Experimental AN-12 STOL Conversion Kit 0.4

What is it?
The AN-12 Conversion Kit enables STOL operations for the AN-12 by bolting 2 thrusters to the AN-12 wing box:

• Hover Jet - This thruster takes up most of the plane's weight so that less airflow over the wings is required to lift the remaining weight, allowing the plane to fly slower and remain airborne.
• Air Brakes - This thruster dumps speed in-flight. It's good not only for STOL carrier landings, but also for dive brakes.
• Higher Performance Ailerons - These ailerons yield about 75% higher roll rate, which certainly helps in STOL flight mode.

Awesome! How do I use it?

1. Obtain the AN-12 mod from the Forums. At last check, it is not in the Repository.
2. Obtain the AN-12 STOL Conversion Kit (this mod).
3. Spawn the ANSTOL-12 variant.
4. Assign controls that will activate the STOL hover jet and air brake.
5. Follow the takeoff and landing procedures below for best results.
6. If necessary, adjust the settings in the Tuning menu.
7. The higher performance ailerons are not equipped by default. Swap them on the outer wings in the parts selector.

Precautions

• While the STOL conversion allows the plane to fly slower, don't allow the air speed to drop too much. Airflow over the wings is still required to remain aloft and retain positive control.
• During STOL operations, don't roll or pitch too much or the aircraft will "fall off" the hover jet lift column, resulting in an unrecoverable loss of control. STOL operation is less stable than other flight modes.
• If operating from a carrier, be sure that the shipboard weapons officer places the on-board CIWS units in 'manual" or 'semi-auto' mode while friendly aircraft are flying. The CIWS' lack of an IFF system makes it potentially dangerous to friendly forces if operated in 'auto' mode.

Tuning Menu
There are some settings in the Tuning menu that affect the performance of the STOL conversion kit. Tuning shouldn't be necessary for the STOL variant. However, if other parts or equipment on the plane are changed, adjustment may be necessary. See below.

• Air Brake Force - The force applied by the air brake. Increase this value for more braking. Too much braking force will render the air brake impossible to use effectively.
• Air Brake Toggle - Controls how the air brake is applied. Momentary (0) operation means the air brake turns on when the button is pushed and turns off when the button is released. Toggled (1) operation means that each button press will toggle the air brake on/off. Press the button, air brake on. Press the button again, air brake off.
• Air Brake Z Offset - Different configurations may have different centers of gravity. Use this control to realign the air brake thruster with the center of gravity. If the plane pitches up unacceptably when the air brake is activated, decrease this value. If the plane pitches down, increase this value. The perfect value might not be achievable. 1 notch one way is too much, and 1 notch the other way is not enough. Just dial it in as best as you can.
• Hover Force - The force applied by the hover jet.
  • For STOL operation, set this to slightly less than the force necessary to lift the plane completely off the ground.
  • For VTOSL operation (experimental), set this to more than the force necessary to lift the plane off the ground, and change the engines to the rocket-boosted version. Use the rocket boosters to gain the extra thrust that you will need once airborne in order to quickly get air flowing over the wings. This flight mode requires spamming the hover jet for landing.
• Hover Toggle - Just like the toggle for the air brake, except for the hover jet.
• Hover Y Offset - Similar to the air brake Z offset, except for the hover jet, and along a different axis. If the plane tends to pitch up when the hover jet is activated, increase this value. If the plane tends to pitch down, decrease this value.

When trying to determine if the plane is pitching due to incorrect Z or Y offsets, keep in mind that the engines on the wings may also produce a slight pitching moment. Adjust the hover jet first, by itself, while stationary on the ground. Adjust the air brake after that while coasting in-flight, with the engines producing no thrust.

Takeoff Procedure

1. Place the aircraft in a good takeoff starting position. The air brakes can be used (carefully) to push the plane backward to assist positioning.
2. Apply the parking brake.
3. Set the throttle to maximum and allow the engines to fully spool up.
4. Once the engines are spooled, release the parking brake.
5. Once the aircraft reaches 50-70 mph, activate the hover jet. The ANSTOL-12 will rise into the air. Don't let the nose pitch up too much.
6. Continue acceleration to move into the high-speed regime, or throttle back to remain in the low-speed regime. Be sure to deactivate the hover jet while in the high-speed regime.

Landing Procedure

1. Stabilize your landing just like normal.
2. If you're still in the high-speed regime, reduce throttle, activate the hover jet and use the air brake to transition into the STOL low-speed regime. Don't slow down too much because it takes the engines some time to spool back up.
3. On approach, keep the aircraft level and steady. While descending, the aircraft will gain speed. Carefully use the air brake to lose speed, but not too much.
4. When the aircraft touches down, deactivate the hover jet and engage the parking brakes.
5. Use the air brakes to dump the remaining speed, using the rudder to maintain control. Don't keep the air brake activated for too long, or else the air brake could sling the plane backward.

You mentioned an aircraft carrier earlier. How do I get one of those?
Currently, there is no proper aircraft carrier available for BeamNG.drive. However, several instances of the Flat Top Barge mod can be used to assemble a very effective barge carrier. For more information, check out the BeamNG Guide to Naval Warfare, Vol. 1 or this ANSTOL-12 test footage.

To connect with other BeamNG naval aviators, and to get more naval mods, check out the Naval Warfare forum.

Special thanks to @SmokeyDokey for help testing.

Enjoy!