FlightGear: Thoughts, Tips & Tweaks (especially for AMD vid.)

[+VonS 1,425]

Recently I had an opportunity to re-install FlightGear (stable ver. 2020.3.19) on my 2013 Mac Pro and was pleasantly surprised - with no crashes, decent FPS for the most part, and various other improvements that were incorporated over the years. I had dabbled briefly in FlightGear a couple of times before (around 2013, and again around 2020) - but eventually removed the flight simulator from my hard drive on both of those occasions.

Since my particular setup(s) are with dual AMD video cards, I thought I would post some (illustrative) tips below, as well as representative pics of the sim when at best, or very good, settings. I will this time around keep FlightGear on my hard drive - makes for a good, free flight simulator.

For command line entries and tips that should be plugged into the "Additional Settings" option of FlightGear, see the info. immediately below. Make sure to remove the info. included in brackets if copying the commands into the relevant settings section.

-----

--prop:/sim/gui/current-style=0 (better GUI style for AMD cards)
--prop:input/mice/mouse/mode/button[2]/binding/value=2 (gets rid of horrible mouse-as-yoke feature that sometimes automatically turns on)
--prop:/sim/rendering/photoscenery/enabled=true (gives more photo-realistic scenery whenever possible; to be fully implemented in later FG versions)
--prop:/sim/rendering/hdr/envmap/update-continuously=false (disables continuous siphoning and updating of terrains, to enable seconds command below)
--prop:/sim/rendering/hdr/envmap/update-rate=5 (terrain refresh rate set in seconds; good values are 5 or 10, for minimal stuttering)
--prop:/sim/rendering/max-paged-lod=1300 (stock max paged LOD no. is "200"; recommended is not to exceed about "1900" on AMD)
--prop:/sim/rendering/plod-minimum-expiry-time-secs=60 (stock min expiry time is "180" secs.)
--prop:/sim/rendering/multithreading-mode=DrawThreadPerContext (should improve multithreading capacity, at least slightly, and add a few extra FPS)
--prop:/sim/rendering/database-pager/threads=12 (stock thread rendering no. is "4," with more threads improving ave. FPS; set as per your CPU threads no.)
--prop:/sim/rendering/vsync-enable=false (force disables vsync to improve FPS)
--prop:/sim/rendering/multi-sample-buffers=true (this is anti-aliasing; set to false to disable and remove entry immediately below it)
--prop:/sim/rendering/multi-samples=2 (anti-aliasing value; lowest is 2, also good is 4; avoid 3)
--compositor=Compositor/HDR/hdr (modern rendering pipeline for better graphics details and shaders; rarely breaks scenery; still mostly experimental on AMD vid. cards)
--units-meters
--disable-splash-screen
--disable-horizon-effect
--enable-distance-attenuation
--enable-specular-highlight
--enable-clouds3d
--fog-nicest ("nicest" improves look of fog with more subtleties while "fastest" makes fog appear and disappear more quickly; no real impact on AMD FPS)
--shading-flat ("smooth" apparently improves look or depth of shaders; preference is for "flat" since I have not noticed difference in quality on AMD)
--texture-filtering=2 (this is anisotropic value; lowest is 1; also good is 4 or 2; avoid 3)
--bpp=32 (can also use 24 but have not noticed an FPS improvement with 24; would say 32 is better for FPS overall)
--terrain-engine=pagedLOD
--lod-levels=3 2 5 3 1 (also good is 4 3 6 4 2 for best visual quality on AMD but still mostly FPS-friendly; recommended is 3 2 5 3 1 for balance between visual quality and solid FPS)
--lod-res=2 (default is 1; also good is 3; avoid any other values besides 2)
--lod-texturing=raster (better than "bluemarble" as far as I have been able to test, with smoother loading of textures)
--lod-range-mult=3 (default is 2; also good is 1; avoid all other values besides 3)
--enable-texture-cache

-----

On a broader note, it's important to tweak the rendering, shaders, and LOD range settings in FlightGear - to get the best experience on your AMD video rigs (be it a dual or single AMD setup).

The frequencies, by the way, on my dual FireProD700s have been OC-ed, via MSI Afterburner, from a clock/memory of 850/1370 to 1024/1380 MHz.

Be sensible with the rendering options - particularly with the maximum number of scenery and aircraft tiles - anything above a value of 1900 or so is both useless and an FPS hit. (The scenery/aircraft tiles no. may also be set via the relevant command line entry indicated above in this post.)

