CH-46 Sea Knight

Boeing-Vertol 107 / CH-46 Sea Knight

1.0. Boeing-Vertol 107 / CH-46

1.1. The SL Version

1.2. Sit in

1.3. How it works

1.4. Chat Commands / Menu

1.5. The HUD

2.0. The cranes

2.1. Main crane

2.2. Rescue Crane

2.3. Firefighter version

3.0. Copilot

4.0. Additional informations

4.1. Troubleshooting

4.2. Hints

5.0. Whats new in version 3.0

1.0. About the Boeing Vertol 107 / CH-46

Military version called CH-46 Sea Knight and the civilian version BV-107.

German: http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/CH-46_Sea_Knight

English: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CH-46_Sea_Knight

1.1. The Real Flight Version

The Real Flight version in Secondlife contains 3 parts. The physical part (invisible except the rotors and seats) with 26 prims, the attachement part (about 130 prims) and the HUD. After rezzing the 'CH-46 Marines-Rescue 1.5' (or 'Boeing-Vertol 107 v1.5') he does rezz the attachment part automatically in world. The “Real Flight” CH-46 contains a very realistic flight script with virtual turbulences, auto- attach/detach/rezz...

1.2. Sit in

Easy way for the pilot to get in: Right click and choose 'Pilot' on the rotors. Or on left or right side from the (invisible) body. But he has to touch the vehicle part, that’s necessary. You will now be asked for permissions to attach. Confirm with YES. The Co-Pilot use a smal helicopter icon outside left. Just touch it. The Crane Operator pose has a (90% alpha) poseball at the front door. You can reach from inside or outside. Just touch it. Same for using the 6 seats inside. Means bring you cam inside the heli to choose the seat. I was surprised: While slow flight the passengers can stand up and walk in the helicopter..! After pilot as the first sit in, the Sea Knight needs about 10 second to preload sounds, initializing parameters until ready.

1.3. Die Real Flight physics & 'How to fly'

Helicopters from “Real Flight” are totally differently scripted from what you have flown until now in SL. They use the havok physical engine from Second Life in another way, letting work gravitation and forces (you control collective, cyclic, and yaw) at the same points and same power than in RL, to give you a real simulator feeling. You have to actually fly this machine constantly. Crosswinds- and turbulences-simulation make this helicopter alive...

But how flies a helicopter? This the theory from RL:

It works in same way in the “Real Flight” scripts, but simplified: We have the gravitation as a force hold the heli on the ground.[Fg] Now start the engines and add pitch (collective) from the rotors until we have same force [Fts] upward then the gravitation hold us down. The helicopter is hovering. (50% Pitch)

Now rotate the rotors (the whole heli in SL) little bit forward (cyclic) with the arrow key. The thrust from the rotors [Fts] is now divided in downward and backward thrust [Fts,yo / Fts.xo]. The helicopter begins shifting forward... but lose also height! now add pitch...

The Autopitch function (Chat commands: 'p') intends to hold the flight level by changing collective from rotors. Very help full while hovering and position your Boeing-Vertol 107 over the load you want to pick up without care about height. Or to learn how the relations are between pitch from heli, collective and flight level.

To make all this a little bit more interesting I have added random turbulences and crosswinds to my flight scripts... The heli moves and shifts a little bit and you have to compensate this to remain steady... After landing reduce pitch to zero to have a stable vehicle on the ground.

50% Pitch/Collective does hovering with no forward speed.

Use SHIFT+LEFT/RIGHT to shift left/right (NOT in Mouselook!)

1.4. Chat commands and the Menu

The Sea Knight only listen to its owner, or in the Guest Mode to the authorized AV after he sits in. Most of commands you can use in Chat are also available from the menu.> Touch the Heli icon on the HUD.

Commands are:

'start'     for the engines. (30! Seconds are necessary until helicopter is running)

'stop'      (also 30 Seconds for total shutdown.

'a'         switch display between barometrical altitude and real altitude above ground

'as'        set barometrical altitude to zero

'ar'        reset barometrical altitude to 20m sea level'p' toggles Autopitch on/off

'l'         lights

'd'         front door

'dd'        main rear door

'cw'        crosswinds and Turbulences on/off (for a realistic flight experience keep that on!)

