Consulting the SOH Brain Trust

[TigerPackLeader]

I have been enjoying flying and repainting the beautiful HC Bell 412 helicopter and recently downloaded the Japan Coast Guard package from the HC site. I notice that in the models within the Japan package, there is a wire running through stand-offs the full length of the tail boom to where it finally anchors to the tail skid. I also notice in photos that some real life 412's have this while others do not, so I'm assuming its either mission, or at least systems, specific.

I'm curious to learn what this is and, while I'm sure there are hundreds of people on these forums who know the answer, right now I'm not one of them.

Advice?

[OleBoy]

Ask at HoverControl. I can't remember the modeler that did the work, but he did an excellent job on the modifications all the way round on that model. I'm still not the greatest at flying egg beaters, but I hear persistence pays off!!

[TigerPackLeader]

Thanks OleBoy! I'll take your advice.

You're right. As with everything else in life, persistence does pay off with FS9 helicopters. And another evil truth: If it's not working out for you, blame yourself first and don't give up. You don't want to be like the man who swam three quarters of the way across the English Channel, got tired, and turned back.

Of the FS9 helicopters I've been playing with, the HC 412 is by far the most challenging. Here are a couple shots of my recent repaint for it ... or maybe not. I'm learning the image posting process. Hang on, I'm working on it.

http://i931.photobucket.com/albums/ad160/LargeFierceMammal/C-GDST_5.jpg
http://i931.photobucket.com/albums/ad160/LargeFierceMammal/C-GDST_2.jpg

http://s931.photobucket.com/albums/ad160/LargeFierceMammal/?action=view&current=C-GDST_2.jpg][IMG]http://i931.photobucket.com/albums/ad160/LargeFierceMammal/th_C-GDST_2.jpg http://s931.photobucket.com/albums/ad160/LargeFierceMammal/?action=view&current=C-GDST_5.jpg][IMG]http://i931.photobucket.com/albums/ad160/LargeFierceMammal/th_C-GDST_5.jpg

[Wing_Z]

Very nice paint!
I thought it might be fictitious, so googled the name...
found the problem mutt on their website (http://goldenmountaindogsolutions.blogspot.com/[COLOR="Blue")

[TigerPackLeader]

Very nice paint!
I thought it might be fictitious, so googled the name...
found the problem mutt on their website (http://goldenmountaindogsolutions.blogspot.com/[COLOR=%22Blue%22)

That wasn't the only problem mutt. Only the worst one.

[OleBoy]

I tried a repaint or two on helicopters. Too may angles and mapping issues. Needless to say, I tossed what I was trying. I tell you what. I was good at crashing them!! I recently got an X45 from a friend. Figured it would make things easier than the Logitech stick I had previously. It does work better, but the throttle is not variable. The helicopters, or planes don't move gradually. At half throttle, they just go!! I don't like the X45 for that reason. Once I get off the ground though, things are ok..some what :kilroy:

[Wing_Z]

That wasn't the only problem mutt. Only the worst one.
Leader of the pack eh? :d

Oleboy, don't give up.
Helos need constant, small corrections in everything: throttle, collective, cyclic.
Once you get used to the constant tweaking, your fixed-wing skills will also improve, and you'll start to walk with that swagger ;)

[srgalahad]

I notice that in the models within the Japan package, there is a wire running through stand-offs the full length of the tail boom to where it finally anchors to the tail skid. I also notice in photos that some real life 412's have this while others do not, so I'm assuming its either mission, or at least systems, specific.

Advice?

Actually, it looks like the antenna exits the fuselage on the starboard side rear of the cabin, runs along standoffs to the tailskid, reverses and runs along the port side of the boom to re-enter the boom about 4 feet aft of the cabin/boom joint. See pic:
http://www.airliners.net/photo/Japan-Coast-Guard/Bell-412EP/0333510/L/&sid=5e028349b26426aad82c082ae4063b48

On the basic principle that the longer the antenna, the longer the wave being captured ( and hence the lower the frequency) I'd guess that it's some sort of HF/MF antenna.

In fact, going to the source... it's listed here:
http://www.bellhelicopter.com/en/aircraft/commercial/pdf/412EP_PDB_2002_r1_web.pdf
Page 262 shows a photo captioned "High Frequency (long range) communications radios"

Rob

And FYI, the Bell website can provide hours of entertainment and a wealth of info about all the bits of a helicopter.
http://www.bellhelicopter.com/en/

[srgalahad]

I recently got an X45 from a friend. Figured it would make things easier than the Logitech stick I had previously. It does work better, but the throttle is not variable. The helicopters, or planes don't move gradually. At half throttle, they just go!! I don't like the X45 for that reason. Once I get off the ground though, things are ok..some what :kilroy:

That's not normal behaviour so there are some options. As this isn't the thread for x-45 stuff I'll PM you a few comments.

[TigerPackLeader]

I tried a repaint or two on helicopters. Too may angles and mapping issues...

Repainting many helicopters is real trial. Something about discovering that there is a separately mapped texture for the front half of the pilot's left boot that's disconcerting.

