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

[Orion]

Wow, it's the NASA N852NA paint scheme!  Thanks!

Edit: Here's a screenshot.

[hd764jvgd843]

Glad to hear you like it, Orion.

I started with this simple but very elegant scheme because the NASA_HARV_ANSER texture will require a bit more work, and I was keen to release the updated flight dynamics.

[PhantomTweak]

That is a nice texture! I got used to seeing the old Phantom II's (and I do mean old age wise) with the matt-finish paintjobs. Even fresh off the wash rack, they weren't exactly what one could call shiny! By the same token, the way the Phantoms leak, everything and everywhere, it's not real suprizing. Most of the operational squadrons are less concerned with looks though.
May I ask what base that is? It looks like a good one for touch-n-goes. Just wondering
Pat☺

[hd764jvgd843]

May I ask what base that is? It looks like a good one for touch-n-goes. Just wondering :)

It is KSFO, San Francisco International Airport. I do most of my flying within the sim around the bay area because the scenery is very versatile. My favorite airport I usually take off from and use as a base is KOAK, Oakland International Airport, runway 15. You get a nice view from the tower during takeoff and a close flyby, too.

Having said that, doesn't the 18 have variable intake doors for transonic/supersonic flight?

You are right with the variable intake doors. I consider these a simple bypass. If I remember correctly they are helping with engine rumbling at transsonic and supersonic flight and squeezing out more performance (up to mach 1.8) helping getting closer to the 2.0 mach number. What R1523 probably is aiming at is a variable intake ramp compressing the airflow at transsonic and supersonic flight, like the F-14s had, and such a thing the hornet engines are lacking. Anyway, right or wrong, I was desperately looking for a way to offset the lack of power at subsonic flight caused by the additional induced drag through the reset scalar value back to 1.0, and was more than happy when I remembered that this parameter change would be at least a step in the right direction.

Peter

[PhantomTweak]

KSFO! My father's home base (He was a UAL pilot for 35+years, after being a flight instructor in the Navy in the SNJ). I thought it looked familiar, but I wanted to be sure. I like the area to fly too, oddly. Moffet for me though. Saw my first F-4 there, at an airshow. The Blue Angels. I was about 8 or so. Good times. Great place to grow up too!

Ok, ok, enough reminiscing. I tried out your latest changes last night. And for these comments, please bear in mind I am not, nor ever was, anything resembling a fighter pilot, so haven't a clue just how the real FA-18 flies, other than watching the Angels fly at El Centro a lot when I was stationed at Yuma MCAS.

The first thing I noticed was that the %N2 displayed on the ENGINE screen of the MFD was now WAY different than it has been. Much lower for all throttle settings. Won't even make 100% at 25,000' MSL. is this significant? If not, can it be "fixed" so that the display of %N2 is accurate? I'm not certain, not watching it carefully as I do N2, but I believe %N1 is off on hte display too, as well as the EPR (Engine Pressure Ratio). Again, I am NOT a professional, not even an engine shop mech.
Next, the engine response to small throttle inputs seems much slower than it was, or, from reading the NATOPS, as it should be even. The NATOPS specifies engine response is instant (I know, the laws of inertia prohibit true "instant" response, but they wouldn't specify it if it weren't awful fast). I know that R1505 has a lot to do with it, as does R1501 #3, Spool-up Rate, but just HOW I am not certain. I'll read up more on this. I believe the R1505 over-rules R1501 settings for this, but I may well be wrong.

The engine settings may well be much closer to "real world accurate" now, especially at altitude (36K?). Not a clue which way (before or after v2.0.5 changes) is "correct" or more accurate to how the real plane functions, or even just how the real engines do, but personally, I much preferred the old way. They made the plane much more enjoyable to fly, especially around the boat, or doing T&G's for FCLPs. Just my personal opinion, based on my, literally, minutes of flight time Although the %N2 display errors I can vouch for, they are probably simply an error in displaying them now. Is there an offset in the MFD XML that can be changed to accomodate the changes in R1502-R1507? Wondering, although that seems more Jimi's baliwick.

