ASAP

You test it the first time after the battery and inverter are working. You want to make sure all the caution lights work (especially important ones you care about during engine start like Left Fuel Pressure/Eng Start cycle, etc...) and that the lights powered by the DC and essential AC bus are working. That's most of them, minus the gun ready and.... the canopy light(?) Then when you get engines started and there is AC power you test it again to make sure that the lights powered by the AC bus are working.

OK, so I know this post is being resurrected from 11 years ago... but since it got resurrected, I'd like to point out that the checklist could use some modernization and completely optional realism points (take it or leave it, the OP indicated he wanted a realistic checklist though so here's my input). Some of these points might be squadron standards specific or technique/good practices that are not necessarily -1 mandated. I'm mostly posting this for my own amusement but figured it would start a conversation. Prep checklist: EAC cannot be engaged sense there's no power to the aircraft, the checklist isn't wrong, but it doesnt really need to be there. radar altimeter - should be NRM boost pumps (Wing/Main) should be ON, this is now the default AC Gen (L/R) - should be on, unless its very cold or rainy out, then they'd be left off until after engine start so the generators can warm up. STARTUP, TAXI, TAKEOFF All lights - wherever it says day-dim night-bright, should be the opposite. Radios - The mid radio is the only one powered by the battery. Turn that on after battery/inverter, turn the others on after apu and apu generator start. Radios are sensitive and its best practice not to have them turned on as the AC generators start up. I'm not an electrician but "something, something, power surges and stuff, probably wont matter but why risk it" is the explanation I've always heard Canopy - unless its cold outside, usually left open until after engine starts by most pilots (The air conditioner doesn't work during engine starts and if the sun is on the cockpit it warms up really quick) If its a nice day outside it seems like lots of pilots like to taxi with their canopies up. BOOST PUMPS - Should already be on from the prep checklist APU GEN SWITCH - Before turning it on verify the L. FUEL PRESS light is out. (Not really a factor in the sim, it's always out unless you've pulled the DC FUEL PUMP circuit breaker) ENGINE STARTUP ATC COMM - Correct for DCS and most campaigns, but just a real world note here, at least at USAF fighter bases... Fighters don't have to talk to ATC usually to request engine startup. Thats a thing for civilians and heavies. APU GEN SWITCH - Don't turn this off until you are also turning off the APU generator. The APU GEN switch is also powering the cooling system for the generator. even when you have both L/R AC Generators working you need the generator switch on while the APU is on APU Switch- This checklist has you turn off the APU immediately after engine start. In reality there is a minimum time the APU needs to run unloaded after an engine start (a couple of minutes), Also the APU is providing your air conditioning, and heating while on the ground and your engines are in idle. You can turn it off whenever you want after the the minimum unloaded run time, but turn it off no later than your pre-takeoff checks. Pre-Flight test SIGNAL LAMP TEST - This should be tested first right after the battery and inverter switch are started and then again after engine start (AC POWER available) Fire detect bleed air leak test - This only needs to be checked once, but needs to be earlier in the checklist before you start your APU. That way you know it will tell you if you have an APU/Engine fire during startup. FLAPS/SPEED BREAK/CONTROLS/TRIM/etc... - The checklist is fine, there was a lot of discussion back in 2012 apparently about how these tests are actually done. The pilot is talking through the intercom with the crew chief, the pilot tell the crew chief what he's doing, moves something, and the crew chief watches to make sure the appropriate control surface moves. The pilot can't see most of the things on their own. HUD MODE - Generally left in day mode even at night due to NVGs Final Checks and Taxi ANTI-SKID - this isn't supposed to be turned on until you are lined up on the runway ready for takeoff. Should be removed from this checklist. SEAT arm handle - This is armed immediately prior to taxing onto the runway, and disarmed as you are leaving the runway. Definitley not while taxiing around. Easiest way to fail a ride in UPT is to arm or forget to arm your ejection seat outside of the appropriate time. FLAPS lever - Not set until the pre-takeoff checklist immediately prior to taking the runway. LANDING LIGHTS - taxi lights aren't used during the day. LCP Position switch - FLASH is the appropriate setting, but it should be in the flash position before you even turn your battery on, this should be moved to the pre-start checklist. LCP ANTI-COLLISION LIGHT - Same comment There is a critical checklist here which is missing because all the steps are dispersed throughout all the other checklists. In reality, you'd do what this checklist labels as "Final Checks" minus the items I pointed out being in the wrong spot prior to taxi. Then you'd get taxi clearance and the formation would taxi to the end of the runway to get armed up. That's where the maintainers would pull all the weapons pins and give the aircraft a final lookover. Obviously that's not simulated in DCS. So I just knock out this next checklist as I am approaching the end of the runway. After every aircraft in the formation is arme'd up the flight lead would direct "PRE-TAKEOFF CHECKS" At which point each aircraft does the following: PRE-TAKEOFF CHECKS: Ejection Seat - Arm Flaps - MVR APU - OFF (If not already off) Tape - ON Landing Light - LDG APU GEN SWITCH - OFF PITOT Heat - ON LCP POSITION LIGHTS - STEADY LCP ANTI-COLLISION LIGHTS - ON Then there's some radio comm and the flight gets clearance for takeoff, taxi's onto the runway. Once lined up on the runway: ANTI-SKID - ON Then there's a series of hand signals and head nods between the pilots and the rest of the checklist continues... TAKEOFF LANDING LIGHTS - Leave in the LAND position, the light is only on when the gear are down and locked. This way when you come back to land it will automatically come on. Outside of combat, tower will be looking for the light, because if its on it means the gear are down and locked. LCP POSITION/ANTI-COLLISION - Like i said that's part of the pre-takeoff checks. Absolutley none of those things are critical or necessary for flying in DCS. Those are all just some notes for realism and flavor. Have fun, and I look forward to all the BS flags that are about to get thrown.

