How to Get Wing Slats Working in FS2004?

[pstrany]

Hi;

I have a model that has slats, and I have a gauge for it that works in CFS2, but the gauge does not work in FS2004. Any gurus out there that could tell me how I would get wing slats working in FS2004? A plus would be if it would work with angle of attack as well as speed.

It would have to be something that we could use as part of a freeware release. We have an upcoming CFS2 project release, thought there might be some interest in seeing our bird in FS2004 as well.


Paul

[PhantomTweak]

The quickest, easiest way is to add another [flaps.n] section to your aircraft.cfg, where n= the next number in sequence after any sections that already present. Set the line type = 2 .
Also, I don't know how far your slats extend, or in what stages, in degrees, but once you figure that all out, just make the lines flaps-position.0= 0 match those parameters. Like if they extend a total of 30°, in 3 stages, you will need 4 entries, the first being 0, the next 10, then 20 and so on.
You will also need to know how far, % wise, they extend along the leading edge. That goes in line span-outboard = 0.8 . Note that it is the percentage, but expressed in a decimal format. The example, 0.8, indicates 80% of the leading edge has slats across it.
You will also need to know the damage speed, and "blow-off" speed, which are pretty self explanatory. Finally, you will need to know how fast they extend, and put that in. Again, fairly self-explanatory.
I would simply copy a previous [flaps.n] section, and then replace the various parameters to match what you determined.
This will cause the slats to extend when you select the various flap settings.
I don't know of a way to accomplish this with an xml gauge, but I am sure it's possible. I'm just a terrible xml programmer, and very simplistic when it comes to the xml files. IE: I'm a complete tyro, and don't have much of a clue on how-to.

Does this help at all?
Pat☺

[pstrany]

Thank you for your response. I guess I should have been clearer. This is for a Messerschmitt 109, which has Handley-Page leading edge slats that deploy at slow speeds and high angles of attack. They are free-moving, and are deployed by aerodynamic forces.

In CFS2, I have a gauge someone made me that deploys the slats below a certain speed. Unfortunately, that gauge does not seem to work in FS2004, so I'm seeking some alternative. And I guarantee, if you know any XML at all, you're head and shoulders ahead of me. I am a lowly poly pusher, that's about the limit of my skills in CFS2/FS2004.


Paul

[mrogers]

I do seem to remember that years ago the messerschmitt 109s by Hanvey and someone else had working slats for fs2004, I think had a gauge for them to work.

[PhantomTweak]

The only MSFS plane I've seen with automatic slats like you're describing is the Section 8 F-86 . The manual that comes with it claims it has the sliding slats you want, but I couldn't see which, if any, xml gauge controls them. There is only 1 [flaps.n] section in the aircraft.cfg, so if they do have slats I didn't see them in the aircraft.cfg or the .air file. It may be the actual plane had them, but the simulated plane doesn't.
Section 8 does have a web site, so if you desire, you may be able to contact them and ask them if they did simulate the automatic slat operation, and if so, how. I can't garuntee they'll respond, but it may be worth a shot.
There is also the possibility the someone on the FSDeveloper forums knows how to do something like this.

Sorry, not super helpful, but the best this little pea-brain can offer
Pat☺

[Motormouse]

Several fs9 models of Messerschmitt have them, Guenter Kramers 108 comes to mind.

Ttfn
Pete

[DaveB]

And a few more have them linked to speed though not AoA and/or aerodynamic forces. The Milviz F-100D has them but for FSX.

ATB
DaveB

[Tom Clayton]

This sounds to me like something that would be coded via xml directly into the model. If that's the case, you would also need to edit any speed vs. lift/drag tables in the air file to replicate the changes that occur with deployment, since there are no (at least none that I know of) parameters in the cfg that would do this.

[lemonadedrinker]

Hi,
I think Milton's Avia had slats, and Manuele Villa's S 79 (and the Lago version) does as well.

Andy.

[Desert Rat]

How have you got them modelled, as flaps or spoilers?

Moparmike made me some auto slats gauges years back, can't remember which they affected off hand but it is in my Handley Page Hampden base pack download.

regards,
Jamie.

[DaveB]

I'm not sure that they'd activate on AoA on these old models.. more likely at a given speed as is the case with the old Alpha Lysander and DelP's HP42 (coded by Sav Maurri). It's listed in the aircraft.cfg as a flap (type=2 as Pat suggested above) and is controlled by xml to open at a given speed. The HP42 didn't have flaps but the Alpha Lysander does.

