NoJoe

I just tested this, and Markpoint Z is indeed placed at the calculated weapon impact point. It's pretty cool, you can see it in action yourself: 1. Turn the CDU steerpoint dial to "Mark" (instead of Flight Plan or Mission) 2. TMS aft long to set the steerpoint as SPI 3. Make sure the TGP is up on one of the MFDs and set to A/G. 4. China Hat forward long to slave the TGP to the SPI. 5. Go to CCIP and drop a bomb or fire the gun, and watch as the TGP points at the calculated impact point. Wait a few seconds and see your bombs or shells impact nearby! :pilotfly: Also interesting to see that Markpoint Z is at the calculated impact point, but wind or general inaccuracy will tend to make the bombs/shells/whatever hit slightly off. Cool! :D --NoJoe

Ohhhh, I was wondering what was going on!! I was about to make my own post about this too, wondering what was the intended effect. Never mind. :) --NoJoe

You're right that there's no airbrake indicator in the A-10C. You just have to look over your shoulder at the wing to see. :) I'm pretty sure the real A-10A doesn't have an indicator either, but I don't know for sure. --NoJoe

Heh, I just figure that post refers to us as bees. They've posted a bit of info on the next patch, and we're all buzzing with excitement! :) --NoJoe

Yes! Plus the, ahem, "modest" thrust-to-weight ratio makes it so you really have to plan your energy in the A-10, just like any small single-engine Cessna or Piper. Not to mention the adverse yaw! (All the fighter jocks right now are saying "The adverse what?"). Gotta keep it coordinated! I have to fly the A-10 sim with my feet almost as much as with my hands. :thumbup: I'm really (really really) looking forward to a Pointy-jet DCS sim, but I just LOVE the stick and rudder flying of the A-10! --NoJoe

I'm a flight instructor in Real Life, flying little Cessna 172s and the like... I know, it doesn't count. :( :P I would love to have someone sit me down and teach me real-life SAM evasion techniques! That would be so cool!! :D --NoJoe

You're welcome! :thumbup: --NoJoe

But guys, it CAN'T be an F-15E, ED has never modelled an air-to-ground radar before! :P And by that same logic, we can't have the A-10C that we have now: ED had never previously modeled laser guided bombs, Laser Spot Search function for a targeting pod, JDAMs, autopilot-based stabilization system for a huge aircraft-mounted gun, etc. etc... I'm really excited to see what the next DCS aircraft is. And no matter what it is I know I'm going to love it! :D --NoJoe

Flying on a radial to a destination allows you to approach the destination from a specific direction. That's the key part. For example, let's say you're south of the airport, and there is a noise-sensitive neighborhood just south of the airport (or a big hill, or radio towers, or something else you don't want to fly through/over). And you're south of the airport too, so you would have to fly over the sensitive area if you fly directly to the airport. Instead, the airport might want you to approach on the 090 radial (that is, approach from the east, so you're flying a heading of 270 to the airport). This would keep you away from the sensitive area south of the airport. Again, flying a radial to a destination allows you to approach the destination from a specific direction (and over a specific line over the ground), so you can avoid things you don't want to fly into. :) --NoJoe [EDIT] Oh, to answer your first question, Conure, when you have a TACAN destination tuned and set a course, the CDI will give you guidance (left or right of the course) onto the radial you have selected. Example, if you turn the course knob on the HSI to a course of 360 degrees, the CDI will tell you if you are left/right of the line extending from the destination out to 360 degrees, and the reciprocal, 180 degrees. And to be clear, when ATC tells you to fly heading "240 for 5", that's something else. That means simply "From where you are right now, turn to a heading of 240 degrees and fly that heading for 5 nm." The ATC headings don't have anything to do with TACAN courses. :thumbup:

Let's see, you should map TMS, DMS, Trim Hat, Slew Hat, Coolie Hat... Naw, just kidding. :P I'd say the most important things to have mapped to the joystick are these, in approximately this order: 1. Trim hat 2. POV Hat for view control (unless you have TrackIR, then you don;t need it on the stick) 3. Slew Hat 4. Master Mode Control Button (for switching among Nav, CCIP, CCRP, and Guns modes) 5. Nosewheel Steering Button (for Nose wheel steering, laser control, air refueling disconnect) 6. Speedbrakes in and out (separate button for each) 7. China Hat forward and back 8. Wheel Brakes Or so... I'd set my joystick up like that. If you run out of buttons, the rest can be used on the keyboard. --NoJoe [EDIT] Hahaha, it took me so long to type my response that Nate chimed in before I could finish. Go with his advice! :D

Oh, haha, so you did! Never mind, then. :D I've been considering putting together a more in-depth syllabus for the A-10C... I'll post here if that gets off the ground. So to speak. ;) --NoJoe

I had written up a quick outline for the training syllabus I followed when learning the Hawg. http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?p=1047803#post1047803 To follow the whole thing would take ages! :P It's still somewhat vague, and I know you are looking for something more specific, but it might help or give you a starting point. Modify as you see fit! :thumbup: --NoJoe

