CaptSim TF-104 canopies

[SSI01]

I've got an inquiry in at the CaptSim support forum for this but no answer for some time now, so thought I'd try here.

After visiting the Aerosoft website I noted their F-104s and TF-104s for sale are identical to those of CaptSim. I also noted the TF-104s on the Aerosoft website had opening rear canopies while for the longest time I have been trying everything I can think of to get my TF-104 (from CaptSim) rear canopies to open. Is there a difference between them in their config files, or is it in the .air file where it can't be touched (except with some program I know nothing about)?

[Aztec]

G'day SSI

Shift E & 2 seems to work for me, give it a go.

Az

[hschuit]

I have the Captain Sims 104, in FS9 the aft canopy works as advertized using the exit-2 key combo (Shft-E-2). In FSX however, only the front canopy works, aft canopy does not repond to the exit-2 key combo.

cheers, Henk.

[SSI01]

Gentlemen - I thank you for the quick replies. Although I've been trying that combo already, I'll give it another go.

Forgot to say - I'm running FS9.

Having the Bear Studios MiG-15 and -17, I was told the water rudder key - Shift-W - would work on the UTI versions, and it does. I've tried that also with the -104 but to no avail.

At any rate, let's see what happens again.

[java2srv]

I occasionally have my "Shift-select" key combinations stop working if I'm nearby to or fly over a trigger area (in FS9). One of the most common of these are the refueling areas on airports.

This happens to me for engine select (E-1, E-1+2, et al.) on multi engine ships, like the Shupe & Co Beech 18s, The Mighty Howard 500, and the flock of Cal Classic propliners, and a bunch of other multi engine aircraft. Next time I start FS things are working again, and even reloading the last flight will have things working right.

So this also applies to the exit select -- it gets itself disabled by some combination of the inner workings of FS9, panels, and who knows what. At that point just the primary exit is the one that works. Again, next time I start FS9 all is working as expected.

At least my working guess is that it's these trigger areas. Besides refueling triggers there are also "thermals" trigger boxes for sailplanes. To see trigger boxes you can add SHOWTRIGGERS=1 under [SCENERY] in the main FS9.cfg -- that setting is absent by default in fs9.cfg, it's listed if I recall correctly in the scenery SDK.

This may also be an interaction of gauges xml and other code. It could be gauges I've substituted into these ships, it could even be task switching with other windows programs, or even something like toggling window / full screen. I do have the full FSUIPC but haven't dug into the command captures to the point were I can say for sure what is really causing this.

If you're starting your flights in a specific location maybe you can check the canopy behavior in another parking area or another airstrip.

I don't have the Starfighters but have seen the 2nd exit mal-behavior in a more or less random sample of all my aircraft. I can say for sure that the 2nd (& 3rd, etc.) exits do work initially before they hang up. Zipper was one of my flight instructor's favorite aircraft when he was flying them on active duty in the USAF.

[SSI01]

That "showtriggers" sounds intriguing - does it actually show anything on the FS9 screen? That is, if you move the mouse over it, will a box or some other graphic show up to warn you of this?

I've never thought about where the -104 is sitting, although I usually don't park near fuel stands. Let me play with this a little.

This is what's in the -104's config file for exits:

[exits]
number_of_exits = 2
exit_rate.0 = 0.4
exit_rate.1 = 0.4

EDIT: Tried moving the aircraft around the ramp, also tried it in windowed mode as well as full-screen; still no aft canopy. One thing is interesting, though - I get a virtual cockpit in the back seat of the TF-104, but no virtual cockpit up front, just a blank grey instrument panel. Maybe this is a clue of some sort?

Do you think changing anything here would affect the situation?

[pfflyers]

I just checked mine, hadn't flown it in a while. The no fwd vc is the same in mine.

shift + e + 2 worked for me.

