[2.0.0] Your personal jetpack - JW1 | TouchingCloud

General Discussion & Interests Aircraft
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Have you ever dreamed about flying like a bird, outside of a metal can with a windshield? Now you have a chance to do it in Microsoft Flight Simulator - take on your suit and prepare for a mind blowing experience!

Microsoft Flight Simulator Screenshot 2021.07.05 - 21.17.22.52
Microsoft Flight Simulator Screenshot 2021.07.05 - 21.17.22.521920Ă—1080 357 KB

You can hover like a helicopter, or escort an airliner like a jet fighter. Participate in competitions or fly above cities in VR mount. Your only enemies - small fuel tank and extremely sensitive controls.

It will be free-to-pay add-on, it means you will be able to try it with most functionality without payment. Full list of premium features and detailed roadmap in the post below.

HOW REAL IS IT?

We are not trying to build a copy of any real aircraft. However, we are trying to make it fly at least somehow realistically for given specifications, in the existing limits of MSFS and our knowledge. Please consider JW1 as an evaluation of simulator capabilities rather than an attempt to create a flight trainer. Any experience you will get with this add-on can’t be used in real life, both for flying or aircraft building.

CURRENT DEVELOPMENT STAGE

Public release! Get latest version, try it out and leave feedback - in comments below or in our Discord. It’s still not finished - you can expect further improvements of: sounds, display symbology, parachute dynamics, aboard quality, body and parachute animation. Some technical limitations exists that we can’t affect anyhow, but they will be solved by MSFS developers with time.

SPECIFICATIONS

Aircraft Type: wing shaped jetpack

Maximum takeoff weight: 350lbs

Engines: x4 jet 100lbs thrust each

Autonomy: 15 minutes

Max range: 90km

Take off: vertical hovering

Landing: parachute

VR: supported

Indication: Legacy HUD (SkyTraveler) or Modern HMD (SkyPirat)

Visual effects: downwash, exhaust smoke, ground contact dust

Startup procedures: simplified (master starter switch)

Liveries: 4

CREDITS

twoseventyinc textures

ANRI flight model, competitions

Got Gravel flight model

Dietmar Loleit GenHUD (SkyTraveler)

1L2P instruments

brm352 instruments

Payware JW1 "SkyPirat"

Freeware JW1 "SkyTraveler"

The Latest news and updates you can find at

Touching Cloud Facebook page

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Progress report! Basic HUD indication added into this version, stabilization modes, flight model improvements, effects updated. As a bonus - canyon run ALBATROSS competition!

ROADMAP

1. Experimental aircraft - May 2021 :white_check_mark:

It was a quick test for the possibility of making such a small aircraft with a human body as a control surface. Passed successfully
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2. Initial development - Jule 2021 :arrows_counterclockwise:

We are near the end of the current stage - it flies well and looks good, but still many things unfinished and issues not solved.
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3. Community testing - Jule 2021 :date:

Once all is done, we will ask private community members to help us with testing. That will be a fully working aircraft but you still may experience various issues. If you are not member any of these communities, it’s a good time to join:

ALBATROSS & TouchingCloud Discord
Got Gravel Discord
Brett Plays Discord
Facebook MSFS 2020 VR group

Microsoft Flight Simulator Screenshot 2021.07.20 - 23.43.53.38
Microsoft Flight Simulator Screenshot 2021.07.20 - 23.43.53.381859Ă—1045 141 KB

4. Public release - August 2021 :busts_in_silhouette:

You will find finished aircraft on our official website. Any other add-ons server, like flightsim.to, will be able to host our files, but only if it will be allowed to place a link to the payware version in the description.

5. Payware version release - August 2021 :trophy:

This is a free-to-pay add-on, so you may enjoy it for free. However, if you like it and wish to support future projects of our team and partners, you should consider purchasing it. Premium features still in development so final price is not clear yet, approximately $5-10 (excl. taxes).

Planned premium features:

  • Apache-style helmet-mounted display
  • Board inside of your friend’s aircraft and jump out form 20 000ft altitude! Low on fuel? No problem - aboard nearby flying GA plane and borrow 5 gallons of kerosene.
  • Landing chute - land safely even if you low on fuel.
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Today we proceed to the new development stage - community testing! Join one of the listed in previous post communities to participate and leave your feedback or issue report there.

Also we have started to write flight manual, you can always check add-on page with actual information about this project:

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First public update of Jetpack JW1 was just released so we would like to ask everyone to participate in Screenshot Contest of our new aircraft! 5 pictures will be selected by our ALBATROSS & TouchingCloud Discord server members. You can submit your favorite screenshots or vote for the ones you like.

Winners will get a free license for the payware version of the JW1 - with landing chute, custom helmet display symbology and aboard feature! Also your shots will be added into the release gallery with your name underneath.

Rules are simple:

  • join our Discord if you are still not a member

  • post your pictures into “# jw1-screenshot-contest” channel

  • at least one JW1 aircraft should be presented on the picture

  • no more than 3 pictures from each user

  • no photofilters allowed, only brightness/contrast adjustment and crop

  • resolution at least 1280x720 pixels, no upscale; format - PNG or JPEG with highest quality

  • Discord members can vote anytime until contest is over, leave :thumbsup: under image you like (all other emoji will be ignored)

  • you can vote for several pictures at once

  • contest will start Sunday 25 July, ends Thursday 29 July 12:00 UTC

You can post your pictures anytime until contest channel is open. Then I will ping everyone one more time so we can collect as many votes as possible.

