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New 2D Rendering in X-PlaneRecent changes in X-Plane’s core architecture allow for fantastic customization of night panel textures. Note blue shading above glass panels.

PETER HAGERJuly 4, 2010 | XP10 Reviews Developer Interview PETER’S AIRCRAFT

...has become known throughout

the flight sim community as THE

premier developer of Airbus

aircraft files for X-Plane. His

beautifully rendered 2D cockpits

set the standard in X-Plane for

refined elegance.

AIRBUS DEVELOPERAn engineer by training, Peter’s Aircraft founder Peter Hager joined us to set the record straight about the A380, but the surprise he has in store for us is the big news. Join us for another intriguing developer interview! by chipsim7

Cs: Would you tell us about any aviation experience you have, or p r o f e s s i o n a l e d u c a t i o n i n engineering, that helps with the design process. Then, could you describe what made you want to develop your first airplane for a flight simulator? Was that first aircraft for made for X-Plane?

PH: I have no aeronautical education, nor a pilot’s license. Instead, I studied architecture, where I finished with a diploma of engineering. So I learned about designing and calculating cost efficient structures, able to resist any kind of force they are exposed to. Also, an extensive artistic education was an essential part of the curriculum, which

turned out to be fundamental for operating the Institute of Applied Computer Graphics (IFAC), which I established in 1986. And now these skills are applied for the graphic part of my aircraft models and design of my website.

But long before I came to this point, I practiced fin-swimming on a pretty high level for 15 years, besides earning my living by designing, building and selling fiberglass monofins to top athletes of 27 nations throughout the world, including special constructions for the Navy Seals in San Diego, the Brazilian, Dutch, Indonesian and German Navy. During this work I gained a lot of experience with hydrodynamic systems, which still

Whether designing aircraft

for X-Plane or equipment for free-diving, Peter Hager defines the cutting

edge...

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4 July 2010

MILITARY TRANSPORTS

You can find hyper-accurate versions of the US Air Force’s C-141 and C-5 series at Peter’s site.The C-141 is truly spectacular!

DC-8 AND COMMANDER

These models are available as well. The Commanders are good enough to be considered “procedures sims” by many Commander pilots, too!

ON THE WEB:http://petersaircraft.com

For more information and on how to order!

Peter’s cockpits are

simply the the most elegant in X-

PlanePE

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RCRA

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Image: (c)XP10Reviews

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are too complex to be computed. All depends on experience and the right feeling. And since aerodynamics are not very far away from hydrodynamics, I also started designing boomerangs in 1981. You think this is just a primitive toy or weapon designed by the aborigines? Think twice! - Imagine you have to design an x-plane model, a helicopter, capable of flying a closed pattern at high speed and landing vertically, precisely at the spot of departure. It may consist only of one single asymmetric wing rotating around it's own CG, no engine, no control surfaces, no pilot, no remote control… all you may use is one solid object departing from a catapult (your hand)! - This would really be a challenging XP design contest! - A dutch scientist once wrote a dissertation of 900 pages, trying to explain why a boomerang returns. One top U.S. aerospace engineer, who quit his job with Boeing, together with a friend from the NASA, in order to meet " a rea l cha l l enge " by bu i l d i ng boomerangs, commented on this dissertation something like this: "It's easy to explain the physics of how to fly

to the moon and return to earth. But those 900 pages do not nearly explain why a boomerang returns, this is way more complicated." OK, I still do not know why a boomerang returns, but I gained a lot of experience in shaping the profile, tuning the center of gravity and distribution of masses, etc.. of a piece of wood in order to make it fly like I wanted.

My first "aircraft" modeled was for X-Plane, my "Skyray 1" custom design. The idea of having a small private aircraft, capable of crossing an ocean with 2 people aboard at jet speed, fascinated me. I wanted to see to what limits such a design could be taken and by what configuration this could be achieved.

Cs: Can you describe the challenges you faced as you started your first design, and how you overcame these problems?PH: Before I started designing aircraft, I modified existing ones, which did not meet my expectations. This was in 2001 with XP 5.7. I still think this is a good

WAY OUTBACK!