Take note as well of cloud density and visibility values. Anything beyond a visibility of 35 km or so is questionable since it does not widen further the cloud carpet but is, once again, an FPS hit.

Pic 1 - Sensible/Best Rendering Choices for AMD Video (in FlightGear)

Next we look at the shader options that also require careful thinking and tweaking. Take note that "landmass," "urban," also "water" - give different visuals if they are set to the maximum level (of five). I personally prefer how the landscape/terrains look with those three settings at a value of four - with crisper graphics - but tweak according to taste. Also worth noting is that I always run the LOD value on my rig(s) at "-1," via the excellent little program "ATISetLod" that is available under the top post of this thread.

Pic 2 - Sensible/Best Shader Options for AMD Video (for crisp and fairly realistic graphics)

Also important is to tweak the LOD range settings to get a good balance between visual quality and decent FPS, with no stuttering or crashes. Focus in particular on the maximum distances for the detailed, rough and bare scenery ranges - I decided eventually on cutoffs of 3, 17.5 and nearly 45 km. Other cutoffs worth considering are 2.5, 15, and 40 (or so) km, as well as 3.5, 20, and 50 km. Anything beyond the latter values will, again, most likely not make much of a difference with the visuals but will contribute a noticeable FPS hit. Take note also of the "high detail" and "AI/MP interior" values. I'm getting good results with values of 250 - 260 pixels for those options; also good are values of 300 (or so) pixels. Those two values may be tweaked to taste, for the most part - but, again, be sensible since they may impact on FPS.

Pic 3 - Sensible/Best LOD Range Values for AMD Video

Last, let's not forget to tweak our custom FlightGear profile (in our AMD settings panel) as best we can, to minimize stuttering, pausing, or crashes. Take note in particular how the shader cache is set to "On," not to "AMD Optimized," and how, even though I have enabled CrossFire mode, frame pacing is set to "Off" (which eradicates stutters on my rig in FlightGear - had tried with frame pacing "On" and was not pleased with the results). If you have only a single AMD video card, experiment with leaving the CrossFire option on (set to "AFR compatible"), or turning it off entirely. (NOTE: I have not noticed any FPS downgrade with anti-aliasing set to 4EQ and edge-detect, anisotropic value at 8, and tessellation at 16. Tweak to taste obviously.)

Pic 4 - Good AMD Settings for a Custom FlightGear Profile

Recommended also, if having any instability with FlightGear on AMD video, is to stick with the "Pro" variant DLLs (drivers) for AMD, instead of the consumer/Adrenalin ones. I particularly like the ver. 19.x.x Pro series of drivers, as well as the venerable ver. 17.x.x ones (the latter of which I have installed on the 2013 Mac Pro). To find links to the Pro 19.Q3 DLLs (the last version of the Pro DLLs to support CrossFire, by the way), see this page.

Below follow several representative pics with the settings illustrated above applied - FlightGear provides a nice selection of aircraft with usually very good monoplane FMs, especially for tricycle-gear (small) civilian aircraft such as Cessnas, also for airliners like the (classic) Boeing 707. For multi-wing contraptions on the other hand and more realistic/historical FMs for biplanes, triplanes, and the odd multiplane, the gold standard(s) remain heavily-modded First Eagles 2 and RoF, as well as recent iterations (UE edition onwards) of the excellent WoFF series.

Happy flying,

Von S 

Edited May 5, 2024 by VonS
Updated link to Radeon Pro 19.Q3 drivers (official AMD link no longer available).

[+mue 723]

Always nice to see FlightGear mentioned here on this site.
I'm a big fan of this open source flight simulator and I already tried to combine my love for the Thirdwire sims with my love for FlightGear: https://combatace.com/forums/topic/93840-strike-fighters-2-meets-flightgear/.
I'm still working on and off on a tool that in the end should be able to automatically convert SF2 (and FE2) aircraft into FlighGear aircraft (with a JSBSim flight model).

[+VonS 1,425]

FM tweaks available in relevant aircraft folders in E. Baranger's FlightGear Hangar.

(The WACO S-220 conversion is based on the SIAI-Marchetti S.205R that's available there, by the way. All Von S FM tweaks for FG fall under the GNU GPL.)

