Aero L-39 Albatros

[Nick C]

Has anyone stumbled on this one before?

http://lotus-films.blogspot.com/

Make sure you check out the VC, it looks fantastic.

[Kiwikat]

Yep I've been waiting for it for months now.

It's almost there... :applause::medals:

[Lotus]

Uh oh... I've been discovered. (Scuttles project quietly...). hehe. :)

Thanks for the kind words Nick. It's coming very soon. Just sorting out the final distribution details and building the website and promo vid. It has a few surprises in store, so I've kept it pretty low key throughout its development.

Cheers,

-Mike

[Bone]

Absolutely outstanding! Freeware? I like the idea of a high performance AI model being included...something I've wished had been included with many other packages.

[Kiwikat]

Absolutely outstanding! Freeware?

Nope. I'm sure it will be well worth whatever is charged for it too. I've been waiting for a good L-39 for years...

[Lotus]

Thanks Bone. No, sorry, it has taken me 15 months to develop, full time (at 12-16 hours per day average), so it has to be payware.

-Mike

[centuryseries]

Yeah known for a while with eager anticipation! :ernae:

From what I know it's an incredible simulation :medals:

[Nick C]

Just been looking through the photo album Mike and the only thing better than those lovely models and skins, is the commentary that accompanies the images. :d

[Bone]

Thanks Bone. No, sorry, it has taken me 15 months to develop, full time (at 12-16 hours per day average), so it has to be payware.

-Mike

I'll gladly pay for quality and hard work.

[Lotus]

Thanks very much guys. I really appreciate your enthusiasm, especially in this 11th hour when I'm *totally* out of energy. Must soldier on though. :)

Here are a couple more pics that aren't on my blog.




http://www.rafale-imagery.com/images/L39prev1.jpg

http://www.rafale-imagery.com/images/L39prev2.jpg

http://www.rafale-imagery.com/images/L39prev3.jpg

[spotlope]

Oh yeah, sign me up for one of those! I remember spending hours in my Captain Sim L-39 back in FS2000 (or was it 2002?) -- one of my favorite jets ever. This version looks outstanding. :medals::medals:

[Scarecrow]

Oh yeah, sign me up for one of those! I remember spending hours in my Captain Sim L-39 back in FS2000 (or was it 2002?) -- one of my favorite jets ever. This version looks outstanding. :medals::medals:

It was FS2000. I loved the CaptSim's L-39. The other day, I was digging through my old back-up CD's and found my copy CaptSim's L-39. I came this close to reinstalling FS2000.

I will be looking forward to this release.

[peter12213]

I really can't wait for this, I wanted an l39 for years and i only just found out about this one ...can't wait for it now and great work!!:ernae:
The more Russian jets we have the better I say, I love them all!

[anatolpopov]

I really can't wait for this, I wanted an l39 for years and i only just found out about this one ...can't wait for it now and great work!!:ernae:
The more Russian jets we have the better I say, I love them all!


It's not Russian jet :a1451:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aero_L-39_Albatros

[Railrunner130]

Really nice!! :icon29:

[Lotus]

Haha, indeed it is not a Russian jet, nor should it be called a Czech airplane, Slovaks get very upset about this I discovered early on. It's a Czechoslovakian creation through and through. :) However, considering that about 2200 of the 4100 L-39's produced went straight to the Russian air force, I guess you could say it's theirs as well.

Thanks for all the nice comments guys. I agree, it's been too long since there was a new L-39 for FS, hence my start on this mad journey over a year ago.

This L-39 is a bit of a different beast. I've built it specifically for Shared Cockpit training and multiplayer formation flight from the start, with an obsession for high framerate, all at the expense of my sanity.

If you like abusing your friends in Shared mode with system and instrument failures and all that, you'll probably get a kick out of this thing. ;) It's good fun in singleplayer, but to really experience all it has to offer you'll be wanting to fly online with your victims... er.. I mean friends.

All things going according to plan (like that ever happens) she'll be out in a couple weeks. :)

Cheers guys,

-Mike

[jmig]

Reaches for the credit card. :applause:

[Rimshot]

Amazing work! I'm gonna get her for sure :ernae:

[papab]

Me too as he grabs the credit card from his wife and runs away......

[Cag40Navy]

looking forward to it and welcome to SOH!

[hews500d]

Thanks very much guys. I really appreciate your enthusiasm, especially in this 11th hour when I'm *totally* out of energy. Must soldier on though. :)

Here are a couple more pics that aren't on my blog.




http://www.rafale-imagery.com/images/L39prev1.jpg

http://www.rafale-imagery.com/images/L39prev2.jpg

http://www.rafale-imagery.com/images/L39prev3.jpg

Don't quit now Mike, you're almost there! I think the blue and white camo paint is my favorite. Is that paint scheme going to be available in the civilian model?

Darrell

[JayKae]

It IS awesome and I cannot wait for it, one man job... crazy!! You rock!

[Anneke]

Although it looks awesome, how much functionality is packed in those gorgeous VC's. I hope it's not only eye candy? I think of Rick Pipers great Hawk's which did not even have an APU modelled.

[GT182]

Mike, I groundcrew for an L39 that races at Reno.... Pipsqueak flown by Joe Gano here at KILG. I've sent him a link to your video. From what I see you've done a great job. I'll find out if it's ok for you to do a paint of Pip. He'd love that I'm sure, but you have to get in touch with him once I hear back from him. More on that later. ;) Link to Warbirds of Delaware is in my Sig showing Pip

Need a beta tester? Let me know.

[hews500d]

Mike, I groundcrew for an L39 that races at Reno.... Pipsqueak flown by Joe Gano here at KILG. I've sent him a link to your video. From what I see you've done a great job. I'll find out if it's ok for you to do a paint of Pip. He'd love that I'm sure, but you have to get in touch with him once I hear back from him. More on that later. ;) Link to Warbirds of Delaware is in my Sig showing Pip

Need a beta tester? Let me know.

I think Pip is already included in the package.

Darrell

[hews500d]

Although it looks awesome, how much functionality is packed in those gorgeous VC's. I hope it's not only eye candy? I think of Rick Pipers great Hawk's which did not even have an APU modelled.

Anneke, from what I've read it's going to be very functional with all the "quirks" of the real L-39 instrumentation.

Darrell

[GT182]

Darrell, ok I see that now. When I first read his blog it didn't sound as if it was included. I guess I was too excited to finally see an L-39 for FSX.

Pip is hopefully my next jet ride one of these days..... real life not pc. ;)

Mike, is the recovery autopilot switch included on the joystick for the 39s?

Here's the real Pipsqueak cockpit.

[hews500d]

Pip is hopefully my next jet ride one of these days..... real life not pc. ;)

.


GT be sure and take lots of pics when you get that ride !

Darrell

[GT182]

GT be sure and take lots of pics when you get that ride !

Darrell

You bet I will. As long as I can stand up to the 7 Gs too. Gotta join the 7 G Club. ;)

[d0mokun]

Love it. :ernae:

[RudiJG1]

Like Spotlope and Scarecrow, I too enjoyed the Cpt Sim's L-39 back in the day and can't wait to get my virtual hands on this...it looks fan-dam-tastic!

[BananaBob]

Great texture work bro, dang that's brilliant work all around!! :medals::medals:

[Lotus]

Hey guys, sorry for the slow response, was up all night working, needed a nap. :)

To answer all your questions...

Pipsqueak is included. I spoke with Joe Gano about it several months ago and he endorsed the idea and was kind enough to provide with me some performance data. Her performance is as close as I can make it to the real thing and quite a rocket compared to the stock L-39s. My version of Pip is in her race trim, with winglets instead of tip tanks, and with the back seat removed, so she's paired with a single seater VC. Goes like a scalded cat, and has about as much endurance. Full bore at sea level in that thing will run your tanks dry in about 35 minutes, hehe.

The version I have modeled is the original L-39C, the lightest, simplest, and most agile member of the Albatros family, and they didn't come with autopilots until the MS version that Aero made in the early 90's. The L-39C uses direct control rods, no hydraulics for flight control, and though autopilots can be fitted to them with great effort, I decided to leave it original. It's a stick and rudder plane anyway.

Almost everything is original equipment and steam gauged, all metric (except for the altimeter) and all 3D. The only non-original items are the radios, gps, and a secondary garmin OBS head, which are pretty common upgrades in reality, and essential given that Russian nav aid systems and radios don't really have any application in FSX. The plane is fully IFR capable.

As for functionality vs eye candy, well here's a shortlist of the modeled systems: Oxygen, pressurization, EGT limiter, engine de-ice, fuel controller, all electrical bus functions and depedencies, saphir starter turbine apu, emergency ram air turbine, main and emergency hydraulic systems with interconnect and emergency gear and flap release handles, all of the instrument failure mode switches, both red and white instrument light selections, the dreaded "network switch" (kills power to front cockpit), and an extending IFR hood in three variants.

The functionality and interdependencies of these are all based on the real L-39 operating manual and on my own experience in the jet, along with a ton of help from L-39 pilots and maintainers. Some of these systems have nasty 'consequences' if you ignore them. ;)

The only systems I haven't modeled really are the air conditioner (which is mostly automatic anyway) and the weapons arming and release stuff, which was pretty limited in the C model. If that weapons project comes to fruition in FSX I will likely revisit the arming and release stuff at a later date.

There are some other fun minor functions included and also a few nice surprises that I can't talk about until release day. :)

Oh and I agree on the 7G club. When I flew a real L-39C last August I didn't quite get to that, but did get to about 6.2 G and experienced the sparklies and a bit of tunnel vision for the first time, and that was with a g-suit. What a ride, something I will never forget.

Cheers guys,

-Mike

[MenendezDiego]

Very excited about this! Amazing work!

Diego

[Lotus]

Thanks for all the praise guys, much appreciated. :)

I forgot to answer a couple of questions...