'p'         toggle autopitch: Heli try hold level with collective/pitch

'copilot'   to enable copilot steering

'pilot'     to take back flight control

'eject co'  eject your copilot

'eject cabine'     eject all passangers including crane helper

'eject all' ...

'r'         release water/drop water hose in the firefighter version or release water from firefighter water bag in other versions

1.5. The HUD

Display f.l.t.r.

Activ Crane (Main/Side), Hook height above ground, Rope lenght, Crane Status (off/idle/active), Flight time (since version 3.0), Flight level, Vario, Compass, Multidisplay/Throttle, Camera

Buttons f.l.t.r.

Select Crane: Default the main cranes is selected. 1 klick to button activate the smal rescue crane AND rezz also the rescue belt. (White button: main crane / yellow button: side crane)

Hook/Load up/down, 0.5m/klick

Activate/Deactivate the load. If side crane are active you need 2 klicks to deactivate it. (a bug, working in it)

Trigger, send on Chatkanal -4422001 the String 'trigger' (for use in your own scripts)

Alt/RAlt, 3rd possibility to switch alt display. (Acustic Warning if flight level above ground is lower the 5m and speed is faster 10m/s

Gasoline, no function on this button since version 3.0

VS, turns austic sinkrate warning on/off. default off

<- ->, res.

Compass,

Artificial Horizon, shows pitch and roll from the sea knight

Menu, opens the helicopter Menu

Camera Presets, toggles between 5 camera presets. (Lock, Follow, Dynamic1, Dynamic2, Topview, Off)

2.0. The Cranes

The Boeing-Vertol 107 and the Sea Knight contain 2 cranes. The main crane for bigger loads is default the activated crane after rezing the helicopter. You’ll find couple example loads and the load script in the package. (tree, water bag, crashed plane, a 'load prim' to add to your own stuff and the 'load script' (drop in root prim from of your own primmest)

The side crane rez after activating the rescue harness and is immediately activated. To deactivate click twice the status button. Then switch back to main crane by touching the select button.

The load can be a primmest up to 32 prims. But if they are to heavy (object mass) it won’t work. Hollow you prims to reduce wheigt! The side crane works only with his rescue harness. The load script will not longer working on side crane!

Sim-Crossing: It works! Grid wide. But do it slow! (speed < 5m/s)

2.1. The Main Crane

Use the script 'LOAD CH-46' for you own stuff. Just drop the script in the root prim of the object you will hook up. You can rez several objects at same time. But activate (touch it) only ONE load at a time. Make sure the root prim has zero rotation. Root prim should be in center from your prim set.

Hover with your helicopter minimum 10 meters above the load. Max distance is 64m! Minimum rope lengt is 6m!

Touch the load: The status display shows now 'Idle' and you see the particle rope. Make sure you heli is still exactly above your load. The script uses as rope length the distance between heli and load.

Touch now the Status button: The load will be hooked up and the status display shows: 'Active'

Shorten the rope length now or ascend with your Sea Knight

The Display for hook above ground, rope length and status will now updated every 3 seconds...

After you place the load object at his destination deactivate the crane/load with 1 click at the status button (4rd from left)

The status display shows now 'Off' and the rope particles stops

2.2. The Rescue Crane

To activate it touch the crane select button (left). The rescue belt will automatically rezed (if rezing allowed on location) The button color changes to yellow and the display shows 'Side'. Do this while hovering or slow flying! To deactivate the rescue belt touch twice (I start the project with just one HUD; I'm working on it) the status button. The display should show 'Off' now. Change with 1 click (left cranes select button) back to main crane.

2.3. Firefigher version

- touch the trigger button on HUD to drop the water hose down

- bring your Sea Knight over open water 2-4 meters above sea level

> water pump will start and fill water tanks in about 15-20 seconds > water hose will go automatic to fly position

> note that your helicopter will have more wheigt now!!! Add collective/pitch (needs about 4-5% more)

- at your destination touch trigger button on HUD to drop water or type 'R' in chat

- you can release water 4 times. 5th touch/'R' drop water hose again

- ...

3.0. Copilot

Guest pilot is removed. More easy now you can give the control to your copilot.

