Ever thought of developing airfields as well?

[Legend]

This thread at SimHQ got me thinking... maybe you could design some dedicated "Cub" airfields as well... and maybe even include a few missions to give people something to do.

Just an idea though.

[skunker]

This thread at SimHQ got me thinking... maybe you could design some dedicated "Cub" airfields as well... and maybe even include a few missions to give people something to do.

Just an idea though.

I love this idea and it is something I suggested in one of the Cub threads. Some typical things that Cub pilots had to deal with when flying into short strips on farms or other rural areas:

[*]Buzzing sheep/cattle off the airstrip before you can land
[*]Doing a low and slow pass alongside the strip and checking for holes, puddles, mud, etc.
[*]Deciding whether sand may be too deep, grass too tall, rocks too big, etc.
[*]Deciding whether you actually have enough space to land...it's hard to tell whether a field is long enough..it takes practice. What may seem like 1000ft from the ground is a whole different look when you're flying 500ft above the surface.

Most offairport landing accidents involve the airplane flipping over onto its back from having the plane's wheels dug in a gopher hole AND from people forgetting to keep the tail pinned down as soon as you touch down. The minute you let go of the tail you risk a prop strike/nose over.

[Alan_A]

Bill Womack would be a perfect choice to develop the kinds of Cub field you're talking about.

While they're not exactly what you have in mind, you could do worse than to check out his Plum Island or Hawaii Dillingham - wonderful Cub-friendly GA fields.

He's currently working on Miller's Field (ME74) -a (long) Cub flight from Plum Island.

He's also doing at least one airfield for the upcoming Orbx Pacific Northwest scenery (scroll down to "NA Blue"), as well as a new FSX version of Emma Field, which may be the best GA field ever done. And he did airfield work for Tongass Fjords X, which is great for Cubs given that we've got floats and tundra tires to work with.

In all, no shortage of Cub playgrounds to start with.

[CodyValkyrie]

We have tooled around a few times with the idea of making scenery. It however has not come to fruition at this point, but it doesn't mean that in the future it won't happen.

[skunker]

It won't matter how nice someone does the scenery if the actual drag and physics of a turf strip is not modeled. The whole point of soft field takeoffs and landings is the strip itself. With that said, I'm not sure how the physics/drag of the soft field strips in FSX are modeled. Are they just the same as the asphalt runways but with some added "bumpiness" in them? The grass needs to pull at the tires to make it realistic. It needs to be harder to taxi, etc.

[Alan_A]

It won't matter how nice someone does the scenery if the actual drag and physics of a turf strip is not modeled. The whole point of soft field takeoffs and landings is the strip itself. With that said, I'm not sure how the physics/drag of the soft field strips in FSX are modeled. Are they just the same as the asphalt runways but with some added "bumpiness" in them? The grass needs to pull at the tires to make it realistic. It needs to be harder to taxi, etc.

Excellent point.

The ground in FSX seems to be modeled as a less even surface (wheels chatter more and there's a more prominent dust/dirt effect) but that's about it. I wonder if the additional physics could be worked in.

Now that I think of it, the beach in Womack's Plum Island includes berms and dunes - an uneven surface at least. Doesn't model the softness of the sand but at least it gives you something to think about when you land that. A start, maybe.

[Markoz]

It won't matter how nice someone does the scenery if the actual drag and physics of a turf strip is not modeled. The whole point of soft field takeoffs and landings is the strip itself. With that said, I'm not sure how the physics/drag of the soft field strips in FSX are modeled. Are they just the same as the asphalt runways but with some added "bumpiness" in them? The grass needs to pull at the tires to make it realistic. It needs to be harder to taxi, etc.

I have found that if I taxi on grass and not asphalt or concrete that I need to apply more throttle to get going and more throttle to maintain speed.

Trying to take off on the grass also seems to take longer to get going and also to gain speed. This seems to be true on grass and gravel runways too. It's like "sort of" modeled even though it isn't perfect. At least it's a start.

