Category: Flight Simulator X - Aircraft Repaints, Textures and Modifications
Qantas Consolidated PBY-5 5 paints

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File Description: Five repaints for the Aerosoft PBY-5 Catalina in the colors of PBY-5's operated by Qantas on the 'Double Sunrise Service' between Western Australia and Ceylon between 1943 and 1945. In 1943, Royal Australian Air Force personnel were seconded to operate Catalinas under the banner of Qantas. The plan called for flights between Perth, Western Australia, and RAF Base Koggala in southern Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). The flights were the longest non-stop air route of any airline, over 3,500 nautical miles (6,480 km) across the Indian Ocean. Navigating without the aid of radio, the crews relied solely on rudimentary navigation by compass and stars during the trip. Only Catalinas had that kind of range, so five PBY-5 flying boats were converted to make them suitable for the trip. They received camouflage paint, with a RAAF roundel on the fuselage, but also a civilian registration, since they were officialy operated by Qantas, and they were named after the stars they would be using for navigation: Vega Star (G-AGFL/FP221 - tail code 1) Altair Star (G-AGFM/FP244 - tail code 2) Rigel Star (G-AGID/JX575 - tail code 3) Antares Star (G-AGIE/JX577 - tail code 4) Spica Star (G-AGKS/JX287 - tail code 5) Taking between 27 and 33 hours, with departure timed so that the flight crossed Japanese occupied territory during darkness, the crews would observe the sunrise twice, which led to the service being known as "The Double Sunrise". The flight route flown was along the coast from Perth to Exmouth then setting out towards Cocos (Keeling) Island or Christmas Island (though neither was actually sighted during the flight) and onto Kogalla, a journey of approximately 3,580 nautical miles (6,630 km). After the success of the initial flights, it was decided to run a weekly service, with some services flying over Rottnest Island and then taking a direct line to Kogalla. As part of the Australia-England air route there was a surface component from Kogalla to Karachi that added considerable time to the service. This was later replaced by the Double Sunrise service, with Karachi to England flown by BOAC. Air crews would change in Kogalla taking the next plane in either direction minimising the time taken to complete the journey. Though stripped of all non-essential equipment, including de-icing equipment and insulation, the average takeoff weight was 15,900 to 16,000 kg; this included 9,040 liters of fuel, which gave the Catalina a range of 3,600 nautical miles (6,700 km). The service made 271 crossings, delivered over 4,500 kg of mail and carried 860 passengers, including among them British MP Edith Summerskill and the journalist Keith Murdoch. 'The Secret Order of The Double Sunrise' was an illustrated certificate given to passengers aboard the flying boats of the Australia-England air link, to attest they had been airborne for more than 24 hours. After the war the five modified Catalinas that had flown The Double Sunrise service were scuttled. Repaints by Jan Kees Blom, based on the paintkit by Aerosoft

Filename:	Qantas_Consolidated_PBY5_5_paints.zip
License:	Freeware
Added:	13th July 2018, 20:38:43
Downloads:	179
Author:	Jan Kees Blom
Size:	49.87 MB

Category: Flight Simulator X - Original Aircraft
TU-95MS Bear H

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• TU95MS_Bear_H_1.jpg

File Description: The Russian Air Force 37th Air Army operates the TU-95MS (TU-95M 55 Bear H) from the 182th TBAP unit based in Zavitinsk and 6213 BKHUAT based at Engels Air Base in the Moscow Region. It's use is primarily in maritime operations. She carries cruise missiles even if only used for submarine comms. Her initial design is a competitor with the B-52, but uses 4 Turboprop engines with 8 contra-rotating props. She can fly about as far as, but not as high as the B-52, nor can she fly as fast. She is often monitored off the coast of Alaska and easily met with F-22 Raptors every time. She is also often met by NATO fighters near European borders. Since 45,000 feet is about the highest she can cruise, most fighters can meet her. Her real danger is the cruise missiles which, if launched, have a range more than 1,500 nm and can pinpoint any directed target using GPS ground control. She is normally flown in formations of 3 or more, but sometimes only 2 are observed. She is not designed to fly fast over low terrain, like the B-52, but can do-so if necessary, and dangerously. The aircraft has not seen any major improvements or modifications since the cold war era, and several have crashed due to lack of maintenance. It is currently unknown how many are in service condition. Since much is unknown about this aircraft, yet enough is known to re-create an authentically working model, I have done-so here. Every bit of the aircraft.cfg file and associated .air file has been re-worked to match what known data can offer, and known aerodynamic formulas can equate. The most difficult aspect is the Turboprop aspect, since Turboprop engines do not work like jet engines in any way. Luckily for the simmer, there is no need to adjust feathering or anything like that would be necessary in a normal Turboprop because these engines are self-adjusting. Even though they meet the full known specs of the real engines, I have actually worked all the math to make them actual Turboprop engines (not pseudo-jet engines). That may sound exciting, but you must remember that she is a prop-driven aircraft, and not a jet. Even though you can fly her like a jet, the engines do not adjust like a jet. All aspects have been configured to meet realistic standards, including the MOI factors, weight/balance (including payload positions), gear locations, aircraft dimensions, light positions, engine smoke locations and operations, and weight. I did not simply throw this together, but have been perfecting her for many years. Original Modeler/Sounds: Vladimir Zhyhulskiy (2006); Panel: Marco Spada; Auto Smoke Effects: Richard Wisman; Aero/Engine Dynamics, effects, and details: Douglas E. Trapp, FS Flight Dynamics Engineer, [email protected], November 2018. The use of this model, and the configuration of such, is designed for free educational purposes, and protected by the Free Use Act: (https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/17/107). This model and/or aspects of such cannot be used for monetary purposes!

