John Shepherd 1

Posted by John Cole on 08/01/2013 16:11:41: I have sent you the 7 files and instructions by Email. There are 6 files that FMS interprets, covering sound and appearance, and how it flies. The 7th is a readme. Here's a link to a Spitfire, but I'm not sure if it's just the skin. Look for FMS models and then page down ntil you find it. Edited By John Cole on 08/01/2013 16:12:07 Hi John. Thank you very much for the E'mail and the contents therein. I have only just returned after being out for a few hours. I will get my head around the exercise of downloading and transferring after my evening meal (Brain Food). I have looked briefly into the link above and yes it does look like a skin !! I assume that a skin is the term for a model without any power unit or servo units etc.

Posted by John Cole on 08/01/2013 10:04:24: What you have are the standard models issues with alpha 8. None of them is good for starting to learn; they are all too difficult to fly. There are lots of websites with models that you can download. FMS is quite a reasonable simulator, but many people complain that the models don't fly realistically. That's true but it's because the MODELS are badly written - inaccurate aerodynamics files. And the aerodynamics files have often been copied from another model. Quite a good one to try is the HZ-Supercub 4 channel version, written by Gary Gunnerson. If you send me a Private Message with your Email address in it then I'll send you the files. All you do is to copy them into the FMS\Models folder and the next time you start FMS it will be there. My version includes a more-accurate aero file (which Gary now has). Hi John. Thank you for your reply and I will act upon your kind offer a little later today. Indeed I will do it after completing this post. In your first paragraph your refer to the 'model',I assume that you mean a programme and for a specific model of actual flying model airplane. Picking up on the file that you refer to,once it is installed into the Aircraft Models folder do I just call it up like changing from one airplane to another? the thing that I was and still am puzzled about is the fact that the kit is for a Spitfire ( call sign JHH AD140) but there is no Sptfire in the model register/folder. The nearest is a low wing airplane that is ref SU.26.par. It is very similar to the Piper Cherokee Archer feature on page 40 of the January RCM&F magazine. It looks a delightful little model airplane The thing about my launch into RC,it is based on a rather unexpected gift from my other half for Christmas. Many years ago and whilst living in Canada she had taken Flying Lessons and gained a Pilots Licence but ran of of funds (a family started) for gaining her Night Flying qualification. She learned in a 2aeater Cesna High Wing and also was able to land on water (Lake) with another.

Posted by Colin Bernard on 07/01/2013 20:25:05: Hi John - sounds like you have made good progress! Seems there is a bit of confusion over what the program is actually supposed to do for you. FMS stands for Flying MODEL Simulator, and as John C says, it simulates flying a radio controlled model, so the view you should be using is fom the ground looking up at the plane. Unless you were flying using FPV, (first person view -where you have a camera in your model), you cannot fly a model from the cockpit. Of course if you are actually wanting to simulate flying a full size plane then there are other simulators around which are more suited and give you the instrumentation you mentioned, and I recommend Microsoft Flight which is free.         Hi Colin. I now have it clear in my head and will stick with the impression of flying the model from a ground position. My notion was that if I was behind the airplane I could have a better perspective of what the controls were actually doing.         Hi John P.. Well,I will look forward to making contact in person with the forum members that are at both Blythe & Cramlington clubs. What I could do with is someone to make themselves known via the forum with some club details and time/times of meetings and an address for the club room & I will take it from there.   Edited By John Shepherd 1 on 08/01/2013 00:12:16

Posted by John Cole on 07/01/2013 19:33:23: It's NOT a flight simulator, it's a MODEL flight simulator. And if you stay away from Cockpit view it's similar to flying a real model by radio control. If you push the RH stick forward, the plane should dive (down elevator). If you push the RH stick to the left the plane should roll (bank) to the left. If you push the LH stick forward you shold have more power. If you push the LH stick left, the model should swivel (yaw) to the left, and turn left if it's taxi-ing on the ground. This is the usual way of using the controls, called Mode 2. There are alternatives. Edited By John Cole on 07/01/2013 19:38:25 Hi John. Yes it is mode 2 that the radio is set at. I take your point about the view variations, but there is no cockpit view, there are only the two and they are Fixed Camera & Chasing Camera. I been playing around with taxiing and at various speeds to get some notion of the Rudder. I have even had it up and flying level,albeit rather short-lived. Well at least it is not the Model Spitfire,YET.

Posted by John Cole on 07/01/2013 17:51:30: I'm glad you have it working. I find Switzerland is the easiest Landscape to use. What models are available? A Spitfire is not the one to learn on: too difficult. Hi John. The model range is not all active and includes Helicopters,they are as follows. Diamant.par A Glider. Hughes.par A Helicopter. Pitts.par A Bi Plane (single prop). Su.26.par A low-wing (similar to the Spitfire but not a Warbird. Three Dee.par A Helicopter. Trasall.par A Twin Prop High Wing Cargo type plane. My initial experience of the simulator is a very very Hairy One,I cannot imagine my first real attempt being anything other than a very very long way off.

