I'm short on time due to some impending travel, but if you can give me a day or so to come back to this thread with a likely extremely lengthy response, I can help.
I fly this aircraft almost daily these days and it's become my preferred complex Russian airliner of choice over the PT Tu-154!
With that being said, the learning curve is just as steep, if not more so, than the 154, and there is quite a lot of initial setup to do to get this to fly properly (unless you start hacking the addon and removing significant functionality).
Among the things you need to do, which I'll go into much, much more detail later:
Download a few gauge update files from the Avsimrus/Avsim.su forums that fix aerodynamics error when crossing Mach 1. Check Black Friday November and Stater Bros Ad.
Properly adjust your weight and balance both in regard to fuel and in regard to payload.
Mandatory use of the rather user unfriendly joystick setup utility. You must program your hardware through this utility after "disabling" it in FSX proper.
I'll provide you with links to all files and further guidance when I have more time.
Very few people both in the English-speaking and in the Russian speaking community seem to be able to fly this increadibly complex and beautiful looking piece of freeware, but I've figured it out and do so routinely, so I'll get back you in about a day with extensive detail on what you have to do. Check King Soopers Ad and Piggly Wiggly Ad. I promise.
Here are some screenshots I posted on another forum of me flying the Tu-144D (at various locations) in the meantime:
Again...I'll get back to you with further info soon! This is a complex yet extremely rewarding addon, and it's possible to learn without needing to "hack" any gauges or remove any functionality as presented!
I installed the v3.5 from the link posted and about the update, I downloaded the file posted in the post #2700 from this page of the avsim.ru/avsimrus forum.
I hope that in the future days I can start to learn to fly this beauty (without hacking of course)...But first of all... I need help to cope with the wobbling and tipping problem.
Thanks again.
I will definitely be watching this. I've had a passing curiosity in the Concordeski and I'll take advantage of ce_zeta's predicament and glean as much knowledge as I can!
This is for the Tupolev Tu-144D (NATO: "CHARGER") for FSX, created by Nikita Konstantinov, Mikhail Mitin, and others. This addon is freeware, and is FSX-Native in its entirety. This latest version is 3.5 and is meant only for FSX. There are older versions "2.0/2.5 series" for FS2004.
Here's an extremely brief, partial-history of this aircraft which I posted on another forum where people were asking about it:
The aircraft itself represents what was to be the final edition of the Tu-144 prior to the fall of the USSR. Unlike earlier versions, and unlike the later flying laboratory version (I'll get to that in a minute), the D model was fitted with non-afterburning turbojet engines designed to boost the range of the Tu-144 so that it would be comparable to the Concorde. As far as I know there were six D models produced, plus one left incomplete (need to confirm this in my book). The Tu-144 concept itself proved to pretty much be a failure for the USSR, as a host of problems plagued the type throughout it's service life and evolutions. These problems were primarily mechanical in nature, and the the frequency of issues was high enough that Alexei Tupolev and two government aviation safety representatives had to personally inspect each aircraft and sign off on each flight leaving Moscow. For what it's worth, the Tu-144 could allegedly fly higher and faster than the Concorde due to how it was constructed (more titanium) but the amount of systems issues, as well as fatigue issues the aircraft had really negated any advantages. As far as I can tell, the only passenger route that it served was from Moscow (Domodedovo) to Almaty, Kazakhstan (known as Alma-Ata in Soviet times), though it did make appearances at other airports during flight testing, and for mail-runs.
The last iteration of the Tu-144 to fly was called the Tu-144LL, and was a joint project between NASA, Lockheed, a few other American companies, and Tupolev to support a "flying laboratory". This was a re-engined (with afterburners again!) converted Tu-144D that flew off and on until the mid-90s. There are videos on Youtube of this aircraft taking off and landing that you can find today.
Additionally, some XML guage logic updates are needed, as without them, you will always experience unrecoverable Mach tuck when approach Mach 1. They are available at the links below:
I think that covers it for gauge updates, but I cannot recall precisely right now if I also downloaded that "saved Ivars" file in the first link as well.
Next, download this limited English documentation which was created by someone on the Project Tupolev forums. I have re-uploaded it to the link below (as the PT forums are being blocked by my web browser as an "attack" site right now.) http://www.filedropper.com/tu-144documents
The documents contain an illustrated checklist/panel guide, as well as a narrative on how to use the addon's "joystick setup utility". Like the PT Tu-154, this Tu-144 requires that the user set's up their hardware to interface with the addon directly, rather than via FSX. This means that your controls should be "disabled" in FSX itself prior to using this addon. Please read through the joystick setup utility documetnation multiple times, as it will likely take multiple attempts to get everything configured. Unfortunately, the utility is only available in Russian, which makes things difficult. It is not transferable with the Tu-154's utility, which is easier to use. Please let me know if you need further assistance.
I use Saitek products, and with this addon, I employed the use of my X-52 joystick, and Saitek Rudder Pedals.
I mapped the following functions to my controls. Rudder, Toe Brakes (left/right), View Panning (hat switch), Autopilot Disconnect, Elevator, Ailerons, Throttle, Elevator Trim (make sure you map elevator trim!), and nose droop controls.