@GT: Thanks for the offer of beta testing, but that part is thankfully all wrapped up, just have to finish the other two million things that have to go with a release, doubly hard when it's my first FS project. Heck of a lot more fun and satisfying than developing console games though. :)

@Darrell: Do you mean this blue and white camo below? If so, it is a civilian L-39, C-GOZA, Canadian registered, owned by Ed McDonald and based in Edmonton, and was the first paint I did actually. He retained the gun pod (disabled) for balance concerns and looks I think. ;) It's one of the three long range tank models included.

http://www.rafale-imagery.com/images/cgoza2.jpg


Thanks guys!

-Mike

[BananaBob]

Hey Mike, haven't you done some videos for FSX too?

[Lotus]

Hi Bob. Yessir I have, Vectors, Lament, Vantage and all those. I go by Ramasurinen on youtube. I used one of your paints in Vectors actually, that lovely dirty rogers scheme you made for the Iris F-14. :)

[BananaBob]

Hi Bob. Yessir I have, Vectors, Lament, Vantage and all those. I go by Ramasurinen on youtube. I used one of your paints in Vectors actually, that lovely dirty rogers scheme you made for the Iris F-14. :)

That's how I remember you, man those are cool vids!! You got talent sir! :ernae:

[Lotus]

Hehe, thanks Bob. I wish I had your painting talent, you make it look easy. Every single texture in this Albatros has been a battle for me, but also a good learning experience. :)

[An-225]

Keep up the good work, this airplane has been missing from FS for a long time, and we need more Vodka Burners!

[VaporZ]

Wow !
This is a very good news indeed !

My credit card is ready and this is now Priority One on my list of
"paywares to absolutely buy".

I also put the good news in french on "Pilote-Virtuel.Com" Forum of France
http://www.pilote-virtuel.com/viewtopic.php?id=11323

The Breitling Team being based at Dijon, France and all Pilots
being Ex-Armée De L'Air retired officers, your future Payware could eventually be very popular among French FlightSimmers.

Congratulations for this beautifull Digital ArtWork !
:applause:
VaporZ
:icon29:

[Lotus]

Thanks VaporZ. :) I have done the Breitling paints as well, both 2008 and 2009 schemes, but I cannot release them as part of the package. The Breitling team is very difficult keep in contact with. I've tried to get permission from them many times, by phone and email, but they never respond at all. I think they're too busy flying airshows right now to deal with a virtual L-39 hehe. Anyway, both paints will be available as a separate free download, probably on the day I release the plane.

They certainly are amazing to watch in action, especially considering that the L-39 is a challenging plane to fly in formation due to its very slow engine response and low thrust to weight ratio. They're truly excellent pilots.

Cheers,

-Mike

[peter12213]

Sorry you know what I mean soviet block type jets!

[hews500d]

Thanks for all the praise guys, much appreciated. :)

I forgot to answer a couple of questions...

@GT: Thanks for the offer of beta testing, but that part is thankfully all wrapped up, just have to finish the other two million things that have to go with a release, doubly hard when it's my first FS project. Heck of a lot more fun and satisfying than developing console games though. :)

@Darrell: Do you mean this blue and white camo below? If so, it is a civilian L-39, C-GOZA, Canadian registered, owned by Ed McDonald and based in Edmonton, and was the first paint I did actually. He retained the gun pod (disabled) for balance concerns and looks I think. ;) It's one of the three long range tank models included.

http://www.rafale-imagery.com/images/cgoza2.jpg


Thanks guys!

-Mike

Mike, yes that's the one! I was thinking it might have been the mil model with the gun pods. That paint scheme looks grrrrreat !

Darrell

[yago9]

100% awesome.I will buy it for sure.

[Txmmy83]

Mike,
looking very forward for your release it is a must buy plane for me
but hope that not only paypal is offered as purchase method since my father has a crusade with them and they are not helpful

arent you involved on IRIS T6 Video ?

BR
Tom

[Rezabrya]

Looking great. This is a must-buy for me. Me and Kiwikat will be doing some multiplayer flying in this bad boy as it seems like it will be great for multiplayer. I have to wonder though, how will performance be in this beast? It looks amazing and the VC is breath taking. It almost looks real. Keep up the great work!

[Lotus]

Hi Tom. To answer your question, I won't be selling it myself, more headache than I'm prepared to deal with on this first aircraft, and I don't have final sales details worked out yet but it will probably be available through Simmarket, FSpilotshop, or both, and possibly one other vendor. I'll have answers to that in about a week hopefully. Support will be through my own site though and I'll post the web address when it's finished. It's under heavy construction atm. Long story short, you won't have to use paypal.

On the Iris T-6 video, yes that was my work, long time ago now! hehe. David Brice is a friend of mine and has been very kind and helpful with advice along the way. :)

Raptor, thanks, glad you like the look of it. On performance, don't worry at all. I'm obsessive about framerate. I only fly in multiplayer, haven't flown singleplayer for pleasure in 3 years, so I've built everything in the plane for that much harder hitting environment. The external model is only slightly heavier on frames than the default FSX planes, only about 30-35k polygons depending on loadout, and the VC is brutally efficient in its modeling and mapping. Next to the shared cockpit functionality keeping performance as high as possible was my biggest goal on this project. My background is in console game development, the early days of it, PS1 and such, so I love getting the most out of the least. I'm fanatical about it really, hehe. The cpu hit from this aircraft is extremely low, just about everything is built into the model itself, no framerate sucking 2D gauges, so it's very smooth. It is somewhat videocard heavy though, using texture for detail rather than polygons in many cases, so the stronger your video card the better your performance will be.

I have a similar system to yours and when flying a full featured two seater VC Albatros I can get at least 4-5 other L-39s on screen with high scenery settings before my fps starts to drop below 30. I've also included three single seat VC models which knock about 20-25% of the render load off, so for big multiplayer trips (6-8 planes together) those might be the preferred rides. There's a totally stripped down formation team model as well, which will likely outperform the default Extra-300 in multi. That model has none of my special secret features really, and doesn't have bump maps, but has all the same systems functionality as the others. It's really meant for use by online formation teams only, since for them fps matters more than anything else, but it might also be of value to those with older and slower systems.

Cheers,

-Mike

[Txmmy83]

Hi Tom. To answer your question, I won't be selling it myself, more headache than I'm prepared to deal with on this first aircraft, and I don't have final sales details worked out yet but it will probably be available through Simmarket, FSpilotshop, or both, and possibly one other vendor. I'll have answers to that in about a week hopefully. Support will be through my own site though and I'll post the web address when it's finished. It's under heavy construction atm. Long story short, you won't have to use paypal.

On the Iris T-6 video, yes that was my work, long time ago now! hehe. David Brice is a friend of mine and has been very kind and helpful with advice along the way. :)

Raptor, thanks, glad you like the look of it. On performance, don't worry at all. I'm obsessive about framerate. I only fly in multiplayer, haven't flown singleplayer for pleasure in 3 years, so I've built everything in the plane for that much harder hitting environment. The external model is only slightly heavier on frames than the default FSX planes, only about 30-35k polygons depending on loadout, and the VC is brutally efficient in its modeling and mapping. Next to the shared cockpit functionality keeping performance as high possible was my biggest goal on this project. My background is in console game development, the early days of it, PS1 and such, so I love getting the most out of the least. I'm fanatical about it really, hehe. The cpu hit from this aircraft is extremely low, just about everything is built into the model itself, no framerate sucking 2D gauges, so it's very smooth. It is somewhat videocard heavy though, using texture for detail rather than polygons in many cases, so the stronger your video card the better your performance will be.

I have a similar system to yours and when flying a full featured two seater VC Albatros I can get at least 4-5 other L-39s on screen with high scenery settings before my fps starts to drop below 30. I've also included three single seat VC models which knock about 20-25% of the render load off, so for big multiplayer trips (6-8 planes together) those might be the preferred rides. There's a totally stripped down formation team model as well, which will likely outperform the default Extra-300 in multi. That model has none of my special secret features really, and doesn't have bump maps, but has all the same systems functionality as the others. It's really meant for use by online formation teams only, since for them fps matters more than anything else, but it might also be of value to those with older and slower systems.

Cheers,

-Mike
that is the best way you can do !
Thankyou

BR
Tom

[Rezabrya]

This is really sounding great. I cant believe you were able to squeeze all that detail into only 35000 polys! That is insane. You need to teach your methods to some other developers lol. Sell tutorials. Can't wait to give this thing a try.

[GT182]

Mike, I can get you photos of a Camo L-39 with gun pod and tip tanks here at KILG, if you don't have them yet. It also belongs to Joe I believe but isn't flying for an obvious reason, that can't be discussed. ;)

Mike, you should really have anoter skin or Pip with the rear seat. She's only missing that for the air races and the rest of the year it's installed. He gives quite a few rides in her. I even got to meet Curt Brown the shuttle pilot last winter. He was out here to ride with Joe and also fly Pip..... he's also a race pilot at Reno.

[Lotus]

Thanks Raptor. Repainters may hate me a bit because I've mapped it for the lowest number of texture vertices possible rather than ease of painting, but if you're going for performance then something has to give, hehe.

GT, thanks for the offer of pics. I don't have any more paints planned for the release, but I am going to make a few freebies in the weeks that follow. I never turn down reference material! :)

As for Pipsqueak, it's a major project splice off the stock L-39s, a totally separate project pipeline which is fixed at this point. To build a two seater version now would be an extreme hassle so I don't plan to, sorry. Unfortunately in Pip's case it isn't quite as simple as a texture swap. Pip is really a one-off model and intended for racing rather than cruising. Its race trim and alterations are what set it apart from the others, give it most of its performance advantage, and make it special. I'll look into it after release though.