On that subject, Jimi, is there any way to make the Speedbrake warning light brighter? It's awfully dim in daylight and non-existant at night. Also, is it possible to make the FCS Reset button actually functional?  It'd be easier than wagging the rudders to get rid of hte annoying leftward drift problem. Lastly, why does the Anti-skid always return to "ON" once you have Weight on Wheels? I know it's supposed to be OFF on the boat, but I can't turn it off with WOW, and if I set it to OFF in the air, as soon as i touch down again, it's ON. A very minor detail, I know, but hey, "As real as it gets"!

Thanks to all for all the great work on this bird. It's a wonderfull plane to fly, and the looks are amazing!
Pat☺

[hd764jvgd843]

Thanks for your feedback Pat. I will try to offset the reset induced drag scalar with the original engine entries, again.
Rebuilding the engine from scratch and make it comply to NATOPS is currently out of my league. I will try to learn and experiment with it as I go along and will be hopefully getting closer step by step. What disturbed me most and was the reason I started working on it was the very low induced drag scalar that caused other issues and made the plane behave unrealistic during flight maneuvers requiring high AoAs.

Peter

[PhantomTweak]

Hi Peter! Thanks for the quick response
I'll revert the R1501-R1507 sections to see what happens, if you want. Easy thing to do. Harder to get a truly objective test of how the bird flies, but I'll know right off about the N1, N2, and EPR displays. I'll be able to get an idea of the slow-speed flight characteristics (around the boat, in the pattern, etc). As to the High AOA maneuvers, it's been since '74 that I tried stuff like that in the real world, and then it was in a glider (around '75 or '76 I got to play in a Citabria some too) chasing hawks around the Napa Valley cliffs. Not being mean, they would come up when they wanted to play. Anyway, I'm slowly working on educating myself on the Hornet, so I'll do my best this evening. It's a learning curve. And without the "feel" of what the aircraft is doing...well...

Jimi: I figured out WHY the Anti-skid works as it does, requiring hte wings to be folded to be OFF. I read the XML (What little bit i understand, anyway). May I ask just why it's that way? I know planes go all over the boat without folding the wings. Just curious more than anything.
And of course, every time I go to fly I go off-line, and as soon as i'm in the cockpit, I remember another question I keep having, but I forget it as soon as I shut everything down, naturally. I'll get it, you wait and see!!

Pat☺

[jimi08]

On that subject, Jimi, is there any way to make the Speedbrake warning light brighter? It's awfully dim in daylight and non-existant at night. Also, is it possible to make the FCS Reset button actually functional?  It'd be easier than wagging the rudders to get rid of hte annoying leftward drift problem. Lastly, why does the Anti-skid always return to "ON" once you have Weight on Wheels? I know it's supposed to be OFF on the boat, but I can't turn it off with WOW, and if I set it to OFF in the air, as soon as i touch down again, it's ON. A very minor detail, I know, but hey, "As real as it gets"!

Thanks to all for all the great work on this bird. It's a wonderfull plane to fly, and the looks are amazing!
Pat☺

Hey Pat,

-Yes, there is a way to make the Speedbrake warning light brighter.  I will work on that when I get back home. 
-As for the FCS button, probably not.  That would involve decompiling the model, animating the button, and assigning function.  All of which is out of my league.  The Anti Spin Switch is animated, and for now, that is what will eventually take that function in this jet.
-The defect with the Anti Skid can probably be traced back to when we were working on the Acceleration Hornet when the anti-skid switch was not animated and that jet had Anti-Skid set to OFF by default so the wheels would lock up everytime you tapped the brakes.  That gauge is probably still sitting in the Panel folder somewhere waiting to be deleted.  Easy fix (hopefully)

As for the power settings, I started out doing most of my work in the subsonic area.  For the most part, I've been working on a data set that SLUDGE gave me a while back from a guy named "Average Joe".  He apparently is a Legacy Hornet pilot and provided some info for us to use.
Within the data set, he provided:
-Speeds achieved at various fuel flow settings at various altitudes
-Thrust outputs based on various RPM settings
-Time elapsed to achieve certain speeds based on Mil Thrust.
-Basic table of thrust degradation as altitude increases.

