Static Pitch or......???

[hawkeye52]

I have an aircraft whose fuselage is parallel to the ground when viewed from the side. I want it to sit nose-high by about 5 degrees. I have set the static_pitch entry (in the Aircraft.cfg) to "5" but find that it does not react to any setting above "3".

I read somewhere that there is a landing gear compression entry that can also be used, but I have not found it in the Microsoft ESP SDK.

All help is appreciated.

- H52

[Tom Clayton]

Here's a file that Jerry Beckwith produced a few years ago. I keep it handy for reference.

[Milton Shupe]

I have an aircraft whose fuselage is parallel to the ground when viewed from the side. I want it to sit nose-high by about 5 degrees. I have set the static_pitch entry (in the Aircraft.cfg) to "5" but find that it does not react to any setting above "3".

I read somewhere that there is a landing gear compression entry that can also be used, but I have not found it in the Microsoft ESP SDK.

All help is appreciated.

- H52

Static pitch only affects the angle when in slew mode; it has nothing to do with how the aircraft sits on the tarmac. Same with static height ... only in slew mode.

Contact points static compression and max-static ratio are used to affect suspension static compression and travel.

Before you change it, multiply static compression times the max-static ratio. You must maintain that result whenever you change static compression or max-static ratio. (This assures that the sim mirrors the animated travel established in the model.)

For example, contact points static compression and max-static ratio changes as follows:

Now: .5', 2.5 = 1.25'
New: .8', x.x - 1.25

1,25/.8 = 1.56

New result: .8', 1.56

So, in this example, we changed the static compression from .5' to .8' so we had to calculate the new max-static ratio to maintain the suspension travel animation.

To raise the suspension, decrease the static compression and increase the max-static ratio.

Be aware that that smaller static compression and larger max-static ratios make the suspension stiffer.

[hawkeye52]

Thanks Tom & Milton. I played around with the static compression & ratio for the MLG and learned something. However, it did not provide the inclination I wanted. So I settled on 3.5 degrees of static pitch and though I really wanted about twice that amount, the 3.5 will have to do.

- H52

[OBIO]

Check the placement of the rear contact point....sometimes they are set well behind the actual tail wheel....and will prevent the plane from having the angle it should have when resting on the ground.

Tim

[hawkeye52]

Good tip, Tim, but this is a not a tail-dragger, so I don't believe that is the problem.

- H52

[Milton Shupe]

You will be restricted by the model implementation of suspension movement and gear placement (height).

Also, as you change static compression and max-static ratio, you will need to adjust the vertical distance in the contact points.

The description of the contact points are found in the aircraft container SDK.

[Tom Clayton]

Compression calculations can be tricky until you get used to it. It sounds like you need to raise the nose a bit. That means you need a stronger spring. First, remember that FS begins ALL calculations assuming a full load. Second, the actual contact point position is at the maximum extension. The next thing you need to know is how much travel that the landing gear actually has. So for argument's sake, let's say that the gear has a total travel of one foot. That means you max compression is 1. If you want the plane to sit on the runway with that gear point compressed six inches, that's half of the max, or 0.5 for the "Static Compression." The last step is to calculate the compression ratio. You can either divide 1/.5 or convert to inches and divide 12/6 - either way, 2.0 is your answer. For that same gear to get a stronger spring, you start with decreasing the static compression. Let's say that you want that gear point to sit with only two inches of compression. Since you're dealing in feet, 2 inches out of twelve is (2/12) is 0.17 feet. At this point, it's worth using inches for the ratio. So divide your max compression (12) by your static compression (2), so 12/2=6. FS will then use the static compression and the compression ratio and calculate the correct spring strength.

Hopefully everything's as clear as mud now...

BTW, which aircraft are you working on?

[hawkeye52]

Thank you again, Tom and Milton.
BTW, Mr. Clayton, there is no need for concern...your explanation was very E A S Y to follow.

Tom, I'm tweaking an aircraft that has not yet been released, so I'll let the developer answer your question.

- H52