What it is and how it flies : The base aircraft is the Wild Chronos from Eugene Heyart. It flies a steady 4.6 of Mach at 95000 feet. See original, repaints and update.
The "Space autopilot" comes from:
Title: FCB9o9 v1.0 (for FSX)
Date: November 23, 2009
Author: Hoa Nguyen
Email: kytuh_lihgear@yahoo.com.au
Very original and unique, its handling of the SLEW is fenomenal.
I confess I have modified it lightly (3DPFD.xml) in order to:
1. Allow flight levels up to 590 for conventional IFR flights, before forcing the Space Autopilot at 60000
2. Allow the pilot to set up the speeds, not only suitable for the 747-400 Air file used.
3. Allow to switch from conventional AP to Space AP and back
Anyway you must download Hoa's aircraft and see for yourself all the originality it's got inside.
The VTOL is, of course, Rob Barendregt's cooking, but please note also the small level change gauge...almost unknown, a jewel for VNAV.
And finally, two gauges I can't live without : The Descentometer and the SALS from Glen Copeland. Yah ! me be bush pilot bwana.
The basic panel is Microsoft's 737-800.
Since I can't parse the RPN in XML, I don't believe I did a great job, but for sure I can fly, for that I do not wish to take any credit.
Install : Drop the stuff in SimObjects\Airplanes (not in Aircrafts, it's got a DLL).
"Tutorial Flight" see pictures and believe WYS
We go from KJFK Helipad4 to HDAM (Djibouti), start engines, fuel <= 50% (more > NO VTOL)
1. Set your GPS DIRECT to HDAM, no flight plan, just direct, you'll understand why.
2. Set your AP Speed to 250kt. Leave 60000 AP ALT.
3. Set full flaps/VTOL, just press F8
4. Set full power, just press F4, don't panic, there is a Pause button "P"
NOW !!! The VTOL locks the AP...but with one notch of flaps/nozzle in you'll get AP control in time.
5. When you get borred to got vertical at 0kt, doing F11/F10/F11/F10F11/F10F11/F10F11/F10F11/F10F11/F10F11/F10 then press F6 and don't sleep.
6. Switch quickly, no panic, AP ON, IAS ON, ALT ON and NAV ON and take a breath. The Chronos, at low speeds, has its nose going up and down, look at it's geometry and you'll (perhaps) understand why, anyway incidence is fine. Then get the flaps in, all of them, just press F5.
7. Just let it intercept it's route peacefully at 250kt, don't interfer.
8. Passing 10000", speed up the IAS to 480kt, and the Vertical speed to Maximum, yah, 9900 FPM, if you get more, better. 480 should allow you to respect the sub sonic speeds below 25000.
9. Now you may do your F11/F9. Be ready when you reach 60000, that's the barrier ALT on the AP.
10. At 60000" you switch to Space AP: on the 60000 window left click to get VNAV and on the LDS, left click to get SPS, both in yellow. And watch !!!, I say again, I take no credit.
11. Look a bit at your panel to figure out what's going on, and go outside to see mother earth getting smaller and smaller. Admire Hoa's SLEW job.
12. Don't answer the phone without pausing, it's really going fast. You have no control whatsoever, just try to change destination runway and you will notice that the Space AP is taking it in account. Starting descent...so soon ! I told you !
13. Now just observe and learn what's going on, going down to 60000.
14.At 60000, sound is back. Lucky you, your AP is ON and you are flying like a Concorde. I suggest you leave the Space AP on to get right on final on your choosen runway. Otherwise you can steer heading, follow on GPS or else. Just keep nice and cool.
15. What I do: you may wish to take it as a basis and get as fast as possible to see if it really lands vertical...
A. Use Glen's Descentometer to take care of the flight path, I put it in RW mode and add 500" for VTOL, just monitor your speeed.
B. Keep Mach 2.0 down to 30000 then AP Mach at 0.95. Should get you sub sonic at 25000.
C. At 50 miles reduce to 350kts, at 12000" AP IAS at 250kt, at 30 miles IAS at 200kt, at 20 miles IAS at 160.
D. Admire the way the Space AP is getting you on final. Cross check with the SALS.
E. Well, here we are, wait to be accross the parkings to press F8 and go down at 0kt, caution with the power, otherwise it's just like Rob says, like an heli. as soon as you touch, F5, things get nicer....
Yes, I know..the first time it's.....then you want to land on the moon or Mars, then you don't want to fly anything else...that still my symptom.
Wish list : I would be most gratefull to any of the XML coding wizards out there to finish that job and produce a fully grown Space AP, mixed with the low atmospher one, including Rob's VTOL, Hoa SLEW wonder, Glen's Descentometer and SALS.
And possibly a TRUE Terrain Following (TRF), that's integrating the relief ahead of the plane and not a mere radio altitude correction, see my pseudo TRF in VB6, never could read bgl elevation ahead, just monitor the tendencies.
We'll do the beta testers.
Well, that's all folks. By the way, didn't experiment with ATC, should work, don't want to risk an AIRMISS, you first.
Philippe Pauvert philpauvert@yahoo.com
Ex fighter pilot, military instructor, Airline pilot and ATP (US) instructor.
I do not intend (no time) to give support, everything works well, just try to get your way out of it.
Suggestions welcome , redacted in XML, to improve this RATATOUILLE.
Known bugs : Happenned one time, chose one runway and the Space AP went south and not West, changed runway and all was fine. LDS mode is probably jammed...
NO VC, I hate them...