So with that info, and info that I already have (i.e. aircraft weight & thrust specific fuel consumption), I was able to calculate how much thrust the engines should produce at a given fuel flow and altitude.  From there, I adjusted the drag so that the aircraft matched the speed indicated in his data.  In order to get it as close as possible, I started at higher speeds where the LEF and TEF were fully retracted so that I didn't have to take into effect drag created by flaps.  For flaps, I used the info that i gathered about carrier landing parameters, such as Trap Weight, typical ENG RPM and configuration settings that are usually found to keep the jet "on-speed" during the pattern and the approach.  I would adjust lift and drag to help match those parameters.

I'll look for it and post Joe's data when I make it back home.

Hope this helps.

[hd764jvgd843]

-The defect with the Anti Skid can probably be traced back to when we were working on the Acceleration Hornet when the anti-skid switch was not animated and that jet had Anti-Skid set to OFF by default so the wheels would lock up everytime you tapped the brakes.  That gauge is probably still sitting in the Panel folder somewhere waiting to be deleted.  Easy fix (hopefully)

I may be to blame for reintroducing that issue, when working on the visuals concerning ladder, covers and blocks I tried to fix the visual glitch of the main gear wheels too, when they lock up each time while breaking. As the Antiskid_Brakes gauge (from version 12.3.2) is apparently causing other issues I will disable it with the next update, for the time being. Perhaps it can be fixed later in a way avoiding any further issues, while still having the wheels not visually locking up.

Edit: Concerning the external fuel tanks 330 vs 380/385 gal. capacity, I stumbled over a picture (http://www.navy.mil/navydata/aircraft/fa18/fa18ord.html) showing the 330 version having horizontal contours (like the ones showing with the default fsx textures) whereas the 380/385 tanks do not seem to have these contours anymore. This encourages me to believe that the ones with 380/385 gal. capacity seem to be newer/upgrades.

Update v2.0.6

Changelog:
- reverted .air file engine tables 1502-1507 back to original ones (FSXBA version 15.2)
- induced drag scalar reduced to 0.45 in combination with no. 1523 (false) and adjusted 1524 table
- wing sweep set back to 20 deg. (1/4 chord)
- anti-skid brake gauge disabled
- minor MOI adjustments to incorporate recent changes (added empty weight of external centerline tank, etc.)

Peter

[PhantomTweak]

Jimi:
Thank you very much. That cleared up all my questions so far! I sure appreciate you taking the time for it.
I did think of my final question (for the moment at least ): Is there any readily workable way to change the minimum throttle setting once airborne to 68%? There is a Flight Idle "stop bar" that extends when Weight OFF Wheels, then retracts when the WOW switches trip again. Just wondering. Another of those "realism" things. NOT a major detail at all.
Thanks for taking the time to answer.
Just so you know, R1506 is altitude reduced Corrected Thrust, I believe, and from what I've read, it's R1507 for the RAM Drag, which may be of use in setting Max Thrust for given flight parameters. I think, anyway, although it's a rare phenomenon

Peter:
I didn't mean to disparage you efforts so far in anyway, nor imply that your changes were unaccaptable in any form. I was mainly wondering about the indication differences and thrust settings for different conditions, was all. I meant no criticism whatsoever. I apologize if I came across that way. Really!
I was thinking that perhaps changing R1507 would accomplish the desired ends for all, not changing fuel flow or N1/N2 indications or thrust produced, while adjust for the Induced drag changes? I'm not saying it's the be-all and end-all by far, but maybe  a starting point for both at the same time?
Just a thought from a total tyro
Pat☺

[hd764jvgd843]

No hard feelings, Pat. Thanks to your and Jimi's comments I quickly realized that this was a step in the wrong direction, and I really appreciate the feedback.

If I understand it correctly, the information Jimi will provide actually gives us something to benchmark against. Maybe he is willing to share some of his calculations and additional explanations. I will try to setup some calculations/tables in Excel that will hopefully enable us to create the desired engine characteristics, and offset the low induced drag scalar, too.
Currently I do not know how all of these tables go together and which does what exactly, but I am confident that I will figure it out, sooner or later.
An other issue I currently have is that I can only edit a single (function) line and not the whole table. I probably will need some other tool beside AAM and AirEd to to this.
For the time being I will focus my efforts on the NASA_HARV_ANSER texture.

