flightace37

I may have found a minor bug with both ground air supply and electrical power. I forgot to disconnect them, flew, and came back to base only to find them both still on after I shut down the engines. 1. Do a normal cold start. (I did fail to turn on oxygen before asking for ground eletrical+air supply). 2. Don't disconnect either ground air supply or electrical power. 3. Go fly and land. (There was no typical "hey what are you doing?" warning.) 4. Taxi back to parking. 5. Shut off both engines and wait for spool down. You'll still hear the air supply connected to the jet, and all electrical is still online. 6. Shut off ground air supply and electrical power via comms menu. You'll stop hearing the air supply noise, and the instruments will all power off. ------ Great module though, guys. Loving every minute of it except for the controls nightmare after update which appears to be a known issue. (I had to repair install, restart computer, and delete F-14 config files multiple times before it would finally let me bind all of my control axes.)

Lol, thanks. I was about to hack the file to add those.

You can't, and haven't been able to see other pilots walking around since the feature's introduction in A-10C beta.

Any chance of adding a deferred lighting implementation in the future? There are a few public papers on the subject out on the web now, if people are not familiar. I'm pretty sure X-Plane is using it, and I know a few arcade games/shooters are as well. The visual effect is incredible, although you apparently lose the ability to use standard MSAA. (And most of the new AA methods blur the image way too much.) Here's one of the first Google hits on the subject: http://www.gamerendering.com/2008/11/01/deferred-lightning/ I didn't look at the links on the page myself, but I think there are a few source code examples for DirectX.

Were there any changes to the A-10C flight model during the DCS World integration? I believe there has been a significant change in both roll rate and rudder behavior, and it is definitely for the better. Anyone else notice this? Were there release notes discussing it?

Nice dig for formation roll work, Blaze. With regards to FM and whether or not you can perform a barrel roll in a given game: All you really need is a 3D environment where it is possible to point your nose both above and below the horizon, and you can roll through a full 360 degrees. You don't need gravity, and you don't need atmosphere. Even spacecraft can perform a barrel roll given pitch, roll, and ventral thrusters. (It could be done with a rear-facing thruster instead of ventral, but it would look pretty weird). I've never played Hawx, and probably never will. The couple of times I hopped into a BF3 jet led me to believe that you could perform a barrel roll just fine, given that you can fly a full loop. Completing the roll before you fly off the other side of the map is another matter entirely. :\

I'm no expert at aerobatics, but this track should demonstrate the basic concept over the course of a few attempts. It comes down to coordinated changes and timing. It definitely helps if you pick a point far in the distance to focus on. If you can make that point stay in one place, then your aircraft will be spinning around a fixed axis, and you'll get that nice circular pattern. The problem to overcome is gravity, which manifests itself as two separate effects. The first is a change in speed, and the second is an actual physical increase and decrease in effective G. When your aircraft is at the very top of a loop, then gravity is working in your favor. It adds +1G to whatever load factor you are experiencing (G you feel in your gut). In essence, you get an entire G for free while coming over the top. When you're coming across the bottom of a loop or corkscrew, then gravity is working against you. If your load factor is 4G, you are actually only affecting the nose with 3G worth of pull. The vertical component of your effective G is a cosine function of the pitch angle of your nose. Effective Vertical G = Vertical Load Factor Component - cos(pitch angle) Thus to pull a perfect loop or corkscrew, you have to smoothly move your stick through a range of throw to maintain a specific effective G. For example, to pull a constant 3G loop, you would start your pull-up from the horizontal with 4G, relax to 3G as you pass through 90 degrees, 2G as you come inverted, 3G as you come around the back side, then 4G again at the bottom. Up until now, I've made the assumption that your aircraft is flying at constant speed, but that is by no means the case. You have to modulate effective G depending upon airspeed. You're flying slower at the top of a loop or corkscrew, and thus have to spend more time to cover the same distance. Decrease effective G accordingly. At the bottom, you're flying faster, requiring an increase in G to get that nose up quicker. (The idea is to maintain a constant turn radius and rate.) What's worse in a corkscrew is that because you must spend more time going over the top, you actually have to decrease your roll rate to compensate. The opposite is true coming around the bottom. That's the physics analysis of what's going on. Now you can all look at my embarrassing track and see the effects of gravity at work, as well as my attempts to compensate for it. BarrelRolls.trk

Not in this particular mission, no. I can still delete ground vehicle objects just fine. It seems to only affect nav points. I'll post details as I learn more, later.

