new Big E

[Mickey_Techy]

No joy on the HUD needles either.

Goonie

Yes, nothing in the HUD. I changed the ILS to 112.00 in the carrier.xml and called it in the Sludge, but it didn't improve anything...

I am given to understand that there are no needles on a real boat too (only localizer needle is available with no glide slope needle). Maybe they are trying to simulate that.

Just kidding.

[Sludge]

Mickey...

There are G/S and LOC needles both in the Hornet sim I was in at Miramar, several Y/T videos showing HUDs, and where there are (CATCC-Hornet) calls for needles. Calls such as "say bullseye" and the responses "a little high" (G/S) and "a little right" (LOC). So I dont think its a REALISM issue, but a functionality issue of IF/HOW they are included and how we can enable them.

So it might be on me (if JR lets me) or JR to mod the HUD, so it can accept the newer carrier and its frequencies. This also should explain why Serge's IFLOLS gauge (included in the Sludge) and the vLSO aren't working so far. They (IFLOLS=100%sure/vLSO=guessing) require active HUD ILS/ICLS needles to work properly. If you wanna see what I mean, take the last Sludge TestBird over a big-city civilian airfield and dial in the ILS code on NAV1. Ensure HUD Control Panel (shift-2) has ILS to ON and NAV1 selected, then pull up the IFLOLS gauge. The BALL will be based on the ILS G/S not the PAPI.

Once I get the BigE carrier package, I'll have to "dig into it" and see the WHAT and HOW they do with their "frequencies", and if they've come up with a moveable FSX navaid or if they have another workaround, so I can get a handle on how difficult it will be to adapt it to the Improved Hornet HUD.

Later
Sludge

[Mickey_Techy]

...Once I get the BigE carrier package, I'll have to "dig into it" and see the WHAT and HOW they do with their "frequencies", and if they've come up with a moveable FSX navaid or if they have another workaround...

Awesome Sludge.

You the man.

[Mickey_Techy]

.....There are G/S and LOC needles both in the Hornet sim I was in at Miramar, several Y/T videos showing HUDs...

You folks are the resident specialists Sludge.
I have never been inside a real hornet or a real sim for a hornet, and not within a 1000nm of a real boat, so I really don't know.

That's why I had tentatively prefaced my original comments as "I am given to understand". And I was given to understand this during my discussions on the subject with Pop many years back.

.....where there are (CATCC-Hornet) calls for needles. Calls such as "say bullseye" and the responses "a little high" (G/S) and "a little right" (LOC)...

Again a matter of my interpretation Sludge (for lack of my personal real life knowledge). I was always given to understand that call for needles was associated with 'loc' needle available.

And no one actually told me this, but I guessed it for myself. Absence of G/S needle (if it is indeed so) explains the Case III arrival pattern and associated R/T calls as enumerated in NATOPS. Remember 4000 ROD till Platform and then 2000 ROD till 1200 feet. Maintain this height till initial and then tip over. I had questioned this procedure during my initial trg around the boat many years back. My question to my instructor (FSX instructor, not real life okay, at that time was, since we already have ILS needles available at 25nm, why don't we descent on the needles and why do we need to follow this stepped descent for Case III ops.

I was also told that 3nm initial in Case III ops at 1200 feet approximately puts one in a position where the airplane would just centre the glideslope marker. It is at this point that the pilot transitions from IFR approach to VFR (so to say). One gets another two miles to stabilize his descent and adapt his scan pattern from inside the cockpit to outside and start to look out for the boat. A 700 FPM ROD from that point will also bring you at 600 feet about .7 nm from boat (place for ball call) at which point the approach is flown visually even in a case III ops.

But, now that you mention it, even I agree that, in quite a few videos I might have actually seen both G/S and Loc needles of actual hornet landings.

Funny, how much of knowledge exists on this forum. Glad to be a part of it.