-Mike

[f-18hornet]

Very nice plane you have made. Can't wait for release!:jump::gameon:

[tigisfat]

man oh man. This is how happy I am:

http://i595.photobucket.com/albums/tt32/walkeramerican/forum%20commentary%20pictures/1227868272116.gif

[Lotus]

man oh man. This is how happy I am:


That is just about the most disturbing thing I've ever seen, but I'm glad you're happy. :)

[tigisfat]

That is just about the most disturbing thing I've ever seen, but I'm glad you're happy. :)


is this better?

http://i595.photobucket.com/albums/tt32/walkeramerican/forum%20commentary%20pictures/1227958008915.jpg

[Lotus]

Hehe, awesome. On second thought, maybe I should add your dancing guy as an instructor in one of the variants. He already has his own helmet. :)

[hews500d]

man oh man. This is how happy I am:

http://i595.photobucket.com/albums/tt32/walkeramerican/forum%20commentary%20pictures/1227868272116.gif


:icon_lol: That just ain't right !!!

Darrell

[d0mokun]

Can we buy it yet? Please? Are we nearly there yet? Are we? Are we? :applause::engel016:

[kilo delta]

Tigisfat....my retinas hate you for posting that gif....same goes for you Darrell for copying it in your reply!!
shudder :173go1:

:bump: :icon_lol:

@ Lotus... fantastic job!:ernae: The vc in particular is a beauty. :)

[hews500d]

Tigisfat....my retinas hate you for posting that gif....same goes for you Darrell for copying it in your reply!!
shudder :173go1:

:bump: :icon_lol:

@ Lotus... fantastic job!:ernae: The vc in particular is a beauty. :)


I figured if I had to look at it everyone else should have to again also! :monkies:

Darrell

[Lotus]

Hehe, thanks guys. Yes, almost there, hopefully less than two weeks to go. Here's a still from the promo vid I'm putting together. Been a long time since I've done one of these, but Reno is my new favourite addiction in the jet. ;)

http://www.rafale-imagery.com/images/reno1b.jpg

[VFR Alexander]

I may have missed this, but: Price?

[Lotus]

I haven't decided on the price just yet, there are a couple people I still need to discuss that with, but it won't be exorbitant.

[hews500d]

Hehe, thanks guys. Yes, almost there, hopefully less than two weeks to go.

Hmmmm.. possibly a virtual flight to Oshkosh and the EAA convention if it's released in time :jump:

Darrell

[Tweek]

Keep up the good work, this airplane has been missing from FS for a long time, and we need more Vodka Burners!

If I'm gonna be picky, it's actually a Czech aircraft, rather than Soviet/Russian, but I agree with your sentiment all the same!

[flyindave]

It looks great, curious will there be a civilian mdl (ie: no gunsite) for us guys woh just like to zoom around.

Dave

[Lotus]

Thanks Dave. Yes there are four civilian models which do not have the gunsight installed, five if you count the Reno racer, Pipsqueak. Here's the model breakdown for those who might be curious:

9 dual cockpit models (5 are military, 4 civilian, 3 have long range tanks)
3 single cockpit models (2 military, 1 civilian)
1 Reno racer (civilian, single seat only)
1 Stripped down model for online formation teams (civilian, single seat only)

There are 10 unique paint schemes spread across these 14 models.

[centuryseries]

Do any have the special airliner gunsight lol :icon29:

Looking top notch!

Might have to retire my Blackbird for one of them! :ernae: Do you take part exchange lol?

[tigisfat]

Can we buy it yet? Please? Are we nearly there yet? Are we? Are we? :applause::engel016:

Enjoying that side of the fence, are we?:bump:


What the hell: WHEN IS IT COMING OUT!! I WANT AN EXACT DATE!!
(yes, I'm kidding)

http://i595.photobucket.com/albums/tt32/walkeramerican/forum%20commentary%20pictures/1228205180491.jpg

[Lotus]

Do any have the special airliner gunsight lol :icon29:


Well... actually... ;)

http://www.rafale-imagery.com/images/killmark.jpg

A very old screenshot from early development, about 9 months ago. :)

[brettt777]

Hey I work on these things for a living! Been looking for a good sim of it forever. I am wondering Lotus, do all the models have the factory stock cockpit panels like the pic shows? I would be happy to provide you some pics of actual L-39 cockpits that some of our customers have, if you're interested. I guess it may be too late in the production process for that though...? Just a thought. The factory cockpits look great though. I am very exited about this one!

[Lotus]

Thanks Brett. I replied to your PM. As for the cockpits, I've recreated the original L-39C as closely as possible, as they were delivered to Warsaw Pact air forces. The only western items are the altimeter, radios, and gps, everything else is original equipment. As much as I would like to do other cockpit variations, it would be almost impossible. The standard cockpit took me about 8 months to build and code haha. All of the cockpits are similar. The civilian ones don't have the gunsight, a couple have different throttle grips, and a few have an extending IFR hood installed, but they are otherwise the same.

[centuryseries]

Well... actually... ;)

http://www.rafale-imagery.com/images/killmark.jpg

A very old screenshot from early development, about 9 months ago. :)

:icon_lol: Remind me what was that airfield you showed me in FS? Was it in New Zealand? In case you're wondering, its me, David "Mr SR-71" AlphaSim-Quid21 of old lol :guinness:

[VaporZ]

Well Lotus I have to say I am very impressed !!!

But !
( I do not want to push the enveloppe too far )
lets talk about L-39 Pilots helmets !

1.
First, the military L-39 of the East
The old russian type helmet of the seventies !
and
The new russian type helmet of the eighties Plus !

2.
Second, the private Usa L-39
The old "Vietnam" type helmet
The newer "Current" Usaf helmet
and, finally....

3.
Third, the french GSF/Gallet helmet of the Breitleing Jet Team

Do you plan any "dynamic" options about it ?
Sorry to ask you this but ..... anyway ...... the question is asked !
:kilroy:
VaporZ

[Lotus]

Hi VaporZ. All of the L-39's in my package use a few different pilots but all with the same helmet, which is a western style one, with retractable visors.

Doing unique helmets for them would be a major hassle because the pilots are skinned mesh objects. I would have to rebuild, skin and animate each pilot every time I wanted to change a helmet, and that would end up being possibly hundreds of hours of work for something purely cosmetic. If I had made the pilots out of separate parts it would be possible, but I chose skinned mesh because it performs far faster in the sim and allows for lower polygon models.

The pilot textures will be included in the paint kit, so you can paint whatever colour helmets you like and put some simple designs on them, and change their faces, but that's all.

[VaporZ]

Thanks for the info Lotus !

Helmets :
I think some repaints could do the trick and gave the illusion on some
level to present different types of helmets.

Vancouver :
By the way, I have been to Vancouver 14 times during the last 4 years
for meetings ,my Senior Director and Vice-President being located there.

I was staying mostly at Pan Pacific Hotel, my hotel room always giving
me a good shot of the Heliport.

The WaterFront Heliport and continuous "Ballet" of Hydroplanes are
super cool !

I also know all the good restaurants on Robson Street.

I worked for the Quebec Division of Telus for the last 30 years and
from last january I am retired and happy to do more FlightSim.
:mixedsmi:
VaporZ

[hews500d]

Lotus, just curious, is there any way to control the visibility of the rear seat pilot (passenger) in the external view so that if we're flying solo they won't be visible?

...and ... are we there yet ?!?!!!?!! sorry.. couldnt resist ! :bump:


Darrell

[Lotus]

VaporZ, you're right about the 'ballet' of seaplanes. I live on the mountain directly across the harbour from the Pan Pacific and can hear them all day long haha. Next time you visit you'll have to try the restaurants on Commercial drive, some are much better than the ones on Robson. :) As for the helmets, there isn't a lot of texture space to work with, but you should be able to alter them reasonably to your liking if you wish.

Darrell, no unfortunately the pilots are not controllable by visibility tags for two reasons. One, they're skinned mesh, which has a habit of exploding when controlled that way (which you'll see a pic of at the end of the plane's manual actually, I did try), and two is that doing so causes those pilots to be removed from every other L-39 on your screen in a multiplayer session, an unavoidable FSX bug which I find highly ridiculous looking hehe. Everything about this plane was built to be stable and consistent in multiplayer first, singleplayer second, and this is one of those cases.

There is however only one pilot in the external models that are paired with single seat VCs, purely for logic's sake. :)

Cheers guys,

-Mike

[ryanbatc]

The RXP GNS430W looks like it could fit snugly into the cockpit according to this pic

http://www.rafale-imagery.com/images/L39/milpit2.jpg

[Lotus]

Ryan, if you have it then you're welcome to try, but I can give no guarantees on how well it would work, if at all. I'd be curious to know if it did work though, so if you do so please let me know after release.

Cheers,

-Mike

[Quixoticish]

I have to say I'm salivating at the prospect of this, and I can't wait to pick up a copy.

How are things coming along Mike?

[Lotus]

Thanks Chris. Things are coming along very well, hopefully available within a week or so now. :)

Another piccy from the coming promo vid...

http://www.rafale-imagery.com/images/vjazmainv.jpg

[yago9]

I dont think a promo video is needed..Any screenshot i,ve seen will do.Sold!!!

[Lotus]

Thanks Yago. Too late though, promo's already done. :) It will be out on release day as well. Besides, if I didn't do one I would probably get lynched on youtube at this point. I haven't done a new FSX movie in over a year because of this all consuming project, and people have been getting annoyed with me haha. Very much looking forward to taking down that old preview as well.

Another rear pit shot for fun...

http://www.rafale-imagery.com/images/rearpitclouds.jpg

[VaporZ]

Well, another good news !

if our friend Yago9 is interested in this FSX L-39 project
this means we could eventually have superb repaints for
the future.

On this matter, take a look at this web page from Americo Maia
covering 37 L-39 profiles from 24 different countries :

http://br.geocities.com/racc2004/l39/

You can click each L-39 to have the full profile.
Woo ! :isadizzy: Too Much colors ! :isadizzy:

VaporZ

[Kiwikat]

Yago9 isn't the only one here with a capable paint brush ;)

I fully intend on chipping away at the paint kit and doing some paints. I'm sure several other repainters here are interested too. :monkies:

Are we there yet... :running:

[BananaBob]

There's always painter interested, fantastic work bro!! :applause::applause::applause:

[Lotus]

I'm sure those Hungarian paints will be first on the list haha... downright scary as they are. ;)

I love the Albatros as an airplane of course but I have to be honest in saying that I detest about 99% of the paint schemes that have been put on them over the years, some are just aaawwwwful haha. The 10 that are included in the package are the ones I hate the least. :)

I've included a detailed manual with the paint kit, which will be essential reading for anyone wanting a crack at repaints, and the kit also contains three complete paints to use as reference for lining things up. Just remember, the plane's UVs were organized for raw render speed above all else, which is very important in multiplayer, and that comes at the expense of ease of painting a bit.

