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Carrier Strike Force

Thank you for purchasing and installing Carrier Strike Force. Carrier Strike Force is an add-on to Microsofts Flight Simulator 2004 and Flight Simulator X. Flight Simulator 2004 or Flight Simulator X MUST be installed on your computer for Carrier Strike Force to work. This Readme file is specific to the FSX version of Carrier Strike Force.

Carrier Strike Force Features

MissionsRon Jeffers has developer a series of missions Carrier Strike Force:

Reward Missions these missions have a start and a goal with rewards upon completion:

Mig Crisis You are on maneuvers in F-35 in the north pacific with the carrier task force when a new break away rouge state claims territorial waters of your route and sends out 4 Mig aircraft towards the carriers. Mig Thunder 1The Charles D Gaulle carrier is under attack by 4 unidentified Mig aircraft off of South America.Mig Thunder 2The Charles D Gaulle carrier is under attack by 4 unidentified Mig aircraft off in the MediterraneanMig Thunder 3The Charles D Gaulle carrier is under attack by 4 unidentified Mig aircraft off of a desert coast of Africa.Joint Mission TrainingFly the F-35 on maneuvers from the Charles D Gaulle along side the UK HMS Illustrious and the USS Bonehomme Richard. HMS Illustrious TrainingPractice joint naval amphibious operations with the US navy and Marines at Cape Wrath bombing range.

Practice Missions these missions are open-ended. You come in for a landing and can fly around and try again if you want. There are no rewards given.

USS Charles De Gaulle operations in HawaiiUSS Charles De Gaulle operations in Indian OceanUSS Charles De Gaulle operations in PhilippinesUSS Charles De Gaulle operations in Suez CanalHMS Illustrious operations in New OrleansHMS Illustrious operations in the Panama Canal

Select the missions by opening FSX and choosing the Missions option on the FSX opening screen. Set the Category to Abacus Carrier Strike Force Missions. Each mission will be listed and ready to fly.

Aircraft CarriersCarrier Strike Force includes 3 aircraft carriers:

HMS Illustrious from Great BritainCharles De Gaulle from FranceUSS Bonehomme Richard from the United States

These aircraft carriers were designed by and set up for use in the FSX missions by Ron Jeffers. The carrier includes these amazing features:

Moving it is not static

Hard/Landable surface

Night Lighting

Carrier Wake

On-Deck Catapult Steam (USS Charles De Gaulle Only)

Animated Blast Shields (USS Charles De Gaulle Only)

The aircraft carriers are only available within the missions. These carriers are not permanently placed in FSX.

You can only catapult launch and land with by trapping the wire on the Charles De Gaulle. The other carriers use vertical take off procedures and do not launch or trap on the carriers.

AircraftCarrier Strike Force contains the following detailed aircraft:

F-35 Lighting II (Joint Strike Fighter)

AV-8B Harrier II Plus

Rafale M

The aircraft can be used anywhere in the Flight Simulator.

To use the new aircraft in FSX, open Flight Sim and select Free Flight from the opening screen. Select a new aircraft by clicking the Change button below Current Aircraft. If you are already in the Flight Sim in flight or at an airport, you can press the ALT key, then select the Aircraft | Select Aircraft menu.

To find the new planes, set the Aircraft manufacturer to:

Abacus Carrier Strike Force

Finally select the Aircraft Model you wish to fly. Note that some planes may have multiple variations or liveries.

Flying the Harrier and F-35Taking off with and landing with the Harriers and F-35 can be tricky if youre not used to it. The Flight Simulator is not setup to handle a straight vertical lift off unless you fool it by making it a helicopter. If you do that, then you cant get jet-like performance. In Carrier Strike Force, the Harriers and JSF have a tricky set of flight dynamics that allow you to take off as close to vertical as you can get it in Flight Simulator X. The trick is to use the flaps.

Take OffTo take off vertical, start with full flaps (F8). The aircraft will roll forward to about 15 knots, then will start to lift off, as you gain altitude, slowly start to retract the flaps. Press F6 to retract one notch of flaps every few seconds until the flaps are fully retracted.

