Hello,
Well after a week of exchanges that will have served to nothing with the FREE Support because their technical services are either undersized or “not competent”, nothing has come forward and they maintain that the “site was blacklisted”.
Therefore I decided to delete my pages purely and simply.
For those who followed our creations, do not despair: I am thinking of a solution to put back online our addons, however it will take a little time.
The update of the Canso that I had planned, will necessarily be delayed but do not be discouraged it will come out this year. In life, you don’t always do what you want.
Thank you for your testimony.
9 Likes
Hi,
As a last check, I just did an ultimate test on my URL and miracle: it works again.
These events have shown me that it becomes urgent for me to change my host.
It is quite possible that I buy a hosting elsewhere and a domain name so as to be autonomous and have real support in case of difficulties.
Therefore, despite the 11 years of maintaining frenchvfr and the 3 million visitors to date, you will have to get used to another name in the near future…which I am defining at this moment.
5 Likes
I hope you work will not lost (I’m using googlesite but no board, files storage on drive not most efficence) and PBY will be compliant with FS2024 
See you later.
1 Like
No, after many emails exchanged with my provider and after more than 3 weeks I managed to have my website again. Apparently, nothing was lost.
As far as my projects are concerned, they are saved locally on two different external drives so no worries on this side.
For the PBY, the major work in progress since 2023 was the redesign of my old Damage Mod (that of my Cessna 150 TiBush) which I modified and adapted to MSFS 2020 as part of the work done on the Stearmans.
This “Damage Mod” is now OK and “cherry on the cake” it was written so as to be adaptable to several aircraft. Everything is parameterized and can be used on a single engine as on a bi-motor.
These days I work on the last part which is the graphical development of the interface. As soon as it is finished, I think I can instantiate it for the PBY and release a new version.
I had also planned an update of the interior textures, but there I did not have time to do it, nevertheless I developed work workflows to quickly create PBR textures. This work will be used to complete the last part.
Then there is the compatibility with MSFS 2024 … there, until information is published by Microsoft or Asobo, I could not do anything.
6 Likes
Browsing the net, I realize that this plane is used by many youtubers and that every time it’s the same question: shame that the dev has not finished his project.
To this I would like to reply several things:
- this project dates from 2013 so not yesterday and if I released an update only 2022, it was not the last,
- no, this project is not abandoned because I am still working on it, just I have not published because the changes and functions that I make are tested and used directly on other projects in progress.
As these functions are almost complete, here is the list of what will change:
- an internal APU is already modelled, its function will be coded and used soon,
- a KLN91 should be implemented,
- the management of fuel tanks will switch to the new FUELSYSTEM implemented by Asobo
- the oil will be managed like fuel, that is to say two oil tanks will be defined as “phantom fuel tanks”, the oil consumption will be managed so the weight of the aircraft will fluctuate and influence the flight model,
- a more thorough management of the engines will be added as well as its wear management: if the aircraft is used outside the manufacturer’s precaunisations this may result in damage to the engines, power losses or engine failures,
- a module based on the MSFS graphical interface will also be available to perform a number of things: management options, access to checklists, completion of a pre-flight, access to the aircraft’s nerve management parameters (structure wear, engine health, oil and cht time, etc.)
- I am also looking forward to information about the port of MSFS 2020 aircraft to 2024 so that the next release v0.9 is compatible with MSFS 2024.
- new PBR textures for the interior are in progress.
I hope that this way I will not have any surprises by reading disastrous comments on the future of this add-on which will remain freeware and whose next release should be by the end of 2024
16 Likes
Thank you very much lagaffe for this work and we’ll look forward for the update in the end of the year !
1 Like
Good new, I have tested my Canso PBY-5 and the latest version v0.8.0 should work fine with MSFS2024, with negligible glitches.
Even the pilots can be managed with the tablet and they appears in the cockpit.
Legacy sounds which are not impacted by a FS24 bug are marvellous in this version.
