AH C-46 Commando released.

[Swanoir]

I agree with the above comments. Looks great but far too sprightly and twitchy. I was expecting the handling to be akin to the DC3 but it felt more like a Cessna! As has been already said, hopefully we can expect a service pack soon.
Just a quick tip if you're interested: I'm all for realism, but I'm also a lazy bugger. Having no rudder pedals I can't stand having to try and steer with differential brakes. On a hunch, I tried using the config fix that comes with Manfred's C47 to enable tailwheel steering and lo and behold it worked! (The instructions are in the readme text with the C47)

[Tako_Kichi]

Just a quick tip if you're interested: I'm all for realism, but I'm also a lazy bugger. Having no rudder pedals I can't stand having to try and steer with differential brakes. On a hunch, I tried using the config fix that comes with Manfred's C47 to enable tailwheel steering and lo and behold it worked! (The instructions are in the readme text with the C47)

It's not rocket science but a simple understanding of what the [contact_points] section of the aircraft.cfg file does can allow you to adjust any aircraft's tail/nose wheel behaviour to suit your requirements.

The first thing to do is to look in column 1 of the section for a value of 1. This value identifies the following parameters of the line as being for a wheel (as opposed to a scrape or float point etc.)

The next thing to do is to look in column 3 of the lines with a 1 as the first value for a 0 (zero). This is the lateral position value (i.e. left to right) and a value of 0 (zero) means the wheel is on the centre-line of the aircraft and must therefore be either the nose or tail wheel.

Having found the correct wheel look at column 8 in that line to see what the value is. This is the steering angle value and it will usually be somewhere between 30 and 60 or it will be 180. Any value other than 180 means the wheel is steerable and the amount of steering available is the number entered in degrees either side of the straight-ahead position (0). A value of 180 means the wheel is castoring and you will need to use differential braking in order to steer.

NOTE: Be careful when changing the values for a steerable wheel as too large a value will cause the aircraft to skid rather than steer. You will need to test a value in the sim and may need to adjust it several times before you get a number you are happy with.

After making your changes make sure you save the aircraft.cfg file and then test the aircraft to see how it performs. Rinse and repeat as necessary.

If you don't have the FSX SDK there is one available online (minus the tools) here: https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc527029.aspx
It's for Microsoft ESP but it is identical to the FSX SDK.

Here is the info on contact points from that online SDK: https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/librar ... ocId836373
That should tell you everything you would need to know about the contact point system and how it works.

Hope that helps.

[Nigel H-J]

Think I will hold off from this one until they get it updated.

Having no rudder pedals I can't stand having to try and steer with differential brakes. On a hunch, I tried using the config fix that comes with Manfred's C47 to enable tailwheel steering and lo and behold it worked! (The instructions are in the readme text with the C47)

I also have Manfreds' C47 but decided not to use the config fix, instead I just use differential throttles though do have the CH Quadrant but it still requires very gentle handling only have one lever for the brakes as need the others for prop and mixture.

Regards
Nigel.

[Paul K]

Just out of interest, how practical an idea is it to alter the flying characteristics? I've been reading through the manual for Air Wrench, trying to get a feel for what might be possible. My main concern is the Commando's reported short take-off run, which was also an unwanted feature of A.H.'s Chipmunk. For that aircraft, I received a modified air file and config, which sorted the problem out, so I assume it would be a similar process for the Commando.

[Swanoir]

It's beyond my skillset Paul, but something I'd be very keen to know. It would be nice for JF to update it their end and release a service pack, as they did with the FD for the Dove.

[Paul K]

It's beyond my skillset Paul, but something I'd be very keen to know. It would be nice for JF to update it their end and release a service pack, as they did with the FD for the Dove.

Hi mate,

Paul Frimston ( aka Delta558 hereabouts ) did some revised aicraft config and AIR files for the A.H. Chipmunk, making the take-off run much more realistic. So, it can be done - I just need to find out if it is indeed Air Wrench that I need, and then how to use it. Retirement is close, so I will very soon have the time to devote to such things.

[Swanoir]

Just a quick update, JF have now released a service pack and although I haven't had much time to test it, early impressions are encouraging. The handling seems much 'heavier' and far less sprightly.

[Paul K]

Unfortunately, the heavy handling and less sprightly performance that comes with SP1 renders the aircraft almost unflyable. You can climb slowly by thrashing the engines, but you've no hope of a decent climb rate if you throttle back at all.

Martyn at JF says they are going to look into it all and presumably rectify things. The model itself is fine but let down, at present, by ongoing problems with the FDE. I hope they do get it sorted because it deserves success.

[Swanoir]

That's a shame Paul. Like I said, I really only had a very short hop so I didn't have time to properly evaluate the update. Let's hope JF can got it sorted soon.

[Paul K]

Indeed mate, it is a shame. I don't know whether you visit the JF forum, but if you look in the C-46 section, there are a lot of people ( including me ) complaining about the performance of the aircraft. Some have gone for refunds, but I'm not at that point yet. I have faith that it will all come good in the end.

http://forum.justflight.com/

I check their forum daily now, so if I see any more news, I'll post it here.