FlyingIron Simulations

The Grob G109B will be available on theThreshold store on November 15th, 2019 Lightweight, Efficient & A True Thrill. The Aircraft The Grob G109b is a twin-seat, self-launching motor-glider developed by Grob Aircraft AG of Germany. The G109b variant first took flight in 1984 and has been used in a variety of applications since: as well as civilian use and pilot training, the aircraft was also used by the RAF from 1991-2018 (known as the Vigliant T1) to train cadets in basic flying. Experience all that this amazing aircraft has to offer; from soaring through valleys & mountains and into the clouds, careful flight-planning, Engine Management, VRF Training, Cross-wind landings & finally experience the thrill of shutting down the 95hp Engine mid-flight and masterfully gliding back to earth for a precision landing. Our simulation of the G109B will let you experience all this & more! Key Features Professional Flight Model; tested & approved by a team of real-world G109B Pilots, including ex-RAF instructors Incredibly Detailed 3D Artwork & Texturing; recreation of a real G109b flown by one of our test pilots as well as a Vigilant T1. Includes detailed engine & interior modelling. Real G109B Sounds - The true sounds of a real G109b, recorded & mixed by a professional sound engineer & fully integrated via FMOD (plus fully-functional & optional pilot headphones) Detailed, Custom Airfoil Simulation of the Eppler E580 Wing Airfoil Realistic & Detailed Simulation of the Hoffman HO-V62R/L 160T Propeller & it’s 3-Stage, mechanically actuated blade pitch system. Aircraft Ownership & Persistent State-saving Hi-Fidelity Custom Avionics Simulation; powered by SASL & Xlua Hi-Fidelity, Code-driven simulation of all aircraft systems & features (tested & approved by our G109b Pilot Team). This includes Ground-Handling, Braking & Hydraulics, Flight Systems & Mechanics, Electrical & Fuel Systems, Avionics, Engine Management & more Tablet GUI Simulation - Access key features & settings via a fully functional, simulated Tablet. Adjustable & fully interactive Complete AviTab Integration as an 'app' on the Tablet Includes 2 Complete Aircraft Simulations - The Grob G109b & the RAF edition, the Vigilant T1. Each has a unique cockpit design & features and can be toggled in-sim 5 Included Liveries + A Paintkit (Paintkit to be released in Update 1.1) LibRain Canopy Rain FX Integration External Static Elements Custom “Light-show” livery & Fireworks FX VR Ready Complete User-Manual, Pilot Checklists & documentation included (pdf) spacer.pngspacer.png Technical Specifications Crew: 2 Length: 8.1 m (26 ft 7 in) Wingspan: 17.4 m (57 ft 1 in) Height: 1.8 m (5 ft 11 in) Wing area: 19 m2 (200 sq ft) Airfoil: Eppler E 580 Empty weight: 620 kg (1,367 lb) Max takeoff weight: 850 kg (1,874 lb) Fuel capacity: 100 l (26 US gal; 22 imp gal) Powerplant: 1 × Grob 2500E1 4-cylinder air-cooled horizontally-opposed piston engine, 71 kW (95 hp) Propellers: 2-bladed Hoffmann HO-V 62 R/L 160 BT 3-speed variable-pitch propeller Performance Cruise speed: 205 km/h (127 mph, 111 kn) maximum 180 km/h (110 mph; 97 kn) economical Stall speed: 73 km/h (45 mph, 39 kn) Never exceed speed: 240 km/h (150 mph, 130 kn) Range: 1,500 km (930 mi, 810 nmi) at economical cruise with maximum fuel Service ceiling: 6,000 m (20,000 ft) g limits: +5.3 -2.65 Maximum glide ratio: 28 at 115 km/h (71 mph; 62 kn) Rate of climb: 3.3 m/s (650 ft/min) Rate of sink: 1.1 m/s (220 ft/min) at 105 km/h (65 mph; 57 kn) Wing loading: 44.7 kg/m2 (9.2 lb/sq ft) Power/mass: 0.079 kW/kg (0.048 hp/lb) Take-off run: 196 m (643 ft) Landing run: 200 m (656 ft) No. Built: 322 Work-in-Progress Features & Update 1.1 Whilst the G109B will be released as what we consider a 'complete' product (not early access), there are several additional/optional features that are not 100% complete and will be refined & completed with our first update, Update 1.1 (expected late November - early December). We want to make these features clear in the interests of transparency and to that end we will list them below and what you can expect: Some additional features & custom 'apps' are still being added: as of right now this includes the 'Flight Planning' (Custom fuel/weight/payload planner) app, the Checklists App & misc settings Paint-kit will likely not be available at release and instead be available with or before Update 1.1 Maintenance features are not fully implemented yet & will be made available in v1.1 All key features of State-saving are implemented however we are intending to expand this system even further with v1.1 Fireworks & Particle FX are still being fine-tuned Tablet - VR Tablet Interaction via Touch Controllers to be implemented in 1.1 (all other aspects of VR implemented on release)