Nethertheless, I plan to make some modifications ont it to bring others functions and new PBR textures.
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I am so glad the Canso made its way to 2024! Thank you!
After flying for a while, the PBY’s props drop into low pitch. The plane loses power, resulting in a forced landing and then the engines finally stop. This problem makes long distance flights, for which the PBY is famous, impossible. I did a fresh download of the files and then reinstalled the plane with the exact same results. Is anyone else experiencing this problem?
I had a similar experience. I was successful in this way: After take off immediatly reduce rpm to 2000 - 2200. Or: in the air make a new start with the EFB.
I hope this help
I have been playing around with P-3 Orion’s but saw the PBY-5a and decided to give it a try. I understand that it is under development and wanted to say that I think what has been done so far is great!
I have tried this within MSFS 2020 and MSFS 2024.
Within MSFS 2020 I have found minor issues. Primarily the bigger issues are with the cabin (I like the US Navy versions and the interiors are not right… but easy to live with). THe check list for starting the engines does not work. HOwever I have been able to start the engines with both autostart and a simple startup procedure that I developed myself (would love to build that as a full blown check list).
I did give it a try with in MSFS 2024. While it works I did find more issues…
- I can not get water landings to work (I have played with other amphibians that work nicely on the water… but this one just crashes)
2) Autostart… does not work but I found how to make it work. Once you initiate a auto start the system will turn the fuel selector to off… If while the engine is trying to start you turn the switch to both the engine will start up!
3) no check list available
Overall GREAT work!!! I just wish someone would pick up the P-3 and do similar work!!!
Where can you get this plane?
@Vonzeigler
On my home site : http://frenchvfr.free.fr (it was indicated in the first post of this topic) and you have ask this question in March 2024 …
I thought perhaps they had a link to the updated one people are talking about.
The last version is always the Release v0.8.0 - 30-06-2022 on my web site.
There is absolutely no intention that I change my publishing site in any case not for FS.TO.
The Stearmans I was developing are now available on JustFlight, Simmarket and the Marketplace so in the next few weeks I would obviously provide support to users but it gives me time to get back on my old freeware projects that started “dusting” on the shelf where they were stored.
I just re-installed the PBY-5 on FS20 and FS24 to make a brief discovery flight and note the points that pose problems.
It will take a few days to remember all the files and the progress of the PBY-5 but I should be able to solve some major points in the coming weeks. The two main ones are :
- the automatic start via CTRL+E by activating all necessary functions (magnetos, mixture, throttle, cowl flaps),
- the power loss after a few minutes of flight (fuel selectors are not automatically ON if you start in automatic) .
But the biggest problem I have in terms of my current developments is the version of Blender that I use. In 2020 when I started to bring my creations under MSFS, I opted for Blender 2.83.x and the Vitus plugin. Since then, I have not changed versions even though I use other more up-to-date versions for specific tasks like creating textures with PBR Painter.
Therefore, I would have to take the time necessary to migrate a rather simple project to a Blender 4.2 version and the latest RonH plugin to export to MSFS. I made an attempt in early January but it was not conclusive.
With this new working environment I should be able to add more complex functions such as icing on my planes and create LODs in a simpler way so that I can then switch to native MSFS 2024 developments.
12 Likes
Just an update to my playing around with the PBY-5a
Within MSFS 2020 I have found an interesting artifact with water.:
When transitioning from water to land at amphibious capable airports. If in the water and the landing gear is down the aircraft mysteriously jumps out of the water with the wheels on the surface of the water. This causes some interesting effects when going into or out of the water. While exiting the water if one does not lower the gear early then the aircraft becomes imbedded in the ground. when entering the water the airplane will ride on top of the water until you lower the gear and then it ends up in the right spot..
While earlier I said that I could get the aircraft started in MSFS 2024… I have not been able to do that the last couple of days. Not sure what is different but playing around to see what is happening and what I am doing different.
Hope this information helps the developers.
Thanks