Sooner (couldn't resist it, JK),

Mickey

[Johan]

Once I get the BigE carrier package, I'll have to "dig into it" and see the WHAT and HOW they do with their "frequencies", and if they've come up with a moveable FSX navaid or if they have another workaround, so I can get a handle on how difficult it will be to adapt it to the Improved Hornet HUD.

Later
Sludge

Thank you Sludge, that would be fantastic. The boat is very nice, you'll see.

Johan

[fsafranek]

Wow, you guys are deep into this.  

What I took away from my question here a few months ago was that we needed a 3.5 degree FLOLS system and some animation.  Thanks to Sylvain Parouty we managed to include that in the Advanced models.  (Sorry but apparently I was logged in with my Mirage4fs name back then)

And I hope making the manual available is of some help to folks who are on the fence about this package.  I hesitated about making it available because I read that it "has numerous grammatical errors and is sometimes confusing".  Assuming everyone will be able to follow along is always a potential problem when the writer is perhaps too familiar with the system being described.  The beta testers were able to make it all work based on what was written.

Sylvain leaves on vacation tomorrow for three weeks but has told me he will send over a beta copy of v3.0 of his RFN_Tacan gauge package that is mentioned in the manual.  The instructions will probably only be in French but anyone who has used the previous versions should have no problems with it.  I'll get back to you on availability once I have it.  

During development of the Enterprise he also sent his HUD for Dino's T-45 and the needles on it work fine once tuned to the ship.  I'm not sure what his plans for distribution are for that though.  But if it is released I'm sure you'll hear about it.

In the meantime since you are into the F-18 big time (I'm not sure this is the right one), here are some nice candid "empty deck" images (click to enlarge) I spotted that reminded me of this group's forum section title...

http://www.pilote-virtuel.com/viewtopic.php?id=45913

---
Frank Safranek
Team SDB - Alphasim/Virtavia Paint Crew
Mirage Aircraft for Flight Simulator
http://www.mirage4fs.com

[wilycoyote4]

Can the wake effect be replaced by Sludge's wake?  Or am I asleep in class again?

[Sludge]

Mickey...

You folks are the resident specialists Sludge.
I have never been inside a real hornet or a real sim for a hornet, and not within a 1000nm of a real boat, so I really don't know.
That's why I had tentatively prefaced my original comments as "I am given to understand". And I was given to understand this during my discussions on the subject with Pop many years back.

Check out this Y/T video thats USS Reagan "Freedom" CATCC/Paddles and approaching aircraft comms and you can see that around 7:30 and later, they call "bullseye-azimuth only 'til lock-on" (implied ACLS lock-on), then (at 7:50; approx. 6 miles) start giving G/S AND LineUp corrections based on boat-to-aircraft bullseye. So this is probly relevant to what you were saying about your Pops and what he told you, about flying azimuth-only bullseye?

But, now that you mention it, even I agree that, in quite a few videos I might have actually seen both G/S and Loc needles of actual hornet landings.

Not sure when GS/LOC ICLS became avail on the boats, but I know that modern ones do. Now, its very possible that they still have the same types of procedures ("platform" and using bullseye azimuth only 'til a certain point... ACLS lock-on?), as they did back in the day? And all this is said in the context of trying to figure out the functionality of BigE carrier package ICLS/TCN.

[In-Flight UPDATE] Will have to read that updated info post from FSAFranek (Alphasim BigE developer).

Still Later (... and not SOONER...) haha
Sludge

[Johan]

Wow, you guys are deep into this.  

Hi Frank, good you are stepping in. Yes, the v3 gauge mentioned would be a plus, please let us know where to get it when you have it from Sylvain.

