Hello there folks, this is KennethJ. Kerr (a.k.a. "KJKSimmer" from some of the forums out there), and awarm welcome to the first "proper article" in the series "On an oldersystem." If you haven't read the series intro, I invite you to follow thelink here.But for quick review, here are the five principles thatyou need to remember when flight simming on an older computer.

1. You must have realistic expectations
2. You must find the compromise
3. You must bring the right attitude
4. You must pick your products wisely
5. You must be adventurous

In this article you will see hints of many of these principles, sokeep an eye open for them. And now, get ready for take off, for we'regoing to look at a little beauty of an aircraft that works fine on myold rig... the De Havilland Chipmunk, from Just Flight.

Telling A Story

The Chipmunk is my all-time favorite aircraft, in fact I've been inlove with it for almost 50 years. I turned 62 a few days ago, but whenI was a mere lad of 13, it was "the Chippie" that introduced me toflight. I was in the Air Cadets, a member of 422 Squadron (Corby,Northants), and we'd made a trip up to RAF Newton (near Nottingham) togain some Air Experience. It was a magical day for me. I rememberbeing transfixed by the solitary Bloodhound ground-to-air missile thatpointed skyward near one of the hangars. I recall wandering through alarge collection of myriad types of aircraft being stored at thestation for technical training, but most of all I remember that firstever taste of flight.

You didn't walk out to the Chipmunk, you waddled out to it! Likethe other cadets, I'd suffered the ordeal of having the parachutestrapped to me after my pre-flight safety briefing. It was so tightthat I couldn't stand straight, and the straps between my legs seemedto threaten any hopes of future fatherhood! But all of that wasimmaterial, for my gaze had but one focus, the classical lines ofChipmunk WK591. Moments later, I clearly remember standing on the walkstrip at the wing root, looking into the cockpit and wondering wherethe seat was! Then it dawned on me that the parachute WAS my seat, andwith a little help from another cadet, I settled into the concavemetal pan in the rear cockpit.

With the engine already running, the harness was secured with theminimum of delay, and then the smelly rubber mask was fixed to myface. A brief radio check followed to make sure I could communicatewith the pilot up front, then the canopy was closed, and we taxied outto the holding point of one of the grass runways. With the engine athigh RPM during the run-up exercises, I distinctly recall wondering ifthe damn thing was going to shake itself to bits, but the noise wasmusic to my ears, a symphony in the key of Gipsy Major. And then itwas time. Position and hold for a few seconds, full power, a bit oflight swinging from right to left as the rudder became effective, andwe were taking to the air.

It was a defining moment of my life. I'd been an aviation nut foryears already, but had never flown. I can still see those treesslipping away beneath the wings. All these decades later the detailsare crystal clear. I was looking out over the right wing, not theleft, and there were roads getting smaller, with cars looking like theCorgi and Dinky toys I'd collected before turning to aviation. Andthen after a few minutes we were experiencing light G forces as thepilot demonstrated turning, and I was amazed at how the world seemedto pivot around the wingtip. After gaining altitude, I was given thecontrols, and I was hooked! "You're a natural" the officer said, andsomehow my 13-year old self thought I was flying a Spitfire!All-too-soon it was over, a mere 20 minutes according to my "3822"record of ATC service, but it was 20 minutes that I'll remember aslong as I live.

So, why have I shared this story in such detail with you? It's tomake a very important point. When I'm flying the Just Flight Chipmunk,do you really think that the most important thing to me is achievinghigh frame rates, or whether my old computer will allow full detailautogen and clouds? No. Because I am emotionally connected to theChipmunk, the nostalgia takes over and masks the limitations imposedby my old system. This is positive psychology at work. It's the brainmaking use of the Reticular Activating System to filter out extraneoussensory inputs. You focus on the memories, associations, and nostalgiathat an add-on engenders, and enjoy the experience regardless of whatyour system is (or is not) capable of.

