Zenra

Thanks, WarriorX, top notch as always. Other useful applications of the Offset page include: 1. Creating a break-to waypoint relative to a target point - provides a reference to fly to as you break away after releasing weapons during an attack run. Use the Offset to set a point 90 degrees off your attack course, toward the "friendly" side if such a thing exists. 2. Creating an approach fix relative to the airbase you intend to land at, especially when said airbase is different from that issued in your original flight plan. Using the airbase as the base waypoint, create an offset waypoint 10nm out and on the reciprocal runway heading for use as an approach fix. Especially helpful in bad weather / poor visibility. 3. Setting a waypoint when approach control instructs, "HAWG 11, fly 235 for 20...". Mark your current position and create the offset at 235/20 from there. I agree the CDU is kind of a "final frontier" for me, too, and a very useful tool indeed.

I suggest you go to the sticky Manuals & Documents thread. It contains links to a variety of real world documents about the A-10, not just how to fly it but real world procedures for planning and executing missions. Although not specific to the A-10, there is some excellent material available at the CNATRA site. Documents like P1208 and P1209 are actual flight training instructions for US Navy pilots learning instrument flight and navigation procedures and weapons employment. With this sim, the real world manuals and dcoduments are the manuals you need.

This is a common problem. Some have luck issuing "attack with..." orders on a specific target that you SPI and broadcast, but I haven't. Insead I am trying tigerrrr's AI Mod with some success. Wingmen definitely engage at a greater distance, so I think it's a good workaround until the AI gets fixed (hopefully) in a future patch.

Ah - I see - very interesting. Do you think this is a case of the ground team selecting some other target to designate? I haven't played around with that part of the ME (indeed, what Bahger and some of the others are doing with the ME looks like Black Magic to me - but I sure am glad they're doing it! :D ), so maybe the AI has some chance of selecting another target from the one the mission creator intended?

China hat AFT LONG sets the TGP to your steer point.

As Nate and GGT said a crosswind component is usually the culprit, but it's important to keep in mind other factors. Essentially anything that causes your trajectory through space to vary from the direction the nose of your aircraft is pointing can cause the offset. The pitch ladder and associated symbology is centered on the velocity vector, so if you have an asymmetrical load, or bullets are hitting you in the side, you might have a velocity component in a direction other that straight ahead out the glass. Yaw trim can help with the former, exiting the danger zone the latter.

Thanks for the additional tips, Bahger, I am sure they will be helpful to many. I do wish to clarify one point, though: the steps you mention to set up your TGP laser for latch and auto lase should not be necessary, unless you decide you need to lase the primary yourself for some reason, correct? My understanding is that you have the mission set up such that the special forces troops should be the ones lasing the primary, so as the hog driver what's needed is to get the TGP FOV on the village and initiate Laser Spot Search (DMS RIGHT LONG) at the right time. If the TGP picks up the laser from the ground team then there is no Ned to lase the target from the TPG. Please tell me if I have this wrong or am missing something here. Thanks again for the mission - it really looks great.

Not that I know of. Pretty easy to make a waypoint out of it from the TAD, though, if you think you need to switch around to other sensors before prosecuting it...

Arrggg! - the wife picked last night to invite the neighbors for a cookout, so no chance for me to fly! (I need to get my priorities straight, I think...) Rainmaker, glad you had a chance to try the mission, though - I am definitely looking froward to trying it myself, but that will have to wait for the weekend now, I suspect :( I've experience the problem you describe, but have since decided that it was due to my own misunderstanding of how to use LSS properly, so just want to offer the following: For LSS to work you need to point the TGP toward the general area of the target being designated by the other entity, otherwise it seems to slew on its own to someplace else (maybe the current SPI?). Only then should you initiate the search pattern by pressing DMS RIGHT LONG. This seems to work, but only if I have the TGP field of view showing only the intended target area without other potential targets. I would be interested in other people's experience with this feature in DCS A-10C.

Banger - sounds great! Will download tonight and give it a try - just the kind of thing I was looking for - thanks!

