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V-04X-P3RY "Perry" Multipurpose VTOL

Modified from But Hull's design https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2951521688 the Northstar V-04 Heavy VTOL.

Modified with But Hull's advice and reuploaded with his consent and encouragement.

Features:

* Full VTOL mobility with helicopter mode, forward flight mode, and rotor tilt control for everything in between.
* Great range and efficiency. Top speed in forward flight mode is 450 knots, and it burns fuel more slowly than most small-engine boats; takes under 200 liters to get from Donkk to the arctic.
* 20,000+ liters in the fuel tank means you can roam the map freely
* Runs on diesel for cheap operating costs
* Full amphibious capability including sea propulsion
* Tracked landing gear for mobility on the ground, controlled from the track operator seat behind the pilot
* FLIR HUD display
* Navigation map with radar overlay
* Dual winches for heavy cargo hauling
* Combination turret with light autocannon and water cannon for fighting bears and fires respectively. Now with laser sight!

Instructions for people who read the bare minimum:

1. Climb the ladder and enter through the door on the starboard side, behind the cockpit. Or spawn it in water and come down through the top hatch.

2. Take the next door into the cockpit.

3. Turn around to your left and flip the top three circuit breakers.

4. Enter '120' into the keypad below them. This is not a lock code, it is the desired temperature for your boiler. I may just replace this with a constant number as it has yet to need any adjustment, but for now you can change it if you want.

5. Down and to the left of the keypad is a lever labeled 'Damper'. Start it off at about .36 to heat your furnace up rapidly. Once it gets hotter you can lower it a bit to save fuel. An ideal furnace temperature is about 155. You can get this at about .32 in the Sawyers. Remember to set it higher if you're in, or going to, the Arctic. You don't have to be too precise with it, but make sure you go high, as setting it too low can cause you to lose steam pressure, drain your batteries, and drop out of the sky.

6. Turn the key button labeled 'Generator Systems' directly below the boiler keypad.

7. Flip the circuit breaker on the other side, under the buzzer. This is a warning to let you know if your furnace temperature gets below 150. If it does, land (or splash-down), open up the damper and hope nothing major went wrong. If it stabilizes, you can lower down the damper to an efficient setting again.

8. While you wait for the steam engine to kick in, use the Track Operator seat to roll out of the hangar. Once your power output is about 2000, hop in the pilot chair and throttle up to at least .13 (only set it below that when you're on the ground.) You can hover around a bit at 2000 but don't try to fly flat out until you hit about 8000 or so.

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Okay, there's the basic instructions out of the way. Now for the history. I subscribed to the original because I liked the fact that it was huge and not too complicated. I talked to But Hull about putting a steam engine in it, and immediately started actually doing it. I had a heck of a time with the cockpit; my first attempt at actually sealing it off resulted in the thing looking very much like a platypus, hence the 'Perry' nickname. This is my Mk II cockpit and I think it looks a lot better.

Other than the obvious major cockpit renovation, here are some changes I've made from But Hull's original:

1. It's been converted to a steam turbine engine to provide electricity for electric drives. Four medium motors turn each rotor; there's one for each set of tracks. One large electric motor turns the sea propeller.

2. The steam engine and amphibious capability forced the elimination of internal vehicle haulage. No more cars inside, but the winches under the belly can sling pretty much anything. Do not use forward flight mode while slinging cargo. Controls for the winches and winch stowage are on the right side of the pilot chair. Up and to your left is a pair of switches that cycles between cameras. Use the belly camera to see what you're loading.

3. I added direct control of the rotor tilt. Use helicopter mode for hovering and small maneuvers, tilt the rotor for medium speed forward travel, hit the mode switch for full speed flight.

4. I added tracks, because I could and it was hilarious. It's still not a tank. Try to drive it everywhere and you will hit stuff. The wings are too wide for casual ground travel.

5. Amphibious capabilities. It's surprisingly stable and fast in the water, but it rides low and you run the risk of waves choking out the furnace. It also can't turn very much on the sea rudder. Remember, it's an aircraft first and best; land and sea performance take a back seat.

6. The heavy autocannons were clumsy and wasteful, and the HMG nose gun overly limited. Both were removed; it now has a combination turret with a water cannon and light autocannon. The water cannon may perform better if you run the refill pump while using it, but you run the risk of air pressure trouble when you try to refill. The autocannon can sink boats but is mainly for bears.

7. Emergency power system. That's the bottom circuit breaker, right under the main breakers. This is a 'perpetual motion machine' and could be considered cheating, but I included it because it's frustrating to be stranded with no options. Too weak for sustained flight, but if you make short hops it will recharge your battery in between. Also allows slow land and sea travel.

8. The F15 HUD is gone. I couldn't get it to give an accurate heading and the lines were all wonky. It may have been my fault but it wasn't worth the trouble to fix. Replaced with a switchable HUD that shows either a FLIR or a radar-map. The radar map is better with radar than your main display but the map is harder to sea, so the main display is better for navigating.

9. Removed most crew seats. All that's left are the pilot, track operator and navigator.

That's all I can think of for now. There's probably a lot more stuff I changed and forgot about. Oh, if there ever was an autopilot, there isn't now. Sorry if that bugs you, but I haven't wrapped my head around them yet. Maybe soon. They can't be as bad as the darn windows. Anyway... Enjoy!