Recluse

So I bought SuperCarrier at the same time as F/A-18C, so have never really experienced NON-Supercarrier comms, though I have watched Matt Wagner's initial videos. When I use the Stennis in Single Player, all the comms are SuperCarrier standard. I fly in Multiplayer with some folks who don't have Supercarrier, (and usually HOST) so with the Stennis, the comms from ATC are the abbreviated kind. When I call INBOUND, the ATC gives me the course but always give the INVERSE course as runway landing. For example, "Course 268, Runway 90 to Pattern Altitude" though the carrier is definitely on BRC of ~270 degrees. I have the Carrier group with single WP Heading about 270. TACAN and ICLS working fine. Just perplexed by the ATC call. Any Ideas? Can't test it in Single Player as I get all the SuperCarrier comms (correctly) with Stennis.

You are putting the TPOD into VVSLV mode right? And assigning TDC to the DDI with the TPOD?

This is a pain. Doubly so because (I have read) that the actual Elevation knob is spring loaded so it returns to center after an adjustment, while the Elevation knob on my Cougar is not spring loaded. This is perfect for the TGP because you want the setting to "stick". For RADAR elevation though, if you (well, *I*) don't return the knob to center, the Antenna will just keep moving in the same direction until it tops or bottoms out which makes setting elevation really difficult either in AA mode or even AG ground mode where you lose the returns if the elevation is too high. So I guess my question would be, in the Real F/A-18 does the TGP ZOOM work like the Radar Elevation (travel in one direction then STOP when return to center) like the Radar does. In DCS it seems like the 2 sensors respond to the knob differently.

Here's a video (NOT MINE) of Rippling APKWS in the A-10C, but even with that slow bird, you have to get mighty close. Probably could have offset from target after firing the second rocket. Have to try this in the AV-8B

That's what I am trying to do. Basically take off, hover about 50-100 ft in a stable situation and then touch down. Then back up to a Hover, pitch forward, return to stable hover. etc.. Problem is STEP 1. Finding it very hard to keep STABLE without pitching forward/backward..and then PIO starts. Practice for sure is needed, but trying to get my control sensitivity to a point where it is sensitive enough to make SMALL corrections, but not SO sensitive that small movements lead to larger corrections. IN GENERAL I find the Harrier to be a pain to keep trimmed and controlled even in REGULAR flight regimes, and this is exacerbated at slow speed/hover flight envelopes. I just finished this book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01DPPTM2S/ I had to laugh at this passage: (well laughing at myself...)

So help me out here.. I tried to replicate the HOVER practice shown in the video above. Had a heck of a hard time keeping the witch's hat where it needed to be for stability. Are people using Pitch control (stick) or trim to accomplish this? Maybe I need a bit LESS stick sensitivity to control it better, and, of course a ton more practice. I am not VL on the Tarawa any time soon if I can't dance around the taxiway

Agreed. I am sure you COULD ripple them and move the laser spot around (when self lasing) to get 2 (close) targets in one pass but I haven't quite found the sweet spot to allow me to judge the interval between shots to have the time in flight staggered enough for moving the laser.

Yes! I watched this video when it came out and thought it might be my cure for getting aboard the Tarawa. Need more practice. I like your idea of circuits at 82 degrees. Getting the nose under control at "hover" position is where I fail rather spectacularly. Practice......

LOL.. Make VL prettier? I would settle for not crashing into the ocean

I'm not sure what might have been in the particular mission, but in the Mission Editor, there are several options for the built in JTAC as to weapons preference. There is an option for "GUIDED" which always works well for me Now, they SHOULD BE, but perhaps APKWS are not classified as GUIDED munitions in some logic tree, so they will not lase. Bringing a GBU-12 might trigger the correct GUIDED logic. On the other hand, when I have had the JTAC set for the option AUTO, sometimes the JTAC would ask for GUNS even though I was loaded with GBU and AGM-65E. He would usually LASE anyway (because that is how I set it up) and I could just ignore the weapon and use my Guided ordnance

I've actually seen that UFC glitch before as well.