And now, as we showcase the Just Flight Chipmunk, let's re-livethat first flight using my trusty old FSX.

The First Test Flight - British Canopy Version At RAF Newton

Getting ready for this first test flight, it's worth listing theadd-ons used for it.

1. The Just Flight Chipmunk - British Canopy Version (Available Here)
2. A free repaint featuring WK591, done by Peter Watkins (Available here).
3. A whole suite of Orbx scenery (Global BASE, Global VECTOR, Global openLC Europe, EU England).

I should also point out the FSX settings I am going to fly with. Ihave a low target frame rate of only 17 fps. This helps keep theblurries at bay on my old system while still representing anacceptable compromise to my eyes. Filtering and anti-aliasing is beinghandled by my video card instead of FSX. Global texture resolution isHIGH instead of VERY HIGH. I have set High-resolution for the virtualcockpit, and while allowing the aircraft to cast shadows on theground, I have disabled shadows on the aircraft itself. Scenerysettings are as recommended by the Orbx guide for EU England,(although dialed down one notch for scenery detail), and I'm settingcloud draw distance to minimum, with simple clouds only. In theweather menu I'll make these clouds cirrus, between 8,000 and11,000 feet, and I'll set a visibility of 20 miles. I'm not using any AItraffic on this flight as I am staying close to RAF Newton for whichthere is no traffic anyway. And, for the heck of it, I will set thedate all the way back to October 9th, 1971... The date of myfirst flight. WK591 has just landed, and I'm waiting for the cadet inthe back seat to be helped out so I can take his place!

As the poor, ill-looking kid is helped back to the briefing room, Iclimb up on the left wing and look into the cockpit. There's thatmetal seat pan... Not very comfy, but practical if the man upfront says "Jump, Jump, Jump!"

Well, that certainly hints back to the 13-year old me in 1971, butfor this FSX test flight I'm taking the front seat! So into the VC Igo, savoring once again the gloriously-classic cockpit surroundingme. The design team at De Havilland did a nice job with the real thingback in 1946, and Just Flight (actually I believe it was the AeroplaneHeaven design team), did a nice job about five years ago with thisvirtual example too.

Today I'll forego the checklist. Yes, I do sometimes refer to areal Chipmunk manual when flying FSX, but this time I just want to getin the air and take some screen shots. So, brakes off, a wee bit ofpower, and we're heading out to runway 25, the same runway used on myreal flight all those many years ago. After lining up, I slowly movethe throttle forward, instantly remembering that I'd turned down theP-factor and torque settings to make it easier to maintain directionalcontrol on the take off run. Stick forward, and the tailwheel lifts ataround 40 knots. By the time I reach 60, the aircraft is airborne. Ikeep a shallow pitch and accelerate up to 80 knots.

After reaching a safe altitude, several miles to the east ofNewton, I explore again the flight characteristics of theaircraft. Controls are responsive, and I find the Chipmunk very easyto handle in banks of 30 degrees while turning through a full 360degrees. Altitude is a doddle to maintain if you keep the appropriateattention on what you're doing, and with a fair bit of effort you cankeep the needle "somewhat" centered (an FSX issue more than a JF issueI feel).

Time to get more adventurous. Stalling is simple. Power off, holdback the stick and maintain altitude while keeping the rudder straightdown the middle! The buffet comes on at 43 knots and the stall hornblares at 40 knots. Nose down, a bit of power, and I recover nicelywith minimal altitude loss and no over-exertion on the airframe. Spinsare another matter however. FSX was never good at reproducing accuratespin behavior, so let's simply say that spinning the Chipmunk is notthat satisfying. It's more of a mush into a spiral dive than a spin,with the aircraft practically recovering itself. Even after five yearsof flying the JF Chipmunk, I still cannot reproduce a spin as sharplyas I can in my A2A Cessna 172. Maybe that's why both the real manualand JF manuals state, "For training safety, the aeroplane isintentionally difficult to spin properly in almost all center ofgravity positions. Therefore it is usually necessary to apply aileronagainst the intended direction of spin, in addition to the normalpro-spin control movements. Entry with central aileron will probablycause the aircraft to describe a semi-spiral. This is often confusedwith a true spin."

