Hootman9104

One other trick people can try is turning on attitude hold prior to takeoff if they feel they are all over the place with the pedals picking it up. I've had limited success doing this, as it seems to me the attitude hold is iffy at all times to begin with, but in general it tends to hold the aircraft in the direction pointed. Probably of no use or slightly annoying to seasoned pilots, but newer pilots might find trying that when learning takeoffs and landings to help a little bit until they truly get a feel and get their pedals adjusted just right.

Got it, thanks. As long as I know it's doing the same thing won't worry about it in Voiceattack programming.

I was afraid I wasn't explaining it easily. Perhaps a screenshot. Do not these perform the same function? Since it's just a sight select, I don't think there is any difference in functions. So when set, in say, "Collective Stick", it copies over to "Hocas" and "Mission Grip", but not to "Right Handgrip" and "TEDAC". If you try to assign the same controls in those two, it erases the settings in the other three. Again, no big deal, but seems like it two different settings that do the same thing, setting in one should copy to the other 4?

Setting up my CPG settings, following the training for employing the FCS in gunner position, I decided to verify/check my mapping as I went along. First step, the sight select. I also use Voiceattack, and while programming the Sight Select in the "Mission Grip", in game settings it copied the HOTAS settings over to "HOCAS" and "Collective Stick" with no problems. However VA noted that I was already using those commands, and when I searched "Sight Select" I noted that the same functions appear on the "Right Handgrip" and "TEDAC", but they are named differently but do they not perform the same function? Should not the settings in each copy over to each section in game control settings? The result is if you try to duplicate the keyboard and HOTAS settings on "Right Handgrip" and "TEDAC" to be the same as the others, it erases the prior settings in the other three. So basically we have two settings for the same functions? It's not THAT big a deal I guess, but it doesn't seem consistent. Should not one settings copy over to all 5 areas?

Yup. And I sometimes reset prior to landing, otherwise I hold trim release during the landing. Reset prior to landing causes a little "jump", usually some nose up, but as long as you're ready for it and don't wait until the last second, usually not a problem. In general I like landing with a "clean" stick.

Necroing this post quite a bit, but would like to see these options also, and add a comment about what I do with the Voiceattack macros. Forgive me if this has been covered, but thought I'd offer this tip for those looking to integrate the George interface commands easier into VA. Since Bailey already did the work for programing (see the video previously posted), I found it SUPER EASY to implement into my OWN VA profile, without using his entire VA profile 1. Download Bailey's voice attack profile zip file from the youtube video site 2. Import Bailey's VA profile (WITHOUT LOADING HIS CONTROL CONIFGURATION. JUST THE VA PROFILE INTO VA) 3. Open Bailey's VA profile in VA. 4. Go to the "George AI Helper Interface" Category in the profile. 5. Right click each command for the long and short presses.,and select "Copy to" and copy it to your own Apache VA profile. 6. Now go to your own Apache profile, and create your own VA command, for instance "Scan Targets"" 7. In the new command, instead of a key press, select "Other-VoiceAttack action-Execute another Command" 8 Use the dropdown to locate which of Bailey's commands you imported. 9. Save and test. Example: I created a command "Scan targets", and told the command to execute "George AI Helper Interface-Up short" Easy peasy, works like a charm. A general further note for other macros you might create, I would suggest to also use the option in the macro for VA to add a Text To Speech response. I have a VA macro to adjust all my lighting, internal and external for night flight, and have VA readback when it adjusts each switch and knob. Took a bit of time testing how long to turn each lighting know to get it right in VA, but it's certainly nice to have a simple voice command to adjust all the lighting and instruments, and the TTS confirmation for each switch and knob is a nice little immersion, and at the end tells me lighting setup is complete. Or just add a TTS at the end of all the macro steps to tell you it's complete. I find it kind of necessary as sometimes if you try to execute another command when the macro is still processing it screws things up. So I wait until it confirms it's complete before doing anything else. Just a though. I think I'm actually going to see if I can find one of the online TTS AI generators that sound almost true to life if I can find one that sounds like the voice in the RWR in the Apache, and add those as WAV files to be played in liue of the Microsoft voices in the VA TTS to confirm what the macros are doing. VA is awesome, the best $10 gaming utility ever in my opinion, I use it for DCS, IL-2, MSFS, etc. SOOOOO many things it can do.

