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Showing most liked content on 10/02/2017 in Posts

  1. 4 points
    This is one of the latest and recently released books in Osprey Publishing’s “Duel” series focusing primarily on two of the major aircraft types in the South Atlantic conflict of 1982. There is already quite a lot of very good information written by the people who were there on this subject, however what I really like about the Osprey series is they are short & very concise and this book brings a lot of previous information together in one place, as well as telling us a few new things. The two main authors are: Doug Dildy – A retired USAF colonel and former F-15 pilot who worked with SHARs operationally and in air-to-air training during his first NATO tour of duty. Dildy lives in Albuquerque, NM. Pablo Calcaterra - A Canadian citizen from Argentina. He is an avid and award winning aircraft modeller, with direct access to the Argentine Air Force archives and contact with many veterans of the conflict. Calcaterra lives in London, Ontario. Other notable contributions to the book include from the Argentine FAA: Brigadier Mayor Guillermo Donadille, Brigadiers Gustavo Piuma Justo, Carlos Perona, and Comodoros Raúl Díaz, Jorge Senn and Luis Puga. And from the British FAA SHAR Pilots: Cdr Nigel ‘Sharkey’ Ward, Lt Cdrs Mike ‘Soapy’ Watson and David Smith. The book covers in more detail: · The design and development of the Sea Harrier, Mirage IIIEA and the Dagger (Mirage V); · The exact weapons that were used by both in the conflict; · Looks at pilot training and some tactics from both sides; · A look at the overall Strategic situation of the conflict. The main section “Combat” looks at the engagements from both points of view but also includes the other aircraft and ships involved giving a good overview of the conflict. Lastly statistics and analysis of the conflict are looked at with some of the major points highlighted. We get a fairly balanced book from many view points, which is essential because looking at something from only a single point of view can never show us the big picture. Overall one of my favourites so far and recommended to anyone who wants a good overview of the sometimes-ferocious air war in the South Atlantic, because make no mistake, despite the short period the loss of life was sometimes horrific and I hope this only sheds more light on their bravery and sacrifice.
  2. 4 points
    Hi Heck, yes I remember reading that too - that over-compressed engines would overheat and cause cylinder damage, also damage of other components, if run at full throttle below about 1000m alt. It also depends on the fuel type used (as extensively debated over on TheAerodrome...I printed out that whole debate...makes for a nice, small book ). Fuel was low octane in WWI (octane ratings weren't even applied until after the mid-1920s I think)...ranging anywhere from about 50 octane to 70-72 octane for the "cleaner" stuff that was hard to come by, particularly for the Germans after supplies began to run short in 1918. Such fuel burns differently than high-octane stuff and would increase the temp. dangerously on over-compressed engines, at full throttle, below recommended alt. This is likely what the Entente found when testing such engines - since the Entente was using fairly low-compression, low-octane fuel. The Germans added benzole (synthetic additive, not benzine although they sound similar) to their fuels from about late 1917/ early '18, improving hp output of over-compression engines, and possibly not overheating as much if max. throttle had to be used below recommended alt. in emergency settings - although sources vary on this. Using high-octane, modern airplane fuel in such an engine might give different results, or the engine would just cut out if recommended throttle settings at low alt. were bypassed. Can't remember reading when 100-150 octane fuel became available, probably during WWII, although aero-engine technology by then was different and would utilize high-octane stuff efficiently. I'm theorizing here but it's possible that the best fuel for over-compressed WWI engines is what the Germans were using, fairly low-octane ("low burning") stuff with a synthetic additive thrown in to improve hp output, probably better than clean fuel with no additives for that kind of engine. The low-compression engines worked perfectly fine on the low-octane fuel, on the other hand. The Germans also had summer and winter mixtures of benzole/fuel, with more benzole thrown in for winter use, something like 60/40 for winter, and 30/70 or 40/60 for summer (less benzole in the summer I think). Von S
  3. 3 points
    VonS has developed an outstanding FM for the Pfalz - the aircraft take off smartly and climb quickly. I've gotten a good start on another color scheme. Click shots for hi-res image.
  4. 2 points
    One odd observation. I remember reading a long time ago of American pilots flying these over compressed engines just after the Armistice, and discovering that they had to be throttled back at low altitudes, or they would overheat. I apologize for not being able to remember the source I found it in, but it might have been a Frank Tallman book, like "Flying the Old Planes." I know I was reading that book while I came across this tidbit in research. I'll look through my old paper notes and see if I can find the source.
