Jug

Looks good, Mike, press on!

Ditto. Very well done!

Hey guys, I wish you could try to translate to English what you are saying amongst yourselves. I can only speak for myself, but I would like to know your inputs on the aircraft, terrain, ground objects, etc. in this game. For a long time, us guys over here never even got a look at the military hardware your countries were using and your conversations are extremely interesting. Unfortunately, my Polish is a bit rusty and your translations are much better. Keep us included, please.

Ditto. Cannot add up the hours of enjoyment I have had in the sims and with the mod community focused here.

I installed the Q-5D II (5/25/2008) in WoV according to the instructions. Using the PLAAF Green skin texture set. Changed the Q-5D.ini as follows: [TextureSet001] <----- added this entire block Directory=NorthVietnam Name=PLAAF Green Nation=NVietnam Specular=0.400000 Glossiness=0.400000 Reflection=0.000000 Put the MiG-tinted F-4E cockpit by Richard Pitts2A Ordway to replace what came in the install. (OK, no offense to modding team, but I'm used to flying with it and know where all the instruments are.) and added a new texture folder that includes: canopyglass.tga decals.ini numbers.lst q5-1.bmp q5-2.bmp q5-3.bmp q5-4.bmp q5-5.bmp TextureSet.ini TextureSet.ini modified as follows: [TextureSet] Name=PLAAF Green Nation=NVietnam Squadron= Specular=0.400000 Glossiness=0.400000 Reflection=0.000000 and a decals.ini modified as follows: [Decal001] MeshName=RightWing DecalLevel=0 DecalFacing=TOP FilenameFormat=Insignia Position=3.284,-1.988 Scale=1.2 Rotation=-45 DecalMaxLOD=3 [Decal002] MeshName=RightWing DecalLevel=0 DecalFacing=BOTTOM FilenameFormat=Insignia Position=3.284,-1.988 Scale=1.2 Rotation=45 DecalMaxLOD=3 [Decal003] MeshName=LeftWing DecalLevel=0 DecalFacing=TOP FilenameFormat=Insignia Position=-3.284,-1.988 Scale=1.5 Rotation=45 DecalMaxLOD=3 [Decal004] MeshName=LeftWing DecalLevel=0 DecalFacing=BOTTOM FilenameFormat=Insignia Position=-3.284,-1.988 Scale=1.5 Rotation=-45 DecalMaxLOD=3 [Decal005] MeshName=Nose DecalLevel=2 DecalFacing=LEFT FilenameFormat=VPAFNum Position=4.708,-0.109 Scale=1.5 DecalMaxLOD=3 [Decal006] MeshName=Nose DecalLevel=2 DecalFacing=RIGHT FilenameFormat=VPAFNum Position=4.708,-0.109 Scale=1.5 DecalMaxLOD=3 [Decal007] MeshName=F DecalLevel=0 DecalFacing=LEFT FilenameFormat=Insignia Position=-2.98,0.19 Scale=1.5 DecalMaxLOD=3 [Decal008] MeshName=F DecalLevel=0 DecalFacing=RIGHT FilenameFormat=Insignia Position=-2.98,0.19 Scale=1.5 DecalMaxLOD=3 [Decal009] MeshName=airbrake02 DecalLevel=0 DecalFacing=RIGHT FilenameFormat=Insignia Position=-2.98,0.19 Scale=1.5 DecalMaxLOD=3 [Decal010] MeshName=airbrake03 DecalLevel=0 DecalFacing=LEFT FilenameFormat=Insignia Position=-2.98,0.19 Scale=1.5 DecalMaxLOD=3 [Decal009] MeshName=airbrake02 DecalLevel=0 DecalFacing=RIGHT FilenameFormat=Insignia Position=-2.98,0.19 Scale=1.5 DecalMaxLOD=3 I then modified the Q-5D_data.ini as follows: [MissionData] NationName=NVietnam <----- changed from China ServiceStartYear=1964 <----- changed from whatever it was ServiceEndYear=2016 AircraftRole=ATTACK AircraftCapability=DAY_AND_Night Availability=COMMON Exported=TRUE ExportStartYear=1964 <----- changed from whatever it was Added the landing lights to the [fuselage] section: SystemName[015]=LandingLight1 SystemName[016]=LandingLight2 at the end of the file, added the landing lights: [landinglight1] SystemType=Light Color=0.88,0.88,0.88 Brightness=0.05 //Position=[right/left of centerline],[fwd/aft from acft center],[above/below acft center] Position=-0.8800,0.4741,-0.1375 LightSrcOffset=2.6046,49.0560,0.0 LightSrcRange=150 LightRange=45.0 CanFlash=FALSE LightNodeName=LandingLight IsLandingLight=TRUE [landinglight2] SystemType=Light Color=0.88,0.88,0.88 Brightness=0.05 //Position=[right/left of centerline],[fwd/aft from acft center],[above/below acft center] Position=0.8800,0.4741,-0.1375 LightSrcOffset=2.6046,49.0560,0.0 LightSrcRange=150 LightRange=45.0 CanFlash=FALSE LightNodeName=LandingLight IsLandingLight=TRUE Wallah, we have a fictitional North Vietnam strike Q-5D ready for night ops! Pretty much did the same for the B and E model. Really gives the commies a retalitory punch that they never really had. Makes for some interesting scenarios for a war where air supremacy was only in question over Hanoi. Credits and Hosannas to the original creators: Model by: tomcat- (From www.insky.cn) Ini by: Erwin Hans (From www.insky.cn) Skins by: olo007 (From www.insky.cn)

