DCS Mi 24P Sideward Flight Investigation Erik Scott 2021-06-23 | During my initial flight in the DCS Mi-24P (youtu.be/-iaKFwc2A7w) I encountered some issues in right sideward flight. I would expect some potential handling qualities issues in this flight condition due to the possibility for the tail rotor to enter a vortex ring state. However, I think the effect as currently modeled is largely exaggerated and unrealistic, especially considering the direction of tail rotor rotation of the Mi-24 is favorable such that the main rotor wake should help delay and prevent the development of a tail rotor vortex ring condition. The purpose of this video is to show the aircraft behavior in both left and right sideward flight. Additionally, the DCS Mi-8MTV2's behavior in sideward flight is shown as a point of comparison. The graph shown at the 11:58 mark is from Wiesner and Kohler, "Tail Rotor Design Guide," USAAMRDL TR 73-99, 1974. It was digitized and presented in a similar format to the same plot shown in Prouty, Raymond W. "Helicopter Performance Stability and Control," Krieger, 1989. The quote at 12:16 is also from Prouty, Raymond W. "Helicopter Performance Stability and Control," Krieger, 1989.Software used:Simulation: DCS World and DCS Mi-24P by Eagle DynamicsLine art, title, and data cards: InkscapeData digitization: WebPlotDigitizerData plotting: Microsoft ExcelVideo editing: DaVinci Resolve 17
A Critical Look at the UH-60L Mod for DCS World Erik Scott 2022-02-28 | The UH-60L Mod is a community-made simulation of the UH-60L for DCS World. The UH-60 Blackhawk is much-requested to be added as a full-fidelity flyable aircraft within the DCS ecosystem. This review taks a critical look at the mod as it exists as of the version 1.1 release. As an independently developed mod, the developers do not have access to the DCS Software Development Kit (SDK). This restricts many higher-level features, but should not largely impact the development of the flight model. This video focuses on the aircraft visuals (namely the external and internal 3d geometry) as well as the flight model and stability systems. This video took a lot longer to complete than anticipated. The editing alone took many weeks of my spare time. I realize that the audio is far from perfect. I am not an audio engineer or audiophile, and so I'm figuring out a lot of this stuff as I go. Additionally, while I tried to record much of the script on the same day, much of it inevitably had to be re-recorded as new discoveries were made, and the editing process progressed. As such, my voice is not entirely consistent in places. I hope that the voiceover is at least tolerable to listen to, though I understand my voice can be a bit grating. Once again, I want to emphasize that this video was made in an attempt to identify and bring attention to the various shortcomings of the mod such that they can be addressed and fixed for everyone's benefit. I don't think this mod will ever be at the level of a paid DCS module, nor would it be realistic to expect it to be. However, I would like to see it become as good as it can possibly be. As stated in the video, it's a fun stopgap until we (hopefully) get an official high-fidelity H-60 simulation for DCS world. CHAPTERS:0:00 Introduction1:55 Part 1.1 - Exterior 3D Model4:26 Part 1.2 - Internal 3D Model8:03 Part 2 - Performance Comparison9:50 Part 3.1 - Flight Model Overview12:48 Part 3.2 - Flight Model Evaluation18:03 Part 4.1 - UH-60 Stability Systems Overview22:57 Part 4.2 - Stability Systems Evaluation27:43 Part 5 - Other Comments and Concerns31:09 Part 6 - Closing RemarksREFERENCES:1. Howlett, J. J.: UH-60A Black Hawk engineering simulation program. Volume I: Mathematical Model. NASA CR-166309, December 1981 ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/198400207372. Hilbert, K. B.: A Mathematical Model of the UH-60 Helicopter. NASA TM-85890, April 1984 ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/198400155853. Talbot, P. D.; Tinling, B. E.; Decker, W. A.; Chen, R. T. N.: A Mathematical Model of a Single Main Rotor Helicopter for Piloted Simulation. NASA TM-84281, September 1982. ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/198300017814. Department of the Army; Operator's Manual for UH-60A Helicopter UH-60L Helicopter EH-60A Helicopter. TM 1-1520-237-10, October 1996 http://everyspec.com/ARMY/TM-Tech-Manual/TM_1-1520-237-10_CHG-10_134375. Heffley, R. K.; Jewell, W. F.; Lehman, J. M.; Van Winkle R. A.: A Compilation and Analysis of Helicopter Handling Qualities Data- Volume One: Data Compilation. NASA CR-3144, August 1979 ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/19800002851IMAGES USED:All credited images within the video belong to the original authors and are used under fair use. All un-credited images are my own.
