Convair 580
The Convair was my first conversion of a FS9 model into FSX native format and was originally created by Greg Pepper and then modified by Tom Gibson of Calclassic. While the basic conversion was a six hour job, fixing a few bugs, adding additional models and experimenting with a few features took a considerably longer amount of time.
One of the unique features of this model is that it is one of the very few models to feature moving rain on the windows. While being a standard feature for aircraft in FS9, it was cut out of FSX. Windows will not show rain drops and snow by default, so the system has to be reinstated. I've had to use some tricks to reimplement a plausible representation of moving rain and to make the windscreen wipers actually wipe away the rain drops. In the end, the moving rain system got so complex that it was too difficult to implement into the models that I've worked on after the Convair.
The rain and wiper system can be seen in action in the following video.
My follow-up models use a simplified, static rain system which is based on the one developed for the Cv-580, so the effort wasn't without benefit at all.
Features
Convair 580 in various configurations (cargo, high density, regular, air tanker)
Working windscreen wipers and moving rain on the cockpit windows
Fixes and improvements compared to the FS9 version
This aircraft is not 64 bit (P3D v4, FSW) compatible!
Images
Convair 580 cargo model with third party repaint
Wide-angle shot of the VC with wipers in operation
Airtanker model with generic metallic textures
In flight over the Rocky Mountains (third party repaint)
In Purolator colors over the Canadian Rockies (third party repaint)
Download
The Convair 580 is the only of my models that I've ever uploaded to the great add-on Libraries. Therefore, you can find it on Avsim (cccv580fsxsp2.zip) and Flightsim (cccv580fsxsp2.zip).
Read the readme!
Latest version
2011/02/10 (Release version)
Support
There has never been a specific support thread for this add-on. I frequent the forums at Avsim (English), CalClassic (English) and Sim Outhouse (English). So if you have an issue with the model, go there, open a thread, describe your problem in enough detail to make finding a solution easier and hope that I'll stop by.