Thank God no one was hurt worse. Thank God for you and your mates. Well Done!

Let me make sure that my tall tales are in perspective. I have never landed on an aircraft carrier in a U-2 and I don't believe I said I ever did. I, and other pilots, had long discussions with Tony Lavier (spelling-Lockheed test pilot) who did land a U-2 aboard an aircraft carrier. My description of the events and effects are what I got from him. I have made practice approaches in the U-2 to the carrier runway painted on the field runway at NAS Lemoore. U-2 operations on-board carriers were the very rare exception and not the rule. Facts associated with these exceptional carrier landings were not standard NATOPs procedures. Approach speed for the U-2 is 70-72 Knots. Carriers top speed is classified, but getting up to 40-50 knots can be done on a relatively calm sea. Sea breezes run from 15 to 25 knots on a regular day (according to the sailors I know). Let's do the math. 70 knots final approach speed minus 45 knots ship's speed is 25 knots closure on the ship. 25 knots closure on the ship minus the 15-25 knots sea breeze (ship turns into the wind for landings) is anywhere from 0 to 10 Knots closure on the ship. The increase in flap extension from 30 degrees to 40 degrees results in a power-on approach (vs the 68% [idle] to 71% normal approach throttle setting) for the U-2 because of the extensive additonal drag. According to Tony, you could run out of gas just trying to making it up to the carrier deck and if the wind was right you could almost power-on "hover" the U-2 (final approach speed matching the cumulative effects of the speed of the carrier and the speed of the relative wind) to the spot on the deck you wanted to land on and chop the power. U-2 landed right there and ususally drifted aft several feet. The U-2 is notorious for low speed handling (very physical) so all of this adds up to something that could be done, but not recommended on a day-to-day basis. Therefore, it remained an operational option, but not exercised outside of the original testing to my knowledge. Not sure what ruffled who's feathers in this discussion, but I'll be happy to keep my war stories for other forums if they are unacceptable here.

I just recorded from my CD's and use a Easy High-Q converter to change those files to .WAV files. I kinda like Steppenwolf's "Get your motor runnin" to kick off my WoV, Marshall Tucker Band's "Long Hard Ride" for successful mission seranade, and, among others, the Eagles' "Already Gone" to assist me in picking up the pieces when things don't go too well. It's a game and music just adds another dimension. "Feet Wet" headed home just begs for Fleetwood Mac's "Don't Stop". For WoV, if you go to this directory [C:\Program Files\Wings Over Vietnam\Menu], click on View, click on Arrange Icons by: Type, at the bottom of the file list in the right panel is your list of game .WAV files. The file names are pretty self explanitory. All you have to do is to copy a music piece as a .WAV file into the directory, rename the original (e.g. DebriefFail.Wav --> DebriefFail.old) then rename your new music file to the name it replaces (e.g. AlreadyGone.Wav --> DebriefFail.Wav). It disturbs Windows profoundly to change the last three characters of a filename, but just click on through the warnings. To reverse the process, just rename everything back the way it was.

During Desert Storm, local schools started a letter writing campaign for those who did not get much from home. Following the conclusion of Storm, one of the neatest visits I saw was a big UH-60 that flew from a unit in Clarksville, TN, (Fort Campbell) to visit an elementary school in Springfield, TN. All of the soldiers on the helicopter had been the recipients of the letters from the kids at that school and wanted to pay a courtesy visit back. The kids in the elementary school went nuts, and ruined the school day, as far as I am concerned, it was some damn good expenditure of US Tax $$.

Ditto!!

Happy Birthday, Zur. I faintly remember passing 40........................

Is the 'How To' for the merged SF/WoV/WoE in the Knowledge Base?

Wrench, I assume you mean like this: [DetectSystem] RadarType=AIR_INTERCEPT RangeUnit=NM RadarAzimuthLimit=60 RadarElevationLimit=60 RadarSearchTime=2.0 RadarSearchRange=90 RadarSearchStrength=80 RadarTrackTime=5.0 RadarTrackRange=60 RadarTrackStrength=60 VisualBlindArc=5,6,7 VisualRestrictedArc=4L,8L MaxVisibleDistance=8400.0 HasGrowl=TRUE

May the good Lord grant rest to the brave sailors of the Kursk and some peace for their families.