While spins are all but impossible, aerobatics are a blast. Back in1971 we looped the Chippie on my first flight. Time to do it here! Iclimb to 4,000 feet, then maintain full power in a dive until 130 knotsis achieved at around 3,700 feet. Stick back and up she goes! I'm overthe top at 4,400 feet with 55 knots on the airspeed. I kill the powerand watch the world fill the windscreen as the speed comes upagain. Great fun, and I take a go-pro inspired screen shot to capturethe moment.

After pulling these maneuvers, it's time to settle down and simplyadmire the view. I have loved the JF Chipmunk since it came out, andhave probably logged well over one thousand hours in it, and it stillappeals to me as much as it did the first time I flew it! I look atthe clock and see I've been up more than 20 minutes, that's longerthan my real life flight in 1971. I head back to RAF Newton, drop downwithout fuss onto the grass, and shut off the engine. The smile on myface and inner feeling of satisfaction says it all. And this on an oldmachine that many simmers would consider a dinosaur.

The Second Test Flight - Canadian Canopy Version At Tillsonburg, Ontario

Once again, I will list the add-ons used for this flight.

1. The Just Flight Chipmunk - DHC-1 B-2 Bubble Canopy Expansion (Available Here)
2. A free repaint featuring CF-BXH, part of a 3-ship Canadian collection painted by myself (Available here).
3. A whole suite of Orbx scenery (Global BASE, Global VECTOR, Global openLC North America, Free Orbx Tillsonburg airport).

Note that the weather conditions and FSX settings are basicallywhat they were in the first flight, however, we are in a wholedifferent continent, and a significantly differentaircraft. So... Time for another story!

The date was April 23, 1994. I'd been living in Canada for almostsix years, and had not flown in a Chipmunk for two decades. On thisparticular day I was at Tillsonburg Airport, Ontario. It was the homeof the Canadian Harvard Aircraft Association, and I'd become a memberin order to fly in those glorious warbirds. Early in the afternoon, Iwas strapped into the back seat of a Harvard Mk.2 (the North AmericanTexan for US readers), and we were going through the run up checks atthe end of the westbound runway. Suddenly, over the threshold cameanother beautiful yellow bird. But this was no Harvard, it was an exRCAF Chipmunk, complete with the bubble canopy of course. It wasamazing that my first flight in a Harvard would also be the catalystto re-introduce me to an old friend. That day I flew in both theHarvard and Chipmunk.

For those who don't know, the Chipmunk is a Canadianaircraft. Strictly speaking it is the DHC-1, meaning it was the firstproduct of De Havilland Canada. While early prototypes had the British"Birdcage" style canopy, the Canadians went on to develop and adoptthe "bubble" style for RCAF service, making the aircraft look morelike a scaled-down fighter. There were many other changes too, andthese included different instrumentation, a different undercarriageleg design, and the re-location of numerous switches in thecockpit. At first, Just Flight inferred they were only thinking ofproducing the British variant, but a few of us campaigned for theinclusion of the Canadian variant, and I'm happy they produced thisupgrade as an additional paid item. Please note that you do requirethe British product in order to use the Canadian one. With that said,I present one of my own personal repaints of the Canadianversion. Chipmunk CF-BXH, with the former RCAF code 18052.

As you can see, the bubble canopy indeed gives the aircraft a verydifferent look, and having flown in both variants, I simply cannotunderstand why the RAF did not go for this. The visibility is amazingin comparison. Think of it this way. In the back seat of the Britishversion you feel like you're sitting IN the aircraft. In the back seatof the Canadian version you feel like you're sitting ON it! With thisparticular repaint, I also opted to give the aircraft the civiliancrew.

