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SBS HERMES Mk.I Medium Transport Plane (LEGACY)

SeaBoss Systems (SBS) HERMES Mk.I Medium Transport Plane (LEGACY)

*LEGACY: No planned changes on current version. New Versions will be issued.

The smaller cousin of the venerable C130 Hercules the HERMES takes advantage of the latest FbW (Fly by Wire) technology. Hold Altitude, Hold Speed, Stabilization systems for Roll, Pitch and Yaw, Various Autopilot modes.. she's ready to take on whatever mission you throw at her.

MAX SPEED: 65 m/s
STALL SPEED: 35 m/s
OPTIMAL SPEED: 50 m/s

UPDATED MARCH 23rd:
Pitched changed back to maintaining the pilots designated angle instead of returning to level (when not flying in HOLD ALTITUDE mode). It was somewhat counter-intuitive for flying.
Only Roll is designed to slowly Auto level after key presses are discontinued. If you apply "over" corrections it will multiple the effect and you may start to wobble as the plane tries to correct itself again. Best way to fly the HERMES is with light touches on the control. Remember, it's a Transport Plane, not a Fighter Jet. :)

HOLD ALTITUDE: When you hit the Hold Altitude button it will pass the current altitude to the FBW Holding system. At that point the plane will work with the Pitch controllers to gain and hold that level. There are buttons available to increase and decrease the requested hold altitude. It's a great way to transition. Just be careful if you are getting really close to the deck as the plane takes a bit of time to level out (uses PIDs) especially if you are coming down fast. Therefore if you are wanting to get really close to the deck come down in slow increments. NOTE: HOLD ALTITUDE automatically kicks in when the AP turns off in order to try to maintain flight at your current altitude.

HOLD SPEED: When you hit the Hold Speed button it will pass the current speed to the FBW Holding system. The plane will take automatic control of the Engine throttle and you may see the it pulse up and down as it finds the right throttle level for your requested speed (uses PID). Like Hold Altitude you can increase and decrease the Hold Speed using buttons. NOTE: HOLD SPEED automatically kicks in with AP turns off in order to maintain the current throttle level.

CHANGE PROP DRIVE SHAFT GEAR:
The Engine is set for the most torque for take-off. However running it in this mode will generate a lot of heat. There is a change gear button just to the right of the Hold Speed button. I would suggest that you Change to the High RPS gear (turn on Change Gears) in order to assist with the Heat problem. When you are at lower speeds (take off and landing) it may be advantageous to run with higher Torque.


2 Primary modes of AutoPilot are Implemented: Single WayPoint and Multi Waypoint (FLIGHT PLAN).
NOTE OF RECOGNITION: Thanks to Tajin for the basis of the AP X/Y pathing system. Continuing to use his formulas in my AP modules.

SINGLE WAYPOINT: Pilot at Seat - Pilot uses Keyboard and Keypads to enter Destination GPS X/Y, Destination Height and Destination Final Speed. When the Waypoint has been submitted as a Computation Point and Single Waypoint Mode engaged the plane will take complete control and fly a Progressive straight line route to the destination. Progressive means that the plane takes the current speed and height and plots a line from the point the Autopilot was engaged to the point of Destination. Along that line the plane will progressively increase/decrease the requested height and speed so that when you reach your destination you will be at the desired location, height and speed. The result is no sudden jolts or climbs and a smooth ride. Once the plane reaches the destination it will automatically disengage Autopilot and kick in Hold Altitude and Hold Speed allowing you to cruise in a straight line. The SP Entry allows for you to enter up to 10 Individual SP waypoints that are store in memory slots that you can cycle through.

FLIGHT PLAN (FP): Allows for up to 10 Waypoints. Using the Navigator station behind the main flight deck the pilot will program in various waypoints in order to form a multi point flight plan (GPS X/Y, Height, Speed, optional mode settings being consider such as prop reversal and engaging brakes - 5 BITs available + 1 (BIT 1 set for setting Last Leg to tell AP to turn off after completing and hold course). For the last leg of your plan click on the Toggle button to apply BIT1 (LAST LEG) to the final WP. That will instruct the FBW-FP-AP system to turn off after the last WP is reached. From the Pilot seat you can then start FLIGHT PLAN. The plane will take over and fly from waypoint to waypoint in order. (Please see Change Notes for TIPS on how to use FLIGHT PLAN).

NOTE: The Autopilot has an enhancement where you can still apply Yaw and Roll manually in addition to what the plane's system is adding to get you to the WP. I found it useful for when I line up the plane for what I assume is a straight line run on the runway only to be slightly off to the left or right. Now I can provide some "push" to move the plane to where I need it to be while it's still in AP and the AP will work with that in order to realign it so that it's moving again towards the WP after the push is removed.

PROCESS FOR GETTING IN TO AIR FROM HANGAR:
- Enter Pilot's seat on Fight Deck. Easiest way to get in to plane is through back Cargo Ramp or through a hatch under the plane on the Starboard side. The side door is too elevated at this point for easy access.
- In the ceiling there are 4 key switches in order to engage the engines, turn them all on to send power and Fuel to the Vanguard Engines.
- Idle Mode is automatically set to ON and the engines will all turn over automatically.
- Disengage the Wheel Brakes (Centre Mid) and click the "Props Engage "button (Overhead Centre) in order to connect the Prop Shafts to the Engine Power. At this point you will start taxing under Idle Power.
- Once you are lined up for takeoff you can dial the Engine Throttle all the way up and hit the button to switch from Idle to Throttle Controlled. At this point you will start to pick up speed fast.
- My next suggestion is to not touch the controls and at about 30 m/s your plane will start to lift off. If you constantly apply aileron up on the ground then you may overpitch on takeoff. The plane will try to correct but if you are going too slow it will stall. Let the plane do the work for you.
- Once you are airborne, and the plane has defined a stable pitch based on speed, retract the landing gear and you can then take over and have complete control using the stick.. or If you want you can go fully FbW: Hit Hold Altitude and you can use the increase and decrease altitude buttons to transition, Hit Hold Speed and adjust the Speed with the Increase and Decrease Speed buttons, or plugin a Waypoint (Single Waypoint) with GPS X/Y, Height and Destination Speed, hit submit to send the point to Computation and then click on Start Autopilot and the plane will do the rest.

Max Speed for the plane right now is about 63 m/s (122 knots). The Engines are all Diesel because Diesel Fuel is available everywhere and cheaper. The HERMES is a Utility and Long Haul plane with over 20k units of fuel between its two tanks. With Hold Speed at 50 m/s she is very controllable as I was easily able to fly between islands even at 5-10 metres off the deck with absolutely no worry.

OVERRIDE CODE: 0397
When any doors or hatches are locked (Door Condition Red) the Code can be entered in to the Panel near the Port Side External Door to disable the locks.

Two "Bumble-Bee" (BB) Work Pallettes added to Cargo Bay using slide rails, MAGs and Electrical Connection to Plane.