DCS UH-60L Mod First Attempt at Air-to-Air Refueling. Erik Scott 2022-01-17 | The initial release of the UH-60L mod for DCS occurred this weekend. I've been flying it a bit to see what it's like. I'll likely do a more complete video on it soon. In the meantime, enjoy my first attempt at air-to-air refueling in a helicopter. I'd argue that it went pretty well, all things considered.
First Flight and Impressions of the DCS Mi-24P Hind Erik Scott 2021-06-19 | PLEASE READ:In this video, I document my first flight in the recently-released DCS Mi-24P Hind. I practiced briefly in the Mi-8MTV2 briefly beforehand to knock off some rust, but my overall lack of experience in the Hip clearly shows. Despite this, I felt I had a very productive first flight that gave me a good feel for the aircraft and what to expect moving forward. I did crash once due to entering vortex-ring-state (VRS) and while embarrassing, I decided to leave this in the edit to provide an honest look at the learning process. I did encounter one issue which I believe to be either an error in the flight model, or the effect of a poorly modeled physical phenomenon. I may address this issue in another video when I have more time to dedicate to the topic. In the meantime, I would encourage any developers who might be watching to either look at this behavior to verify everything's working correctly. NOTE: I encountered several issues after recording that would, under normal circumstances, warrant a re-record. However, because I wanted this to show my actual first flight in the Hind, re-recording was not an option. Upon updating OBS, some settings got reset, and only a single audio track was recorded, with my voice greatly overpowered by the in-game audio. I painstakingly created subtitles, which can be enabled on YouTube in the settings menu at the bottom of the player. Additionally, several video frames could not be rendered (they are replaced with a red MEDIA OFFLINE screen). Thankfully this was not during a visually-important section of the video. I apologize for these issues and hope the video is enjoyable and informative despite this. Software used:Simulation: DCS World and DCS Mi-24 by Eagle DynamicsScreen recording software: Open Broadcaster Software (OBS)Line art and title cards: InkscapeVideo editing: DaVinci Resolve 17
Open Hornet Stick | Quick Pitch Axis Demo | 17 January 2021 Erik Scott 2021-01-18 | Quick demonstration showing progress on the Open Hornet flight stick. There's flex in the fixed-end anchor for the pitch springs, which softens the pitch force gradient somewhat. This can be fixed without too much trouble. Even so, the force required for full deflection is substantially larger than any commercial stick offered for enthusiast flight simulation. Overall, the concept works, and I'm very happy with how it feels. I will have to take a break from working on it for several months, but getting electronics and sensors working is the next major goal.
Open Hornet Stick | Roll-Axis Test | 6 January 2021 Erik Scott 2021-01-07 | A quick look at the free response of the Open Hornet stick's roll axis. The free response is well damped with negligible overshoot. At an arm equivalent to the grip reference point, full deflection requires a force of about 11 pounds. This is less than the 13 pounds suggested by documentation, but still acceptable in my mind. A standard M8 bolt was used for the roll axis pivot. This is slightly undersized and as such, there is some slight play in the bearings. Replacing this with a proper shoulder bolt should solve the issue. Overall, I consider this a success.