Once I got the start up sequence, takeoff, basic flight and landing stuff down (well, I don't know if I have it down, but at least I can fly a mission without killing myself anymore:music_whistling:), I've tried to concentrate on one weapon or skill each time up. I've been using a version of the Sitting Ducks mission that I modified to include a ramp start from Kobuleti and a couple of ingress waypoints where I set up in an orbit from which I can practice use of the TGP, mark points, flight plan building and modification, weapons configuration, etcetera. This way I get to practice the startup procedure every flight, taxi, takeoff and land (at Tskhakaya) as well as focus on a weapon system. Although the few units in the Sitting Ducks mission are stationary they DO shoot back, and it is quite simple to add more / more dangerous foes through the Mission Editor. I've been having a blast and getting better each time, building up my confidence to jump on an MP server sometime soon.

FWIW, I do NOT consider selecting my payload cheating. When playing the campaigns in SP you are usually flight lead and as such would be part of the mission planning team. ATOs may be handed down from higher command, but at the squadron level the flight leads at least participate in mission planning, including selection of appropriate ordinance, fuel planning, etcetera needed to carry out the tasking.

I know I am late to the party here, but wanted to add my kudos to ED on the 1.1.0.7 patch - it's smooth as silk and stable, and includes a lot of nice touches that help my immersion level (like the ILS ID, marker beacon indication, ...). I was at 1.1.0.5 until this past weekend (due to issues with 1.1.0.6) but the latest patch is great. Good job, ED!

Agree with everything said here, but just want to add: you will probably not want to limit yourself to using the keyboard for throttle control either. You need to adjust throttle setting a lot, including pretty much anytime you turn and of course during AA refueling. The X52 will probably be your lowest cost choice.

Ah, thank you - I must have missed that when first selecting Ramp Start...

I am setting up a mission that begins with a ramp start at Kobuleti. The ME always places the player plane in a shelter that requires a very sharp 90 degree right turn immediately upon exiting the shelter lest the plane becomes hopelessly stuck with wings against another shelter close by. When I try to move the starting position of the player plane to another location on the airfield the ME always places it right back to the same shelter. Can I change this, or does the airfield support only one location for an SP aircraft set up for a ramp start?

That's right - the only way I know of in-game to get the exact runway heading is from the mission map (F10) view. Zoom in and click on the runway - the heading will be in the info area at the lower left of the screen. The CDU DIVERT page has some good information for instrument approaches, but does not give a precise runway heading. It only gives the runway numbers, which as others have said isn't really precise enough for setting the HSI during instrument approaches.

First, realize it is a three position switch, so mapping to a single HOTAS switch won't do much unless you set up toggles or something more complex. In the center position all exterior lights are off. Forward turns on a set of "default" exterior lights (navigation lights, primarily). Aft set exterior lights as dictated by the settings you've made on the lights panel on the right cockpit console. Hope this helps.

Quick catch, YoYo - thanks for the heads up!

If the HUD is in NAV mode and you command HUD as SOI then the current steer point becomes your SPI (EN manual, p399).

Quite possible. You may also want to try changing the grid to 38T...

Totally agree - in most missions you have ample time to set up an orbit or do a recon pass and mark a few target points before setting up your attack. Especially when you have an FAC - stay high and safe orbiting behind the FLOT and use the TAD to plan your attack run and egress route. The A10-C does a great job of flying slow and this characteristic is perfect for taking time to set up attack runs.

The way I look at it, if I were doing this in real life, I would be spending plenty of time in ground school, studying and in simulators. Using active pause is like using a "simulator" in this sense, allowing time to become familiar with use of all the systems before you have to employ them in missions. I try not to use active pause when I am flying missions, but use it frequently when flying training missions, trying things out I read about here on these forums, etc.

You can also use the TAD cursor to check the grid reference at any location you like. Just set the coordinate display mode to MGRS (OSB9, I think).

I believe the advantage is that the HUD will be set to the mode associated with the weapon in it's DSMS profile when you select it. IOW, a time saver.