Lionheart Proton Stingrey

[DennyA]

Fun new fantasy electric/VSTOL plane from Lionheart Creations, based on an evolution of the Vought V-173 Flying Pancake design:

http://lionheartcreations.com/Stingrey.html




Haven't picked it up yet, but looks like he did some really cool stuff with the glass panels in the cockpit.

[falcon409]

Oh my! This is a no-brainer. . .installing but it appears it might have locked up on me.

[falcon409]

No lock up, just took a while. . .this is a big install, lol. This is one airplane I "will" be reading the manual for, lol. Great job Lionheart!!

[Penzoil3]

Interesting flapjack. Downloading now.
Sue

[magoo]

Very interesting.

The "theory" of the plane tickles my curiosity.

Okay....so it's from the future. It shows no vertical surfaces....i.e....no tail fins. The original Vought flapjacks had twin tails. How would this machine maintain lateral/directional control?

Twin props? It's future....perhaps the thrusts values could be constantly manipulated by computer to maintain direction stability...? Could it be worked like that?

It sure could generate a heluva side slip..... (spins verboten!)

I think the original Vought machine's twin engines were coupled to a transmission unit that then drove the props in a manner that one engine could be shut down, and the remaining unit could still drive both props...?

Have I got it right...?

I wonder what could done with tomorrow's technology.

Sure is a pretty looking shape. Really sweet, amazing visual work. It'd be neat to see one really built.

Makes me think of being a kid in the 1960's......everything was looking to the future with great optimism....everything was going to be like Lionheart's Flying Flapjack shown above.

Nice to know that a creative someone hasn't lost that spark!

[Penzoil3]

Has anyone found the "Flying the Stingrey " section in the manual ? It doesn't seem to exist.

[MrZippy]

Has anyone found the "Flying the Stingrey " section in the manual ? It doesn't seem to exist.

Yeah, I think it said "Turn on engines, point towards sky, flip the pancake when you see bubbles, and good luck!"

They actually left that section blank?

[Penzoil3]

I feel better now.

[dvj]

Coolest thing I've seen in FSX for a long, long time. A real joy to fly. Lots of features to explore. Off to Catalina for some screenies.

-d

[dvj]

[txnetcop]

Bill is a master designer...I don't know why he doesn't sign on as a design engineer for Lockheed!
Ted

[dvj]

It's fascinating. Lines and curves I've not seen in FSX before.

[heywooood]

now this is fun!
maybe we should race them somewhere..

in the notes on Bill's page it says they turn by using fly by wire integration of spoilers and prop feathering, rpm attenuation to the 'inside engine' (of the turn)
electric powered and ultra lightweight construction..composites and alloys.

intrigue is off the charts

[Sundog]

I have two problems with this release:

1) When I turn ATC chatter on, it won't turn off.

2) There are so many versions to fly, it's hard to choose.

[heywooood]

I have two problems with this release:

1) When I turn ATC chatter on, it won't turn off.

2) There are so many versions to fly, it's hard to choose.

from LHC's Stingrey page...
"Did you know.... You have ATC background chatter built into the Protos OS system?
Yep.... You click on the WiFi antennae icon 'or' the GPS icon in the top of the Center Protos
main Screen, and Voila, you can hear pilots talking with tower. They are all British. There are
two. Right click on them to stop them. Keep left clicking and the sound will stack and try to
drive you nuts. Do not let it. Right click them."

[falcon409]

. . . . .There are so many versions to fly, it's hard to choose.

Yep, I got rid of the fixed gear altogether, saved 2 float liveries and 3 RG liveries.

[DennyA]

How would this machine maintain lateral/directional control?

Twin props? It's future....perhaps the thrusts values could be constantly manipulated by computer to maintain direction stability...? Could it be worked like that?

The Northrop flying wings (from the N-9M all the way up through the B-2) didn't have tails. Instead, they used split aileron spoilers for yaw control.

[magoo]

The Northrop flying wings (from the N-9M all the way up through the B-2) didn't have tails. Instead, they used split aileron spoilers for yaw control.

Well....it's interesting that you'd bring up the Northrop Flying Wings. In fact, they had their own issues, particularly hunting around the yaw axis in rough air, after turns, etc......and we're not getting into what happened about stall recovery.

It's most notable that these handling "eccentricities" were essentially solved decades later in Northrop-Grumman's B-2 Spirit bomber with it's advanced computer-generated artificial stability system.

The Vought prototypes V-173 (flown) and XF5U (taxied) beyond their odd shaped low aspect ratio wing had vertical and horizontal tail surfaces. ( The idea of the props placed in such a remote location was that they would cancel out the wing tip vortices with their opposing rotation, thus enhancing an already efficient high performance wing platform.)

Judging by pilot reports of the well wrung-out V-173, the plane was a sweet performer. The main issue they suffered from had nothing to do with handling. It was all about critical vibration along the engine/drive shaft/transmission/ propeller system. In the case of the much larger XF5U, the vibration issue was never solved before the government pulled the plug on the project.

