Yet more questions

[Pappy]

1. Is it possible to scale down the airplanes so they fit in the aircraft selection window? (I asked this before and got no answers.)

2. How do you edit an aircraft so it is not hovering above the ground when you start a flight? I saw something about this in another post once, but I can't find it now.

3. How can you make sure an aircraft's engines remain on when you start a flight? I have 3 or 4 fighter jets whose engines die as soon as I start the sim, and I can't get them re-started, even using CTRL+E. (The planes might have been made for FS2000, I don't remember. One is a Blue Angels F/A-18 I downloaded just to use the cool red, white, & blue smoke effect.)

Thanks for your help!

[algore]

ironically i have the exact same three problems, but i haven't a clue how to fix them. the only thing i may be able to help you on is the floating wheels. if you have FS2002 Pro, there is a program that lets you edit justa about anythiong on the plane called "Aircraft Editor" it would be found in the same directory as FS2002. in there you can change the contact points of the aircraft with the ground. i don't understand it totally, but i once managed to switch a floating plane to be able to touch the runway. it's in an X,Y,Z coordinate system. takes a bit to figure out.
good luck

[HVB]

To get the airplane to fit inside the window, there is a little program that you can download from flightsim.com. I dont remember what its called, but it is there somewhere. LOL.

Hans

[Pappy]

Thanks Hans! For some reason, it never occured to me to look for a program that scaled the airplanes in the selection window. I expected the solution to be some kind of CFG file editing process. Once you pointed me in the right direction, I went through the FS2000 files page by page until I found it! (I already knew there wasn't anything like that in the FS2002 section. :)) The file is called tcdf-eng.zip. I tested it, and it works in FS2002 as well. So again, Hans, many thanks!!! That's problem #1 down....now for numbers 2 and 3....

[wsieffert]

Make a copy of your aircraft.cfg file that you want to mess with. Open the copy of this file and look in the following areas for adjusting your aircraft height above ground:

(WEIGHT_AND_BALANCE)
max_gross_weight=138500 // (pounds)
empty_weight=100792 // (pounds)

reference_datum_position=0, 0, 0 // (feet) distance from FlightSim Reference position: (1/4 chord, centerline, waterline)
empty_weight_CG_position=0, 0, 0 // (feet) longitudinal, lateral, vertical distance from specified datum

max_number_of_stations=50

station_load.0=0.000000,0.000000,0.000000,0.000000

;Moments of Inertia
empty_weight_pitch_MOI=3172439
empty_weight_roll_MOI=2262183
empty_weight_yaw_MOI=3337024
empty_weight_coupled_MOI=0


//0 Class <0=none,1=wheel, 2=scrape, 3=skid, 4=float, 5=rudder>
//1 Longitudinal Position (feet)
//2 Lateral Position (feet)
//3 Vertical Position (feet)
//4 Impact Damage Threshold (Feet Per Minute)
//5 Brake Map (0=None, 1=Left, 2=Right)
//6 Wheel Radius (feet)
//7 Steer Angle (degrees)
//8 Static Compression (feet) (0 if rigid)
//9 Max/Static Compression Ratio
//10 Damping Ratio (0=Undamped, 1=Critically Damped)
//11 Extension Time (seconds)
//12 Retraction Time (seconds)
//13 Sound Type
//14 Airspeed limit for retraction (KIAS)
//15 Airspeed that gear gets damage at (KIAS)

(contact_points)
point.0=1, 40.00, 0.00, -8.10, 1181.1, 0, 1.442, 55.92, 0.8, 2.5, 0.9, 4.0, 4.0, 0, 0.0, 0.0
point.1=1, -7.75, -8.58, -8.68, 1574.8, 1, 1.442, 0.00, 1.0, 2.5, 0.9, 6.9, 6.9, 2, 0.0, 0.0
point.2=1, -7.75, 8.58, -8.68, 1574.8, 2, 1.442, 0.00, 1.0, 2.5, 0.9, 7.1, 7.1, 3, 0.0, 0.0

point.3=2, -14.17, -47.33, 0.00, 787.4, 0, 0.000, 0.00, 0.0, 0.0, 0.0, 0.0, 0.0, 5, 0.0, 0.0
point.4=2, -14.17, 47.33, 0.00, 787.4, 0, 0.000, 0.00, 0.0, 0.0, 0.0, 0.0, 0.0, 6, 0.0, 0.0
point.5=2, -54.00, 0.00, 2.83, 787.4, 0, 0.000, 0.00, 0.0, 0.0, 0.0, 0.0, 0.0, 9, 0.0, 0.0
point.6=2, 42.67, 0.00, -3.75, 787.4, 0, 0.000, 0.00, 0.0, 0.0, 0.0, 0.0, 0.0, 4, 0.0, 0.0

max_number_of_points=21

static_pitch=0.62 //degrees, pitch when at rest on the ground (+=Up, -=Dn)
static_cg_height=7.66 //feet, altitude of CG when at rest on the ground

Aircraft engines quitting - download FSUIPC from http://www.schiratti.com/dowson.html , click on modules in fs2002, click technical tab and click on the dead battery.

Hope this helps!

[eagle013]

Ok, the engine dies and ctrl+e won't start them right? Make sure your fuel slector switch is not set to "off" (if it's not on the aircrafts panel, got to aircraft/fuel, and set it there. If this doesn't work, post me a nother message on this board, send me a personal message, or e-mail me at smashihs@hotmail.com



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http://www.flightsim.com/dcforum/Use...8c6dabd9fb.jpg

[algore]

if pappy is having the same problem i am with the F-18 Panel, it will start fine, takeoff, but then within a short time, the engines just quit.if your high engough, i can go through the re-start, but if your too low, it takes too long for the engines to spool up. the engines only seem to run for a minute or two at a time before they shut down again

[Pappy]

Hey, my F/A-18s work now! I installed FSUIPC, and didn't make any adjustments whatsoever with it. Alluva sudden, when I go to start a flight with an F/A-18, the darn thing works! (It's a bit touchy to fly, tho....guess it's the FS2000 flight dynamics.) Many, MANY thanks!

I haven't messed about much with the adjustments for making a plane sit right on the ground yet, but at least now I know how to do it. I saved this thread on my hard drive for future reference, though. Again, THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!

[Pappy]

Thanks for the input, Kevin. There wasn't really a lot of stuff on the F-18 panel, so I used the menues to check it. It was set OK. However, I downloaded and installed FSUIPC as was mentioned by wsieffert, and now the plane seems to work just fine, although it's a bit tough to control. Thanks for your help anyway, though. You fellows on this forum are great!!! I've posted several problems lately and thanks to the wonderful folks here I believe I've corrected ALL OF THEM! :D

So great work guys, and please be on the lookout for my next set of problems! :)