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Pilatus PC-6/B2-H2 " Turbo Porter "


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Hello everyone !

While a thread for our airplane is already opened on another forum for a while, I think it's also good that it's shown here, where there is a growth in X-Plane simmers since X-Plane 10 is out.

This project started in March of last year, and is carried by MR3D, the nice scenery developer of HMS Jackdaw, EGOD and the really great Mitsubish A6M2 Zero japanese fighter ( http://hosting.x-pla...bsite/zero.html), and me.

The tasks are divided like this :

MR3D :

- 3D model of the plane and cockpit

- Texturing, animating

Hueyman :

- 3D model of the turbine and the prop

- Flight model and systems

- Sounds recording

We should both work on sounds, planning to use the excellent Dream Engine from the Brazilian great helicopter developer " conex "

Now, let's know a bit more about this very particular plane :

The Pilatus PC-6 is a swiss airplane, made by Pilatus Aircraft. The enterprise is located in Stans, near the Pilatus mountain in Switzerland. The first model, flew on 4th May of 1959, powered by a Lycoming GSO-480-B1A6, a 340 HP piston engine. It was designed to be a light, solid and robust aircraft, a STOL one ( Short Take Off and Landing )

The result exceed Pilatus's expectations, and now in 2012, the PC-6 remain the world's leading turboprop in the STOL category. The latest versions, /B2-H4 are powered by the famous Pratt & Whitney PT6-A27 or -A34 Free Turbine Offering 680 and 750 SHP allowing it to bring 9 or 10 skydivers up to 4000 m ( 13000 Ft - FL 130 ) in less than 20 min under International Standard Atmospheric (ISA) conditions. This powerful powerplant, coupled with a Hartzell HC-D4N-3P ( fully featherable four-blade aluminum prop, with reverse thrust abilities ) permit very short landing distance ( 315 meters - 1030 Ft ). It's aslo able to dive from 4000 m ( 13000 Ft ) to runway in less than 2 minutes, diving straight from the sky without coming near VNE, and this is thanks to it's very draggy geometry, and it's propeller spinning in Bêta mode ( not in reverse as reversed propwash would disturb the air slipstream over control surfaces and making plane uncontrollable ) a mode which put the propeller blade picth near 0° pitch ( no positive nor negative thrust ) so it acts like a big disc shaped airbrake

Many versions has been built, using different Pratt & Whitney PT6A, or even older Turbomeca Astazou ones... The PC-6 saw action in Laos and near Cambodian border during Vietnam War ( you MUST watch " Air America " movie with Mel Gibson and Robert Downey Jr. ), and is still used today, in remote areas, where helicopters are out of range, or don't have it's one ton fret potential to carry sufficient stuff.

Our choice has been set on this ACFT for some reasons :

1 ) There aren't enough aircrafts of that category in good quality for X-Plane, I'm only aware of both incoming Soul Made Simulation's

Beaver and Dan Klaue Quest Kodiak.

2 ) I personally love this aircraft, I see it almost every weekends, as my mother is doing skydiving in this one. This means I have access to real ACFT datas, PoH, ref speeds... and also pilot feedback and mechanics feedback.

3 ) Because of above statement, I'll be able to record high quality sounds ( via Zoom H4N ), directly on the real aircraft, producing one of the most immersive sound experience in X-Plane, and not using default X-Plane crappy sound system.

4 ) With the flexibility of our lovely sim, we guess it would be possible to do some exclusive features, which are also done in the real life by this - so special - plane : Skydivers drop, fret transport in high altitude fields like Lukla, humanitarian mission on damaged

airfields in Africa etc..

5 ) Because it's a relative simple ACFT, without many avionics or systems, I think we could reproduce it as real as possible, to offer our customers both a realistic experience, with all procedures and checklists followed, and a non negligible fun factor.

If all goes well this year, for both of us, we hope to see this plane released by the end of Summer.

Here are some WiPs shots.

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And don't forget to check my little blog, ask questions and drop comments, you'll be welcome ;-)

http://hueyman.overblog.com/

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Hello,

First, because I switched from MSFS to X-Plane years ago, and I now love this plateform.

Then, the very talented developper, Marcel Felde ( dev of the very famous Diamond DA20-100 Katana 4X) is currently making a great one ( /B2-H4 version ) for FSX, and as I have great respect to him, don't want, in any way, to disturb him.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Martin,

It should, as we really want it to be released on latest version to date...

