AI flying boats package

[dswanson]

Hi,

An update package to fix the AFCAD/ flight plan incompatibilities has been uploaded at Britsim and is available, and also at Flightsim and AVSIM which should be available soon

[DaveB]

Hi Degsy

Don't worry about it mate. Try it on us first You might be able to stop the Cat's U/C in the airfile but wether that would mean it stays down or up I'm not sure. Will take a look if I get time
EDIT.. thanks for the update matey
ATB
DaveB

[speedbird591]

I've found this thread in a flightsimworld forum and the author had exactly the same problem with his Mike Stone Catalina. I don't know if this is the same model but he found a solution. He used the airfile from the Catalina included in the 'Spot the Bismarck' package available from Avsim. The author of the package had managed to get his Catalinas landing on water with retracted undercarriage and extended wing floats, although the wing floats are permanently extended (OK for water, though).

http://www.flightsimworld.com/forums/in ... pic=140364

This is the file name from Avsim: spot_the_bismarck.zip

Further to my previous post about concrete runways - I've remembered that the water runways MUST be designated concrete in AFCAD and not water but they must only be one foot wide or they'll show up on the water.

Ian

[dswanson]

Hi,

Having spent a long time on the catalina FD to get a correct "sit" and take-off /landing performance I can state the following:

1. An AI water landing aircraft needs cfg file data for both a wheeled u/c and floats, otherwise it won't float properly or detect the taxyways and runways. The runways do need to be set as concrete for the invisible "wheels" to detect its presence, but the runways etc. are made invisible by having them very narrow, less than 1ft. If you use water runways you get a darker blue water texture which is very visible and not realistic

2. While you can technically prevent u/c extending and retracting by setting the extend/retract time to zero in the cfg file, the FS logic deems the u/c to be non retractable, therefore permanently extended. I've found no way to make this permanently retracted

3. The Mike Stone catalina has the wingtip floats operated by the FS "Tail Hook" key, requiring manual operation of that key. If he'd used the spoiler key instead, then programming the "auto-arm-spoiler" option in the .air file would have made the floats extend on touchdown (but not before). However, this would not make the floats extend on taxy out and take off runs

Having played with this for some time, I can only conclude that the u/c floats can only be made to operate as we'd like them by changes to the mdl file or some additional xml function, although not a gauge xml.

Finally, and before some purist points this out, the RAF Catalinas of WWII were non amphibious PBY5s, not PBY5As. Since Mike Stones 5A amphibian is the most accessible and perhaps best freeware Catalina available this seems to be currently the best "real as you can get" option.

[GHD]

Using a combination of Static Aircraft Model Maker and Model Converter X (both available from FSDeveloper) I have managed to create a model with the gear permanently retracted and engines running.

All I need to do now is remove the port wing tip float wake effect and eliminate the porpoising on approach.

[Garry Russell]

Hi George

Looks great

One question is shouldn't the wing tip floats be down?

Not that I know much about flying boats...seen I think five in my whole life and none landing or taking off on water

[GHD]

One question is shouldn't the wing tip floats be down?

I suppose they should during taxiing, but I have no idea how to make this happen.

Incidentally, I saw the Duxford based Cat land and take-off in Seaburn Bay during the Sunderland Airshow a few years ago.

[Garry Russell]

Just windering

I've always wanted to see one but just kiseed them in our area, by about a year