Canso PBY-5A - Work In Progress

The Consolidated PBY Catalina seaplane is a military designed in the 1930s in the United States. It was widely used during the Second World War, both the U.S. Army by the other allied, performing missions varied.

The initial designation of the PBY plane was simply: "PB" for Patrol Boat, "Y" is the designation of Consolidated, its constructor. He was nicknamed by the British Catalina, in reference to Santa Catalina Island. Aircraft manufactured in Canada were designated them Canso.

This aircraft was first made ​​for "fly in X-Plane." Its original creator Olivier Faivre who want to see it in other places had appealed to the FS community to make a portage.
My first attempts to bring the sources to Blender GMax date of late 2010. It was a big first for me and after a lot of research and attempts, the transformation process has been developed and is under control now.

Ten years after my first version for FS2004, this first official version is for MSFS and has been tested on the SU8 Beta. The drop and scoop operations are functional (read the contents of the Documentations directory). Nevertheless, this is a Work In Progress version which should lead to a final version by this summer 2022.

I will regularly update the versions on this link specifying the version number so that there are no errors.

Good Flights ! Lagaffe

First release : v0.7.6 - 22-02-2022 (502 dowloads) no more downloadable

Release v0.7.7 - 05-04-2022  (503 - 1067 dowloads) no more downloadable

• Animation of all instruments on the dashboard (dome light and rear panel in the next release),
• Corrected taxi and landing lights,
• Replacements of the sounds by Ted Wolfgang's kit created for the C-47 of the Manfred Team (FSX/P3D)
• New model with blisters added and 3 additional repaints: Air France, Princesse des Etoiles, Okavango.
• VR usage and DX12 function (beta version) aren't supported officially.

Release v0.7.8 - 20-05-2022 (1068 - 1480 downloads) no more downloadable

• Front panel instruments are all animated as the panel radio and rear panel (electricity and tanks selectors),
• 90% of levers on the mobile panel are animated and coded,
• Rear tyres are entirely re-modelized (texture is in progress),
• Boarding stairs at the rear of blisters version is animated
• Interior of the Blisters version is upgraded (news seats, etc ...),
• 22 PLN are added to permit you to discover world beauties,
• 3 news repaints are added (they will be upgraded when the PAINTKIT will be finished),
• You can read in Documentation directory Readme_WIP_0.7.8.txt for more details ...

Release v0.8.0 - 30-06-2022 (1480 - 9443 downloads) no more downloadable

This version isn’t the last, This is a snapshot from my developments, but it contains 95% of the elements I wanted to model.
As for the textures, they are quite basic, they are just textures that allow me to better understand the 3D during my work. Some are more worked (PBR) when it is about small parts or tests.

The next stage of development will be mainly focused on :

• the final textures, all mapping and textures will be rework (PBR and paintkit)
• the improvement of the existing XML code because there are some bugs that are still present and some functions that I need to finish coding.
• the management of the internal cockpit lights: the buttons are already animated but I’ll want to write the code in the presence of the final textures to only make one pass on this issue.

Known bug:

• the ATtitude Indicator give false information: in horizontal flight, the displayed artificial horizon leans to the left, the problem is known, isolated and being fixed.

Release v0.9.2 - 23-10-2025 (9443 - 9835 downloads) no more downloadable

This version will be the second-last before v1.0.0 expected for the end of 2025.

It contains many requested fixes on the previous version and two additional models have been added: 

•    the PBY-6A with the Calypso livery (being finished) and 
•    the PBY-5A with its turret in BlackCat livery (with modern instrumentation).

The textures have not been modified, because for the next planned work it will be necessary to migrate the 6 3D models to Blender 4.2. and the last plugin of Asobo.

The next stage of development will mainly focus on:

•     the final textures, all mapping and textures will be reworked in PBR (internal and external)
•     the management of hydraulic systems.
•     the management of icing on the wings and the windshield
•     the management of the internal lights of the cockpit
•     the sounds will be reviewed to use a WWISE package

Known bug:
        The front wheel is not directional.

Release v0.9.4 - 14-11-2025  (9835 - 10285 downloads) no more downloadable

While waiting for the version v1.0.0 scheduled for 2026, here is an intermediate version that benefits from the latest modifications and improvements:

• addition of vibrations on the cockpit elements,
• correction of the compass code and the autopilot
• improvement of take-offs on the water
• addition of a second panel to use the GPS Working Title
• steering front wheel correction (bug v0.9.2 amended)
• corrections of certain FLT files
• Improvement of contact points

Release v0.9.5 - 29-12-2025  (10285 - 10659 downloads) no more downloadable

This version is compatible with MSFS 2020 and also MSFS 2024 ! 

To wait for the version v1.0.0 scheduled for the beginning of the year 2026, here is ( I hope  ) the next-to-last version including the latest modifications and improvements:

•  all the external textures are now in PBR format : albd, comp and nrm,
•  revision of the paintkit which should be final for outside,
•  adding details on the landing gear and the internal places in the fuselage,
•  creation of new PBR textures for trains and their places.

Release v0.9.6g - 01-02-2026 cancels and replaces the latest version!

1) To respond to the numerous posts regarding the AUTOPILOT and the heading bug, by studying the problem repeatedly, the solution was found: it is indeed related to the Asobo code concerning the native AUTOPILOT.

2) Regarding the code change under the SU4 of FS2024 which causes strong parasitic reflections on the inner windshield, some modifications have been made to reduce these effects but they are not completely eliminated for now.

To resolve theses points, users are invited:

• to install the latest version v0.9.6g
• under FS20 to install the Garmin 430/530 Working Title add-on which is free on the Marketplace (read the documentation of this addon)

• under FS24, the Working Title code is basically included in the simulator so for the CANSO to use the correct code it is necessary to rename the 4 files aircraft.cfg.24 to aircraft.cfg (the proposed basic file aircraft.cfg is for FS20)  ...
• and to regenerate the layout.json file using the utility MSFSLayoutGenerator.exe available at the root of the CANSO archive  

Persistent bug:
        Following code changes in SU4, under FS2024, strong parasitic reflections appear on the inner windshield, hoping to find a final fix by the version v1.0.0.

WARNING : You don't need to create a account on my homesite. Download is protected against hotlinks. To download the username to use is  pilote, and the passord is virtuel. It's necessary to respect uppercase ansd lowercase.when they are. Thanks. 
 

MSFS_frenchvfr-canso-pby5a_WIP_v096g.zip(788 502.49 Kb) Downloaded 145 times