Wanted: Testers with Cubs

[IanP]

Preferably ones that, unlike the default one, can "blithering" well sideslip!!! :blind:

Yup. A2A Cub owners, I guess I'm talking to you (or anyone who has a Super Cub they can play with either...)

You can guess from the name of the place who requested somewhere to fly the Piper Cub from, but in a fit of insanity last night, I not only recreated an entire cell's worth of coastline for an inlet, but added islands, roads, the town itself, a shedload of lakes and gave the place an airport with both water and land runways. It has a tiddly bit of default Cub and Maule AI too.

These runways ain't that big. The default Cub has no problem coming in over the lake, but has a lot more difficulty getting in over the trees. Lionheart's Kodiak got in and out every way I asked it to and then blew a raspberry at me for even asking it.

Anybody want a play with a very remote bit of Newfoundland, followed by telling me whether it works with some half decent Cub models? :)

Link: http://www.ianpsdarkcorner.co.uk/fictional/cyle/IJP_CYLE_v0_1.zip

[deimos256]

trying it out now!

[JoeW]

The default Cub doesn't slip? ........ I beg to differ. Mine slip and it slips when I kick the rudder over and use opposite aelerons. The only thing that it doesn't do is lift the tail when you give down elevator and kick the tail around when you use the rudder with the tail up.
The default in FS9 would do this as well as the Beaver and the Aerosoft beaver would too.

[IanP]

Stick the rudder fully out to one side and it just keeps going straight at 60mph - no slip whatsoever. I checked with some other aircraft to make sure it wasn't my controls but no, it was definitely the Cub.

Are you sure you don't have the modified flight model that someone did installed, Joe? I don't because I can't find it, so any hints there would be appreciated as well!

[Nick C]

Well I got the A2A Cub in from the direction of the trees. I'm surprised my right axle didn't snap with the angle the wheel hit the runway. Still I stopped before the end and there were no screams!

The replay looks fun, I swear I was 90 degrees to the runway at one point.

[mike_cyul]

I'm not a A2A Cub owner, but I hope Flight Replicas Cub owners are allowed to play, too. :engel016:

Nice scenery! I think the municipal council and the airfield owners should have met before either the runway or water tower were built! But the FR Cub can get in just fine right over the water tower, right on the numbers, if you do your approach from that point at 50 mph indicated (was using real weather, as well).

Super Cub goes in just fine, too, in a normal approach with a little slip, but being a heavier aircraft the flaps are a useful necessity! Screenshot show where the plane came to a full stop.

Looks like a nice place to try out the floats too.

Thanks for the scenery. Everyone should try it. :)

Mike

[SpaceWeevil]

I don't (yet) have the A2A Cub, but Flight Replica's version sideslips - or at least does a good enough approximation of it to get in. Mind you, I also tried an oblique approach with hardly any sideslip and just got in through the gap in the trees! In both cases a nice breeze from the right quarter helped enormously. Nice little field Ian, and another part of the world I'd never have bothered visiting without a heads up so thanks for that. I might just stay a while and explore.
Is it just me, or does the FR Cub look a bit anaemic next to the stock models on your field?

[IanP]

Edited... Found the water tower. Bother. Will move the runway. Also I did include Super Cub pilots in the first post, but I'm now trying it in an Auster!

Have also spotted two merged tanks over the other side of town. I'll shrink one of them.

As for whether Pipers look anaemic, I'll tell you next month when I can afford the Cub. For the moment, I'll believe you. ;)

[mike_cyul]

Do you have any replacement textures or Lanclass add-ons installed, Mike? I don't have that water tower and all of the sliders turned right up...

As for whether Pipers look anaemic, I'll tell you next month when I can afford the Cub. For the moment, I'll believe you. ;)

No, no changes - should be stock Newfoundland, with full autogen turned up. I do have St.Pierre and Miquelon scenery, but I just turned that off and re-started FSX to make sure: and the watertower is still there. No landclass changes. Wonder what the difference is???

As for the Cub colour, I always try and err on the side of reality, and the original Cubs didn't seem to be quite as bright as the newer or repainted Cubs. I did a lot of sampling from period pics, taking the possible film type into account. I also thought they would fade a little after a while, as well, as the paints weren't quite as steadfast as today's. Anyway, all's a matter of taste, and the saturation can easily be increased with the paintkit! :)

In the meantime, it's back to trying to figure out why I have a watertower where there shouldn't be one.... :mixedsmi:

Oh, and just tried the amphib Super Cub on the climb-out ramp - works really nicely!

Mike

Edit: Ian's post got here before this one: watertower explained....

[IanP]

Right. Unfortunately, I had goofed. Quite spectacularly. Like I hadn't actually saved my SBuilderX file after making many of the changes, so have had to go back and redo a fair amount of the landclass and one of the flattens.

