Video Discussion: FSADDON - LYSANDER SPECIAL OPERATIONS

Name: FSADDON - LYSANDER SPECIAL OPERATIONS

Category: Commercial Product Videos

Date Added: 21 July 2012 - 02:40 PM

Submitter: JaggyroadFilms

Short Description: None Provided

http://www.fsaddon.eu/

http://www.jaggyroadfilms.com

Yes, this is an add-on aircraft for Microsoft's FSX simulator. And an old one at that.

But 'Lysander Special Operations' has turned out to be much more than just a black aircraft.

The package is an ode to the bold young pilots that flew these planes out to France in world War 2, in the middle of the night, to ferry secret agents and resistance fighters to and from occupied territory.

Yes, you get that very special aircraft, with its STOL capabilities, automated flaps and its huge Mercury engine, copied for FSX as well as we could.

But you also get a number of hair raising flights to fly in moonlit nights. I built them from records of the actual flights as described in Hugh Verity's book.

You get the landing zones in approximately the same places as back then. We even provide you with the lights, a few resistance fighters and some cars.

And of course an extensive manual AND an extensive 'Secret Operations Guide' describing the flights and operations.

Once installed you will also find pdf files for each operation with maps to print out. The pilots cut out the maps along their flight path and folded them zig-zag for easy reference. You can do that too!

Apart from the maps the compass and the moon are your friends. The ONLY ones!

The history of the Westland Lysanders is told by Hugh Verity in his book We landed by moonlight. This book I picked up at the Old Warden airfield in the museum gift shop there. And it was that book that formed the basis for what you are about to load onto your hard disk.

Thanks to the hard work of some volunteers you not only get the MA-B plane that still flies in England, but a few other liveries as well, including a model without the long-range tank.

The Lysander was designed just before WW2 as an army cooperation aircraft. Meant to land in the fields, near the army units, and meant to loiter over enemy positions and spy on what the other side was doing. And to throw bombs on them, where possible, from detachable racks that could be mounted on the wheel covers.

Right in the beginning of the war it was already outdated by the rapidly modernizing aircraft of both sides. It was an easy prey for the German Messerschmitts and other assorted baddies!

Although quite a few got destroyed in those early days, others survived and eventually turned out to have a life in WW2 after all.

The ones I was interested in specifically are those used by (among others) the 161 Squadron of special duties. These were used to ferry agents to and from occupied territories.

The one so prominently presented in this package is now based at Old Warden and part of the immensely interesting Shuttleworth Collection. Not only is it pretty much in the state it was back in 1942, it is also still flying! In fact, it is one of only two. The other flying aircraft is in Canada.

Because the Lysander was meant to take off and land from fields, it had some extraordinary STOL (Short Take Off and Landing) capabilities, allowing it to take off within a few hundred yards only. and even less if needed.

It was also very special in that it had fully automated flaps and slats. These reacted on the flying speed and would deploy automatically (in steps) when reducing speed.

The FSX model copies that behavior as well as we could.

It also had a very finicky tail plane, needing special care when trimming the aircraft. How to do that is detailed in the operating chapter in the manual.

Already early on in the war the Lysanders were used to fly to occupied France and land on small fields, designated by specially instructed (and later trained) agents. Obviously the ground of the fields had to be firm enough to accommodate for these rather large aircraft, and free of trees in the landing path.

It took me six years from concept to this actually working and exciting FSX package, with the help of many people. I had LOADS of fun AND quite some white-knuckle (office) flying with it and I am sure you will too!

Tally-ho!!!

Track title: Massive

License Type: Standard License

Composer: Dynamedion Royalty-free ((no affiliation))

Publisher:Dynamedion Royalty-Free

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