actually that's an awesome bug, can we make an option to keep that around?

You are correct, as far as the jet is concerned a GBU-12 is a dumb bomb. the only interaction the jet has with the bomb is a few clamps in the MAU hold onto a pair of rings, which in turn pulls the pins which release the fins and power up the seeker as the weapon falls away from the jet. There is never any data passed between the aircraft and the bomb, and the bomb doesn't know or care where it is in time or space. after it is released and the computer powers up, it just moves the fins to keep the laser spot in the center of its field of view and does that all the way until impact. Its actually a very stupid "smart weapon".

Also you wouldn't take a sergeant fletcher tank into combat because it increases the overall explodyness of the airplane to an unacceptable level.

Are fuel flows override? did you put the motor switch in motor and leave it there? Fuel boost pumps turned off? (I know the engines SHOULD suction feed but that's not an absolute under all flight regimes). I'm not sure to what level all those switches are modeled, but those could potentially cause issues if its a simulated jet issue.... Or its a bug in the game I dunno.

You can only edit the 50 waypoints in the mission database. The remaining 2700+ waypoints are loaded into the system but you cannot manipulate them. I haven't encountered the ?-1 before, but if I had to guess I'd say that it would overwrite waypoint 1 in a similar fashion to how your markpoints will cycle from Mark Y back to Mark A.

This perfectly illustrates why you cant have stations 7 6 and 5 loades simultaneously. you can either load 6 or 5 and 7.

I read it straight out of a document that I cant post a link to here. It came complete with a picture to illustrate exactly what I said. That's for real world at least. It works out to your eyes being about level with the top of the HUD. Not sure what you're seeing but it might also be skewed by foreward/aft head position.

The airplane is however designed with an objective "right" and "best" view. The HUD is designed to be viewed from that vantage point. Also all the visual over the rail references that pilots train to use that as a baseline assumption. Obviously pilots have their preferences and can move their seat however they want, but from an aircraft design standpoint there's an intended spot for you eyes to be.

