baffmeister

That could work well. They could have a date range so they only show up in the Channel during the early Battle of Britain phase. A bit off topic, but the BoB2 sim has the Battle of Britain campaign modeled in 4 distinct phases, with one of them called "Convoys".

I'd be a bit hesitant about shelling out money on a force feedback stick for SF/FE. I had a Logitech Wingman Force 3D and was never happy with it after trying various settings over a few months. It didn't have many buttons either. Not sure if the problems were related to the stick itself or maybe force feedback isn't enabled very well in the ThirdWire sims but it might be worth looking for more feedback specific to SF/FE. I still have a Logitech Formula Force GP steering wheel that has been excellent for the half dozen or so driving games I've used over the years. Always possible to get good "feel" with every game I tried.

A few "Somewhere over New Dhimar" screenshots. Thanks to KJakker for resurrecting the thread with Mue's extended fade mod I actually tried it out this time and was really impressed! It adds a lot of visual depth to terrains and my old rig held up quite well over the coastal desert areas but noticeable frame rate hits when further inland over heavily treed areas. [over 1000 trees/buildings on some tiles] Ended up removing the mod to maintain frame rates during large fur balls but it was worth the look and it might get me computer shopping soon. The coastal desert area has been getting a major overhaul. All the farm tiles have been changed to orchards and moved into the mountain areas, with one exception. I never found the combination of desert and farm tiles very convincing on the stock terrain so I'm trying to get a drier desert look with some date palm plantations here and there and everything connected by roads. Will also be adding some building clusters along the roads and a few single tile walled towns in the flat areas along the main roads. Mue views, trees still showing color on the far side of the city: Over the Kerman Valley, the one desert area with farm/orchard tiles: The roads are getting some work but it's been a difficult process. The paved roads will be quite straight in the desert and high plains area but all the rest will have a more winding look. Just have to figure out how to do that! This has been a long slow project but once I get the coastal desert finished I'm going to work inland and fix all the other areas I'm not happy with while also doing some targeting. Definitely not "2 weeks". Maybe sometime in 2020 for version 1.

That's an interesting idea and one I have thought about. Even my simplified approach to WW2 FM's consumes a surprising amount of time and at this point I find WW2 to big to bother with considering the amount of different aircraft involved and the lack of availability for some models. Getting back to Streakeagle's comments, many of the WW2 fighters used similar airfoils so it is quite possible to put together a "generic" FM that could be fine tuned to get "decent" results for specific aircraft. Unfortunately, the Spitfire and Mustang, both modeled by Thirdwire, have unique airfoils so aren't particularly good choices to use as a base for a generic WW2 FM. The S-99 is a bit better but even that one has some uniqueness with the slat installation. A confession, I did use some aspects of the TW S-99 FM as a bit of an experiment when putting together a FW-190 FM and got it to perform more or less as I wanted it to but it did require much tinkering. But that's the other issue as noted by Streakeagle. It's hard to get accurate turn performance data for the old WW2 fighters so I based desired turn performance on anecdotal information and sometimes on Soviet turn time tests. The results are still impressionistic. The Spitfire turns better than the BF-109 which turns better than the FW-190 which turns about the same as the Hawker Tempest and Typhoon and they all turn better than a P-47. I still like the idea of a European Air War type sim based on the TW game because of the trim free zone and for myself I wouldn't even bother with any torque/P-factor and whatever else is available because it probably wouldn't be accurate anyway. Unfortunately, the work required is immense and there are other sims available for that era that would probably be a better choice for anyone interested.

Got the new Logitec Extreme 3D Pro installed and it works great! Compared to the old one I had which was probably just worn out, the new one has noticeably better precision, no on center "drifting" which was the main problem with the old one, plus the centering spring is much firmer. After all these years, it's still a good product.

View File SF2 CF-100 MK-4A NORAD This package represents the CF-100 MK-4A version as used by the RCAF in Canada. The squadrons/skins were based in Canada so this pack isn't a good fit for a typical install and should only be used in a North American focused install. The date range is a bit of a guess but considering the start up dates for some of the squadrons, the weapon trials that were required, as well as aircraft deliveries to operational training units, I think the introduction to front line service was around June, 1954.The higher thrust MK4B was introduced around March,1955, and I'm assuming any front line MK4A's would have been upgraded with the more powerful Orenda 11 engines during heavy maintenance checks so the MK4A gets phased out one year after the introduction of the MK-4B. With the short date range for the MK4A not all the CF-100 Squadrons are represented with this package but they will be when the MK-4B and MK-5 packages are released. I'm using the NORAD suffix to avoid any confusion with the European versions although the CF-100 MK4 service introduction pre-dates NORAD by about 3 years. The skin jpeg's are quite large and I've noticed some frame rate issues when flying over Hi Res terrains but no issues over the stock terrains. The model does use distance lods. CREDITS: Sundowner: Aircraft model, cockpit model, various ini work, some skin work, research. 1977Frenchie: Skins, decals, hangar and loading screens, research. Baffmeister: Flight model, some ini work, some research, package compilation and readme. Wilches: Beta testing and research. Crusader: Research The Canberra_2 engine sound and Mk3 ejection seat are included but not sure who made them. There is also a CF-100windsound which I might have made but don't remember for certain. More information and installation instructions included in the ReadMe. This package is subject to the CombatAce Modders Licensing Agreement Submitter baffmeister Submitted 10/18/2019 Category Other Origin  