Varied Influences at Work! Peter is something of a Renaissance Man, having been influenced by design traditions from around the world, from free-diving to boomerang design to post-war American aircraft designs… all have led him to create radical new designs, such as the SkyRay 9 (above) and his innovative Airbus cockpits.

The Douglas C-124 made a

profound impression on Mr

Hager

http://petersaircraft.com

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way for a starter, to experiment with modifications of existing models, in order to learn how PlaneMaker and X-Plane work. I started with a Super Constellation I found on the ORG, later turned to an Aero Commander and converted a Starlifter into my first Ga laxy. A l l t hose expe r imen ta l modifications were never published. My first self-designed model for XP was the Skyray 1, a 2-seat, single engine, personal jet, which was my entry of the XP design contest in early 2002. The basic features of the design where given by the contest rules. The challenge was to squeeze out as much speed and range with out losing handling and STOL qualities. I spent weeks on test fl i gh ts fi l l i ng squa re me te rs o f spreadsheets with tiny numbers, made modifications and more tests, until I thought I couldn't do better and neither could anyone else. So it did not make me happy when my Skyray 1 hit one of the top scores. I had expected nothing else than A#1. Winner was the design by Gerald Rader, who was much more experienced with XP than me, as I could see, when I downloaded his design. Yes, it was better than mine in any aspect. - I continued improving the Skyray 1 over the years, meanwhile being something really amazing. My dream is to have it build in reality one day. "Scaled Composites" offered to build me a proof of concept for $1 Million, which I consider to be a fair price, but way toooooo much for my budget.

Cs: The Airbus series is technically demanding as a design subject. What resources did you consult while developing these aircraft?

PH: Well, I have all the FCOMs of any Airbus variant I offer and some AMMs (maintenance manual), as well as several flight recorder read-outs with on-flight data. I can't go into detail about the latter and some other resources for obvious reasons. In addition there are many pilots, engineers and mechanics who supported me by filling gaps of documentation and providing valuable

information of how procedures are applied.

Cs: Can you describe the role that “ re a l ” A i r b u s p i l o t s p l a y i n developing your aircraft files?

None, as far as initial development of my A330/A340 models was concerned. This became quite different with the A380, where detailed documentation is a lot more restricted and better protected than for it's predecessors. Pilots became a major source here, certainly within the limits of their obligations. I don't want anybody to risk his job, just to make my models work a bit more realistic. Generally you can say, asking a pilot to tell how realistic one XP models flies, the answer will in most cases be very positive. It is a natural e f f e c t t h a t e x p e r i e n c e d p i l o t s i ns t i nc t i ve l y compensa te m inor shortcomings without even noticing them. And those guys seem to expect less from a PC-based simulator than many hardcore flight-simmers, since they have daily access to the real plane and to 20 Million $ simulators. In their eyes it seems to be a wonder how much an XP model can offer, though a lot is still missing. - Talking about this aspect during a visit in an A346 cockpit I said to the crew, that I knew children having more computation power at home than installed on this plane. The captain thought for a second and replied, "Oh, yes, we still have some 486 here…"

By the time I learned, you can't put enough questions on a pilot, in particular if you are familiar with the F C O M a n d d i r e c t i v e s a n d recommendations given by Airbus, since many airlines put their own procedures in place, and last but not least it's the pilot who has final responsibility. If the general manager of an airline with 50.000 employees fails, he takes his hat plus a lot of Dollars and goes for another contract. If the pilot of an airliner fails, he pays with his life, as do the passengers aboard.

Cs: What role has x-plane.org played in shaping your outlook

about aircraft development? Are there any other developers or organizations you admire?

PH: Peters Aircraft would not exist without the ORG. It was and is my "window" to the x-plane world and its’ community from the first day on. Posting freeware there for many years, resulting in countless downloads and also countless comments, requests, congratulations, helped immensely to improve my models and to fulfill wishes. And this is principally the same today with payware. But nowadays I am running Peters Aircraft to earn the living for a family of four, so I need to comply with my responsibility to do this successfully. XP models have become so complex, that incoming requests like "Can you make me some Boeing models? or "I want all your Airbus models to have a VC" reflect an investment in the scale of hundreds of thousand of dollars, mostly in terms of time/labor cost. For this reason, I do not have the same flexibility anymore like some years ago, the more as I am building up a professional product line in parallel, which takes it's share of my capacity.