The default camera position is a pretty close approximation to the recommended seating hight. There are two bolts on the top right of the HUD. Its recommended you set the seat hight so the top of the front (closest to the pilot) bolt is about halfway up the aft further bolt. So actually in that last screen shot your seating hight is waaay to low. Which is confusing, because if that were the case you should be struggeling to see the bottom of the HUD not the top... Strange. I wonder if its a fore/aft issue and not an up/down issue for you.

It does. All those options are configurable in the mission planning software that writes to the DTC.

I think if its something people want then sure, I'm sure someone can probably make a mod no big deal. My point was that ED doesn't need to, since they are trying to make things that are accurate. From what I've heard, on NVGs the pilot actually can see the gun firing in front of the jet and it's pretty bright. A pilot I talked to said it isn't dazzeling or anything but it kind of looks like you're jet is breathing fire, which sounds pretty awesome to me. Also, The mav and rocket motors are both still burning as it leaves the rail. I've seen HUD video and the maverick burns pretty much all the way to the target. Rockets have a much shorter burn but they are still in front of the jet when the motors burn out.

are you expecting the old circle pipper looking thing in the center of the HUD? That’s not a thing anymore. Are you getting the LAR and staple on the left of the HUD?

They are just steel slugs TP rounds don’t have tracers. The ccip symbology makes tracers pointless. You’re right. I don’t think the visual impairment is a huge issue though. At least no bigger an issue than rockets or mavericks firing. From what I understand the NVGs are so bright you don’t really have much night vision anyway.

You are correct, that's the way the system should work.

I'd argue that the lack of all the real world TAD functionality is the biggest limfac the A-10 has right now. I'd much rather have a fully functional TAD than extra link features. Pilots can fly without working EPLRS all the time. Not having a TAD is a way bigger hit to their SA.

Another thing to try is change the profile from optimum (OPT) to balistic release point (BAL). That way even if the bomb never sees the laser and doesn’t guide it’s still going to fall pretty close to your spi assuming you had your symbology lined up correctly at release. delay vs continuous lase can be debated til judgment day and I’d argue that under most conditions they probably aren’t tremendously different. For what it’s worth I turn the laser on a few seconds prior to pickle every time and I have never had issues with bombs missing. But also, GBU-12s suck use 54s and 38s they are way better in almost all situations What I would say is that auto lase and just trusting your system to do everything is probably not as foolproof as just having good habit patterns and manually clicking the laser on yourself. There are so many posts here about issues with auto lase not doing what people expect or masking issues etc… that’s all of course just my preference and habits. it’s a video game, play it the way you want as long as you’re having fun, you’re doing it right.

That’s normal. It’s a function of head position in relation to the hud glass and the projector. Pilots have to move their heads slightly to see stuff at the far periphery. In flight the horizon line should be visible due to the AOA of he jet. On the ground it’s normal to not see it without leaning forward/down

That is normal and accurate. It’s just the analog guage and the digital system not being perfectly synced. The analog guage isn’t super precise.

The first china hat aft short will recage the missile. Doing it while the seeker is caged should step through all the missiles on one lau before switching to the other lau.

Pro tip from a real a-10 pilot. Just don’t use auto lase

Did you verify the bomb came off the jet and did it impact its target? Did the TOF numeric in the targeting pod also look off? When did the bomb impact in relation to the TOF indicated?

At night you would strafe your (or better yet, your wingman’s) IR marker. If that’s not an option you can strafe the TGP diamond. Or you could laser spot search your wingman’s laser and strafe that

It’s not a missing feature. You don’t bore sight the maverick to the TGP in the A-10. The maverick is bore sighted in the HUD. It is always perfectly boresighted in the game. That would be realistic for a jet that has flown with that same maverick and it has been previously boresighted by a previous pilot. I believe you can adjust it if you want, at least I want to say that you used to be able to. I’m not at my computer right now but I’ll do it and send a track file when able.