Hi to Gordon & Rusty. Thank you for putting me straight on the Aileron issue. Rusty,there are only two options for a camera, they are Fixed & Chasing. The fixed camera does not put me in the cockpit nor does it have me anywhere in relation to the body of the aircraft,it is like controlling from the exterior even more-so than with a chasing camera. My understanding of a Flight Simulator is that one is sat in a virtual cockpit and looking out of the aircraft as one would be in a car. I am working my way through the options on the FMS at the top of the page/landscape that forms the overall image. There is a great deal to take on-board and deal with,this is in between disasters. I think that some early and judicious note taking might be prudent rather than risking blowing the fuses in my head!! Am I correct in thinking that the forward action of of the elevator will lift the the aircraft by raising the tail flaps and visa-versa, and likewise with the Ailerons the left Aileron is lifted by a forward action and the aircraft will bank left and visa-versa.

Hi to you all out there. Well,a huge thank you to all of you that I have exasperated or amused with my apparently inane questions and queries. I now have the simulator up and running. OooooooooooooBooooooy,would I have spent some money in crash repairs and 3rd party property repairs. Even changing the Flight Scene to an Island Paradise with a runway would have only resulted in me needing to take my Diving Gear and wear it in readiness for the ditchings,many of them . I have figured out the controls and the need to invert or swap over some of the directional commands. Everything seems to be as it should for the control of the airplane on the simulator and it is now a source (one of several) distractions since my total retirement from having to keep money generating deadlines and customers happy. There is however, one thing that I am rather puzzled by on the actual Spitfire model. The Aileron control when activated raises one and drops the other. Is this the order of things in real life ? I would have thought that one would have cancelled the other out and created a neutral state. Or is that just an indication of my simplistic thinking of flying. The one thing that the particular simulator programme appears to be lacking is the option of being in the actual cock-pit and having the Flight Controls in front with an horizon and gauges . I have been using the Chasing Camera option but that is a little like driving a car from off the back bumper. I guess that taking it out to see and using the horizon line as a datum and then practising coming onto the water rather than ditching might be away around it. Any further input will be gratefully received,faithfully applied and digested with a massive intake of Lansoprazole.

Posted by John Cole on 07/01/2013 10:47:07: I'm still on XP. On 7 it might be slightly different. I right-click on My Computer and choose Properties. Then Hardware / Device Manager / Ports and see if it lists COM1. That's the Serial port. If you still have your old XP box then run FMS on that! Edited By John Cole on 07/01/2013 10:49:47 Hi John. Thank you for your reply. My system is Windows 7,it is on a complete reformatted disc,I had a real problem with an XP system caused by repeated ISP dropouts during some vital updating. I will investigate the likelihood of a Serial Port.

Posted by IanR on 07/01/2013 10:30:27: Hello John, I wanted to see what FMS looked like on a PC so went on Youtube and the first thing I came up with was this **LINK** A young lad on this appears to know what he's talking about. Have a look. Whilst writing I would just add that, since you're a complete newbie to RC aeroplanes, you might also want to have a look on this forum in the Newbie section to see what some of the old hands say about learning to fly. In a nutshell, you're going about it the wrong way, mate. By all means, get your simulator working but then also look at the type of model you're starting with and join a club (probably in reverse order!) You'll see this mantra repeated hundreds of times in this forum - because its correct! Respectfully, Ian. Hi Ian. Thank you for your reply and the really eye opening YouTube video link. I have looked at many since receiving my 'Surprise Christmas Box' on the 25th Dec. In real terms I know absolutely nothing nothing nothing about RC,except that is, for the obvious to an intelligent individual. That being :- They can be/are very dangerous and not a toy. Insurance is an absolute must and you cannot just go and fly them anywhere you choose. Hours of learning on a simulator is paramount before even attempting an outdoor 'Real World' test flight. I am intending joining a local club. The one at Blythe looks to be a good starting point,there is also one at Cramlington;both in Northumberland,I am in Ellington. I am not one for messing about with computers and learning by expensive errors of decision,that is why I have persisted on the issue of the simulator and controller not doing what I believed and understood that it would do. The only thing at present that I am still not at ease with is the changing of the channels from the default setting over to 4:2:1:3 4:2:1:3. I had the controller re-bound a few days ago because of some odd wiring configuration (straight out of the box) that I did not understand. I will look for the controller that the young chap was recommending and that should make life a lot easier and allow me to take the 'Practice Field' with me when we go out with our caravan.

