https://flightsim.to/file/40862/boeing-747-sca

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In 1977 the NASA acquired a beautiful Boeing 747-100 and turned it into a SCA: Shuttle Carrier Aircraft. In 1990 they did that again with another 747-100. And that's it. That's all. That's how rare this aircraft is. And if you wonder, in 2012 they said: "Let's stop the Space Shuttle program and keep these Boeing on the ground from now on".

Important:

This mod doesn't require any dependency. It includes, and it is based on the latest stable release of Salty Simulations Boeing 747-8: version 0.5.1.
You can have Salty's mod installed as well, it won't conflict unless you have a different (development) build. In that case, Salty's mod will override some files of this SCA mod. Il shouldn't affect Salty's 747 but it may bring weird behaviors on the SCA.

A huge thank you

First and foremost, I want to thank the whole crew at Salty Simulations for doing such an amazing job. Of all the freeware airliners of MSFS (OK, there are not many of them), the Salty 747 has always been my personal favorite. With perfectly working VNAV and all the features you might expect. If you didn't try it before or you want to know more about it, you should definitely go and check their work on their Discord: https://discord.gg/S4PJDwk

Now. What do you get with this MOD?

• Salty Simulations 747 stable release - 0.5.1.
  It is not a dependency for this SCA: it is embedded with it and does not conflict with Salty's mod if you have it too (if you have the same version. Otherwise... best of luck to you!). I will update my add-on with each future stable release from Salty.
   
• The Endeavour Shuttle Orbiter attached to your plane
  I spent "a few" hours modeling and texturing this non-flyable asset. It is not perfectly accurate, but it's not too bad either (and it will look less dark/dirty than on the screenshots).
   
• The most modern livery of the 747 SCA 
  Very simple, nothing fancy. No mirroring issue on the tail's logos. There are some flaws here and there, but the UVs on the base 747 are really messy.
   
• Additional vertical tail ailerons
  These are specific to the SCA. This mod may be based on a 747-8i frame instead of a 747-100, but at least I was able to add these parts!
   
• Tuned engines: they drink more fuel
  I didn't make the engines less or more powerful, but I made them a bit more thirsty. That's bad for the planet. You should be ashamed 😉
   
• No more passengers, please!
  I removed all the payloads from the various passengers classes. Now, there is only the pilot, the co-pilot and the orbiter (which weight is located at the correct spot, above the plane).
   
• Dynamic and auto adjustable orbiter weight
  I will have to detail this a bit more...

What about the dynamic and auto adjustable orbiter weight, then?

You can set the orbiter weight from the "payload/fuel" menu in-game.
Quick disclaimer: this menu is bugged and doesn't update the "real" weight if it is changed by the code. But maybe it will be fixed someday, or I will find a way to refresh the values. Anyway, the real weight, even if not displayed in this menu, is correctly taken into account in the sim. All you need to know is the list below:

• If you set the weight below 50 000 pounds: the orbiter won't show, and the real weight will be forced at 10 pounds.
• If you set the weight from 50 000 and below 140 000 pounds: the orbiter will show, and the real weight will be forced at 140 000 pounds.
• If you set the weight from 140 000 and below 220 000 pounds: the orbiter will show, and the real weight will be whatever you set.
• If you set the weight to 220 000 pounds or more: the orbiter will show WITH its reactor's cover and the real weight will be forced at 220 462 pounds (100 metric tons).

And what to expect in the future?

• For sure, a system in the cockpit to separate the orbiter in midair.
• New design for the four engines to better match the look of the 747-100 engines.
• Maybe an other livery for the 747 (old silver livery with the tricolor stripe) > I will have to rework all the texture mapping for the base fuselage too.
• Maybe also some flares, since I've been shown that the SCA have been equipped with such defensive feature at one point.

 

Thanks for the heads up that’s really cool.

The first screenshot is pretty epic!

 

Really cool looking mod, unfortunately I never felt a desire to fly 747s in any sim.

This might be a bit of fun.

One complaint though: 

22 hours ago, Waldo Pepper said:

No more passengers, please!
I removed all the payloads from the various passengers classes

Technically, there should be 2 "passengers" as there would be 2 flight engineers as well (or one with no orbiter attached). But of course, there's no option for extra flight crew in MSFS*, and I'm just being pedantic anyway.😉

 

* I could just use the Crew option to add the weight of 2 more people since it wouldn't affect the CoG by any appreciable amount.

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Version 1.1October 11, 2022

- Catering truck and luggage crew removed
- Decresed fuel efficiency a bit more
- You can now release the orbiter midair!! (dedicated console in the cockpit + orbiter animated when leaving the 747)
- Fries and coke on the pilot's side (toggleable)
- I've made a long YouTube video explaining how everything works (from cold and dark with the shuttle to landing without it) : See the file description to get the link.