This is a duplicate to a post I made over at 242 Sqdn , who are intrinsically linked to HSFX.
I only have an HSFX 7.03 Installation , with the Settings in the JSGME as History Mode , Expert Mode , Hakenkreuz enabled.
It might be useful to hear comments from others using different installs to assess whether the Stinson L-5 Sentinel's poor performance in the hands of AI is limited to HSFX , or is linked to the aircraft mod.
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Hey Guys,
I don't know what the prospects to fix this are , but the L-5 Stinson is incapable of take off (for AI pilots) at reasonable loads. I don't know whether this relates to the fm in regards to horsepower , or friction or lift or what.
I discovered her frailties while testing for my upcoming SEOW campaign , Parkers Crossroads , set during the Battle of the Bulge in Dec 1944.
The L-5 in game automatically has skies for winter scenarios , and at first I thought these might be the culprits , but further testing proved this not to be the case.
Initially , my tests were with a 60% fuel load and rocket marker flares - 60% is the max fuel load for my campaign , and marker flares are likely to be a necessary loadout. The tests were on a short field to begin with (St. Hubert (912m) , west of Bastogne) , and the AI Sentinel ploughed merrily along with no apparent lift whatsoever , until it plowed into the hill beyond the end of the strip.
I tried removing the rocket loadout and going clean with 60% fuel. No dice.
I tried moving the flight to the Liege field (Bierset 1440m) and repeated the 2 tests. This time the AI did not plow into the hill , but rather into Liege past the end of the field.
Suspecting the Skis , I changed to the West Front 44 Summer map and repeated the tests on wheels. Following the same results , the citizens of what was left of Liege were telephoning Dwight Eisenhower and burning his ears.
The result is that the Stinson L-5 Sentinel has a fm that is unsatisfactory for AI use.
The L-5 was a very historically significant aircraft , and is extremely utile in the SEOW context , and thus it would be really useful to cure her ills. I must note that for a human pilot , the takeoff and landing difficulties are not insurmountable , but the AI hasn't a prayer.
A quick Google provides the following info :
The Sintson Model 76 - militarily the L-5 Sentinel - was a very utilitarian aircraft , used for liaison , recon , air ambulance , resupply , and armed with rockets , rocket markers , light bombs , and even used to drop hand grenades, which were carried in "bags" !
" The "flying jeep" was an exceptionally tractable aircraft with easy slow-flight qualities with excellent short field capabilities, which made it the most widely used allied utility plane of WWII."
Aircraft Data:
Wingspan: 33' 12"
Length: 24' 1"
Height: 7' 1'
Engine: Lycoming O-435-1, horizontally opposed, 6 cylinder with a fixed pitch wooden prop, rated at 185 HP
Cruising radius: 150 miles
Airspeed: 110 mph
Landing speed: 50 mph
Take-off distance: Clears a 50' obstacle after take off run of 650' (about 220m)
Landing distance: Clear 50' obstacle and land in 900' (about 300m)
Stall, idle, flaps: 51 mph
Stall, power, flaps: 43 mph
Max crew load: 400lbs
Service Ceiling: 16,000'
I don't know if a quick fix is possible in time to use her for my campaign , but in my opinion she should be looked at for the next HSFX release.
In the meantime if anyone knows a quick fix I could apply through the technics file or something like that , I would greatly appreciate it.
Cheers ,
Kopfdorfer
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Topic: AI Cannot Take Off in the Stinson (Read 977 times)