And yes, almost there. You'll be the first to know. :)

Cheers guys,

-Mike

[some1]

On the last shot I see some cool canopy scratches that are visible in the sun. Great work. :)

[dhl1986]

looks amazing. any idea on the price yet?

[VaporZ]

Well if Yago9, KiwiKat and BananaBob all want to do L-39 repaints
its even better.

Just talk each other to share repaints and not repeat any projects.

I like a lot the L-39 wearing desert schemes ( Libya, Egypt, Irak ).

The "Grape" scheme of Thailand L-39 is also super cool !
and
And I fully agree with Lotus about Hungarian schemes !
:ernae:
VaporZ

[Kiwikat]

I've already got 8 paints picked out from airliners.net. I hope to get pics of some real L39's at KOSH this week and paint them too. We'll see how it goes. :engel016:

[VaporZ]

And here is the list of L-39 operators ( countries )
available at WikiPedia :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Aero_L-39_Albatros_operators

The repaints options are ..... "numerous" ..... to say the least.
:mixedsmi:
VaporZ

[Lotus]

One of the problems with L-39 paints, at least the military ones, is that almost all of them are roughly the same. You'll find the same basic camo pattern with only minor local colour variations on the bulk of them. On the privately owned ones though just about anything goes it seems, especially among the guys who run them at Reno. For them, the more bonkers looking the better I guess. :)

I've made a personal request to future repainters in the paint kit manual but I'll make it here in advance as well while we're on the topic. I'm humbly asking that people please refrain from painting the civilian L-39 "Wild Child", if they are considering it. That sounds odd I know, and I expect it to be a popular choice since it's probably the most famous single L-39 of all, not to mention absolutely gorgeous.

Unfortunately what isn't generally known is that the aircraft was destroyed in a tragic accident a couple of years ago during some aerial filming. Both pilots on board were killed. I know the former owner of Wild Child personally, he's been an advisor to me throughout the project, plus I had the pleasure of flying in formation with him in another L-39, so I would just like to maintain respect for the dead, and his own loss of his aircraft, by leaving that one paint job well alone. I hope that's alright with you guys.

Oh, also I call dibs on the East German Airforce scheme (already started it anyway haha). It'll be available on my site when it's up, shortly after release.

The rest though?... have at em! haha.

@dhl1986: I don't have the price set yet, still talking to vendors about it.

Thanks very much guys,

-Mike

[hews500d]

On the last shot I see some cool canopy scratches that are visible in the sun. Great work. :)

I hadn't noticed the canopy scratches, brings back good memories of LOMAC :applause: I do love the instrument panel reflection in that shot as well. I've got a feeling this aircraft is going to "raise the bar" yet again for developers!

Darrell

[Lotus]

Thanks Darrell. I must bite my tongue... or fingers in this case. hehe

A few special things will soon be revealed. I do love surprises. :)

-mike

[Bjoern]

Wow, scratches in the canopy glass! Something that I really haven't seen outside LO:Mac (until now). :jawdrop:

[Death_Eagle_571]

That is looking absolutely beautiful!!! I have one question though, will there be a metric altimeter included instead of the standard one as an option?

[Dag]

Very very impressive work lotus, I love the texturing/shading of the VC especially.
I got some shots of some Lituanian AF ones that were at the base in 2000. They brought half their "fighter" Force to Sola AB Norway (3 aircraft) for a Partnership for Peace exercise. Nice aircraft, orange noses and tip tanks. Performance slightly better then a DeHaviland Vampire I remember they commented.

Thanks

[Lotus]

Hi Death Eagle, thanks, glad you like it. On the altimeter, unfortunately no, it's imperial only, but it is the only imperial gauge in the aircraft, all of the other steam gauges are original metric. Most military L-39s (the ones outside Russia anyway) and almost all privately owned planes had their metric altimeters replaced with Imperial ones in the 80's and 90's to conform to ICAO standards and it seemed logical to follow suit, especially when considering FSX. A metric altimeter option may be possible, but not at this time.

Since all of the gauges are 3D it would require a separate VC export pipeline to maintain, which at this stage is simply too risky. I will give it some thought if I decide to update the plane at all at a later date though.

Dag, thank you. I think I've seen the ones you're talking about. L-39s end up in quite a lot of excercises in Norway it seems. They're pretty tough to find on radar, especially in those mountains, and being so small they make challenging targets haha.

Bjoern, thanks, glad you like the scratches. I'm happy to say though that they are a minor feature. ;)

[some1]

Since all of the gauges are 3D it would require a separate VC export pipeline to maintain, which at this stage is simply too risky.

I'd say it would require only a little visibility trick and a hidden clickspot. Just an idea ;)

[Bjoern]

Bjoern, thanks, glad you like the scratches. I'm happy to say though that they are a minor feature. ;)

But a damn good one!

[yago9]

Lol.Kiwikat can do all the repaints on this one.It didn,t even cross my mind to paint this model.It looks perfect to me as is and I don't think I need any extra ones.

[empeck]

Wow! How did you did those scratches? Is it tiled normalmap? Come on, share your secrets :ernae:

[Lotus]

I'd say it would require only a little visibility trick and a hidden clickspot. Just an idea ;)

Yes, on a normal aircraft you'd be right, but there's more to this than meets the eye and the plane's hierarchy is quite sensitive. The plane is done and wrapped now, so I'm not willing to mess with it and possibly introduce bugs or inconsistencies just days before release. If I decide to update it later on I'll keep your request in mind.

As for how I did things... I'm glad you like it, but I have to keep some things to myself, sorry. 15 months of blood, sweat, and tears...and headaches..*lots* of those..... :)

[MenendezDiego]

This is a must buy!

[An-225]

Anyone here going to paint the two Albatrosse from Tomorrow Never Dies?

[Lotus]

Anyone here going to paint the two Albatrosse from Tomorrow Never Dies?

Actually a little trivia on those two planes. One of the guys who has helped me out with a great many technical and systems questions during the project, Bernd Rehn, was the same person who acquired and provided those two aircraft for that scene in Tomorrow Never Dies. If you look closely on the missiles hanging under the wings of one of them you'll see his company's sticker there: "Aero Contact".

It's a pretty stoopid and unrealistic scene overall... afterburners? on an Albatros? Still, I cheer every time I see Bond's L-39 blow the truck over on its side with its exhaust. ;)

They appear to be one former East German and possibly one Estonian Air Force planes. East German (yellow tips) will be the next free paint I make.

[An-225]

They appear to be one former East German and possibly one Estonian Air Force planes. East German (yellow tips) will be the next free paint I make.

Brilliant! It is an iconic scene (in my opinion). Even if SB-5 torpedoes have no real counterpart, it was a fun part of the movie, and I may look into renovating Courchevel in FSX to give this bird a home. :ernae: The ground turning radius looks quite amazing in the movie, I would imagine those gun pods and B-8 rocket pods would be a lot of fun.

[Lotus]

It turns out they are both former East German AF planes, so I'll be doing the yellow tip one for sure, and it's no bother to do an orange as well, but they will retain their original insignias, which were removed for the film obviously.

Some more pics from the making of that scene if you're interested.

http://www.aero-contact.net/Firma/History/Gallery1996-JB.htm

On steering radius, yes you're right. The L-39 has no nose wheel steering, only differential braking, so if you stomp one brake and give it just the right amount of power you can almost spin it in place.

[hews500d]

Actually a little trivia on those two planes. One of the guys who has helped me out with a great many technical and systems questions during the project, Bernd Rehn, was the same person who acquired and provided those two aircraft for that scene in Tomorrow Never Dies. If you look closely on the missiles hanging under the wings of one of them you'll see his company's sticker there: "Aero Contact".

.

Judging from what I've read on the L39.com website Bernd is pretty much "the expert" when it comes to all things L-39. :applause:

Darrell

[Lotus]

Judging from what I've read on the L39.com website Bernd is pretty much "the expert" when it comes to all things L-39. :applause:

Darrell

Indeed. Between him and Chuck Kerber I doubt anyone else knows more about the L-39. I was only able to stump Bernd with one question out of maybe 100, and then he simply called up one of his friends at Aero who built the real ones to get me an answer. :) All of the folks in the L-39 community I have gotten to know are seriously generous people. It's been humbling.

[italoc]

:medals::applause::medals::applause:
When? Where ? How ?
Italo

[Lotus]

:medals::applause::medals::applause:
When? Where ? How ?
Italo

When: Very soon! Probably less than a week.
Where: Simmarket & FS Pilotshop probably
How: Direct download + registration key

I'll make a release post here when everything is finished and ready. Cheers.

[Rick_Piper]

Hi Lotus

Waiting patiently with my money ready :ernae:

Regards
Rick

[brettt777]

I love the Albatros as an airplane of course but I have to be honest in saying that I detest about 99% of the paint schemes that have been put on them over the years, some are just aaawwwwful haha.
Cheers guys,

-Mike

Hey Mike I couldn't agree with you more. For your info our paint shop here at IJ is trying to do something about that. So hopefully at least a few of the real ones will have decent paint schemes that are done right.

[brettt777]

Actually a little trivia on those two planes. One of the guys who has helped me out with a great many technical and systems questions during the project, Bernd Rehn, was the same person who acquired and provided those two aircraft for that scene in Tomorrow Never Dies. If you look closely on the missiles hanging under the wings of one of them you'll see his company's sticker there: "Aero Contact".



Hey one of those planes, N43722, belongs to a customer of ours from Florida. I have done some avionics work on it.

