Steve Hosgood wrote: > On Wed, 2005-11-30 at 20:25, Steve Knoblock wrote: > >>If an aircraft has its own autopilot, the default dialog >>does not come up, but if it does not specify an autopilot, the default >>dialog comes up. >> > > > > Not quite. I've just discovered that the autopilot works(*) with the > Colditz Glider! > > Let's see: a WWII escape glider built from floorboards and bedsheets and > lacking *any* instruments apart from a yaw-string, does feature a > fully-functioning autopilot! You've gotta take your hat off to those POW > dudes.... > > On second thoughts, just possibly there's a bug here! > > > We seriously need an item in the 'instruments' XML where a 'plane can > request the default autopilot be available if: > > 1) The plane actually *has* an autopilot (**) > > and > > 2) The author doesn't want to bother with writing their own (yet). > > In the long term we could argue that the second case above isn't > required - the dialog should only be available if the plane actually has > an autopilot. In the case of the Cessna (and maybe others) where a > "real" autopilot has been modelled, the dialog should be there, but set > values in the "real" autopilot simulation. > > However, I'd suggest that the two-part test above be put in to sort out > the most gratuitous ill effects in the current code *before* 1.0.0 comes > out. > > Something similar should probably also be done for things like comms and > nav radios (again, the Wright Flyer and Colditz Glider don't have them), > in fact the *entire* "Equipment" menu item ought to be grayed-out for > those two planes. > > All the gliders would want to disable the "Fuel Settings" dialog in that > menu item. All historic craft would want to disable "GPS settings". > > Sheesh: there's a good bit of work to be done around here. The "systems > failures" dialog box should only have boxes for systems that the plane > in question actually has! The "altimeter settings" dialog should be > greyed out on any plane that doesn't have an altimeter (Wright Flyer, > Colditz Glider and the Hang Glider I suppose). > > Steve > > > (*) "Velocity control using pitch" oscillates badly. Heading control is > fine. > (**) I suspect the FlightGear "1903 Wright Flyer" has autopilot too... > > > > _______________________________________________ > Flightgear-devel mailing list > Flightgear-devel@flightgear.org > http://mail.flightgear.org/mailman/listinfo/flightgear-devel > 2f585eeea02e2c79d7b1d8c4963bae2d >
Perhaps it would be easy to write a null autopilot. Put that in the base package, and anyone who wants no autopilot in their aircraft could select that. I know nothing of autopilots though. Josh _______________________________________________ Flightgear-devel mailing list Flightgear-devel@flightgear.org http://mail.flightgear.org/mailman/listinfo/flightgear-devel 2f585eeea02e2c79d7b1d8c4963bae2d
