'Black Seahawks' Display Team
Fleet Requirements Air Direction Unit (FRADU)
RNAS Culdrose, Cornwall, UK

                    for Microsoft Flight Simulator  FS2002

Parts of this package:

BSHAWKS4.ZIP     

A flyable formation of four BAe Hawk T.Mk1 A aircraft of the British Royal Navy's "Black Seahawks" Display Team, part of FRADU at RNAS Culdrose. Formation features revolutionary display animation controlled by the user. Based on a GMAX design by Mikko Maliniemi, with base textures and modifications for display team packaging by Kari Virtanen. Aircraft have display smoke effects, full lighting, reflective transparent cockpits and moving parts. Photoreal panel by Mark Beaumont features excellent visibility, side panels, animated mirrors by Kari Virtanen with following aircraft, many specially made gauges by Matt Kaprocki, HUD and TCAS Radar by Eric Marciano. Defaults to Lear45 sound: recommended sound package REDPACK5.ZIP. Accurate Hawk checklist and sample chart display. Very detailed 'Black Seahawks' livery, operational notes and overall packaging by Mark Beaumont.

Recommended downloads:

REDPACK5.ZIP    Soundset for the Hawk aircraft
BSHAWKS1.ZIP  A single 'Black Seahawk' aircraft, modelled by Owen Hewitt and Mikko Maliniemi,
                                  repainted by Mark Beaumont (shown here):



When properly installed, the BSHAWKS4 aircraft will appear as below within your FS2002/AIRCRAFT directory, under the listing for BRITISH AEROSPACE (manufacturer), T.Mk1 A Hawk (type), as follows:

British Aerospace/T.Mk1 A Hawk/'Black Seahawks' Display Team (GMAX)

These virtual models of the "Black Seahawks" have no official affiliation with the real thing.  FRADU is operated by the Contractor Babcock HCS using 13 Hawk T1 advanced jet trainer aircraft on lease to the Royal Navy from the RAF. The Black Seahawks display team consists of four pilots, including two former Red Arrows Pilots, one of whom was the Team Leader. For Display, the Falcons from FR Aviation join the Black Seahawks, just as they do during the combined normal operations that both companies undertake for the Royal Navy.

The FRADU site is at:
http://www.royal-navy.mod.uk/static/pages/3857.html

The 'Black Seahawks' are to be found at:
http://www.royal-navy.mod.uk/static/pages/3937.html

INSTALLATION:

Either, the easy way:

Simply unzip the 'BSHAWKS4.ZIP' file directly into your main FS2002 directory (FS2002 installs by default to C:/PROGRAM FILES/MICROSOFT GAMES/FS2002). 

The formation four will be installed automatically into your AIRCRAFT folder, gauges will install to your GAUGES folder and smoke effects files will be installed in your EFFECTS folder.  'Fssound.dll' will go to your MODULES folder.  This document will be found under the folder DOCUMENTS in your formation four's individual folder.

If you wish to use the recommended soundset, you will need to open your aircraft's SOUND folder and make a simple change to the SOUND.CFG file to 'alias' it to the new Hawk sounds (how, is explained when you open the file).

Finally, select your four aircraft formation from the AIRCRAFT menu in the usual way within FS2002.

Or, you can install files the manual way:

Unpack BSHAWKS4.ZIP' to a temporary folder.  After checking that folder names are intact, move:

• The contents of the AIRCRAFT folder (e.g., the folder 'BAe Hawk 'Black Seahawks' Display Team GMAX') to your main  FS2002/AIRCRAFT folder
  
• The contents of the GAUGES folder to your FS2002/GAUGES folder
  
• The contents of the EFFECTS folder to your FS2002/EFFECTS folder
  
• The contents of the MODULES folder to your FS2002/MODULES folder.
  

BLACK SEAHAWKS ANIMATED FORMATION:

The animated airshow display formation initially developed by Mikko Maliniemi and Kari Virtanen for their 'Midnight Hawks' package is a first for flight simulator, being very innovative work. My own contribution is simply to repaint their aircraft in 'Black Seahawks' colours and add a panel.  The basic controls are as follows.

KEY COMMANDS FOR ANIMATIONS:

Flaps                 F5-F8
Gear                  G
Spoilers            / (US keyboard)
                         ' (European  keyboard)
Tailhook           Not enabled by default; you need to assign a button within FS2002 (see below)
Doors                SHIFT+E

TAKEOFF:

Due to the limitations of FS aircraft flight dynamics, the designers had to compromise a little on the takeoff and ground handling. After loading the formation into FS, you need to apply one step of  Flaps (F7). The formation is meant to be used in DIAMOND formation when you are on ground and during takeoff; otherwise you might see some strange sinkings of tires etc. It is also recommended that on takeoff and landing, you keep the formation in diamond shape until you are airborne or back on the ground.