This addon requires that you start it up in "2D cockpit" mode. There is a setting you can adjust in the FSX menus to facilitate that. Then, when the aircraft loads, you can right click in an open spot on the 2D panel (one that's not part of the panel bitmap) and navigate to the VC cockpit view.
Additionally, when you select the aircraft, do so from the FSX menu, so you can configure fuel and payload prior to loading it into a flight session. This is required so that you don't get the wobbly/out of control issue. The addon comes with four versions. Wide panel with VC, 4:3 panel with VC, wide without VC, and 4:3 without VC. I always use wide with VC.
For your fuel, load it to no more than 75%.
For payload, I usually keep all values default WITH THE EXCEPTION OF payload stations 3 through 6. The stations are simply designated 3, 4, 5, and 6, and they should have zero (0) payload in them. There are additional stations designated in Russian. Leave those alone.
Now...you should be ready to load the addon into your actual flight session.
When you do so, you'll first be presented with the 2D view looking at the captains panel. The nose will be in supersonic mode, and the canards retracted.
When you try to switch views here, you WILL lose control of your view panning functionality. This is where the joystick setup utility comes in. You can bring it up using one of the Shift+# combinations. In the documents, you'll see how to select in the utility that you want to map views to your hatswitch. Documentation labels it as "headmovement". The documentation lists the functions in numerical order for the axis section as well as the buttons section, and since I don't know Russian, I count the entries I select until I get to the one I want. For example, the documentation lists head movement as the tenth entry, so I click through the Russian labels until I get to the tenth one.
So, program you're head movement first. Following this, program the rest of the controls that you wish to apply. Read further above to see what functions I have applied at a minimum.
Please note, you should be able to see immediate feedback with your toe brakes, throttle, elevator, and aileron controls. You will NOT see rudder pedal movement (outside of toe brake depressions) without hydraulic power to the aircraft.
As far as I can tell, the throttle can only be mapped to one axis (so any CH or Saitek throttle quads will only read one lever).
The utility seems to support multiple joysticks, but I know that you can have issues if you program functions across more than two. Again, I have only programmed by X-52 and Saitek rudder pedals, and everything works fine here.
The rudder pedal mapping is obviousl, but for the other controls on the X-52, I programmed the autopilot disconnect to the blue botton on the throttle next to the slider switch (kind of in the middle). For trim, I programmed the up/down movement on the upper hat switch (to the left of the "missile launch" button that has the protective guard you flip up).
For the canard movements, I programmed up/down onto buttons T1 and T2 at the base of the X-52 joystick (not the throttle).
So....work through setting up your aircraft with the guidance above. Please note that some axis controls through the utility may need to be reversed (for non-obvious reasons) while some can be left the same. The document "manualtest.pdf" in the zip file linked above should lead you through everything.
So, by this time, you should have a cold/dark aircraft sitting on the ramp, stabalized, with your view controls working.
Next up, there is a shift key (I think shift 6) which should enable a pop-up window with a bunch of green buttons. The green button to the lower right (just above the far end of the black box with numbers) is an electrical/navigation alignment "quickstart" that should get you batteries on and your nav instruments partially aligned.
Now, study those manuals, learn the 2D clickspots, and figure out the systems. I will follow this post up later on how to properly align your compasses (mainly the HSI) based on your lat/long and just using a couple of simple guages in the plane. Please note that I really have no idea at this point how to actually use that massive INS panel, but everything else is clear to me!
Also note that the aircraft is assisted in landing by a parachute system. It's not marked in the documents or explained how to enable it. It's on your Overhead Center panel, and is the set of two buttons, with a cover for one at a time, near the upper/middle/right, with a yellow light near it (two vertical buttons, located to the right of your overhead canard controls labelled "8" in the document). Ensure that the upper of the two bottons is not shielded. Then, when you tough down, press your spoiler key on your keyboard to activate the parachute. When you press it again, the parachutes are released, and cannot be re-activated until you reload the plane. I finally discovered this just a week or so ago.
FINAL IMPORTANT NOTE: After loading the plane for additional sessions, the joystick setup utility often doesn't "read" right away, leading to runaway views again. If that happens, press your shift+# key to bring up the utility, but don't manipulate it. When the utility is on your screen, simply try panning with your hat switch. This should cause the utility to start reading your inputs, and everything should go back to normal.
I will follow-up with additional details later, but this should keep the crowd busy for a while.
CLOSING REMARKS:
Very few people in the FS community 1) are aware of this, and 2) know how to fly this. That's what makes learning this high-quality bit of freeware so rewarding. I will be offering an online, real-time help session with this aircraft in late May via Teamspeak and an FS multiplayer session (shared-cockpit not supported, but you can follow along) with further details on that announcement to come in the next few weeks.
Side note: I am also offering a lesson on the Tu-154 on May 3rd, which I've announced here: http://nzff.org/forum/index.php?showtopic=22140
EDIT: This video helped me, so it'll likely help you. It's all in Russian, but you can watch in HD in full screen, and it goes through the start-up. The INS is still a mystery to me, but everything else is there! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPZf1qeNvzI
Let me know if you need help. There's a lot of little quirks that you simply need to exeperience before you learn how to mitigate them. You know how to reach me.
FSX
Members who have read this thread: 51
Posting Permissions
Bookmarks