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[Strawkalling]

I've done a search of the forum and can find nothing on this subject, so my question is:

Just like we have chocks in/chocks out for land planes (also essential for carrier ops), would it be possible for anchoring (in shallow water) and mooring (to docks) to be added for seaplanes?

Strawkalling

[Kopfdorfer]

I agree with Strawkalling - this feature would make for much greater ability for the IL2 seaplane pilot to
control the aircraft on the water.
In reality , a seaplane would have mooring capabilities , and likely had anchors as well.
Possibly even sea anchors/drift anchors.

There might be some difficulty in implementing this feature , however .
As anyone who has flown a lot of seaplane missions knows , it is challenging - especially in weather with any
wind , to get a seaplane to stop dead ( which is what is required by the code for chocks ).
So it would mean writing new code , rather than simply porting over ( or whatever you modding type guys
call it properly ) the existing code from land-based aircraft.
This code would need to allow the "Sea chocks" to be applied while the aircraft was still moving
- albeit moving slowly.

I understand this is a nacent rather than a developed concept , but I think it would enhance
seaplane ops immensely.

Kopfdorfer

[Strawkalling]

One area where I think it could be useful is adventure type missions where the pilot leaves the aircraft to explore a location (some of our mission builders have got great imaginations!). When our intrepid hero gets back to where he left the aircraft, it would still be where he expects it to be, not having drifted off by hundreds of metres or more, possibly to destruction!

If chocks can't be ported across from land aircraft, could the skyhook capability in Vampire's fabulous airship mod be utilised?

Strawkalling

[Kopfdorfer]

You should check out Beebop's Chance Hardman Adventures.
This link is for a few single offline missions.

https://www.mission4today.com/index.php?name=Downloads&file=search

He also has a couple of short campaigns.

In terms of your get out run around and adventure , this is really beyond the IL2 engine , what it was
designed for , and how most pilots use it.

From my thin knowledge of modding and modders , it would take a lucky strike for you to reach a modder
willing to even contemplate going there , but hey this is your concept and no dreams means no development.

Good luck.

I want to steer back to your original idea for this thread ( chocking/anchor mechanism for seaplanes ) 
because : 
1) I believe it to be quite doable in the technical sense
2) I believe it would enhance seaplane missions to an enormous degree
3) I bet there is a modder out there who will be curious enough to tinker with
    the concept.

Thanks for voicing this concept , Strawkalling.

Kopfdorfer

[Strawkalling]

Indeed, it's something I would like to see on its own merit, regardless of anything else. I find it annoying when I'm in a seaplane slowly drifting out of position while I double-check the flight route on the map, set my trim and prop pitch, turn on nav lights, etc, before starting engines. By which time I've drifted well away from the taxi line (when present). So it would be great to be able to unmoor when ready to taxi.

As for the exploration part, I was thinking of Whistler's already implemented NG-PAL, which is very much a fun add-on!

And, indeed, I'm in the middle of Chance Hardman's Jungle Adventures, as reworked by Vampire. NG-PAL is a great way to appreciate the work put into many of the locations you have to get in and out of! Well worth the price of admission! 

Strawkalling

[Atoka220]

In terms of your get out run around and adventure , this is really beyond the IL2 engine , what it was
designed for , and how most pilots use it.

From my thin knowledge of modding and modders , it would take a lucky strike for you to reach a modder
willing to even contemplate going there , but hey this is your concept and no dreams means no development.

Whistler did it https://www.sas1946.com/main/index.php/topic,67248.0.html

As for the original idea, yes
At least there should be some way to stop the seaplane without it drifting ashore then JUMPING like 20 meters and fall back exploding to pieces lol

[WxTech]

From BAT 4.0 at least (I don't know about earlier), my modded Wind.class is incorporated.

Compared to the prior treatment where the wind speed at the surface decreased to 1/3 its speed at 10m, I made the surface speed zero, decreasing smoothly from the speed at 30m.

Because the plane has some height, it will feel a non-zero wind (when the air is not calm), but it will be rather less than the wind speed as set in the mission. This should keep wind induced drift of float planes to a minimum, certainly compared to older game versions.

By the way, my prime motivator in this was addressing the awful weathercocking that made taxying planes a brutal chore, if not impossible, when a even a slightly moderate wind speed was set.