Soaring Simulation:

News

2005/09/02
I've posted my terrain mesh and landclass for the Mifflin area on the mesh/scenery page. This is the mesh and landclass I provided for the Mifflin race which is also linked from the SOAR site and forum.

2005/09/01
Some time ago the files for the Bowlus BA-100 "Baby Albatross" vanished from the SOAR forum. Thanks to Bill Bomball who sent me his copy I'm able to post the plane here where it should have been in the first place.

This package contains a beta version of my FS9 update to Marcos Borges' original creation for FS7 (made with his permission). Borges' documentation for his version is included in the documentation directory. There are some rough edges since I was in a hurry to make the plane available for the Sequatchie Valley Challenge race, but it flies quite well and makes for a good challenge.

Download here (1.3 MB zip archive). Also read the discussion in this thread in the forum which might clear up any questions you may have.

If anyone has a copy of the panel update patch I also released in the forum, please let me know so I can post it here as well. The zip file is named kf_ba100fs9_a01p1.zip and contains a slip/skid ball gauge and new bitmap and config files for the panel.

Thanks and enjoy.

2005/01/22
I've packaged up some fs9 splash screens I've made for myself over the past few months and assembled a page for them here. Let me know what you think.

2005/01/05
Happy New Year, everyone! All of the activity these days is focused on Eric Carden's CCS2004 the current beta releases of which now produce very natural orographic lift and sink! Check out the SOAR forum for details and to download beta releases.

I've created software for mass-producing the slope data files used by CCS and a small team of volunteers is helping me produce vast quantities of slope lift, all of which is available for immediate download on the SOAR FTP server.

To make use of this new technology, I've put together a race on the ridges of Mifflin Pennsylvania and I'll be submitting it to the SOAR race director very soon. It should be a lot of fun, similar to the great time we had with Eric's Sequatchie race a while ago.

2004/12/08
I've updated my Tennessee scenery to include a custom landclass and to cover a much larger area. Check the file size before downloading.

In case you missed it on the SOAR forum, I have redone Marcos Borges' Bowlus BA-100 Baby Albatross for FS9. A "beta" version is available in the forum. The first update patch is available further down the thread. I plan to eventually release a more complete package similar to that recently done for the ASW-28, which will include better gauges, a VET, some documentation and possibly other refinements.

2004/11/15
Frustrated with the hit-and-miss results I've had with freeware terrain mesh, I decided to learn how to make my own. Here is my first project: a 1-arc-second mesh for Eric's Sequatchie Valley Challenge race.

2004/11/14
The complete ASW-28 package for fs9 has finally been released and posted on SOAR's download page.

2004/08/02
Inspired by Wolfgang Piper's new DFS Weihe, I've updated my CAI-Set popup panel for fs9. Again I've updated the installation instructions, trying to make them as understandable as I can. I'm also working to assemble a complete ASW-28 package for fs9. This should soon be available on SOAR's download page. For those who missed it, the fs9 update for the '28 has been available as a patch on the SOAR message board since the WVMSC multiplayer contest. This complete package will clean up some loose ends and make it a one-step installation.

2004/02/06
I've finished an update of Franke & Stuck's ASW-28 to make it behave well in fs9. I've also corrected a few minor issues with scrape points and added a mass-less VET. I also moved things around so now fs9's Weight & Balance interface will work as expected. Max Roodveldt then added some new gauges and adjusted the VET switch gauge to do the right thing in fs9. Max will be releasing the whole package shortly. It's a nice machine with which I think folks will be happy and yet feel right at home.

I've updated my gauges for fs9. It didn't take much at all. I haven't done thorough testing but I believe that the same gauges should work equally well in fs2k2 and fs9 now. I still feel like re-working some stuff before releasing them however... just let me know if you're interested in any of them and I'll hurry it along.

New projects started: all-new fs9 FDMs for Max's forthcoming Genesis-2 and his recently released Grob Astir-CS. I've also started on an Alisport Silent Club (12-meter DU-class sailplane) for which I am creating everything: visual model, flight model panel, VC, gauges, etc. With all the FDMs I'm doing now for fs9 it may be a while before the Silent is ready.

2004/01/25
I have acquired fs9 (fs2004, cof...), so slowly I will join the migration. I've already realized that there is more the same than different in the new flight model, so again my organization of the website will have to change. I had originally planned the fs9 stuff to be organized separately from fs8, but now I see that it won't be so black and white.

My first self-inflicted assignment using fs9 will be to produce an ASW 28 flight model to duplicate the characteristics of Peter & Roland's 2k2 model in fs9. This will provide folks with their familiar favorite with which to transition into fs9. The bigger picture of course is to fully understand the differences and update my Flight Dynamics for Sailplane Designers documentation.

I've been developing gauges recently and several of them are about ready for distribution. I've added a page to describe them, but haven't linked the downloads yet. I'm still typing up readme files, instructions, etc.

2003/12/25
Merry Christmas (or happy holidays) everyone!

