and as i worked on them, the drama that was there in losing an engine, went away.
The plane still flies the same as Fliger and i made it, but, inertia now plays a bigger part during turns, climb rate is standardized to 2300 fpm at 200 mph below 10000 ft with the slow loss of climb angle and speed above 10000 ft, there is a bit more lateral stability at lower speeds and coordinated turns now emphasize coordination of the control surfaces. You can put this plane at any spot you look at, but you need to think ahead a ways. If you try to do a high pitched turn, mass takes over and you find yourself sliding till the wings grab air.
i still cant find anything to not like about flying this plane. she's incredibly comfortable to be in..
Fliger.. i'll upload the flight model with the newest tweaks to the browser tonight.. I'm still making tweaks and am down to changing single digits, one iteration at a time.

[warchild]

There arent many changes from 2.0 and to be quite honest, i'm not certain it isnt a step backwatds. so save your current flight model before installing this one..
Please give me feedback. I need to know..
Thanks
Pam

[warchild]

2.11 fixes a glaring mistake i made in missing a minus sign in the air file causing the rudder to function in reverse. It also changes the vertical tails efficiency factor to a more realistic level, but i'm still working on that part of it. its a bit weak in my opinion.

Also available is the newest VC model and texture so you may want to download that as well..
Good hunting.
Pam

[N2056]

I managed to get one of the more interesting gauges I've ever done working...the AN/APN-1 Radio Altimeter. It has 2 ranges of indication, 0-400 feet and 0-4000 feet, along with a functioning power switch. Also in this pic is the flaps/gear position indicator, along with some early work on additional items :d

Attachment 18492

[fliger747]

Question:

What bits and pieces do I need to assemble to get the entire aircraft, up to date. I still mostly work with the original aircraft, which has some differences, and of course no "interior". However the flap, control surfaces, prop, and other animations still work.

What I have tried to assemble from the new stuff has no ger, flap or prop animations and a black interior due to lack of texture.

Cheers: T

[N2056]

Check yer PM's

[warchild]

thee are no major changes in this version; just a minor adjustment to the rudder, allowing it a little more deflection and effectiveness..

Paul is still researching the stall spin characteristics and i expect to get back with him later this week on it. I'm also hoping to talk with Tom this week so that we can share out work with each other and bring the flght model up to speed to reflect both of our efforts..

Currently, the flight model is way ahead of the rest of the team, but with me being retired, and having partners of very high caliber such as Tom and Paul, thats only to be expected.. It simply means that now we get down to the nitty gritty details that make the plane what it was.. Its gonna be fun ..

[warchild]

due to a corruption of the fde files starting with version 2.0, i am stepping us back to the 1.79 version of the flight model. I've re-uploaded it to the file browser for those of you that dont have it. If you have it, please delete 2.0-2.2 and replace it with the 1.79 files..
Thanks..
Pam

[skyhawka4m]

show on nightfighters with some nice P-61 footage on Military Channel as I type.

[N2056]

Here's some more progress on the lower panel area, and texture applied to the switch panel...

Attachment 18798

[robcap]

Here's some more progress on the lower panel area, and texture applied to the switch panel...

Coming along nicely.

replace it with the 1.79 files..

Bummer when that happens, I have the same sometimes with the Gmax files. You must revert to a previous version, and a days work can be lost....

[warchild]

That looks wonderful loving that panel now

As for the step backwards. yeah.. it happens.. Sometimes two or three times, but i'm usually working alone and working very quickly so the back step happens in between releases.. The Widow however is being collaboratively developed and tested by a group of people so that we can bring it to you as quickly as possible, while maintaining an extremely high level of quality. So that kinda voids any chance of myself being the only one who see's the problem. Another spotlight is the fact that I've chosen an open forum style of presentation, which places everything we do as a team right in front of the public's eyes. you see, the forum thread isnt really about the P-61. It isnt about me either. its about all of us; Our glories, our embarrassments, you name it. it's about not being afraid to be human, and to say, "This is our work. The work we have done together as developers, and enthusiasts alike. We hope you come to love it, as much as we have." This little setback i really nothing lost. A few days experimentation and nothing more. The files themselves i still have and will be using them to learn from, because, all the numbers are correct, exactly what they should be, but the flight model doesnt work. I'm gonna wait till after the planes released however to dissect the files and figure out what went wrong where. It may take me while as its a very subtle problem. in the meantime, version 1.79 with some minor changes to allow for engine out yaw is looking extremely good. We're going slowly with it now instead of driving it like madmen, because all the changes from this point on are extremely tiny changes and cant be rushed. Fliger and i are still pouring through documentation, pilots statements, whatever we can get, trying to get clues to exactly how this plane performed. At the same time, N2056 has taken on the lions share of the modeling and animation work. The pictures he posts are a poor second to his actual work.. his gauges are some of the most fluid i've ever seen, and even have typical steam gauge bounciness. Cag is doing testing along with Delta558, Jankees and Butch are ready to do paints once we can get the UV Maps to them, and David Brice said he might be interested in doing the special effects on the weapons if he has time. But we still need sound. I'm afraid no ones stepped forward to work on them. But, the project is still young. only a month and a half old going by the time i posted the original post. truth told, michael, crashaz and Fliger were working on this plane two years ago.. Thats a long time.. .. Now its gonna get completed.. That makes me feel good ..
Pam

[roger-wilco-66]

Nice post, Pam! This is an absolutly awesome project. Can't wait until you guys release it. Thanks for your hard work!

