What Are You "Flying" Today?

[Major Lee]

I haven't flown this one in awhile; it's a lot harder than one might imagine. This is the Wright Flyer B model, from "Birhle Engineering "First Flight: The Wright Experience". I believe FF came out in 2003 as a 100th anniversary commemoration.  You can fly the 1902 glider, the 1903 flyer or the B flyer. Flight environments included Kitty Hawk NC, Fort Meyers VA and College Park MD. In the interest of disclosure, I contributed the 46 star American flag during the beta test process. (Birhle also incorporated my Strike Fighters Himalaya Mountains map into their D-Six flight model development software.)(FF was made in conjunction with Tsuyoshi Kawahito from Thirdwire Productions, maker of the Strike Fighters series). If I recall correctly, the big development for TK and this sim was the dynamic wind that was necessary for the glider to be able to fly since it had no means of propulsion.

[wheelsup_cavu]

13 hours ago, Major Lee said:

I haven't flown this one in awhile; it's a lot harder than one might imagine. This is the Wright Flyer B model, from "Birhle Engineering "First Flight: The Wright Experience". I believe FF came out in 2003 as a 100th anniversary commemoration.  You can fly the 1902 glider, the 1903 flyer or the B flyer. Flight environments included Kitty Hawk NC, Fort Meyers VA and College Park MD. In the interest of disclosure, I contributed the 46 star American flag during the beta test process. (Birhle also incorporated my Strike Fighters Himalaya Mountains map into their D-Six flight model development software.)(FF was made in conjunction with Tsuyoshi Kawahito from Thirdwire Productions, maker of the Strike Fighters series). If I recall correctly, the big development for TK and this sim was the dynamic wind that was necessary for the glider to be able to fly since it had no means of propulsion.

Reminded me of the problems they had on the 100th anniversary of the first flight with the replica Wright Flyer in 2003.

Quote

KILL DEVIL HILLS, North Carolina – A 100th-anniversary attempt to re-create the Wright brothers' first flight flopped Wednesday when a delicate, wood-and-muslin replica of their airplane failed to get off the ground and splashed into a mud puddle.

On a rainy day when the winds on North Carolina's Outer Banks were uncharacteristically calm, a team of engineers tinkered with the plane and waited in vain for the breeze to pick up before they finally gave up trying to match the feat of the two self-educated bicycle mechanics from Dayton, Ohio.

"Well, if this were easy, I guess everyone would do it," said Tom Poberenzy, president of the Experimental Aircraft Association, a group of aviation enthusiasts that had a hand in building the painstakingly accurate reproduction.

 

Read the entire article here: Wright Flyer Replica Fails to Fly

Wheels

[javelina]

Have the AAR dialed in now with the F-4E.  Can now conduct extended range missions with the Rhino loaded up as a bomb truck.  Will be heading out later this morning to churn some dirt....

[Major Lee]

A few screenshots from "First Fight", this time of the Wright Glider from 1902. Get her into the wind and you can really get somewhere. My last flight was 1354', my best. Really got to hunt for the wind direction. Force feedback joystick really helps!

 

[Boo]

On 9/29/2024 at 4:59 PM, javelina said:

Have the AAR dialed in now with the F-4E.  Can now conduct extended range missions with the Rhino loaded up as a bomb truck.  Will be heading out later this morning to churn some dirt....

Since Im still sans cockpit I thought id settle for letting the AI F4 do some SEAD. But it doesnt. No matter what I try. Just wanders on by like Ryanair....

[javelina]

1 hour ago, Boo said:

Since Im still sans cockpit I thought id settle for letting the AI F4 do some SEAD. But it doesnt. No matter what I try. Just wanders on by like Ryanair....

I've been using the mod that adds the AGM-78 Standard missile.  A little more fun going after the SAM's now, instead of the AGM-45a.

[Boo]

3 minutes ago, javelina said:

I've been using the mod that adds the AGM-78 Standard missile.  A little more fun going after the SAM's now, instead of the AGM-45a.

Id just be happy if it launched anything. I mean, it does launch stuff sometime, just not at what its meant to!

[Sea Serpent]

Have either of you two guys tried to fly a Bullpup missile to its target?  I’ve gone off to other planes for the time being, but that was one of the last things I tried in the F-4, and it was tough, and of course I missed with every one of them.  But I was using a hat stick.  Since I have an old CH Fighter Stick, I’m going to Velcro it to an appropriate place in my control scheme, and try it like that next time.

Edited October 1 by Sea Serpent

[Boo]

3 hours ago, Sea Serpent said:

Have either of you two guys tried to fly a Bullpup missile to its target?  I’ve gone off to other planes for the time being, but that was one of the last things I tried in the F-4, and it was tough, and of course I missed with every one of them.  But I was using a hat stick.  Since I have an old CH Fighter Stick, I’m going to Velcro it to an appropriate place in my control scheme, and try it like that next time.

Obviously, Im very much in theoretical mode at the moment. Is it possible to trim up the aircraft and use a modifier (I had the flip trigger on my T50 set up for this) with the joystick to switch it to Bullpup steering? Im thinking you really only need 3 or 4 secords of steering and given the target really needs to be front and centre, there isnt a whole lot of deviation in the F4s path during that time. 

