Consolidated PBY-6A Fire fighter/water bomber & civil PBYs

[Shessi]

Folks,
To save people from reading through pages of another post, I've started a new one for the fire fighter and civilian versions of the venerable PBY. For all PBY-5, 5A and 6As.

Here's the water bomber version, a rough skin, but you get the idea!

With functioning water drop doors, a water drop effect...and yes Mick I will do the tail/rudder.....

Cheers

Shessi

[zswobbie1]

Many thanks for this. Exciting times indeed. Looking forward to the next iteration..

[Mick]

Papi, it looks like we don't have to fight with those tail textures anymore!

Mark, I will re-do my tail textures for the new model's mapping. It will be a simple task. Shall I send you the skin, or would you rather send me the model? Or is it too soon to ask about that?

Will you also do a model with the civil nose and waist blisters? Like on Calypso, and possibly other planes?

And what water drop effect are you using? I have several in my Effects folder but I don't really like any of them.

[Shessi]

Hi Mick,
Send me the skin, and I can massage the tail () to get it to fit correctly.

Yes, I'll do a Cousteau one. Post a pic or two.

The water effect is fx_waterbomber.fx used by the EA Firedash pack. Not great but hey it is Fs9 and not CFS2 after all...ha ha!


Cheers

Shessi

[Mick]

I sent the external texture files for the red Cat and some pictures to show what it should look like to your Hotmail address, since we can't attract to PMs here.

I couldn't put on the anti-glare panel because of extreme mapping weirdness. Maybe that won't be an issue on the civilian nose.

Here's the real Calypso:

[michaelvader]

Yes good idea Shessi and thanks for it.
As you can certainly understand I wat impatiently about the other versions of the -6A.
As soon as I can get them I will see to aply the paints for Fire Eater and the french SLPAC
and hm perhaps some other one I have found some interesting Cats on the War Thunder site.
They have jet inspired me for some little works.
And I will try to fix me as dead line for my panels comming sunday , i will try.

[michaelvader]

Shessi, this one I want it with that paint wow it looks super with the textures showing usure traces
and all orange will be very good for other repaints
Wonderfull
yours
Papi

[michaelvader]

I had again looks on the water bomber
hummm needs a specific panel with water operations as for the Canadair CL 215/415
Would be interesting to see if it might be possible to make it operational as on the Canadairs
If some one has photos or docs of a PBY fire bomber cockpit this would be fine
I presume that it would be very close to the military versions just with the waterdrop instrument added.
perhaps instead of the Sperry autopilot system?
Yours
Papi

[michaelvader]

Just when I came home from work I had a look on my two Canadair CL 215
Both have 2D panels from Jean Pierre Langer.
one has more older water system with possibility of taking new water when flying und 5feet altitude and at an indicated speed
the doors seem to open via the tailhook function and drop via the I key
the modern system seems als quit complex
both are very interesting hmmmmmm would be a nice challenge to implement that into the PBY.
As soon we get the ac I will jump on it to try to implement one of the systems to the bird
Yours
Papi

[Mick]

Unnggghhhh...

First we had two sticky threads on the post-WW2 military Cats. That got pretty confusing.

Now we have one sticky thread about the military Cats, which nobody seems to be doing anything more with, and a NON-sticky thread about the water bombers that are actively being worked on. Still confusing.

I don't know who makes threads sticky or unusticky, but if whoever it is could make the active water bomber thread sticky and the apparently inactive military thread un-sticky, that would be a blessing for us old and easily confused types.

[michaelvader]

Hallo friends,

instead of sleeping I had a look about the water bomber.
at first the more modern systen seems to work.
All depends how the water drop doors will be operated on the model
I think the tailhook function will be good.
I have implemented to parallel systems.
one from the Canadair
the other is to drop the water effect via the brake lever as same as on the Iris P-40 for the gun effects buton for firing the guns it drops the water
As effect I use in parallel the fx_waterbomber fx and the fx_MS_fire_retardant fx
Both together makes a quiet interesting drop.
I will try also to implement the drop system also in the VC
For going further on I need the plane to put all together
I put this plane and its panel in priority before the mil and civ panels
Yours
Papi

[michaelvader]

Hallo Friends,
is the thread out?
in any case my 2D panel for the tanker is well progressing
And the VC adjusted as far as I can do it
Yours
Papi

[zswobbie1]

Well done. We are all looking forward for this, and any other civilian models.

Regards,
Robin

[michaelvader]

Good evening Friends,

for the moment I have still some problems with the water systems to work well.
I supose that it comes from the fact that I have no water drop doors on the model and for this reason my systen runs crazy.
I can only see what happens when I have the plane.
And how on the new model these doors will be activated.
So for the moment I doesn't know how to go further on.
Also I doesn't know which repaints Mick will do - and so which ones rest for me to do.
Now I just have three days of "week-end" than I will be in my normal work again.
Yours
Papi

[Mick]

Papi,

I don't plan to do much painting of the water bomber.

I converted the red plane skin frim the stock AlphaSims -5A skin, only removing the markings that he company had on their -5A that were not on their -6A (or at least are not on it now in its current life as a museum piece.)

I also converted the Calypso skin, which probably looks exactly like your conversion. BUT - did you put any exhaust staining on the cowlings or nacelles? If you did, we should use your texture files instead of mine, because I didn't do that.