 

Brief, approximate performance specs. per type:

Bleriot XI 1909 Model - max 42 / cruise 39 kts

Egerton & Mann 140-HP SPAD 7 - max 103.6 / cruise 97.2 kts

Piper PA-28 B Model 150-HP - max 120 / cruise 110 kts

Early Grumman AA1 - max 125 / cruise 120 / never exceed 169.5 kts

AA1 150-HP Conversion - max 142 / cruise 137 / never exceed 169.5 kts

WACO S-220 - max 161 / cruise 152 / never exceed about 175-180 kts

 

Tips:

- use opposite-to-turn rudder on the Bleriot and SPAD if you are falling into a side-slip and/or spin; also good for tight turns

- watch speed on the Grummans owing to the early variant "hot wing" on them; unexpected sharp stalls pop up sometimes below about 85 knots, sometimes at higher speeds too for added excitement

- WACO, similar to the S.205R, lands best when close to stall speed a foot or two above a runway

- about 10% front-stick is required on the Grummans while on the ground, to control steering (transition smoothly to about 10% back-stick while accelerating to take-off; takes practice)

- about 10% back-stick during take-offs (to get the nose up) on the WACO; will "fly itself" once it passes about 80-85 knots

 

Representative clips:

- various flight tests available further below (simply click on a pic. to open the relevant clip hosted on DropBox; clips average 7 - 10 mins. in length approx.)

- airport where flight tests recorded is near Grazzanise, Italy (airport code: LIRM)

- all clips recorded via Game Bar (on Windows 10) and further compressed via VLC Player

- version of FlightGear used for flight and tests is the stable ver. 2020.3.19 (which is recommended for AMD video, particularly on Intel Macs; newer, nightly versions of FG may not be stable on AMD vid. and/or on Mac setups and "Wintosh" hybridizations for now; experiment as per taste)

- Bleriot model visible in the relevant clip is a mixed/hybrid combination of old and new files and model components, taken from the main aircraft launcher/hangar in FlightGear and also from E. Baranger's hangar, for personal testing; a newer model is available in E. Baranger's hangar

- Anzani and Hisso sounds for the Bleriot and SPAD are extractions from my FM/Realism package for First Eagles 2

- landing rate add-on visible upon landing in the flight test clips is a customization of the one available here; an earlier edition for older vers. of FlightGear may be found at this link

Cheers all & good flying in FG,

 

 

 

EDIT - Nov. 11, 2024 - a few more YASim FM tweaks have been provided (see info. in the pic. below) for E. Baranger's FlightGear Hangar. This set of additions wraps up my FM contributions to the excellent, open-source FlightGear flight simulator.

Edited November 12, 2024 by VonS
Included latest info.

[+VonS 1,425]

One more friendly public service post  under this thread, regarding FlightGear. Many thanks first of all to Emmanuel Baranger for pointing me in the right direction for how to enable photo/ortho-scenery in this fine, open-source simulator.

Most of the important details regarding photo-scenery and proper installation of packages, programs, etc., in order to have everything function properly - are available under the "Julia Photoscenery Generator" tutorial. Thank you "abassign" for the original instructions, coding, and tutorial. Also many thanks to Manuel who has done a video run-through of the main components of that tutorial.

I wish, however, to draw attention to a few peculiarities that are likely relevant only to Intel-era Macs and/or to specific "Wintosh" combinations such as I am running, and perhaps others are running too. Tips and directions below are for the stable ver. 2020.3.19 of FlightGear, by the way.

 

Five important things to keep in mind:

a) when downloading necessary applications to enable photoscenery, as indicated in the tutorial, such as the "Photoscenary" files, the Julia compiler, and the ImageMagick application that converts images to the DDS format, make sure to download the *actual installer* for ImageMagick (indicated with an .exe extension) - it is fine to download the portable version of the Julia compiler, but do *not* download the portable version of ImageMagick; the full installer for the latter is necessary; furthermore, while installing ImageMagick, make sure to select the two options for "set system path to files/program installed," as well as for "legacy converters"; also important is to install the Visual C++ Redistributable Package that is linked to near the bottom of the main ImageMagick website - only with all of those details followed does ImageMagick work properly on an Intel Mac

b) once all of the necessary programs and files are installed, go into the "Photoscenary" folder, open the two text files titled "conn" and "args" - delete the contents of both - and paste in *either* of the following two sets of commands into *both* files (don't forget to save once the information is entered):

option one, for great photo-imagery quality and decent FPS, even if flying in multiplayer:

--connect
127.0.0.1:5000
-s
5
-r
30
--attemps
3
--over
1
--sdwn
2

option two, once again for fine photo-scenery quality and good FPS, even in multiplayer (but perhaps slightly better for lower-end rigs):