LandingTo land, come in low and slow and press F7 to set on notch of flaps. Your altitude will increase significantly. Maintain flight and lower your throttle to about half to lower your altitude. Again press F7 to add another notch of flaps. Each notch of flaps will increase your altitude some but will slow you down as well. Try land at about 15 knots using the throttle to control your descent.

In FlightWhile in flight, you might notice the highly sensitive rudder. This is designed to give precise control for landings. Use caution when applying rudder in regular flight.

Catapult Launching and LandingIncluded with Carrier Strike Force a program called 3WireX. This program is installed into your FSX and is started automatically when FSX is started. If this is not loading, you are unable to land or catapult launch or you are not hearing any audio on approach, see the Manual 3WireX Installation section below.

This new technology requires a program the likes of 3WireX to detect if you are landing and stop the plane accordingly, or if you are launching and shoot the plane. 3wirex is pre-configured for use with all the Carrier Strike Force aircraft and the Charles De Gaulle carrier.

You can only catapult launch and land with by trapping the wire on the Charles De Gaulle. The other carriers use vertical take off procedures and do not launch or trap on the carriers.

You will have to have the latest version of DirectX 9 installed or a sound error may be seen upon start-up of FSX. Visit www.microsoft.com in the Download Center to get the latest version of DirectX 9.

Recovery Recovery is the process of getting the aircraft back on board the ship safely. Unlike normal airports, the carrier provides only a very short runway that is constantly moving, making the recovery process one of the greatest challenges in modern aviation. The aim is to catch one of the deck pendants (wires) that traverse the deck at the rear of the carrier with the landing hook as the aircraft touches down on the deck. It requires immense skill and concentration to achieve this feat. Approach The approach to the carrier is the most critical stage of the recovery process. Check that the gear is extended, the flaps are fully deployed and the tailhook is down. Try to get the aircraft lined up with the runway as early as possible. Remember that due to the angled deck, the runway is not aligned to the movement of the ship. This means constant corrections need to be made to ensure the aircraft stays on the correct approach path.

When you are on final approach the LSO will give you a "roger ball" call to tell you that they are now tracking you. If you stray off course the LSO will let you know with a call stating your position relative to the desired approach path. Respond by correcting in the opposite direction that the LSO calls. For example, if the LSO makes a call stating you are too high, you must increase your decent rate to get back on course. If the LSO says that you are too the left you need to correct by turning to the right. For more detail see the section on the LSO below.Landing Unlike normal landings at airports, don't flare the aircraft as you near the deck, simply fly it all the way onto the deck. One feature that separates Navy aircraft is the toughenedlanding gear that has been designed for heavy carrierlandings.

As the wheels touch the deck push the throttles to maximum power. While this may seem counter productive, doing this gives the engines time to spool up to produce enough power to get the aircraft back in the air should the hook miss the wires. The LSO will also call "bolter" to let you know that you have missed all the wires and need to get back into the air.

If the landing is successful, you will feel the aircraft being slowed by the wire. Once you feel this deceleration you can bring the throttles back to idle. When the aircraft has come to a complete stop, raise the tailhook to release the wire. If you do not the aircraft will not be able to move.When the hook is up, taxi clear of the runway and park the aircraft.

Launch The steam driven catapults on a modern carrier can catapult a fully laden F/A-18 Hornet to 130kts in a matter of seconds. The latest equipment is even powerful enough to launch aircraft without a headwind. Pre-Launch andLine-up When the aircraft is ready for launch taxi to a free catapult. You should keep your taxi speed low, the last thing you want on the deck of a carrier is an out of control aircraft. As you approach the catapult ensure that you are correctly lined up. Once in position, stop and set the park brakes by pressing Ctrl-Period. Contact the catapult officer to request a launch by pressing Shift-X. The cat officer will approve your request if everything is ready for a launch, or deny the request if the aircraft is not ready. If your request is denied, check that the aircraft is correctly configured, by ensuring that the following conditions are met: Parking Brake is ON Tailhook is raised Wings are extended

Once you have checked the aircraft configuration, make another request to the catapult officer by pressing Shift-X again.