This. I've had the module since day 1, and being a former retired UH-60 mech/crew chief with some IRL stick time (in H-1, H-6, and H-58) helps a lot as far as understanding the systems and how they operate and what they should and shouldn't be doing, especially the AFCS. Being developed around the same time, I think the H-60 and H-64 utilize the same industry technology from the time, which probably hasn't changed much. It's taken a long time to learn this beast, and my only lingering issue in flight is operating her at very low speeds and transitioning to a hover. Spent a lot of time working on curves, and also changing out my springs on the HOTAS to find the one that works best. Still work to be fine tuned, but overall I think the H-64 handles pretty well. Trim, Trim, and Trim again is my motto. I rarely "reset" the trim until I'm preparing to land after a 2 hour mission. My takeoffs are pretty good, and flying at all speeds even max torque dipping in, out and around trees gives me little worries at all, once the trim is tuned where it needs to be. Terrain flight and NOE is no sweat. AFCS is definitely one of the harder things for people to master, including the trim, and it just takes time a practice. Since I still need to work on the hovering bit, I'm more of a deadly wanderer on the battlefield, doing my CAS runs in Liberation between 70 and 80 knots, keeping on the move, and constantly trimming. It's just what works for me

I created a flight of 4 in mission editor in the Syria map to check out some mountain flying, and here's my observations. I put the flight in trail (took 1 minute as they still don't just "slide" into trail as they should, they fly around wildly before settling in), and then took then through some valleys at about 100 knots. I observed them with a variety of cams and on the map to see how they were flying. The logic seems much improved, as they seemed to follow pretty well, the only exception being they still are flying a bit too high. But it seems they were anticipating the varying climbs and descents pretty well, which is definitely an improvement. I used varying speeds, and all three performed pretty well, but the trail aircraft was having a bit of trouble and seemed to want to fly higher and a little more erratic. What I noticed also was their logic appears to have changed in one respect, and a big one. I did some 90 degree turns and watched them in the map mode, and before they used to immediately change their heading to try to come to me, even if it mean they had to climb a mountain to do it. Now, it seems that what they are doing is FOLLOWING my flight path, and made the turns where I had made the turns. In other words, they now seem to have the logic to "follow" my flight path. Maybe it was like that before and I didn't notice it. I don't think so though, I think this behavior is new, and correct. All 3 survived quite well overall, eventually I noticed that the #2 aircraft was gone. He never called out, and I never saw an explosion, but I have to assume somewhere he crashed into the trees. But the other 2 kept surviving, for at least an hour. So I'm pretty happy with taking them through and over mountain areas now with confidence that they can survive a normal flight through a valley in the mountains. They still need to come down a little closer to the ground when flying down valleys, but maybe that's asking a bit much. One thing of note is after a while, switching their formation around a couple of times, they seemed to lose focus, and eventually started flying around in no formation with no logic to it. When I tried to contact them, they would not respond even though I could see them. At the end I decided to test the landing logic. I landed and watched them with a variety of cams. Took them awhile to decide to come to me and land, the first guy came to me and went into the landing mode fairly quickly, the only thing being he decided to land in front of me facing me, instead of landing behind me facing the same directions. And then this happened. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-OFjnznW-XuVHgo-R_ztgcRlczdUPjeY/view?usp=sharing Maybe that's a one-off. The clip is short so I was actually able to save it as an animated gif. Overall, not bad.

