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Preview: Aerosoft Gliders


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Hello, well im certainly looking forward to this project coming to fruition. I hope enough are sold to encourage aerosoft to produce a few more gliders.

By the way there is a nice little Grunau Baby available as payware from here

http://www.lionheartcreations.com/Bucker.html

it was originally marketed for FSX also, but is supposed to have some compatability issues with SP2..im running it fine though.

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Would you say the payware Grunau Baby is much better than the freeware version by Wolfgang Piper? As much as I like some of the Lionheart planes for FS9, the visuals of this one do not quite convince me considering what is possible in FSX.

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Would you say the payware Grunau Baby is much better than the freeware version by Wolfgang Piper? As much as I like some of the Lionheart planes for FS9, the visuals of this one do not quite convince me considering what is possible in FSX.

Its pretty good, a basic model- but then the real thing was pretty basic as well . It was orginally designed as part of the operation valkrie mission package, but apparently that doesnt wok too good with SP2. I like the aircraft, but then i have a bias towards old gliders..for me modern sailplanes are like airliners..they`re all white and they all look the same :D . Hopefully if this Aerosoft glider does well we can have more designs.

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  • 2 weeks later...
Any news on this topic? Eagerly awaiting....

rgds Pedro

I too am interested ... I mostly buy scenery, less planes, but this project would be something for me :)

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Hm, early July there was the rumor that there would be new movement and we would know more withing a week. Well its nearly early August now and no news in sight. Man, this Glider package is like a soap opera isn't it. :lol:

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Hm, early July there was the rumor that there would be new movement and we would know more withing a week. Well its nearly early August now and no news in sight. Man, this Glider package is like a soap opera isn't it. :lol:

Not a rumor. That comment was from Mathijs himself. It is unreal how long it takes to complete FSX projects. They are all really labor intensive. I hope Microsoft does not release a new edition of MSFS any time soon and developers have to start over again. I think that would sink just about everybody.

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I don't think that this was/is a problem here. The one step forward two steps back with the Glider package is quite sad to see. I even lost count how many times this project was on hold now. And it does not seem there is any movement at all as suggested by Mathijs himself at the beggining of July.

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  • Aerosoft
I don't think that this was/is a problem here. The one step forward two steps back with the Glider package is quite sad to see. I even lost count how many times this project was on hold now. And it does not seem there is any movement at all as suggested by Mathijs himself at the beggining of July.

Well you don't see what's going on in our development studios do you? In fact the project is being worked on at this moment, the problems with the main flight computer is solved. We do NOT want to release it without that because we really want to show how technologically advanced gliding has become.

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No I can't see behin the iron curtain of Aerosoft. :lol: I was merely referring to the satement that there would be an anouncement 'next week' - that was early July. Anouncing that you will anounce something and then staying dead silent made me a bit nervous about the fate of the Gliders. But I'm glad to hear they are beeing worked on and that the (supposedly) main issue is out of the way.

The thing is that the Gliders are ... different. There are many addons for GA flyers, many for Airliners and may for warbirs. But a decent glider sim is something that I never thought I'd want but since I'm spending a lot of time in the FSX default glider over Oahu or Australia the Gliders are prolly the addon I'm looking forward to the most. That why I'm a bit nervous about them. I hope you forgive me.

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • Aerosoft

When you show people a modern glider cockpit they always think it is very basic. Yet behind the face of some of the instruments there could be a very complex gauge that rivals those in the most advanced airliners. In fact because weight and size are so important they are often more complex due to the fact so little controls can be used. The C4 Competition Flight Computer is one of the most used systems and it is done almost to perfection for our glider project. We thought it would be a good idea to show you some of the features. The images are not of the final aircraft, some things could still change.

Background to the gauge:

It is a combination of C++ and XML totalling 3500 lines of code, reading in the same base parameters available to the real C4, i.e.airspeed, altitude, gps distance and bearing to waypoint. Wind speed and direction is given for 'free' in FSX so this value did not have to be computed by the gauge. The Aerosoft FSX C4 computes in real-time the following values:

* TOTAL ENERGY VARIO - i.e. the compensated vario that factors out pilot stick movements. The audio is custom for the C4, and also compensated.

* NETTO VARIO - i.e. the external air movement, the C4 having compensated both for stick movement by the pilot and the polar of the aircraft.

* SPEED-TO-FLY - the vario shows a speed up / slow down indication relative to the optimum speed-to-fly for the current lift, ballast, maccready setting and L/D

* ... each of the above can be slaved to an additional external

57mm analogue gauge for continuous display regardless of C4 cursor setting

* ARRIVAL HEIGHT predicted at next GPS waypoint or mission point-of-interest, taking into account the maccready setting, wind speed and direction, remaining ballast and L/D value. This value can also be thought of as height above/below glideslope.

* CLIMB AVERAGE - the true average climb rate since entering the thermal

* GLIDE RATIO - the current actual glide ratio measured over the past few second

* The display can also show DISTANCE/BEARING TO GO, WIND SPEED/DIRECTION, VOLUME, BATTERY VOLTS and EXTERNAL TEMPERATURE.

The pilot can input the following settings to optimise their cross-country performance:

* MACCREADY SETTING - set the 'average climb rate expected' against which the C4 will compute the appropriate speed-to-fly

* WING LOADING - i.e. the weight of the aircraft determined by the ballast carried, for the Discus varies from 32 to 50 kg/m^2

* L/D - i.e. expected glide ratio. The Discus has a max L/D of 43, but this can be reduced significantly due to bugs on the wings. FSX at the moment will not take advantage of this capability in the vario but if you habitually fly with the airbrakes open this might be useful to you.