This is the cfg entry for the Lysander:
[Flaps.0]
type= 1
span-outboard= 0.5
extending-time= 5.000
system_type= 0
damaging-speed= 150.000
blowout-speed= 250.000
lift_scalar= 1.000
drag_scalar= 1.000
pitch_scalar= 1.000
flaps-position.0= 0.000, 0.000
flaps-position.1= 0.000, 0.000
flaps-position.2= 20.000, 0.000
flaps-position.3= 45.000, 0.000
[Flaps.1]
type= 2
span-outboard= 1
extending-time= 5.000
system_type= 0
damaging-speed= 150.000
blowout-speed= 250.000
lift_scalar= 1.000
drag_scalar= 1.000
pitch_scalar= 1.000
flaps-position.0= 0.000, 0.000
flaps-position.1= 15.000, 0.000
flaps-position.2= 30.000, 0.000
flaps-position.3= 45.000, 0.000

This is the xml code that controls them:
<Gauge Name="Lysander flaps" Version="1.0">
<Update Frequency="6"/>
<Element>
<Select>
<Value>

(A:AIRSPEED INDICATED,knot) 70 &lt;
if{
(A:FLAPS HANDLE PERCENT,percent) 100 &lt;
if{
(&gt;K:FLAPS_3)
}
}
els{
(A:AIRSPEED INDICATED,knot) 80 &gt; (A:AIRSPEED INDICATED,knot) 85 &lt; &amp;&amp;
if{
(A:FLAPS HANDLE PERCENT,percent) 0 &gt;
if{
(&gt;K:FLAPS_2)
}
els{
(A:FLAPS HANDLE PERCENT,percent) 100 &lt;
if{
(&gt;K:FLAPS_2)
}
}
}
els{
(A:AIRSPEED INDICATED,knot) 90 &gt; (A:AIRSPEED INDICATED,knot) 95 &lt; &amp;&amp;
if{
(A:FLAPS HANDLE PERCENT,percent) 65 &gt;
if{
(&gt;K:FLAPS_1)
}
els{
(A:FLAPS HANDLE PERCENT,percent) 65 &lt;
if{
(&gt;K:FLAPS_1)
}
}
}
els{
(A:AIRSPEED INDICATED,knot) 100 &gt;
if{
(A:FLAPS HANDLE PERCENT,percent) 0 &gt;
if{
(&gt;K:FLAPS_UP)
}
els{
(A:FLAPS HANDLE PERCENT,percent) 0 &lt;
if{
(&gt;K:FLAPS_UP)
}
}
}
}
</Value>
</Select>
</Element>
</Gauge>

ATB
DaveB

[pstrany]

Hi;

thanks to all for the great suggestions. I downloaded the 108 and incorporated the gauge into my panel and the slats (animated as spoilers in the model) worked without further modification. However, if I edited the gauge and renamed it, the slats (spoilers) did not work. I guess now I have to read up on XML gauges, not much call for it in CFS2. MoparMike also made my CFS2 slat gauge for me many years ago, he was a great resource!

I'm working on the model currently, with Captain Kurt doing textures, flight model and other goodies (see CFS2 thread here). The model seems to work just fine in FS2004, and we thought there might be some interest in an FS2004 version when we are done. So many models have been adapted from FS2004 to CFS2, figured we would reciprocate.

I'd like to get the slats working properly, or at least with speed. The 108 slats open between 25 knots and 90 knots, which is a little slow for the 109, so i need to mod the gauge, or build a new one, that would get me a little faster (and of course AoA would be icing on the cake!) I was editing the gauge with Notepad, does XML require a special editor?


Paul

[DaveB]

You're best using something like Notepad++ which doesn't change formatting - https://notepad-plus-plus.org/

Notepad is ok but don't use any sort of word processor
ATB
DaveB

[pstrany]

Hi;

thanks again for the advice. Still working on getting the slats working, but I think I'm close. In the meantime, thought I'd post a few screenshots of our project, an update to Paul Rebuffat's Messerschmitt Bf 109G-6. Keep in mind it is designed for CFS2, so we did not have the polygon budget of an FS2004 model, but it still looks halfway decent and flies pretty well.

Still a work in progress, but getting there.....



Paul