Author Topic: vLSO release v.1.0  (Read 17694 times)

Paddles

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 721
  • Lurking around
    • vLSO blog
vLSO release v.1.0
« on: December 26, 2017, 07:31:55 pm »
Guys,
It's finally here! It's not a beta, it's release v.1.0! And it's my Christmas gift to all of you, fellow simmers!

This new version is fully compatible with FSX/SE, Prepar3D 1 to 4 (including 64-bit), as well as with the RFN and SimWorks Studios gauges.

Of course, you will notice some GUI improvements, but the most significant changes are under the hood. Almost all parts of the code were revisited, modified, rewritten from scratch or deleted. The data structure was changed and new version is not compatible with any of the previous beta versions. This means that you will have to qualify again...

Also, the vLSO config file format changed from INI to XML, which means that you will have to manually transfer your custom aircraft settings to the new program.

Before you start the program, I urge you to spend some time to read the manual. Probably, I should have described some parts in more details but it is what it is.

I want to express my gratitude to Sylvain Parouty (RFN) and Farley Kelly-Masterton (SimWorks). It's been an honor and privilege working with them. And my special grand merci goes to Michel Panattoni, ex naval pilot, who greatly helped me to debug and improve the RFN part of vLSO.

Well, that's it. Have fun and happy holidays!
Want it done right? Do it yourself!


Striker

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 26
  • Sierra Hotel
Re: vLSO release v.1.0
« Reply #1 on: December 26, 2017, 08:35:18 pm »
Paddles,

Your dedication to overcome so many new obstacles to provide us with a Version 1.0 is greatly appreciated. This milestone brings possibilities of finally having a program reaching realness levels never imagined before.

Thank you, Paddles.

Now, off to retrieve the new manual!

Striker
« Last Edit: January 30, 2018, 08:27:58 pm by Striker »
Respectfully,
Striker



Charlie Time

PhantomTweak

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 600
Re: vLSO release v.1.0
« Reply #2 on: December 26, 2017, 09:04:10 pm »
Paddles, the words "THANK YOU!!" seem wholly inadequate to express the gratitude I, and I am sure MANY others, feel. They're the best we've got, though, so they'll have to do. The hard work you've put in is simply amazing to a programming idiot like I.  :P
I still think those AI LSO's hate me, though  ;D  :D

THANK YOU!! A fantastic present indeed.
A very merry Christmas, if appropriate, to you and yours. I look forward to what amazing things this new year will bring.
Pat☺

Paddles

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 721
  • Lurking around
    • vLSO blog
Re: vLSO release v.1.0
« Reply #3 on: January 09, 2018, 05:45:29 pm »
Guys,
Here's a new version of vLSO.
Want it done right? Do it yourself!


micro

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 233
Re: vLSO release v.1.0
« Reply #4 on: January 11, 2018, 05:24:09 am »
Thank you, Paddles! Your work is simply fantastic.  ;D

Paddles

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 721
  • Lurking around
    • vLSO blog
Re: vLSO release v.1.0
« Reply #5 on: January 28, 2018, 05:28:32 pm »
Guys,
Another vLSO version is here...
Want it done right? Do it yourself!


Paddles

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 721
  • Lurking around
    • vLSO blog
Re: vLSO release v.1.0
« Reply #6 on: February 17, 2018, 05:35:37 pm »
Guys,
vLSO updated to v.1.0.3
Want it done right? Do it yourself!


Beef

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 3
Re: vLSO release v.1.0
« Reply #7 on: March 03, 2018, 08:51:49 pm »
I have used vLSO with FSX and with the most recent update installed I'm unable to get it working as before. The vLSO program itself runs and shows it is connected to FSX, but the location is never recognized and vLSO doesn't give radio calls or record / log the landing. I've tried it at Lemoore (where it worked before with UCHIs scenery) and I've re-installed (updated) the vLSO integration pack from your blogspot page. I've also tried to get vLSO to work with tacpack carrier with no success. vLSO is a great addon and I'd love to get this working again!


SpazSinbad

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1198
  • RAN FAA: https://www.faaaa.asn.au/spazsinbad-a4g/
    • A4G Skyhawk & Fixed Wing history scrapbook PDFs & videos RAN FAA + How to Deck Land Various Aircraft
ATARI * Re: vLSO release v.1.0
« Reply #8 on: March 29, 2018, 07:28:55 pm »
 ::) OH NO! LOOK what the LSO will do in future! The LSO dream - complete control over an approaching aircraft.  :o ;D

Abraham Lincoln Tests ATARI 28 Mar 2018 Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Josue L. Escobosa USS Abraham Lincoln Public Affairs

http://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=104887

"ATLANTIC OCEAN (NNS) -- USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) was the first kid on the block to get a new ATARI. No, not the iconic gaming system from the 80s, but a system designed to remotely land aircraft on a carrier. Abraham Lincoln's friends, the other carriers, should be jealous.

 ATARI, or aircraft terminal approach remote inceptor, was, for the first time ever, successfully demonstrated during a touch-and-go on an aircraft carrier while conducting carrier qualifications and flight testing aboard Abraham Lincoln. ATARI gives Landing Signal Officers (LSOs) the ability to take over and maneuver aircraft during recovery operations.

 "I was really impressed with LSO's ability get me to touch down," said Lt. John Marino, a carrier suitability pilot from the "Salty Dogs" of Air test and Evaluation Squadron (VX) 23, and the first pilot to land on a flight deck using ATARI. "The conditions were really varsity (difficult), and it was really impressive the system worked the way it did. On a calm day, it would have been a little bit boring, but this was definitely more challenging."

