714/257th 1% Aircraft General Statement and Installation Instructions
714/257th William Tell Meet Air Combat Ladder Qualified
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It is the intention of the 714/257th 1% project to over time build the most accurate aircraft that the CFS2 software can support. The development of a 1% aircraft requires specific and in many cases dramatic changes to the aircraft delivered with the MS game as well as the addition of aircraft built from the ground up by third parties which were never included in the original MS game. We believe that because the 714/257th 1% aircraft are materially different they should not be mixed with "box stock" aircraft in online combat.
All the planes 1% listed for download are qualified for use in our 714/257th William Tell Meet Air Combat Ladder. To sign up for the ladder please fill out the form at http://exo.com/~gregoryp/ in the CFS2 section located in the left frame.
XP-55A ASCENDER
This 1% aircraft was built by Gregory Pierson using version 2.78Z of the 714's Assembly Line and contains the newly developed Reality-X (RX) functions.
The ASCENDER is based on Daviator Textures and Mike Wholaver's MDL, we would like to take this opportunity to thank them for thier outsanding work. We have included Mike's original readme which contains a lot of historical data on the P-55 and recommend that you take the time to read it.
To install:
1. Unzip the entire aircraft into your CFS2/AIRCRAFT folder.
2. If this is your first RX equipped aircraft download the RX-DLL from our web site and unzip it into your CFS2/MODULES folder. The aircraft will have all the standard 1% attributes with out the RX-DLL being installed, but will have none of the Reality-X features. Any addition 1% planes that have RX features you install will NOT require a additional RX.DLL
This is the 1% version of the ASCENDER with the following modifications:
· Updated MDL file.
· Both combined into a single aircraft folder
· Simplified cockpit panel based on the Hellcat with 714 gauges added to improve frame rates.
New for 2.78Z - All Pilots Read this!
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1. New to the XP-55A's panel on the upper right an engine coolant RTO gauge and an ammo counter in digital format just below the gunsight.
2. The Engine controls are accessed by pushing the "Aircraft" icon just below the Magneto on the left side. We now also have three new gauges which can be accessed by pushing the "Fuel Pump" icon to the right of the Turn and bank indicator:
- "Trim Gauge" shows the actual trim positions for all 3 trim functions. This gauge is now required since the aircrafts Center of Gravity (CG) changes as fuel and ammo is consumed. Therefore constant trim adjustments are necessary. The trim controls are included on the panel for ease of use.
- "Current CG position" Just below the Trim Gauges is the is the current CG expressed as a %. 25% is the optimum for air combat maneuvering (ACM). However when flying at high altitudes near the aircrafts service ceiling, you will want a more forward CG to provide additional stability.
a) Smaller numbers (less then 25) move the CG forward, making the
aircraft less maneuverable.
b) Larger numbers (greater then 25) move the CG aft, providing full
maneuverability but this increased capability makes easier to stall/spin the aircraft
The CG will still change as you burn fuel off or expend ordinance. You must pay attention to the tanks fuel status and selectively feed from different tanks to keep the aircraft CG balanced as you consume fuel.
3. The "Compass" icon just below the ROT guage will call up the ADF system and the "Compass card" icon to the left of the Turn/Bank indicator will bring up the in-flight map.
4. New Checklists - use them to get maximum performance from the aircraft
and to prevent you from breaking the aircraft.
5. RealityX - A special feature of the 1% planes that adds greatly to the
pilots workload creating a more impressive flightsim experience. You will
need to start watching the following
a. Max G - The XP-55A is limited to +8 and -4. If you exceed these
limits, the aircraft will explode.
b. Max Speed - The XP-55A is limited to 500mph IAS. If you exceed this limit, the aircraft will explode.
c. Radiator Outlet Temperature 284F and Oil Temperature 300F. If your engine exceeds these limits, it will briefly sputter. With luck, you might be able to exceed it again. Otherwise, you will become a glider. Typically there are two ways to reduce CHT temps, and both come at a cost.
1) Reduce RPM - downside is you are reducing the thrust of the engine
2) Open Cowl flaps - This allows more air to enter and cool the engine. The down side is if you open then at too high a speed, 235+kts, they will break and jam closed.
NOTE: at the time of the 278Z's initial release the Cowl Flaps based cooling function is only installed on air cooled engines so the XP-55A, which has coolant radiator/oil cooler duct doors to manage engine heat, only has the throttle reduction option.
NOTE 2: After we coded in the XP-55 data we were able to use the power of the Assembly Line equations to extrapolate how a production P-55A would have flown using the Pratt and Whitney X-1800 engine.
We have more "what-if" aircraft to follow using the Assembly Line spreadsheet to guide in their performance prediction.
Included are both the prototype XP-55 Assembly Line spreadsheet and the "what if" production P-55A's Assembly Line spreadsheet using the X-1800 engine.
