column5

Everyone is raving about these skins: http://www.marcfighters.hpg.ig.com.br/index.htm I haven't downloaded any yet myself, but the screenshots look great!

You don't need to put it back into the .cat file. As long as the file is in the correct folder it will override the one in the .cat file. As for the F-100, its flight model is so screwed up that a Cessna with underwing BB guns would be a serious threat. "Lead, Two, he's got a pair of Daisys! No joy, no joy!"

Emails sent!

Kris, I have an old issue of Wings of Fame that ha a long article on the A-4s used in the Falklands war. If you like, I can scan some of the pics and email them to you. I'll have to remeber to bring the book to work tomorrow...

After flying several engagements with the lower-powered MiG-17s in my trusty F-4B, I am wondering if the additional thrust given to the MiG is to make up for some deficiencies in the AI? I've been reading a lot about the Navy's encounters with MiGs in Vietnam lately, and the impression that I get is that the MiG-17 pilot should try to drag the Phantom down into a slow turning fight on the deck. The MiG-17 drivers in the game though seem hell bent on climbing away from me, which is like opening the door for me to come in and murder them. With the lower thrust settings, I see them just hanging there at 75-80kts trying to climb, which makes them sitting ducks for the AIM-9D. In the rare situation where they actually use their turning advantage, they are just as hard to kill as with the stock thrust settings. I think that I'll revert back to stock thrust to keep the challenge high, and see how the game evolves in the coming patches.

FYI, Dagger, in real life the F-104 that Yeager had his "accident" in was a rocket, literally. It was an NF-104A, which was an F-104A modified with a 6000lb thrust booster rocket at the base of the fin. They were used in support of the space program for zero-g training above 100,000 feet.

Beat me to it! Yes, those figures are per engine, so total thrust in AB would be 34000lb. For anyone who is curious here is what the "Engines" section of the F-4B_DATA.INI looks like: // Engines --------------------------------------------------------- [Engine1] SystemType=JET_ENGINE InputName=THROTTLE_CONTROL EngineID=1 HasAfterburner=TRUE NumAfterburnerStages=4 SLThrustDry=44482.2 SLThrustWet=75619.8 ThrustAngles=0.0,7.00,0.0 ThrustPosition=-0.65,2.59,0.00 ThrottleRate=0.5 NozzleAnimationID=7 IdleThrottle=0.10 IdleRPM=0.68 IdleNozzle=0.0 CruiseThrottle=0.37 CruiseRPM=0.82 CruiseNozzle=1.0 MilThrottle=0.65 MilRPM=1.00 MilNozzle=1.0 MaxThrottle=0.78 MaxRPM=1.00 MaxNozzle=1.0 FullABThrottle=1.12 FullABRPM=1.00 FullABNozzle=0.0 AltitudeTableNumData=10 AltitudeTableDeltaX=3048.0 AltitudeTableStartX=0.0 AltitudeTableData=1.000,0.802,0.634,0.496,0.381,0.288,0.206,0.147,0.105,0.000 DryMachTableNumData=4 DryMachTableDeltaX=0.4 DryMachTableStartX=0.0 DryMachTableData=1.000,0.980,1.172,0.000 WetMachTableNumData=7 WetMachTableDeltaX=0.4 WetMachTableStartX=0.0 WetMachTableData=1.000,0.991,1.207,1.683,2.473,2.750,3.027 MaxInletTemperature=120 GyroscopicInertia= TSFCM0=0.860 TSFCM1=1.270 AfterburnerTSFC=1.930 MinFuelFlow=0.01 ExhaustEmitterName=DirtyExhaustEmitter ExhaustPosition=-0.65,-3.63,-0.58 AfterburnerNodeName=afterburner AfterburnerEmitterName=AfterburnerEmitter MinExtentPosition= MaxExtentPosition= FireSuppression=TRUE [Engine2] SystemType=JET_ENGINE InputName=THROTTLE_CONTROL EngineID=2 HasAfterburner=TRUE NumAfterburnerStages=4 SLThrustDry=44482.2 SLThrustWet=75619.8 ThrustAngles=0.0,7.00,0.0 ThrustPosition=0.65,2.59,0.00 ThrottleRate=0.5 NozzleAnimationID=6 IdleThrottle=0.10 IdleRPM=0.68 IdleNozzle=0.0 CruiseThrottle=0.37 CruiseRPM=0.82 CruiseNozzle=1.0 MilThrottle=0.65 MilRPM=1.00 MilNozzle=1.0 MaxThrottle=0.78 MaxRPM=1.00 MaxNozzle=1.0 FullABThrottle=1.12 FullABRPM=1.00 FullABNozzle=0.0 AltitudeTableNumData=10 AltitudeTableDeltaX=3048.0 AltitudeTableStartX=0.0 AltitudeTableData=1.000,0.802,0.634,0.496,0.381,0.288,0.206,0.147,0.105,0.000 DryMachTableNumData=4 DryMachTableDeltaX=0.4 DryMachTableStartX=0.0 DryMachTableData=1.000,0.980,1.172,0.000 WetMachTableNumData=7 WetMachTableDeltaX=0.4 WetMachTableStartX=0.0 WetMachTableData=1.000,0.991,1.207,1.683,2.473,2.750,3.027 MaxInletTemperature=120 GyroscopicInertia= TSFCM0=0.860 TSFCM1=1.270 AfterburnerTSFC=1.930 MinFuelFlow=0.01 ExhaustEmitterName=DirtyExhaustEmitter ExhaustPosition=0.65,-3.63,-0.58 AfterburnerNodeName=afterburner AfterburnerEmitterName=AfterburnerEmitter MinExtentPosition= MaxExtentPosition=

And also all of the aircraft performance parameters, default weapon loadouts, etc.