--connect
127.0.0.1:5000
-s
4
-r
40
--attemps
3
--over
1
--sdwn
1

c) while still inside the "Photoscenary" folder, right-click on the "photoscenary.jl" application and select the option to open it with Notepad; once the application is opened in Notepad, scroll to the following code:

julia -t 10 -p 2 photoscenary.jl

 

and change, for example, to:

 

julia -t 8 -p 2 photoscenary.jl

 

(the suggested change reduces slightly the no. of threads that the "photoscenary" application uses to download satellite imagery for FlightGear; the general rule of thumb is to set the no. of threads to 75% or slightly less of your total no. of processor threads available; furthermore, the "-p 2" command references the no. of processor cores to dedicate to photo-imagery downloading; a sensible no. for the cores is no more than 50% of the total cores that you have -- anything higher than such percentages devoted to ortho/photo-siphoning is excessive and will not improve tile-download smoothness or overall FPS in FlightGear -- from my tests, I have noticed that I am getting very good results either with 8 or 9 threads and either 2 or 3 cores, devoted to the tile siphoning/download process; the total no. of threads on my system is 12, and the total no. of cores is 6, by the way)

d) make sure, before running the "photoscenary.jl" application (i.e., before double-clicking it so that it begins to fetch photo-scenery for FlightGear), to unselect any custom scenery that you might have installed in FlightGear and that is visible under the "Add-ons" menu; then run "photoscenary.jl" and it will proceed to set up a default "Orthophotos" folder at the following directory path - \FlightGear\Downloads\TerraSync\Orthophotos

e) last, it is vital directly to select the created "Orthophotos" folder as your custom scenery folder in FG's "Add-ons" menu; otherwise, photo-scenery will not be visible while flying in FlightGear; if you have other custom terrain folders, you may re-select them at this point, but make sure that the "Orthophotos" folder is always at the top of the hierarchy (see illustrative pic. below)

NOTE 1: "photoscenary.jl" will on its next run set up another "Orthophotos" folder within the one that we have already locked to FlightGear, but that is fine; allow the directory structure to exist as \TerraSync\Orthophotos\Orthophotos (and feel free to delete any other folders that may have been created in the meantime in the first "Orthophotos" folder of the directory path, right after "TerraSync")

NOTE 2: if running the application OSArmor (or the older variant "NoVirusThanks OSArmor"), make sure to *disable protection* before running "photoscenary.jl"; otherwise, blocked process warnings will pop up with every photo-scenery download and will likely disrupt operation of the whole photo-scenery fetching mechanism

NOTE 3: if your photo-scenery is sometimes being broken, patched and/or over-ridden by the stock TerraSync terrains, while flying, recommended is manually to place the main "Orthophotos" folder in the following directory path -----> C:\Users\UserName\FlightGear\Downloads\Orthophotos (don't forget to adjust accordingly under the "Additional scenery folders" setting in FlightGear too, after having done this, and once again to keep the new directory path at the top level of your scenery folder list; see pic. above for illustrative purposes)

 

Below follow several representative pics. of photo-scenery functioning properly in ver. 2020.3.19 of FlightGear on an Intel Mac. I have not noticed any drop in FPS with photo-scenery enabled; on the contrary, my overall FPS seems to have improved by a few frames when compared with flight over stock TerraSync terrains in FG.

While there are so many wonderful things about photo-scenery, one of the details worth mentioning is that the terrain now overlaps very closely with what is seen on the "mpmap" if you enjoy tracking your flight's progress that way too. Take note, for example, of the subtle depression in the grass where the Piper PA-28 B Model has been parked, and also of the location where it sits on the Google maps pic. (great stuff).

As well please find included, below the pics., a small attachment that includes a few ALS shader tweaks for FlightGear, to improve graphics crispness and/or to stabilize FPS further on AMD-vid rigs.

See my main profile, under the "about me" tab, for relevant download links.

Good flying to you,

Edited January 1 by VonS
Edited post.

[+VonS 1,425]

Have recently tinkered with a Fokker E.II (mid-production batch) FM conversion for Emmanuel Baranger's excellent E.III for FlightGear - the FM changes are now offered as an option in E. Baranger's FG Hangar. While testing the FM, I also updated my WoFF series shaders profile (for ReShade ver. 4.9.1), so that it works well with FlightGear too and creates a "pseudo-HDR" effect, among other things. The shaders file is included in zipped format underneath the video link (to the Fokk. E.II tests) that follows.

