The classic Cold War design of the F-89 Scorpion was the product of a 1945 USAAF specification for a night fighter. The aircraft was to have a crew of two with an offensive armament of six 20mm cannon. The prototype was first flown on August 16, 1948 by test pilot Fred C. Bretcher. The first major production model was the F-89D, which swapped the cannon for a phalanx of 104 missiles. The final version was the F-89J, which carried two Genie nuclear-tipped missiles along with four Falcon air-to-air missiles tipped with high explosives. Both the D and J versions used highly advanced Hughes fire control systems coupled with radar and computers. Although the Scorpion appears quaint and dated now, these were highly advanced aircraft for their time. The Howard Hughes movie Jet Pilot starring John Wayne and Janet Leigh prominently features the F-89 as a 'supporting actor.'
*** For FSX STEAM EDITION only ***
Features
- ONE model and ONE livery (F-89D, 75th FIS, Presque Isle AFB, Maine, 1958)
- native FSX model with bump mapping, self-shadowing, bloom.
- unique Scorpion "Flight Computer" gauge custom made for this particular aircraft.
- detailed checklist and performance that precisely matches that of the real aircraft, with procedures and performance figures taken directly from the actual flight manual for the F-89 Scorpion
- custom effects for afterburner flames (3-stage), smoke (startup & in-flight), wingtip and flap contrails and wing surface vapour 'flash'
- simulated F-89 soundset included
- virtual cockpit with animations and mousable controls
- all-xml 2D panel, custom pop-ups for autopilot and radios, fully mousable
- automatic (on throttle) animated afterburner visual effect with corresponding performance boost
- automatic smoke trail, wing surface vapour flash and wingtip vortices effects
- animated landing light, speedbrakes (authentic F-89 'decelerons'), togglable realistic pilot figures
- animated canopy (shift-e)
- highly authentic flight model with illustrated checklist