  5. 2 points
    View File CP-122 Neptune Royal Canadian Air Force Neptune Mod for SFP2 v1.0 (CP-122) *** This is a mod of the original P-2H (P2V-7) released by Tracker and the Argentine Modders Group *** This Mod represent the CP-122 Neptune of the RCAF : You fill find the complete aircraft in this package. 404,405 and 407 Squadrons Early (AB + 3) Early (RCAF + 3) Late (RCAF + 3) All decals are made by me. I redraw the panel lines and rivets. Serials are real one's but not squadron specific. Background : The Canadian version of the Lockheed Neptune (P2V7) served as an anti-submarine, anti-shipping and maritime reconnaissance aircraft in the RCAF Maritime Air Command from 1955, replacing the Avro Lancaster maritime aircraft. The Canadian P2V7 was fitted with piston engines initially, although, in 1959, the Neptunes had two underwing Westinghouse J34 jet engine pods retrofitted, similar to those fitted to US Navy variants. Armament included two torpedoes, mines, depth charges, bombs carried internally plus unguided rockets mounted externally underwing. A total of 25 Neptunes served with nos. 404, 405 and 407 squadrons until 1960. Upon unification of the Canadian Forces in 1968, the Neptune was retired and retroactively re-designated the CP122, The RCAF Neptune was replaced by the Canadair CP-107 Argus in the same year. 1977Frenchie Submitter 1977Frenchie Submitted 10/01/2017 Category Other  
  6. 1 point
    https://www.facebook.com/dekaironworksims/posts/330639224065881 Deka Ironwork Simulations added 15 new photos. September 29 at 7:36pm · This weekend, Deka Ironwork Simulation (DIS) in collaboration with Eagle Dynamics (ED) will be delighted to introduce the China Asset Pack (CAP). This project targets at bringing the modern Chinese assets/weapons into DCS world as AI units. Currently, the following units are confirmed: Aircrafts: J-11A (AI) [Completed] JF-17 "Thunder" (AI) [WIP] Ships: 052B Destoryer DDG-168 "Guangzhou" [Completed] 052C Destoryer DDG-171 "Haikou" [Almost Completed] 054A Frigate FFG-538 "Yantai" [Completed] Weapons: YJ-83 Anti-ship Missile [Completed] YJ-62 Anti-ship Missile [WIP] 9M317 Surface to Air Missile [Completed] HQ-16 Surface to Air Missile [Completed] HHQ-9 Surface to Air Missile [Completed] PL-5EII Air to Air Missile* [Completed] PL-8 Air to Air Missile [Completed] PL-12 Air to Air Missile* [Completed] WMD Multi-function Targeting Pod* [Completed] RKL609 ECM Pod [Completed] Pylons: AKU-170 Adapter for R-77 missile on J-11A [Completed] PF-12 Adapter for PL-12 missile* [WIP] *Launch platform JF-17 might not be included in initial release. CAP will be added to DCS World free of charge. Our future goal is to add more AI units into the package, although details and dates are still uncertain. During the development, we have received help from some players as they have provided the initial 3D model of three warships. With assistance from ED, the LOD, damage model, animations and model corrections are almost finished. We have also completed ships' weapon systems. Since it's a fan package for free, and the JF-17 developement needs to be focused on later, we may slow down the progress of adding other Chinese asset as AI. But if any of you are willing to help or contribute, that would be awesome and absolutely welcomed!
  7. 1 point
    With Atari's Video Computer System (2600) having hit its 40th anniversary sometime between August and September this year, I thought it would be a little fun to do a review of a new "homebrew" game for the system. AtariAge.com released "Scramble" by Champ Games for Atari VCS this year, four decades after the system first hit the streets, and it's quite an incredible game. Play with either the Atari Joystick or a Sega Genesis Gamepad - Scramble is programmed to discern between the two. Read on to learn more! “Scramble” for Atari VCS is a port of the 1981 arcade game of the same name by Konami, designed and programmed by Champ Games, and published by AtariAge.com. It was released through AtariAge in July of 2017, one of seven new homebrew games which were released for the VCS this year – 40 years after the system first hit the streets (semi-officially on 11 September 1977; local stores nearby Sunnyvale, CA had the system advertised as early as 1 August of that year). It is a side-scrolling space shooter with 99 run-throughs and incremented difficulty. Under the Hood: Stars, bullets, and blasts, oh my! Scramble is an incredibly well executed port, especially given the limitations of the VCS. It is a 32K game that uses the Display Processor Chip-Plus (DPC+) to assist the VCS’s 8-bit 6507 CPU. The practice of adding extra chips to game boards was popularized by Nintendo (think Star Fox and Yoshi’s Island), but was pioneered by Activision for the game Pitfall II: Lost Caverns (1984) for Atari VCS. Developed by David Patrick Crane (interesting how the chip was named, isn’t it?), the DPC helps return processing cycles to the 6507 CPU, while also enabling 3-voice, 4-bit digital sound. Effectively, the DPC increases the number and quality of sprites that can be drawn simultaneously, as well as improving the quality of sound that the VCS can produce. The modern “Harmony” and “Melody” chips used in many homebrews include DPC+ mode, which further improves upon Crane’s DPC. While not all homebrews utilize