With the initial release of the comet now completed, if feel it might be worth updating this first post to make a link to the download for the freeware version easy to find!
D.H.88 Comet Freeware Download
Please do read through some of my more recent posts, or the freeware release page to have a better understanding of it’s development stage and what it can/cant do and how she now looks!
Hi all,
Today I feel I should formally introduce my current project for MSFS to everyone - the De Havilland D.H.88 Comet. Purpose built for the MacRobertson Air Race of 1934, the comet was Britain’s answer to winning the most extreme endurance race on the planet. While I am in the very early stages of development for this project to be truly finished, today marks 88 days before the 88th anniversary of the comet’s first flight.
The current plan is to release the aircraft in several stages, the first of which will be an entirely freeware version of the aircraft. The comet is an iconic piece of British engineering from the interwar period, introducing many new ideas and techniques which went on to help shape de Havilland’s future in aviation - as such I feel its important for as many people to experience it as possible! However, to come clean and be realistic about it, this is the first ever piece of 3d modelling work I have ever done, the first flight model I’ve ever created, and the first set of textures I have produced for an entire aircraft from scratch. It will take longer than I expect and I aim to produce a good quality product, rather some cobbled together junk! As a result, i have to be realistic about either the time-scale of this project, or the stages of quality i should aim to achieve at each release stage.
My hope is that by the 88th anniversary of the first flight of the comet (8th September 2022), i will have got the project to a point where i have a fairly well-modelled, and cleanly textured exterior model, with a decent feeling flight model, and a basic non-prototype interior cockpit. At whatever point i reach this i will be more than happy to release it as a freeware addon mod for anyone to install and enjoy. This will by no means be the final product however! I will continue to improve and develop the project as a freeware, working on the flight model to get it closer to true values, improve the texturing for the exterior and make a (more) realistic interior for her.
Alongside this, i will start refining the aircraft systems in as much depth as i feel i can using the SDK, as well as producing additional details and features both for the exterior and interior models to try and catch the glamour and charm of the original 1934 machines. These additional features i currently plan to add to build a pay ware version of the Comet for those wanting a more in-depth experience of even higher quality. This would be again updated over time, with the hope that income from the project could help pay for custom sounds/ additional details around the aircraft. I am fully aware that i am a nobody in terms of sim developers and accept that very little, if any of you will have faith on me hitting my goals! But we can all dream cant we? (also, i’d be asking pittance for a pay ware as i know it shouldn’t really be able to hold a candle to some of the amazing releases out there (looking at you 247D - even if they couldn’t get to the podium!)).
I originally started work on this project back in February of this year, i work full-time teaching in a secondary school in the UK, and have a 1 y/o daughter to look after, so the vast majority of this project has been completed between 10pm-1am on the odd days i can drag myself onto the computer. So it’s been slow and steady work! On top of this, i have another one due on the 12th of September, so i have no clue how development is going to work out after my initial target date. That being said, so far i have achieved:
A good representation of the wings, tail, and nacelles, with fully animated main gear, and a well-represented (from the front and side at least!) model of the Gipsy Six Series I R engine. I have also produced a fairly well convincing flight model, giving her the correct cruise and stall behaviours as stated by the flight tests and descriptions given by current pilots.
What i do need to do still is finish off the cockpit area of the fuselage, flaps, tail skid and central wing box. Whereby i will be happy with the modelling of the exterior model! I will make a VERY rough and ready interior space with a minimum of gauges to help fly, before focusing on texturing the exterior of the model to at least make her look good on camera! Given the speed of development so far, i suspect this will be more than enough to keep me busy up to and probably beyond the 8th September.
In advance to some comments, I suspect will be made in the future by prospective pilots… An issue I have kept running into is that pretty much all data given for the 88 from its original flights are described in British imperial units and mph, rather than US imperial and kts. This has meant already a number of modifications to get it to the correct specifications and weights! Particularly trying to get the correct fuel consumptions and MTOW! Alongside this, a large number of images of G-ACSS have been confused online with the American replica NX88D which has made it a bit of work trying to see if I’m actually following the correct designs or not… As for prototypical images from the correct era, the 88 was a racing machine in such high demand, she was changed countless times, with what appears to be very little available records of these changes. And despite the cockpit being where the pilots spent those exhausting 70 hours and 54 minutes, no one really seemed to care about what it looked like in there! As a result, I am planning to follow the few images I have of the original layout, but will obviously take some form of artistic license for it! I am also definitely going to be giving it a basic autopilot to allow us to do some long-haul runs without destroying our brains by sitting at our screens for 7 hours without a break, my current plan is to have the co-pilot position to house any sim-specific switches, radios and the autopilot panel. The idea being that it’s easily accessible and useable, but doesn’t ruin the idea of flying a 1934 classic.
I will aim to update this thread with my progress every week or so - or when i have completed something of minor note! I would also be greatly appreciative of feedback/ideas/support when it comes to reference material, or texturing of the aircraft. I have slowly been building up information myself, but knowing the flight sim community, and the historical popularity of this aircraft i wouldn’t be surprised if there are loads of you out there who know every nut and bolt of this beauty!
On a complete aside – I think it’s fairly lucky that 88 days before the first flight of an endurance champion of the same class, is also the 99th anniversary of motor racing’s most prestigious endurance race!
Edit: It’s been a long time since posting any images here… had rubbish quality so uploaded some larger ones so it doesn’t look like rubbish!