The CAI Popup panel is now at version 1.2, with little shadows under the gauges and screw heads, and sixteen variations of border and background. This morning I flew the Santa Ynez course (available from SOAR) in Wolfgang Piper's Minimoa using my popup panel and polar. Wow, that is a different experience. If you've mastered a course in say, the ASW 28, try jumping into an old-timer like the Minimoa and flying the same course! It took me about twice as long as my ASW 28 time. I'm sure I can probably improve that time a little, but it is definitely a challenge.

I'm constantly improving upon my methods for generating polars. The polars I'm posting may change from week to week if I feel I've made more accurate measurements. I'm finding that the L-Nav really can work very nicely if the polar is just right. Sometime in the near future I hope to reach a point at which I can declare the polars "done." I will make an announcement when that happens and the polars shouldn't change after that point.

2003/12/06
I really need to reorganize the flight-dynamics area of the site. The original structure embedded the FDM concepts and info within reference information about each plane. The FDM project however has boiled down to a hard-core analysis of what FS is doing with all the numbers we throw at it. I need to separate the "understanding of the FDM" project from the repository of aircraft documentation.

I'm compiling a large document which will contain all of the inner details of FS's FDM which matter to a sailplane designer (meaning no engine stuff). Some basics have been distilled by reading everything which has been done by others in this regard. But I'm spending huge amounts of time deciphering little details which were previously only vaguely understood. My goal is to be able to not only calculate all of the coefficients and derivatives from forces (FS' idea of what the coefficients/derivatives should be), but also to be able to calculate all of the forces from the coefficients and derivatives and to understand exactly how the program interprets the configuration under different conditions.

2003/12/04
The polars page now sports information about sink rate, glide ratio, stall speed and some sample speed-to-fly numbers for each glider. I think I've got every 2k2 glider represented accurately now (and some pre-2k2 gliders as well). Even the standard-issue Schweizer 2-32 is listed for comparison.

2003/10/30
I've finally started uploading the flight dynamics pages. You'll find a lot of broken links for the next few days as I finish assembling everything, but at least the ASW28 status page is there. I'm trying to create a repository as much for myself as for anyone else which will contain all of the information about the FDMs on which I am working. There you will (eventually) be able to learn how or why I made the various decisions which go into each project.

I've also uploaded version 1.1 of the CAI Pop-up mini-panel, which contains code for two differently-named versions of Max's instruments and some slight updates to the notes and stuff. If 1.0 works well for you there's no need to upgrade.

I have been either going to the trouble of copying files to a different machine in order to create zip archives, or else creating self-expanding Cabinet archives for the files I'm posting. Yesterday I discovered that in Windows XP explorer you can just right-click on a directory and select "Send to -> Compressed folder" to create a zip archive! Until I find something wrong with that method, that's how I'll be packaging stuff now, so soon you'll find only zips here.

Update: 12:25 PST
I've commented the broken links, and uploaded the negative flap article.

2003/10/24
My work to figure out how to create polars for Max's L-Nav instrument has paid off. I've created a "polars" page on which I will list new polars as I create them. These polars allow the L-Nav instrument to calculate glide information for the plane you're flying rather than always for a default which, needless to say, will most likely give very inaccurate results.

Also released today, the Generic CAI-set pop-up panel, available on the new "panels" page. This is a small pop-up panel containing just Max's CAI instruments, for use with any sailplane which lacks them. This opens up all of Wolfgang Piper's interesting models (for example) for tasking, one-design races, etc. For a challenge, try to get around your favorite course in one of the really antique planes!

Steady progress is being made on the list of sailplanes project. I've added some "newly discovered" planes such as Marcos Borges' sweet little Bowlus Baby Albatross and Jiri Brozek's VSO-10's. Some others have had URLs added or versions updated.

2003/10/09
I've volunteered to work on getting every known flyable sailplane listed on the SOAR download page. I've started the project by updating Max's list. I've put it into a workable format and have started searching for and all of the planes listed and updating their status. I'm gathering links, patches, etc. I'll keep a quick-and-dirty html export of the database here so everyone can review it. My intention is to list, at a minimum, every original glider which flies in FS2k2 or newer. I think that planes which are specific to older versions of FS are of historical/academic interest only. SOAR's official courses and scenery are 2k2-specific. We can certainly keep a listing of older planes as well, but I think it should be a separate list. If you know of any planes not listed, or know of any updates please contact me. Use my email address at the bottom of this page, or contact me through SOAR. Thanks!

2003/10/08
Screenshots section is ready for your perusal. I'm planning to upload the other sections as I get the time to type them.

2003/10/02
I'm throwing together this new site to share the stuff I'm working on these days. Sorry, no fancy design, no Linux tips & tricks... only flight simulator stuff this time! Most of the old pages are still here in case you found them in a search engine, but unfortunately a lot of that stuff is pretty old now. If you don't know what I'm talking about, never mind. :-P