SR22 Development Update 4

COVID-19 Status:

We would like to take a moment to share our well wishes to everyone during this unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic. Currently, all members of our team are healthy, and as we work remotely already, work is progressing normally. As always, safety and health remain paramount to us.

Best wishes,

Steaven McKenzie and Cooper LeComp

Managing Partners, TorqueSim Aircraft Development

The TorqueSim Pocket Rocket is on the final day of its sale (45% off), returning to normal pricing on Sunday, March 22 at midnight eastern time. If you want a fun aircraft to add to your fleet when you are stuck at home, we’ve got you covered! You can get it here.

A fully custom engine model:

Enhanced or custom engine and failure models are becoming increasingly established in flight simulation, but are usually not able to trace the characteristics, peculiarities and limits of an aviation internal combustion engine back to a well-founded model, because there is a lack of physical basis and often simple, schematic relationships are used. Unfortunately, this often leads to confusion and resentment even among real pilots, including myself.

Our SR22 and SR22TN will therefore be the first aircraft to be equipped with a technology I have been working on for the past two years which is fundamentally new in X-Plane – as the aircraft nears completion, I have the honor of introducing you to the results of this work in the coming weeks, which will also cover flight model, TKS and oxygen systems, but this week we will start with the engine – the Continental IO-550-N, delivering 310 hp at 2,700 RPM.

Why go beyond X-Plane’s engine model at all?

X-Plane’s piston engine model is great in being generic and it provides a good approximation of all relevant performance parameters for a wide range of different engines. However, at its core it is configured by only a handful of parameters and can therefore be quite unprecise in individual cases, sometimes large discrepancies in the combinations of power parameters can be found and the power curve does not fit every concrete model. It also does not reflect the dynamics and inertia of an internal combustion engine very well, and those of turbochargers practically not at all.

Based on scientific literature, I have succeeded in integrating an approach to simulate an aircraft piston engine in X-Plane, which maps the mass flows of air and fuel in each part of the engine in real time. Air enters through the air filter, flows through ducts, passes obstacles like the throttle plate, burns the fuel and leaves the engine as exhaust gas. Pressures and temperatures are calculated in each section, the system is modular and can map even complex induction systems like the one on the SR22TN. With the Tornado Alley turbo-normalizing system installed, the full performance capability of the engine model comes into play, as compressors, intercoolers, wastegate and turbines also have their places in the calculation of air flows and pressures.

The output is not simply made to fit, it requires many real input parameters such as the shape of the throttle plate or ducts or a turbocharger map for the TN, all of which have been carefully researched and integrated in months of work – but everything else just falls into place, finely tuned to match the documentation of the real aircraft within a few percent across the entire normal flight envelope. We have made no compromises here! Also regarding your framerate, the architecture is heavily multithreaded and has virtually no performance impact on X-Plane.

Does it have other advantages as well?

The biggest advantage of this approach is the fact that the masses of air and fuel are available at hand and therefore the air-fuel ratio in each individual cylinder. So it is known at all times whether fuel is able to burn at all and how efficiently. You will notice this when priming and starting, when flooding the engine or when leaning – the EGT of the cylinder with the first peak will decrease while all others are still increasing!

You will even have the possibility to turn some engine set screws which a mechanic in reality also has to adjust for example maximum fuel flow or manifold pressure target on the turbo-normalized.

Inertia and dynamics are directly visible in the evolutions of fuel flow and manifold pressure when moving the power lever, especially in the TN. Turbocharger speeds are calculated and they need time to accelerate – just like the wastegate does to compensate for you advancing that power a bit to quickly on takeoff and the resulting overboost by allowing parts of the exhaust to bypass the turbine!

The fuel system has been treated in the same way as the air system, from tanks to the injector nozzles. You will notice fuel sensors and strainers that are sensitive to bank. Fuel lines which take time to empty and fill, engine-driven and boost pumps with fuel pressures following real evolutions.

Since the model simulates the engine down to its smallest components, it offers the optimal conditions for a very fine wear and failure system. Just imagine, on a hot day with warm fuel, to quickly climb up to the flight levels and forget about the boost pump – vapor lock will certainly be waiting for you! Or think of an induction system leakage at FL250 which makes you lose all your manifold pressure, followed by a steep descent cooling down the engine and wearing out the cylinders – but thankfully the SR22’s propeller control is connected to the throttle lever, which limits engine speed to 1,900 RPM at low power settings.

There are so many more advantages to this you will still be able to discover yourself.

In Development: BN-2 Islander

For all your bush-flying passenger-carrying cargo-hauling air-taxiing needs, TorqueSim are proud to present the legendary BN-2 Islander for X-Plane 11!

Initially started independently of TorqueSim, the inclusion of this beautiful bird into the new TS development pipeline has allowed for rapid progress and the seamless integration of custom systems, as well as boosting the quality of the 3D models and textures significantly!