So, let's get the Canadian machine up in the air. The flightcharacteristics are the same as the British variant, so we won't gothrough the flight test procedures I often employ when testing FSXaircraft. Instead, we'll simply call this a photo shoot, and as youlook at the images below, take note of how many other differences youcan find. It's not a competition, so no prizes folks, but start offwith this image of the front panel.

And now enjoy the following sequence, as we say kudos to JustFlight for the Chipmunk, and to Orbx for their transformation ofCanada through their work as well.

The Just Flight Product And The Repaints

The British version (base product) comes in nine color schemes.

• RAF 6 AEF 70s/80s scheme (WP901)
• RAF early scheme (WP912)
• RAF Cambridge University Air Squadron (WB588)
• RAF No.2 Flying Training Squadron, Church Fenton (WG316)
• RAF Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (WK518)
• "RCAF 671" - A civil aircraft (G-BNZC)
• Red and white (G-ALWB)
• Blue, white and gold (G-JFDH)
• Silver and green (G-AKON)

The Canadian version (optional paid expansion) is available in twoschemes.

• An apparently fictional civil example (F-CHIP)
• C-FPOW, owned by the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum, in the RCAF colors of 18035

However, since the release of the product, the number of availablecolor schemes has increased dramatically through the work ofthird-party artists using the paint kit. Primary among thecontributors is master-repainter Peter Watkins (Interviewed Here). Hisrepaints have included:

• An Australian civil registration
• Many British civil registrations
• A Canadian armed forces example
• A Royal Danish Air Force example
• A Belgian Air Force example
• A US civil registration
• A Canadian civil registration
• Many Royal Air Force color schemes from the silver-finish era
• Many Royal Air Force color schemes from the grey-finish era
• A Royal Navy example
• An Irish Air Corps example

I have also been active in repainting the Chipmunk. Included are:

• Three additional RCAF examples
• Several British military examples in the red-white-grey scheme, including both RAF and British Army
• Several early silver examples of the first British aircraft

I have also come across a few other liveries, including:

• The first Canadian "Birdcage canopy" protoypes
• The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight's latest color scheme

While we have yet to see an example from Portugal (a major Chipmunkuser), Chippie fans now have plenty of liveries available tothem. Since it would take a very long time to illustrate them all withfull size screen shots, let me simply whet your appetite by displayingimages of thumbnails from the FSX aircraft selection screen. You canclick on this image to see a larger version. And remember, you can doalso do searches in the FlightSim.Com library with such terms as"Peter Watkins Chipmunk"or"Just Flight Chipmunk."

Conclusion

If you go back to the beginning of this article, you will recallthe five principles upon which this series will bepredicated. Clearly, this article touches all the bases.

• In my use and testing of the Just Flight Chipmunk I always had realistic expectations of how FSX would perform on my old computer. I did not expect the Chipmunk to perform better than anything else in FSX on my system.
• I also found the compromises, lowering settings from the maximum as needed.
• I brought the right attitude, a determination to simply enjoy the product while leaving criticism and complaining out of the equation.
• I picked the Chipmunk because it was something I loved, and I knew it would likely be a wise decision that would stand the test of time.
• And in my use of the product I was adventurous, re-living real life flights from both British and Canadian locations.

With these principles in mind, my enjoyment of the Just FlightChipmunk has now lasted at least five years, and shows no sign ofabating, no matter how old my current computer may be. And, as for theChipmunk itself? If you never fly small aircraft it probably won't befor you. BUT, if you are a former Air Cadet (of a certain age), or aformer RAF or RCAF pilot, or an enthusiast of the De Havilland brand,or one who loves great views out the cockpit when flying lightaircraft, then the Just Flight Chipmunk is well worth adding to yourcollection.

I will see you next time.

With best regards,

Kenneth J. Kerr

Purchase Just Flight Chipmunk - British Canopy Version

Purchase Just Flight Chipmunk - DHC-1 B-2 Bubble Canopy Expansion