Noticed a few things in the latest patch: AI helicopters. Fixed IAS speed vs. wind bug. AI helicopters. Wheeled helicopters allow take off & landing from a parking position. "Normal" weight value was corrected. Control hover added Ah-64 taxi improved. AI helicopters. AIs collide with each other on vertical take off - fixed. AI aircraft. The likelihood of the aircraft colliding with trees when going around mountain tops has been reduced. AI aircraft. Incorrect behavior of the helicopter during landing in some cases was fixed. AI aircraft. AI helicopters fail to engage ground targets in some cases - fixed. Hope to get on later and check some of this in Liberation CG. Be nice if I can actually get a flight of 4 off the ground and follow me through the mountains in trail formation without killing themselves. I still run Liberations 8.1 because iit has the Syria "full map", and my PC can handle it. I like to start that campaign with my Company of 12 Apaches at Incirlik (as if they had arrived in C-17 or C-5 from the states) and deploying 3 flights of 4 to Gazientep to begin operations. As I noted before, getting them through the mountains ranges from Incirlik to Gazientep usually results in 2 of them crashing into each other during taxi to runway phase, and even if they survive that some or all will crash following me through the mountains... Also on return from missions watching them just fly around in random patterns is immersion breaking. Watched one of them hover right into the operations building on the ramp at Gazientep and explode....annoying. Fingers crossed

I figured it had been covered before. Hopefully they'll get to it. One scenario I had to start the campaign was first flight to deploy all 12 Apaches from Incirlik to Gazientep. 3 flights of 4. I led one flight, and because taxi logic (Liberation) was boned up, I did a present position takeoff, which often fixes it as the 3 AI will most of the time just take off and join me. 1 took off, and as I circled around to check the other 2, I was just in time to see acft 3 bob, weave, and nose over into acft 4, destroying them both on the ground. Proceeding with number 2, and he crashed into the mountains on the way to Gazientep as I flew through some valleys. Luckily the other 8 made it with their flights, but I'm sure those flights were flying right across the tops of the mountains, not using the valleys on their route. Maybe one day....

Probably covered before, but the Helicopter AI pilots are atrocious. First, I can't lead a flight through mountains without 1 or 2 of them killing themselves in the trees. Constantly. Second, their behaviour, speaking of the AH-64 in particular. Running a campaign in Liberation, as Company Commander I decided to shadow one of my AI flight of 4 doing a CAS mission, I wanted to see how they behaved, as I lose a lot of aircraft. As soon as they encountered some MIG-23's, they immediately started behaving as if they themselves were flying fighter aircraft. They climbed to altitudes of 2,000 feet and began dogfighting, somewhat staying in a bunch but wildly flying around firing Hellfires at the MIG-23's as I circled below and watched this maniacal behavior. Eventually it seems the MIG-23's got bored and moved on, but not before they shot down one of the flight and myself. Again, probably been covered, but the AI seems to need some work for sure. Helicopter AI shouldn't be flying into mountains, and shouldn't be climbing and engaging in dogfighting at 2-3,000 feet with enemy aircraft. When encountered they should be doing evasive maneuvers to exfil the area. Hitting the deck and using the terrain and countermeasures to survive the encounter. In a sim that is pretty much dependent on very logical AI behavior in air operations, this is kind of nutty. If this is something that Liberation is causing, my apologies. I'll probably need to test it in a built scenario, but I don't think Liberation has anything to do with it. I'll keep having a Company of 12 Apaches to command, and send them on missions, but I think I get know why I lose so many aircraft. It's not to ground fire, it's them putting on their Top Gun glasses and going into Maverick mode.

Yeah, the collective has always been funky though. It jumps the torque way up when you move it, then drops back down. I've seen that addressed by the team, it's just funky that way.

Since day 1, I had the HOTAS throttle set with slider checked, with no adjustments. I had played with it a bit initially, couldn't get what I liked, but just adjusted again and I find that unchecking the slider and putting some curve in it and it's now wonderful, much easier to lift off and operate around the hover region. So right now the only thing in throttle axis I have checked is inverted, and put a 20% curve in. Just wondering what everyone else is using, to try and gage what people think a sweet spot is. But for me, a curve is a game changer when it comes to the collective.