[flyindave]

Is it going to have a civilian version ie: no gunsite, for us guys that are not intrested in shooting anybody down but would't mind buzzing the highway an scaring some of those cars an trucks in FSX Dave

[Lotus]

Hi Dave. Yup, answered your question before a couple pages back hehe. There are several civilian models without gunsight.

Cheers.

[hews500d]

Is the end of this weekend or the beginning of next week going to be a good one for all of us wanting the Albatross ? :d

:bump: :wavey:

Darrell

[Lotus]

Yes sir, the beginning of next week is very likely. I highly doubt it will be any later than this coming Wednesday. :)

[Txmmy83]

Yes sir, the beginning of next week is very likely. I highly doubt it will be any later than this coming Wednesday. :)

sounds good :)

BR
Tom

[brettt777]

Judging from what I've read on the L39.com website Bernd is pretty much "the expert" when it comes to all things L-39. :applause:

Darrell

Maybe, but we have a couple guys here at International Jets that are up there too. One of our guys went to school with Bernd many years ago.

[brettt777]

The RXP GNS430W looks like it could fit snugly into the cockpit according to this pic

http://www.rafale-imagery.com/images/L39/milpit2.jpg


Actualy I wish it would fit there in real life. It would make my job so much easier. But the box is way too long so we have to put them above the instrument panel. Hey but it does look nice down there on the console.

[hews500d]

Yes sir, the beginning of next week is very likely. I highly doubt it will be any later than this coming Wednesday. :)

Very..Very.. Cool !!

Darrell

[hews500d]

Actualy I wish it would fit there in real life. It would make my job so much easier. But the box is way too long so we have to put them above the instrument panel. Hey but it does look nice down there on the console.


I'm jealous, you get to work on these every day!

Darrell

[Lotus]

Man, I barely fit in an L-39 cockpit (6' 1"). I have no idea how you actually work in one. Probably by climbing in head first a lot of the time? :) Roomier than a Folland Gnat though.

[Kiwikat]

Are we there yet... are we there yet... are we there yet... are we there yet... are we there yet... are we there yet... are we there yet... are we there yet... are we there yet... are we there yet... are we there yet... are we there yet... are we there yet... are we there yet...

:bump:


I cannot believe how impatient I am for this release... :redface::redface::redface:

And for the record, I will attempt to get a SOH multiplayer event planned for this plane as we had for the P-51D... After all, it seems to have been built for such an event!:gameon:

[An-225]

I cannot believe how impatient I am for this release...

Bah, I have to wait for my birthday on the 12th before I can buy it. I've been waiting to fly an Albatros since 1997 - it is painful to wait just a few more days. :redface:

[Lotus]

I'll trade you the pain of waiting for it for the pain of building it any day! :)

It won't be tomorrow, might be Monday night, definitely by Wednesday.

Thanks guys.

[JayKae]

Yep yep, you have my money for sure! I am loving the fact that you have come out of nowhere with what seems an awesome product! Worth supporting that is for sure!

[falcon409]

. . . . . It won't be tomorrow, might be Monday night, definitely by Wednesday.
Thanks guys.
Had an L-39 from Gadsden, Ala stop over at the airport I work at for fuel about a month ago. He was headed back from California. Nice looking airplane, very clean and just fast looking, lol.

You've done a beautiful job with it and definitely worth waiting for.
:ernae:

[Rick_Piper]

Hi Lotus

Will we be able to buy with PayPal ?

as i no longer use my credit cards etc online any other way here in Europe as it's getting very unsafe to buy online if you don't use PayPal

Regards
Rick

[yago9]

Hi Lotus

Will we be able to buy with PayPal ?

as i no longer use my credit cards etc online any other way here in Europe as it's getting very unsafe to buy online if you don't use PayPal

Regards
Rick

Buy for example a Visa gift card from your local bank and do your internet shopping with that one.Spend it all in one purchase .It,s what I do when purchase something from other places than simmarket.
Lotus,...thank you !

[Rick_Piper]

Hi Yago9

If the L-39 is going simmarket thats fine as they use PayPal as an option so no worries.

sorry missed that part:monkies:

Regards
Rick

[Lotus]

The plane will be available through Simmarket and FSpilotshop, so paypal is an option.

Thanks guys. :)

-Mike

[some1]

Any clues abut the price now? I need to know how much I need to reserve on my account :)

[GT182]

Mike, this is going to be a sweet ride.... pc style. Now I've got to get my ride in the real "Pipsqueak" afterwards and compare the 2. ;) Gotta practice a bit before the real flight. And gotta prepare for joining the 7G club.

I've seen Joe grunt, groan and swear while flying the Reno race course..... video. No, it's not on YouTube, and probably won't be. And he wasn't pulling 7 Gs either. Just a bumpy ride out there. LOL

[Lotus]

Thanks Gary, I do hope you like it. Pipsqueak is a little bit of a guess compared to the others of course because obviously I haven't flown her myself, only a stock L-39C. However Joe gave me good weights and performance figures to work with and I've matched her time to climb and top speed pretty closely, and she has about a 30% faster roll rate as well due to the lack of tip tank inertia. All in all she's pretty bonkers compared to any of the stock rides. She gets to 15000 feet from a standing start in just over half the time of a normal L-39. That has to be quite a rush to fly in reality.

Some1, I will have to give the price on release day. It's the weekend and I'm awaiting confirmation from one of the vendors still.

Cheers.

-Mike

[Cag40Navy]

well, im looking forward to flying this bird! :jump:

[peter12213]

Same here ive been reading up on it, and now I'm dying to get my hands on her!
I remember the James bond film when he dog fights in one against another one while being strangled flying it with his knees lol, I think my girlfriend will happily re-enact that scene strangling me once i get it only I will probably loose lol!

[Lotus]

Thanks Cag and Peter. There's also a great Albatros scene in the truly excellent film "Lord of War", starring Nicholas Cage and Ethan Hawke. Hawke rides back seat in an L-39 while he and his pilot turn Cage's Antonov into swiss cheese. Love it. :) An amazing film with a very serious and important message as well.

[peter12213]

Yeah thats a great scene too, really good movie, I'm really looking forward to helping make you rich mate, from the screen shots this looks to be one of the best of 09!
Thanks so much for all your hardwork my friend, I just hope she flies as good as she looks!
(I'm sure she will though mate!)

[Naki]

Looks fantastic!

Been wanting a L-39 for ages..was keen on getting the old CS L-39 for FS9 some years ago but didn't get in the end as it didn't have a VC and was hoping for an update of this ...but this is more than I ever hoped for.

I realise that you trying to keep FPS on this great looking model low, but how does the FPS compare with say the Realair SF-260 or Spitfire?

[Lotus]

Thanks Peter. I've put hundreds of hours into the flight model, the bulk of them right after my flight in the real thing last August, and it has been tested by an L-39 pilot with not only many years of experience in the jet but a lot of Flight Sim experience as well (a rare combination!).

He and I are both happy with the results. Everything in FSX is a compromise, and when developing flight dynamics the sim will fight you every step of the way, but I think you'll like it. She's pretty stable and predictable, neutrally balanced, but high wing loaded like the real deal, so she'll bite you just like the real one if you're rough with the stick.

The major thing that will catch everyone off guard is the engine spool up time. The L-39 takes between 9 and 14 seconds to reach maximum thrust from idle, depending on the age of the engine. You really have to plan for your power needs well in advance. The only thing I wish FSX could recreate is the intense resistance of the stick at high speeds. 5G+ pulls required two hands when I did them in a real L-39C. :)

Naki, thank you. I will say again that you haven't seen anything yet. I haven't shown everything that the plane comes with. :)

As for FPS, I am utterly obsessed with rendering efficiency, especially in multiplayer which hurts a lot more than singleplayer, but, I'm sorry, I cannot give you a comparison to RealAir's planes (which I dearly love to fly) because as the L-39's developer it would be highly inappropriate of me to do so. It is simply not my place to make such comparisons, especially to the work of incredible designers like Rob and Sean.

However I can say this much... if it was chugging in the sim I would never release it. Nothing drives me more insane in FSX than seeing my fps drop below 30. I get very grumpy! (as anyone who's flown in multiplayer with me can attest) :)

Cheers,

-Mike

[Scenium]

Thanks Peter. I've put hundreds of hours into the flight model, the bulk of them right after my flight in the real thing last August, and it has been tested by an L-39 pilot with not only many years of experience in the jet but a lot of Flight Sim experience as well (a rare combination!).

He and I are both happy with the results. Everything in FSX is a compromise, and when developing flight dynamics the sim will fight you every step of the way, but I think you'll like it. She's pretty stable and predictable, neutrally balanced, but high wing loaded like the real deal, so she'll bite you just like the real one if you're rough with the stick.


And yet, there will most certanly be a bunch of people saying:"Hey, the thrust to weight ratio is completely wrong!! and yada..yada..yada..." lol :icon_lol: :icon_lol:

Looking forward to fly this Beauty, I've followed your progress for a long time. :applause: To bad You had to turn off Comments by others on Your Blog for a while, because of stupid comments.

Hmmmm...if I go to bed now.......then perhaps it have been released when I wake up....lol :jump: :sleep:

Thorbjörn

[Lotus]

And yet, there will most certanly be a bunch of people saying:"Hey, the thrust to weight ratio is completely wrong!! and yada..yada..yada..." lol :icon_lol: :icon_lol:

Looking forward to fly this Beauty, I've followed your progress for a long time. :applause: To bad You had to turn off Comments by others on Your Blog for a while, because of stupid comments.

