Microsoft Flight Simulator Aircraft Developer
Conducted by Dominic Smith
Development
When did you start developing for flight simulators and what
got you interested in it?
Aviation has always been an interest of mine. Beginning with
assembling plastic Airfix kits, and balsa Keil Kraft flying models as
a child, I graduated onto the real thing when I joined the RAF as an
Engine Technician.
After twenty two years of service I left and set myself up as an
antiques restorer, retaining my contact with aviation through hang
gliding, but my passion for making things also saw me as a longbow
and arrow maker, model maker and miniature artist.
In 1998/99 a series of retinal detachments and only partially
successful operations left me with depleted eye sight. With no depth
perception and unable to work with the required precision I was used
to, it meant I had plenty of time on my hands, so I swapped my
motorbike for a computer (literally), and began to see what I might
achieve with it.
A program included free with a magazine – TrueSpace – got me
interested in 3D graphics, and on their forum I was inspired by a
letter from a chap who had created a glider and flown it in FS8.
This was quite involved as it was first drawn in TrueSpace and then
imported to Gmax using the MDL converter! The first hang glider I
created finally emerged as the Wills Wing Sport. I have to admit I
initially chose a hang glider not least because I didn’t know how to
animate controls. The thrill I got though from seeing something I
had created actually flying in the sim was fantastic. Anyway I soon
had to learn about animation because I decided I just HAD to have the
pilot run to takeoff and land, and so I graduated to using Gmax for
all the modelling (I still use it now).
Tell us about the nature of your designs and what you
do?
Well you might have noticed I like flying wings! This love affair
probably started as a boy when I saw a photo in Aeromodeler of some
enormous free flight flying wing gliders. I remember thinking how
elegant they looked. Because of my enthusiasm and experience of real
life hang gliders, I have tried to represent the various types known;
flex wing (Airborne), semi-rigid (A.I.R. Atos), and rigid
(Aeriane/Brightstar).
What do you consider your best or most popular
work?
I’m learning all the time, so to me each model is better than the
previous one. As for popularity, I would say the Mitchell Wing UL
has developed the most interest. However, the Aeriane I created for
FS was so successful that the manufacturers of the real glider
actually received enquires from people who had flown my model!
What do you find to be the most challenging aspect of a
project?
Initial research (for me) is the most challenging aspect of a
project. There are projects that I have started, that have become
dead in the water, purely because I just couldn’t find enough
information on that given project. Research though, is a part of the
project that I enjoy enormously. Another challenge is in creating
the code so as to get all the custom animations working. I’m not a
natural coder, so there is generally lots of trial and error involved
before I get it right, but it’s so satisfying when I finally do!
What have been your favorite projects?
Of the gliders I have created, the Horten is my favorite, as she
was so ahead of her time in both appearance and engineering. She was
just beautiful. I was able to find lots of information on her
construction, so I was very happy with the final result and also the
models accuracy.
However the aircraft that is closest to my heart has to be the EE
(English Electric) Lightning (having spent half a lifetime working on
it), and I’m still in touch with the Lightning Preservation Group.
http://www.lightnings.org.uk
All the research I have been doing to create the model has brought
back a lot of old memories, so that is my latest and best project.
Not a flying wing I know, but I hope you’ll forgive me for that.