DPC+, Scramble takes full advantage of it, and the results are impressive. Graphics, Music, and Gameplay: In Atari's heyday, a title screen with selectable game settings was unheard of. It is actually fairly common in today's homebrew games. Akin to the arcade, Scramble shows a "splash" screen as well as the point values for each target, and high-scores screen. Note the game's code was completed in 2016; it was not available in cartridge format until this year. At power up, Scramble features a starting screen akin to the arcade original, where the player may select difficulty (Novice, Standard, Advanced, or Expert), view the high score table, and is also shown the point value for each target destroyed (also displayed in the arcade game, and akin to Robotron 2084, Defender, etc.). When the player begins, the game opens with the original arcade stage music, albeit not quite as deep and booming as the coin-op version’s. The other arcade sounds are there as well. The bombs make the classic whistle as they fall, the multi-part explosions for fuel tanks, bases, and the player’s ship are intact, and the UFOs have their own wobbly noise in line with the original. As with the arcade game, there is a limit to how many sounds can be played at once, so if the screen gets particularly busy, some will cut out (e.g., bomb whistle) until things calm down. From a graphics perspective, Scramble is up there with the best of them. The colors are vivid, especially when playing on a CRT television (even the screen captures don’t do it justice, since they grab the signal before the TV displays it), and although the graphics are not quite as good as the arcade’s (more on this later), the game is simply gorgeous. The map is practically identical in layout to the arcade, the number of sprites on the screen is astounding for a VCS game, the stars sparkle in the background, and screen flicker when multi-color sprites overlap (think about the ghosts from Pac Man) doesn’t impact gameplay (indeed, when you're in the heat of battle, it's almost unnoticeable). At certain points on the map more than 6 sprites can be on the same scan-line, including the player’s multi-colored sprite, bullets, and bombs, and the screen flicker has no bearing on gameplay in any way. Such a display could even make an NES slow down and flicker (Technodrome in TMNT, anyone?). The game supports 2 bombs and 3 blaster shots simultaneously, allowing for up to 5 offensive shots on the screen at once. Bombs dropped from high altitude take a while to fall, however, so your bomb release rate typically drops the higher you are. Every time you complete a stage, making it through the “Base” section at the end of the run, you start at the beginning at higher speed and with tougher enemies (akin to the arcade). Another challenge is your fuel supply. At lower difficulties, fuel consumption is lower, but in Advanced and Expert, you have to take more risks to ensure you shoot the fuel tanks (labeled with an "F") to keep enough gas to get to the end of each stage. Sometimes, you'll have to swoop down and engage with blasters, even if it means putting yourself in line with a missile or meteor. The game supports 99 play-throughs. Admittedly, I’ve made it through only 3. On "Expert" difficulty, the UFO's fire back, and some of the rockets seek the player. This shot also shows the variety of multi-colored sprites supported simultaneously, even on the same scan-line, and the number of player shots that can be displayed simultaneously. Note the fuel tank at the bottom left of the stage. Controls: The stage constantly scrolls to the right, while the player’s controls are unlimited mobility top-to-bottom, and up to half-screen left-to-right. That mobility is especially necessary in section 5, where the player navigates through the opening of the final base, and getting the ship to the right place at the right time is absolutely paramount to success. Scramble is also one of a handful of games for the VCS which supports more than a single button on the controller. Long-time fans of Atari may already know that the VCS is compatible with the Sega Genesis gamepad controller in place of the Joystick (it won’t work for the analog Paddle or Driving controllers). The VCS recognizes the d-pad for directional input and the “B” button in place of the standard joystick button. Scramble was programmed to check if a Genesis controller is connected to the Atari upon power-up. If detected, the game allows for the use of the “C” button to drop bombs, and the “B” button to fire the ship’s blasters, giving the player more control over their shots. If a standard Atari Joystick is plugged in, the button will fire both bombs and blasters simultaneously, which is still easily playable. Excepting at higher difficulties, the extra control from the Genesis gamepad is really a nicety, so don’t sweat it if you don’t have one. If you need to take a moment away, the game also has a pause feature, which is highly uncommon for Atari games. In the case of Scramble, flipping the Color/Black and White switch on the console will pause or un-pause the game. Positioning can be paramount - immediately after this still-frame capture, I crashed into the fuel tanks. Differences from the Arcade: As one would expect when bringing an arcade game to Atari, there are a few