Catapult Stroke At this stage the aircraft is connected to the catapult and is ready for launch. Advance the throttles to run up the engine.Monitor the engine gauges while you do this to check for any abnormal readings. If you do see any problems, simply cut the throttle back to idle and release the brakes. The catapult officer will respond by saying "Launch aborted" to confirm that the catapult has been deactivated.

If the engines are fine, keep pushing the throttles up to 80% or more, the catapult will hold the aircraft steady. The catapult officer will inform you when you have enough thrust for launch. To start the stroke, simply release the brakes by pressing PERIOD. Keep the stick neutral during the stroke, only take control once the aircraft is at the edge of the deck.

Departure Once you have left the deck maintain about 10 degree of pitch and climb to the desired altitude. Raise the gear and then the flaps as required. Landing Signal Officer (LSO) - Recovery Approach Assistance The primary responsibility of the Landing Signal Officer (LSO) is the safe and expeditious recovery of non-V/STOL fixed-wing aircraft aboard the aircraft carrier. The LSO is also directly responsible for training pilots in carrier landing techniques. The pilot and LSO form a professional and disciplined team. The pilot must rely on the LSOs experience and ability to prepare him for optimum effectiveness as a carrier pilot.

In the pursuit of a more realistic experience an LSO will provide assistance on your recovery approach. The LSO provides commands, which will assist the pilot on making a successful recovery. Contact is made with the LSO on the final approach, at which point the LSO will provide information on your position relative to the required approach path. Upon initial contact you will be given one of three basic commands: "Roger Ball", "You're a little ... " or "Check you're line up". "Roger Ball" indicates that you are traveling within the desired path. Directional commands will provide information of your position relative to the desired path and should be corrected in order to attain "Roger Ball". "Check you're line up" indicates that your position and/or heading is incorrect and that attention should be made to establishing a correct position. Ifcaptions areenabled,more information can be obtained as to what aspect of your line up needs to be corrected.

Possible calls associated with "Check your line up", and their meaning:Approach Position - The position of the aircraft is incorrect relative to the heading of the carrier. Try flying around the ship to discover the direction to approach from.

Altitude - The aircraft is considerably higher or lower than the desired approach path. Try lining up for a fairly horizontal approach rather than a late death dive towards the deck.

Heading - The aircraft is not facing to correct way. Make sure you are facing the carrier.

Runway Direction - The aircraft is approaching from the wrong end of the carrier. Fly around and approach from the stern of the carrier.

Once the plane is on final approach and has lined up, the LSO will help out if you deviate from the desired course. Confirmation will be given once a successful correction has been made and warnings will be issued if you ignore commands and stray beyond the acceptable boundaries. Untimely corrections and consistently ignoring commands will result in a "Waveoff" being called and the recovery approach is to be terminated.

The following is a list of commands that may be issued by the LSO, the meaning and the actions, if required, that must be taken.

"Roger Ball" - You are aligned for recovery and the LSO is ready to provide approach assistance.

"You're a little ..."followed byhigh/low/left/right - You have strayed high/low/left/right of the desired path. To correct, alter your descent or aircraft position in the opposite direction of the command. For example: "You're a little right", you have strayed to the right of the approach path and should correct by moving to the left slightly until a "Centerline" command is given.

"Centreline" - You have successfully made the correction to your approach path in the lateral (left-right) direction. Maintain descent.

"On Glideslope" - You have successfully made the correction to your approach path in the vertical (up-down) direction. Continue descent.

"Warning. Too ..."followed byhigh/low/left/right - You have strayed too far high/low/left/right of the desired path. Correct immediately or face a "Waveoff".

"Waveoff" - The command given to abort recovery attempt. Go around and try again. This may be due to the aircraft position, too many warnings, or the speed of the aircraft nearing the carrier deck.

"Bolter" - The command given to abort recovery attempt after a fair attempt at landing. This may be due to airspeed at touchdown or narrowly missing the final wire on the deck. The aircraft should be advanced to full throttle and immediate climb commenced.

"More power" - The plane has dropped below the level of the deck within a certain proximity. Engine power should be increased to raise the altitude of the plane otherwise a crash is imminent.

"Afterburner" - Urgent power is required to avoid a collision with the ship. This is called closer to the carrier than a "More power" call and requires urgent attention.