Do you have DCS World? If not, there's no point in me making a trackfile. You won't be able to examine what I'm doing through video alone.

I'll try to make a track later, unless someone beats me to it.

It's a barrel roll. The handling concepts are the same as for rolling scissors BFM. To maintain it around a horizontal axis, you start with a pitch offset and begin a steady roll with positive G. The combination of the pitch and roll rate affects the angle and diameter of the "corkscrew". Use the rudder to maintain coordinated flight throughout. Experience and attention to detail lead to a prettier maneuver. Due to "God's G", you need to make adjustments to pitch/roll rates during different parts of the maneuver. You have to relax by 1G over the top and increase by 1G at the bottom or you'll end up flying an oval shape.

After inserting a navigation point (Dodge) into my mission and saving the mission, I later tried to delete it by selecting it and pressing Del, as well as the Delete Object button in the GUI. No effect.

I wonder if some of it might also come from the ram scoop under the prop spinner. It's small enough to produce a fairly high pitch. Fact of the matter is though, we would have to outfit a Mustang with multiple in-flight microphones to pin down where the noise is coming from.

Best speed is achieved at sea level with a clean configuration (no flaps, bombs, rockets, or drop tanks) with your prop lever set to hold 2600-2700 RPM, and maximum manifold pressure. Letting the prop run at 3000 RPM saps performance for a number of reasons that I don't want to get into. Note that once engine degradation is modeled, you will not be able to maintain 61" manifold pressure for long before bad things happen!

I found the section discussing the remote indicator compass in the maintenance manual, starting on page 248, and ending on page 253. Model AN5730-6. It seems the remote indicator is used primarily to avoid the detrimental effects of armor plate.

I suspect it's modeled as a wet compass in the wing, transmitting signal to the remote compass indicator. Looking into the specifics in the PTM now. EDIT: Reading done. I added the bold because I like to give context around the relevant quote. So this is supposed to be the first evolution of our modern remote compass systems. There's no indication of how the remote compass unit itself is supposed to work, but the text does claim that it shouldn't be affected by maneuvering fluctuations. There's a number of ways to accomplish this, but I'm not going to speculate on which one the aircraft really uses, without appropriate documentation. Maybe the repair manual will have something to say.

This thread was lurking on the first page in the main discussion. Propwash is at least somewhat modeled. http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=88180

That's what happens when you get a bunch of propeller-heads and engineers together. Look at it as an opportunity to learn some cool stuff. I certainly have been.

The plane definitely behaves as you would expect for a clockwise-rotating prop. Check for severe crosswind components from the right. You might get some right pull if you trim enough right rudder while the tail wheel is in contact with the ground. This is due to the way trim is currently modeled in the sim; it moves the entire control surface instead of just the trim tab. This means that it moves the tailwheel too. Anyone want to check me on this? I don't have the time to run a test right now. Use the recommended 6 degrees right rudder trim. Realistic trim is on ED's to-do list that is hung on a wall somewhere in these forums. For now, I use no more than 2 degrees right rudder trim during takeoff. Most of the time, I leave it zeroed.

You're assuming that the MiGs will ever come down to play. That being said, I wouldn't mind if ED wanted to make one of the F-86 versions on the side, while they continue work on a modern US jet fighter. It's one of my favorites, and represents the last of the aircraft truly meant to fight in the WVR arena. (The Crusader usually carried missiles, unreliable as they were, so it doesn't quite count).