Should mention that each engine on the Phantom has this much thrust, so in full burner you've got 34,000lb total.

I couldn't agree more! Checking the F-4B's data file, its thrust ratings are as follows: SLThrustDry=44482.2 (10000lb) SLThrustWet=75619.8 (17000lb) This is spot on as far as I can tell. All of my sources agree with these figures. Here's one: http://www.skytamer.com/specs/usa/mcdonnell/f-4b.htm

I've been fooling around with the SFP1 Extract Utility and in particular have been looking at the MiG-17F performance specs. The default thrust values in the MIG-17F_DATA.INI are: SLThrustDry=38245.94 SLThrustWet=56290.17 TK posted at SimHQ that most of the values are metric, so these thrust ratings appear to be measured in kN (kilo-newtons, IIRC). These figures correspond to 8598lb thrust dry and 12655lb in afterburner using a conversion factor of 4.44822 (also specified by TK). These figures seem high, and indeed searching around the 'net for MiG-17F performance data seems to bear this out. There are numerous sites I could link, but this one is most interesting: http://www.aeronautics.ru/archive/vvs/mig17-01.htm Scrolling down towards the bottom you can see the thrust of the Klimov VK-1F turbojet rated at 29.5kN dry and 33.14kN with reheat. Or, 6632lb dry and 7450lb with reheat. In game terms this would look like: SLThrustDry=29500.00 SLThrustWet=33140.00 Considerably less that the out-of-the-box MiG-17F. On to my point. Does anyone have any thoughts on this? I'm going to reduce the thrust and see how the MiG performs with the mroe realistic figure. It isn't my intention to water down the MiG-17 in any way, but I do think the Phantom should display a marked superiority in power v. the MiG-17 which I really haven't noticed to this point.

Just finished and submitted a skin for VMFA-333 Shamrocks. A preview pic is up at my site: http://www.geocities.com/dpwms/index.htm

Agreed! One of my favorites. One is in development at the Skunkworks, and I hope it is ready when they release their Cuban campaign.

Nice! I especially like how you handled the tail on the v4 model, it looks like something you'd see on a CAG-bird today.

Just finished a skin depicting an F-4 of VF-92 "Fighting Silverkings". A preview pic is avilable here: http://www.geocities.com/dpwms/index.htm

If anyone from Thirdwire is reading, it would be nice if an "Apply to All" button could be added so that the marking and loadout selections you make could be quickly applied to all aircraft in your flight.

Thanks, Rat. Up until this skin I've been using Arial and MS Sans Serif, and drawing my own when necessary. Recently I found a set of fonts at this address: http://www.bobsyouruncle.net/font-types.htm that have been very useful, especially "USAFF CODE". There are no Bold or Italics included, but Photoshop can emulate them with "faux" modes and it works pretty well.

Thanks! VF-96's tail art was pretty wicked. Showtime 100 was the air group's CAG bird, and I'm still trying to figure out what the bumble bee and stars on the sides are supposed to represent. :D

Its pretty easy. Just put the skin in a new directory, add the texture set parameters to f4b.ini as specified in the skin's instructions, but change the "Directory" line to point the the directory where you actually put the skin.

Just emailed Jeff a new skin for "Showtime 100", the F-4 that Cunningham and Driscoll flew when they scored their third, fourth and fifth MiG Kills on 10 May 1972. A pic is available at my preview site: http://www.geocities.com/dpwms/index.htm

Definately helpful in getting the layout of the markings. Hmmm, just a sec... I thought I recognized that scheme. Wings of Fame Vol. 5 has the F-8 as its focus aircraft. There is a nice color pic of four VMF-312 aircraft flying over the San Bernadino mountains. The scheme is slightly different from the one in your pic in that the aircraft lack the checkerboard pattern on the wingtips, but other than that very similar and very sharp looking. If you like I'll scan the pic and send it to you tomorrow. I also note that the squadron designation is VMF(AW)-312. I suppose the "All Weather" is a refernce to the fact that the F-8E was equiped with a radar and a ruamentary IR tracking system?

I'm so there. The F-8 IMO is one of the most beautiful aircraft ever built.

Sorry Dagger, I didn't mean to imply any problem. Both sets of tanks are great. I was just joking about my including a link to a "rival" site in a download Jeff is kind enough to host. :D

I didn't know Jeff was working on tanks so I directed people over to the Skunkworks for Lobo's tanks. Oops.

Glad you like it!