Negrete, I was having some trouble too, but then I checked in the manual. The step I was missing is that you have to ground stabilize the Mav with the Boat switch centered. Then it will be in force correlate mode. The steps per the manual are here: 1. Boat switch in center position 2. Slew the Mav near the target (either manually or using the TGP as SPI) 3. Ground stabilize (TMS Aft Short). 4. Slew the Mav onto the target. The tracking gates will fully close and the pointing cross will go steady. 5. "Rifle!" :D Hope this helps ya! --NoJoe

I think all the betas showed that same version number in the menu. Eddie or Sobek or someone mentioned to ignore that number for the betas. --NoJoe

I think the "Volume" and "Peak Volume" knobs in the cockpit are to control how loud the stall warning horn is. I'm not sure which one is for which, though. I shall have to check it out after work! :book: The "Communications Menu" key is only used in "Easy Communications" mode. If you're using realistic comms (i.e. haven't checked Easy Comms in the options and you use the mic switch to talk on the different radios) then the communications key doesn't do anything. You'd use the mic switch instead. :thumbup: Now I'm really not sure what the "Land GEAR" key is for... Landing gear up/down is to raise and lower the landing gear (wheels). Looks like there's a command for up, another for down, and a third key that is a toggle. Hope some of this helps! --NoJoe

And this time last week there were people darn near begging for a release as soon as possible. I doubt that had any impact on the release time frame, but still. Can't please everyone. Just sayin' :P Software like this always has bugs. And as Nate said, this wasn't caught in time to be fixed for the release. It'll get fixed. Besides, I'm really enjoying what we have now. --NoJoe

Just a couple observations: I really like: the new sounds (especially the Gau-8!!! ), cluster bombs, JTAC, Markpoints that stay where you put them I don't like: accidentally leaving my countermeasures in standby mode when flying into a MANPADS-infested combat zone. I really like: The damage modelling and how the flight model reacts to severed airplane parts! :P To EVERYONE who helped bring this sim to life: AMAZING JOB!! :D --NoJoe

[EDIT] This is directed to TDBONE1: So, wait... Tell us, what advances from DX11 are you expecting to see that can't be done in DX9? I think you're getting too focused on the technology behind the sim, and not looking at what the sim itself provides. It really is an astounding simulation! Graphics are great, sound is awesome, and the simulation of flight model/systems/switches/procedures... Love it! :D Take a step back and try to look at the sim for what it is, not for how you think it should be built. :thumbup: --NoJoe

I doubt there would be enough non-classified stuff on the F-35 to make a functional sim. If ED simulated it we'd probably only be able to takeoff and land. Actually, I bet even the takeoff performance of the F-35 is classified! :P Bottom line, there probably isn't enough info to do an F-35 sim. And it seems like ED's stance is to not simulate something if they can't simulate it nearly 100%. :thumbup: --NoJoe [EDIT] There's always that AT-802U. :D

Hehe, I actually kind of got the opposite impression from Moa's post. :P :D I'm going to go with the Bootcamp crowd on this one. The advantage of being able to do Mac stuff while running DCS/LockOn through a VM is good, but the performance trade off is a deal-killer for me. Besides, how long does it take to restart back to Mac OS after you're done simming? All of 10 or 15 seconds? :D --NoJoe

Those who have flown a Beech Bonanza in real life will recognize that wing drop. Stalling the Bonanza (or the "Banana" as we called it) was exciting, especially the first time you did it! If you were extremely careful to keep the ball perfectly centered, the nose would drop straight, but any hint of sideslip, and you'd be on your side in a heartbeat. Usually with little warning of the impending stall. So the wing drop in the real A-10 may not be as bad as it is in DCS (I don't know; I've never flown a real one), but I can say for sure, the Bonanza is worse than we have in this sim! --NoJoe

I think you have part of Fox 1 and Fox 3 backwards. Fox 1 should be semi-active radar missile, such as AIM-7 Sparrow. Fox 3 should be active radar missile, such as AIM-120. --NoJoe

No, I think bearing should be from north, ie: if bandits were on a bearing of 062 from you, you would turn to a heading of 062 to put them on your nose. --NoJoe

Are you talking about TMS forward short, which makes the targeting pod go from Area track to Point track? That key combination is LCtrl Up (arrow), and it's called "HOTAS TMS Forward" in the controls. If you want to manually activate the laser, you need to hit the Nosewheel Steering button, as Mugenjin said. That key is Insert on the keyboard, and it's in the controls list as "HOTAS Nosewheel Steering Button". Also make sure you've set Latch to ON in the targeting pod CNTRL page. :) --NoJoe

Ohhh, that would be amazingly awesome! On the other hand, I wasn't terribly interested in the A-10C until I started diving into this sim. And now I've fallen in love with the hawg! So to ED: whatever the next sim may be, you've got me hooked! :D --NoJoe