Not really a bug I guess, more of a missing feature. When looking at the aircraft in external view, when opening and closing the Apache canopy / door, the handle doesn't turn.

Nope. I covered all that in the original post. Nothing is bound to any volume switch anywhere. Volume knob turning is one of the few things that I have NOT bound in my extensive Voiceattack and DCS profiles. I've been using the mouse in cockpit for that. I do have some knobs bound, as it CAN be done in Voice attack by having the command press the assigned key down, hold for x amount of seconds, and then release. For instance, I have a command script that I execute that sets every one of my instrument lighting and external lighting settings for night flight, like the panel flood lights and MPD brightness, to a preset level with one command. All I say it "Night Flight" and voiceattack adjusts every knob and gives me a text to speech confirmation for each one, i.e "Left MPD....set". So yeah nothing bound in profile, and I double checked voice attack, and even checked with voiceattack not running. HOWEVER, TONIGHT IT IS WORKING JUST FINE. BUT THIS WENT ON FOR DAYS. I'LL HAVE TO KEEP AN EYE ON IT, BUT FOR NOW, IT'S WORKING AGAIN, NO SNAPPING THE UHF VOLUME OFF ANYMORE BY PRESSING THE PINKY SWITCH WHEN USING IT AS A MODIFIER. VERY ODD. FURTHER UPDATE: ACTUALLY I FOUND DID HAVE IT BOUND, BUT IT WAS BOUND IN THE AXIS SETTING....DUH....I BOUND IT TO THE PINKY SWITCH+ONE OF THE THROTTLE KNOBS SO I COULD ADJUST IT BECAUSE IN LIBERATION USING THE VIACOM PROGRAM, THE AWACS BECOMES ANNOYING AT TIMES. SO APPARENTLY I HAD THAT KNOB ALL THE WAY DIALED DOWN, AND WHEN I HIT THE PINKY SWITCH, IT WAS THROWING IT HARD LEFT....SO WE'RE ALL GOOD NOW I THINK....AND NOW I'VE REMEMBERED THAT I'VE BOUND THAT, SO I CAN GO BACK TO USING IT FOR WHAT I MEANT TO USE IT FOR TO BEGIN WITH

I have an odd problem that has popped up. I have my Logi X-56 Pinky Switch set as a "modifier" to use with other buttons/switches on the stick and throttle. Works fine for the most part. But I just noticed that now whenever I engage the pinky switch, the UHF volume snaps over to minimum volume. I searched my entire profile, including the CP/G and George profiles, paying particular attention to the COMM PANEL, and nowhere to I see the pinky switch assigned to affect the UHF volume at all. On my voiceattack profile I do use some keybinds for that alone to do some things like run little scripts that you can't do in DCS, but didn't find anything there either. In addition, I shut down VoiceAttack and it still happens in the pilots seat. I removed the pinky switch as a modifier, and it stopped doing that. Added it back in, and it started again, pinky switch snaps the UHF volume to minimum. I've been using that for the longest time as a modifier, and I just noticed this happening. Could someone else try this? Would be interesting to know if this is an X-56 problem, or a problem across the board with assigning a HOTAS pinky switch as a modifier.

Yeah, that's why I had a question mark after the comment. Based on my experience with the tool in FS2020, it does introduce some artifacts in certain situations, especially HUD elements. The only HUD I have in FS2020 is the payware Hype H145 (if anyone has FS2020 I can highly recommend that payware, along with the paid GTN750 that it has. Super aircraft that support a lot of third party things like LilNavMap and Navigraph charts and much more on the aircraft pad and GTN750). Vulkan will be enough I guess. I already DCS pretty well with my 13900k processor and 3080 Ti GPU, but look forward to the day when it's possible to really step up the graphics full tilt, including the NVCP tweaks. Using my own server, I can actually run DCS Liberation FULL Syria map at 60 FPS with good graphics. (sadly, full Syria Map no longer supported past Liberation 8.1, so I'm sticking with that for now).

The artifacts I see at times remind me a bit of trying to use reprojection in DCS with VR in the AH-64, when you look up at the rotor it's a blurred wobbly mess. I have no artifacts at all on the terrain, just the menu's, and in the payware H-145 helicopter HUD. But overall it looks great, and I prefer it over looking at terrible looking buildings and watching terrain pop in. One thing I didn't mention was that there was no change in anything in MSI afterburner except the CPU usage up. Very little effect on my 3080Ti, still only using about 50-60% of the GPU. With my rig I actually have DCS running quite well, but I would sure love the opportunity to try it with DCS and I bet I could max everything out, then again the CPU is my bottleneck to begin with. Another question is does frame generation even work with Vulkan? If DCS is never going to enable frame generation, kind of a moot question though. EDIT: Answered my own question. It appears DLSS frame generation is DX12 only, but DLSS Super Resolution is DX11, DX12, and Vulkan. DLSS - Download and Get Started | NVIDIA Developer According to the Stormbirds article though, DCS is apparently going to implement DX12 along with Vulkan? If that's the case, maybe they'll flip the frame generation switch on at that time (if DX12 is offered along with Vulkan, as it seems DX12 is required for framer generation per the Nvidia Developer site?) Big DCS update: Vulkan, F-16C, AMRAAM, Forrestal and more! – Stormbirds

Bookmarking this topic. MY POST WILL BECOME RELEVANT IF DCS IMPLEMENTS THE FRAME GENERATION OPTION AS DISCUSSED HERE. THIS TOOL ALLOWS 20xx AND 30xx TO IMPLEMENT THE 40xx CARD FRAME GENERATION, AND WITH ANOTHER GITHUB MOD, IT CAN BE APPLIED TO ANY GAME THAT SUPPORTS THE FEATURE (hopefully DCS in the near future. In fact, this info might be a compelling reason for DCS debs to implement this feature, as it opens the process to 20xx and 30xx owners!) But right now, if you own FS2020, read on... Today I found a fantastic mod that allowed users of NON 40xx Nvidia cards to implement the frame generation in FS2020. The setup was very simple, and it works FANTASTIC in FS2020. With my 13900k processor and 3080 Ti GPU, after applying the mod/fix, the Regeneration setting became enabled in FS2020, I flipped it on, and it is a GAME CHANGER! I even maxed everything out in graphics to ULTRA, and I mean EVERYTHING. There is literally no more graphics to apply. I always restrict my flight sim FPS in NVCP, and with my frames restricted to 60fps I get a solid 50-60 fps at LAX and JFK. In other areas less graphic intensive, I get a solid, locked 60 FPS. FS202 for me is now everything it should be, with ALL graphics on max at 2560x1440. Now, reference artifacts, etc. There are some. There is also the occasional microstutter. However, I can tell you, it is not bothersome at all. Most of it is the game menu's jittering when you look around with TrackIR, like when you open the ATC menu. But otherwise, it's really not noticeable at all. I found this topic because I was hoping to try it with DCS. There is an additional process to allow you to apply the same modification to anything else, as long as the game supports the frame generation for 40xx cards, you can enable it on the 20xx and 30xx also. Unfortunately it appears we can't do that. However, if you have FS2020 and a 20xx or 30xx care, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND you give this a shot. It's real easy. Here are the links for any FS2020 owners if you are interested, and I've also attached my own little sheet for the steps I took, but there is a very small readme with the download that tells you what to do. Again, very simple, you can do it in 2 minutes. I only wrote my own little "guide" so I can remember things I did (like backing up the FS folder, registry, and creating a restore point first. If DCS ends up enabling this process, then this neat little mod would certainly be applicable for those with non-40xx cards. Trust me FS2020 drivers....I wouldn't have posted this unless I was totally amazed by this. GITHUB link for original (it will send you to Vortex: GitHub - Nukem9/dlssg-to-fsr3: Adds AMD FSR 3 Frame Generation to games by replacing Nvidia DLSS-G Frame Generation (nvngx_dlssg). GITHUB link for applying it to other/all games that support regen: Enabling Frame Generation · Issue #15 · Nukem9/dlssg-to-fsr3 · GitHub Vortex for the file: dlssg-to-fsr3 (Replace Nvidia DLSS-G Frame Gen with AMD FSR 3 Frame Gen) at Modding Tools - Nexus Mods The video showing it (also contains link to GITHUB, which sends you to the zip file on Vortex) Enable Frame Generation on ALL RTX Cards-STEPS.txt