There are several developers I was and/or am in friendly contact with, in particular exchanging experience with Mike Wilson, but also with others. Before I went "pro" in XP, above all Peter Meininger from XPFW impressed me by his expertise and professional approach to work on XP models, when I assisted tuning the flight model of a 747-200 project in late 2004. Samples of his work set the benchmark for my own, and I must admit it took me a long time to even come close. So, thanks Peter, for what you gave to me in the past, though you likely haven't been aware of it as much as I!

Cs: With what you now know about aircraft file design, what advice w o u l d y o u g i v e s o m e o n e contemplating developing his or her first aircraft?PH: These three things:

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a - Start by modifying existing designs. PlaneMaker meanwhile is an extremely complex system, in particular the panel editor with generic instruments and thousands of datarefs and commands at your disposal, but all with very poor documentation, if any. - If you publish a modified model of another author, get his consent upfront!b - When you start re-modeling a real plane, BE PRECISE! Research, squeeze out information from the internet and people you know. Put questions on the forums. XP has an incredibly precise way to compute the flight-model. If you don't feed it with the same precision, it can't work correctly. If you do, it will. - Sure, experience shows that experts flood you with all the information you had been dreaming of, but after you published a convincing design, not before. This process will become better with your second design. c - If you make a custom design, stay within a realistic, proofed configuration rather than posting a work of science fiction. There are reasons why the skies are not filled with VTOLs capable of taking 1.000.000 kg of payload to another continent at MACH 3. If you think you are the one to change that, convince Boeing prior to presenting it to the XP community! They are in need of some new concepts.Cs: What do you think about 3D c o c k p i t s a n d m a n i p u l a t o r technology? Is it a passing fad or here to stay? Will you begin to introduce models with 3D cockpits soon?PH: A 3D cockpit, if well made, may be a cost effective alternative to a 1:1 scale hardware cockpit, as used in home cockpits and professional full motion sims, which are way too expensive for the vast majority of flight simmers. In helicopter and fighter simulations and visual flights, a VC is of great advantage, while in an airliner it might just add an other degree of "illusion", rather than improving the training effect. 3D-Cockpits already have made their way into PC-based flight simulation, and I can't see why they should vanish some

day. - As for me, SOON is impossible. I am aware of the market's demand, and I do not ignore it. It's just a matter of priorities. I have a more than filled-up pipeline and only limited capacity. I simply can't jump on that by doing it on my own, without neglecting other matters which to my mind are more important. It can't be done all at the same time. - Well, maybe I am letting a 2011 cat out of the box… there already are some ongoing negotiations on this matter with some experts. But no decisions are made yet, so nothing is promised.

C s : I ’ v e c a l l e d t h e A 3 8 0 a Procedures Simulator. Do you agree with that description, and why do you feel this type of environment is important to have in X-Plane?

PH: In fact there are almost 20 real Airbus pilots and a handful of Turbo Commander pilots, from whom I know they are practicing with my models, although there is still so much missing. Honestly, I wish my actual models could offer a bit more to justify the term "procedure simulator". Presently only some few, basic procedures can be trained. More are to come. In particular auto-fl ight cannot be pract iced realistically without a perfect MCDU (FMS) designed for a particular aircraft. And development of an MCDU takes several man-years. THIS is a matter of much higher priority to me than a VC. - A big surprise for me was to learn about WHAT some of those Airbus pilots are practicing with my models: Flying manually! - Yes, you've read correctly. - I was told that due to extensive AP use there is insufficient opportunity to practice manual control, and that my Airbus models in XP handle so realistically, that they are in use to fill this gap. And here is something interesting. I've read a notice last year, where the USAF is warning their pilots not to practice with Microsoft (sims), so as not to get used to unreal ist ic fl ight characteristics. This might lead to fatal errors in real flying. - Wow, hard stuff for MS, and it gets even worse for them: The USAF HQ in Ohio installed some X-

Plane simulators for fighter pilots, equipped with own plugins using classified performance data.

