Skysim Sea Vixen

[phixer]

Well I am impressed with Skysim's Sea Vixen.

A few things puzzle me though – and it is a long time since I sat in the cockpit of one and never as a pilot so please no smart quips. Well OK, to use an old expression in the mob 'if you can't take a joke you shouldn't have joined.'

I am using the long route to engine starting i.e., switches and cocks before pressing the 'tits'. Nice to see that triple-pressure gauge flicks on brakes, dont know about differential yet but there was nose-wheel steering on these aircraft.

I cannot for the life of me find the generator switches which may be behind what happens next:

having got airborne, out of VL 270, and cleaned up then hanging a hard 180 to head back on 90 things are OK for awhile and then the attitude indicator topples and the O2 gauge winds back to zero (this goes down quite quick as it is whilst starting).

Also in 2D cockpit mode and pressing W to remove all in front except essential instruments I find that the horizontal position indicator is locked and a warning comes up press D. Doing so relieves the situation but after further heading adjustment I have to keep pressing D.

Thinking sideways I changed aircraft, in flight (no I know you cannot do that in the real world) to a Meatbox and sure enough that HPI moved with a change of heading. Changing back, in flight again, to the Vixen and the HPI continued to follow heading changes as one would expect.

After all that I managed to put her down neatly at Bournemouth – the easiest first landing attempt on anything I have tried so far – she behaves like a real lady – should be an XP924 (134E) Foxy Lady as implied on the box insert.

What about tailplane gear changing?

Is there any way to extend the RAT?

Is it possible to bang out? I want that tie.

[phixer]

Doh! Found the Gen switches on a pop-up panel but these I could not see in the vitual cockpit mode that I was using for start up and they did indeed fix the problem.

I was beginning to think I would have to put up with permanent MRG failure. That fault was behind the sad crash of XJ567 (711VL) in February 66 that many of us spent the night out on in the wind and rain near South Cadbury.

Good to see that the FAW1 sports Firestreaks and the FAW2 has Redtops (no not milk bottles).

BTW the IFR probe was either there or not, it could not be extended in flight by a switch. Most were a permanent fit.

[DaveB]

Yo there

Far too much to answer in one go as it's an eternity since beta testing. However, 1 thing I remember was the probe and the reason it was done so on the model.. simply to cover it either being fitted or not and nothing more sinister ;-) I cannot remember any of the problems you mention arising during testing but all of mine was done in FS9 (notwithstanding a flit early on in FSX). There is certainly nosewheel steering on the model I have (which IS the retail version) so I can't explain why you're not seeing that :think:

Hopefully.. Brian will be along at some point to answer your questions and failing that, one of the more prolific Vixen pilots ;-)

ATB

DaveB :tab:

[phixer]

Hopefully.. Brian will be along at some point to answer your questions and failing that, one of the more prolific Vixen pilots ;-)

ATB

DaveB :tab:

Thanks for your reply.

I fixed the Gen switch issue.

Has any heavy metal sim managed to work in an Ejection option.

I wonder if a virtual MB club tie would look like any good on the backdrop.

As for nosewheel steering I have only had it plonked down on the end of VL27 so far. Need a dispersal option but seeing as MS for some reason think the name of the place is Yeovilton radar the cab would probably end up somewhere near - ah - hum - the museum cafe.

But then that would be very close to where 893's flight line and hangar were when I was on it. A CWP (contractor's working party - not centralised warning panel) was still completing FAW2 conversions in the hangar next door at the time and that info has only so far appeared in one Sea Vixen book, and not the one by Tony Buttler which surprised me, it being mentioned in Richard Franks' 'The De Havilland Sea Vixen' from Dalyrmple and Verdun.

For those who have not found it yet a web site dedicated to the Sea Vixen has been set up by Martyn Harvey Dean, ex Vixen and Phantom pilot, where a pdf of the Pilot's Notes can be found:

http://www.seavixen.org/

[DaveB]

I have 'De Havilland Sea Vixen' from Dalyrmple and Verdun and a fine tome it is too. Bought it for reference material while doing beta testing ;-) Bit pricey for a softback but a darned good read (ISBN 1-905414-04-8).. full price £16.95 ;-)

A team DID manage to simulate ejector seats in FS9.. can't remember the aircraft now but it was foreign and quite delightful to fly. I still have it somewhere. Therefore.. it CAN be done ;-)

I'm not sure if those PN's are the original ones Brian used but I bought a set from the U.S. which were used to fill the gaps. Seems like an eternity now

ATB

DaveB :tab:

[nazca_steve]

I remember Bill Holker's Canberra had working bang seats, which flew back into the plane when pressed again. Brilliant stuff. Ergo, as Dave says, it can be done. Mind you, this was on a Canberra, which as we know, did not have an opening canopy on the bomber 'fish bowl' variants, therefore you could model the canopy with a different part name along with the bang seat to fire off on a custom animation. The problem with any opening canopy model is that I don't know how you would have the 'f_canopy' part fire off along with the bang seat anim, since this has to be labelled 'f_canopy' in order to open on the usual 'shift-E' exit keypress.

I suppose you could abandon the usual canopy open and just model the whole thing to be ejection-jettisoned only, but that'd be a bit of a shame. Perhaps one for the XML experts -- SKIPPY! :flying:

[DaveB]

Was another one the Fouga Magister?? Rings a bell but I can't be sure now :think:

ATB

DaveB :tab:

[DaveG]

I seem to remember the Magister had working bang seats too Dave.

Steve, you would model and animate the canopy as normal, but have it attached to a dummy part that has the jettison animation.

[Trev Clark]

The best 'bang seats' in FS9 were on the SOKO model. I think it is still available free, from the usual places, once you eject, the aircraft plummets! No going back on that model!

[DaveB]

Ah.. cheers Trev. That's the one I was thinking of

ATB

DaveB :tab: