This is a complete upgrade of my previous Seabee, released as Seabee1, Seabee2 (fix), and Seabee3 (fix included). This package is complete and is not a patch. You may delete any previous versions.
Numerous changes have been made. The most obvious is the new paint scheme. This reflects my learning curve with Paintshop Pro. The number of textures has been increased and the detail better approaches that on the real plane. There are right and left side textures to help with repaints.
However, the biggest change to this model was breaking up the fuselage into several components, thus allowing polygon smoothing while retaining the sharp edges around the hull. The choppy appearance is gone. There are a couple of imperfections remaining that I have not been able to improve on at this time.
Other changes:
1. The main wheels rotate by means of SDLedit. Motion is not that great but much better than none at all. The tailwheel does not rotate but the wheel is too small to notice it. I could not get a satisfactory rotation along with retraction.
2. The water rudder is now animated along with the main rudder. Gone is the rudder handle on the panel. The water rudder is active all the time, so there is no need for shift-w.
3. A pilot has been added, based on Dave Eckert's pilot with "modifications" provided by Brian Gladden. There is more interior detail: yokes, rudder pedals, and flap/gear pump and handles. I think the VC, although still not functional, looks much better.
4. The Cessna flap and gear sounds have been replaced (flaps per Aaron Swindle). These may not be realistic but they are an improvement. The Seabee actually uses a hydraulic hand pump for both gear and flaps. If anyone knows of an appropriate sound, please let me know.
Known bugs:
1. I could not fix the rudder light. The bulb will rotate with the rudder but the light spot will not. It can be fixed with SDLedit, but the light switches on the panel somehow get disabled, along with the panel lights. If you are flying straight you should not notice it. However, if you find it objectionable, go into the aircraft cfg file and put // in front of the line for the white light.
2. I increased the volume of the wav file for the gyro so that it could be heard more distinctly during start up and shut down. Unfortunately, it can also be heard on top of the engine noise. If you find this objectionable, either reduce the volume in the sound cfg file or change the lines to those in the C172 or 182 (contact me if you need help).
INSTALLATION
1. Unzip the file outside of FS2002.
2. Move the entire "Republic Seabee" folder to FS2002/aircraft where all the other planes are. Note: remove the original one if you have it.
3. Copy or move the contents of the gauge file into the FS2002 gauge file. You should not have to do this if you had the original Seabee.
4. Refer to the checklists and notes for flying information.
5. You can delete this document, as there is a copy of the new and old readme docs in the aircraft folder.
CREDITS
As with the original model, the panel is by J. L. Stubbs and the sounds are by Aaron Swindle. I have made minor modifications to each. Textures are mostly my own but there are some small bits and pieces that have been pieced in from other airplanes. I have not kept track of any of these, so if you see anything that you recognize as yours, know that the credit goes to you and not to me.
REPAINTS
You may repaint and upload this plane without asking, provided it remains Freeware and credit is given to myself, Mr. Stubbs, and Mr. Swindle.
This plane is Freeware, copyright 2002 by John L. Woodward.
John L. Woodward
September 2002
jlwoodward@worldnet.att.net
