Thanks for all the comments and interest, everyone!
The aircraft in order of appearance, are as follows:
Tupolev Tu-144D (NATO: "CHARGER")
Tupolev Tu-154B-2 (NATO: "CARELESS")
Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21MF (NATO: "FISHBED-J")
Mil Mi-24D (NATO: "HIND-D")
Before I get to the addon details, a note about the cockpit coloration:
There's seemingly dozens of various opinions as to why that color was chosen, ranging from "It was cheap", to "The factory ran out of other colors". To the best of my knowledge though, Splitpin's theory is correct. The color was deemed to be soothing to the eyes and/or calming psychologically.
Additionally, the color varied, even among aircraft produced around the same time in the same factory, so there's really no set standard. Some look more green, some more blue. Also, early Douglas DC-9 jets used this color in some of their aircraft as well.
Regarding the addons...
Tupolev Tu-144 by Nikita Konstantinov and Mikhail Mitin, and team.If you are seriously interested in figuring this one out, please send me a private message. This is one of the most user unfriendly addons I've had the pleasure of trying to master. It extremely enjoyable, but just the addon setup (files to download, supporting documentation to learn, joystick setup, etc) is as complex as it gets, and that's before you even learn about the actual systems on-board the jet!
I will say that the main file is available at the link below (avsimrus.com) but there are some additional fixes needed for supersonic operation to work correctly (otherwise you'll crash) that are available on the avsimrus/avsim.su forums. I was also able to track down some English-language documentation that a Project Tupolev forum user produced that leads you through how to set up the unfriendly and complex joystick setup utility with the addon, as well as figure out weight/balance, and systems. PLEASE consult with me prior to using this one, and I'll be glad to help out. It's a bit of a mess, and has a learning curve arguably steeper than the Tu-154. As far as I can tell, I'm one of very, very few non-Russians that can operate this thing, and from what I can make out from the crappy Google Translate service from their forums, there aren't many in the Russian community that know how to fly it either. In my opinion, this is one of the most rewarding FSX addon aircraft to master, because very few people know how to use it!
The addon itself has a fully featured sound set, very complete VC covering the pilot and copilot stations (the flight engineer station requires the use of the 2D panel) and numerous custom animations linked to the state of the canards, movable nose-cone and flight conditions (aileron droop at low airspeeds, windshield wipers, landing gear, braking parachutes, etc)
The aircraft itself represents what was to be the final edition of the Tu-144 prior to the fall of the USSR. Unlike earlier versions, and unlike the later flying laboratory version (I'll get to that in a minute), the D model was fitted with non-afterburning turbojet engines designed to boost the range of the Tu-144 so that it would be comparable to the Concorde. As far as I know (my official Tu-144 book comes tomorrow) there were six D models produced, plus one left incomplete. The Tu-144 concept itself proved to pretty much be a failure for the USSR, as a host of problems plagued the type throughout it's service life and evolutions. These problems were primarily mechanical in nature, and the the frequency of issues was high enough that Alexei Tupolev and two government aviation safety representatives had to personally inspect each aircraft and sign off on each flight leaving Moscow. For what it's worth, the Tu-144 could allegedly fly higher and faster than the Concorde due to how it was constructed (more titanium) but the amount of systems issues, as well as fatigue issues the aircraft had really negated any advantages. As far as I can tell, the only passenger route that it served (for only roughly 50 flights) was from Moscow (Domodedovo) to Almaty, Kazakhstan (known as Alma-Ata in Soviet times).
The last iteration of the Tu-144 to fly was called the Tu-144LL, and was a joint project between NASA, Lockheed, a few other American companies, and Tupolev to support a "flying laboratory". This was a re-engined (with afterburners again!) converted Tu-144D that flew off and on until the mid-90s. There are videos on Youtube of this aircraft taking off and landing that you can find today.
I could get into further detail, but I'll save it.
Check it out here:
http://www.avsim.su/f/fsx-originalnie-samo...v3-5-44272.htmlTupolev Tu-154B-2 by Project Tupolev.I'll preface this by saying that I haven't been able to access the actual PT website in a while due to my virus scanner claiming that it is an attack site. I am not sure if this is a false positive. With that being said, I do have a valid Avsimrus.com link that should provide you with the latest version.
This addon aircraft is the latest evolution of a line of Tu-154 iterations that has been in existence since roughly 2004-2005, and it has been a significant contributor to my interest in Russian aviation. This specific model is the Tu-154B-2 for FSX (native) and represents the version of the Tu-154 that was most popular in the late 70s to early 80s. It was superceded by the Tu-154M in the mid-80s, though the B-2 model continues to operate in extremely limited numbers today (although for all I know they may have stopped using it a few months ago).
