MU-2 progress towards update

[tkyler]

There is any performance chart which can be used to find out which is the most efficient altitude to fly at, given a specific en-route distance

Perhaps,  I'll look.  There are a lot of charts in the POH I have.

[tkyler]

I only gave this a quick cursory glance...something like this?

[Jacoba]

The range profile is the most used by MU2 drivers.

Its not about how high you can fly, its about how far you can go at a given weight.

[michelebk117]

Thanks for your time.

The chart I was looking for is about the most efficient altitude at which to fly given a specific distance to cover.

I used them when I fly airliners.

Maybe the MU-2 doesn't have this type of chart.

Thanks anyway.

[tkyler]

Gentlemen,

I regret to say that the probability of the MU-2 coming out in July has diminished. It looked good a few weeks ago but a few laminar emails later, things have changed.   We are really stepping up our V10 work...lots of development and internal testing and at the end of the day, I just don't have the energy to work on the MU-2 right now.  I also have summer vacation in 7 days (for 8 days), a 2nd daughter entering college this fall as well as other obligations.  

I need a good  3-4 days to wrap up the MU2 and that is seriously hard to find right now.  It is very hectic in the xplane world for me.  The MU-2  "todo" is sitting in my virtual inbox right on top pestering me and all I can say is,  "I know know...gimme a minute will ya, I'm working as fast as I can, I'll get to you in a second".

So that's where I am, hang in there, the update will be free and it'll be just as fun on the day you get it.

[woweezowee]

That's just fine, Tom. We all also want XP10

[gercarst]

Thanks Tom, it's great that you take the time to notify us the status of this great, really anticipated update. Good luck with that XP10 development and testing.

Best Regards,

Jerry C.

[Japo32]

Great!!

Well I trully understand you Tom... Kids, XP10... mmmm familiar to me!! hehe.

[Dozer]

No worries Tom! I hope it all goes well!

[tkyler]

Thanks guys. I really am dying to get back to making this on par with the best simulations anywhere. I have all sorts of cool new stuff I want to do for V10...but I just have to clear my plate first. It should be quite a year for x-plane during 2012. Of course we've been saying that for a while, but it's still true!

Edited August 21, 2011 by tkyler

[hobofat]

Just as much excitement as the announcement for the release date of V10 is the fact that you'll soon be able to focus on your own projects again, Tom!

[tkyler]

You have NO idea I'm seeing all these new releases and have to sit back and watch. I take solace knowing that I'm helping grow x-plane though. I've gotten so much experience in the last 2 years doing scenery and aircraft.....it seems to me that anything I look to do that I used to think would be difficult or time consuming just looks downright easy. I have more ideas for scenery and aircraft than I have time at the moment. I can't wait to start making (and improving) more stuff! As you can imagine though, it's downright crazy at laminar right now.....we're all moving through development non-stop. I'll probably be working a bit past the release date though putting finishing touches or addressing bugs that people find. The end is in sight though, that's for sure.

Edited August 27, 2011 by tkyler

[TOBS]

RNAV and NBD Approaches are two different animals, just like VOR/DME and RNAV are two separate approaches.

The reason they still maintain VOR and NDB's and the FAA certifies and publishes these approaches is that GPS is not a required element for IFR navigation and is not yet mandatory. Not everyone has an IFR approved GPS. Just installing a GPS in a plane does not give you the authority to fly IFR with it. It must be installed and approved for IFR navigation and IAP's.

We have a turboprop twin that has a GPS installed and approved for enroute IFR navigation but not for approaches.

If the approach is a NBD Approach, even if there is also a GPS approach (NBD/GPS) then you still, must have the ADF unit installed and operable to legally execute the approach. You cannot legally commence that type of approach until all elements of the approach, including the NDB station has been tuned and verified as operable.

But...

Until the X-Plane design team decides to create a workable GPS, even if its something on the line of the MSFS Default GPS or until add on makers can make a GPS for both PC and MAC versions of X-Plane with a level of function close to the real unit (Reality XP Style) there will be a need for ADF's in the sim.

To me the one of the biggest short comings to XP is the default GPS. Heck even the default MSFS GPS blows XP's GPS out of the water.

Reality XP is not supported for Mac users.

That said, I feel that we are fast approaching turning point with X Plane and the quality of add on's across the board.

All you have to do is just look whats offered up here and whats coming in the next six months.

Try this http://www.eadt.eu/index.php?kln90b it works very well - and it is free.

Cheers C.

[derek]

I remember buying this plane when it was released. Backed it up on and external drive, while installing my new G5.

Went to retrieve it and the external ground to a halt. lost the plane forever.