Hey guys, Quick update for you today - things are cruising along at breakneck speed at the moment. I'll keep things brief today as we'll have a bigger update post coming shortly! Alpha v2 has been sent out to our full Grob/Vigilant Pilot Test Team and feedback has been excellent so far. With the base Flight Model all but completed, the advanced performance tuning is well under way and getting closer to real life everyday. Drag Tuning, Propeller fine tuning, Engine tuning and ground handling are close to completion; lift/climb and stall behaviour is being perfected now The G109b has a unique ground handling/steering system which has now been coded and is working fantastically Art is progressing further & further each day, with things really starting to take shape and more and more detail is being worked in Manipulators are being refined & perfected, ready for both VR & non-VR. Dodgy manips are a thing of the past A basic popup GUI Test has been successfully made (and fully VR compatible), and work on the GUI is now ready to commence Similarly, we have successfully been able to code the tablet as a fully-functional touch screen tablet display, and have managed to fully integrate Avitab with a successful test run. Work is now ready to begin fleshing out all the 'apps' and functions of our custom Tablet Most, if not all of the primary animations are now animated & working Sound is being continually refined & remixed; so far feedback from the test team has been positive despite it being an early WiP An early iteration of the Pilot Model has been added for externals (WiP) Here's a few screenshots to whet the appetite Here's another mini-update: Just some news for you: State-saving has now been accomplished and is being added to the aircraft. Right now the aircraft has persistent essentials; including fuel levels, PAX weight, CoG, Total Flight time (essential for proper maintenance scheduling). These will be saved after every flight and automatically loaded when you start your next flight; the aim being to simulate aircraft ownership. Now that we've been able to achieve this, we are working on integrating much more persistent features. The key features that will persist across flights will include: - All maintenance/damage/condition levels (Such as oil levels, Fuel contamination, Battery Charge, Wear & Tear from Flight Hours etc.) - Switch positions (this will make shutdown procedures meaningful, for example - leave the battery on, quit X-plane, and when you come back the next day you'll find you have a dead battery) - User Settings / Preferences on the GUI/Tablet Development of the Tablet is coming along well (pics to come soon), Sound & Art are being tightened up, lighting tuned and textures being enhanced. Static Elements (tie-downs etc.) are modeled in, pre-flight procedures and the walk-around are being programmed in and AO shadowing is largely in-place. Things are coming along quite well! One of our key remaining challenges now is getting the Aircraft temperature behaviour correct, so that it can work hand-in-hand with our damage/maintenance model. We are almost at the stage where we are ready to start sharing videos, so stay tuned! Cheers, Dan & Alex

Hey Guys, Thanks for all the feedback! Today I'll share a few quick details on where we are currently at with development and what we've been working on. Flight Model Early last week our initial pre-alpha test build was sent out to our SME's for testing and feedback. We're very happy to say that after taking in the reports from our SME, the Flight Model is really starting to take shape. We are extremely proud and optimistic about the way the 109's FM is coming together - we think this will be our most realistic FM to date. Our goal is to achieve a level of realism that will make our simulation a true pilot training aid for the G109b and an invaluable learning tool for all GA Pilots and light aircraft owners. For the development of the Grob we have changed our methods & approach for creating the FM and have learned many valuable things about working with Plane Maker & X-plane 11 that has helped us achieve a much higher level of realism. Beyond that, we are also exploring Airfoil Maker in a much greater depth and using it's full potential to create the most realistic simulation we can. Owner's of the P-47 & Spitfire will be pleased to know we will be bringing this new knowledge back to these aircraft and releasing a major update for each in the coming weeks. With the majority of the work for the FM completed, we are now at the tweaking & airfoil development stage. The help & feedback of our SME's has been invaluable here. Sound As development steams ahead, the FMOD soundscape development is starting to slowly come together. With a first draft of the engine audio now nearing completion, the most difficult element of the audio design is almost done. Sounds are being added for every switch, lever, knob and interaction in the aircraft (as mentioned, all recorded from the real G109b). Once this is done, we will be ready to finalize Engine & Environmental sounds, and begin working on enhancements. These include directional engine/prop audio, Switch/Lever Sound variations, Interior/Exterior Sound Blending & Masking, and many more to help enhance immersion & realism of the soundscape. Art Alex has been working tirelessly on the Art side of things, and as you can see progress is coming along very rapidly. While there is much yet to do, much of the hard work in terms of modelling, UV Mapping & Texturing is now close to completion, allowing us to start working on detailing and really start taking the artwork to the next level. There isn't alot to say here, but expect many more pictures as Art progresses. What's next? Once the early alpha build is complete, we will start official testing with our full beta-team for further testing & refining. While this is happening, we will then turn our attention towards development of the advanced aircraft features & add-ons, such as maintenance, the Tablet GUI System, GUI Menus, Particle FX and so on. Thanks! Dan & Alex