So now.....we're looking at a gorgeous rendition of a near-future fantasy plane, essentially a furtherance of Vought's Flying Pancake prototypes........minus the aft control surfaces.

....Hmmmmm....

It has me intrigued, and re-reading Bill's description at his website....there is mention of electronics looking after directional stability by manipulating prop pitch, power, and prop-housing attitude.

This gets us back to your reference of the old Flying Wing prototypes, whose issues were solved in the modern B-2 with it's advanced computer systems generating constant stability in a manner that would be inefficient or impossible under the multi-tasking pilot's control.

As outlandish as the Stingrey model appears, a little reading has left me thinking that the design could be quite feasible with today's technology, providing the development budget was generous enough, and the market was sustain-ably secure enough to attract critical investment.

Bill's "futurist" ideas are always startling, always pleasing, totally optimistic, and yet are always based in relative feasibility. That's what had me going when I first looked at the images....questions about feasibility. But with a little internet exploration, pulling some books off the shelf, I'm happy that Bill has maintained a relative reality, wrapped up in a very exciting set of ideas. (Amazing rendering too!!)

I have no doubt that we'll see aircraft designs like this in the next couple of decades......and when you do.....remember...Bill told you about it here.....first.

[dvj]

[heywooood]

dvj, spoiler alert..lol

[Javis]

dvj, spoiler alert..lol

Hehe..

Are you guys flapping this jack in FSX only ?... Anyone tried it in P3Dv4 ??.... ( don't see any mention of it in the P3Dv4 forum...)

You see, i can't seem to get this flapjack cooked in P3Dv4. As soon as i load any of 'em the sim locks up. ( actually the first time ever i have a lockup in P3Dv4 ! )

Tried 3 times, 3 times failed. I also tried to first load Lionhearts default Mooney before loading the Stingrey. No change. Boom back to desktop. Because of that i think there's something seriously wrong.

The zip i got the link to download for is called 'LHC_Stingrey_InstallerB.zip'. When i run the exe file it says : "Welcome to the Proton Stingrey Flying Flapjack for FSX". Maybe that's just a little hickup because with the next dialog i do indeed get to select P3Dv4. The whole shebang is there alright ( i would've opted for Bill to just give me the base models and download anything from the plethora of textures later..)

I know that a model that works fine in FSX can work just as fine in P3Dv4 ( if some conditions are met ) but i'm still not sure about that "....Flying Flapjack for FSX" text..

Would love to hear if any of you fly the Flapjack in P3Dv4, please ?.... And is your zip also called "... InstallerB " ??.....

Thanks very much on forehand, gentlemen !

Btw, what's up with the manual ??.... I can't find any html code, just a whole bunch of jpg's ? Are we supposed to open each and every one of them manually ??.... ( that's not very futuristic, is it ??... ;-)

cheers,
jan

Edit : it's not like it could have anything to do with the fact i'm running P3V4.4 ?.... i can't imagine really...

[dvj]

Hehe..

Are you guys flapping this jack in FSX only ?... Anyone tried it in P3Dv4 ??.... ( don't see any mention of it in the P3Dv4 forum...)

You see, i can't seem to get this flapjack cooked in P3Dv4. As soon as i load any of 'em the sim locks up. ( actually the first time ever i have a lockup in P3Dv4 ! )

Tried 3 times, 3 times failed. I also tried to first load Lionhearts default Mooney before loading the Stingrey. No change. Boom back to desktop. Because of that i think there's something seriously wrong.

The zip i got the link to download for is called 'LHC_Stingrey_InstallerB.zip'. When i run the exe file it says : "Welcome to the Proton Stingrey Flying Flapjack for FSX". Maybe that's just a little hickup because with the next dialog i do indeed get to select P3Dv4. The whole shebang is there alright ( i would've opted for Bill to just give me the base models and download anything from the plethora of textures later..)

I know that a model that works fine in FSX can work just as fine in P3Dv4 ( if some conditions are met ) but i'm still not sure about that "....Flying Flapjack for FSX" text..

Would love to hear if any of you fly the Flapjack in P3Dv4, please ?.... And is your zip also called "... InstallerB " ??.....

Thanks very much on forehand, gentlemen !

Btw, what's up with the manual ??.... I can't find any html code, just a whole bunch of jpg's ? Are we supposed to open each and every one of them manually ??.... ( that's not very futuristic, is it ??... ;-)

cheers,
jan

Edit : it's not like it could have anything to do with the fact i'm running P3V4.4 ?.... i can't imagine really...

I opened the manual in windows photo viewer and was able to toggle through each image. I think Lionheart forgot to put those into a PDF. Only running FSX. Sorry.

[dvj]

dvj, spoiler alert..lol

I like those spoilers.

[heywooood]

yer flapjacks look pretty spoiled

[heywooood]

@ Javis - I haven't bought it yet - did all the xmas shopping early now I'm tapped out.

I'm on FSX-A so I wouldn't be much help anyways. Hope someone can be along soon who can.

I'll tell you that Bill helped me out really quick with an issue I had with the Fairchild 24 a while back - try contacting him directly..?