Ditto!

Wow!!!!!!!! Cannot wait!!!!!!!

Actually, condensation trails are a function of the atmospheric conditons and are not always visible. Pardon a small correction.

Hear, hear!

It's all about the money guys. USAF wants more F-22s, India wants more Su-30s, China wants more J-10s. The stage is set to favor the vendor and present his sales case. I have a Masters in statistical analysis and the only thing I have learned about statistics is that you get the answer you want. If you like the outcome it is the veritable truth, otherwise it is ruled an invalid sample. Yada-yada-yada. At the end of the day, you have to own a piece of turf to land on and 21 days to Baghdad is a memory most recent. As an AF guy, this hurts, but the USN is the real power in any battle scenario where they can play because they stand a better chance of recovering their air forces and pitching them back in the battle. The air war does not stand alone and their are many other things to occupy an Air Force in a pitched battle. For instance, how much would the air battle change if the Indian Navy surface fleet or ground forces (SAMs) were engaged at the same time. The modern battlefield is a complex scenario and those that work toward integrated forces have the true force multiplier, not the individual air machine. In that respect, remember the air war was over in the first 12 hours of Operation Iraqi Freedom. These scenarios presented by the various vendors are to sell their various products and are a real stretch to compare what machine will reign supreme. Bye the way, how long has the Eagle reigned supreme in hostile skys. Sooner or later all of the best are overtaken by time, then again that is what the F-22 and F-35 are all about. Wonder how the Su-30 would stand up against those two? I guess what I mean to say is that the Su-30 at the beginning of its service life may be a good competitor for the F-15 at the end of its service life. So?

SuperSqueekTweaks.txtSuperSqueekTweaks.txt Three changes to the A-Teams sweet A-37B: 1) Get rid of the dude in the right seat. All you see is his fat face looking right and visibility is poor in that direction with him there. Most Super Squeek missions were solo anyway. 2) Add a landing light. Helps out on night landings a bunch. 3) Re-activate the canopy animation. It is hot in Vietnam! contents of the attached will step you through the process.

Thanks, Kevin. This is really a cusp point. Me, actually contributing something worthwhile! One each ice-cold Corona coming up.

No. You can re-program the CTRL-L to a joystick or throttle button, but the nav lights are linked to the landing light. I realize I was a little off topic since discussion on this thread is about instrument lights, but I thought to toss in the landing light thing. I think I have read here on a previous post that there is some linkage as to when (what time of day) the interior lights come on and when (what time of day) the runway lights come on in the knowledge base. However, instrument lights, their colors, and which ones actually illuminate are not programmable that I know of.

I have had a lot of fun adding landing lights to aircraft. Some aircraft have landing light files you can cut and paste from here in CA's download area, but for those aircraft that are not listed, you can try this: Add this to the bottom of the [aircraft]_data.ini: [LandingLight] SystemType=LIGHT Color=0.88,0.88,0.88 Brightness=0.50 //Position=[right/left of centerline],[fwd/aft from acft center],[above/below acft center] Position=0.0,4.6,-1.6 LightSrcOffset=0.0,0.0,0.1 LightSrcRange=150 LightRange=45.0 CanFlash=FALSE LightNodeName=LandingLight IsLandingLight=TRUE Add this to the bottom of the [Fuselage] (or sometimes the [Nose]) section: SystemName[XXX]=LandingLight Change the XXX to be the next sequential number. Then if you follow the positioning info line above in the [LandingLights] section and move the numbers around, you can put the light on the nose gear above the wheel as is common on many aircraft or doubleup and put the lights just below the wing near the main landing gear. If you double up, rename the [LandingLights] to [LeftLandingLight] and [RightLandingLight] and add the SystemName[XXX] to the appropriate wing. Play around with the numbers until you see the bright light around the area that you want it to be and correct from there. CTRL-L turns the nav lights on along with the landing light and I have found resting on the runway ready for takeoff is a good place to test corrections in positioning of the lights. Some aircraft (F-106) have lights on the nose gear and under both wings. The lights go off and come on with gear retraction and extension respectively. This is an easy mod and fun for someone who is new to the game or of limited capacity like myself.

The quality of the ReadMe files is excellent. Those will give you what you need to download most things here and then there is CA's extensive Knowledgebase. My suggestion is to download some environmental enhancements to WoE (e.g. weather effects and terrain), install them, and ensure they are functioning properly, then get the latest weapons kits. Following successful installation and function tests, then start with the aircraft. Please follow the directions and make backups when suggested. Welcome aboard.

Good on you and your preservation group, Buff. The Buc was too sweet a bird to just fade away as is the Lightning.