This addon, like the Tu-144 above, is a complex systems simulation, and features two cockpit variations (70s and 90s panels) as well as two colors (green and blue). This aircraft has a couple of auto-installers which make things easy, as well as an approximately 300 page English-language manual that should be able to get most people in the air. The manual actually dates from the early FS2004-era version 9.4, but almost all of it still applies, with the exception of having to set up FSUIPC, and the locations of some 2D windows. This addon also comes with an independent joystick utility in order to more properly simulate the control forces between your hardware and the addon, though this utility is easier to figure out/use than that of the Tu-144. Among the features found in this addon, you'll experience a full suite of Russian crew callouts for many phases of flight, from engine start all the way through touchdown. Additionally, the VC is well populated with an abundnance of fully functioning gauges at all crew stations, and with the exception of some functions on the overhead panel, it is possible to fly this aircraft completely from the VC.
This aircraft is continually updated, and at this time, it is on version 1.2.1. I could write a lot more, but to be brief, if you have further questions either on the real deal (I have a book in my collection specifically related to the Tu-154) or about the addon, let me know.
It is available here:
http://translate.googleusercontent.com/tra...oEhXrnOhKmcesxAMikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21MF by Ivan Jurcaga.The famous "Fishbed". This is probably the easiest aircraft in the bunch to use, and is a representation of this famous Soviet attack aircraft. The MF specifically is the export version of the MiG-21SM, though you can find a number of Russian addon liveries for this model online in addition to liveries from many other countries, including Finland, Hungary, East and West Germany, Poland, and Bulgaria, among others. I'm a bit rusty on my MiG history, so I'll focus on the addon.
This aircraft comes with a detailed virtual cockpit and has enough systems depth so that it's not a get-up-and-go sort of affair, though it's also not something that you'll need to spend a week studying either. The user has the option of customizing the aircraft's loadout (fuel tanks, missiles, rockets, empty, or some combination) as well as the appearance of the pilot's flight helmet. Additionally, with an update available on the author's website linked below, you have the option of using JATO rockets, which can be quite fun! Regarding the soundset, the addon itself doesn't actually come with one, due to the author recommending that users download his earlier MiG-21F-13 for FS2004, and using the sound that came with that.
Due to the delta-wing shape and the narrow profile, the aircraft can be quite tricky to land as it needs a significant amount of speed to remain stable on approach while not sinking like a rock. Beyond that though, it's a very enjoyable aircraft to maneuver through the air, with the only other concern worth noting is that you have to really monitor that fuel gauge, as it consumes fuel extremely quickly. Please note that this and the Hind lack guages in "imperial" units of measurement. Everything is in metric. The Tu-144 and Tu-154 both have secondary altimeters in feet.
There's not much else to say about this MiG other than try it out! It's quite good. Available here (looks like they put up an anti-spam Captcha, but the website itself still seems to work)
http://www.migsim.ic.cz/mfhome.htmlMil Mi-24D by Nemeth Designs.While I'm not wild about Nemeth Designs' product support, this aircraft is still enjoyable. It does have some bugs, which I'll detail, but it looks much better than the Virtavia offering, and the flight performance seems to be more realistic (having never flown a Hind). This addon represents the mid-80s era D model helicopter, and comes with completely functional pilot and gunner cockpits. It is designed to be fully operated from the VC, and it can be.
The soundset is accurate, the visuals look fantastic (though there is a model update on their forum that resolves graphical artifact issues in the VC, but removes the virtual cabin), and the systems for the most part seem to function fairly well, and are already levels above the Virtavia version. On that note though, there are a number of issues with the model, including: reversed anti-torque (rudder) pedal animation, reversed nav 1 and 2 radio function (association with the needs on the ADF guage), a useless HSI that acts as a wet compass (compass errors while maneuvering), and some inaccuracies with the location of the landing and taxi lights, among a few other systems logic issues that are even more nit-picky. Unfortunately, their support team seems to consist of one non-technical person who happens to be away on business quite often, and as evidenced by their other addons released within the same timeframe, there are some persistent issues that cause me to question the aviation background and competence of their testing team. The biggest thing to note though it to not expect fixes to the bugs outlined above.
With all of that in mind, the addon can still be enjoyable, and I still find myself using it for short VFR flights to and from nearby fields.
It is available at most major flightsim retailers such as Simmarket, or through the Nemeth website directly (though be wary of using their actual website, as their email system has been broken for months, with no signs of being resolved soon, so you could easily be locked out of using your product).
So...if you're still reading at this point....thanks...and I hope you try out a few of the above models. PLEASE contact me if you have any questions and/or are looking for additional information.
Thanks again for reading!
Sean
