Vskylabs Mini-500

[jt8d9a 1,881]

..has been released. I wait for it to be released at the Org.

Knowing JMH, this is fantastic work. In my opinion one of the best developers for XP. Continuous and free updates and great support!

He was also the first who did support VR and now he is one of the first who uses the new experimental flight model of XP 11.30.

https://www.vskylabs.com/vsl-revolution-mini-500

[olderndirt 2,295]

Tempting - think I'll hold out for the Milviz port, hopefully during my lifespan.

[jt8d9a 1,881]

Milviz will be the MD500?

[Griphos 138]

I wouldn't wait.  This one is probably better anyway.  

[olderndirt 2,295]

Looks like I misspoke.  'Dreamfoil' has an MD500 for 11.30 in the works and, since I believe they did the original for Milviz, I got confused.

[John_Cillis 2,406]

9 hours ago, jt8d9a said:

..has been released. I wait for it to be released at the Org.

Knowing JMH, this is fantastic work. In my opinion one of the best developers for XP. Continuous and free updates and great support!

He was also the first who did support VR and now he is one of the first who uses the new experimental flight model of XP 11.30.

https://www.vskylabs.com/vsl-revolution-mini-500

Thanks for the heads up, along with the Carenado Falcon 50 for P3D I will certainly get the Mini 500 for Xplane in a few days.  Wish someone would do an ultralight copter for Xplane11, that would be cool!

John

[Paraffin 2,197]

Looks like this one might be the first one for testing how X-Plane models mast bump. 

A concern I have about that -- not that X-Plane or this model isn't simulating the failure in aerodynamic terms -- but that X-Plane doesn't have a full damage model. With more severe cases of mast bump, you can literally chop off the tail or the front of the cabin if you go into low-G maneuvers and unload the rotor.

X-Plane has never modeled that kind of discrete damage (and probably never will, for reasons that have been argued over). But there should be at least some kind of feedback that you've gone past the point of a survivable event with mast bump. This should apply to the upcoming Huey model too. Similar "teetering" rotor system.

So, someone buy this and try a neg-G maneuver like NOE over a steep ridge line, and see what happens when you unload the rotor. Bad things should happen.

[Paraffin 2,197]

15 minutes ago, John_Cillis said:

Thanks for the heads up, along with the Carenado Falcon 50 for P3D I will certainly get the Mini 500 for Xplane in a few days.  Wish someone would do an ultralight copter for Xplane11, that would be cool!

This is a very lightweight single-seater with a Rotax engine (64hp two-stroke). I don't know if you can get any more lightweight than this! 🙂

Unless you're thinking autogyro? There may be some free models in the .org library.

Edited January 21, 2019 by Paraffin

[Griphos 138]

VSkyLabs has two different autogyros as well.  Well worth getting.  Best autogyros in any sim I've ever flown.

I bought the Mini 500.  I'll try the NOE nose over tomorrow and see what happens.  🙂

[John_Cillis 2,406]

2 hours ago, Paraffin said:

This is a very lightweight single-seater with a Rotax engine (64hp two-stroke). I don't know if you can get any more lightweight than this! 🙂

Unless you're thinking autogyro? There may be some free models in the .org library.

I found one free one, though a bit difficult to take off, can't get the rotor to spin up as I roll down the runway, there is no prerotator that I can find.  It's the ELA Aviacion 07S.  It tends to run out of steam and the blade can stop, getting unloaded which can cause a death spiral to the ground.  Maybe by some odd twist of fate someone might have experience with it and can give flying tips, otherwise I might just get the autogyros that VSkylabs has, I have another product of theirs and I like it.

John

[Griphos 138]

I took her up.  I've no hours in a real helicopter, and don't really understand the flight dynamics, except that the rotor disk is a kind of wing.  However, I tried to nose over in several segments of the flight, and found no particular issues.  Pushing hard forward on the cyclic did indeed push the nose over and increased speed, but there was a limit.  I quickly got to the forward limit of stick travel without anything else happening.  Perhaps I should lower collective while trying this?  At any rate, in the experimental flight model, I can't see anything unexpectedly or unusually dangerous.  Happy to experiment further if someone can tutor me a bit more on what to look for and how to instigate it.

Edited January 21, 2019 by Griphos

[Paraffin 2,197]

To test mast bumping, you want to fly a maneuver that would make you feel weightless (or nearly so), like you're trying to lift out of your cockpit seat. That's the point where the rotor is unloaded, and further control input might cause excessive mast bump or even blade contact with the fuselage.

You can't feel that zero-G state in the sim, but certain flight maneuvers like nap-of-earth over a mountain ridge and over the top could do it. Or any aerobatics that unload the rotor (flying inverted maybe?). It can also happen in turbulence, which is why there are limits on flying in turbulent air past a certain point with helicopters like the Robinson R22 and R44. So that's another way you might force it, if you can get into turbulent enough air. Especially with something as lightweight as the Mini-500.

Here's an Army instructional video for Huey pilots from 1980 that shows where it would happen:

 

 

Edited January 21, 2019 by Paraffin

[Murmur 3,941]

Paraffin, you're becoming Jcomm-ized. ☺️

[Paraffin 2,197]

Don't I know it. 😀

[Griphos 138]

I'll give it some further testing.  Won't be until Wednesday, though.  Busy, busy day tomorrow.