This aircraft will feature a high quality model, PBR textures throughout, a full custom electrical system with working circuit breakers, support for the AFM G5 avionics on launch, and of course the fantastic roar of its O-540s will be rendered in beautiful FMOD!

All that, and more to come as we plan to update and improve our product throughout its lifetime!

To stay up to date with what’s going on, don’t forget to follow this blog, the AFM Discord, and keep a close eye on the various X-Plane forums! Stay tuned for more dev updates, screenshots, and insights, and of course for the big moment when our plane is available to fly on X-Aviation!

For any questions, suggestions, or just to chat: Hit us up @Random’93 (models/textures) @Coop (systems) and @Not_Steaven (FMOD sounds) on the AFM/TorqueSim Discord (Join at afms.im/discord)!

To learn more, check out the page on our website: https://torques.im/islander

We hope you’re as excited as we are to finally fly this plane!

SR22 Development Update 3

It has been a few weeks since the last update and we are excited to share all the progress we have made!

First off, we now have the SR22 3D model integrated and flying in-sim! This is a huge milestone for us, as this means we will soon be entering our closed beta stage. 

We are also excited to announce that another developer has joined our team, Marius Bohn! Marius has been working on an engine model for the IO-550 for over a year, and we are in the process of integrating the custom engine model, custom oxygen system, custom anti-ice system, and more.

We have put together a preview of our current progress on the FMOD sound pack here:

SR22 Development Update 2

It has been another week of work on the SR22!

This week, we will show previews of the interior and demonstrate the many features of the electrical system that is being simulated, even beyond the individual circuit breakers.

Interior Previews

Electrical System

The electrical system is complex, but important to be accurate. We have simulated many different aspects of the system:

  • Electrical Sources
    • Battery 1 and 2
    • Alternator 1 and 2
  • Electrical Distribution Busses
    • Main Distribution Bus 1/2
    • Essential Distribution Bus
  • Electrical Busses
    • Main Bus 1/2/3
    • Avionics Bus
    • Essential Bus 1/2
    • Non-Essential Bus
    • A/C Bus 1/2

With the accurate representation of these many different busses (and associated circuit breakers), we can ensure a proper simulation of the avionics/systems in all the many different potential configurations imposed by mismanagement or failures – providing a robust platform to train upon.

Here is a diagram we are using in the system’s development, where the connections between distribution busses and general busses are shown in different colors.

SR22 Development Update 1

After another week of hard work, we are excited to show some new screenshots and provide some more information regarding our development progress of the SR22 G3 GTS.

First off, we are excited to announce that the SR22TN G3 will come bundled with the SR22! The turbocharged variant of the SR22 will allow the option for faster cruise speeds and higher cruising altitudes.

G1000 Perspective System (Work in Progress):

G1000 Custom Engine Page
G1000 Custom Engine Sidebar
G1000 Custom Checklists

In Development: SR22 G3 GTS

TorqueSim and RealSimGear are excited to announce our next aircraft for X-Plane 11 – the SR22 G3 GTS! 

The SR22 will be entering internal testing in the coming weeks, with a release to follow currently forecasted to be in late Q1 2020. The SR22 is the culmination of months of work to revamp all our development practices to ensure the highest level of fidelity and accuracy!

We will be posting more information about the SR22 weekly until release, make sure to follow our website to stay up to date!

Features

  • G1000 Perspective customizations to the Laminar X1000
    • Synthetic Vision (using Saso Kiselkov’s Synthetic Vision, as implemented in HotStart’s TBM900 and TorqueSim’s Pocket Rocket)
    • Custom engine page and engine sidebar
    • Lean-assist functionality
    • Checklists
    • Top-bar customizations (% Power, Distance, etc)
    • Custom boot sequence including “Know Your Limits” and fuel adjustments
    • Designed to interface with RealSimGear’s G1000 hardware, especially their G1000 Perspective Package
  • Fully-custom electrical system
    • Dual-battery and dual-alternator simulated
    • All 11 electrical busses individually simulated
    • All 48 circuit breakers functional
  • High-fidelity flight model created by Austin Meyer of Laminar Research
  • Insanely detailed 3D model
  • Full PBR 4K Texturing
  • Highly immersive custom captured FMOD
  • Custom Tail-Number configuration utility
  • Persistant systems
  • Fully custom C++ plugin using the X-Plane SDK for maximum performance
  • ….And many more features to be announced soon!

Pocket Rocket 1.1.0 Update Released

We have released version 1.1.0 update for the Pocket Rocket. We have made this a very simple process! For those that purchase the Pocket Rocket from today forward, your purchased download will already be updated to version 1.1.0 for you.

How do I update?

1. Login to your X-Aviation account here: https://www.x-aviation.com/catalog/account_history.php

2. Find your original Pocket Rocket download and re-download the file. It will download as the latest version!
 
What’s New / Changed:

  • FEATURE: Environmental Control System
  • TWEAK: Updated FMOD with improved sounds
  • TWEAK: Additional decals added to cockpit to mimick regulated placards
  • TWEAK: Added JET-A icons to exterior
  • TWEAK: Revised Particle Effects
  • TWEAK: Added window seal texture
  • TWEAK: Added vents to the cabin

As always, thanks for being a customer of TorqueSim and X-Aviation. We appreciate your feedback and support!


