Auto Credit Based on F104Deathtrap's Colored Sparklers
The A-1 series looks ancient; powered by a radial engine while fighting alongside state-of-the-art jets. But the Skyraider was far from an anachronism. Their low speed and long loiter time made them the perfect aircraft for attacking convoys on the Ho Chi Minh Trail in Vietnam. Skyraiders conducted thousands of successful raids from the 1950s all the way until the early-70s.
Specifications
General Characteristics
- Predecessor Colored Sparklers
- Created On Windows
- Wingspan 30.9ft (9.4m)
- Length 27.0ft (8.2m)
- Height 13.5ft (4.1m)
- Empty Weight 6,971lbs (3,162kg)
- Loaded Weight 8,617lbs (3,908kg)
Performance
- Horse Power/Weight Ratio 0.232
- Wing Loading 43.3lbs/ft2 (211.3kg/m2)
- Wing Area 199.1ft2 (18.5m2)
- Drag Points 2581
Parts
- Number of Parts 56
- Control Surfaces 7
- Performance Cost 376
@F104Deathtrap I've put your suggestions to use, as well as added a few realism updates, and it seems to be almost completely fixed, with no detriment to the performance. It's now uploaded as a Korea-era AD-5. Here's a link: https://www.simpleplanes.com/a/Xo6519/Douglas-AD-5-Skyraider
Probably has something to do with flexing, wing loading or angle of attack. I changed the airfoil to flat bottom and that helped a bit, but I think the elevators are too strong. It's not so bad when you consider that ground attack planes like the AD1 were rarely ever nimble enough to mix it up with dedicated fighters, and the oversized elevators make pulling out of a divebombing run a LOT easier, which is the most important design consideration in my opinion.
@F104Deathtrap I tried to fix the stability problems by playing around with the wings and control surfaces, but no luck. I think she just needs a precise touch with mouse control rather than keyboard.
@TexJohnston Not a problem! I played around this thing a bit and had a little trouble with evasive maneuvering but NO trouble demolishing whole convoys. Fun stuff!
Nice job!
@F104Deathtrap Sorry about the errant tag; my plane to test your sparklers wound up being a dead ringer for a Skyraider, so I turned it into one.