 Developed at Naval Air station Patuxent River, Maryland by Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR), ATARI was originally been tested in a Learjet in 2016, performing shore-based low approaches. In 2017, F/A-18s were fitted with this technology and after extensive testing and quality assurance, VX-23 was confident enough to test their system at-sea.

 "There was some nervousness because the sea state was so bad," said Marino. "Back on the airfield, testing was benign."

 LSOs are capable of taking over an aircraft from up to five miles away using the ATARI. The system demonstrates a potential method for recovering an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) by using the LSO's ability to observe and fix glideslope and lineup errors. Though not intended to be a primary method for recovering aircraft, it does provide a relatively inexpensive backup system in the case and an LSO needs on to step in and use their expertise and training to safely guide an aircraft. Along with the ATARI, a van outfitted with the ATARI system was brought aboard and setup behind the LSO platform to allow the engineers to watch the approaches in real-time, monitor safety-of-flight data and ensure passes were going smoothly. The van recorded flight data for engineers to analyze later and allowed VX-23 to test their system without having to install it [onboard] Abraham Lincoln.

 "We don't have unmanned carrier-based vehicles in the fleet today, but they are coming soon, said Dan Shafer, a NAVAIR air vehicle engineer. "This is a potential alternative landing method and our system performed well."

 Much like its namesake, ATARI uses a joystick to control a UAV, or in this case for testing purposes, an F/A-18 outfitted with the system and a safety pilot sitting in the cockpit. The LSOs use the joysticks to make corrections and safely land the aircraft on the flight deck.

 "We took the guy who's flying the aircraft and we moved him to the LSO platform," said Buddy Denham, a senior engineer at NAVAIR and creator of ATARI. "You're effectively using little joystick controllers to guide a 40,000 lbs. airplane, and it's almost like you're playing a video game."

 Prior to landing, the aircraft first had to perform three wave-offs to ensure all conditions were safe and the system could indeed take over the aircraft while-at sea. On the fourth approach, the system engineers and LSOs felt comfortable doing touch-and-goes.

 "The deck was pitching significantly and yawing and rolling," said Denham. "It was particularly difficult to land that day, and we showed it's possible to use this system even when the conditions aren't ideal."

 The ATARI testing was conducted over the course of two days in conjunction with carrier qualifications. Though not currently slated for fleet-wide implementation, yet the successful give it potential for future application. The ATARI engineers will analyze the data collected aboard Abraham Lincoln and make adjustments for further at-sea testing."
« Last Edit: March 29, 2018, 07:44:06 pm by SpazSinbad »
https://www.faaaa.asn.au/spazsinbad-a4g/
RAN FAA A4G NAS Nowra ɐıןɐɹʇsn∀ :-)

Paddles

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 721
  • Lurking around
    • vLSO blog
Re: vLSO release v.1.0
« Reply #9 on: March 29, 2018, 07:45:02 pm »
Holy moly!  ATARI is back?...


 ;D
Want it done right? Do it yourself!


PhantomTweak

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 600
Re: vLSO release v.1.0
« Reply #10 on: March 30, 2018, 08:50:57 pm »
Sadly, I still have one of those around someplace.
I was on det to Japan when they first came out, and grabbed one cheap. Carted that thing all over Asia with me. Never got a chance to use it till I got back to the States...

Fun as heck at the time, though. Then again, I thought Pong was a great game when it came out...
Pat☺

Paddles

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 721
  • Lurking around
    • vLSO blog
Re: vLSO release v.1.0
« Reply #11 on: April 18, 2018, 09:08:02 am »
Guys,
vLSO updated to version 1.0.5
Want it done right? Do it yourself!


Oliver

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 3
Re: vLSO release v.1.0
« Reply #12 on: April 27, 2018, 12:07:34 pm »
Paddles,

first off, thank you very much for your continued developement of this awesome freeware software.
Unfortunately with the newer (1.X + ) versions I have the same problem as reported above by another
user , some location is never recognized, not even after tuning the freq for the carrier.
The other two buttons are green, but location stays red all the time.

Any ideas how to solve this issue would be much appreciated.

Thanks and kind regards,

Oliver

Paddles

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 721
  • Lurking around
    • vLSO blog
Re: vLSO release v.1.0
« Reply #13 on: April 27, 2018, 05:48:16 pm »
Hi Oliver,
Please be more specific - the two green buttons are SimConnect and flightsim status indicators? And the location status indicator can be either grey or green, not red.
You have to be within 50nm to detect a carrier, provided your NAV is tuned to this carrier. The only exception are SWS carriers, because the SWS gauge doesn't use any NAV. However, the same 50nm limit is applied.

If this doesn't help, may I have a copy of your vLSO_log.txt file? And perhaps a couple of screenshots to show the problem?
Want it done right? Do it yourself!


lowery

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 9
  • Roger Lowery
Re: vLSO release v.1.0
« Reply #14 on: May 03, 2018, 02:16:52 am »
Guys,
vLSO updated to version 1.0.5
Hello Paddles,
I'm old & grey at 80 but really enjoy my P3Dv4.2 fltsim. I particularly enjoy Dino's T-45C and F-14D and the F-18C_FSXBA and I use the AI Carriers.NET.
I have just discovered your outstanding work with vLSO and really wish to get it working for me. But every time I try to install it I get the dreaded " This application has failed to start because its side-by-side configuration is incorrect" . Now, I know this is my fault for not being very computer savvy, but I would really appreciate some help from someone who is and can spare a few moments for an old enthusiast.
In any event, Please keep up your great work
Roger Lowery