I've got a little bit more mapped to my stick. This profile assumes that you have Pro Pedals, Pro Throttle, and Fighterstick. You also need a TrackIR, or you'll end up doing some remapping for view and trim. There is a shift button mapped to the index finger button on the throttle which doubles all the other buttons as full DX buttons, including the POV hats. The POV hats have also been reduced via script, to 4-way hats that trigger two directions when you use a diagonal. Just play around with the buttons and shifted functions in the game editor to get a feel for where everything is. I've mapped lots of things, including mixture, rpm, kneeboard, flaps, gear, and weapons functions. The CH map is a generic map I use for all my flight sims, so don't forget to install the DCS files. I typically map my TrackIR to a shifted-press of the thumb button under the throttle's mini-stick. MouseCHProfileDCSP51.zip

When you're performing scissors, watch how well the enemy is settled into the turn with you. You can tell when he's rolled into the same plane and pulling G by looking at his nose and wings. The moment he is settled in, reverse your turn in an unpredictable way. Most people roll through the upright position. It's okay to do that, but make sure you roll through inverted from time to time to keep throwing the enemy pilot off. Also adjust your flight path, sometimes using a slight climb or a slight descent. That being said, you don't want to use a flat scissors too often in the P-51. It's not well-suited to it, and a smart opponent will line you up and skin you like a stuck pig. Remember that pulling on the pole too much will reduce your air speed, and there is a point at which an opponent with higher speed will have better turn rate than you do. Flat scissors is also very predictable, and he can fly his aircraft to shoot you as you come back across. (This is the reason you reverse only after he is settled in.) Get into a rolling scissors instead. You'll generate more rapid closure to produce that overshoot, and it's more difficult for an opponent to line you up for a shot. The best way to do this that I've found is to perform flat scissors or 90* guns defense maneuvers until the enemy is in close, being careful not to get too slow, then take it suddenly into the vertical. If you do it right, he won't have the energy to match because he's been playing catch up the entire time, and you'll beat him out very quickly and get on his six at close range. With regards to a video series, I recommend first discussing smooth handling of the airframe (all the different ways you can burn energy), then pursuit curves. After that, you can get into vertical/oblique turns as a general concept, and then discuss the merge (whether or not to lead turn, etc.)

I'm not quite sure what you're trying to say here. The rocket counter is not a salvo setting. It is a mechanism that chooses which rocket to fire. Each time you depress the release button, it fires a rocket and increments the counter to the next station. It eventually walks through all the stations, firing each rocket until it's out of stations. Resetting the counter will have no effect since all your rockets have been fired (at least until you reload). This has worked correctly every time I've used it.

The AI is fine as it is in my book (except their lack of ammo weight, of course). Air combat is an art, and the P-51 requires a good understanding of energy management to fly effectively. I have no problems with making easier AI available, as long as we leave the present difficulty intact for the more experienced pilots. It's nice to finally have something that doesn't sit there and flop around aimlessly all night. That being said, they could even use improvement when ED has the time. Pursuit curves, wing unloading, etc. Make sure you mess with starting speeds, TimmyD. Relative energy at the merge is a big deal, and easily determines the outcome of the entire fight.

There's no safety down-lock on the aircraft. It was removed to save weight in the D model. That doesn't mean there aren't locking pins to hold the gear in place once they're down; it just means that the pilot is able to raise the gear handle and trigger the hydraulics to pull the gear up while on the ground. P-51 Pilot Training Manual, pp. 16-17 talks about the landing gear system. The landing gear handle must be in the down position before pulling the hydraulic pressure release. Failure to do this is supposed to wedge the gear against the locks that hold them in the up position. (Obviously the story might be different when the aircraft is upside down). Hydraulic pressure should be restored when you push the handle back in (and it is). I know this material doesn't address the OP's concern about the landing gear handle getting stuck in the down position, but it sounds like there's at least one bug involved somewhere in there.