Filename:	TU95MS_Bear_H.zip
License:	Freeware
Added:	3rd November 2018, 23:28:41
Downloads:	750
Author:	Douglas E. Trapp
Size:	42.71 MB

Category: Flight Simulator X - Aircraft Repaints, Textures and Modifications
Supermarine Spitfire Mk.IX EN186 Bluebird

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File Description: Spitfire IXc EN186 was the personal aircraft of S/L L.C. Wade, an American flying with the RAF. Wade was born in the small farming community of Broaddus, Texas in 1915. He was the second son of Bill and Susan Wade, who named him L.C. (only after the RAF demanded a forename did he call himself Lance Cleo Wade). After the family moved to a farm near Reklaw, Texas in 1922 he worked on the family farm and attended the local school. He was unable to join the US Army Aviation Cadet Program due to a lack of a college education. He began flying at age 17, at Tucson, Arizona. In 1934 at age 19, Wade joined the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in Arizona. He joined the RAF in Canada in December 1940 and trained with No. 52 Operational Training Unit (OTU). Wade was then sent to the British aircraft carrier Ark Royal and flew off her deck in Hawker Hurricane to reinforce the depleted ranks of aircraft on the island of Malta. He was then sent to Egypt as a Hawker Hurricane Mk I pilot in September 1941, and was posted to 33 Squadron. The squadron's mission was to provide close air support for Operation Crusader, the British assault launched on November 18, 1941, against the German Afrika Korps. His first kills were two Fiat CR.42s on 18 November. He attained the rank of "ace" on 24 November 1941. He began flying Hurricane Mk IIs in April 1942, and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC). He had 13 victories as of September 1942. He spent the next several months back in the US on various RAF projects including evaluating some American fighters at Wright Field. He returned to combat as a Flight Commander in 145 Squadron with a Bar to his DFC, flying Supermarine Spitfire Mk Vs. Promoted to squadron leader, he had a busy 60 days, as by the end of April his score was 21, by then flying Spitfire Mk IXs. His squadron moved to Italy, and as a Spitfire VIII pilot he claimed two Focke-Wulf Fw 190s of Schlachtgeschwader 4 on 2 October 1943. His last claims were three FW 190s (again of SG 4) damaged on 3 November. Wade became a wing commander and joined the staff of the Desert Air Force but was there only briefly, as he was killed in a flying accident on 12 January 1944 at Foggia, Italy. In 30 fights for which he made claims he was credited with 23 victories including two shared), one probable, and 13 damaged. He is also credited with one destroyed and five damaged on the ground. Wing Commander Wade is usually listed with 25 victories but official RAF records show that he had 22 solo victories and half each of two more for a total of 23, not counting one probable. Regardless of whether his score is 25, or 23 victories, he is still the leading American fighter ace to serve exclusively in any foreign air force. Since he never transferred to the USAAF, or any other American Air service, Wade never got the publicity that other American aces received and thus is more obscure than his peers. The aircraft depicted in this repaint, EN186, started its active career with 249 sqn on Malta, who used it for high flying reconaissance, and who were responsible for replacing the dark green with Mediterranean Blue. The aircraft was then transferred to Tunisia, where it was the personal aircraft of W/C Gleed of the 244 wing. After his death, it went to L.C. Wade, who scored 5 victories with it in april 1943. He did not apply any codes to it, and referred to it in his logbook as BB, for Blue Bird. He flew it till august 1943, when he changed to flying Spitfire MK VIII JF472 Repaint by Jan Kees Blom, based on the paintkit by RealAir.

Filename:	Supermarine_Spitfire_MkIX_EN186_Bluebird.zip
License:	Freeware
Added:	11th July 2018, 16:54:01
Downloads:	104
Author:	Jan Kees Blom
Size:	3.59 MB