Hey Guys, Today we’re very excited to announce our next aircraft release for XP11: The Grob G109b Motor Glider. The Grob G 109b is a 2 seat, self-launching motor glider, originating in Germany from the minds of Grob Aircraft AG. The aircraft is used primarily for civilian flight, however it was also used by the RAF to train cadets for basic flying from 1991-2018. The Grob G109b is also famously the aircraft of choice used by the Aerosparx aerobatics team; famed for their incredible blend of aerobatics, pyrotechnics and light displays. We are pleased to announce that for this project we are working in collaboration with a real-world G109b Pilot. He was an invaluable member of our Spitfire Beta Testing team and we are pleased to say that he will be acting as our SME (Subject Matter Expert) for this project; providing guidance, technical advice, FM feedback and advice regarding ownership & maintenance duties. Our SME has provided invaluable amounts of information & reference for us to work with, and has generously used his own money to have the aircraft professionally recorded by an audio engineer so that we can create an ultra-realistic soundscape for the aircraft. Aircraft Information The G109B aircraft is a low-wing cantilever motor glider, with a T-tail, folding (and detachable) wings, and side-by-side seating with dual controls. It is mainly constructed from glass-reinforced plastic and has a taildragger undercarriage arrangement. Entry and exit from the cockpit is via two perspex doors which open upwards individually – a modification from the original one-piece G109A canopy. The cockpit can be heated, providing that the engine is running, and the seat backs can be adjusted and cushions of differing thickness inserted to accommodate a range of body sizes. Total weight is around 1,870 pounds (850 kg) with a maximum load of 506 pounds (230 kg) though this depends on mod state and history of the airframe and is rarely above 200 kg on most examples. Cruising speed is in the region of 60–100 knots (110–190 km/h) on the 95 horsepower (71 kW) engine, which can give the aircraft a top speed of 130 knots (240 km/h). The engine, the Grob 2500 E1, (based on a Porsche air-cooled car unit) can be shut down in flight with its propeller blades feathered. The aircraft then becomes a pure glider, with a best glide ratio of around 1:28. The Porsche-derived horizontally opposed air-cooled engine had the cylinder bore increase by Grob to make the engine 2.5-litre capacity and has had its Time Before Overhaul (TBO) increased by a technote to 1,600 hours after many examples run on condition reached up to or in excess of 4,000 hours in service. Under the current CAA LASORS document, the G109B can be classed as either a touring motor glider (TMG), or a self-launching motor glider (SLMG). --From Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grob_G_109 Key Features Ultra-realistic Artwork & Texturing Multiple Liveries, including an Aerosparx Livery FMOD Soundscape - Professionally recordings from a real G109b, everything included from the engine to the smallest switches & levers Highly realistic & accurate Flight Model - tuned & tested by real G109b Pilot Full systems simulations - Powered by Xlua & SAS Code-driven Engine & Prop Simulation for enhanced accuracy & realism Full simulation of the Icom IC-A2910e Radio Uni Pilot 3D Ipad/Tablet Integration (Also including optional Avitab Integration) - The Tablet allows pilots to access various functions & features, such as Weight/Balance, Fuel loading, PAX & Baggage Loading, CG, Maintenance options & various other features. Checklists Integration Additional Feature Goals Below is a list of extra features & development goals that we are currently also working towards that we hope will really make owning our G109b simulation a true ownership experience. These are the features we are aiming to have included in the initial release, however are subject to change. We will be providing regular updates and more information about these features as we develop them. Aircraft Ownership & State-saving Features - every switch will be in the same place after you leave X-plane & come back for your next flight. This factors in many system/aircraft states, such as oil levels, battery drain, spark plug maintenance, fuel levels & contamination etc. Failures & Damage simulation - Systems will degrade over time and eventually fail, adding importance & meaning to the way you perform your aircraft maintenance. This also includes aircraft damage & flying-induced damage when exceeding operational limits. Aircraft Maintenance Procedures & Requirements - We are planning to have a vast array of maintenance functions available; accessible via either menu operation (on the tablet) OR by actually going outside the aircraft, opening up the engine bay and clicking to access the various engine parts & assess their status Particle FX & Pyrotechnic FX to recreate AeroSparx incredible display FlyJSims SharedFlight Integration for true Pilot/Copilot Flight Experience Detailed & Interactive Engine Bay, which can be exposed during maintenanc We will be providing regular development & status updates as we power through towards release. As you can see, the Aircraft is still very much a Work-in-Progress. Development however is speeding along at a rate we are very happy with, and we are expecting to release roughly between late September - October. Below is some more development (WiP) pics; feel free to click through for a higher res image. Enjoy! Cheers, Dan & Alex