* SAFETY HEIGHT - this will be included in the glideslope calculation to give you a safety margin for your arrival.

* TE PROBE/STATIC - this external switch feeds either 'forward static'

or 'rear probe' pressure to the C4. When the motor is running, make sure the switch is set to STATIC or the prop wash may damage the instrument...

* TOTAL ENERGY / SPEED TO FLY - this external switch tells the C4 whether to display TE or speed-to-fly on the main display. Note when you enter a thermal the C4 will *automatically* detect you turning and switch to total energy regardless of the switch setting.

c4_0.jpg

c4_5.jpg

c4_9.jpg

c4_14.jpg

c4_13.jpg

c4_12.jpg

c4_11.jpg

If you like to learn more about this gauge you can download presentation that shows the features in more details. It's in German but that should not cause a major problem. Please note it is not a presentation made by us but by Jorg Spichtig of SDI Schweiz.

Pr_sentation_C4.pdf

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Hi, I'm the guy quoted in the earlier link, developing the Aerosoft SDI C4. I have developed FSX total energy and netto vario's in the past and the C4 seemed a logical next step. My main contribution for FSX soaring has actually to write the Austrian Soaring add-on freeware missions, and then the sim_probe ridge-lift module and the Mifflin Competition missions that rely on that - I hope at least some of you that read this thread have tried those missions (if you haven't then please do). The fact is soaring in FSX and missions fit very well together, because you can pre-define the weather and the turnpoints, but there is nothing to stop the pilot then flying anywhere in the region they feel like. One of my Mifflin missions is 530km, and pilots have tried a variety of routes to complete the mission, exploring areas I hadn't considered when writing it. I'm looking forward to having a glider like the Aerosoft Discus that will really move the soaring experience to the next level of reality including both the polar and the instrumentation.

Anyway, back to the C4: the English manual is available here:

http://carrier.csi.cam.ac.uk/forsterlewis/...4_manual_en.pdf

and in German here:

http://www.sdi-variometer.de/pdfs/C4-V4.05%20Deutsch.pdf

A detailed reading of the *real* C4 user manual will be worthwhile when you come to use the FSX instrument (the simulation is that complete). Virtually all the airborn functionality is included - you do not have to worry about the one-time complex setup procedure as detailed in the appendix in the manual because this is already programmed for the Discus (the correct polar, etc).

I personally own an SDI C3, which is almost identical to the C4. The 'usability' based only on two knobs is an iPod-like aspect of design excellence: the "left knob" rotates the 'cursor' around the outside of the screen taking you to 13 possible displays (see pictures above) while the "right knob" adjusts any value at the current cursor position if that's sensible. E.g. you can move the left knob to the 'Maccready' cursor position, and then use the right knob to adjust the maccready setting.

As Mathijs says we still need someone to tweak the .air file to be a 100% fit to the real Discus - the good news is the C4 acts as an ideal diagnostic tool to help get the polar exactly right. The bad news is if we get the polar wrong that will be obvious to anyone that uses the real-time L/D display available at a cursor position on the SDI C4... Given that I've done little else than program the C4 for the past few weeks, I can confirm the interesting discovery that the FSX stock DG808S flying with full negative flap and full ballast actually has a polar that is a close fit to the real Discus running at 50% water ballast.

In the meantime I still have a few details to finish on the C4... fyi I'm on vacation from 21st-31st Aug so won't comment on this forum then.

B21

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Hi, I'm the guy quoted in the earlier link, developing the Aerosoft SDI C4. ....

B21,

I'm very impressed... Keep up the good job and I look forward to your completion of this project and my enjoyment of it.

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We keep our fingers crossed, it is moving forward now... B21 quite impressive!

All the best to all developers associated with this project.

Regards, Pedro

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hi

Time to give a little update on this project.

The whole design is nearly done.

All three modells will have at least two paints.

The C4, the heart of the glider is 95% done, and works VERY fine.

The engine management in DiscusBT is done.

All works like in leallity, no throttle, no starte, only the windmilleffect :-)

It feels really nice.

Some of You wanted to have Karl Otto in the Copckpit, some of You didn't like him, or generally pilots in VC.

To solve this problem. The pilot can be removed during flight by clicking the beltlock.

And You can bring him back, by clicking it again :-)

Of course an as said before, Karl Otto is all skinned mesh. You will love him.

Same for the wingflex. Wings flexing like in reallity depending on g force and so on.

Here are 2 Screenshots.

Note that the panel is only 98% done. There are still very small things to do.

But as You can see, we are getting closer now.

There is serious movement.

Bests Joachim

W-WO.jpg

Discus%20Panel.jpg

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Thanks for the update so we should have this next week then.............. JK

Some of You wanted to have Karl Otto in the Copckpit, some of You didn't like him, or generally pilots in VC.

To solve this problem. The pilot can be removed during flight by clicking the beltlock.

And You can bring him back, by clicking it again :-)

Does that mean once we click the "beltlock" he disappears for ever or ever time we load FSX we have to go through this same procedure to make him vanish?

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Mr. Joachim Schweigler,

Thank you for this outstanding model and all its features as described in your update. :)

I do have a quick questions; Is that an iPod + GPS in this screenshot? Can you recieve internet/satilite radio on it, while on your flight?

W-WO.jpg

Thanks again! :D

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Hi

>I do have a quick questions; Is that an iPod + GPS in this screenshot? Can you recieve internet/satilite radio on it, while on your flight?

Ahm, That is no IPOD, It is a PDA used in reallife for Moving map and so on.

While this is not possible for this project, we are thinking about, what to do with that.

I think, we will find a sollution. But NOT internet radio :-P

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