Good luck!

JW1 v0.8.0 link and details are here

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Demo of the premium feature - aboard:

Premium version will be available on the SimMarket, date TBA

Versions comparison:

Feature JW1 SkyTraveler JW1 SkyPirat
Price FREE €8 (Excl.VAT)
WASM Build Debug Release
High poly models :heavy_check_mark: :heavy_check_mark:
16k textures + PBR :heavy_check_mark: :heavy_check_mark:
Vertical stabilization :heavy_check_mark: :heavy_check_mark:
Accurate flight model :heavy_check_mark: :heavy_check_mark:
Avionics symbology :heavy_check_mark: FSX GenHUD :heavy_check_mark: Apache HMD
Aboard any aircraft :heavy_multiplication_x: :heavy_check_mark:
Landing chute :heavy_check_mark: Round :heavy_check_mark: Ram-air
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YAHOO!!! JW1 ON SIMMARKET!!
We are pretty close to the final version, but some work still should be done. You can expect updates will come during next several weeks.
Free version is step behind - HUD display should be updated to fit latest changes, could be ready in 2-3 days. Then it will be available not only on our website, but also on flightsim.to

Feel free to leave feedback or discovered issues below, will try to respond quickly but please be patient.

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It’s a really great piece of fun!

jw1
jw13192Ă—1342 696 KB

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Congratulations on the Launch!

It has been an absolute pleasure testing this for you and I would thoroughly recommend!

Parachuting to EGCC from 6000ft (AGL)

JetWing Ram-Air MSFS (5)
JetWing Ram-Air MSFS (5)3840Ă—2160 301 KB

Flying over the Yorkshire Mores
JetWing MSFS (2)
JetWing MSFS (2)3523Ă—1981 289 KB

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v0.9.11 with urgent fixes was pushed to the SimMarket:

Helmet display symbology changes:

  • ladder mask
  • ladder lines adjustment
  • longitudinal axis mark always stays visible on the screen

Issues fixed:

  • parachute sound always playing
  • mixture handle can turn off engines
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This thing is freakin awesome!. There is no better way of checking out new scenery. I have a couple of issues. I studied the manual. Even after assigning spoiler axis and mixture axis I can’t turn the engine off using the default keybind (cntrl shift e) or the mixture axis. Also the HUD is stuck at the top of the screen even after assigning spoiler axis or using the mouse I cant even read the heading and have no way of moving it.

Any help is appreciated
Kevin

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About mixture, people complained that engines dies right after flight start, and it was fixed after mixture disabled completely. You are right, now you can turn off engines only when you out of fuel, we are looking for the solution that will suit everyone.

When you move spoiler handle, does HUD moving at least somehow? or it stuck completely without movement. also try to toggle spoiler with keyboard key ( its NUM / for me)

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v0.9.12

  • helmet model visible in first person view (toggleable by Structural Deice hotkey – H by default)
  • flight mode can be switched to stabilization/hover at airspeed higher than 100 knots (you still should slow down to activate new mode)
  • new helmet model (no livery textures yet)
  • smoke trail updated; new value for HIDE_SMOKE FLT parameter: 0 – complex smoke, 1 – simple smoke, 2 – no smoke
  • HUD resolution increased, missing labels added (SkyTraveler)

Issues fixed:

  • HUD glass reflecting strobes
  • drogue parachute goes through parachute

Free version “SkyTraveler” now available at flightsim.to. It has less features (comparison table in post #4) and will be updated less frequently, about once per week. Have fun!

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Thanks for the response. With the spoiler axes if I move the slider it moves from the top to completely disappearing off the bottom of the screen. I need to use the spoiler / key to get it back again which is pegged to the top.

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Really enjoying the JetPack! Fun and different.

Would there be any chance of taking the parachute off the flaps binding? It is very easy to click the flaps down one notch too far and out comes the chute.

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It is very easy to click the flaps down one notch too far and out comes the chute.

good point, will think about it.

it moves from the top to completely disappearing off the bottom of the screen

so there is no way it appear in the middle of the screen? really weird, maybe I should add variable to force central position

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Now I have bought it, it was working fine yesterday, now when I extend the flaps they stay there for about 5 secs and then return to zero and won’t move again. Anyone got any ideas

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@Hedge2222 Which flap setting is it?

I believe if going above a set speed you cannot enable most modes. Full flaps should work for parachute but still, its best to slow down before make any changes for ease of control

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Make sure I am between 80-100 when I use the flaps. The throttle seems to go mad. I was using auto throttle on another plane. I wonder if that could be messing with something?

Really upset, as I was loving the fun it provides

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Hmm it’s possible that if have any assistance options/co pilot on could be issue but otherwise I’m stumped. Does seem to be an issue with your end rather the jetwing but that doesn’t make any less annoying!

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I thank you for your help:) Oneday maybe I will figure it out:(
Thinking I will post a video of what happens

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