Posted by John Cole on 07/01/2013 09:13:14: The version you are trying to run does I believe need a serial port. If your PC doesn't have one then install a virtual one from e.g. this link. Or download the previous version. That doesn't need it. Edited By John Cole on 07/01/2013 09:13:58     Hi John. Thank you for your reply. I am one of those that has not grown up with PC's and the jargon and my use and skill is quite limited when it comes to installing and adding on external items as a crutch. My PC was originally an XP but is now a 32bit Windows 7 and running FireFox with Google. This link that you have provided how do I get my E-Fly 4channel 2.4Ghz DPRC System controller to recognise it? How do I know whether my PC has a Serial Port or not ? When downloaded is this automatically recognised or do I need to activate and locate it into a file or folder of some description? My main issue with PC's is the language and application of something that reads more like a foreign language that I have not taken as a study area.   Edited By John Shepherd 1 on 07/01/2013 09:44:08

Hi L H Ft. thank you for your reply,until I get the Spitfire into the air after playing around for a while I would prefer the unit that I am eventually going to use. It might well be that I cannot get the FMS and the controller to be 'Bed Pals' but they have not got long to make up their minds or I will do it for them !!!

Posted by Colin Bernard on 06/01/2013 20:08:11: John - not sure if I am misunderstanding your last post, but are you talking about binding/calibrating your real model here? If so this has nothing to do with FMS. FMS is just a flight sim that uses your TX as a controller. You will need to do the stick swivelling but that is standard windows config for a joystick. Nothing to do with the real model and has to be done on the PC running the flight sim.       Hi Colin & crispin church.  No, I only mentioned the binding/calibration to put it into perspective as an action/requirement already carried out. The Flight Simulator was finally fully installed after sorting out the d3drm.dll file but i still cannot get the controller to communicate with the FMS. I was in the throws of typing another plea when FireFox crashed,I was about to ask was there another way around it and crispin church had provided an answer while the lights were out!!! I am still a little odds with some of the jargon,what is a tx lead ? mentioned by c c (thank you for your reply). If it is the one that goes controller to the PC then yes it does and with a tiny red light that flashes until the radio is switched on at the set. It then stays as a solid red light. The game controller never even entered my head I'm afraid. I don't use or play games normally,I'm an old sod. In my youth,playing games just waisted time !!!,I used an amount of decorum and got stuck-in!!! ?? Is the Desk Pilot still used with my own controller and the set-up for activation the same with the sticks?       Edited By John Shepherd 1 on 06/01/2013 23:25:31

Posted by Colin Bernard on 06/01/2013 17:59:53: John S - if you have the link I am not sure what else you are looking for since that has the file you are looking for and the instructions you need. To explain why google earth works OK you should be aware that programs make calls to .dll files as and when they need them, and look first of all in the program folder, and then in the system folders. if you read the instructions on that link you will see that you are told to put the file in the FMS folder, so even though FMS will run afterwards ok, a third program that might need it would still not run because it would not be looking in the FMS folder. Although you could install in the system folders and then only need one copy, as you say you are not techno savvy, so don't worry - just follow the instructions and enjoy! Hi Colin. Thank you again but it appears that you posted this input whilst I was away from the PC and I had not noticed it upon returning. I then posted again at 18:42:51 only then to find your earlier input. I am still not able to give commands to the FMS. from the controller,albeit e appears to be an otherwise ready state for action My model has been bound & calibrated but not on a PC,it was done by the chap that I went to see the other day, He did it whilst I was in his lounge. My understanding was that it was ready for use whether actual or virtual and all I needed was to complete the FMS installation process after locating the d3drm.dll file. Do I have to go through the process of swivelling the sticks/controls but not other adjustments such as the channel selection for the individual controls,including a re-bind in order to synchronise the two and be able to send commands to the FMS ?

Hi to you all out there and thank you one & all for you help & inputs on this,my intended simulator Maiden Flight and hopefully the courage to try and avoid using Black Bags. I really do not know why it did not happen earlier because I don't believe I did anything different to what I have previously done. I have now got my FMS desktop short-cut to open up in the window for flight simulation. The sound works and the airplane is on the runway. I cannot get the controller/transmitter to control the model on the simulator. There are no straight forward step by step instructions to enable the FMS to operate. The one that I have comes with a USB lead that has a pin that goes into the back of the unit and the USB is on the other end. There is a small rectangular unit mid-way along the lead that has an LED on it. Am I supposed to remove the 8xAA batteries from inside the unit or just connect with the USB and switch it on ? It appears that I am so near,yet still so far away from taking a simulated flight.

Posted by Colin Bernard on 06/01/2013 00:35:18: John - you dont say which flight sim you are using but I guess it may be FMS. As Ben says, it is your DirectX install that is the problem and there is a link reporting a fix for exactly this problem and FMS here Hi Colin. Yes,I have a FMS 2.0 Alpha 8.3 It is part of the Art-Tech Spitfire kit and is an E-Fly 2.4Ghz DSSS unit. I am already aware of the link that you provided but was a little reluctant to enter into something that I am not completely 'Techno-Savvy' with. I have also realised that the file whilst being necessary in the successful running of Google Earth is apparently not on the PC and would appear to activate as part of the Google Earth programme when opened up. Is as I believe, DirectX is a stand alone file/programme? I have located and printed off the link info that Ben provided and it is a genuine Microsoft Download product.,but before installing it I thought that I would see if there was anything that I needed to be aware of first.