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Post by Jorge on Jul 12, 2023 5:51:47 GMT -5
Sorry for the lack of activity on the forum, but I've been wrapped up with work and family. I've also been bogged down with work on Platinum Wings (which will have a version of the weatherships that's simpler), so time's been rather short. Good news on the fixes to have all the gauges work together! Thanks for all the help on this! Once posted, I can update the gauge on my end and finish the manual. Maybe we can call it a "beta" release for now? Thanks again for the work and the help! Regards, Jorge Miami, FL
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Post by Tom/CalClassic on Jul 12, 2023 13:30:57 GMT -5
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Post by Erik on Jul 16, 2023 17:19:26 GMT -5
Gentlemen, this is all SO great again, one can hardly thank you enough. As Ken so aptly put it: It (the LORAN gauge) must be one of the most remarkable things ever produced by Cal Classic, and that is saying a very great deal. Combine that with the rest of the brilliant classic and even vintage navigation tools available here, or found through this forum, I think I may stay with FS9 for as long as I am able to operate a PC - and that doesn't even have to do with my absolute zero virtual flying the past few years. Thanks! Erik
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Post by Tom/CalClassic on Jul 16, 2023 17:35:42 GMT -5
Thanks, I was surprised how much I could get it to do. Jorge was a huge help with the graphics, overall design, and initial coding, because that gave me a great start. I would have never finished it without his work. It is probably the crowning achievement of the site, or at least likely to be the last major project.
I am a little surprised that the WWII crowd hasn’t noticed this, since the instrument modeled was used for bombing raids in both Europe and the Pacific. But perhaps they are happy with their current gauge complement.
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Post by mrcapitalism on Jul 16, 2023 20:09:41 GMT -5
Yeah, there's an interview of a B-17 Navigator on Youtube, and he describes using a LORAN LOP as a curved final approach course on probably the first ever Rnav approach.
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Post by Erik on Jul 17, 2023 4:03:35 GMT -5
For most in the niche group of classic/vintage FS9/FSX users, the effort of navigating 'as realistically complicated as it gets' is probably one step too far. That leaves us devotees as the potential users, I suppose!
Cheers, Erik
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Post by awralls on Jul 17, 2023 5:28:15 GMT -5
I must say, I'm having a wonderful time with this. One of the best things is the realistic range limitation. Currently flying BA458 CYQX-EGLL from the 1953 timetable (a B-377 route) and I've just gone out of range of Battle Harbour. It being daylight, I figure it'll be a good while before I can pick up Vik or the Faroes, so I've fallen back on CelNav. Fortunately, both the Sun and Venus are visible so I can just about get a fix.
Presumably, the ranges increase at night per the real thing?
Andy
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Post by Jorge on Jul 17, 2023 5:56:27 GMT -5
I must say, I'm having a wonderful time with this. One of the best things is the realistic range limitation. Currently flying BA458 CYQX-EGLL from the 1953 timetable (a B-377 route) and I've just gone out of range of Battle Harbour. It being daylight, I figure it'll be a good while before I can pick up Vik or the Faroes, so I've fallen back on CelNav. Fortunately, both the Sun and Venus are visible so I can just about get a fix. Presumably, the ranges increase at night per the real thing? Andy Yes, the range increases at night. With the HFDF (Weatherships), the range increases with altitude. I don't think we did that here; only the night time increase. Thanks for all the input on this! It was a challenge to get this done, and I learned quite a bit as far as GIMP, that's for sure! Tom made it happen with the XML "majic". I can barely get a light to come on and a needle to swing when it comes to XML! Regards, Jorge Miami, FL
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Post by Tom/CalClassic on Jul 17, 2023 8:47:51 GMT -5
The range in daytime is around 700 nm, but that is indeed altitude dependent. Full range is not attained until around 5000 ft, as I remember. Many times in testing I’ve had to slew up there to get a station in range. The night range is around 1400 nm, due to sky waves bouncing off the ionosphere and the lack of interference from the sun. Night is defined as when FS declares it to be night in the Time and Season menu.
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Post by jsaus on Jul 17, 2023 13:55:09 GMT -5
Looks amazing. Can't wait to try it. Once I spent a few hundred hours figuring it out.
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Post by awralls on Jul 17, 2023 23:46:45 GMT -5
I still struggle trying to get the third reading accurate, probably because I tend to rush the readings and end up having to click the shortcut to get an accurate total. It actually is a skill, rather than a simple cheat to get your position.
One question; if the various steps to produce the three readings are inaccurate, how much difference does that make to the final position reading? I'm wondering if rushing the first 4 steps of the process is the cause of my woes as about fifty percent of the time I end up with all green numbers, but no position lat-long.
Next step is to import the chart to GoogleEarth and try to get position from the proper LORAN LOPs. So far I've been entering the lat-long into a GE position marker, but that DOES feel like cheating. Brilliant piece of work; well done and thanks to Tom, Jorge and everyone else involved.
Andy
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Post by awralls on Jul 18, 2023 0:44:11 GMT -5
Oh, one other thing. There was chat about who and when used LORAN. I fly a BOAC career in FS Captain and all my flying is based on the 1953 timetable. I was wondering if that year was a bit early for flight deck LORAN installations, but then came upon this: www.flightsafetyaustralia.com/2019/10/reprise-night-of-the-comet/This is an account of a Comet 1 accident in Rome involving a runway overrun in October 1952. The article includes comments by the FO, Peter Duffy, who mentions the use of LORAN in BOAC Comet 1s. Since these were withdrawn from service in late 1954, that provides some context for LORAN use, at least with BOAC. Andy
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Post by Tom/CalClassic on Jul 18, 2023 9:09:44 GMT -5
If I get all six numbers in green I have always ended up with a lat lon display, so I don’t know how that is happening, sorry.
The first four steps are simply to align the instrument to the delay values, I do little more than check that you have performed them. If you get two traces in SS 5 then the data should be accurate.
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Post by mrcapitalism on Jul 18, 2023 9:48:21 GMT -5
I don't want to spoil the fun.
I suggest getting a good long ocean crossing flight in. A couple hours at least, so you can make numerous measurements. Make your measurement, write down what your own calculation is, then click the auto total. It's very strange but the tutorials exactly tell you how to perform the calculation. But not quite the "rules" of doing it. After several attempts it will click for you.
If that doesn't work, then I can spoil the joke I guess..
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Post by jsaus on Jul 18, 2023 11:34:53 GMT -5
I don't want to spoil the fun. I suggest getting a good long ocean crossing flight in. A couple hours at least, so you can make numerous measurements. Make your measurement, write down what your own calculation is, then click the auto total. It's very strange but the tutorials exactly tell you how to perform the calculation. But not quite the "rules" of doing it. After several attempts it will click for you. If that doesn't work, then I can spoil the joke I guess.. Save us all the hassle and just spoil it for us.
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