As soon as a Bêta is out, I download it and continue improving the flight model on it. Don't know where we will be ( state of X-Plane version I mean ) but it would be great if it would be when 10.30 is final at the time of release.. in a long time so !

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  • 4 weeks later...
  • 1 month later...
  • 1 month later...

Hi everyone !

post-32409-0-46819000-1368870924_thumb.p

Not much news these last months, we're both very busy with real life.

Hopefully, the PC-6 is reaching it's final exterior model state. Time for a big overhaul ! We'll now be able to start importing MR3D's model on my X-Plane model, and interior work will soon begin ;-)

Even if it's not really noticeable on this shot, we had to re-do many parts such nose, windshield, wheels, landing struts etc etc so it's as accurate as it gets. On this plane, you will have the guarantee all is modeled within a 95% accuracy ( my measurements on the real one proves it ).

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Hope you like it,

Hueyman

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  • 1 month later...

Hi everyone !

Not much news these last months, we're both very busy with real life.

Hopefully, the PC-6 is reaching it's final exterior model state. Time for a big overhaul ! We'll now be able to start importing MR3D's model on my X-Plane model, and interior work will soon begin ;-)

Even if it's not really noticeable on this shot, we had to re-do many parts such nose, windshield, wheels, landing struts etc etc so it's as accurate as it gets. On this plane, you will have the guarantee all is modeled within a 95% accuracy ( my measurements on the real one proves it ).

Hope you like it,

Hueyman

Hello Hueyman,

your project of the porter PC6 looks very nice.

I have just read a real article in a german publication. The Porter PC6 is a special plane. With a long cowling and big torque... Only few pilots can fly it... :)

I am looking forward to your implementation of the Turbo-Porter PC6 for X-Plane 10.

Many Greets

Heinz

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  • 1 month later...

Thanks Heinz !

Some news, have splitted up with MR3D I'm now on my own with this plane !

I had to rebuilt everything from scratch that last month, worked very hard... firsts tesis in-sim !

Exterior is almost done, not on these shots but all antennas, engine cowling doors and correct wing struts are already done, seeing great FPS in X-Plane 10.22 64 bits, about 83 average FPS against 50's for latest planes such Carenados and great quality planes.

Quite happy of the results, that is the first time I fly what I created in 3D, very rewarding and make me want to work even harder !

Valentin

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  • 3 weeks later...
  • 7 months later...

These times were kinda tough for me, many things had happened in real life, giving really little time to work on such things, that I really love though ...

In a year, many things happened, and among them, we split up with MR3D and I'm now on my own on the project. This was the opportunity to start the whole plane from scratch, as I really want it to be as perfect as possibly can.

I have now a huge amount of real world documentation about this aircraft, plus of course, the opportunity to see the real one whenever I want and so take measures, pictures, record sounds etc... So, all is virtually modeled exactly the same way the real is.

Here are some shots for you. You may not notice many differences with the last ones, but all has been re-done from scratch, with more details, accuracy, and also much more optimized ( around 72% less polys for the same state ). The external 3D model is 75% done, I already started the instrument panel and throttle quadrant. There is no texture here, only basic colors and materials.

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This project takes much more time than I expected, and I have less and less time ... but I'm really in love with this plane, so I want to put my best in it, even with some hours a month it's always a pleasure. I'm sure we'll got somewhere one day, soon or later, it will be done !

But I think I'll have to find another partner to look after textures, this is as important as 3D modeling, and it requires to master softs like Photoshop for instance, which are a whole world on their own... I clearly haven't the time to learn this, and even if I had, nicely done, weathered realistic textures requires years of use of a 2D editing software.

In conclusion, I would really love to have free time to greatly advance the project, hours here and there are just not enough !

Hueyman

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Looks very detailed and promising. Please keep motivated and take your time to finish things up, to be great at the end.

And of course I would like to see it as a payware release at the end, to honor your efforts. Keep it up and hold us in the line with the progress.

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  • 7 months later...
  • 2 months later...

Hello,

here are some infos i have received from Hueyman:

At the time he is 100% clamped into real life. So the project will be slow down at the time.

The project isn't dead.

But we cannot say any "termin".

It will be ready if it is ready :)

I will stay in contact with Hueyman.

Greest Heinz Flichtbeil

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