...Boeing-Vertol 107 - Boeing Vertol CH-46 Sea Knight
1.0. Boeing-Vertol 107
1.1. The SL Version
1.2. Sit in
1.3. How it works
1.4. Chat Commands / Menu
1.5. The HUD
1.6. Copilot HUD
2.0. The cranes
2.1. Main crane
2.2. Rescue Crane
3.0. Guest pilot
4.0. Additional informations
4.1. Troubleshooting
4.2. Hints
1.0. About the Boeing Vertol 107
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 owner will now be asked for permissions to attach. Confirm with YES.
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. The Co-Pilot use a small heli icon outside from cockpit left. Just touch it. The Crane Operator poses has a (90% alpha) poseball at the front door. You can reach from inside or outside. Just touch it. Same for using the 4 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 until ready. (preload sounds, initializing parameters)
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 havok4 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 heli is running)
'stop' (also 30 Seconds for total shutdown. (Get off from heli not before then 10 seconds!)
'alt' or 'a' toggles altitude display RAlt/Alt
'p' toggles Autopitch on/off
'l' Lights
'd' Front door
'dd' Main rear door
'cw' crosswinds and Turbulences on/off
'refuel' before gas tank is empty. The pilot has to stand closer than 10 meters from the CH-46!
'b' unofficial but sometimes helpful: Wheel breaks (only if heli is on the ground and slower than 0.5 m/s)
'gp Prename Lastname' authorizes the avatar 'Prename Lastname' to fly the Sea Knight. The heli confirmes the guestmode and gives after sitting in, the HUD and the attachement part to the authorized avatar. He has to wear both manualy. The InWorld rezzed part will delete itself after 10 seconds.
1.5. The HUD
Display f.l.t.r. Activ Crane (Main/Side), Hook height above ground, Rope lenght, Crane Status (off/idle/active), Gasoline, 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, green: Ok, yellos 10% or less. Turns to red if fuel level is under 5%
VS, res.
<- ->, res. (Acustic Speed-Warning if faster then 20m/s)
Compass,
Artificial Horizon, shows pitch and roll from the CH-46
Menu, opens the heli Menu
Camera Presets, toggles between 5 camera presets. (Lock, Follow, Dynamic1, Dynamic2, Topview, Off)
1.6. The CoPilot HUD
Is just a simplified pilot HUD. But transfer. But you should agree who is using the crane... (copy and transfer)
2.0. The Cranes
First: Only 1 heli can operate per sim! This because the communication from HUD to heli to HUD.
If you need 2 helis in same sim i can make custom channels. But I will extra charge for this.
The load can be prims set up to 31 prims. But if they are to heavy (object mass) it won’t work. Hollow you prims to reduce wheight!
Sim-Crossing: The official answer is: NOT WORKING! unofficial answer: Sometimes it works. I now this makes no sense... It seems like it depends on sim lag, the size and weight from load you hook up... If you try crossing sims with load hooked on: Do it slow. Very slow. (speed < 3m/s)
The Boeing-Vertol 107 and the Sea Knight contain 2 cranes. The main crane for bigger loads is default activated crane after rezzing the heli. You’ll find 4 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 script (drop in root prim from of your own load) The rescue (side) crane rezzes after activating the rescue belt and is immediately activated. (To deactivate the rescue belt click twice the Status button and then the crane select button)
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 rezz several objects at same time. But activate (touch it) only one load at a time.
Bring your heli hovering a couple meters above the load.
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 rezzed (if rezzing allowed on location) The button color changes to yellow and the display shows 'Side'. Do this while hovering or slow flying! If you got problems (the rescue belt falling on the ground and not hook up) it can depends on lag or a script error. Solutions: Try again; Rezz new heli and try again; go to a less laggy sim...
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.
3.0. Guest pilot
To authorize a other avatar to fly the Sea Knight stay close to your heli and say in public chat 'gp prename last name'. Yes, you have to say the full name with correct writting. The Sea Knight will confirm the new pilot at thos point. After sitting in the guest will receive the HUD and the attachment part and the InWorld rezzd Attachement part will delete itself. Guest has to wear now the HUD and attachement part manually, because SL can only attach stuff to the owner...
After guest pilot get out from vehicle the Sea Knught will delet itself.
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 scripts!
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...
- Does cranes not function correctly: (Reascue Belt is rezzed but not hooked / loadprim will not connect / rope lenght shows after connect 100m+ but you are just a couple meters above ground and load prims jump around)
Solutiones: Try using a less laggy sim. Deactivate all loads and switch between Main- and Sidecrane to reset crane scripts. If still not working rezz a NEW helicopter.
- Sometimes sim cant handle autoattache (Script error: Not enough scripting recources) i see in the last 3-4 weeks. Right klick on the rezzed attachement part and choose 'wear'
4.2. Hints
- 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')
- Easy Crusing: Collective 55-65%, try hold height with pressing FWD arrow key (cyclic)
- Use Autopitch (chat commands: 'p') while flying and watch pitch from rotors
- to stabilize the Sea Knight at ground reduce Pitch to 0 to have the full wheight from the heli
- Fake water landing: bring your Sea Knight soft down to water surface and toggle Autopitch
Have fun!
12/2009 Patrick Lawson