Cheers,
Mark

[warchild]

Thanks mark..

Also, got a little something for everyone, including an explaination of the rafar screen .. First several minutes is on the P-61 .. enjoy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPbSD...eature=related

[Dain Arns]

MMMmmmm...."Dogfights". Love that show.

"Warchild posted the link ... HERE!
Dain watched it ... HERE!
Others read this response ... HERE!"


Boy, the P-61 is coming along rather nicely.
Getting excited about it as well now.
Thank you for the regular updates, Pam.

[Hurricane91]

...I've chosen an open forum style of presentation,...

A wonderful post Pam. I appreciate your choice of open format. There is so much about development that can be learned here.
Of much greater value is the spirit you have given this project.

John

[PRB]

..."Warchild posted the link ... HERE!
Dain watched it ... HERE!
Others read this response ... HERE!"
...

LOLOL. Love that Dogfights show!

The Widow is coming along nicely!

[warchild]

Thanks guys. You are all very awesome..
Yeah, the plane is coming along fantastically. I have to admit that i feel like a kid at Christmas every day.Each day N2056 takes his work one more step closer, and each day its like one more petal on a magical flower has opened up. I dont know where he plans to go with it, or how he plans on getting there, and that keeps it magical, because he obviously knows where he wants to take it.
Me?? i get to fly this thing and cherish it. Admittedly, i'm not sure exactly how realistic we're gonna make it.. As easy as the plane was to fly, its operation in contrast was more complex than almost any other aircraft of the period. There's, i believe, seven steps for feathering the prop, and the fuel switches are a programmers nightmare.. Theres i think five of them: each with three positions ( i think ) and they can be individually set any number of ways to do any nymber of things with the fuel. its like looking at an old logic circuit with and-or-not_and gates. The Radar we're still researching. We know know about the RO's screens, but that little radar on the pilots panel eludes us. I'm hoping we can find the data we need for it, and well, i guess i'm asking openly for help in looking for it. I'd like to see the plane go as real as it can get, but i know that if we do that, theres gonna be a lot of frustrated people, possibly even me. So i'd like an option available to keep it really simple where ctrl-e starts the plane, sets the switches, and gets you ready to go.. I'd also like to see the gunnery station function like the real one. The top turret could be locked forward, or freed up to swivel when the gunners chair was swiveled. And oh yeahhh, i do want those canon fire-able, with tracers. And i'd like to ( if possible ) find some way to put a three man team in there, during online flights so she can dogfight. But i dream, and thats all a way's down the road yet. Plus, i dont know if it can be done. i know we'll give it our best shot though..
Pam.

[warchild]

Ok.. FDE version 2.3 is uploaded.. Amazingly, it looks a LOT like 1.79 ( imagine that ::LOL:: ) however, roll rate has been increased just a tad. not too much ( it aint an F-5 ) and pitch rate has been increased a tiny bit as well, plus, now you'll find that with an engine out, there will be about five degrees of yaw towards the dead engine.. Latitudinal and longitudinal stability have also been increased. She is way easier to keep trimmed ( though she definitely isnt flying on rails ).
There appears to be a but of a tendency for the rudder to over react during a ninety degree high speed banking turn, but that maay be my lack of flying style. if someone could check that out for me i'd be grateful...
Its in the usual place. let me know what you find..
Pam

[warchild]

these update contains the advancements you see in N2056's pictures above, as well as a few more things.. The file name is 16sep.zip and can be found in the main file browser area.. enjoy..
Pam

[fliger747]

Cockpit is coming along nicely, though I seem to loose the textures each time.. very black....

I think there is an issue with the prop tables as the props should come into the constant speed range and be settle on selected RPM at a lower MP.

Nice to have the Gear, prop, cowl flap animations. Seems as if the low speed lateral stability should be greater, feels like it wallos too much on initial climbout.

Cheers: T

[jimjones]

I have been following this thread for sometime with great interest. Much effort and thought
is being expended by the participants in this development.Many cudos are due them and I look
forward to the release someday. Warchild keeps us updated frequently and with backup videos
of progress and historical videos of interest. There has been mention of files to be flown or
viewed such as the recent 16sep.zip. Is this file for all to test? If so I need help locating
the file because I cannot seem to locate it. Indicating it can be found in the soh browser is
insufficient for me.I have tried often to locate the file without success. Could you provide
a detailed navigation scheme to get to it? Many thanks .
Jim Jones