Our Yak-52 is very late in development and in final tests. In addition to putting the flight model through its paces with the help of actual Yak-52 pilots, we are also fine tuning the interactive training missions. The Yak-52 will be released next month!
Having direct access to a Yak-52 from “The First Flight” Russian close formation aerobatic display team, we’ve been able to model the aircraft in extreme detail and accuracy. One element of this is the sounds of the aircraft. On multiple occasions we have sent our sound team to a local airfield near Moscow to capture the cockpit and external sounds.
During one recording session, we recorded a video of it.
External sounds were captured at various engine RPM settings and from different microphone vantages such as all around the aircraft, fly by, passes at different altitudes, and aspect angles.
Inside the cockpit, the focus was also on engine RPM at various settings, but also on switch clicks, the pneumatics (landing gear, flaps, and brakes), canopy opening and closing, etc.
The sounds environment will be as if you were there in the cockpit!
Each two week cycle we are adding more and more new features to the Hornet while addressing bugs as they pop up. Our current focus for the rest of July and next month is on the following:
Complete the AIM-7 with addition of FLOOD, Home On Jam (HOJ), and LOFT sub-modes.
Integrate AIM-120B/C for STT employment (TWS employment will come later).
Integrate AIM-9X Block I. This includes both flight dynamics and new tones. Afterwards, in August or September, we will add the Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing System (JHMCS).
Complete RWS air-to-air radar mode with such features as Non-Cooperative Target Recognition (NCTR), AACQ mode, Latent Track While Scan (LTWS) mode, Pulse Repetition Frequency (PRF) settings, ability to change radar settings with TDC along outside of radar tactical area, radar speed gate setting, COLOR option, and more.
Complete radar warning receiver functionality with contact symbols and modifiers, EW HUD, and the OFFSET function.
Integrate Paveway II series laser-guided bombs (GBU-10, 12, and 16) with JTAC designation.
Further tuning of flight model with touch and go performance, gear drag, half flaps drag, takeoff pitch characteristics, and extreme angle of attack performance.
Brightness control for the HSI display.
Multiplayer carrier deck spawning issues.
Wingtip vortices errors at low airspeed.
There are certainly more items that we will be addressing over the net month. This is just a list of 10 of them.
Since our last list of Hornet academic training missions in a newsletter, we have two more:
