On Wed, 09 Nov 2005 14:55:35 -0600, you wrote: >I think, especially in view of the spate of posts a short while ago, it would >be wise to only include (by default) aircraft which are quite complete - i.e. >with populated cockpits etc. People who know what they want and what they're >doing can easily download the others.
It would be very helpful, and good public relations for aircraft included by default to be complete and flyable. My first impression of FlightGear on Windows was soured by the first aircraft I choose. It was the Cessna with full IFR panel. The panel was upside down and very strange. It didn't make a good first impression and left me confused. If I had not been persistent I might have gave up on it right there. Moreover, I could not figure out why there were so many Cessna's and what the differences were. An aircraft should be operational, not in a state of development if it is to be included in the official distribution. Aircraft in development can be downloaded individually. Aircraft should not be incomplete, missing panels, incomplete instruments, etc. I realize this is not easy given the open source and experimental nature of Flight Gear development. I agree with the idea of removing the UFO in favor of a more useful and complete aircraft. There are several aircraft in the collection I would prefer being in the default set over the UFO craft. However, there should be some note to developers that this is useful to download for use in scenery development. I may have overlooked it, but as far as I can tell, there is no "slew mode" available in FG, which makes it difficult to position a normal aircraft so you can check scenery when developing buildings, airports, etc. If the UFO is the only way to emulate slewing, then perhaps it should be retained. I would like to retain the Wright Flyer to represent aviation history. I think everyone new to flight sim wonders what it would be like to fly the Wright Flyer. However, I found it unflyable, so in the end I think it should be replaced by a more flyable aircraft. Aircraft without a 3D model should be avoided in the default distribution (No "FDM only"). The J3 Cub is attractively modeled and shows off what can be done with Flight Gear aircraft. It is also an easy to fly, good introductory aircraft. I decided I should ask myself, is there an aircraft now in the collection that I would prefer over one in the default? Here's my list. 737 (Boeing 737) --- Keep. A-10 (Fairchild A-10) --- Replace with Spitfire (hate to do it, but makes sense). bo105 (Helicopter) --- Keep. c172 (Cessna) --- Replace with updated Cessna 182. c172p (Cessna) --- Keep. c310 (Cessna 310) --- Replace with B1900D. c310u3a (Cessna 310) --- Keep. Citation (Citation II) --- Keep. f16 (F-16) --- Keep j3cub (J3 Cub) --- Keep. hunter (Hawker Hunter) --- Keep p51d (Mustang P-51D) --- Keep. pa38-161 (Piper Warrior) --- Keep. ufo (developer) --- Replace with PC-7. wright flyer (Wright Flyer) --- Replace with DH Beaver. It is difficult to decide when trying to fill out the categories when the best aircraft do not fall evenly into those categories. Aircraft in one category may be more complete and polished than aircraft in others. One could argue there is a place for at least one glider and one bi-plane in the default collection. If there are no glider specific areas with thermals, then I suggest leaving the glider out until more glider support is available. The only bi-plane is the Sopwith, so perhaps that can wait. Arguably, there should be a representative jet fighter aircraft, one American and one European, but if it takes away room for a general aviation, etc. perhaps only one jet fighter should be represented. And the same might be said for second world war aircraft. The P-51D and Spitfire as easy choices, since they are good models. The F16 is probably the best choice for an American jet fighter. The Hunter seems easy to fly. The same policy could be for commercial airliners. With the Boeing 737 and the Airbus A320 each being represented. At least one helicopter should be available, but if it is unflyable, I'd say replace it with something else. I think it's important to keep the most widely used general aviation craft, like Cessna and Piper and one or two major historic aircraft, such as the Cub, DC3. The Comper Swift is in the same vein as the J3, but in beta status. At least one aircraft from the early era of general aviation should be in the default package. Most users will want a light single engine general aviation aircraft they are familiar with. The Cessna fills this niche and is the most popular. I suggest one "classic" and one modern Cessna single. The Beaver is one of my favorite aircraft. It is both from the era I find interesting and capable of bush flying. It is slow and fairly easy to fly and can operate on water or land. A good model, if not the most refined, but lacking in hot spots on 3d cockpit controls. The Piper Warrior fills the need for a fast single engine general aviation aircraft like the Mooney, etc. in other sims. I generally find myself flying in the Cessna when there is not a great distance to cover, but reaching for the faster aircraft when in a hurry or a great distance, but not so much that I need a jet or twin. To my surprise, I found I enjoyed flying the Pilatus PC-7. It is a very nice model. But the instrument panel floats around, otherwise I would strongly recommend it for the default aircraft set. Steve _______________________________________________ Flightgear-devel mailing list Flightgear-devel@flightgear.org http://mail.flightgear.org/mailman/listinfo/flightgear-devel 2f585eeea02e2c79d7b1d8c4963bae2d