You may have good luck with vers. 5.x.x or 6.x.x of ReShade too, but for convenience please find relevant download links to the venerable/stable ver. 4.9.1 under this thread. Take note, when installing ReShade for FlightGear, to choose "OpenGL" as the API option; then install the default shader package, as well as the Fubax and Astray packages. Necessary filters to activate, after installation of the shader packages, are: Vibrance, DPX, FXAA, LumaSharpen, Smart_Sharp, and Clarity. Also don't forget to select "performance mode" in the ReShade options.

The video below (click on pic. to open link) is with my FG shaders profile activated and with satellite photo-imagery being siphoned into FlightGear; see instructions in the previous post, above, for how to enable photo-imagery in your FG installs on AMD-vid rigs, etc.

(NOTE: Various rotary engine sounds in the video linked to below are © OBD Software, copied over for personal use from my WoFF UE/PE-era install, and are not supplied with the Fokk. E.II FM modification that's available via E. Baranger's FG Hangar.)

See my main profile, under the "about me" tab, for relevant download links.

Happy flying,

Edited January 1 by VonS
Edited post.

[+VonS 1,425]

Quite pleased with how my (ReShade ver. 4.9.1) shaders profile for FG is functioning on my rig, I began thinking about how to improve the ave. FPS further in the sim, beyond the tips located in the top post of this thread, for AMD-vid rigs running the sim. Finally, I stumbled on an odd little tweak that works well enough and is worth sharing in this post.

The tweak requires that you download the OPENAL64.DLL file hosted over here on the DLL-Files.com website that has been around for at least a couple of decades. Once you download and unzip the DLL rename it to "OpenAL32.dll" (without the quotation marks). Then, navigate to your FlightGear "bin" directory (the actual sim folder located somewhere in your c_drive usually, not into the folder that hosts downloaded aircraft, custom aircraft, and whatnot). Once you are in the relevant "bin" directory (see illustrative pic. below), find the file called "OpenAL32.dll" and save a backup of that DLL somewhere - after that, replace/overwrite the DLL (that is ver. 1.x.x, a fairly old one) - with the one that you have downloaded and renamed identically.

On average, I am noticing an FPS improvement in FlightGear with the OPENAL64 driver masquerading as OpenAL32 - an improvement of anywhere from 5 to 20 FPS (or so), depending on cockpit views, angle of views, as well as weather details and photo-scenery loading rates. The driver replacement also cuts down satisfactorily on any possible stuttering when FPS occasionally do drop. Your mileage may vary - but from what I've seen on my AMD-vid rig the results of this little tweak are good enough to improve overall smoothness and quality of flying in FlightGear.

(NOTE: the driver-replacement tip mentioned in this post *may not* be as helpful on Linux, considering the possibility that you are already perhaps running newer OpenGL drivers in your Linux-variant FG installation. The tip will most likely be of greatest help on Windows systems and/or "Wintosh" hybridizations where Windows is installed on a Mac. Can't say anything regarding Mac OS X/macOS because I don't have FG installed on the Mac OS side of my computer.)

Some representative pics. of FlightGear ver. 2020.3.19 follow below, with photo-scenery, my "pseudo-HDR" shaders profile loaded (via ReShade), and the OpenAL driver replacement tip at work. The flight was around Naples, Italy, at about 10,000 feet alt. (with take-off from the LIRM airport).

The Morane-Saulnier Type N used in the pics is a re-skinned and FM-overhauled version of the non-GPL model originally done by Lester Boffo and located here. I am also thinking of re-skinning and FM-overhauling his Albatros D.I, perhaps to be done up in Ottoman livery so that I can do some photo-realistic flying above the Mesopotamian front (c. 1917). The Boffo model overhauls are only for my private use since they follow various types and sub-types of non-GPL licences. Download those yourselves from the non-GPL FlightGear repositories and tweak to taste, if so inclined.

Good flying to all,

 

Edited January 2 by VonS
Edited post.

[+VonS 1,425]

For those who (like me) have recently discovered the excellent Cessna 170B that is available for FlightGear, you might be interested in downloading the small zipped file that is linked to under the representative pic. below. Files included in the package are organized according to correct folder placement/hierarchy; simply unzip, copy over/replace to your C170B folder, and the modifications are implemented. Modifications are minor. A few values have been tweaked for the JSBSim FM of the 170B (e.g., increasing drag values for extended flaps; reducing lift capability slightly for the elevator, as well as for extended flaps; de-tuning of aileron and rudder movement slightly for less twitchy and sensitive behavior; slightly increasing friction nos. for the wheels to minimize risk of perpetual roll on tarmac with engine idle and/or off; slowing of flap extension speed for more natural/hydraulic behavior; etc.).