Cs: What trends do you see in the flight sim environment building over the next few years, and what plans d o y o u h a v e t o m e e t t h e s e developments?

PH: I have no clue of what may surprise us in the future. Maybe the deer will do something more useful by pulling Santa Clause’s sleigh across the sky? Hopefully respecting ATC instructions!Seriously, I am expecting a lot of eye candy nonsense to attract more…what did you call them: "Dudes"? But also more hardcore products, mostly 3rd party add-ons. As for me, I have my own plans for development, and I am hoping that future (XP) environments will meet my demands. This involves the risk of going wrong, in the way that I could make more money by following the mainstream. But I think by offering products I believe in myself, I will best meet demands of the market, and if it’s just those of a minority then so be it! I will likely focus more and more on professional and semi-professional users. On the other hand, there is a serious number of younger users out there interested in serious sims and already skilled enough to use them, so I will do my best to provide simplified low-cost versions for those who will become the professionals of the future.

Cs: Do you have any projects currently in development you’d like to mention? Anything else you’d like to talk about we haven’t covered?

PH: In contrary to my usual practice, not to talk about future or on-going projects early, I spread the news years ago that the A320 family is on my to-do-list. And people are urging me every month MORE to come along with it. OK, the A321 is a lmost done. The PlaneMaker model and 3D objects modeling are ready, only the animations are missing, the liveries and the operating manual. The panel (yes, 2D only) goes beyond what you've seen in

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the A380, with ADIRS alignment, FADEC run-up, respective indicators, finally an absolutely realistic start-up procedure with all indications coming up at the right time. And even certain system failures to be expected en-route if the pilot made shortcuts during cockpit preparation. Certainly this is not applied when loading the plane with engines running or in the air. This all has been constructed out of generic instruments in PlaneMaker. A plugin is pretty much progressed to take it further. Publishing should be possible within 3-4 weeks, in case I will travel to Germany upfront there will be a respective delay. - And after that, all those new goodies will be implemented in the A330, A340 and A380 models. In the latter it is done almost in parallel, so there won't be much delay.

Cs: Peter, Thank You for taking the time to help give our readers a better understanding of the design process, and these exciting insights into upcoming product releases. Your A321 will surely shake up the market!

PH: Thank you for giving me the opportunity for this interview!

We l l , t h a t w r a p s u p a n o t h e r D e v e l o p e r Interview!Frankly, I don’t know about you, but the data about MsFs being banned by the USAF ought to be big news to the flightSIM community, but those of us using X-P l a n e c a n c e r t a i n l y understand their reasoning! One can only dream about the XP SIMS being used by the USAF, too. I would imagine those are truly spectacular!And now we have a rumor confirmed: Peter is set to release his first A320 series aircraft, and soon!

So, we have the freeware qpac A320–which has a decent 2D flight-deck and that has good procedures and systems modeled–and we have another A320 from X-Aviation set to appear soon, one that promises to have a spectacular 3D cockpit. These two will go head-to-head against what will surely be the definitive 2D cockpit and systems s imu la tor f rom Peter ’s Aircraft…in his latest file, the Airbus A321.This will no doubt provide an interesting “compare and contrast” environment for consumers: 2D vs 3D…with one set of cockpit systems modeled by three different developers, one of which

(qpac) is a professional aeronautical engineering firm. But Peter has one last Ace up his sleeve: departing from his usual practice of one price fits all, Peter will be offering his A320 series with a two-tiered pricing system.One version will have all the “bells and whistles” while a second version will be scaled-down with fewer systems modeled and which will be more attuned to the needs of casual users who don’t need or want a full-featured procedures SIM.This is going to be one of the most hotly contested races for market-share we’ve seen yet in X-Plane, but pilots using X-P lane are go ing to have some spectacular products to choose from.

We’ll be back next week with another interview. See you then!

IT’S OFFICIAL: THE A321 IS COMINGPeter’s Aircraft will release the first of their small Airbus series this summer

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Peter has slowly

perfected his design style...