Wheel Chocks

[OlPaint01 0]

Hey Pol

 

I opened a previous topic thread with me wondering out loud if I could pre-set Fuel Mixture when starting a QC mission. It almost immediately morphed into a discussion about how to enable Parking Brakes to simulate Wheel Chocks for pre-flight engine runup. What do you think about we start a fresh topic to generate more interest for converting and enabling a keyboard control for Wheel Chocks by hijacking the Parking Brakes control? Perhaps a few folks who are familiar with aircraft design in CFS3 can make a few suggestions how to get the A/C object to recognize and respond to the "ctrl+shft+B" keystroke already a part of the sim.

 

Community demand was instumental in getting the improved Smoking Tracers added to OFF:BHaH...

 

OlPaint01

Edited April 23, 2009 by OlPaint01

[Test Pilot 0]

So in this little world of your's, after we hit 'E' to start the engine, the mythical mechanic, the same one who spun my prop will or won't like the sound my engine makes on rev-up.

Then on his decision or our hitting 'Shift + Control + B', chocks away and we're allowed to take off

 

Does he ever say 'You can't take off'. Is this during a 'Scramble' as well. The present system works rather well

 

It's been proven the more you move the pipes around, the more likely for a leak to occur

 

To me it's just an overcomplication, for no good reason, but then it's just a personal opinion

 

 

The run up is really just done for testing the magnetos and seeing (and yes listening too) how the engine responds. Sure the mechanic will listen but once the plane is on the line for takeoff, its the pilot who will be doing this. In the sim, this mythical bogeyman mechanic who would never want to part with his precious plane isnt going to have any say here at all.... The key press is really no different than motioning with one's hand to free the wheels for the takeoff roll. I like the idea of the chocks, at least so long it doesnt actually say parking brakes instead on the screen.

[OlPaint01 0]

Hey UncleAl

 

What happened to the idea of Immersion...maximizing the experience of simulating the WWI pilot in the cockpit dealing with all the minutia of fighting the aircraft as well as the enemy? I want to be able to fiddle with all the knobs and switches. OFF is becoming "As Real As It Gets..." Where have I heard that before? Ghosts of M$-CFS3? Make the choice of working wheel chocks a part of the realism selection in Workshop if you don't want to fool with it.

 

OlPaint01

Edited April 23, 2009 by OlPaint01

[Test Pilot 0]

I'm of the opinon of immersion of air combat is a good thing, if you attempt take off mid-winter without warming-up your SE5, and it stalls on you, and you crash that's immursion.

 

But if somebody refuses to remove my wheel chocks, until I warm up my engine, how is that immursion.

 

If I can override, this waste of time and energy, be my guest

 

 

Dont think of Cntrl Shft B as a burden, just imagine it as a dexterity exercise - but no cheating!

 

For total engine management I'll fly FSX's A2A P-47, but a little extra detail where I can get it is still very nice :yes:

[+Polovski 425]

Yeah maybe I just hate that flashing red message re parking brakes. We'd have to enable them in all craft, then change that message. Don't fancy that at the moment but maybe P4 we'll have a whole airfield with mechs and little chock pullers.. and ..

... <time for your medication Pol>

[OlPaint01 0]

Yeah maybe I just hate that flashing red message re parking brakes. We'd have to enable them in all craft, then change that message. Don't fancy that at the moment but maybe P4 we'll have a whole airfield with mechs and little chock pullers.. and ..

... <time for your medication Pol>

Salute! Pol

I was wondering what it took to get a rise out of you DEVs. Thank you for responding to my little 'Pipe Dream.' When I failed to discover any auxilliary files that described easily modifiable operational code, I realized what a daunting task it would be to modify each individual aircraft to respond to Wheel Chocks Away (Parking Brake OFF) command. Phase 3 with the last 1.3c patch is just about perfect now. I can wait till P4 has for my Chocks Away control.

 

Oh, and UncleAl...I apologize for yanking your chain. I really appreciate your insite and your advice to the whole community and to me in particular. You know I just got a Saitek Game Controller keyboard and I am in the process of programming all the many keystrokes that I can't put on my joystick buttons to my left hand. Wow, 75 programmable slots! I am either going to make the sim easier to fight (after I memorize my new keystrokes list) or make the game is so darn complicated that I will throw my new toy into the spare parts bin and go back to the default multi-finger keyboard choices I already know.

 

OlPaint01

Edited April 23, 2009 by OlPaint01

[Mr. Lucky 0]

It's chocks, not chokes. Sorry, but after reading it for the fifth time, I had to say something. Now say it with me "chocks...chocks....chocks" That's better. And, another valid suggestion for immersion, I agree. Reminds me, didn't we see a mechanic working in an airplane in one of the previews a long time ago? Or is my memory confused?