I've turned the runway 15 degrees, to dodge the water tower, moved the tanks further apart and moved the road a little.

I've also instructed the bouncer standing outside the hangar that Cubs, Grasshoppers, Super Cubs and Flitfires of any developer are allowed to operate freely.

Argh! I also hadn't saved most of the lakes. Oh well. Back to polygon tracing...

[Tako_Kichi]

I made a short report for you over on the A2A forum Ian. The A2A Cub can get in and out no problems but I see you are busy making changes so will test again when the new version comes out.

I didn't check if there was a water runway there but if you are making changes it may be a good idea to add one then the floater boys can play too.

[IanP]

Hi Larry,

My frame rates do dip a bit, because the number of trees that FSX is trying to draw up there is insane.

It also appears that I actually didn't forget to save it - when SBuilderX compiles, it deletes all the water polygons east of the bay and two of the roads. I assume because they are out of or cross the border into another LOD12 tile, which is actually very annoying. Fortunately, it does compile before deleting them, so the BGL files I have contain all the lakes and landclass changes that I remade.

There is a water runway, running from the North-West corner of the lake adjacent to the airfield, to the South-East corner. The start points on it are active, but there are no taxiways (I've never got water taxiways to work properly), so no aquatic AI.

Version 0.2 Link: http://www.ianpsdarkcorner.co.uk/fictional/cyle/IJP_CYLE_v0_2.zip

[Dangerous Beans]

Hi Ian

I managed to land eventually over the trees in the A2A Cub, had to go around the first try as I was a bit high and fast but made it the second time around.
Was a bit rough on the landing though, good job I didnt have Heidi with me as she wouldnt have been happy :D

I did notice a drop in FPS and was getting a little bit of stuttering but not enough to make it unflyable.

[SpaceWeevil]

Ah, it's quite a bit harder with the autogen turned up to max - there's more in the way! Frames fluctuate between 55 and 15 with the FR Cub and there's quite a bit of stuttering. It's a lot smoother with the frames locked to 30 and even better at 25. This is fun!

[JoeW]

Ian, I hope this works. This is a vid of me sideslipping the default Cub with NO wind. It's not very pronounced.

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[CG_1976]

Ah some rare Canada Scenery. Thank you Ian.

[glennc]

Ian,

I tried it with the A2A standard tires Cub. It is a challenging approach over the trees. I decided to go to the left around the two large trees. That worked OK. The approach from the the other end, over water, was easier. I didn't see any problems with it at all.

Floats were a whole 'nother matter. Taking off to the NW, with 125 pounds of Heidi, I couldn't clear the trees. Not pretty - I needed an overhaul. With just "me", aiming a little to the right, I got off over the docks.

It thought about sneaking in a chopper but decided that would be "cheating".

Well done.

Glenn

[Daube]

I tried it yesterday with the default Cub. I wanted to try the approach from over the trees that is described here as "challenging". I must have done something wrong, the approach was not that difficult at all (my autogen is at max density, limited to 2000 trees in the FSX.cfg). Sure the trees are quite close to the beginning of the runway, but the runway is long enough to land. All I did was some manoeuvers to slow down the Cub ("slipping" like you say, full left or right-rudder and compensating with ailerons). I needed 1/3 of he runway to stop.

I guess I did the wrong approach. Can anybody show the exact path that the plane is supposed to use for this "above the trees" approach ?

[IanP]

If you're using v0.2, Daube, the trees got further away because I had to move the runway to avoid a water tower (see Mike's screenshot at post #6...) - unfortunately, in the real world, the Northerly approach would now be illegal as short final is over the town, but this is the sim, not the real world, so I'm not moving it again. :engel016:

[bushpilot]

Ian, I hope this works. This is a vid of me sideslipping the default Cub with NO wind. It's not very pronounced.


I've tried it numerous times but I wouldn't call it a side slip. There's no actual benefit of it, it does no slow the Cub down like real side slip does.

Nice scenery though:wavey:

[Blade124]

"I couldn't clear the trees"

Glenn,

I would taxi out to the trees, turn around and takeoff the other way.

Scott.

[IanP]

I'm considering sending a lumberjack out to give you a slightly lower approach into the lake.

Perferences? Anyone? I just pranged the Bush Hawk into a tree at the other end of the lake trying a Southerly approach. Didn't try to slip. Should have. Might have to go and get some practice in a C152 now, if the instructor will play ball (practice emergencies this time before I take my requal test next time... EFATO and PFLs.)