It's either that or it's because I know I'm not on asphalt or concrete so it seems to be that way and if that's the case I already have a touch more realism in the sim even if it is only in my head.

[skunker]

Takeoffs on grass and other soft surfaces require a different takeoff technique than the standard asphalt runways. Another thing is that on landings, grass is best for a taildragger because if you drift on final and land with a slight sidewise motion, the tires will slide across the grass and correct itself, whereas, on asphalt, a lot of landing gear problems arise as the result of the tires biting into the asphalt and preventing any slide motion.

It's very important that you don't drift on final or you'll run into all kinds of problems, including ground looping the airplane.

Oh, and another thing, wet grass is a very different animal. Lots of float pilots will land their float planes on wet grass without needing tires. I don't recommend it, but lots of people do it.

[Jigsaw]

The ground in FSX seems to be modeled as a less even surface (wheels chatter more and there's a more prominent dust/dirt effect) but that's about it. I wonder if the additional physics could be worked in.

In the sim the brakes also are a lot less effective on grass/dirt. To the point that the L-39 Albatros starts rolling on startup even if the emergency brake is enabled (which is enough to hold the bird in a stand still at full thrust on asphalt).

[Aztec73]

I too am waiting for the J3, It has been more than a few years since I flew one, one never forgets the thrill of the solo, when he (the instructor)climbed out and said do three landings and come to the office??? The front seat looked very vacant! He said as all of them do, it's going to be different without me up front.

I did the three and went to the office, he was standing outside and said " WELL"!!! I was still in a daze from the solo, but I could hardly wait for the next session. It's been said many times, you never forget your first time, no matter what it is. I ended up buying the Cub, I did my training and Solo. I bought it for $500.00 back in 1953. Wish I still had it, but I might not fit in it anymore... LOL . Oh well time passes and it looks like finally there is a j3 -Cub coming worthy of what the real one was ( almost). I have been going back to where I did my Cross country's IN fsx.

I am redoing the strips sort of from memory or at least the best I can. I have done scenery for some time now, but i never got interested in doing stuff for myself till this J3 showed up.

[Legend]

Bill Womack would be a perfect choice to develop the kinds of Cub field you're talking about.

[...]

Didn't he develop Bear Gulch for the RealAir Fs2004 Scout package. Also a similar field - and I loved it. But yes, these are the airfields I'd love to see.

[markwlee]

At OZx http://www.aussiex.org we have about 300 free airstrips for Australia. Many are quite small, bumpy, sloped and difficult-to-see. Try Mt Brisbane, Maleny North, the two near Beechmont, Aratula Farm, Woolnorth and Airey's Inlet for starters. You'll need to use real-world VFR navigation techniques as there are not many AFCADs. There's a Google Earth kml of all the fields and a doc with dirns/distances from the nearest AFCAD. VTCs, WACs, whizwheels, plotting rulers and stopwatches make it more fun!

[gwolb]

yea, the free airstrips that Markwlee mentioned will be perfect for the cub! cant wait!!!

[Alan_A]

Bill Womack would be a perfect choice to develop the kinds of Cub field you're talking about.

[...]

Didn't he develop Bear Gulch for the RealAir Fs2004 Scout package. Also a similar field - and I loved it. But yes, these are the airfields I'd love to see.

Yes, I believe you're right.

But you can confirm directly - he posts here (and elsewhere) as "spotlope" - see the Cub screenshots thread for a recent appearance.

[Alan_A]

At OZx http://www.aussiex.org we have about 300 free airstrips for Australia. Many are quite small, bumpy, sloped and difficult-to-see. Try Mt Brisbane, Maleny North, the two near Beechmont, Aratula Farm, Woolnorth and Airey's Inlet for starters. You'll need to use real-world VFR navigation techniques as there are not many AFCADs. There's a Google Earth kml of all the fields and a doc with dirns/distances from the nearest AFCAD. VTCs, WACs, whizwheels, plotting rulers and stopwatches make it more fun!

I'm just starting to explore these but you're right, they're great - especially for Cub flying.