[TigerPackLeader]

In fact, going to the source... it's listed here:
http://www.bellhelicopter.com/en/aircraft/commercial/pdf/412EP_PDB_2002_r1_web.pdf
Page 262 shows a photo captioned "High Frequency (long range) communications radios"

Rob

And FYI, the Bell website can provide hours of entertainment and a wealth of info about all the bits of a helicopter.
http://www.bellhelicopter.com/en/

Thank you for this, it's exactly what I was looking for!

[TigerPackLeader]

Leader of the pack eh? :d

Actually my TigerPackLeader nom de guerre came from a time when I was making a film in memory of a dog of mine using FS9 and the Aussie Tiger from the Warwick Carter/Garry Smith duo, with their kind permission and assistance. There's an article on the subject with the video embedded at http://blog.gmds.ca/archives/7

And by this I have completely hijacked the thread I started.:guinness:

[TigerPackLeader]

Here's a new one but, since it fits within the scope of the title of this thread I'm posting it here.

I'm giving the Lyons' Grumman Goose a going over. I thoroughly enjoy it in every respect but one: of all the amphibious FS9 aircraft I've ever spent any time in, this G21 is the most squirrely about taxi in and out of the water, and will crash if the wheels are left retracted while the aircraft is located what I regard as a safe distance from shore. Not far from shore, but not nosing the beach either.

I suspect a scrape point that defines how much virtual water the hull draws when afloat but before I embark down the road of tweaking anything (or possibly ... GASP ... living with the situation) I have a question about contact point definitions I'm hoping someone here may know the answer to.

The excellent SOH tutorial on contact points and their adjustment defines the available types as:
1.000 = landing gear/wheel
2.000 = scrape point
3.000 = skid
4.000 = float

My problem is the G21 has yet another type: Type 5. Does anyone know what type 5 is?

Here are the contact points to illustrate:
[contact_points]
point.0 =1, -16.80, 0.00, -1.80, 3200, 0, 0.70,70.0, 0.30, 2.5, 0.90, 4.5, 4.5, 0, 0, 190
point.1 =1, 1.40, -3.91, -3.90, 2200, 1, 1.40, 0.0, 0.50, 2.5, 0.85, 0.0, 0.0, 2, 0, 0
point.2 =1, 1.40, 3.91, -3.90, 2200, 2, 1.40, 0.0, 0.50, 2.5, 0.85, 5.5, 5.5, 3, 0, 190
point.3 = 4, 4.00, -1.50, -1.410, 36000, 0, 0.00, 47.0, 0.85, 40.5, 1.25, 0.0, 0.0, 0, 0.0, 0.0
point.4 = 4, 4.00, 1.50, -1.410, 36000, 0, 0.00, 47.0, 0.85, 40.5, 1.25, 0.0, 0.0, 0, 0.0, 0.0
point.5 = 4, -4.35, -1.250, -1.310, 36000, 0, 0.00, 0.0, 0.85, 40.5, 3.25, 0.0, 0.0, 0, 0.0, 0.0
point.6 = 4, -4.35, 1.250, -1.310, 36000, 0, 0.00, 0.0, 0.85, 40.5, 3.25, 0.0, 0.0, 0, 0.0, 0.0
point.7 = 2, -3.35, -16.250, 0.200, 136000, 0, 0.00, 0.0, 0.0, 0.0, 0.0, 0.0, 0.0, 0, 0.0, 0.0
point.8 = 2, -3.35, 16.250, 0.200, 136000, 0, 0.00, 0.0, 0.0, 0.0, 0.0, 0.0, 0.0, 0, 0.0, 0.0
point.9 = 5, 0.90, 0.0, 7.300, 1600, 0, 0.00, 50.0, 2.0, 2.0, 2.00, 2.0, 2.0, 2.0,2.0, 2.0
point.10 = 4, -14.35, 0.0, 0.20, 136000,1, 1.40, 0.0, 0.50, 5.5, 0.85, 0.0, 0.0, 0, 0, 0

Thanks
Randy

[Tom Clayton]

5 is for a water rudder. It's probably used for some sort of animation.

[TigerPackLeader]

Thank you Sir! Hard to say which animation. There are animations like crazy on this G21 but knowing this it should be whatever is slaved to the "water rudder" command. Now I'll go and see what I can find out about what's causing my problem. Has anyone else experienced this "crash on the water" phenomenon with the Lyons Goose?

[TigerPackLeader]

Thanks to the assistance that came my way because of this thread, and a huge amount of patient, above and beyond the call help from Nobu Aki who is the designer of the Japan Coast Guard HC412 package, I was able to create a modified paint kit for his variant. This is really an almost unbelievably detailed development built on what was already a highly desirable and recommended simulation of the Bell 412.

I posted an article on the project titled A Host of Furious Fancies (http://randy.whynacht.ca/archives/397) to my personal website. The textures are up on my downloads page (http://randy.whynacht.ca/downloads.htm) but while they are downloadable the zip is password protected pending Nobu's approval for free distribution. If/when I get that I'll remove the protection and also post the password here for any dog loving FS9 helo pilots who downloaded it in the mean time. If you go there from this post, at least you can view the screen shot gallery by clicking on the thumbnail.