[Test Pilot 0]

It's chocks, not chokes. Sorry, but after reading it for the fifth time, I had to say something. Now say it with me "chocks...chocks....chocks" That's better. And, another valid suggestion for immersion, I agree. Reminds me, didn't we see a mechanic working in an airplane in one of the previews a long time ago? Or is my memory confused?

 

 

How about we just use "chalks" instead.

[OlPaint01 0]

Mr. Lucky said "It's chocks, not chokes. Sorry, but after reading it for the fifth time, I had to say something. Now say it with me "chocks...chocks....chocks" That's better. And, another valid suggestion for immersion, I agree. Reminds me, didn't we see a mechanic working in an airplane in one of the previews a long time ago? Or is my memory confused?"

 

 

Thanks, Mr Lucky. Apparently my spell checker is broken. Hehe. "Chocks" it is!

Edited April 23, 2009 by OlPaint01

[rabu 9]

It's chocks, not chokes. Sorry, but after reading it for the fifth time, I had to say something. Now say it with me "chocks...chocks....chocks" That's better. And, another valid suggestion for immersion, I agree. Reminds me, didn't we see a mechanic working in an airplane in one of the previews a long time ago? Or is my memory confused?

 

Chalk it up to good memory.. yes you did.. WM's ground crew from August 2007 ..but.. where are the Chocks? BTW, I think it would be a good addition to the game too, OP.

 

[Olham 164]

Hey, that's cool - a mechanic working on a Nupe!

And one of those rookie pilots, who all seem to need to do the same striktly forbidden thing:

to fly on a sheer insane low level over them.

The mech pretends to be cool - but he surely thinks of something nasty for the pilot; like

neighing a dead hering in to the seat cushion...

[catch 81]

Chalk it up to good memory.. yes you did.. WM's ground crew from August 2007 ..but.. where are the Chocks? BTW, I think it would be a good addition to the game too, OP.

 

 

That's very cool Rabu. It would be nice if WM's ground crew could be transported to P3 April/May 2009 :yes:

[Manuc 0]

to bump this older Topic...

 

As a responsible pilot I would like to check magnetos etc before take off, so I like the idea of having chocks (aka parking Brakess) in OFF, too.

[itifonhom 6]

Mission 9 Scramble

 

Pilot: " Hey mechanic, remove the chocks please, I got to start"

Mech: " No Sir, I can't do that"

Pilot: " Why not?!?"

Mech: " Your motor is still cool, it'll be irresponsible from your side to start now Sir"

Pilot: " Do you see this bunch of Albs diving on us? Do you think they come for dinner?"

Mech: " Sorry Sir, I'm afraid you have to wait"

Pilot: " Will you get the f*ng chocks off NOW!!!??"

Mech: " No Sir, I won't"

Pilot: " Well , then you are fired! Get the hell out of here!"

Mech: " You can't fire me Sir, I'm enlisted!"

Pilot: " Well, then I push "Brake Release" mister!"

Mech: " In this case Sir your motor seems to be fine now, free to take off!"

 

Some short Spandau bursts later.....

 

Mech: " Sir, I said you can start now..... Sir? Everything's ok Sir? Is this blood on your chest? Sir, may I put the chocks back?"

 

Immersive, isn't it? itifonhom

[Bullethead 12]

I dunno, I've always thought it was kinda silly having to start my motor at all, let alone worry about the wheel chocks. Out of my whole flight, I'm the only guy who begins the mission with his motor not running.

 

Missions always start with the planes lined up at the end of the runway, already in position to take off. How did they get there? In real life, from reading various pilot memoirs, it seems the usual practice was to start the engine and do the mag checks and runup in front of the hangar, then taxi out to the the takeoff position. The motor warmed up during the taxi, so by the time you got to the end of the runway, you were ready to go.

 

So, in OFF, when I start at the end of the runway, I assume all the pre-flight stuff happened already and have no trouble at all just going as rapidly as possible. The one fly in the ointment is having to start the motor, like I forgot to switch fuel valves or something, every single time...

 

Anyway, it seems to me that if you want immersion at the start of a mission, you need to move the spawn points to in front of the hangars, have the whole motor start, test, and chocking thing happen there, then taxi out to the end of the runway. But since we start at the end of the runway already, I say just go fly.

[Rickitycrate 10]

You say choke

I say chock

just be careful when at your hardware

and you ask for caulk

Fun thread. Nice to consider what may be in the future of OFF. Those devs are dreamers too.

 

Bring back the mechanic.

Edited October 9, 2009 by Rickitycrate

[almccoyjr 7]

It's chocks, not chokes. Sorry, but after reading it for the fifth time, I had to say something. Now say it with me "chocks...chocks....chocks" That's better. And, another valid suggestion for immersion, I agree. Reminds me, didn't we see a mechanic working in an airplane in one of the previews a long time ago? Or is my memory confused?