EDIT: June 21, 2024 - since stumbling onto the excellent 170B project, I have managed to tweak the JSBSim FM further for myself (to desensitize the aircraft a bit more), as well as re-colored the skins, changed the engine sound file, and tweaked the beacon light to fit better the re-colored skins (as well as lowered the pilot seating/view position). The finalized update (located below) also includes four engine variants for the C170B: the standard Continental O-300-A, a Lycoming O-320, the Continental IO-370 upgrade, as well as a Franklin O-350 option. The O-300-A and O-320 engines are now linked to a fixed pitch prop set to 25 degrees. The IO-370 and Franklin O-350 are now linked to a slightly improved prop (compared to the stock version), but with no blade pitch specified. Further tweaked as much as possible has been fuel consumption rate (was too high previously); also included now are realistic (historical) degrees for min/max control movement of rudder, ailerons and elevator; and ram air intake has been enabled on the various engine types provided, to increase top speed by a few knots. The different FM files now operate as a pop-down window when the Cessna 170B is installed into the "custom aircraft" folder of FlightGear, for your convenience (simply choose the engine variant you wish to from within FlightGear, load the aircraft, and go fly).

Approximate (revised) performance stats. per engine type at full throttle, as per the Version 6 package that is available below the representative pic.:

124 knots (230 kph) at 1000 feet alt. with O-300-A (145 HP); climb about 750 feet/min at 65 knots speed*

125.7 knots (233 kph) at 1000 feet alt. with O-320 (150 HP); climb about 1000 feet/min at 65 knots speed*

142 knots (263 kph) at 1000 feet alt. with IO-370 (195 HP); climb about 1400 feet/min at 70 knots speed**

145.5 knots (269 kph) at 1000 feet alt. with Franklin_O-350 (220 HP); climb about 1550 feet/min at 70 knots speed**

 

* prop pitch fixed to 25 degrees in the stock prop file

** prop pitch not fixed/specified in the improved prop file

My tweaked FM for the C170B/Super 170 uses (very) slightly increased coefficient/friction nos. for the left/right and tail gears; recommended, if taking off from grass, is to lift the tail as soon as possible to build enough speed.

The "Version 6" package contains my final set of revisions for the C170B (all revisions are based on the stock C170B FM that was kindly provided for the project by A. Fernández; all revisions also include more realistic basic drag and induced drag values suggested by "Ysop" of the FlightGear forums). To keep track of future FM revisions/additions, please see the official link for the C170B located at the top of this post. The revisions linked to below are attempts to recreate historical/recorded performance brackets by tweaking the stock FM file as best as possible.

Thank you to Adrián Fernández for the original model and textures for this fine (retro) aircraft.

See my main profile, under the "about me" tab, for relevant download links.

Good flying to you,

Edited January 1 by VonS
Edited post.

[+VonS 1,425]

While I don't care much for "big iron" aircraft and have always preferred single-engine, piston-powered contraptions in the various flight sims out there (e.g., FE2, the WoFF series, RoF) - I do appreciate the classic Boeing 707 that I have downloaded for FlightGear, as well as the handsome tri-jet that is/was the DC-10.

On that note I have downloaded the standalone install for the DC-10, a model created by Ryan Miller several years ago for FG. The model is as well available via the main launcher (in the sim) but I prefer the standalone route that allows me to place aircraft into my "custom aircraft" folder in FG. While the DC-10 is technically in beta stage, with some details missing from the cockpit - the autopilot, flight model, external 3D model, etc., are all complete. The aircraft can be found at this link.

Please find included under the representative pic. that follows further below a zipped file that contains an improved sounds folder, as well as a modified FM file for the DC-10. In stock form the aircraft was too twitchy, requiring de-sensitization of several values. It is now more comfortable to fly, with takeoffs and landings being more manageable. The sounds folder has borrowed some sounds from the 707, and mixed them with those of the DC-10 - for a more noticeable rumble, especially when listening externally to the DC-10's engines as they whine and roar. Internal sounds are now also somewhat smoother.

The supplied, modified FM is only for the standard DC-10-30 provided by Ryan Miller (no modifications were done for the tanker and cargo variants). If you prefer to fly cargo, it's easy enough to re-name some of the supplied skins so that a cargo skin is visible when flying the modified DC-10-30 FM.