Hmmmm...if I go to bed now.......then perhaps it have been released when I wake up....lol :jump: :sleep:

Thorbjörn

Thanks mate. Yes you're right, someone will challenge me on it, but I will stand by the flight model. I have a video on my blog comparing my takeoff in the real thing to one in the sim. The exact same runway, time of day, temperature, and power settings (102% in that case) and both become airborne at precisely the same moment, 28 seconds from a standing start. During the entire takeoff roll they're less than a second apart at any given point. I can't do any better than that haha, and FSX won't let me anyway. :)

And yes, it was unfortunate that I had to disable the comments for a few months, but sometimes people just lose their perspective and forget that we're talking about toy airplanes here. I've certainly done it myself a few times, but no matter how realistic they are or what the expectations may be, you just can't really justify aggression over something so trivial in life, especially on a plane that was nowhere close to release!

On the bright side though at least they displayed obvious passion for it haha.

Cheers.

-Mike

[Ferry_vO]

It's out!!:

http://secure.simmarket.com/lotus-simulations-l-39-albatros.phtml

:applause:

[falcon409]

It's out!!:
http://secure.simmarket.com/lotus-simulations-l-39-albatros.phtml

Well, he's done an amazing job with this baby and the time expended probably dictates the price, but I won't be buying unfortunately, not at that price. Too bad, I was really looking forward to this one too. Great job Lotus, it's a real beauty.

[Bone]

Now THAT is a simulator, not a model. The price isn't bad when you consider what you get.

[stiz]

is that rain on the canopy i see there!!! :jawdrop:

[Lotus]

I'm sorry the price does not suit you, it's all I can do, but I thank you. I have given it everything I can.

I was in the middle of making own post, but here you go. Something new. :)

http://www.lotussim.com/preview/lotus01c.jpg

[Lotus]

Yessir, rain on the canopies. Ice on the canopies. Landing lights that really work, and light stuff up! Lit up rain in the landing light bulbs as well. Plus some other fun things. :)

[spotlope]

And just so we don't forget how wallpapered the world is with opinions, I think that's a very acceptable price. It's on par with the more recent A2A models. Once I'm done working for the day, that L-39 is mine. :icon_lol:

[ryanbatc]

woah! That's not edited???

How the heck did you do that?

[Rezabrya]

Started my download minutes ago. The price is a bit steep but as soon as I saw the VC, I decided no matter what the price was... I was buying it. Please remember guys that this is only one person working on this plane. It has been his baby for over a year and honestly, if I did all this by myself I would ask for a similar price. Can't wait till it's downloaded!

[stiz]

I really do like the look of the lights, and the rain is just dam cool! i'm not holding much hope that your gonna tell the world how on earth you did it though :icon_lol:

Not my type of plane but it is deffinitly a stunning model you built :applause: :applause: :applause:

[Lotus]

No sir, nothing edited in any picture on my site or here, not even a brightness bump.

I do love FSX SDK witchcraft! :)

I hope you guys enjoy the results.

[Lawman]

Lotus, a question if I may: can the external load-outs be dropped/changed or can we change paintschemes to suit different models (e.g. put the Slovak camo-texture with the rocket pod-model)? I'm very tempted cuz the model looks fabulous:ernae:.

[Lotus]

Lawman, no unfortunately they can't be swapped very easily. It's a curse of baked shadows. Without them the plane doesn't look half as nice, but that limits customization. However with the paint kit you can swap out shadows for the various models to match up what you like to some extent. Shadow sets are included for each model configuration, w/tanks, rocket pods, just pylons etc.


Btw, the airplane's site is live, plenty of info there on all the features.


www.lotussim.com (http://www.lotussim.com/)


And the demo/promo video is here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwmbFJPB0Cc

Thanks.

[hews500d]

And just so we don't forget how wallpapered the world is with opinions, I think that's a very acceptable price. It's on par with the more recent A2A models. Once I'm done working for the day, that L-39 is mine. :icon_lol:


Same here Spotlope!! After reading all the features though, I'm suddenly afraid to fly it !! I have a copy of the real L-39 manual and it sounds like everything that can bite you in real life is there in the sim as well ! :applause::applause::applause: Like I've said before, I think this one is going to raise the bar yet again!

Darrell

[Txmmy83]

will get as soon as I have persuaded my father for purchase

nice canyon flight trailer :)


BR
Tom

[jmig]

Not up on Flight Sim.com yet. I will wait until they have it.

[Lotus]

Not up on Flight Sim.com yet. I will wait until they have it.

Should be very soon, an hour or less for FS pilotshop hopefully. Cheers. :)

[Txmmy83]

is the multiplayer formation flight modell in single player too ?
asking because of aerobatic video making purposes


BR
Tom

[Lotus]

is the multiplayer formation flight modell in single player too ?
asking because of aerobatic video making purposes


Yes, absolutely. You can use any model for any kind of flight. The multiplayer formation model is merely there for use by formation teams, since framerate matters more than special effects and such to them.

It has the lowest performance impact of all the L-39 models, so yup, quite useful for video work where fps is crucial.

Cheers.

[robcap]

Amazing video, amazing features, I might consider this one! (although not vintage:kilroy:)

Cheers, Rob

[noddy]

It is up on FS pilotshop.

[peter12213]

Great new just rechecked this thread and I'm glad I did, many thanks lotus, for your kind comments too mate! Best of luck with sales of this Jet! 38 euro is a perfectly fair price in my opinion for years of hard work and headaches! Also check out that promo vid guys its awesome!!

[Rezabrya]

It may just be my connection but my download keeps freezing. I have had to restart it twice already and it is being incredibly slow/not working at all. Anyone else experiencing these problems?

[noddy]

Yes it is slow, first attempt at download.

[JayKae]

It is AMAZING!!!!

[Rezabrya]

Well I had been using Google Chrome but I tried switching to Firefox and now I am downloading at full speed... weird.

[Warrant]

Purchased it, flying it..........STUNNED!:bump::medals::applause:

[Txmmy83]

had to get it as soon as possible :)
looks like a must have !

BR
Tom

[Fireball6]

First Impression - wwwwwwaaaaaaahhhhoooooouuuuuu :jump::applause::icon_lol: - wonderfull !!!!!!

Great Job, Lotus - :ernae:

Greetings :wavey: Dirk

[Kiwikat]

:jump::jump::jump: 67% downloaded

HURRY UP! :173go1:

[Dexdoggy]

Lotus, this looks amazing, I think I'm going to have to get it! Rain effects too? Well, as I see where you live, I guess rain effects are mandatory! :ernae:

[Tweek]

Even if the price does stray away from pocket change, it is incredibly tempting...

[Rezabrya]

This thing is absolutely amazing. One of the best addons for FSX I ever bought imo. It has instantly become my favorite plane in my Hangar.

http://i460.photobucket.com/albums/qq322/Rezabrya/Flight%20Simulator%20X/Amazing.jpg

Notice the FPS and the Locked FPS, also the Night lighting which usually hits FPS. I have GEX, UTX, REX, and FSgenesis terrain mesh all running and I am still getting excellent frames.

[Kiwikat]

If you guys don't buy this, you're $#&*$@# insane. I don't know any other way to put it.

Sell lemonade for a week, sell your wife, sell your dog, maybe even don't eat. Just buy it.

You will be speechless before you even start taxiing. (there is no emoticon here that describes this thing)

[Rezabrya]

There really is no words to describe this thing. "Fantastic", "Fabulous", "Amazing" are the closest I can get. Kiwikat is right, Do whatever you have to to get this thing... you won't regret it. I spent about ten minutes just sitting on the ground looking at it. Once I took off, it was even better. Framerates are equal to or better than default planes so it shouldn't be a problem on anyone's system. I wish Lotus luck with this product but I doubt he will need luck... he has so much natural talent. :jump:

[Lotus]

Thank you all. I am honestly quite humbled, and a bit speechless... seriously. Thank you. I'm overjoyed that you like it.

-Mike

[ryanbatc]

Ok I have to seriously consider this...maybe I'll sell the dog rofl

But these landing lights are incredible! Does it really look like this on an average joe's PC?

http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r43/ryanbatc/L39ll.jpg

[Rezabrya]

Yes it does and that is the amazing thing. He made all custom lights for this thing that are hard coded into the model. This thing is absolutely epic.

[Kiwikat]

The landing lights are incredible. They actually give the illusion of filling the lenses with light, something no other addon has done, not even the A2A/shockwave 3D lights. :monkies:

[Tweek]

Well I took the plunge and am suitably impressed! Not even had chance to try things like the landing lights out yet, but I can already see that it looks and flies right. Superb bit of craftsmanship. :applause:

[Kiwikat]

Up in the clouds where she belongs... :ernae: (3 different crops of essentially the same pic...)

http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd141/whippetstorm/L39intheclouds.jpg

http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd141/whippetstorm/L39intheclouds2.jpg

http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd141/whippetstorm/L39intheclouds3.jpg

Ugh between resizing and the conversion to JPEG, it loses a lot of its initial impact... lol

[GT182]

There ya go Mike... you one upped A2A. Scott will get even. ;) Just kidding. LOL

That is spectacular work. Congrats and JWD. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v64/GT182/Thumbup.gif


Same here Spotlope!! After reading all the features though, I'm suddenly afraid to fly it !! I have a copy of the real L-39 manual and it sounds like everything that can bite you in real life is there in the sim as well ! :applause::applause::applause: Like I've said before, I think this one is going to raise the bar yet again!

Darrell

If Mike got some his info from one of the ones I think he did, it's from one of the best in my book. Joe would tell him like it is with the L-39, and pull no punches about what it can and can't do.

[Rezabrya]

Quick little screenshot of this bird flying

http://i460.photobucket.com/albums/qq322/Rezabrya/Flight%20Simulator%20X/amazing1.jpg

[GT182]

Before I get this and fly it on the computer, I've got to go up in the real "Pipsqueak" first. Then I can really compare the two... almost. ;) What I do know about the real one is Top Secret. So don't ask.... cause if I told ya, I'd have to shoot ya. Or I'd be shot. And that's no joke.