Pilot Log A unique feature of 3wirex is a pilot log of all carrier landings made using 3wirex. The pilot log is accessed by opening the task menu and clicking Add-ons > 3wirex > Pilot Log. The pilot log lists the date, time, aircraft, carrier and wire caughtfor each recovery.

Be aware that any carriers not created by 3wirex will have no title and landings on such carriers are listed as 'Dynamically Added Carrier'. Landings on carriers in missions and any AI carriers are examples of situations where this will occur.

Note: Due to limitations imposed by FSX, if you are running in full screen mode FSX will be minimized before the pilot log application will be displayed. On closing the pilot log application FSX will resume in full screen mode.

Sound Turning on and offThe sounds included with 3wirex are automatically toggled on and off in sync with the FSX setting. For example, if you turn off sounds in FSX by pressing Q, 3wirex will also turn off its sounds.Captions 3wirex also has an option to display captions for verbal commands from the LSO and catapult officer. These can be turned on and off by opening the task menu and clicking Add-ons > 3wirex > Toggle Captions. This setting is not saved when you quit FSX. Volume The volume settings can be adjusted by running the settings application that can be found in the Start | Programs | Abacus Software | Carrier Strike Force | 3WireX Settings. Running this will open a small window with two volume sliders.

The volume can be set from 1-100%, 1% the equivalent of mute and 100% full volume (stored in the configuration files as a decimal equivalent). The sound effect volume and LSO voice commands volume can be adjusted independently.

Clicking "OK" will save your changes and "Cancel" will quit without saving. For the changes to take effect 3wirex must be run again once settings are saved.

Aircraft AnimationAll of the planes in Carrier Strike Force have advanced animation. Youll find features like those listed below on some of the Carrier Strike Force planes.

Main Exit opens

Secondary Exit opens

Extending Tail-Hook

In order to view these special animation features, you may need to assign a key, or series of keys on your keyboard to activate them. Typically, Flight Simulator already has the Main Exit set to activate when you press SHIFT + E at the same time. To activate the Secondary Exit, press SHIFT + E at the same time, then quickly press the number 2 at the top of the keyboard. This is noted as SHIFT + E, 2.

To set the assignments in FS2004, click the Settings button from the Flight Simulator 2004's opening screen, then click the Assignments button. If your Flight Sim goes directly into the sim at an airport, press the ALT key and open the Options | Controls | Assignments menu.

To set the assignments in FSX, click the Settings button from the Flight Simulator X's opening screen, and then click the Controls button. Click the Buttons/Keys tab at the top of the screen.

In both FS2004 and FSX you will see the Assignment List. Scroll through the list of Events until you find:

Tail hook up/down

Look in the Keyboard column to see if any keys are assigned. If there is a key assigned, make a note so you remember what key or key-combination it is. If there is no key assigned, double-click Tail hook up/down in the Event column to open the Change Assignment window. You will want to be sure you do not assign a key, or key-combination that is already used in FS. We recommend pressing SHIFT + T. Hold the SHIFT key down and press the letter T and release both. The window should show you the new assignment. If correct, click OK. If you messed up, click Try Again and re-enter the new assignment.

You can also assign a button on your joystick to the tail hook. This is done the same way as assigning a key stroke. You simply click the joystick button in place of the keyboard keys.

Do the same for the rest of the special animations. Here are some recommendations:

EventAssignmentTail hook up/downSHIFT + TWing fold/unfoldSHIFT + F

Installing 3WireX Manually3WireX is a program that needs to be running in order for the carrier landings and catapult launches to work. You do not need to open the program manually however. What you need to do is tell FSX to open the file for you when FSX starts. This is done for you automatically during the installation. In the event that the program files to do its job, we have provided a set of instructions here that will help you to get 3WireX up and running.

First we need to find the correct folder. The paths will be slightly different for Windows XP and Windows Vista.