Johan

[Essex]

Just to confirm, you should be able to get the needles to show on any ship with a catapult, if you first get Sylvain Parouty's Tacan gauge working.
http://www.sim-outhouse.com/sohforums/showthread.php?59144-Carrier-Tacan-available-on-RFN
It's a bit tricky, but switch Nav1 and  Nav2? back and forth from 111.00, the deck angle may not be ideal and changing that parameter makes no difference, I think from memory the other parameters do work if you can switch back to the correct frequency (not 111.00). Don't quote me on this!
Theoretically it must be possible to replicate the Tacan's ILS needles in the HUD. However, it will be interesting to see if the new gauge makes things easier.

[Mickey_Techy]

I do feel that this thread is probably getting hijacked, though inadvertently. But for the sake of continuity, I will press on (but with due apologies).

Since, my last post on the subject, I got a bit restless (for having done things incorrectly for so long), and exchanged a few PMs with Texxal (whom I consider to be another specialist on all matters naval aviation). What I understand now is that I was confusing ILS with ICLS/ACLS. The boat does NOT have an ILS (we always knew that, but I comprehended it differently).

The approaches to boat are PAR controlled, so in a way, it is the radar controller who actually vectors the airplane into the boat (and hence the calls for line up or G/S corrections). The ICLS/ACLS is a ship-borne system that synthetically displays the 'bulls eye' and airplane deviation from bulls eye (read needles on HUD). Will continue this discussion, as I get more info.

Have fun.

Mickey

[Sludge]

Mickey...

Since, my last post on the subject, I got a bit restless (for having done things incorrectly for so long), and exchanged a few PMs with Texxal (whom I consider to be another specialist on all matters naval aviation). What I understand now is that I was confusing ILS with ICLS/ACLS. The boat does NOT have an ILS (we always knew that, but I comprehended it differently).

The approaches to boat are PAR controlled, so in a way, it is the radar controller who actually vectors the airplane into the boat (and hence the calls for line up or G/S corrections). The ICLS/ACLS is a ship-borne system that synthetically displays the 'bulls eye' and airplane deviation from bulls eye (read needles on HUD). Will continue this discussion, as I get more info.

Have fun.

Yes sir, all of what you just said I agree.

Wily...

Can the wake effect be replaced by Sludge's wake?  Or am I asleep in class again?

Yes, whether its VooDoo's original wake fix, or my mod to that wake, you should be able to simply change out expected wake filename in the .CFG file and it should work.

Essex...

Interesting. Once I have the BigE package, I'll take a gander at the RFN Carrier TCN as well.

Johan...

Agree 100 percent. Glad he's here to give us some light on this.

Later
Sludge

[fsafranek]

Thank guys.

Sylvain sent the file (BETA) along with the following message.  Also Sylvain tends to only distribute this gauge via the RFN website so please do not make this available for download anywhere except from this thread and the link I'll provide below.  Thanks and looking forward to what you come up with.  Sylvain will be away for three weeks starting tonight so no support is available.

HI Frank,
Please find the RFN Gauge V3 package as it it tonight.
There may have some change before it is released on RFN website, but nothing major...
At this point not English doc is ready,  sorry about that but I didn't have time for English translation...

Note the chart added at the very last page of the pdf that shows the different variables that are created and feed  by the dll.
Any other gauge like HUD for instance can use it to integrate the moving carrier TACAN/ILS features in. (It's what I did for the T45 HUD)

Let me know if it helps you?

Regards,
Sylvain

PS : don't be surprised by having a VEH_FLOLS_Trailer folder to ad into SimObjects/Boats. It is due to the FCLP mirror system of the RFN dll : it add dynamically into the scenery an AI RFN mirror declared into FSX as a moving ship... :-D

http://www.mirage4fs.com/SDB_scenery/Gauge_RFN_CarrierOperations_V30_BETA.zip

---
Frank Safranek
Team SDB - Alphasim/Virtavia Paint Crew
Mirage Aircraft for Flight Simulator
http://www.mirage4fs.com

[SpazSinbad]

Graphic taken from the FSN gauge PDF -  looks very visible?

[Johan]

Thank you Frank, now you need to join this forum for good!

Johan