LANDING GEAR:

Landing gear is controlled with the gear button (G), as with all FS aircraft. But the designers have also included  altitude separation on the gear animation. Real formations are never flown on exactly same level, so the designers sought to replicate this using the gear animation.  With gear down, the aircraft are level for initial departure and in the correct configuration for landing.

FLAPS:

Flap buttons are used for controlling the basic shape of the formation. On the pictures below you can see the three basic shapes of the formation. Postion 1 is with no flaps, Position 2 is with one step of flaps and Position 3 is with full flaps applied. Note that applying flaps will not affect the flight characterics ie. speeds, lift or other characteristics. It only affects the shape of the formation. On landing you can slow down by lowering landing gear.  As stated earlier, it is important to remember to have the aircraft in Postion 2 (mid-flaps) for takeoff and landing.

DOORS:

Using the OPEN EXIT command (SHIFT+E) will spread any of the above formations into 'wide formation', in a progressive movement.  Repetition of the command will reverse the process to close the formation once more.

TAILHOOK:

You will need to assign a button for the tailhook command within FS2002 if you haven't done so already, as it is not included in the default key settings. You can do this from the OPTIONS/CONTROLS/ASSIGNMENTS menu within the game. The tailhook key is used for controlling the #4 plane of the formation. Pressing the allocated key will make the #4 roll into an inverted postion at a higher altitude than the other aircraft. Not recommended in the hangar!

SPOILER:

The spoiler key is used for controlling the #2 and #3 aircraft of the formation.  It will cause these outside aircraft to roll slowly into inverted positions which they will hold until the key is pressed again and the process is reversed.

The manoeuvres above are the basic animation shapes and movements.  Note, however, that these can be combined in a variety of ways by triggering multiple commands at same time or sequentially. With a little imagination, a multitude of display configurations can be created.  Mikko and Kari hope you'll have fun playing with their new "toy" !

PANEL:

This is a completely new BAe Hawk panel design for FS2002.

Mikko Maliniemi's GMAX Hawk design, packaged in Kari Virtanen's Finnish Air Force 'Midnight Hawks' formation four, will eventually offer an exciting virtual 3D cockpit; this 2D panel is intended to be compatible with this production in due course.  Hence, it is offered without additional 2D views.  In time, this panel itself may be reworked in different versions dependent on aircraft type and country of operation.

The panel bitmaps are largely constructed from photographs supplied by Kari Virtanen from the Finnish Air Force (Hawk Mk.51) and from others supplied by the British 'Red Arrows' (Hawk T.Mk1 A).  Some liberties have been taken to make the panel useful and practical in FS2002, but much of the layout is reasonably authentic and realistic.  It should be noted, of course, that there is no single layout for the Hawk panel internationally - particularly, different model types and air forces have different instrumentation - but, this simulation seeks to cover the essentials.

Careful attention has been given to giving this panel a realistic pilot viewpoint with maximum visibility forward in FS2002. The landing view is particularly good and the aircraft will slow nicely when gear is lowered.

The panel features side panels which can be viewed in flight.  These include gear and flap controls, throttle lever, radios, lighting switches, master, avionics, trim and starter switches and three-mode Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance (TCAS) Radar.  The main panel displays primary and secondary flight instruments, master, avionics and smoke display switches, fuel cutoff, a working stopwatch, a discreet autopilot and a 'Heads Up Display' (HUD) in the gunsight. The simulation rate can be changed on the main panel; there are FS2002 icon buttons for ATC, MSFS GPS, radios, FS flightmap, checklist and a novel "chart display".

A unique, revolutionary feature of this panel is the animation of the rear view mirrors on the cockpit coaming. In this release, you will see other aircraft of the formation in the mirrors, following your lead.

The radio stack (on the right side panel) comprises transponder (the real aircraft actually uses IFF), communications radio, ADF and two navigation radios. Matt Kaprocki's realistic gauges are off by default and need to be switched on. The ADF/ANT switch toggles the mode to receive the station's ID. ANT is for IDing, ADF is for normal use.

Eric Marciano's HUD has four brightness settings. The pitch ladder can be turned off for better visibility when landing.

