Multiple formation flying

If you read my recent post about "Flying with yourself" then you'll be aware of Matthias Neusinger's addin module for FS9.

Well, there's 1.3 version in beta and this modification allows multiple recordings of multiple flights.

If you really must know, this addin is payware standard. It takes a bit of getting used to, but once you do, it is possible to create some excellent multi-aircraft recordings and eventually some really fun flights. If you visit the simflight forum (link in the side-menu on the right) you'll see several sequences of what I (an amateur flyer) can do....

This really must be the most impressive addon for FS9 yet - and I hope Matthias does a version for FSX. Anyway, take a look at the pictures attached and see for yourselves. By the way, the multi coloured smoke schemes take a bit of thought, and I won't tell - except to my future multiplayer team members ;)

Have you ever flown formation?

With yourself?

I have recently been pointed at a module that you can add to FS9 and record a flight. Once recorded, you can load up another plane, start the playback and fly with yourself.

Go here to see more about this recorder module

This is immense fun! I had a sleepless night (again) so I went flying - with myself. And discovered that I can do it! I don't know how many times I have watched the short sequence and flown chase or opposites. But if you go the the Emma Field Flying Club Forum, you will see a lot more shots.

Enjoy!

Doing a 720° roll while climbing behind myself

Me and myself doing a half loop with roll out

Something new every day!

I have discovered a new bitmap in the FS9 folders - it's called envmap.bmp. Well, it's not new, it's been there all the time, but what I have learnt is that this image is what governs the reflections on shiny surfaces on your planes.

More to the point, you can use different envmap.bmp images to suit your individual flight - although you have to stop and restart FS9 every time you want a different reflection.

So what is this image?

Well, the basic one with FS9 is a stylised landscape texture bitmap 256 pixels square. The lower half is ground and the upper part sky. I have been playing around with freely available ones that can be found on the net and also with some I made myself. It seems you can also use a photograph. The thing to remember is that if you're flying under a cloudy grey sky, you aren't likely to get blue sky reflections or if you're flying over a city, then snow capped mountains are out.

A pity there isn't some detection utility that changes the envmap to suit the environment. You could have a whole library of useable envmaps and have the reflections change according to where you are. Anyway, here's a couple of screenshots - you judge. And if you look closely, you might even recognise the chase plane from which the photos were taken...

Here's one using a summery alpine photo for the envmap:


Here's the "Hawke's Bay Helicopter Rescue Service" Piper Cheyenne over a summery New Zealand - see if you can spot the camera plane.


Here's Dan Knutti's Cheyenne over a sunny, wintry alps - spot the cam-plane again

Sushi Time

Well, I am back from a trip to the Emerald Isle - been a busy week and now I have to reload various drivers (MoBo and GraphCard and whatever) because I have discovered strange "effects" in FS9 - the scenery and/or the models suddenly break up and look like shattered glass.

Anyway, just thought I do a quick addition or two to the side bars - I've added "Helifreak's Autorotation" blog. As a 'Rotorhead' myself, I can't resist all things helicopter - I have plenty of real world "passenger - you have" hours - about 400+ actually flying and even some hovering. So I can only endorse Helifreak's blog in the highest tones. There just aren't that many "good" flightsim helicopters around.

My favourite helicopter for the sim has got to be Peter Salzberger's Lama (http://fsheli.ch/) - it's a really good helicopter and the only thing really missing is that "butt feeling". Of course, there are other good helicopters around - in fact anything with "Nemeth" on the box is a pretty well modelled chopper too, and there's a few good air files around that have been improved by various users over the years.

A good example is Nemeth's AS 350. There's plenty of work in progress and a passable version is in progress for the "B3" version of the Ecureul (squirrel) so that you can actually land on the top of Everest.

Also added this evening is a link to Aerosoft's blog - here the developers will get a chance to "come out" and tell us what they really think.

Anyway - time to go and unpack a suitcase - or just go to bed?

Another day, another post - but I am away again. To the Emerald Isle.

Tonight's sim-session made a change - I finally corrected the butt end of the Cheyenne and then decided to try some multiplayer flying up in Alaska, By the end of the evening there were five of us on line - at one time all in helicopters. It was a nice relaxing bimble around the locale. We didn'#t go anywhere... just a spot of local "fling winging" around the Sitka area.

A pleasant evening was had by all.


Oh, and I als odid some sky dancing in the Eagle...


There's more on simflight / emma field - here's a successful first half of a "Cuban Eight"

Well now... two posts in almost as many days. There was nothing particularly interesting on the box today and I was just munching a piece oc chocolate when I thought to myself "Hmm - haven't I seen that on a real world plane somewhere?"

Power up the PC - swift search of airliners.net - AH!

Well, the results can let themselves be seen - I hope. Anyway - published a few shots on Simflight and had supper.

Later... Still nothing wildly exciting on TV, so i went flying some more and then back to the forums to see if there was anything to read. After a few minutes of browsing, I re-discovered Simon Stansfields "Emma Field" shop. AH another idea snuck itself into my brain. OK, open of Corel Photopaint again and let's see what this one looks like. Fictional this time, but still interesting.

For those who are interested, go visit the simflight forums (there's a link on the right. The Chocy bar screenies are in the "Screenshots" forum and the "EFC" paint is in the "Emma Field Flying Club" one.

Oh, and lest I forget, the JU 52 is not new to me - I did a skin for a guy down under a couple of weeks ago - he was after a specific skin to suit his little business there - he's a scenery designer. The result can be see below.

Flying over St. Maarten in the FSX Demo

So what to do on a rainy, well grey anyway, Sunday afternoon? i sat down and built a campaign bus for Emma Field. There's this sweet little Dornier 27 available as freeware on Avsim, so I gave it a try. I can't say I liked the thickness of the panel lines on this model - they wereup to 3 pixels wide and more round the doors.

Yuck!

Anyway - I re-drew them suitable for a freshly painted machine and have kept these new panel and rivet lines safely saved in a separate file.

You can't be too safe! If you could see my hard disc, you'd be amazed at just how much space is being taken up by backups! Anyway, it's a pretty little plane for sport flying - a bit dated now (she is, after all, 50 years old now).

HAH! still younger than me!

Anyway, here's a couple of WiP (Work in Progress) shots to give you some idea of what this little bird is looking like even now.

Click on the images for a large view.

Enjoy!

French cuisine and FS

The two don't just mix well. A week in France means a week away from flightsim and all that is involved. There has been a flurry of activity while I have been gone and I have not been able to do much. The big surprise, though, was the Cheyenne paint job - 370 plus downloads already. Must have been a popular buy - well done Digital Aviation and Aerosoft!

AviaSim.ch have requested permission to host the skin on their site for "local" use - so why not? Seems that a few Swiss simmers know the real thing - I only hope they don't look too close.

Also good for a laugh is the new scenery by Bill Dick and friends - it seems there really is a place on this planet called "Shit Creek" - and it even has a "Paddle Shop". Weird!