Again, thank you all for your comments and valuable feedback so far, much appreciated.

Peter

[jimi08]

Gents,

Should be getting off early today.  I will push out the info when I get home.  Data is not all inclusive, but definitely a good place to start.  I will also post up what I know in regards to tuning engine parameters in the .air file.  In short... it's very fun stuff! (not..)

I did think of my final question (for the moment at least ): Is there any readily workable way to change the minimum throttle setting once airborne to 68%? There is a Flight Idle "stop bar" that extends when Weight OFF Wheels, then retracts when the WOW switches trip again.

If my knowledge serves me right (which it usually does not lol...), we can tackle this one of two was.  We can create a gauge that will advance the throttles forward every time it detects the RPM below 68% while in flight.  The other way i think lies in the .air file and would be the min RPM based on airspeed.  Have to double check that one.

Pete,

Here are the basics of how the engine tables work in the .air file:
http://www.mudpond.org/jet_flow_chart.pdf

I have also attached an article by Roy Holmes.  He is the Guru on anything propulsion related in FSX.

Hope it helps.

[PhantomTweak]

Jimi:
Thank you for those two bits of info! Sadly, I already use them both The second one is the one I just sent to Peter via ZippyShare. I think it's great we are all in the same book anyway. As to the same page, well, I think I'm still in the table of contents. Heh. I am learning, slowly but surely, though. I can't get that friggen NASA program, Engine-Sim-Sim, to work on my comp either. My Java keeps getting upset with it no matter what I do to the config for it. I do thank you for thinking of us at least, especially just returning from a cruise. I know I always had, ahem, Other Things on my mind at that point than a computer game!
Doing the Flight Idle gauge would really rock! I obviously don't have a clue How To on XML gauges or I'd give it a shot myself, to try and save you the effort. About the most complex thing I've ever done is making an Icon to put in a Panel file. Between the math for .air file aerodynamics, jet engine dynamics, how to fly certain maneuvers, and now XML coding, it's all a lot to try and learn in a short period. Especially for, to borrow a quote from an OLD movie; an old, one-eyed, fat man.
But heck, it's proving well worth the time and effort so far, in the satisfaction I'm getting in helping! The data file for the engines will be a huge help, whenever you can get around to posting it, no question!

Thanks again for the answers. I know you're busy  with the end-of-cruise stuff, so it is a big deal that you took the time. At least to me!

EDIT: Peter: I use AirEd myself, but as a standalone. My AirEd version is 1.5.0, and I can edit all three columns of 1502-1507. I click the cell I want, and hit enter, highlight the whole number by left-click-hold, move cursor across entire number in cell, release, type in the number I want. AirEd adds in needed trailing zero's, if any required. I don't know if this helps or not but I thought maybe...
Pat☺

[jimi08]

As promised, this is the data set that I use for engine performance along with a few other things.

Cruise numbers:

at 5,000 ft; aircraft weight = basic plus full fuel load; aircraft is clean.

.5M: 2800 lbs per hour per engine (PPH)
.6M  3300 PPH
.7M  4300 PPH
.8M  5500 PPH
.85M 12800 PPH (.85M is max speed in mil thrust).

More numbers:

at 15,000 ft; aircraft weight = basic plus full fuel load;
aircraft is clean.