Anyone else having an issue with the rocket pods not showing in game? The strange thing is, the rocket pods are part of the model, named RP_Left and RP_Right so shouldn't need a model name in the data ini and the paint for the rocket pod is done in the skin files, green for NATO/BAF and silver for the NORAD version so the JPEG I included with the MK-4A[NORAD] and MK-5[BAF] shouldn't be required. The RCAF MK-4[NATO] did have the XXRP lod included but that was a mistake and the data ini has been updated so that pod should be deleted and the pod included with MK-4a or MK-5 used. Having said all that, there were some issues during beta testing when the pods weren't showing up so I am wondering if anyone else is having problems. I've been testing the pod included with the MK-4A and for me it works for the 4B[NATO] and MK-5[BAF] as well.

Awesome, thanks!

I've been trying to put together a new J-7E /PG etc. flight model while Russ does some model improvements so here's a public beta tester using one of his original models, available here: https://combatace.com/files/file/16926-j-7-series-fighters/ This has been a difficult plane to research and there is lot's more to do so consider the attached FM as just an aerodynamic test mule. I left the original date range "as is" but the service start date for the first production double delta version, the J-7E, was around 1994-95. The model best represents the J-7E which retained the 3 piece windshield but had only one gun on the RH side. The cockpit included with the original model probably best represents the J-7E as well, which had only a simple ranging radar, although it probably had some multi function displays as well. Later Chinese versions, as well as all the export versions had more capable radars and a one piece windshield. The original package contains a skin for both Pakistan and China so you might want to consider making two different versions. Pakistan was the first export customer and began receiving the first F-7PG's in June, 2001. A dedicated Pakistani version really requires a more modern cockpit with a combination of multi function displays and round gauges but at this point I'm not sure if there is anything suitable available. Any ideas? Here's a bit more info on dates and export customers: Prototype construction started in 1987-88. First test flight in May, 1990. J-7E and J-7EH[Chinese Navy] service entry in 1995. F-7PG first export version to Pakistan in 2001. J-7G upgraded Chinese version entered service in 2003. Upgraded radar and engine, one piece windshield. F-7BG exported to Bangladesh in 2005. F-7NM exported to Namibia in 2006. F-7NI exported to Nigeria, early 2008. F-7BGI final version built for Bangladesh, 2012-13 and probably the most capable, with upgraded engine and all glass cockpit. Other possible customers are Sri Lanka and Tanzania but I'm still researching those. For the export customers there were a lot of different equipment and load out options so it will take some time to get sorted out. Here's an interesting article that gives an idea of the performance improvements with the double delta wing: http://urbanpk.com/pakdef/pakmilitary/airforce/ac/f7pg.htm Regarding the FM, I have the leading and trailing edge flaps working with AUTOMATIC_MACH but there is no animation for the leading edge flaps. One source says the J-7E was equipped with a KG-8605 Active Jammer and a Type 941-4AC Chaff/Flare Dispenser but I just copied some ECM/Chaff/Flare entries from Wrench's F-20 Tigershark package. Here's the FM: J-7PG_DATA0.95.zip

Oops! Thanks Paulo, I will try and get that sorted out today.

Yes, he made a proper CF-5A sight which is included in the Beta 0.96 update above.