A Brief Data-Driven Look at the DCS Gazelle Flight Model Erik Scott 2020-09-07 | The Gazelle is easily the most controversial module available for DCS World. Most of the controversy centers around the flight model. This video compares the DCS Gazelle's control positions in forward flight to actual data presented in a flight test report. The DCS Gazelle's control positions do not match those found in the flight test report to any degree of accuracy. The developers have indicated that a new overhauled flight model is coming in the future. Validation of that flight model must begin with correlation against flight test data before soliciting real-life pilot input. I was inspired to make this video based on CasmoTV's video review here: youtu.be/AU3sntZXRbUThe referenced flight test report is available through the National Technical Reports Library and can be found here: ntrl.ntis.gov/NTRL/dashboard/searchResults/titleDetail/ADA016921.xhtmlSoftware used:Simulation: DCS World by Eagle Dynamics, DCS Gazelle by PolychopLine art and title cards: InkscapeData digitization: WebPlotDigitizerData plotting: Microsoft ExcelPlot slides arrangement: GIMPVideo editing: DaVinci Resolve 16
Flight Simulator Control Spring plus Damper Proof-of-Concept Erik Scott 2020-06-02 | This is a proof-of-concept for a relatively compact flight control system for simulators using a dual-direction compression spring cartridge and adjustable motorcycle damper. The build was originally conceived as a helicopter collective with force trim, but has been simplified and mounted up-right to help negate the effect of gravity on the arm and to evaluate the general behavior of the concept. The damper used is a no-name motorcycle steering damper which can be found on amazon or ebay for less than $40. The damper features a knob which allows you to adjust the damping force gradient. The build shown here represents a second iteration on the concept, with the damper connected at half the radius of the spring. This permits critical damping to be achieved closer to the center of the damper's adjustment range and reduces the amount of damper friction (sticktion) felt at the grip position. There is slight slop in the rod-ends/ball-joints in the damper. The short radius at which the damper is attached to the arm magnifies this effect at the handle. At this time, this is the only issue I have noticed with this configuration. Other than this minor issue, the stick has a near-linear force-vs-displacement gradient and critical damping, or slight under-damping, can be achieved easily through the damper adjustment knob. The general feel is smooth with a "hydraulic" feel.
F/A-18 Warning Panel Assembled Test Erik Scott 2016-10-02 | This is a test of the fully assembled F/A-18 warning panel. Everything is now in a self-contained package, requiring only a micro USB connection. It uses an Arduino micro and will implement DCS BIOS to receive data from DCS. Enclosure is 3d printed using black ABS in 3 pieces. The front piece has been panted, sanded and re-painted several times to remove the 3d-printed look. 12 light diffusers were also printed in natural ABS and placed in each window to eliminate hotspots on the text. The text is much more readable and less blown-out in real life. Design, plans and instructions will be released in the future.
F/A-18 Warning Panel Blink Test Erik Scott 2016-10-02 | Quick 1 second blink test for the F/A-18C panel. Uses a 5v Arduino Micro and will run using DCS BIOS. Files, plans and instructions to come.
DCS World SA342 Gazelle 20m Challenge with no SAS; Nevada Erik Scott 2016-07-10 | This is a recording of the instant action mission "Improve Your Piloting Skills" in DCS World 2.0 in the Nevada map. The mission requires that you fly a course of 9 gates while remaining below 20m AGL at all times. This is the same as the previous video, but this time I turn the SAS/Autopilot off and fly the aircraft directly. For me, in this video, the goal isn't to get through the gates as fast as possible, but to maintain control as best as possible. In some ways, I actually do a bit better in this flight than I did with SAS enabled. Previous video: youtu.be/EvRGszjC_RwThe Gazelle at the time of this recording is in alpha/early access. The DCS World version as of this recording was 2.0.2.52658. Please consider the state of the control system model when comparing to other videos.
DCS World SA342 Gazelle 20m Challenge; Nevada Erik Scott 2016-07-10 | This is the recording of the instant action mission "Improve Your Piloting Skills" in DCS World 2.0 in the Nevada map. The mission requires that you fly a course of 9 gates while remaining below 20m AGL at all times. For me, in this video, the goal isn't to get through the gates as fast as possible, but to maintain control as best as possible. I make a few mistakes here. The biggest is the loss of altitude after going through the 5th gate where I was too slow bringing in collective. I flew the same mission again with SAS disabled. That video is here: youtu.be/ThI228tckgkThe Gazelle at the time of this recording is in alpha/early access. The DCS World version as of this recording was 2.0.2.52658. Please consider the state of the control system model when comparing to other videos.
Trouble With Colors as Values in Blender 2.71, and Good Node-editing Practices Erik Scott 2014-08-19 | In this quick video, I describe a slight change in the way blender describes color value and how this has implications when using color values as scalar inputs. I then describe how to avoid this trouble by using value nodes and how using value nodes is simply better practice in the first place. Kent Trammell's Car Paint Tutorial: http://cgcookie.com/blender/2014/06/05/shader-forge-car-paintCreative Commons Attribution: corporateInterior_001_L.jpg — “Y-shaped Staircase” by Masakazu Matsumoto — http://www.flickr.com/photos/vitroids/3158822345Enjoy!