[yago9]

I can,t wait to get home and buy it. Kiwikat sharpen that talanted brush of yours and cheer us up again with at least a second upload. Put your enthusiasm into action cause i,m looking for that bunch of repaints you where talking about.I have doubts I can control myself on not painting one.Let the party begin.:icon29:

[Rezabrya]

You prolly can't see them that well in this screenshot but check out the sweet bumps on this model.

http://i460.photobucket.com/albums/qq322/Rezabrya/Flight%20Simulator%20X/amazing2.jpg

[Kiwikat]

I can,t wait to get home and buy it. Kiwikat sharpen that talanted brush of yours and cheer us up again with at least a second upload. Put your enthusiasm into action cause i,m looking for that bunch of repaints you where talking about.I have doubts I can control myself on not painting one.Let the party begin.:icon29:

I've not even unrarred the paint kit yet. I've hardly even got a flight in. I have work tonight and tomorrow night. Then I'll look into painting... :ernae:

[Tweek]

Just pulled myself away from it, convincing myself that I probably should go to bed. Not only is it superb in every aspect of modelling, systems and revolutionary features, but it's just simply fun to fly! Spent the last couple of hours just zipping around doing aerobatics whilst admiring the model. Pretty much got the tailslide down to a tee. :jump:

[Scratch]

Fantastic piece of work!!:ernae: I would post picks, but I gotta go to bed now dang it:kilroy:

[BananaBob]

Downloading now, great shots guys! :applause::applause::applause:

[JayKae]

Well, I had a good play with it and all I can say is that you have come out of nowhere and created an instant classic mate, it is absolutely fabulous, is all I can say

[yago9]

I've not even unrarred the paint kit yet. I've hardly even got a flight in. I have work tonight and tomorrow night. Then I'll look into painting... :ernae:

What paint kit ? Who needs one ? :icon_lol: Great model Lotus,thank you much.First quicky.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v601/yago9/RoaF.jpg

[robcap]

Well, I had a good play with it and all I can say is that you have come out of nowhere and created an instant classic mate, it is absolutely fabulous, is all I can say Ditto, I'm short for words. Will take some while to discover all the goodies. And she's a handfull to land.:kilroy:

R.

[noddy]

For the very short time I have had with it, have to agree. :ernae:

[Lotus]

Thanks very much guys! Again I am quite humbled. I was hoping people would enjoy it, but I didn't expect such a reaction. Thanks to you all. :)

Yago... are you physically connected to your computer with a fibre optic cable or something? The plane's been out for what.... 8 hours?.. and you've already done a paint...

I'm staggered. It's gorgeous! Well done sir. :)

[jankees]

very nice, well done!!

http://i722.photobucket.com/albums/ww230/jcblom60/jk1432.jpg

http://i722.photobucket.com/albums/ww230/jcblom60/jk1436.jpg

[CG_1976]

Is this L-39 the C varient by chance? If it is it has has my attention for purchase and will get the cuba Treatment:jump:.

[yago9]

LOL..i needed about an hour from the purches to that shot..it,s in the ruff but I had to get a quick feel of the texture layout. Anyway, I can,t describe what joy your aircraft gives me specialy flying from the back seat. It,s a masterpiece indeed.I wonder what it would be next.Hopefuly another two seater.

[jankees]

It's a real beauty!

http://i722.photobucket.com/albums/ww230/jcblom60/jk1456.jpg

http://i722.photobucket.com/albums/ww230/jcblom60/jk1461.jpg

I have two questions:
I've seen pics of fantastic looking landing lights, but I can't see them. Did I do something wrong?

One small disappointment: in one of the views, the textures are so blurry:
http://i722.photobucket.com/albums/ww230/jcblom60/jk1438.jpg
was this meant to be? Love that backseater btw

Other than that, WOW!!

[VaporZ]

For Trans 1007 !

Cuban Albatross are L-39C Models.

Take a look at this list of Military Operators including detailed designation for each Country
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Aero_L-39_Albatros_operators
Best regards
:jump:
VaporZ

[JayKae]

Some freaky colours going on in #1 and #3 but all straight out of the box, no editing done on any of these shots :)

http://fsfiles.org/imagehost/uploads/1.png

http://fsfiles.org/imagehost/uploads/2.png

http://fsfiles.org/imagehost/uploads/3.png

http://fsfiles.org/imagehost/uploads/4.png

http://fsfiles.org/imagehost/uploads/5.png

http://fsfiles.org/imagehost/uploads/6.png

http://fsfiles.org/imagehost/uploads/7.png

[TopDollar]

It's a real beauty!
I have two questions:
I've seen pics of fantastic looking landing lights, but I can't see them. Did I do something wrong?

One small disappointment: in one of the views, the textures are so blurry:

was this meant to be? Love that backseater btw

Other than that, WOW!!
jankees, the landing lights operate based on time. Meaning at dusk they will be barely visible, completley invisible during the day, and the brightest at night. Similar questions may also be answered in the FAQ at the lotus sim support forums.

The blurriness may be the result of the mipmaps in the textures. If you have a nvidia graphics card, then you could try changing the Texture Filtering - Quality to High Quality in 3d settings.

As for the pilots in C-GOZA, I think I prefer the front seater on that specific variant ;) But the chick is pretty cool. Especially her pony tail.

Nice shots btw.

[ryanbatc]

I guess I should ask, do the landing lights appear like I posted in DX9? Or is this a DX10 effect only? I never fly DX10 that's why I'm curious....

[Rezabrya]

DX9. I only fly DX9 and they show up the same as on there. Like I said, the effect is hard coded into the model so it shouldn't change in DX10.

[ryanbatc]

Thanks for responding!

[Rezabrya]

Just to ease your worries, here is a screenshot I just took in DX9 mode with the landing lights on.

http://i460.photobucket.com/albums/qq322/Rezabrya/Flight%20Simulator%20X/halogen.jpg

Enjoy!

[Donald Traill]

Hey Mike, it's Shalomar from Gamespy... told you I'd buy it!

I see more than a few job offers in your future LOL!!!

Donald T.

[ryanbatc]

Just to ease your worries, here is a screenshot I just took in DX9 mode with the landing lights on.

Enjoy!

Thanks, are you in XP or Vista? I run Vista and know there's usually some differences with effects between the two OSes

[Rezabrya]

Nah there shouldn't really be any difference between the two but just in case I am wrong, I am running Vista 64 bit.

[ryanbatc]

Nah there shouldn't really be any difference between the two but just in case I am wrong, I am running Vista 64 bit.

hah there shouldn't be but with the effects I noticed in various planes there are differences between the OSes.... I also run Vista x64 :jump:

[Lotus]

Hi Ryan. You shouldn't see any differences between OSes or DX9 and 10 on the plane. Myself I run XP but about half of the testers run Vista, and we were meticulous in making sure everything looked the same between them. Lots of screenshots going back and forth for examination during beta. :) DX10 gave me a few surprises early on, it doesn't handle some materials quite the same way, but they were all fixed and made consistent.

The plane doesn't really use any effects in the traditional sense, FSX .fx files etc. All of the lights are built right into the model itself. I was getting pretty tired of all the problems the .fx files create, like lights separating from wingtips or clipping into them, or just disappearing etc, so I decided to avoid using them altogether and build them myself. The only .fx files used in the plane are the cockpit flood lights, and the signal flares from the dispenser. Everything else is totally custom and rock solid... and married to the airplane for life. :)

Donald, hello again! (waves) Good to see you. One day soon I will have time to fly again for fun. See you in multi!

Cheers,

-Mike

[Lotus]

Jankees, your textures should be sharper than that. As TopDollar said, definitely check your texture filtering settings in your graphics card's control panel and make they are set to the highest possible, but also make sure that your Global Texture Resolution slider in FSX's settings -> display menu is also set to maximum. That should cure the problem. It looks like it might be set on normal, and not allowing 1024x1024 textures to load.

On the landing lights, if they aren't showing up, please make sure you have your "Advanced Animations" check box ticked in FSX's settings > display menu. They will not work without that.

Nice shots btw. :)

-Mike

[ryanbatc]

I'm still in the market for this bird (still trying to convince my better half that it's safe to spend 46 bucks on this thing lol) and I'd like to point out your awesome tutorial vids:

http://www.youtube.com/LotusSimulations#play/all/uploads-all/0/dtpBTi7O0Ic

If only we were so lucky with other developers :)

[Lotus]

Thanks Ryan. I'm glad you like the vids. I find them quite difficult to make actually, I'm more into the razzle dazzle side of FSX video stuff, but if they're informative (and don't put you entirely to sleep) then that's all that counts!

I will be adding several more over the coming weeks, after I catch up on my sleep for a couple of days and become human again. :)

Cheers,

-Mike

[centuryseries]

I know of no other addon for FSX that has landing lights that light up the rain, nor any other aircraft that has VC rain effects on the windshield.

Come to think of it, there's so many features in this aircraft that I'll be busy for ages plus hardly any impact on FPS!!

Absolutely awesome work, all that time very well spent!

I'm gobsmacked at the detail :isadizzy:

David.

[flyindave]

I was really looking forward to this and I really! wanted it but 54.00 dollars is out of my range for a sim plane I'll just have to drool over the screen shots, beautiful job Lotus

[Warrant]

Very nice plane!:applause::medals:
Very realistic as well. I have a hard time to land her properly.
The flaps are as good as useless (unless for take off). Normally in an aircraft you decrease throttle and then apply flaps according to the air speed while on approach. This baby is a bit different. If you bleed speed and apply flaps on approach...you crash. Firm throttle settings combined with air brakes are the only solution for me to get this baby on the ground safe, with the risk of a nose-wheel failure. :engel016:

This means...a lot of practice.:running:

Very realistic bird indeed!
(Strong advise for new L-39 drivers; read the manual! You'll need it!)

[yago9]

Any ideea why the engine cuts off while flying inverted for a longer time ?
No need for oxigen mask for the pilots ?
General FSX question ,aircraft self shadowing works only with DX10 ?


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v601/yago9/RoaF1a.jpg

[Lotus]

Thanks Warrant. I'm a bit curious about your experience with the flaps though, as I find them quite effective. You do have to be flying slower than 300 kph though to deploy them or they will automatically retract if you try. It's a self protection feature of the real aircraft.