Windows XPOn Windows XP, you will need to open My Computer on your Windows desktop, then open the following folders:

C: drive Also called Local DiskDocuments and Settings This folder is different for every user, it may be your name, it may be admin or user but will NOT be all users or default userApplication DataThis folder may be hidden. Click the Tools | Folder Options menu, click the View tab, Click Show Hidden Files and Folder, click Apply and OK.MicrosoftFSX

Windows VistaOn Windows Vista, we highly recommend that you have the User Account Control turned OFF to use Carrier Strike Force. This can be done in the Control Panels Classic View under User Accounts.

To find the correct folder on Windows Vista, we need to open Computer from the Desktop, then double-click the following folder:

This folder is different for every user, it may be your name, it may be admin or user AppDataThis folder may be hidden. Click the Tools | Folder Options menu, click the View tab, Click Show Hidden Files and Folder, click Apply and OK.RoamingMicrosoftFSX

Once you have the FSX folder open as noted above, we need to either modify an existing file or create a new file. In most cases, you will need to create a new file. The file we need to have is called EXE.XML. You will most likely have a file called DLL.XML. The EXE.XML is very similar.

EXE.XML file missingIf you in fact do NOT have the EXE.XML file, we will need to create one. To create a new file, click the File menu and click New, then select Text Document from the list. This will create a new file waiting for you to name. Change the name of the file to EXE.XML. If you mess up, simply right-click the file and choose Rename from the pop-up menu and change the name.

Once created, right-click the file and choose Open With, then select Notepad from the list. Enter the following text into the file and save it:

Launch EXE.xml False False False False 3wirex 3wirex.exe

EXE.XML file already presentIf you have the EXE.XML file, right-click the file and choose Open With, then select Notepad. At the bottom of the file will be the line:

You will need to add the following lines of text ABOVE the line and save the file:

False False 3wirex 3wirex.exe

FSX will read the EXE.XML file automatically when FSX is loaded. You will be asked if you want to allow 3WireX to run. Choose Yes. You will be asked again if you want to always load 3WireX when FSX starts. This decision is up to you. Choosing yes will automatically load 3WireX every time you open FSX. Choosing No will require you to choose every time you load FSX.

Troubleshooting and SupportRecommendations for problems installing or using Carrier Strike Force include:

- Close ALL programs including virus scanners, spyware monitors/scanners, and registry cleaners/sweepers while installing.

- Windows Vista Users should try disabling the User Account Control to assure all files are installed and updated properly.

Keep posted to www.abacuspub.com for the latest info on Carrier Strike Force including any updates that may be released. On www.abacuspub.com, you can access the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) by clicking the Product Support link on the right side of the main page. If your problem has not been addressed, or if you want to send any comments on Carrier Strike Force, visit www.abacuspub.com and enter the Contact Us page. Here you can submit a question to us and our support team will respond as soon as possible.

Windows Vista users should attempt to

Before contacting technical support with a problem, be sure you have done the following:

Followed the Install Guide completely

Read the Readme file completely

Have checked the website for any updates

Have downloaded and installed any updates

When contacting technical support, be sure to include the following information:

Your version of Microsofts Flight Simulator

Operating System (Window 95, 98, ME, XP, 2000, Vista)

The exact name of the product (Carrier Strike Force)

Registration code (found on the registration card or e-mailed to you)

Report any and all error messages reported or report the problem you are having by providing a step-by-step

If it is a visual problem, describe the screen with as much detail as you can.

Please do not send attachments unless permission is granted ahead of time. If screen-shots are required, please keep them as small as possible (100KB or less) in JPG format.

CreditsThe aircraft in the Carrier Strike Force package were created by some of the leading designers in the Flight Sim community.

Rhys Eddy and Robert James: 3WireX landing and launching system for FSX

Konstantin Kukushkin: Catapult and cable-grab system for FS2004

Ron Jeffers: Aircraft Carriers, Catapult steam effect, rough seas effects, carrier wake effect, animated blast shields, testing

Dennis Seeley: F-35 and Harrier Flight Dynamics

Frank King: all instrument panels and gauges

Tolga and Turgut Piskin: All aircraft models

Scott Slaughter: PDF/Manual author, box/packaging designer, testing

Adam Howe: Abacus Project Coordinator, documentation, flights/situations, install, testing

Robert Baum: AI Traffic and navaid set up for FS2004 version

Last Updated 1-18-08