CF-5A beta test FM attached. This is meant for Paulos' CF-5A package available here:http://combatace.com/files/file/13162-cf-5a-freedom-fighter/ I have only included the 72 version with the re-fueling probe. Should be easy enough to get this FM to work with the earlier version but I haven't tried it yet. This FM was backed out of the previous F-5E FM I did. I had some reasonably good data to work with but it isn't HiFi. I think it fits in with the TW aircraft reasonably well, though. Some differences between the F-5A and F-5E: The early F-5E generates it's maximum lift around 25deg AOA versus about 20deg for the F-5A. The early F-5E had about a 25% higher lift coefficient than the F-5A. The F-5E had about a 30% better sustained G than the F-5A. Based on the known F-5E data, that puts the sustained G for the F-5A at about 5.4G. Not sure at what speed but probably similar to the 550kts flaps up at sea level for the F-5E. CF-5A should be a bit better than the F-5A due to higher thrust to weight ratio. Some Notes: I got some CF-5A info from a flight manual available here:http://www.avialogs.com/index.php/en/aircraft/usa/northrop/f-5tigerii/4063e005-205a-1northropcf-5afreedomfighteraircraftoperatinginstructions.html#download Unfortunately, the entire performance and limitations section is missing from the CF-5A manual so had to make some guesses. There is an NF-5B manual available at that site but the flap set up on the NF-5A/B is different than the CF-5A. NF-5A/B had a strengthened wing to enable a basic combat flap set up that could be used up to 450kts while the CF-5A, as far as I know, would have had flap speeds similar to the F-5A. Here is how I have the flaps set for the CF-5A: The CF-5A leading and trailing edge flaps are VERY MANUAL. When selecting flap 1, you get leading edge flaps only, 24degs. When selecting flap 2, the trailing edge flaps will extend to the maximum 20deg position. IMPORTANT: USE FULL FLAPS FOR TAKE OFF! As with the F-5E, in the data ini I set the flap setting to 2 for take off but it doesn't work for the player aircraft. The AI aircraft seem to deploy the full flaps so it's not an issue with them. Flap limitation speeds for the CF-5A are a guess. I found a diagram in the flight manual showing the recommended procedures for a visual approach and the pattern entry speed is 300kts with flap 1 selected on the crosswind leg. I have the flap 1 speed set to 300kts. Gear down speed is noted at 240kts maximum so that's what the gear speed is set at. Full flaps are recommended after gear extension so I just set those at 230kts. For anyone interested, the NF-5A/B have a combat flap setting of 24deg on the LE flap, 8deg on the TE flap with a 450kt limit speed. Interestingly, they don't appear to auto retract above 450kts but they do have a lock out so you can't deploy them above 450kts. Probably a mach limit as well. I think the limit speed for full flaps [20deg] on the NF-5A/B is 300kts. Just mentioning the NF-5 info in case someone wants to build their own NF-5 FM from this data ini. From the flight manual, it seems the CF-5A wasn't equipped for sidewinders, at least initially. The manual does mention that the wiring was built into the wing but there are no launch rails available and the sidewinder tone adjust is disabled. I thought I saw a photo of a late CF-5D [dual seat] with launch rails but that would probably be post 1988, when they did some updates. Anyway, I've just changed the loadout ini to reflect the lack of sidewinders. I also changed the Mk-82SE's to regular Mk-82s. The AI seems to have a hard time hitting anything with the SE's. The CF-5A was equipped with a basic Ferranti lead computing air to air and air to ground gunsight. It had some kind of range adjuster on the L/H throttle. The gunsight had a 2 mil aiming dot with two reticle arcs on either side, open at the top. Not sure if there is a gunsight tga like that available, I just added the one from the Hunter9. The gunsight is designated an AWQ-501 but that might just be some CAF identifier. As well as the gunsight, I did some cockpit edits for the fuel gauges. There is a modified bit map included that makes 2x4000lb fuel gauges. The L/H is internal and the R/H is external. That's not realistic but it's better than before and the zero point is quite accurate. In general, the F-5A, CF-5A and NF-5A were intended for ground attack missions. I have been flying quite a few air to air missions with an F-5A in my fictional install and I find the F-5A quite a bit of fun but it is outperformed by the MiG-19 and MiG-21. I've been using guns only and find I need to keep the speed up over 400kts to stay out of trouble. The AI in my fictional install is cranked up quite a bit so things are probably a bit easier in a typical stock install. Some late model Sidewinders would make things considerably easier as well. INSTALLATION: There is a new CF-5A_72 ini included because I changed the name of the data.ini to avoid mix ups with the earlier version. It goes in the CF-5A_72 aircraft folder. You should back up the original ini. The new CF-5A_72_data.ini can just be dropped into the CF-5A_72 aircraft folder. The modified CF-5A_Cockpit.ini and CF-5A_loadout.ini also go in the CF-5A_72 aircraft folder. Back up the originals. The modified bit map for the fuel gauge goes in the cockpit folder contained in the CF-5A_72 aircraft folder. Back up the original bit map. Now that everything is as clear as mud, here's the FM: CF-5Afm0.95.zip DON'T FORGET, SELECT FULL FLAPS FOR TAKE OFF!

The flight manual description is the same as the USAF manual so I'm thinking they both use the "standard sight."

Crusader, any idea if the NF-5A used the default sight? I remember reading somewhere it was totally manual. I had a quick look at a USAF F-5A flight manual that might have been used for training foreign pilots and it describes the gun sight as non computing 100 mil fixed reticle with manual adjustment of the depression angle from 0 to 180 mils.

Some Colorful Clunks inbound soon, for North American installs. I'm going to upload the CF-100 MK-4A first. It had the lower thrust Orenda 9 and is a bit of a cow so will phase it out about a year after the introduction of the MK-4B. I figure they would have upgraded the engines on the 4A's during any heavy maintenance checks. Skin credits to Frenchie1977! Somewhere over the Great White North. [the American part]

I don't think so. Not sure if the F-5A came with a standard gunsight or not but from what I remember the USAF F-5's used in Vietnam had a different sight installed and the NF-5's were different again. If it's any help, my notes say the CF-5A used a Ferranti Isis gunsight designated AWQ-501.