To authorize the copilot say 'copilot' in public chat. Copilot have to sit at his place

> Hovertext on helicopters nose and over the back rotor now.

The copilot just have the flight controls. Chat commands only accepted from the pilot/owner

To get control back: Say 'pilot' in chat. All working also in flight!

4.0. Additional informations

Comment about Meter per Seconds against Km/h against Knots:

We fly all the time to slow in Secondlife: 10m/s = 36km/h = 19.4Knots = 22.3mph. I dident like Knots, Feet and Miles for calculating, Kilometers per hrs isnt international so i stay with meters in my flight scripts...

The Sea Knight uses the Real Flight helicopter script. This definitely different from other helicopter scripts you now from SL. Take you time, learn hovering, press the FWD/BACK keys only short time and not hold... Feel the Sea Knight and after a while you will love these flight behavoir!

4.1. Troubleshooting

- After a client crash rezz a NEW helicopter to have all scripts in a defined status

- After crash in water: rezz a NEW helicopter because it wont work again...

- Sometimes sim cant handle autoattache (Script error: Not enough scripting recources). Right klick on the rezzed attachement part and choose 'wear'

4.2. Hints

- This is a big helicopter! 16m diameter just the rotors. Total lenght is about 27.5 meters! Take care you have enough space for rezzing.

- Use camera settings (touch HUD) to change your view. A challange: The whole flight in mouselook!

- Dont care about flight level while hovering and hook loads on: Use Autopitch (chat comands: 'p')

- Use Autopitch (chat commands: 'p') while flying and watch rotorblade pitch...

- to stabilize the Sea Knight at ground reduce Pitch to have the full wheight from the heli

5.0 About version 3.0

Be aware that this version is not compatible with previous versions. Some HUD and accessories do not work with this new version from older versions. So please pack away or delete older versions before using this version.

- Complete reworked flight engine:

   Less nose down angle to get forward speed. Looks much more realistic now. Pitch max is 65%

   Smoother  turns while hover and curves with new algorythm in the flight engine. Feels much better!

- Reduced script time for servers

- Reduced script counting in the HUD for better performance

- Induvidual communications messages from/to HUD:

  No more interferences between other helicopters

- Induvidual communications messages for booth cranes.:

  No more interferences between other helis and crane loads. Unlimited helicopters with working cranes in air!

   It is absolutely necessarily using the version 3.0.1 load script coming with this box and not an older version.

    To connect to any load: Keep minimum 10m distance while connect

    To connect to the Fire Fighter water bag keep 20m distance while connect!

    Minimum rope length for the main crane is 6m

    (in real life they all use longer rope length to prevent the hooked up load from the rotor blade downwash)

    Maximum rope length is 64m (to connect and in flight)

    To use the cranes you have to sit in the Helicopter as pilot!

    Do not fly in mouselook while using cranes!

- Cranes working grid wide:

    Fly slow ! Less 5m/s while crossing sims helps the crane stuff follow you over SIM Borders

- Altitude display

    > 'A' or 'ALT' switch between level above sea and real altitude above ground

    > 'AS' set barometrical altitude to zero

    > 'AR' reset barometrical altitude to 20m sea level

- Taximode:

   Reduce pitch <25%; Taxi speed is 1/10 pitch

- Wheel Brakes (non physical):

  Reduce pitch to zero%

- Copilot steering:

   While sit say "copilot" in chat. > Hovertext on helicopters nose and over the back rotor and chat messages now on public chat

   The copilot just have the flight controls. Chat commands still by the pilot

   To get control back: Say "pilot" in chat

- 2 more passanger seats

   Untried 6 passangers, 1 copilot and the crane operator. And cross a sim border. Give me a feedback about your personal experience with... ;-)

- Passanger eject function:

   'eject co' unsit your copilot

   'eject cabine' unsit all passangers and the crane helper

   'eject all' ....

- New rotor textures

- Rotorblade collision messages

- Position lights corrected

- Engine sounds pitched up and level down

- 'Land Safe': Means you not care about full parcell! Thanks to Yevad Doobie for thet ingenious idea!

- Firefighter version: Do not forget the helicopter gets more weight while filling the water tanks

Have fun!

4/2011 Patrick Lawson