Otherwise I have no plans. I'm not very good at the kind of complex markings that water bombers and airliners often wear, so I'm leaving that kind of skin to more skillful painters. (Like you!)

[michaelvader]

Hi Mick
LOL LOL
me and beeing talented repainter, I must laugh.
No my thing that are the panels and for the german planes especially the flight dynamics.
My repaints hmmmm if you look closer hmmmn
No I didn't touch the exhausts as Shessi seems to have them included in the texture 01.
They are rusty and this is quiet well. there is another texture folder "chrome". On the original PBY it seems to affect the Propeller hub and the Exhausts, but on Shessies cats it doesn't for my view
Allright, so as soon as I can get the plane I will look to make the fire drop systems to work as they should.
Look to adjuste the texture of "fire Eater" and perhaps make the red and green Buffalo one
As I do not expect to get the plane tomorrow I can begin to do the Buffalo texture on the original PBY-5A and see later tu adjust it o the -6A
And now I will go to bed I got a bad head ache certainly I passed too much time on the pc and smoked too much also.
Let us see what tomorrow will bring
Yours
Papi

[Shessi]

Right,
Model done. Added side obs dome, corrected all the minor tex bits etc, change the VC etc.

The rudder tex issue. I tried all sorts..grrr! I've spent so much time on these PBY's and with out re-tex maping the whole tail, if you can live with it, then great. TBH Mick, your texs look very as is, is there any real need (and hassle!)?

I'll fire it over to you and Papi, for final bits, then then we'll look at putting it up at SOH.

Papi, the water drop doors are operated with the tailhook command ie SHIFT + T, if you could PM me with your email, I'll fire it over to you both.

Cheers

Shessi

[Mick]

Right,
Model done. Added side obs dome...
The rudder tex issue..Mick, your texs look very as is, is there any real need (and hassle!)?...Cheers
Shessi

So there are water bombers now with and without the waist blisters? Great!

I'm OK with my tail textures are they are, as I sent them to you. They aren't exactly right but they're pretty close and they look pretty good. The tanker numbers on the two sides are not quite the same size, but since we can't see both sides at once, I can live with that. They aren't off by much in size, and the style of numerals is correct.

[michaelvader]

Good morning Friends

Just I believe to have the panel for the tanker.
I have look on my most looked site
the tankes are there
fine very fine
So I believe the panel will be out this evening
My email:
xxxxxxxxxx@xxx.xxxx
Yours
Papi

[Shessi]

Papi,
Please remove your email address from the last post!

You will get more spam from trawler bots looking for genuine emails...

Please don't post your email address, for your sake.....thanks.

I'll fire over the model.

Cheers

Shessi

[michaelvader]

Hallo Shessi, Hallo Mick,

at first thank you Shessi for the new mdl.file.
I changed in the model.cfg the line as follows
normal=Catalina PBY6A WB
is that right to do?
in the Catalina PBY6A.OUT I changed nothing
is that also right?
I added in the aircraft.cfg two external tanks
but I encounter problems with my gauges I intended to use
But I have the following proplems:
1) the waterdrop gauge from the CL-215 doesn't show all parts
2) when the airplane is on the ground as soon as I increase throttle over ca 1500 RPM the fire retardant effect appears for a short moment
3) now I try just to operate with the tailhook switch nd the smoke switch(or corresponding keys)
How can I send you the panel?
or should I just post it as WIP release to SOH?
GrrrrI try to do what I can
Yours
Papi

[Shessi]

Papi,
Just send what you have back to my email address, and we'll go from there.

Mick,
Your texs have blacked rear windows, but the real one doesn't, have you rectified that or?

Cheers
Shessi

[michaelvader]

Hallo Shessi,
even the panel is not 100% ready I just made zip
The zip is about 22.000 kb big.
Too big to be sended by mail
and I have always difficulties with drop box
Yours
Papi

[michaelvader]

Shessi,
I tried to send you via drop box the panel
as crude as it is
It still needs some work And instructions.
Also for you to know it changed a bit the fuel system in the aircraft.cfg as that one:
[fuel]

//Longitudinal (feet), Lateral (feet), Vertical (feet), Usable(gallons), Unusable (gallons)

fuel_type = 1
number_of_tank_selectors = 2
electric_pump = 1

LeftMain = 0, -15, 0, 728, 8
RightMain = 0, 15, 0, 728, 8
External1 = 0, 0.0, -1.2, 457.0, 0.0 //Rep wgt of fire retardant Ref 1
External2 = 0, 0.0, -1.2, 457.0, 0.0 //Rep wgt of fire retardant Ref 1

This panel makes me turning crazy
but there is a possibility to drop the water so that it realy drops this amount of charge and changes the weight
the tanks position are certainly not correct also their volume.
Yours
Papi

[michaelvader]

Hi Shessi,

before shutting down and going to sleep,
I found the gauge bug
why this gauge did not show as it should,
in the aircraft cfg must be added at the contact points a waterrudder
This gauge still does not 100% work correctly. But I have found a solution to
"override the bug".
If you have received the panel I will write you some explanations how some of the systems should work
But know I m tired now. I worked all the day on this panel - I must take a sleep now
Yours
Papi