SkyPup

January 10, 2011

WOW...I just pray that if I ever crash land on a remote uninhabited Pacific Island with just a nail file and a toothbrush you'll be with me to rebuild the plane and fly out.

Very impressive

PS: you might want to redesign the throttles...I might be a little leery of holding those peni.....I mean throttles in my hand.

Sure, Cap'nJack, we could be like those guys in Flight of the Phoenix....

As for the throttles, only a Dawg would notice something like that!

January 10, 2011

Re-worked my flight controls yesterday and though it hasn't improved my on-line performance, the stick has a nice feel to it. Gimbals are made from tilting plywood platforms, pivoting on home-made hinges. Lengths of bungee cord give some centering force. The electronic guts consist of the Bodnar BU086 board, sensors are Hall effect for roll and yaw, pots for throttle. First version of the stick had simple switches on top for pitch trim and guns. New version uses a spliced-on Saitek stick grip for the grip. I'm using the hat switch for roll trim and pitch trim, two buttons for guns, one button for TeamSqueak. Two throttles for now, though I just use one for IL-2. The helo collective, when needed, is plugged into output from throttle #2. Yes, I do fly FS9 occasionally, though it's a secret; hey we're all friends here, right?

It was fun to build this rig, still not ideal but a step up from the two commercial joysticks I've used. Really happy with the Hall Effect sensors and the ten-bit ADC Bodnar board , too. When I do a joystick calibration, I can see reproducible signal change from about 1/8 inch stick travel. That translates to about 1/3 of a degree stick deflection.

January 7, 2011

http://www.davidpalermo.com/data/slideshow/4/enolagay/index.html

January 6, 2011

The more I fly ROF, the more I enjoy it. The developers have obviously put a huge effort into this simulation.

Just flying over the countryside in these old warbirds is a pleasure. It definitely gives me the sensation of flight in an open cockpit plane, and landing at those little aerodromes is fun. The stall/spin characteristics are very believable, probably the best of any sim I've flown.

I'm also starting to see how different it was handling these planes without a tailwheel. The tailskid is a big drag source and comes in handy as a brake on landing. It took me a few takeoffs to realize I needed some forward stick to lighten the tailskid.

Not sure if I'll end up flying on-line combat. Just experiencing these old airplanes has made the sim worthwhile for me. Thanks to MT, I bought ROF on sale for 20 bucks, quite a bargain. The add-on aircraft are a nice option and reasonably priced. I expect eventually the more obscure aircraft will be available to us (RE-8, Rumpler, Halberstadt) and I'm looking forward to that. When you consider what a terrific simulation IL-2 has been (10 years of development) and that ROF is still a "young" sim, we have a lot to look forward to.

January 4, 2011

http://www.soloshideawayfunpages.com/_tqxs/004/iwo_jima.htm

December 30, 2010

Really PO's me to hear of people dumping dogs like that, but a big thumbs up to you for giving him a home!

December 24, 2010

On a Paris layover. Cold wet and windy but enjoying it. Our crew went to the Christmas market at the Champs Elysees for vin chaud (hot wine) and sausage. Great food, wine and camaraderie. If a guy has to be away from home for the holidays, this is the place to be. Just wanted to say hello to the dawgz and wish all of you Christmas greetings.

December 21, 2010

Win Perkins has posted on his Web site a video of Charles Lindbergh's famous takeoff in the Spirit of St. Louis. This is unlike any other presentation of the takeoff footage. Perkins said he "painstakingly assembled news footage from five cameras that filmed Lindbergh's takeoff from R oosevelt Field, Long Island and mixed it with enhanced audio from the same newsreel sources."

When you click on the address, episode #3 comes up ready to play. I suggest you first click on "CONTACT" to the left and select #1, then watch them in order, #1 through #4.

http://www.airportappraisals.com/

December 17, 2010

That did the trick, MT. Thanks.

December 17, 2010

Getting some really strange behaviour from my TrackIR in ROF. It only happens with certain aircraft, ie the Fokker D-VII. When I hit F12 to center the cockpit view, the view is offset about 2 feet to the left. Other aircraft don't have this problem. Views were fine in the Fokker last week, so I may have accidentally tweaked something in the view controls. Any ideas?

December 16, 2010

The graphics and flight model of ROF combine for a convincing flight "feel" so for me, it's quite immersive. The engine sounds and wind noise are nicely done too and add to the overall experience.

Added two more aircraft yesterday, Pfalz D-XII and Fokker D-VIII, both really fun. Still just mostly tooling around to get the feel of these birds and jump into an occasional furball. One puzzling thing: Some of the airfields don't have a windsock, or maybe I just don't know where to look.

Flying ROF last night and my PC crashed for no apparent reason. I'm wondering if this sim is pushing my machine a little too hard? It's the same PC I've used for IL-2 for the past two years without a system crash.

December 13, 2010

I'll go ahead and split up this package.

C_G, your Abacus and Norton Ghost are winging their way north.

First Eagles and WOV available to anyone interested.

December 13, 2010

Nicely done, JP

December 11, 2010

Would love to fly with you guys on line, but I gotta learn to crawl before I can walk. Still experimenting with settings and trying out the various aircraft. The default aircraft are good, and I also bought the DH-2 and E-III. Both are nice. The visuals in this sim are terrific. Cool to land in an open field, bounce to a stop, and watch the grass gently waving in the breeze. Or to botch the landing and see the pieces of wreckage scatter in exquisite detail.

I agree that things are more immersive with the gauges and icons turned off. They block the view of those beautiful cockpits.

The start screen shows my video card running at 97%. If I go over 100%, does the video card borrow system RAM and end up with a performance penalty?

December 8, 2010

ROF arrived yesterday and I installed it just after dinner. Emerged from my basement about 0100 this morning, reeking of engine fumes and cordite. This sim is sweet. A lot to learn yet, but having a ball with these WW1 birds.

Thanks, MT, I really needed another addiction!