...and note you can only change it on the kneeboard with ENGINES OFF.. EDIT: Sorry this was already mentioned above

So I have been able to do this: SEA radar, achieve Radar Track. Engage with AGM-65F SEA radar, achieve Radar Track. Engage with AGM-65E. (LTD/R on, Laser code matching of course). - Success even without having the FLIR page showing. - The OLD bug (supposedly squashed in this patch of needing to move the TDC OUT of the MAV-E page before it would lock and launch reared its ugly head.) Sometimes the AGM-65E would launch with TDC in MAVE sensor but at a much shorter range than was achievable by moving TDC away. - I did notice that as the RDR was the Primary sensor, the GIMBAL limits for maintaining the track were smaller than they would be with the FLIR as primary sensor - I did NOT try to gain a specific POINT TRACK with FLIR and make it the Primary Sensor, but that seems to be a more realistic, if more complex switchology solution. P.S. fitness88 I remember you from the old SIMHQ Janes F/A-18 forums (if you are the same guy) SEA_Track_AGM65E_PG.trk

It always has for me since they introduced GMTT and after the latest it worked GREAT in SEA mode and GMT modes. Once I lock up a radar contact and bring up the FLIR it is pointing at it. There are some bugs about trying to re-designate with the FLIR while the radar has a lock in the BUGS section but I haven't tried that particular thing. I did notice that when I made an FTT (stationary target from EXP map) designation, then sweetened it up with the FLIR and designated, the correct target was designated by the FLIR but the FTT X in the Radar still stayed where it was. I would have thought it would have either MOVED or the radar would drop the lock as the FLIR was now the designating sensor. Don't know how it is supposed to work...and still experimenting.

LOL.. Call me UNSERIOUS but after years of NO GROUND RADAR, I am loving it

Hold TDC DEPRESS and you will get crosshairs that you can slew to designate a spot in EXP modes EDIT: OOPS SORRY YOU KNEW THAT... DIDN'T READ CLOSELY ENOUGH.. IGNORE THIS (but you CAN designate using the INS cursors. Slew with TDC depress and when you release TDC depress the FTT will be created)

Thanks Fri13! That was great information! Question: Let's say you load 2xHE pods on the outboard stations and 2xMPP on the Inboard stations (or whatever) Is it possible to select the stations to fire? When I have loaded dissimilar rocket pods, there was no indication of any difference, which fits with your description above where the jet doesn't really know anything about the rockets, just the pods.

From Tea Cypher's video: I managed to get them to work with 1688 but not another code (1776) I use for Mavericks and GBU. Kind of sucks that you can only re-set the code from a Cold start, unless this changed.

Correct. The Laser Target Designator Switch will turn off after every engagement (AGM-65E or Laser guided GBU). Gotta flip it back on. You don't need to hold the trigger and you don't need to box TRIG (except currently for the GBU-24). Using TRIG and holding the TRIGGER is mainly when you are Buddy Lasing. (or currently when using GBU-24) For AGM-65E the laser will automatically fire when you hit/hold the pickle button. Your LTD switch has to be on and you will see L ARM in the HUD to remind you that it is on. There are 2 ways to fire... 1. PICKLE once, wait for the missile to find the laser spot (solid box) and PICKLE again to fire. 2. Just hold down the PICKLE. Laser will fire and the missile will leave the rails once it finds the laser spot.

There is a countdown timer once selected. The MAV-F will show STBY on the STORES page until they are ready, and will show RDY. You can't uncage until the RDY indication.

I don't know about Real Life tm but I think that it is a concession to gameplay since the change was made to allow the Harrier to taxi on idle power. In real life, there is no such thing as jumping into a hot jet on the runway with everything running. I would imagine real pilots would just hold the wheel brakes after taxiing to the runway.

You should be able to just use the buttons or keybinds from WP Increment/Decrement to get to a Markpoint. With DESG boxed, that should give you targeting. I think WP INCREMENT LONG syncs the System Designated Target Point to the Steerpoint..but I honestly seldom use it.

If you hide the stick, it also hides the throttle and you can easily see the parking brake. OR just map it to a key combo since you only need to use it infrequently.

I happened to watch this video and noticed that they engaged and destroyed a target with AGM-65E leaving the LASER CODE at 1111. (Attack starts at about 20:00) I didn't think this was possible. Did the enforcement of valid Laser Codes get nerfed in a recent update? EDIT: Just tried it myself and can confirm that AGM-65E and GBU-12 guide with code set to 1111 Bug??

You can designate a point on the ground with another system (TGP, HUD, WP) and slave the Maverick seeker to it. Then when you UNDESIGNATE the target, the MAV seeker will stay at the (last) slaved Location. Not perfect, but workable. Here's an example of this starting from a WP designation