I also intend to post the modified paint kit after I get the rough edges polished off.

Thanks to Sim-Outhouse! This is among my favourite places!

[TigerPackLeader]

Even with the shots on my site, here is some eye candy ... or not. Hang on while I sort out this image posting process.
http://www.sim-outhouse.com/sohforums/%3Ca%20href=%22http://s931.photobucket.com/albums/ad160/LargeFierceMammal/?action=view&current=C-GDST_29.jpg%22%20target=%22_blank%22%3E%3Cimg%20sr c=%22http://i931.photobucket.com/albums/ad160/LargeFierceMammal/th_C-GDST_29.jpg%22%20border=%220%22%20alt=%22C-GDST_7%22%20%3E%3C/a%3E
http://www.sim-outhouse.com/sohforums/%3Ca%20href=http://s931.photobucket.com/albums/ad160/LargeFierceMammal/?action=view&current=C-GDST_29.jpg%20target=_blank%3E[IMG]http://i931.photobucket.com/albums/ad160/LargeFierceMammal/th_C-GDST_29.jpghttp://www.sim-outhouse.com/sohforums/%3Ca%20href=%22http://s931.photobucket.com/albums/ad160/LargeFierceMammal/?action=view&current=C-GDST_25.jpg%22%20target=%22_blank%22%3E%3Cimg%20sr c=%22http://i931.photobucket.com/albums/ad160/LargeFierceMammal/th_C-GDST_25.jpg%22%20border=%220%22%20alt=%22C-GDST_10%22%20%3E%3C/a%3E http://www.sim-outhouse.com/sohforums/%3Ca%20href=%22http://s931.photobucket.com/albums/ad160/LargeFierceMammal/?action=view&current=C-GDST_23.jpg%22%20target=%22_blank%22%3E%3Cimg%20sr c=%22http://i931.photobucket.com/albums/ad160/LargeFierceMammal/th_C-GDST_23.jpg%22%20border=%220%22%20alt=%22C-GDST_11%22%20%3E%3C/a%3E http://www.sim-outhouse.com/sohforums/%3Ca%20href=%22http://s931.photobucket.com/albums/ad160/LargeFierceMammal/?action=view&current=C-GDST_22.jpg%22%20target=%22_blank%22%3E%3Cimg%20sr c=%22http://i931.photobucket.com/albums/ad160/LargeFierceMammal/th_C-GDST_22.jpg%22%20border=%220%22%20alt=%22C-GDST_12%22%20%3E%3C/a%3E http://www.sim-outhouse.com/sohforums/%3Ca%20href=%22http://s931.photobucket.com/albums/ad160/LargeFierceMammal/?action=view&current=C-GDST_21.jpg%22%20target=%22_blank%22%3E%3Cimg%20sr c=%22http://i931.photobucket.com/albums/ad160/LargeFierceMammal/th_C-GDST_21.jpg%22%20border=%220%22%20alt=%22C-GDST_14%22%20%3E%3C/a%3E http://www.sim-outhouse.com/sohforums/%3Ca%20href=%22http://s931.photobucket.com/albums/ad160/LargeFierceMammal/?action=view&current=C-GDST_20.jpg%22%20target=%22_blank%22%3E%3Cimg%20sr c=%22http://i931.photobucket.com/albums/ad160/LargeFierceMammal/th_C-GDST_20.jpg%22%20border=%220%22%20alt=%22C-GDST_15%22%20%3E%3C/a%3E http://www.sim-outhouse.com/sohforums/%3Ca%20href=%22http://s931.photobucket.com/albums/ad160/LargeFierceMammal/?action=view&current=C-GDST_28.jpg%22%20target=%22_blank%22%3E%3Cimg%20sr c=%22http://i931.photobucket.com/albums/ad160/LargeFierceMammal/th_C-GDST_28.jpg%22%20border=%220%22%20alt=%22C-GDST_8%22%20%3E%3C/a%3E

[TigerPackLeader]

Here we go ...
http://i931.photobucket.com/albums/ad160/LargeFierceMammal/C-GDST_29.jpg
http://i931.photobucket.com/albums/ad160/LargeFierceMammal/C-GDST_23.jpg
http://i931.photobucket.com/albums/ad160/LargeFierceMammal/C-GDST_22.jpg
http://i931.photobucket.com/albums/ad160/LargeFierceMammal/C-GDST_28.jpg

[TigerPackLeader]

For those of you who are interested in downloading the Bell 412 textures I talked about yesterday, or who have already downloaded the file but are awaiting receipt of the password to unzip it, wait no longer! This morning honourable Nobu Aki granted his permission for free distribution of the texture files so, as of now, password protection on zip file hc412_jcg412gmds_2009.zip titled HC412 GMDS Repaint on my downloads (http://randy.whynacht.ca/downloads.htm) page has been removed. If you’ve already downloaded the password protected file, the password to unzip it for installation is hc4122009gmds1107 (case sensitive).

This information also appears in today's blog post titled Late Breaking News From Japan (http://randy.whynacht.ca/archives/495) along with some beautiful screen shots courtesy of Nobu himself. Go take a look!