F/A-18 C/D aircraft mod and textures (FSX/P3D)

[jimi08]

No worries Pat.  For the smoke issue, you will need to download and install the Blue Angels Jet as a whole.  Sounds like you might have mated the 3D model of the BA version with the guts of the FLT version.  There are a few different gauges and entries in the aircraft.cfg that the Blue Angels variant uses for smoke.  Suggest you download that version and make changes from there.  You shouldn't see flares at all from the Blue jets.  Also as a note, the Blues version is more streamlined for multiplayer formation stuff, so many of the effects that you would normally see in the Fleet jets such as heat shimmer, wing flex and exhaust smoke have been removed.

Carrier Pattern:  There are a few different flavors for this depending on weather and time of day.  The most basic and my favorite would be Case I Recovery... especially with multiple aircraft.
Entry:  800ft AGL ship's heading and offset to the right of the ship.  I usually do about 400 indicated for speed.  Make sure your hook is down!

Break Turn:  Once ahead of the ship, perform a level, breaking left turn at 800 ft AGL to the reciprocal heading.  I'd recommend 10 seconds after passing over the ship before starting the turn until you get more comfortable with the pattern.  As a rule of thumb, you will use 1% of your airspeed to calculate the amount of G used during the break.  For example, if break is entered at 400 knots, 4Gs would be used.  While in the turn, bring throttles to idle and deploy the boards (speedbrake).  As speed drops below 250 indicated, drop the gear and set flaps to FULL.  Retract the speedbrake.

Downwind:  Once on downwind heading, drop down to 600ft AGL, trim the jet to ON SPEED (amber doughnut), and go through your before landing checklist. You will maintain ON SPEED for the remainder of the pattern.  If done right, you will be about 1.2 miles away from the ship once it is on your beam (at your 9 o'clock).  

The 180:  Since this pattern looks more like a race track pattern instead of a rectangle, there are no crosswind and/or base legs.  Instead you have the 180.  It is the part of the pattern where the 180 degree turn is commenced to bring the jet back to the Base Recovery Course (BRC) for landing.  For Carrier Ops, this turn is usually started once you are abeam the cables on the carrier.  If you are doing FCLPs or using a stationary carrier, you will delay the start of the turn until your touchdown point is about 45 degrees behind you.  The turn will be another left turn with a slight descent (velocity vector about 1 deg. below the horizon) for the 1st 90 degrees of turn.  If I remember correctly, you should be at about 550ft AGL at the 90 (the halfway point of your 180 degree turn).  From there, take a quick glance at the ship and make adjustments as needed.  This will usually require additional angle of bank and an increase in your rate of descent.  This is also where you should start picking up the ball.

The "Groove":  Upon finishing your 180 turn and rolling out, you will enter "the groove" or the final leg of the pattern.  As a personal technique, I try to put the ship's wake directly under my left knee right as a roll out into the groove.  Altitude would be at around 450ft at this point, and you should be about 3/4 of a mile behind the ramp of the ship.  From here, technique should shift to a constant scan of Ball, AOA, Lineup.  Once established, I usually place the velocity vector on the CROTCH, or the angle on the flight deck that is created between the bow and the angled landing deck (see attached pic).  This helps compensate for the constant right adjustments that need to be made due the landing surface constantly sliding to the right caused by the 10 deg offset of the angled deck.  I also superimpose the velocity vector and angle about 3 degrees down below the horizon line on the HUD.  This should give you a descent rate of 700-800 fpm.  I constantly cross-check this with the ball on the ship and make quick small adjustments.  USE POWER FOR CORRECTIONS TO GLIDE SCOPE & PITCH FOR AIRSPEED as you make your adjustments.  Once you find your "sweet spot" on your throttles, stick with it.  I usually will "bump" the throttles up or down for a second or two when making my corrections, but always returning to the sweet spot.  Don't leave corrections in for too long or you will sink through or slice through the glide slope.  Maintain your scan, follow the ball, and hold attitude until touchdown.  DO NOT FLARE OR TRY TO "FISH" FOR A WIRE.

Touchdown: Upon slamming into the deck, go to full power (MIL or MAX) until rapid deceleration is detected at which point bring the throttles to IDLE.  Retract the hook and fold the wings.  Congratulations, you made it on deck!

The attached picture should help.  Well, that's my technique.  I'm pretty sure others have different approaches...

Also, MICRO did an excellent job of explaining the details of the Carrier Pattern in his video, OK,3.  Highly recommend giving it a look.  It can be found at the following link: .

Hope this helps.