TOGGLES:

SHIFT/1            Open cockpit view with HUD (SHIFT/4 removes HUD)
SHIFT/2            Side panels (radios)
SHIFT/3            GPS
SHIFT/4            HUD off/on
SHIFT/5-7         Different HUD brightness settings (also switched on panel)
SHIFT/8            RNAS Culdrose "chart display"

SIMICONS      Checklist
                          GPS
                          Side panels/radios (2 buttons)
                          RNAS Culdrose "Chart Display"
                          ATC
                          MSFS flightmap

OTHER FEATURES:

Smoke on/off   Top right on panel
Starter               Bottom left on left side panel.  Hold in ON position until engine spools up
Fuel cut-off      Top left on main panel

NOTE:

The radio panel on the left of the main panel is non-functional apart from a DME, as are a few of the switches on the side panels and several of the annunciator lights.  Hey, it's freeware!  Give us time ... this panel is a work in progress and will be further upgraded for release with the VC in due course.

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Fuel Flow Gauge
Oxygen contents
Fuel contents
Turbine Gas Temperature
Engine RPM
Standby Altimeter
Batt/Avionics on/off
Smoke switch on/off
Standby Attitude Indicator
Main Altimeter
Vertical Speed Indicator
HUD brightness x4
HUD AI on/off switch
Nose light switch
Annunciator/indicator lights
Side panels/radios toggle
Animated Mirrors
HUD
Autopilot
NAV/GPS switch

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Clock
OMI Marker lights
Main Attitude Indicator
Compass/HSI
G Meter
Turn and Slip Gauge
Combined Airspeed Gauge
ADF
Simulation rate toggle
Speed Brake light
Angle of Attack Gauge
Fuel Cutoff switch
FS2002 Simicon toggles
Stopwatch
DME
Trim Indicator
Gear indicator lights
Light switch bank
Communications Radio
ADF Radio

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NAV1 Radio
Transponder
TCAS Radar Display
Radar Display type control
Radar Range control
Flaps Gauge
Flaps Lever
Ammeter
Brakes Gauges
Hydraulics Gauges
GPS toggle
Airelon Trim Switch
Rudder Trim Knob
Spoiler/Airbrake
Switch Bank
Gear transition lights
Gear Lever
Throttle Lever
Starter switch
Ejector seat (just kidding!)

LEGAL STUFF: 

All parts or the whole of these files/folders/package are freeware and must remain so.  No part of individual packages or their entirety, or modifications, or alterations to individual packages or their entirety may be uploaded to the Internet in any shape or form without the express permission of the authors.

Copyright 2003

"Black Seahawks" repaints:

Mark Beaumont
MABeaumont@aol.com
(See also my collection of Cathay Pacific, 'Red Arrows' and 'Saudi Hawk' Hawk aircraft for flightsim at:
http://www.swiremariners.com/cxkaitak.html and
http://www.swiremariners.com/reds.html)

Formation package and original aircraft:

Kari Virtanen
kari.virtanen@dlc.fi
http://www.kuntke.fi/kari
Mikko Maliniemi
mmniemi@hotmail.com
http://www.flightsimnetwork.com/mmniemi/
Owen Hewitt
ohewitt@charter.net

Panel:

Mark Beaumont
Panel reworked from study of originals by Mikko Maliniemi, Owen Hewitt and Tony Smith
Abundant thanks are due, also, to:
Kari Virtanen for his excellent mirror gauges, based on an idea by Jari Kaskelin
Alex Bashkatov, Robert Kirkland and Graham Waterfield (FSD/PSS) for several gauges
Eric Marciano for his wonderful HUD and Radar gauges
Matt Kaprocki for his many purpose-built gauges and for his boundless enthusiasm
Dirk Fassbender for permission to use his unique map gauge
Massimo Taccoli and Paolo Zamprano for gauges originally used in their Aermacchi MB-339 panel
Any gauge developers whose gauges may have been inadvertently included
Michael Ellis for the 'smoke' sound files
Wing Commander Bill Ramsey, Senior Pilot of the "Red Arrows", for the Checklist
FSNavigator (www.fsnavigator.com) from which excellent program the chart image was taken

with thanks and respect to …

Martin Schwanke and Mike Hambly for their excellent soundset, recommended for use with this package
Kari Virtanen for Finnish Air Force photographs and his expert assistance
Warrant Officer John May, Squadron Adjutant/Display Co-ordinator
of the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team, The "Red Arrows"
for his friendship, his generous assistance and arrangement of panel photography
Microsoft and the FS2002 team for making all this possible (roll on, FS2004!)
and all of you wonderful FS enthusiasts who responded so positively to the first 'Midnight Hawks' formation that Mikko and Kari were encouraged to develop the 'Red Arrows' files and this subsequent work!  Thank you!

Packaged by:

Mark "Dark Moment" Beaumont
April 14, 2003