Also, because the aircraft was (unfortunately) left in beta stage, there is no in-cockpit way to turn off the engines. Instead, to turn off engines, do as follows:

a) press the forward slash (" / ") on your keyboard to access the property window/browser in FG

b) scroll to "controls/engines"

c) choose "controls/engines/engine" and highlight the option called "cutoff" (change the stock value of "false" to "true," and click "Set")

d) repeat the same procedure outlined in step (c) for the other two engines called "engine1" and "engine2" ("engine1" is the middle engine, by the way, underneath the tail section of the DC-10)

To turn engines on, choose "auto-start" from the in-sim menu.

EDIT: June 21, 2024 - have uploaded a further revised FM file for the DC-10-30 that includes slightly less thrust for the engines, a slightly reduced empty weight, as well as a more historical cruise alt., and less fuel capacity (the second, central aux. fuel tank has been removed that was standard on the DC-10-30ER); the FM file now more accurately represents the non-ER version of the DC-10-30.

(Picture displays a slight modification of the 'CP Air' livery for the 'DC-10' in 'FG,' done by Emmanuel Savage; such livery was used in the 1970s and 80s on the now defunct airline.)

See my main profile, under the "about me" tab, for relevant download links.

Happy flying,

Edited January 1 by VonS
Edited post.

[+VonS 1,425]

One more post for this thread that might be interesting for casual jet-jockey FlightGear fliers - I recently discovered that there is an old (maybe abandoned) MiG-21bis model available in the official FG_Addon hangar for the flight sim (Addon models may be downloaded standalone at this link, by the way).

While there are newer forks of that abandoned aircraft, such as the fully-JSBSim model available here, and an avionics-upgraded YASim model featured here - I was more interested in converting the abandoned model in the official Addon hangar into a "stripped war surplus" and/or "privately owned" variant.  Also, the other models appear to feature a combination of GPL and non-GPL files and sub-models so I wasn't interested in tinkering with those. The obsolete model that I have revamped, from the official FG_Addon hangar, is fully GPL compliant.

On that note, several changes were implemented, some of which include:

- removal of the JSBSim flight model that remained incomplete and of JSBSim code interspersed throughout several files (strangely the model featured two flight models, one JSBSim and the other YASim)

- light recoloring of some textures, such as afterburner, cockpit, pilot, etc.

- removal of the gunsight and radar entirely from the aircraft

- removal of all weapons

- removal of wing pylons for a cleaner look

- enabling of animation of wheels while rotating

- enabling of fully functioning air brake (previously only the front, not the rear, air brakes would deploy in my install for example)

- removal of the brake "chute" entirely

- removal of the external fuel tank

- removal of the strange ejection feature that would keep the ejected pilot hovering about 30 meters above the aircraft, etc.

- extensive re-tweaking of the YASim flight model to increase drag and stall values, to decrease empty weight and lift values, to increase top speed, to de-sensitize control surface movement, also re-working of landing gear values, etc.

- modification/transplantation of several sounds (I found that the stock sounds were not very representative of an early, fast jet aircraft)

Main controls are now:

-----> ctrl + b (to deploy/retract air brakes)

-----> shift + q (to cut fuel flow to the engine)

-----> to turn off lights, press the forward slash (" / ") on your keyboard to access the property window/browser in FG, and then scroll to "controls/lighting"

General performance stats. are now:

- stall speed with gears extended and full flaps, about 160 kts

- stall speed with gears retracted and no flaps, about 190 kts

- take note that stalls sometimes occur as high as 250 kts or so, depending on turn tightness, angle of attack, etc.

- land at about 200 kts

- takeoffs are good at around 250 kts

- top speed with full afterburner tested at around 25,000 to 30,000 feet alt., attaining 1330 kts (2460 kph or so); the MiG-21 historically can attain similar top speeds at alt. of 2300-2400 kph, but be prepared for a short flight (fuel runs out in less than 5 mins. that way I think)

- glides well enough if speed above 300 kts or so; watch for pancaking drops if below 250 kts approximately (may not be aware of the dangerous transition if not paying attention to climb rate/descent, etc.)

-----

The modified (YASim) MiG-21bis ("stripped/civilian variant") is available via the link included below the pic that follows (click on the pic to access a test flight/demonstration video, if interested).

See my main profile, under the "about me" tab, for relevant download links.

Good flying to you in early, noisy, high-powered jets,

Edited January 1 by VonS
Edited post.

[+VonS 1,425]

Have been tweaking a few more YASim flight models recently , as well as re-painting skins, etc., for some Lester-Boffo models for FlightGear that I was not aware of until a couple of weeks ago. Specifically, I discovered an obscure Nieuport 10 at this link, as well as the Avro 504D over here. I also took the opportunity to re-visit some previous tweaks that I had done last year of Lester's Morane-Saulnier N, Albatros D.I, as well as Eastbourne Monoplane and Avro (Roe) IV Triplane.

