I know there are a few glider/soaring enthusiast over here so I wanted to let you know we have launched Beta version of the AS 33 Me.
This project is not a MOD or conversion, it has been developed from the ground up by MADolo Simulations and B21, with support from Chris Bullas on exterior textures.
We have received loads of feedback already and we are currently working on improvements for the next update. It is fast approaching 1,000 downloads and so far it looks very positive.
We have plenty more sailplanes in the making, all focused around high performance modern gliders in different FAI classes that we will be working on once the AS 33 Me is at full v1.0 release, so we hope you enjoy.
Any questions just search Madolo Simulation on Discord, contact me here or on flightsim.to
The blue needle is the Mccreedy setting and is controlled by the knob at the bottom right (hover your mouse over and use the scroll wheel). This will increase or decrease your speed to fly units
The green needle is your speed to fly. Above zero means slow down, below zero means speed up.
The bottom digits are you speed to fly in numbers.
The top digits is your average climb rate.
All of this is only important for task/competition flying. But the real world glider was designed for exactly that which is why we have implemented all these features.
Future updates will also include more task information on the main display, such as distance and height to next turnpoint, glide rate required, average task speed and a bunch of other things.
Thank you for your detailed explanation, I had never thought about flying a glider before , but since flying your product, I feel it is very interesting.
Thanks for posting that, it gives a nice clear explanation on what Mccreadyis for.
Only difference with the older ring is with that you move the ring, and then use the vario needle as your indication of how quick to fly
With the newer LX Nax S100 vario I’ve used as a template for the AS33 you set the blue needle to your expected climb then the green needle moves to show if you should slow down or speed up.
Its in the workshop as we speak. Had its paint job, currently installing all the equipment and making sure all controls work properly…lol
In all seriousness its about 1/3 of the way through development. But I have paused it while we gather feedback on the AS33. If we can get that just right, we can then have a really good template for the next 19 odd gliders I have planned that will allow us to get them ready much quicker.
They wont all be the same, but there will be bits and code we can use on other planes.
As others have reported in the comments on flightsim.to, I’m also seeing an FPS slow down after about five minutes of flight time. Not saying it is the model or the recent Sim Update 4 causing the issue or a combination of both but thought it worth noting.
I know it is early days but here are some things I’d love to see:
Volume control on the vario if possible. Currently just turning the audio off as too loud/annoying.
Ability to not have the pilot figure in the cockpit. Feels like I’m sitting on his lap, especially in VR
In a steep, over speed dive, to have the terrifying sound effects of everything creaking, banging and popping in the airframe (my first real life experience of gliding).
I did have to regenerate the layout.json file to get the motor/some instruments to work.
Think we will have the pilot switchable as some people want it, others dont. Sound is also a work in progress, but you would be surprised at the noises you get in real life when you put the nose down. Or on a hot day, the metal expand and contracts with hight and you jump out your skin when you hear a loud bang.
So far no plans yet for the Hornet, but maybe next year. My plan is 20 of the more modern gliders, 5 each for the FAI Open, 18m, 15m and standard class.
There will be a bit of cross over, like the AS33 in real life is available in 18 and 15m, or the JS2 has both Open and 18m.
Most will be freeware, but I may do 1 or 2 in each class as payware, but cheap, maybe like £5.
That way you still get a very good selection if you are not prepared to pay, but if you are willing to spend a small amount then I get to take my wife out to dinner instead of facing divorce for sitting at my PC for hours on end till 2 am… lol
Thanks for the reply. Sorry its so delayed, I haven’t had a chance to be on here for a while.
I am going to completely remodel the AS33 and this will fix the texture issues. But at the moment we are getting a few other gliders ready, so it wont be for a while yet.
The glide ratios have been modeled as accurately as what MSFS will currently allow. And it has been done at different weights, flap settings and speeds.
What Ian did was to fly the model in completely calm air in different settings, then constantly tweak the performance until in each setting he was able to replicate the real world polar listed be Alexander Schleicher.
A few people have posted pics using SimPolars stating the glide ratio is out. Ian didn’t use Sim Polars. What he did was far more simple and we believe more accurate. He simply took the exact distance flown (level flight, constant speed) and devided it by exact height lost until he achieved the glide ratio linked to that part of the polar depending on what setting he was in.
The best glide ratio you can get out of the AS33 is 56:1, and you will only get that at the correct speed as per the real polar.
thanks to the developers for this fantastic aircraft. Just two quick comments, as I could not find an answer on the web.
I am enjoying it in VR but I could not find a way to remove the avatar. Sometimes part of him pops up in front of me… kind of creepy, I have to say. Legs and hands are actually ok.
Second, a small glitch: the barometric pressure on the speedometer is not shown correctly (always 1013hPa).
Thanks @IGAR73 , Im glad you like it. We have a V2 coming out soon with a few modelling and other tweaks, then we will look to include better VR support too.
To remove the pilot, simply click the button at the top of the control stick. At the moment he will disappear from both views, but in the next update he should still be visible in external view.
The Barometric pressure is an odd one. For most it seems to work, only a few have issues. I will bring it up with B21 and see if we can work it out.