differences from the original. The fine detail isn’t quite there on the Atari port – for example, the bombs are little squares instead of the arcade style sprites with fins and tubular body, the ship exhaust is monochrome, and the sprites themselves have less detail. As mentioned above, the sound isn’t quite as “boomy” as the arcade version, although it is highly faithful. The terrain isn’t in solid colors like the arcade, rather, it is constructed using colored lines. Even so, this is a damn-close port, more faithful than many of the best ports on Atari across the 1970s and 1980s, and although higher fidelity is now fairly commonplace for 21st Century homebrews (e.g., Juno First, Pac Man 4K, Chetiry), Scramble is a cut above. It captures the arcade original’s gameplay with what are, frankly, minimal sacrifices to complete the port. Flaming meteors in stage 3. A bit tricky in higher difficulties to keep fuel levels up. Purchasing Options: Scramble comes in either NTSC (North/some of South America, Japan) or PAL60 (most of Europe, some of South America, Asia, and others) format, boxed with an instruction manual and poster to hang on your wall for $50. The big question is: is this game worth almost the same money as the latest triple-A first person shooter? For a serious collector, the answer is absolutely yes. It is one of the finest arcade ports ever to reach the Atari VCS and is quite a bit of fun. With 99 play-throughs, you’ll be playing for a while, too. That said, if you’re a casual classic console collector, capping most purchases below the $25-30 range, the $50 price tag is a little steep, and the programming marvel that is Scramble is probably not worth the asking price for three reasons. First, odds are you can find the arcade ROM and play it in its full glory through a Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator (MAME) for free…legalities of doing so aside. Second, the binary file is available at AtariAge by the programmer, and if you own a Harmony Cartridge, you can download it and play it on your console (or PC through the Stella emulator) for free. Third, Scramble is not yet available in “Cartridge Only” format, so the price is what it is, and probably won’t drop any time soon. If it does become available as Cartridge Only, the asking price will likely be closer to $20-$30, which is much more acceptable for a casual collector, and certainly worth the money. If you have an AtariVox voice synthesis module/memory card, the game can keep track of more scores. On-board memory is enough for the top 10 until you reset or power-off the game. The AtariVox will keep the scores saved indefinitely. Final Thoughts: All in all, Scramble is a wonderful game for Atari VCS (2600), and an exceptional example of what the system is truly capable of producing graphically and audibly 40 years after its release in 1977. It is a must-have for the serious collector, and should be a first-look for casual collectors if and when it gets released in cartridge only format. Have you played Atari today? -"Caesar"
  8. 1 point
    So I created a post in the Arena and dropped the F-bomb a few times. The censoring of the new site upgrades changed love it to love. Watch this. love that I'm not doing it. I looked at my old work crew and proudly said. love each and every single one of your motherloveers. Then my boss said shut the love up and get back to work. As loveed up as this day is. That feature right there is loveing funny.
  9. 1 point
    well the new generation of Americans seems to be scared of a cuss word, us old vets on here.....
  10. 1 point
  11. 1 point
    Interesting, VonS. That's why I love talking to the modders here. The members here are well springs of very little known information. I was unable to find my notes on my source, they were on paper from 20+ years ago, so I'm glad someone else can confirm it. I'm slowly rebuilding my FE2 install, so I'll be adding your flight models in as soon as I recover some other stuff from my recovery flash drives. Thanks for all the work you've put into them, it's much appreciated.
  12. 1 point
    YAP has Blackhawks in their Straits of Hormuz and Drug Wars payware mods.
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  14. 1 point
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  16. 1 point
    That was actually the top of an engine-off loop on the D.7 but they sure do hang on the prop nicely (the BMW-powered ones). Also good at prop-hanging is the late Alb. D.5a with the 200hp auv Mercedes. Happy flying, Von S
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  18. 1 point
    Making some specific color schemes - samples below. Click shots for hi-res image.
  19. 1 point
    Jungle Scooters - Almost done. I will also upload the D-704 refueling pod tomorrow.
  20. 1 point
  21. 1 point
    And the Sheridan then reacts as a conventional tank??? Not a screenshot, but this model is simply too amazing not to post a pic of it!!
  22. 1 point
    Low-altitude parachute-extraction system credits: C-130: Dels, M551 skin: The Trooper,
  23. 1 point
  24. 1 point
    New toys on HMAS Melbourne 1965 circa
  25. 1 point
    Yes, I know it's a flight sim, but M-1s and T-80s going head to head at point blank range - what's not to like?
  26. 1 point


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