Please see the end of this post for a download link.
The tarball is a complete replacement for the existing p51d directory. It includes the current YASim model as well as the new JSBSim model. The YASim model is unmodified.
The current P-51D is modeled after a ship named GunFighter. This aircraft is a survivor that was originally delivered to the US Army Air Corps in March 1945. It was assigned to the 8th Airforce's 55th Fighter Group but apparently did not get used in actual combat. The YASim model represents the modern version of GunFighter as it exists today IE. sans guns and armor. The JSBSim model is GunFighter as it could/would have been in 1945. The only real speculation is the paint scheme. The modern GunFighter is painted in the scheme of the 394th squadron and this represents a plausible paint scheme. But there is no evidence that GunFighter was actually assigned to a specific squadron when it reached Europe in 1945 so no one has any idea what paint scheme it had or even if it had any squadron colors.
The JSBSim model has the following new features compared to the YASim model.
1. The FDM makes extensive use of NACA wind tunnel and flight test data for the P-51 series. These NACA reports total over 600 pages on this aircraft. These were written between 1942 and 1955. Unlike many other JSBSim models for FlightGear this is NOT a generic JSBSim FDM that was generated by the Aero-Matic tool.
2. The cockpit has extensive enhancements with many added switches, knobs and other devices. Many of these are functional.
3. The number of hot spots has more than doubled.
4. The aircraft now has a nearly full complement of weapons including guns, rockets and 500lb bombs. The controls for these are in place, function correctly and have supporting hot spots. In addition there is a working gun sight.
The rockets and bombs require a second trigger button to function correctly. For those wanting realism this should the button under your thumb on the stick and the joystick config needs something like this added:
- Code: Select all
<button n="1">
<desc>Fire Rockets or Release Bombs</desc>
<repeatable>false</repeatable>
<binding>
<command>nasal</command>
<script>setprop("/controls/armament/trigger2", 1)</script>
</binding>
<mod-up>
<binding>
<command>nasal</command>
<script>setprop("/controls/armament/trigger2", 0)</script>
</binding>
</mod-up>
</button>
Change <button n="1"> to have the correct number for the button you want to map to this function. This mapping could also be to a key on the keyboard.
5. There is a new menu that allows the pilot to control external stores (IE. load bombs, rockets and/or drop tanks) and to load/unload the guns. Right now this is somewhat unrealistic since the pilot can change the configuration of these systems at any time even when in the air. At some point logic needs to be added to the scripts that only allows this to happen when the wheels are down and speed is zero.
5a. There is now a menu to change the amount of fuel in the three internal gas tanks.
6, Aircraft weight and balance are affected by the external stores and the ammo load.
7. There are stall buffet and compressibility affects.
8. The engine control systems are complete and function as described in various pilots manuals for the P-51D with automatic mixture, automatic manifold pressure and automatic boost speed systems. It is also possible to over ride the auto boost speed control system. To really get a feel for these controls you need a throttle quadrant.
9. The tarball contains the USAF 1952 manual for the F-51D/H in the p51d/Docs directory. So far this is the most complete pilots manual I have found. Removed as of 03-31-2010 a download link for the manual is:
http://rapidshare.com/files/370389650/F ... 5_1952.pdf
10. The aircraft stalls and spins in a realistic manner. Spin recovery uses standard techniques and happens fairly quickly if the spin was not entered from an accelerated stall.
11. The aircraft has had the bombable stuff added and it should report damage over the net in MP but this has not been tested.
12. The JSBSim model has been developed and tested on V 2.0 of FGFS. There are reports that it does not work with V 1.9.1 but I have not tested this.
08-03-2010
The JSBSim P-51D has been merged into fgdata GIT and it will be part of the next FG release. This includes a few new additions in addition to what is listed for prior tarballs:
* Animated mic button
* Slightly improved propeller config.
* More realistic engine start procedure. This includes a functioning primer and battery-disconnect switch along with new hot spots and animations. This allows pilots to use the startup procedure from the pilots manual (USAF 1952 manual recommended).
* Improved more detailed aircraft help.
* Improved drop tank support code.
07-28-2010
I am now working in a clone of fgdata from GIT. This now has some enhancements that include things like:
* All fuel tanks including drop tanks are now functional. But this has had minimal testing.
* The fuel tank selector, fuel cut off value and fuel boost pump and switch are fully functional. The fuel boost pump switch now has hot spots.
* The tail wheel can now be castered or locked to the rudder controls by moving the stick forward to unlock and back to lock it as per the real thing.
* The engine coolant and engine cluster gages now have plausible readings under most operating circumstances.
* Fixed regressions in the YASim model.
This version requires FG GIT/next to be fully functional since FG GIT/next has an updated version of JSBSim and the model now uses some of the new JSBSim features.
To get a copy of the fgdata clone if you are not using GIT for your fgdata do this in a directory where you have space and write access:
git clone git://gitorious.org/~hvengel/fg/hvengel ... jsbsim.git master
Then just copy the AIrcraft/p51d directory from the fgdata clone to your $FGDATA/Aircraft/p51d directory.
On the other hand if you are using a GIT clone of fgdata for your local copy then just do:
git fetch git://gitorious.org/~hvengel/fg/hvengel ... jsbsim.git master:hvengel/p51d-jsbsim
git merge hvengel/p51d-jsbsim
and you will get the changes.
04-26-2010
3D model improvements by Guillaume. Now has rudder pedals with animation, improved landing gear and other 3d model changes. Also landing gear spring rate and damping should give more realistic results.
http://rapidshare.com/files/380452171/p ... 26.tar.bz2
04-05-2010
Added structural contact points so this should no longer sink into the ground when it crashes or when ground looped.
Added crash/failure code. The sim will halt or systems will fail if certain conditions occur.
Code cleanup in Systems/electrical.xml and Systems/propulsion.xml
04-02-2010
Fixed issue with parking brake.
03-31-2010 version 2
Added hot spots for mixture, RPM and flaps controls.
Added menu item and dialog to allow the pilot to control fuel levels in the three internal tanks. Because of a JSBSim bug in FGFS only the left internal wing tank is functional.
03-31-2010
Pulled pilots manual to make download smaller. It can be downloaded here:
http://rapidshare.com/files/370389650/F ... 5_1952.pdf
This version has 40% less sensitive brakes so it is easier to avoid ground looping but it will still ground loop if brakes are fully applied at low speeds. It also has a small adjustment to the RPM range of the propeller.
03-28-2010
This version has a new propeller configuration with much improved take off performance. It has a shorter take off run and easier handling during the take off than earlier versions did. Speeds and rate of climb at various altitude and power setting should be close to published data. Currently the glide is a little flatter than published data. This is a preliminary version with the new propeller configuration. It has had some tuning and testing but likely has some things that are not totally correct.