[FSX] AI carrier ops

[robystar]

Hi all,

I know this is a difficult question with a lot of ins and outs, but I would like to adapt some AI craft to do some carrier landings and catapult launches.
The landing is not a problem, as that is relatively easy to be achieved, but to imitate the catapult launch is something I have not figured out yet how to do without spoiling the other settings (either the AI aircraft do not follow the taxi lines anymore, or they take off in a jiffy but go wild as soon as they reach their altitude or they keep on accelerating to more than 1000 kts and thereby completely lose their stability or they take off a bit too slowly for a catapult launch). Tweaking the aircraft.cfg and the air file did indeed speed up the take off but not as much as I would like to , to realistically imitate catapult takeoff.
Is there somewhere some modern AI aircraft carrier fitted fighter to be found?
As said, I have reached the stage where AI can decently land on a carrier but the catapult takeoff has given me headaches so far.
Trying not to influence landing behavior I only messed with thrust scalar, air intake area, static thrust, zero lift drag, cruise speed, MOI and empty weight.
Is there something perhaps that I am forgetting or has nobody yet found the answer?
I am working on a scenery for the Arabian Gulf where things are going to be hot as far as I can tell if I have to believe the present rumors:
Quote
May 25, 2010
DEBKAfile's military sources report a decision by the Obama administration to boost US military strength in the Mediterranean and Persian Gulf regions in the short term with an extra air and naval strike forces and 6,000 Marine and sea combatants. Carrier Strike Group 10, headed by the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier, sails out of the US Navy base at Norfolk, Virginia Friday, May 21. On arrival, it will raise the number of US carriers off Iranian shores to two. Up until now, President Barack Obama kept just one aircraft carrier stationed off the coast of Iran, the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower in the Arabian Sea, in pursuit of his policy of diplomatic engagement with Tehran.
For the first time, too, the US force opposite Iran will be joined by a German warship, the frigate FGS Hessen, operating under American command.
It is also the first time that Obama, since taking office 14 months ago, is sending military reinforcements to the Persian Gulf. Our military sources have learned that the USS Truman is just the first element of the new buildup of US resources around Iran. It will take place over the next three months, reaching peak level in late July and early August. By then, the Pentagon plans to have at least 4 or 5 US aircraft carriers visible from Iranian shores.
The USS Truman's accompanying Strike Group includes Carrier Air Wing Three
Carrier Air Wing Three (Battle Axe) - which has 7 squadrons - 4 of F/A-18 Super Hornet and F/A-18 Hornet bomber jets, as well as spy planes and early warning E-2 Hawkeyes that can operate in all weather conditions; the Electronic Attack Squadron 130 for disrupting enemy radar systems; and Squadron 7 of helicopters for anti-submarine combat (In its big naval exercise last week, Iran exhibited the Velayat 89 long-range missile for striking US aircraft carriers and Israel warships from Iranian submarines.)
Another four US warships will be making their way to the region to join the USS Truman and its Strike Group. They are the guided-missile cruiser USS Normandy and guided missile destroyers USS Winston
USS Winston S. Churchill, USS Oscar Austin
USS Oscar Austin and USS Ross
USS Ross.
Unquote

I already have the CV69 and the CV75 in place as well as some other ships.
As for planes, I already have the Fa-18C/ E/F and the A-6 Intruder landing fine on a carrier but, as said before, catapult launch is unrealistically sluggish.



Roby

PS: I could wait until MAIW comes up with something, but I may be late for the current events.

[Au-MaV]

Hi
When playing with AI mainly tinker with the reference speed section of the aircraft.cfg and lift areas things like wing area and weight.From my observations the AI appear use very little of the FDE data.
Cheers
Wozza

[robystar]

Hi,

And thank you.
Reference speeds are OK. If I change them more, landing is not so smooth anymore or aircraft land short of the runway or overshoot.
Lift, weight and wing area all influence landing behavior.
The air file does contain some data that are not in the cfg and do influence the overall charcteristics of the dynamics of the aircraft.
FS2002 was very very difficult, FS9 was all right but upon importing the aircraft into FSX, some things apparently changed. Have not a clue why.

[Au-MaV]

Hi
you could try tweaking the landing via the flaps,overshoot more drag undershoot more lift.Get the take of right first then play with the flaps to fix issues with the landing.also try lowering the stall speed in the reference speed section keep it above 10 knt some weird stuff happens in fs if the aircraft flying speed drops below 5 knts

Wozza

[robystar]

Thanks Wozza,

Have already tried to do it your way i.e. speed up takeoff first and do the landing afterwards. Both worked rather well when tweaking flaps and stuff for landing. But the problem was I did not have a stable flight anymore after take off nor stable ground behavior.
Too much static thrust and the planes do not taxi anymore as they should nor do they, after takeoff, keep to their assigned speed initially (accelerate too much and go berserk). Increasing the air inlet does not help either above 22.000.
I managed to do it reasonably well in FS9 with the only exception that the aircraft trembled a bit too much when going too fast after takeoff but it then soon settled and lost speed to settle at the assigned cruise speed.
I have reached the stage in FSX that, visually, it is catapulted but still a bit too slow, trembling is less at high speed but not entirely gone, the braking when descending makes it "nod". The rest is OK.
I have to:
- speed up takeoff a tiny bit more;
- remedy the trembling after takeoff when the plane is accelerating to 700 KTS or make it not going that fast;
- get rid of the "nodding"
Any suggestions appreciated.

Roby

[Au-MaV]

Hi
I noticed in fs9 that AI sometimes used the flaps to (I assume) slow down, you would see them pop out and in during the flight,I havnt seen it fsx but to be honest I havnt played with AI much in fsx.
what might be happening is the flaps are popping in and out and causing a big lift change,maybe try using very little angle of movement in the first 2 or 3 stages of flaps.
other nodding causes could be pitch moi in the aircraft.cfg try upping the number,could be trim related (maybe auto pilot settings?)try section 1101~pitch cm_dt pitch moment trim, 1/2 this number so if its -0.5 make it -0.25 and see if that helps.
Also try 0,0,0 all loadouts and fuel,then play with section 1534 forward aft setting for CoL so the aircraft is balanced (0deg trim) at cruise speed.
Cheers
Wozza