Damn.

[tkyler]

You don't lose our products forever Derek. Contact x-aviation with your purchase information and they can probably get you fixed up. Once you buy a product from x-aviation, you will always have access to it....though in times like these it might take an email or two to do it.

[Dozer]

Times like these? As in, times when a new X-Plane version is about to be released? Or is there other stuff going on which I've missed???

[tkyler]

Sorry for the confusion. "Times like these" as in a new X-Plane version is about to be released and all the ensuing logistics that comes with it, like testing every product in the arsenal for compatibility, making preparations for sales and distribution, etc.

[Dozer]

Sorry for the confusion. "Times like these" as in a new X-Plane version is about to be released and all the ensuing logistics that comes with it, like testing every product in the arsenal for compatibility, making preparations for sales and distribution, etc.

Ah OK. So are you planning to release the MU-2 with both XP9 and XP10 compatibility, at some point in the future when XP10 (XPX?) has settled down enough that you wouldn't need to release a hotfix every second week to fix errors introduced by Laminar's bug-fixing?

[tkyler]

I am definitely planning on releasing with both V9 and V10 compatibility yes; however, how that gets distributed I am not quite sure. If I wait to get a V10 version of the Moo working before I provide the 1.5 update, that might back up the release date and I don't know if I want to do that because there's a lot of V9 users out there (including me) because the Moo runs pretty well on V9. But really, the only thing the V10 version would have over the V9 version is the new airplane lights...so I don't think users will perceive that much difference between the V9 and V10 versions.

[tkyler]

So XP10 is out and the MU2 is next in my inbox. I'm going to make a run to get this done with a couple of extra improvements than just the cockpit..new normal maps, some cleaned up texture work, etc.....and the price will go up when it does. As said, the update will be free for existing customers. So when will it come out? WELL...I am aiming for "by the end of the year" I'm on it now. If I miss that date, it won't be by much, probably only to do documentation of changes and a few extra liveries. This release will be a V9 version that should work in V10 (pending testing)...then I'll do a V10 variant with a few V10 lighting features.

Edited December 8, 2011 by tkyler

[hobofat]

Great news, Tom! This is still my favorite plane in the X-Plane world, looking forward to the update. Will this update have an installer/activator similar to the Falco? It's quite handy and will be nice to have all my X-Aviation planes in the same folder.

[tkyler]

Yes, one of the things I am implementing is dumping that old activation system and adopting the new one. It should be MUCH less hassle I am working on a couple of extra liveries too. I'll be including the ones I posted on the org as standard and the black with gold wavy stripes will be the new default livery.

Edited December 9, 2011 by tkyler

[TOBS]

Tom,

I am really looking forward to that update for the nice Moo. Please be so kind and distribute a list of your custom commands like phillip did it for the CRJ200. That would make it very easy to write custom joystick or keyboard buttons for the Moo like the user want (I assume you did not write custom joystick or key buttons).

Cheers and thnx Tom

[tkyler]

as it happens Tom, I'm picking up a joystick shortly and will be doing some programming just for it....so I'll be testing out the commands and will certainly publish the info.

[TOBS]

as it happens Tom, I'm picking up a joystick shortly and will be doing some programming just for it....so I'll be testing out the commands and will certainly publish the info.

Hi Tom,

I am using the xjoymap pythonscript to write custom joystick or keystroke buttons for any command. You are completely free to customize the buttons like you want. For example: instead of heaving two buttons for RCS up and down it is possible to put it on one button to toggle through 3 stages - and it is possible to put both RCS left and right on this one button. This helps a lot of you don not have enough buttons :-) But it is necessary to know what command the author uses for each event.

I really like this easy to hande script and python is working very well on mac and win (do not know about linux) so I wrote different scripts for several planes you will find it on the .org.

xjoymap by joan perez

http://forums.x-plan...&showfile=11720

BTW the MU2 uses the GIZMO. The nice EADT KLN90B FMC/GPS which is wrote with the SASL plugin will not work with GIZMO (unless those both plugins will be compatibel) Will you make a version for the Xreallity Garmin or a version with an Xplane FMC so that it would be possible to use Javier Cortes UFMC (or does a MU2 never have such a FMC)

Do you know this KLN90B which was written by Dennis Pruefer and is distributed by EADT - it works very well and the airac can be updated thorough navigraph. Unfortunately an airac update for the Xreality Garmin is not possible it stays somewhere in 2010 or 2009 and it looks that it is till now not compatible with Xplane 10.

KLN90B

http://www.eadt.eu/i...N90B-GPS-Device

Cheers Tom

Edited December 12, 2011 by TOBS