-Jimi

[PhantomTweak]

Wow! 
Thank you for all the help, Jimi. NOW I understand why Peter's NH version of the BA birds is as it is. There is no WAY I want to BE a BA, I just love the bird, and some of hte special effects it has, is all. I really need much more work at just flying this amazingly realistic plane before I come anywhere close to what they (You!) can do. I'm happy to hold straight and level at somewhere around 350KIAS I will install the v15.2 BA plane you made a while back for the BA stuff come the day, or the newer ones you are coming out with soon (I hope ).

TY very much also for all the info on carrier patterns. I saved it for further memorization
I've read, re-read and re-re-re-reread the NATOPS and every other scrap of information I can find on "How-to" for the basic, Case I, down the groove and into the break carrier pattern. I mainly just need to practice it until I get the muscle-memory built up properly. I only have limited time each day to do so, so my progress is a tad slow, but I'm getting there. That info you provided on the 1% G/Airspeed ratio really helps, though. THAT little tid bit isn't in anything I've read so far, so it's a huge help. I always wondered how to determine the proper turn radius, and that was just what I needed, much like the cornering speed info you provided by accident. It's the little things that can make such a huge difference, and why I'm such a pest about this stuff.

Which, of course, brings me to my next question: If I put the flaps to full with the F8 key on the regular keyboard, is it necessary to also switch the switch on the lefthand angled panel also to "Full" (position 2 on shift+8, the data gauge)? IE, will the FCS/Autoflaps/etc operate properly without the switch position being changed? It doesn't SEEM to me to make any difference, and it isn't in any of the XML files I can see, but I can't read the autoflaps.dll file so I don't know...
Just wondering. I DO flip it to FULL when I am in the break, but it requires looking down, so if I can NOT have to actuate it would be handy. I also make sure it's in AUTO before I launch, whether land or carrier.

Thanks again for all the help, you all are wonderfully nice about all this, especially when I know you are busy, and I sincerely do appreciate you taking the time to help me out so much.
Pat☺

[jimi08]

Hehe.... As far as I can tell the Flap switch in the virtual cockpit doesn't work.  The switch is animated, but it doesn't actuate the flaps at all.  I would stick to using the F5-F8 key commands to control flaps, or assign them to a button on your stick/throttle.

By the way, flaps are usually set to HALF for takeoffs (both land-based and carrier) and FULL for landings.

[PhantomTweak]

By the way, flaps are usually set to HALF for takeoffs (both land-based and carrier) and FULL for landings.

That's the way I've been doing it, yes. HALF for take off, boat or shore, FULL for landing, boat or shore. Thanks for the verification, though! If I gave misleading or mistaken information, I apologize.

And my thanks for the info on the Flaps switch in the VCockpit. Appreciate the verification on that too. I just wanted to be certain I wasn't missing a trick.

Pat☺

[jimi08]

No worries

[jimi08]

Peter,

Got another paint request for ya.  Can you make a USNTPS texture as well?  Thanks.

[hd764jvgd843]

Hi Jimi,

due to the good weather and other activities the project has almost come to a standstill, but USNTPS and MightyShrikes textures are at the top of my list to do. I hope you do not expect anything soon, it will probably be end of August before I will be able to finish something. I will try to add the first four schemes on the list for the next release, the other ones will require much more work expecially due to the complex textures on the fuselage and on the wings upper and lower side, so I will save these for the coming fall/winter days.
- USN Test Pilot School
- USN VFA-94, 400 and 403
- USN, Centennial of Naval Aviation, VFA-122, 25
- USN, Centennial of Naval Aviation, VFA-106, 45
- USN VX-31, China Lake
- USN VFC-12_14 (white/grey)
- USN VFC-13_06 (blue/grey)
- USN VFC-13_12 (brown/grey)

My recent efforts to improve the VC sounds have been somewhat successful, but I am not quite satisfied how it all goes together, I am also trying to add the distinctive howl during a fly by. I have converted some good sound samples from this years Pensacola Beach air show I found on the web, will try to add and test these later.

Peter

[PhantomTweak]