Glad you're enjoying it otherwise!

-Mike

[jankees]

For the landing lights, it just needs to be darker:

http://i722.photobucket.com/albums/ww230/jcblom60/jk1474.jpg

http://i722.photobucket.com/albums/ww230/jcblom60/jk1486.jpg

very nice!

[Lotus]

Yago, that's bloody gorgeous... well done. :)

Engine cutout after 20 seconds of inverted flight is realistic. The L-39 uses gravity feed for its tank pressure, and the engine draws its fuel from a very small auxiliary tank connected under the main centre tanks. When you go into negative G a valve closes on this small tank to prevent the fuel flowing back up into the main. Once that happens you have about 20 seconds worth of fuel. As soon as you get positive G it refills quickly.

Oxygen masks I left out simply because of some skinned mesh animation concerns. Getting good idle animations on the pilots combined with response to control inputs and momentum at the same time was turning the hoses into a nightmare. I did give it a shot. I may mess with that again in time and if I can get results that I like I would update the plane. If FSX supported inverse kinematics for stuff other than airport jetways, they would have them for sure. Unfortunately I had to compromise.

The aircraft external self shadowing should work fine in DX9. Works for me anyway, and I have seen it working for others, in fact your previous pic of your paint seems to have them on? Myself I don't really like them, I always find them a bit harsh and out of place, but they should work. I've also noticed that ground shadows become very faint if your weather is set to low visibility distances, the self shadows may respond the same way. I'll try that out.

Cheers,

-Mike

[yago9]

Ok..gravity feed ,got it. No biggy about the oxigen mask,i,ll stop looking for those now..lol

[wilycoyote4]

I was really looking forward to this and I really! wanted it but 54.00 dollars is out of my range for a sim plane I'll just have to drool over the screen shots, beautiful job Lotus
I think it is less without VAT?

Marvelous tutorial videos, thanks. :medals: :running: :guinness: :icon29:

[Lotus]

For the landing lights, it just needs to be darker:

very nice!

Thanks Jankees. Glad you got them working. Also you will get much better (stronger) results if you use lighter runway and taxiway textures.

Cheers,

-Mike

[spotlope]

I was really looking forward to this and I really! wanted it but 54.00 dollars is out of my range for a sim plane I'll just have to drool over the screen shots, beautiful job Lotus

Without VAT, it pencils out to more like $46. Just in case that extra $8 makes a difference. ;)

[gajit]

If you guys don't buy this, you're $#&*$@# insane. I don't know any other way to put it.

Sell lemonade for a week, sell your wife, sell your dog, maybe even don't eat. Just buy it.

You will be speechless before you even start taxiing. (there is no emoticon here that describes this thing)


Kiwikat - I bought it on a recommendation from you and you were 100% correct - this is fantastic in every respect - and Im not even that interested in the real aircraft!!!

Well done Lotus :ernae:

[yago9]

I was really looking forward to this and I really! wanted it but 54.00 dollars is out of my range for a sim plane I'll just have to drool over the screen shots, beautiful job Lotus


It,s US $45.52 on simmarket. If you live in US so you dont pay that VAT tax.
Even so, it,s worth every penny.

[robcap]

Hi,

Higly realistic indeed. First time landing resulted in a crash, but then I'm usually a prop driver, not a jet jock. The engine spool up time is very challenging. Oh, and don't open the canopy in flight. Check out the crew when in a buffet stall.
I'm all over this plane for the near future. Great stuff. I'll check out the rain on the canpy later, but I already love the "scratches reflecting of the canopy in the light " effect.

Bye, Rob

[Chris Sykes]

I have to say i looked foward to comin home today!!! Just took a quick flight around North West Russia and im deeply impressed at what you have managed to put into such a small aircraft for your knowledge! This is brill for wizzin around at extreame low level at just shy of 400 knots!!! :ernae: Have a well earned Beer!:icon29:

[Kiwikat]

I was really looking forward to this and I really! wanted it but 54.00 dollars is out of my range for a sim plane I'll just have to drool over the screen shots, beautiful job Lotus

Got a dog?

Got craigslist?

You won't regret it.
:ernae:

[Ferry_vO]

I hestitated to buy this at first because of the price, but last night I downloaded and read the entire manual which is an excellent read, and after that I did decide to buy it. The Albatros was high on my 'want' list, after spending a lot of time in Piglet's good old L-29 and the L-159 Alca that is already available. The L-39 is a regular at airshows here, and I'm really happy I now have the chance to try it for myself!

Framerates are excellent for me, even though my computer is just below recommended specs! If you stay with the aircraft limitations it's not that hard to fly, and so far both my landings went very well. Just keep in mind to start final approach a bit frther from ther field than usual to get hte speed right.

The second cockpit with the in-build failure features is a great idea, and something I hope to see in more aircraft in the future.

I'd say that after the first hour or so of flight testing this aircraft is well worth the money (And I am one of those unlucky ones that does have to pay the extra VAT!) and I would recommend it to anyone that is looking for a jet to fly in FsX; It knocked the Aerosoft F-16 from its top spot on my list!

Some obligatory screenshots; it's really getting hard to tell the difference between FsX and photos now!

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Ferror/Flightsim/L39_01.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Ferror/Flightsim/L39_02.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Ferror/Flightsim/L39_03.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Ferror/Flightsim/L39_04.jpg

:applause:

[Lotus]

I was really looking forward to this and I really! wanted it but 54.00 dollars is out of my range for a sim plane I'll just have to drool over the screen shots, beautiful job Lotus

Hi, sorry to intrude on this, but just to clarify it's $45 US at FSpilotshop, and $32 EUR at Simmarket, which is the same amount at today's rates. US customers don't pay European VAT tax.

Thanks.

-Mike

[Lotus]

Awesome shots Ferry, and thank you. Glad you picked up the Breitlings! I hope they weren't too much of a pain to install. I did my best with the instructions, but the L-39 has a fairly funky folder layout I know.

-Mike

[CG_1976]

Ok such Cuba has these, the wife made me clean the attic and basement to buy the L39. I'll be joining you gents soon. So who's got a cuba paint?

[Ferry_vO]

I hope they weren't too much of a pain to install. I did my best with the instructions, but the L-39 has a fairly funky folder layout I know.

I've seen the Breitlings perform a few times, one of the reasons to buy this package. No problem at all to install the paints, just a case of reading the instructions and a bit of copy & pasting.

BTW the development story at the end of the manual was a good read. Pretty funny too!:d

[Warrant]

Thanks Warrant. I'm a bit curious about your experience with the flaps though, as I find them quite effective. You do have to be flying slower than 300 kph though to deploy them or they will automatically retract if you try. It's a self protection feature of the real aircraft.

Glad you're enjoying it otherwise!

-Mike

Definitely enjoying the Albatros.
I have the bird between the speed bracket, but when applying the flaps i always remember the words from my flight instructor..."first reduce throttle until reaching the appropriate speed, then apply flaps..". It was his warning not to use flaps as a speed brake. My experience with the L-39 is when i do just that it quickly gets me below the 170, to drag me in to a stall. I have to get used to the slow engine response, and find the right touch for the ideal approach.
That's why i love the bird, the realism! :applause:

Great job there :medals:.

Are you planning on different liveries and loads?

[GT182]

Any ideea why the engine cuts off while flying inverted for a longer time ?
No need for oxigen mask for the pilots ?
General FSX question ,aircraft self shadowing works only with DX10 ?


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v601/yago9/RoaF1a.jpg

The cockpit is pressurized. You must wait until the engine spools down so the pressure bleeds down before you open up the canopies.

Also has heat, and sudo a/c from bleed air.... as I understand it. Even has hookups for G-suits.

Not sure why the engine quits from being inverted for a long time. Inverted is not something you do on purpose for very long anyways. ;)

[Lotus]

Warrant, the best way to manage the transition from cruise to approach is to use the speed brakes. If you start off at around 400-450 kph in level flight, deploy the speed brakes and set your rpm to 80% N1. Then as soon as the speed drops to around 280 kph deploy your gear and flaps to half extension, and immediately retract the brakes. Your speed should remain constant at around 280 during this and you won't have to adjust the throttle. For approach I recommend a speed of about 220 kph, 170 is dangerously close to stall and difficult to manage. About 3 seconds before crossing the threshold slowly pull the throttle back to idle and you should cross at around 200 kph for a smooth touchdown of around 170. The L-39 has pretty good ground effect, helps smooth out the flare considerably.

As for different loadouts... possibly, but paints? Definitely! Next up is the East German AF. :) It should be on the site next week sometime.

Good luck! :)

[Warrant]

Warrant, the best way to manage the transition from cruise to approach is to use the speed brakes. If you start off at around 400-450 kph in level flight, deploy the speed brakes and set your rpm to 80% N1. Then as soon as the speed drops to around 280 kph deploy your gear and flaps to half extension, and immediately retract the brakes. Your speed should remain constant at around 280 during this and you won't have to adjust the throttle. For approach I recommend a speed of about 220 kph, 170 is dangerously close to stall and difficult to manage. About 3 seconds before crossing the threshold slowly pull the throttle back to idle and you should cross at around 200 kph for a smooth touchdown of around 170. The L-39 has pretty good ground effect, helps smooth out the flare considerably.

As for different loadouts... possibly, but paints? Definitely! Next up is the East German AF. :) It should be on the site next week sometime.

Good luck! :)

Thanks Mike, gonna try that.
Looking forward to the NVA bird!
:wavey:

[gajit]

Hi again Lotus

Well done for this - i am very impressed with the VC rain effect.

You and your team deserve a best seller with this one.

Thanks again.
:ernae:

[Lotus]

Thanks very much Gajit. Much appreciated. :)

[glennc]

Lotus, Add me to the list of very happy pilots. I gotta a feeling I'm going to learn a bit from this machine. Like someone else said I got behind the power curve on the approach. I got lucky, touch down just as it began to drop out - the horn goes off about 10 feet higher than I wanted it to. Not bad for a first flight.

Glenn