[Sea Serpent]

8 hours ago, Boo said:

Obviously, Im very much in theoretical mode at the moment. Is it possible to trim up the aircraft and use a modifier (I had the flip trigger on my T50 set up for this) with the joystick to switch it to Bullpup steering? Im thinking you really only need 3 or 4 secords of steering and given the target really needs to be front and centre, there isnt a whole lot of deviation in the F4s path during that time. 

I don’t see any reason you couldn’t turn on the AFCS (attitude hold), point your nose at the target, and then flip your controls over momentarily to command the Bullpup.

[Boo]

1 hour ago, Sea Serpent said:

I don’t see any reason you couldn’t turn on the AFCS (attitude hold), point your nose at the target, and then flip your controls over momentarily to command the Bullpup.

It seems the way quite a few do it.......the one time they use the Bulpup 🙂 

[Sea Serpent]

12 hours ago, Boo said:

It seems the way quite a few do it.......the one time they use the Bulpup 🙂 

Well then don’t fly directly down the target bearing, and fire it off at a stand-off distance, so they don’t get you.  Just theoretical, for when I get back to the F-4.😏

[Boo]

1 hour ago, Sea Serpent said:

Well then don’t fly directly down the target bearing, and fire it off at a stand-off distance, so they don’t get you.  Just theoretical, for when I get back to the F-4.😏

Pah! Standing off is fer sissys! 🙂 

[Major Lee]

A few screenshots from the Strike Fighters series, any where, any time...

 

[Major Lee]

Strike Fighters: Project 2 Wings Over Europe. The A10 is a very nice flyer!

Bringing my A10 back home, a little worse for wear...

Port air brake is gone, as is one flap on that side; pulls a bit to one side. Glad the rudders both work.

 

Edited October 7 by Major Lee
Additional information

[Sea Serpent]

Not familiar with Strike Fighters.  I’m surprised you haven’t checked out the Flaming Cliffs module for DCS World, with a nice A-10A and Sabres and MiGs too.  Well done aircraft, but not the full on study-sim style, and in a current sim engine.

[Major Lee]

I was attached to Strike Fighters from way back. I helped (uncompensated) with the map and back story of SF when it was 'under construction'. By the time those other sims had come out, I didn't really have time for flight sims in general, so I missed a number of what look like really good simulations. Priorities and what not. Now that the flight bug has bitten again and I have time, I'm back to flying what I have, and am eagerly awaiting Combat Pilot. 

[Boo]

Today I have been mainly flying in the face of popular opionion and maintaining my stance that Kola is bobbins. 

 

[Sea Serpent]

It really doesn’t look like your negative impressions are in the complete minority of opinions over there.  Seems like except for a few staunch fans, the reception is pretty meh.

[Boo]

43 minutes ago, Sea Serpent said:

It really doesn’t look like your negative impressions are in the complete minority of opinions over there.  Seems like except for a few staunch fans, the reception is pretty meh.

Damn!! - maybe I should start dissing the Jeff again! 🙂 

[Major Lee]

A10s over the "Danger! Bering Straits" map, in Strike Fighters 2.

A10 unleashes a Maverick

A10 lands by the light of the moon over the perpetual twilight of a northern Alaska winter's day.

[Mysticpuma]

Flying around the P51B and the skin I created 🙂

The story of the aircraft.

All three squadrons of the 332nd Group, a total of 48 P-51 Mustangs, took off from the Ramitelli base to provide high-altitude cover for flying fortresses. The meeting with the bombers was planned over the Lake Balaton area of Hungary.

During the flight, three P-51s detached from the group due to technical problems and returned back across the Adriatic Sea to Italy.

After reaching the rendezvous point with the bomb group, the lead bombardier announced a thirty-minute delay. The fighters therefore waited in the area of the lake and then flew into the area of Vienna, where at an altitude of 30 thousand feet, they provided high-altitude cover for the bombers.

The raid took place from 11:40 a.m. to 12:35 p.m. The Mustangs then turned back without encountering any Luftwaffe fighters during the entire flight, however, two Mustangs did not return to base.

One P-51B was hit by flak, the other was this aircraft  named "Daisy Mae" piloted by 2nd/Lt. Albert L. Young.

Yellow flight Leader 1st/Lt Perkins reported seeing his wingman at about 12:05 in a "supine" position with one booster tank that had not released. The plane spun and fell, it appeared that Young was unable to stop the fall. Perkins headed down after him but he was unable to communicate with Lt. Young to assist him. Then Perkins lost of the aircraft and had to head for home.

It only became clear later what had become of Lt. Young.

In case of urgent technical problems, the 332nd pilots had been instructed at the pre-flight briefing, to continue the course to the east, to the area that was already occupied by the Red Army. However, at 12:30, Young's Mustang appeared 100 kilometers north, in the area of the village of Blučina. The plane crashed in a field north of Blučina and exploded. Debris was scattered tens of meters away by the explosion. The dead body of Lt. Young was found about one kilometer northeast of the village. The pilot apparently tried to save himself with a parachute, but it did not open.