.5M: 2250 lbs per hour per engine (PPH)
.6M  2600 PPH
.7M  3150 PPH
.8M  3800 PPH
.85M 4600 PPH
.9M  5300 PPH

at 25,000 ft; aircraft weight = basic plus full fuel load;
aircraft is clean.
.5M: 2200 lbs per hour per engine (PPH)
.6M  2250 PPH
.7M  2400 PPH
.8M  2750 PPH
.85M 3100 PPH
.9M  3700 PPH

Acceleration times: At 6,000 ft MSL, MIL power.
360KIAS to 420 KIAS = 9 sec
360 to 480 = 19 sec
360 to 520 = 26 sec
360 to 550 = 33 sec

Since your tweaking here is some general RPM vs % thrust of a turbojet info that may help:

50% RPM = 15% Mil thrust
60% RPM = 22% Mil thrust
70% RPM = 29% Mil thrust
80% RPM = 46%
90% RPM = 69%
95% RPM = 84%
99% RPM = 97%
100% RPM = 100%

Altitude variation

SL = 1.0 of SL thrust
5K = .95 of SL thrust
10K = .90 of SL thrust
15K = .84
20K = .78
25K = .72
30K = .67
35K = .61

[jimi08]

Pat,

NASA Engine Sim
Great program if you can get it to work.  Have you tried following these directions?
https://www.grc.nasa.gov/www/k-12/airplane/javaset.html


XML 101
XMLs aren't that bad once you understand what you are looking at.  Hell, if SLUDGE was able to tech me (and I'm pretty dim-witted), then it you should be able to grasp it no problem lol.  Biggest recommendations is to take an existing gauge and make small changes to some of the variable to see how things work.  Obviously the more you play with them, the easier they get to tinker with.  Don't really need math much, unless you are doing some high level coding which is few and far between.

Basically they are if/then situations of "simulation variables" (parameters that the gauge monitors) and "events" (actions to be done once all variable conditions are met). 

Example:
(A:CENTER WHEEL RPM,rpm) 40 <
if{ (A:RUDDER PEDAL INDICATOR, position) 0.25 * (>K:STEERING_SET) }

All of things that follow the "A:" are sim variables or "SimVars".  Take the first line, (A:CENTER WHEEL RPM,rpm) 40 <.  That tells the gauge to look at the Center Wheel RPM.  Unit of measure for it will be revolutions per minute or "rpm".  The "40 <" tells the gauge that the condition is "true" if the wheel rpm is at 40 rpm and below ("&lt" translates to "and less than". "&gt" translates to "and greater than. "==" translates to equal to).  After all conditions are stated, you have the "if" statement which tells the gauge what action you want the gauge to take once all conditions are met.  Take  if{ (A:RUDDER PEDAL INDICATOR, position) 0.25 * (>K:STEERING_SET) } for example.  This states that once the center wheel rpm is at 40 rpm and below, the gauge needs to take whatever the rudder pedal position value is and multiply it times (*) 0.25, or a quarter of what it was and feed that value into the nosewheel controller event, which is named "STEERING_SET".  The ">K:" tells the gauge that the following is an event.  STEERING_SET is an actual event as defined in the SDK manual.  You can get the complete list of SimVars and Event IDs from the SDK manual.  Once you have finished making the gauge, make sure you add it into the Gauge Config file with the correct sequential number in the "Virtual Cockpit" area.  From there you should be good to go.


AirEd vs. AirUpdate
I use AirEd for some things, but for engine stuff I usually stick to AirUpdate.  No GUI involved really, but presents all the data in a tabular fashion.  An example 1506 table below if you haven't worked with it.

Record: 1506 Turbine Thrust Scalars vs CN1 and Mach No.
columns: 3  rows: 23
0.000000   0.000000   1.000000   
0.000000   0.000000   0.000000   
20.000000   0.025000   0.034317   
25.097298   0.032365   0.047894   
30.194595   0.038389   0.055154   
35.000000   0.046789   0.066401   
40.097298   0.056153   0.080213   
44.902702   0.060766   0.095589   
49.902702   0.069130   0.116049   
55.000000   0.077283   0.140532   
59.708107   0.086778   0.178202   
64.805405   0.111790   0.229732   
69.513512   0.160155   0.289779   
75.271004   0.249719   0.398308   
80.173706   0.361495   0.529790   
85.000000   0.497553   0.688178   
90.000000   0.673341   0.926532   
94.491165   0.894423   1.273138   
97.000000   1.010000   1.503138   
98.000000   1.000000   1.700000   
99.000000   0.950000   1.900000   
99.500000   0.500000   2.150000   
100.000000   0.430000   2.400000

Hope this helps.