[Daube]

If you're using v0.2, Daube, the trees got further away because I had to move the runway to avoid a water tower (see Mike's screenshot at post #6...) - unfortunately, in the real world, the Northerly approach would now be illegal as short final is over the town, but this is the sim, not the real world, so I'm not moving it again. :engel016:

Ah, that explains everything. Thanks for the info ! :icon29:

[Blade124]

"I'm considering sending a lumberjack out to give you a slightly lower approach into the lake.

Perferences? Anyone?"

I wouldn't. This is just like it is in the real world, having to land in small runways with tall, over-grown trees sometimes on both ends.

Scott.

[IanP]

But if everyone keeps running into the trees at the other end, it may just mean that the lake is too small. ;)

The other option is to move the seaplane base to the other lake, a little up the road (the one with the island in.)

Just for the record, I just spent an hour doing practice forced landings and practice engine failure after takeoffs. Because I tend to be a little too conservative in my glide distances for a C152, most of them ended up with sideslips down to the go-around at 500'. Sorry Joe, but after watching your video and doing the best part of a dozen sideslips in a real aircraft, your video agrees with my original statement and Pekka's statement. The default Cub doesn't sideslip.

I wanna get paid now, so I can get a Cub on floats. http://www.ianpsdarkcorner.co.uk/notfair.gif

[anatolpopov]

Is this correct. Should it look like this?

[mike_cyul]

Spotting at Lewisporte.... great airport, really nice seaplane base. :)

(Ian, hope you don't mind me working in a couple of w.i.p. shots to your thread - the amphib is all I have time to fly these days, and your airport just fits in perfectly.)

Really nice small airport, and it turns out the amphibs in the region are happy there, too. Think we'll be a regular visitor. :)


Mike

[IanP]

Ian, hope you don't mind me working in a couple of w.i.p. shots to your thread

Yes. I do. That'll be one meeeeeeeeelion US Dollars in penalty payments please. Payable immediately via my Swiss Numbered Bank Account.

(In other words, no. Go right ahead. :icon_lol:)

Glad you're enjoying it. Although using a Super Cub is cheating. It has flaps!

If no-one else has any comments, I'll give this one a readme and for once might throw it at Flightsim.com - this one might be a little more useful to people than my usual fare.

[IanP]

Is this correct. Should it look like this?

It did... But I think that's version 0.1 before I moved the runway to deal with the offending water tower at 100% autogen. Other than that, looks about right. ;)

[Cag40Navy]

how did you get the sat image on your ADE ian?

[IanP]

how did you get the sat image on your ADE ian?

(ex-Blue Peter viewers will get this one...)
"...so here's an answer I prepared earlier." :pop4:

http://forum.siminsider.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=115

[mike_cyul]

Any way to integrate the sat image into the scenery?

Mike

[IanP]

Any way to integrate the sat image into the scenery?

Mike

Yes. SBuilderX again - I've not tried it, but it looks very simple.

HOWEVER... You do lose all the autogen. Which is why I haven't yet done it. I'm not sure how to only select part of an image, unfortunately. There probably is a way, but I don't know it.

[glennc]

I was able to take-off to the southeast in the A2A Cub. Heidi was not there this time. I don't think the slope at that end of the lake is quite as steep as going NW. I was even able to land SE with water left over. That's a fun little airport.

Glenn

[IanP]

Well courtesy of a very nice gift yesterday evening, I can state for the record that getting the Cub out of the lake in a North-Westerly direction with full fuel, Heidi and "me" on board is definitely possible - even with zero wind.

OK. So it took me three visits to the trees to work out how to do it, but it is possible! :wiggle:

I'll package this one up and upload it somewhere vaguely accessible, then go looking to see what can be flown to within a Cub hop of Lewisporte.

[glennc]

Ian, no doubt. When I try it again, I'll slew back to the beach behind me, then be a bit more agressive about getting on the step. My first post was not intended to be a squack - more about my less than professional piloting skills. A statement in the Read-Me to the effect that pilots should be experienced float plane pilots might be appropriate, but then again, where's the fun in that?

Glenn

[IanP]

Sorry Glenn... I wasn't implying it was anything other than the same learning experience everyone has when trying to get a little aircraft out of that lake. How many people reading this thread, who have tried to visit with a floatplane, haven't ended up in the trees at least once? Hands up, please, and no telling porkies. :)

I was going to put a floatplane hints and tips section in that says to use the "marked" runway as a guide, not as a fixed limitation. Unless you're in a Beaver, the Kodiak or something equally insanely STOL (Hmm... Twotter... Thinks evil thoughts...), you need to start right at the edge of the lake if you're going to get out over the trees. There are alternatives - over the town or over the land airfield if winds allow and I think you're right in that the trees at one end are slightly lower than the other.

Nevertheless, I still haven't written a readme. I found somewhere else to play with coastlines at instead. It's within Cub hopping range of Lewisporte as well, but requires a lot more work than Lewisporte did, so might take me a while.