Just a quick (for me, anyway) Update:
Over the last few days, thanks to all your help and advice, I got about 40 bounces in in the NH Hornet (VMFAT-101, naturally  ) At KNRA, from the FCLP Pack 2. Coupeville, near Whidbey Island NAS, because I like the scenery a lot better than El Centro. Tooooooo much like Yuma, where I spent almost 30 years (30 years too long! I hate the place...). Anyway, out of the 40 or so bounces, the last 3 or 4 I did today, finally, were what I would call decent. Not great, but decent. I figger, in about another week, I'll be good enough, in MY opinion, to turn vLSO on, and see what those heartless, mean, cruel LSO's have to say.
Once THEY are happy, it's off to the boat, altho I try to get a few each time on the boat too, just to practice what I've been doing at the FCLP.
Thanks again for all the help and advice y'all are kind enough to give!
And of course, a question: In the break, you said about 1% G/IAS. Ok, it works great, but: You don't HOLD that, do you? You have to keep the ratio through the entire turn, right? As IAS drops, so does the G, yes? So that by the time you roll out on the downwind the turn is no more than about 1.3 or 1.4 G, then of course 1 G on downwind as you descend to the proper altitude for the turn to The Groove. And again, about 1.3 or 1.4 G in the turn to line-up on the boat, depending on the amount of pull needed to make the turn the correct radius, at about 25° to 35° bank angle.
All those assumptions I make are somewhere close, yes? I think so,anyway. Been almost working for me, anyway. Now I just need to make sure I'm looking at the right place at the right times to make the turns correctly. THAT is practice...And more practice, and...etc
Thanks again, that post you made earlier really helped with the little details!
Pat☺

[jimi08]

Peter,

Thanks for the update.  Looking forward to your products.

---Break---

Pat,

Glad to hear you are progressing and yes you are correct, I usually keep the ration throughout the break turn..  For the turn that commences at the 180, I am more focused on AOB and speed for that turn.  I am not necessarily looking at G.  Looking at about 30 deg AOB, and a slight decent rate for the first 90 deg of turn and I usually increase it to about 35-40 deg AOB, and a slight increase in decent rate for the remaining 90 degs as I roll into the groove.  All the while maintaining ON SPEED.

[PhantomTweak]

Hi all!
Thanks again, Jimi for your answer, it just verified what I thought, and I appreciate it!

And  now, my usual question: I saw this thread, http://www.fsdreamteam.com/forum/index.php/topic,6570.0.html
So I DL'd Dante's new Halo file (dflights.zip) and installed, along with the effect and their texture file, included in the package. The OP is 100% right, the runway lights, as well as the IFOLS on-board the carriers (Javier's Nimitz) are much better. Crisp, clear, better all around. Even the  position lights, strobes, and so on on the aircraft look much better, at least on my system.
BUT! Now the NH Hornet's have no Formation Lights, the green, electrolumniscent light stripes at various locations about the aircraft. Gone, Kaput, vanished. Formation Lights switch in the cockpit doesn't even animate. Please see the attached pictures. Even the cockpit lights look better, at least I think so, and the three rectangular lights on the canopy bow slightly to the right of the main field of view (the LOCK and SHOOT lights) are no longer lit up as green blanks at night, which is better.
Again, though, no Formation Lights. Is there any fix for this? I would hate to go back to the old HALO.BMP and EFFECTS files, but will if I have to. Even during the daytime, the IFOLS is much crisper, clearer and more visible at a distance.

I know y'all are busy with other things going on, and this is a VERY minor problem, but it's something to consider when you have the time. If you all say so, I'll just go back to the previous versions of all the files

Pat☺

[hd764jvgd843]

Hi Pat, could these issues have something to do with that the effects were designed to work with FS/CS version models in mind, not the NH version? The thread stops with the last post from sludge looking for some feedback concerning Jimi's FSXBA version.

Just some things that came to mind:
- You have mentioned a 'dflights.zip' file, I could only download a 'dlights2.zip' from the link (thread) you have posted.
- a) What about only using the modified halo.bmp and leave everything else as is?
- b) Have you had a look inside the effect files, compared them to the original ones? You could try using the effect coordinates from the NH ones and try merging them with the new effects?

I hope these might be of some help.
Peter

[PhantomTweak]

Hi Peter!
Thanks for the quick response. Appreciate it!
I will  now proceed to take a look at the possibilities you gave me. Thankfully, I am a fanatical back-up-er
I'll go back first to the original (before the latest effects changes) but leave the Halo.bmp alone to see what's up. If that's it, I'll change one at a time till I find it. I just thought y'all had seen this before, as it was  relatively old thread. I'll let you know what I find, so anyone else can fix this if they run into it to. I'll also get the updated dflights2.zip version and look for differences, maybe that will pin-point the one effect file fairly quickly. I didn't use their DL link, I plugged in the author's name to the search feature of FlightSim, and that was the only one that showed up. I'll see what Avsim has, too.