Down here in the South, it's "chawks...chawks...chawks"...lol

 

plug_nickel (Al)

[OlPaint01 0]

This Chocks Away/Immersion discussion is very interesting. It goes to show that there was a lot of things going on in the cockpit that our WWI pilot needed to watch to just keep his crate in the air. Things like the joystick 'yank and bank' and the throttle 'push and pull' are really not a complete simulation of everything needed to manage the aircraft. I have been flying the Sim-That-Must-Not-Be-Named for several weeks. At full real settings, Neoqb has given the sim pilot a throttle, a mixture and even a radiator shutter control. I have discovered that if I don't close the radiator shutters of my SPAD XIII at engine start and allow the kite to warm up for several minites to temperature, the engine will seize at takeoff. My bird will either roll to a stop, or, worse case, crash and burn at the end of the runway due to lose of power. So much for scramble missions! Now that is Immersion!!! Of course, I can set the options for the game to manage all these controls automatically. I can even set an option to start with a warmed-up engine. I know OFF has Mixture control - I have already it linked to my Saitek Throttle Quadrant. And the CFS3 game engine even has a Cowl Flaps control for engine-temperature management but that is not supported in Phase 3. It would be nice if we had the option to select "full real" where our Joe Mechanic helps us pull the prop through and warmup the engine on the flight line before we taxi to the head of the runway. I can dream, can't I?

 

OlPaint01

Edited October 10, 2009 by OlPaint01

[RAF_Louvert 101]

.

 

 

To dream the great OFF-able dream,

To fight all the virtual foe,

To see ammo belts really moving,

To yell "Chock's Away" and to have it be so.

 

To have the prop pulled by the crew,

To adjust the shutters on your SE,

To look out and see personal paint schemes,

That belong but to you and to me.

 

This is my quest, to follow that sim.

No matter how hopeless, no matter how dim.

To fight for the right, without question or pause.

To be willing to fly Between Heaven and Hell for the cause!

 

And I know if I'll only be true to this glorious quest,

That my heart will lie peaceful and calm, when I'm laid to my rest.

 

And the world will be better for this:

That one man, scorned and covered with scars,

Still strove, with his last ounce of courage,

To reach ... the great OFF-able ... STAR !

 

 

.

[RAF_Louvert 101]

.

 

apologies to "Man Of La Mancha" fans everywhere

 

.

[Rickitycrate 10]

Good Lord Lou, that was good. Puts my little verse to absolute shame.

[Bullethead 12]

apologies to "Man Of La Mancha" fans everywhere

 

I suppose this is a big more on-topic, even if it's from the RAAF in WW2....

 

Oh the starting of the Beaufort is a most peculiar art

No matter how you prime the bitch the best she'll do is fart

And sometimes in the mornin' when the dew is on the grass

You're tempted to insert the choke up Pratt & Whitney's ass

 

See oh see oh everybody come

Come and see the Beaufort boys a-sitting on their bums

Trying start their engines amidst the mighty roar

Of the Liberators that were started long before

[almccoyjr 7]

.

 

 

To dream the great OFF-able dream,

To fight all the virtual foe,

To see ammo belts really moving,

To yell "Chock's Away" and to have it be so.

 

To have the prop pulled by the crew,

To adjust the shutters on your SE,

To look out and see personal paint schemes,

That belong but to you and to me.

 

This is my quest, to follow that sim.

No matter how hopeless, no matter how dim.

To fight for the right, without question or pause.

To be willing to fly Between Heaven and Hell for the cause!

 

And I know if I'll only be true to this glorious quest,

That my heart will lie peaceful and calm, when I'm laid to my rest.

 

And the world will be better for this:

That one man, scorned and covered with scars,

Still strove, with his last ounce of courage,

To reach ... the great OFF-able ... STAR !

 

 

.

Oh man....While reading I started humming the tune. It's time to put her away for awhile...lol

[77Scout 3]

Missions always start with the planes lined up at the end of the runway, already in position to take off. How did they get there? In real life, from reading various pilot memoirs, it seems the usual practice was to start the engine and do the mag checks and runup in front of the hangar, then taxi out to the the takeoff position. The motor warmed up during the taxi, so by the time you got to the end of the runway, you were ready to go.

 

So, in OFF, when I start at the end of the runway, I assume all the pre-flight stuff happened already and have no trouble at all just going as rapidly as possible. The one fly in the ointment is having to start the motor, like I forgot to switch fuel valves or something, every single time...

 

Bullethead sums up my thoughts nicely. If we are starting at the end of the runway the plane has long since been started, checked, and taxied into postion.

[rabu 9]

Bullethead sums up my thoughts nicely. If we are starting at the end of the runway the plane has long since been started, checked, and taxied into postion.

 

 

I agree.

If I remember right, in Wings of Glory, you had to taxi to the end of the field after the cut scene of the mechanic starting the engine?