(The Eastbourne and IV Triplane are available, by the way, via the standalone addons link that is provided near the top of my previous post on the MiG-21bis; links to the Alb. D.I and Morane Bullet are located under this post.)

Because the Lester-Boffo models are released under various non-GPL licences, I am providing only the tweaked FM files, for those interested - under the relevant mods download folder(s) that is linked to under the "about me" tab of my main profile page on CombatAce. Once you log into the mods folder, cycle to "05_FlightGearMods_VonS/FMtweaksUpdatesVarious" to find the relevant FM package.

Among other things, the Avro 504D has been upgraded to the 504K variant with a 110 HP LeRhone rotary. Other changes include more precise attention to the "phantom shape" of the FM contours, comparing the YASim file in Blender ver. 2.79b alongside the 3-D model, per aircraft type (see representative pic below of the Nieup. 10 3-D model and resulting tweaks to the FM file; FM tweaks are visible in green).

The general rule of thumb (and there may be several ) to YASim fine-tuning/tweaking is that FM contours/shapes (what I call the aircraft's "phantom shape") - and to paraphrase Patrick Wilson (of RB3D and PWCG for RoF/FC fame) - should not be obviously wrong in relation to the 3-D model itself. Having said that, there are two schools of thought that I have experimented with when tweaking various YASim files for myself that I think work well - (a) the 90+% accuracy rule between the FM and 3-D shape; and (b) the 70+% accuracy rule between the FM and 3-D shape (the latter more typical of my FM tweaks for various aircraft in Emmanual Baranger's FG Hangar).

For the most part, perfectly acceptable FM results may be had by sticking with the 70+% accuracy rule - i.e., as long as the general shape of the aircraft is followed in the FM shape, the FM, at the end of the day, will be affected mostly by the parameters tweaked (e.g., drag values, min/max movement of control surfaces, twist values, camber, incidence, and whatnot). Whether or not one includes a sweep value, for example, for a wing that has no sweep - but in order to improve the FM - should not be of major concern if following the 70+% accuracy rule, and, really, in most cases such tweaks do their job acceptably.

In those rare cases where you might choose to follow the 90+% accuracy rule, take your time in particular to juggle between sweep and taper values - to get wing shapes and elevator shapes, and rudder shapes, mostly correct. Also very important is careful manipulation of x, y, and z coordinates in such instances. As well be prepared to factor in, particularly for pre-WWI and WWI-era aircraft, the usually small rudder and/or elevator surfaces. Often, "effectiveness" values, if present for rudder and/or elevator, will have to be increased from previous (generic) numbers by a value of 0.2 to 0.3, or so - in order to compensate for the now more precise attention to shape, and area, of rudder, elevator, etc. A similar approach may be necessary for ailerons too - but is usually compensated adequately through manipulation of "lift" value alone, in such cases.

While I am not convinced that the 90+% accuracy rule should be followed always when tweaking YASim models (i.e., to match extremely closely between the FM's phantom shape and the 3-D model's shape) - I am pleased by the results of the tweaks to the various Lester-Boffo models that I've selected for my FG "hangar." In most other cases, equally effective FM tweaks can be generated if the 70+% accuracy rule is followed, wherein there is a general approximation or semblance between the shape/area of the FM and actual shape of the aircraft modeled.

I find both approaches convenient enough in the world of FlightGear, and certainly easier to follow than the non-visual approach to number crunching for FM tweaks that is typical of what I had to do for my extensive "FM & Realism Package for FE2," or even in the various xfm files for the WoFF series, several years ago.

I might write up a softcover, 30 to 40 page print pamphlet regarding such endeavors, and perhaps to include tips for quick and practical flight model tweaking across the various sims I've dabbled in - and will maybe place it on Amazon sometime in the future (will see how things unfold with that idea; currently busy with other book projects).

For brief suggestions regarding YASim FM tweaks in FlightGear, recommended are the following posts: (a) aoa, lift, drag, and other values; (b) cruise speed, approach speed, etc.; (c) twist values.

See further below for some more pics from FlightGear ver. 2020.3.19, with FM tests of Lester-Boffo's Nieup. 10, Avro 504K, and Roe IV Tripe (stock FG scenery in the pics below, by the way; didn't turn on photo-realistic scenery for the flight tests).

Cheers all,

 

Edited 20 hours ago by VonS
Added info.