Enjoy these latest updates, and stay tuned to the forum and our discord as we continually announce the latest happenings.

Pocket Rocket 1.0.2 Update Released

We have released the version 1.0.2 update for the Pocket Rocket. We have made this a very simple process! For those that purchase the Pocket Rocket from today forward, your purchased download will already be updated to version 1.0.2 for you.

How do I update?

1. Login to your X-Aviation account here: https://www.x-aviation.com/catalog/account_history.php

2. Find your original Pocket Rocket download and re-download the file. It will download as the latest version!
 
What’s New / Changed:

  • FEATURE: FMOD revamped to sound even better! 
  • FEATURE: New “Mustang” livery included 
  • FEATURE: Optimizations throughout to improve performance 
  • BUG FIX: VR graphical artifacts should no longer appear with synthetic vision 
  • BUG FIX: Strobe spill on fuselage addressed 
  • BUG FIX: Sharp seams on glareshield addressed 
  • BUG FIX: Missing oxygen gauge glass added 
  • BUG FIX: G1000 MFD buttons getting stuck addressed 
  • BUG FIX: G1000 KG totalizer issues fixed 
  • TWEAK: Prop animation and disk tweaked to appear better 
  • TWEAK: Bushing added to tailwheel variant main gear 
  • TWEAK: PBR retouched 
  • TWEAK: Particle effects adjusted 
  • TWEAK: Additional 3D and texture touchups 
  • TWEAK: Inertial separator annunciator added

As always, thanks for being a customer of TorqueSim and X-Aviation. We appreciate your feedback and support!


Enjoy these latest updates, and stay tuned to the forum and our discord as we continually announce the latest happenings.

Pocket Rocket 1.0.1 Update Released

We have released the version 1.0.1 update for the Pocket Rocket. We have made this a very simple process! For those that purchase the Pocket Rocket from today forward, your purchased download will already be updated to version 1.0.1 for you.

How do I update?

1. Login to your X-Aviation account here: https://www.x-aviation.com/catalog/account_history.php

2. Find your original Pocket Rocket download and re-download the file. It will download as the latest version!
 
What’s New / Changed:

  • New Beacon Light object
  • New Cabin Light object
  • G1000 Engine/System Page ITT scaling fixed
  • G1000 Fuel Quantity metric units based on load manager setting
  • Checklist state tracker adjusted
  • Flap overspeed settings adjusted
  • ITT tuned
  • fmod volume fix & tuning
  • Aircraft menu drag handles improved
  • Igniter sensitivity reduced
  • Random failures should be less frequent
  • Negative fuel weights prevented on load manager
  • Added “-” button for custom tail numbers with hyphens in the tail number interface
  • Oxygen refill button added to aircraft menu
  • G5 auto off enabled
  • Auto Transponder swap to ALT mode to mimic G1000
  • Synthetic vision failure with no AHRS overlapping on G5 fixed
  • Yaw Damper improved
  • G1000 Bezel-less popups added (afm/pr/cmd/popup/PFD_NOBEZEL /MFD_NOBEZEL)
  • Aileron flutter on autopilot addressed

As always, thanks for being a customer of TorqueSim and X-Aviation. We appreciate your feedback and support!


Enjoy these latest updates, and stay tuned to the forum and our discord as we continually announce the latest happenings.

The Pocket Rocket has Landed!

The Pocket Rocket by TorqueSim has been released – Get it now from X-Aviation!

The result of months of development, this aircraft is the perfect addition to any X-Plane hangar!

A highly detailed simulation of a PT-6 equipped Pocket Rocket originally inspired by Thomas Dietrich. This aircraft comes with a simulated G1000 that gets its internal Synthetic Vision code from the infamous Hot Start TBM 900, includes a simulated Garmin G5, numerous liveries and a maintenance and failure simulation. FMOD sounds are also included to give you that extra edge! 

Highlighted Features

  • Retractable Tricycle Gear Variant and Fixed Tailwheel Variants 
  • Highly detailed 3D model
  • Full PBR 4K Texturing
  • Custom Systems, including:
     • Fully custom electrical system
     • Custom engine start system
     • Custom fuel manager
     • Custom lighting
  • Customized G1000 with:
     • Custom Engine parameter sidebars
     • Custom annunciators
     • Integrated checklists
     • Synthetic Vision – licensed from HotStart
  • Custom G5 Backup Attitude Indicator (PFD only)
  • Custom Tail Number config utility
  • High-fidelity FMOD sound pack
  • Maintenance and Failure simulation
  • Custom Load Manager
  • Persistent systems
  • Fully custom C++ Plugin using the X-Plane SDK
  • Includes 11 liveries, a Blank Livery & Paint-kit