This is almost but not quite totally OT, I was recently playing with the POSKY 737-700C (vc) model. The download didn't include a panel, just an alias to the default 737. Anyway I was checking out the animations, crew door, cargo door, baggage doors, etc. Then I installed a panel with the VC enabled and all the doors quit working except the shift + e passenger door. Turned out one of the gauges in the 2D panel was conflicting. When I changed guages all was fixed.

[java2srv]

That "showtriggers" sounds intriguing - does it actually show anything on the FS9 screen? That is, if you move the mouse over it, will a box or some other graphic show up to warn you of this?

Hi SSI01!

What you get is a transparent bright green 3D cube. The size varies. The boxes for the thermals are gigantic. The sizes of the refueling boxes may be tied to the scenery for the airports -- I don't know about that one, thier sizes vary quite a bit from place to place. At my "home" base KGJT it's about 200 ft on a side and about 180 ft tall. The boxes are visible until you remove the flag in fs9.cfg, or maybe SHOWTRIGGERS=0


from the bglcomp SDK (where SHOWTRIGGERS flag is discussed)

MORTON RIDGE
The Morton Ridge lift box is located ~2 miles to the SE (hdg 125 from the Strom airport) at the east end of Riffe Lake (lat: N46 28.94, W122 11.28). For lift to be generated, there needs to be surface wind set up at ~20kts, from ~240 degrees.

CHELAN THERMAL
The Chelan thermal is located just SW of the Chelan Mun airport (S10). The exact location is a butte located at the following lat/lon: N47* 48.33’ W120* 1.64

Slew up at Chelan Mun and over to the lat/lon. Start thermaling just above the butte. Work your way up until the lift stops. From there you can fly south to the Waterville airport and you will find another thermal that starts at about 6,500 feet. The exact location is N47* 39.22 W120* 3.35.

You can continue south toward Pangborn Meml (KEAT) and there is a thermal located directly over the airport that begins at or about 5,000 feet. The exact location is N47* 23.91 W120* 12.94’. that begins at or about 5,000 feet. The exact location is N47* 23.91 W120* 12.94’. From there you should have enough altitude when the thermal tops out to cross the mountain range south of Pangborn Meml and land at Bowers (KELN).

[SSI01]

That sounds like FUN!

I'm almost ashamed to say this, but in all the time I've owned FS9 I've never, not once, been on a glider flight. I'm ready to give it a try, except for one thing - how the devil do you get the glider off the ground and cut loose from its tow plane?

Now - back to the original subject:

Took a RNoAF TF-104 for a hop, and upon landing back at Bardufoss (not a good airfield for -104 ops, BTW - approach too steep at the last minute) and taxiing to parking, I hit Shift+e and Shift+e+2, and lo and behold both canopies opened. That may have something to do with some editing I did in the config file, to wit:

[exits]
number_of_exits = 2
exit_0_command = Shift+e
exit_1_command = Shift+e+2
exit_rate.0 = 0.4
exit_rate.1 = 0.4

I don't know if this did the trick or not, but something made shift+e+2 bite.

[java2srv]

... not once, been on a glider flight...

That's about as far from flying the Zipper as I think you can get. I use the Slew 'Y' and then 'Q' to go up and maybe a little forward arrow, then drop out of Slew mode. The menu > World > Move will do this too.

Sorry to get so far OT. Interesting kit there for the exit commands. Thanks for posting that.

Java

[SSI01]

No problem. Here's a screenie - that's the North Cape below the aircraft:

Attachment 63884A desolate but also quite beautiful place.

Something like: exit_0_command = Shift_e
exit_1_command = Shift_e_2

might work also, but the above seemed to function first time. If it was a fluke, I'll try this combo instead.


Re: the other topic - I was planning on using the map, then changing the altitude to something like 8,000 feet or close to that, forward speed of about 130 - then going right into the sim and taking things from there.

All I've got is the stock glider/sailplane that came with the sim. Do you have any recommendations for others to install, single or two-seat?