I just downloaded and installed the T-45C aircraft from the Avsim library today. Glad to see the altimeter  now appears to work correctly over previous versions.

 

My question is why does the attitude indicator (ADI) appear to be upside down (dark/light instead of the normal light/dark) on all other aircraft.? I think I have seen somewhere that Russian aircraft instruments are inverted too which has caused crashes when they ( Russian trained) pilots started flying "Western" style aircraft.

I have seen pictures of earlier model T-45's with conventional l  panels, (Non-glass)  that have the normal light for the sky and dark for the ground ADI's.

 

Also ref in the enclosed document folder in the T-45C package, VIRTUAL NATOPS FLIGHT MANUAL NAVY MODEL T-45C FOR MICROSOFT FLIGHT SIMULATOR X: ACCELERATION, page 25 of 99,  the ADI diagram appears to be the "Standard" light for sky and dark for ground.

 

In addition to this, the backup/peanut ADI in the lower left corner of the instrument panel appears to have a working "Standard" light/sky dark/ground instrument.

 

 

If this  reversed ADI is correct, why did the military accept this non-standard design? Go try and fly some hard IFR at night with this aircraft and see how fast you crash due to becoming totally disoriented. 

 

Terry

 

PS: Does the T-45C have a autopilot system for flight other than the "auto land" on the carrier?

Can I assume this is the Dino Cattaneo T-45C?  If so, I think it's the type of screen it's on and the black

 

background. Probably would show correct if the background was white or a very light color!  There is

 

[autopilot] in the aircraft.cfg. and it's available.  Does my screenshot show what you are describing?

 

This is the standard representation of the ADI on the MFD's in any US Navy aircraft so equipped with monochrome displays. Perhaps more of an unfamiliarity on your part than a design defect in the entire US Navy air fleet?

 

PS. Dino's T-45C has an autopilot but the real world aircraft has neither an autopilot or autoland.

Thanks for the response and picture. Yes that is what I am talking about.

 

Ref this "Real" cockpit picture.   http://www.naval-technology.com/projects/t45-goshawk/t45-goshawk6.html

it shows the opposite of what the sim model does and yes it is a mono chrome panel.

 

As far as the autopilot/land system. I am still trying to find the ref that I had seen where it would bring the jet to the boat but the pilot still has to manually land.

 

Terry

 

PS: This is definitively a nice aircraft even with the weird ADI.

Full disclosure: I’m not a big fan of this model because of all the discrepancies between it and the real world item. Important things like stall speeds, fuel consumption, weight are in variance with the NATOPS.  A couple of real world Navy pilots who happen to also be flightsim enthusiasts have noted the handling differences between the flight dynamics/power of the model compared to the real world aircraft. For example, acceleration is too quick, and OCF handling is completely inaccurate.

All that said, the same NATOPS manual that defined, for me, the discrepancies, shows what Dino has done in the cockpit. The colored side of the MFP ADI is on the downside. This also matches the F/A-18C/D Hornet avionics. The T-45C avionics were designed to match the F/A-18C/D Hornets, including a simulated A/A radar mode.

Regards any reference concerning Navy aircraft systems, it is primarily the NATOPS and only the NATOPS. Search for it and you will find it.

Check this video out: About 25 seconds it shows the ADI with the light green area at the top... Is this thing switchable in the real world?? Surely not due to confusion

 

Edited April 3, 201610 yr by HighBypass

HighBypass,

 

Good job on finding the video to show the ADI in the FSX aircraft seems to be modeled in reverse. Also several other videos to include the one titled  "once around the boat" show the lighter side up and darker side down as one would expect them to be. All I can think is that the builder of this nice looking FSX model jet is doing so with maybe a Eastern Block/European type instrument design. As I mentioned in my earlier post, a Russian trained flight crew crash either a Airbus or Boeing passenger jet because the ADI display was not the same as what he had been use to and had trained on.

 

To all who gave input to this question, many thanks. The flight handling/performance information was very useful to know. Many years ago, I worked on the F-4E flight simulator in the Air Force. One of the key complaints by the crews was, "hey chief", the real airplane does not fly like this. One day I got a chance to fly the real jet (F-4C) and they were right. It did not fly like the sim. It was "much easier to fly".  Partially do to the seat of the pants feeling we could not replicate in the sim and partially do to the lack of a quality visual system back then. (late 70s early 80s) Where the sim shined was in the ability to train a new crew "safely" in procedures that hopefully one day they would "Not" need to use. We had crews come in "the box" and tell us that what they had practiced saved the bacon in the real world. By the way, my aviation    experience at the time was a real world VFR Commercial Cessna driver with lots of F-4 sim flights.

 

Maybe the information in this post will get back to T-45C builder and he will be able to make the modification to the ADI so that it will in my opinion display the way the real jet does.

 

Terry

I have to agree with the "ADI with the light green area at the top": http://marvellouswings.com/Aircraft/Trainer/T-45/Pic/T-45%20Sim%20Patuxent.JPG

I'm playin' with it just for the fun of trying to make it better!  Will post a pic if it turns out OK.

 

Only partially OK.  Making the top half of MFD_ADI_BACK.bmp a light shade of color as

 

opposed to black gave a descent looking ADI while on the ground.  However, in flight, when the ball

 

moved,  it did not maintain the proper look.  Possibly an email to Dino Cattaneo may encourage him

 

to make a change?

Thanks everyone for the feedback. I sent a post to Dino's site referencing all of the comments made here. Looks like they are a work in progress with the T-45C as noted on his site.

 

Terry

Very Important Update to the T-45C.

 

The inverted ADI has been fixed.

 

Many thanks to Dino Cattaneo and the T-45C staff/crew for the ADI update. Sure make a big difference when flying in instrument and visual conditions, especially when you are in an unusual attitude..

 

Terry

 

T-45C Goshawk for Flight Simulator X: Acceleration and

Lockheed Martin Prepar3d V1.X and V2.x

Version 2.83

By Dino Cattaneo (Released April 7th 2016) 

 

Please visit my blog for updates and feeback:

indiafoxtecho.blogspot.com

 

or like Indiafoxtecho on facebook!

**********************************************************

 

IMPORTANT!

STARTING FROM VERSION 2.70 P3Dv2 WORKING MIRRORS EFFECTS IS SUPPORTED:

NOTE: To install this feature, please look into the OPTIONAL FEATURES/WORKING MIRRORS subfolder and:

1 - Replace the aicraft.cfg with the one in this folder.

2 - Replace the model.cfg in the MODEL folder with the one in this folder.  

You may want to backup the original files.  

 

REVISION HISTORY

 

VERSION 2.83

- Fixed ADI graphics (light area = sky, dark area = ground) 

Another job well done and in a very timely manner!  Thanks you Mr. Cattaneo! :smile: