Almost everything can be changed or overwritten, from panel gauges to seat colors, sounds, etc, so “custom” version of the plane can be made with little efforts (given that the 3d model is not modifiable!).
For the fuel tanks panel I have created 2 versions, I guess the left one was installed on prototype N1 and the right one on the N2, it is more easy to read and more clear, but I found only 1 image of the N2 cockpit with this gauge.
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I wonder how fuel management works in this plane. In the Concorde it is extremely fun as you have to keep the CG in the right figures for the whole flight. Is it similar in the XB-70? Did it use fuel to move the CG back and forth?
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That’s a really good question. I’d guess you didn’t have to do quite the same level of transfer shuffling with the B-70, because the bomb load is presumably greater than the passenger/cargo weight on the Concorde, so the fuel wouldn’t be as large a % of total weight as it is on the Concorde (and also wouldn’t be stretched out along the length of the plane as much), and therefore the fuel (specifically changes in the tanks) wouldn’t be as big a factor in changes to the CG. Only a guess though.
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Oh this will be good…
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I just found this thread today and I have reading all the messages for the last hour.
My wife is staring at me wondering why I have been so focus looking at the smartphone haha. She doesn’t know that I have found my favorite military plane ever is almost done and I might have the chance of playing it in VR!
Thanks Airmax!!
Saludos desde España!
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So I have been wondering about this since the gauge lighting discussion- did this beast ever fly at night?
Being an “x plane” and needing to see it at all times, I wonder if there was protocol for the time of day it was actually flown.
I know that the exterior lights are FAA regs for normal airplanes, but in digging through all my pictures, I cant find any exterior lights on the Valkyrie.
Same definitely looking forward to sitting in this beast for the first 30 minutes just admiring it in VR’s stereoscopic 3D.
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It’s very likely neither airframe ever flew at night, since the XB-70 program had been shifted to a strictly research role before the first flight happened, and because the flights were all relatively short (the longest was 3:40) and there was no need to try and hide the airplanes from view, there would have been no real reason for any night flying to happen.
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Yes that’s true, no lights are visible on the plane, but on the flight manual the switches on the triangular overhead panel are well described, as you can see on the attached picture.
There are dimmers for instrument lights, panel flooding and exterior lights as navigation and anti-collision as well. Looking on the plane though, where one would expect to see the lights, only some possible supporting plate is visible. I guess the lights were removed for some reason, or maybe not installed on first prototype ?
On this page
I found some very detailed close ups of the fuselage; in one of the last images you will be able to see a circular plate with the sign “auxiliary landing light” exactly where it was supposed to be according to the XB70 manual, but apparently it is not there.
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I wouldn’t be surprised if the lights were a “we’ll figure it out later” thing, where the switches and wiring were installed, but the lights themselves were going to be installed if/when they were needed.
It’s also distinctly possible that someone realized there was no point in installing the lights themselves after the hardware was already in place.
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Dude, what you’re trying to accomplish, almost alone, is incredible. I’m in for donations if you’re considering it. The XB70, alongside the Blackbird, were my most flown birds in FSX, i had the Virtavia/Alphasim ones. I also have the book by Richard Graham on how to fly the SR71 (which procedures applys pretty much identically to the Valkyrie too), that goes into all the checklist and phases of flight… So you can imagine how hyped i am for this project of yours! If you need beta testers at some point, please also consider me in. It’s been a while since i’ve flown one of those, but in the meantime i got my PPL done and gained some IRL experience… maybe i can help with some feedback.
Grazie da un connazionale 
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I agree with you. The plane was designed for becoming a long range and long lasting missions, and the prototypes were prepared for leading to a fully operative aircraft, so the controls and maybe the wiring, circuit breakers, bus lines, and so on were designed and installed, but many details were left for final production units. EG : the prototypes (particularly the first one) were equipped with a bunch of instruments - as thermocouples, microphones, vibration sensors, etc - for plane behavior assessment, occupying spaces designed for other 2 operators on future versions. The question is, for me, will this model be tailored only on museum prototype N1 or also on final - never completed - version ?
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In my opinion ideally if you have enough documentation to be able to implement a “final” working version of the xb-70 that would be better that having the “prototype” version lacking interesting instruments.
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I ask myself which version I would want to fly. The one that actually flew or the fictional one that was never built.
I’d prefer the prototype if there was only one or the other.
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I see a plug there. Is it possible it was installed at one point, but removed after the program ended? Possibly used on another aircraft/project?
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I’m ok with the prototype plus a few tidbits that could be simply added. In other words keep the prototype as real as possible but if you add landing lights then it is totally fine to me.
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I would prefer the prototype as well… it’s a piece of aviation history whereas the operational B70 is a ‘What If’… Having said that, if the B70 is where we are going, then I am still very excited to fly it.
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Yes this is what I guess too, I wouldn’t be so happy to fly an airplane that cannot land, in winter, after 4pm because it misses a landing light… and it’s a billion dollar plane! Also some kind of NAV lights or anti-collision should have been there (well, not that at 70.000 ft you could find much air traffic…) but you have to approach an airport, and maybe fly in unforeseen low visibility… who knows ?
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This is going to be fun in Vatsim, a lot of fun!
“Can you please move all those semi-static planes out of my way?”
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Yeah, you are going to have to share an external model with the AIG and FSLTL folks so others can see us flying by in the correct shape 
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