Thanks again for the answers and possibilities for solutions. I'll get on it right now
Pat☺

[PhantomTweak]

Ok, it seems to be the new (to me) Halo.bmp file in the dflights2.zip. I can't find any difference in the 2 zip files, but I DL'd dflights2.zip and installed according to the instructions. Then uninstalled all but the Halo.bmp and the situation persists (no Formation Lights at night). Uninstalled the Halo.bmp and back to normal.
SO: It's the Halo.bmp. I much prefer the way airport lighting, carrier deck lighting, and the IFLOLS systems look, so I'll live with the one teeny tiny little problem. It's irrelevant to me, just happened to have noticed it.
I don't know how or what to edit, nor have I ever touched texture files, so I'll leave well enough alone for now. As I've said before, how she looks isn't anywhere as important to me as how she flies. Overall, the newer lights, to my eye, are a pretty good improvement over even the latest and greatest other lights files I've installed, especially the IFLOLS systems, land or sea, so I'll stick to what works best for my setup.
If one of you texture guru's wants to work on this situation, please feel free. I would love to have the planes back to what they should be, but heck, I sit in the cockpit and can't see a formation light anyway, so it's VERY low on my priority list
Thanks again for the help, though. At least I know for sure what's going on, for once
Pat☺

EDIT: One thing I nearly forgot! No matter what I do, I can NOT get the AOA lights to show up without being in the VC cockpit.They don't show in the 2D cockpit no matter what, and if I turn the VC Panel off, and just call up the HUD image (Shift+1), nothing. Yes I DID put the AOA from the VC cockpit into [Window00]. I also looked, and if I hit the carrier landing gauge (Shift+6) the AOA is supposed to be there, but nothing. Just to be certain, I cut-n-pasted the line from the [Vcockpit01] section to [window00] and [window07], the 2D and carrier landing panels. Nada.
Sludge has the AOA Lights in his landing videos, off to one side like they show up WITH the cockpit showing, with the HUD and carrier landing gauge, so I thought it should work, but nothing. I am obviously doing something wrong, but can't seem to see what! I can even read the Blackbox folder, F18_AoA_Indexer.XML file called out by the gauge line to make sure it's typed in and copied down correctly, and it is.
As always, any help would be greatly appreciated!
Pat☺

[hd764jvgd843]

Hi Pat, just did a quick check with the current version mod, and AoA lights seem to be working ok, both internally and externally as you can see from the screenshots.

Do you remember for sure that they have been working ok before? Try to revert the last changes as far as you can remember which you have done and see if you can get it working again, if you haven't done already so.
What I usually do trying to narrow an issue down is to first check if Jimi's current FSXBA version - unchanged, out of the box - works fine or not. This could point you to whether something within the sim has been screwed up along the way, e.g. some addons, changes etc. that might interfere which have been recently done, or in case everything works fine, that some changes specific to the modified airplane - gauges, etc. which have been recently tweaked are to blame for. I hope this will point you in the right direction.

When I usually do such changes that will effect the entire sim (scenery textures, landclass changes, terrain mesh changes, light effect, water effect, sky effect changes, etc.), I backup (zip) my entire FSX resp. P3D folder to an additional physical drive (speed!) and name the file with the current date and addon state, because in the past I tried several addons that I later realized did screw up other things beside what they were supposed to do and I realized these issues just a few weeks later when I flew somewhere else or at a different time, etc. I got very frustrated having to reinstall / revert everything to the setting that I know worked and looked fine before. Now, all I do is delete a folder, extract a backed up zip file for about an hour or more, in the evening, and no more frustration. But be warned my 'default' basis P3D folder is about 32GB and my orbx version is almost 50GB in size (zipped!), these backups will take time to create/restore (use additional physical internal drives if possible, they will be much faster than external ones). I also do this on a small scale for the airplane folder or other things/folders (e.g. sounds) I am currently messing with, so in a worst case, I will be loosing just a few hours or days of work, but I will be able to revert to the last known good version for sure. I learned this the hard way a few times - I hope you will be able sort it all out, without having to reinstall or big frustration.

Best regards,
Peter

[PhantomTweak]

Oh, I must have not been clear, sorry bout that. I meant the individual GAUGE, the AOA indicator alone, doesn't show up in the 2D cockpit, not that they don't work at all
They work perfectly normally in the VC cockpit, no problem, but I saw a Sludge video in which he went to the 2D cockpit, called up the Carrlier Landing gauge, and the AOA indicator was showing where it usually does in the VC cockpit, without the cockpit being there. IE: blank screen (2D view, as normal) until you hit SHFT+1 for the HUD and SHFT+6 for the Carrier Landing gauge, which should include the AOA indicator, but doesn't.
Lets one clear up the screen when landing, if your view of the deck is obscured by the instrument panels, etc.
Please see attached JPG's. One is the 2D alone, when first called, the next is HUD only, and finally witht he Carrier Landing gauge, which SHOULD include an AOA Indicator off to the left of the HUD display in it's usual position, but doesn't.
Again NOT a big deal at all, more annoying than anything, but always nice to have the AOA available for crosschecking.
Pat☺
ps: I got the order of the JPG's backwards, but I think you get the idea
PSB