This. Took me quite some time to figure out how DCS like to handle it's profiles, in particular if you don't pay attention it always wants to append a new "diff.lua" to the end of the controller name profile save. For instance, I generally never throw old profile backups away, and looking just now I see old iterations where I have AH-64D_pilot_keyboard.diff.lua (the original), and also AH-64D_pilot_keyboard.diff.lua.diff.lua.diff.lua, which means at some point I updated, saved, and when saving didn't remove the extra new "diff.lua", so it appended to the end of the original. with 3 "diff.lua", I not only did that once, I did it twice (not removing the additional "diff.lua" when saving). That file is dated April 2022, right after initial release, and before then I had not really been into creating entire profiles for aircraft. So the naming convention is I think a bit wonkier than most sims, but it is great that you can save profiles for each, even the TrackIR. Getting ready right now to map all the FCR stuff, so I'll be backing up prior to doing that, and glad I saw this discussion as it reminds me to be sure and remove the extra "diff.lua" as I back up prior to making changes for the FCR. But yeah, I just built a new PC, and had no issues loading the saved profiles in DCS. I DID have an issue with IL-2 however, with IL-2 BOS doing what the OP stated, and I had to go into the IL-2 config files and renumber the controllers.

Do you have "Zoom" mapped on your HOTAS? I find that sometimes zooming in helps a bit. And of course, boresighting but I'm not so sure of how much that makes a difference. I like to stay on the move while engaging the enemy, generally 60-80 knots, and when engaging with the gun I fly to the right or left of the target as I pass so can look down through the canopy as I pass, and I generally begin firing by aiming at a spot before the target as I'm passing by, keeping head still and thus allowing the forward motion of the aircraft to spray a line of bullets just before the target and right on through it, which usually results in good hits. With > being direction of acft, and * being bullets: >>>>>>*****[TARGET]*****>>>> So that way you can pretty much hold your head still and just let the acft motion draw that line of bullets before, though, and after the target. Sitting at a hover and trying to hit something is certainly harder, and in that scenario, nothing helps but practice, and the first few shots tell you if you're firing short or long. I rarely manually adjust the range; I just judge whether I'm short or long and use "Kentucky windage." In reality the bullets are "mini grenades", the M789 round is designed to fragment upon impact, with the steel projectile body providing the shrapnel, unless it hits armor and then think the shaped charge provide the penetrating capability. The lethal radius against unprotected, standing targets is about 5 ft (1.5 m), so with infantry I kind of just do a little circular motion with my head (TrackIR) which is usually close enough to deal with them, and light unarmored vehicles, so firing from a hover is easier (but still difficult) for those types of targets when accuracy isn't as crucial. Of course, with light armored vehicles it pretty much requires a direct hit, if it isn't a direct hit the crew probably just hears a lot of plinking of the shrapnel hitting the armor. So with armored vehicles I use the fire during pass method. So to me, the firing method depends on the target, and firing on the move is the best bet for lightly armored vehicles, and also is my preferred method for infantry as well.

Greetings, I have just been doing some testing In the Apache using Liberation via my own server (so I guess that's kind of multi-player), and noticed a few things. Maybe this is related. As a side note, I restrict my FPS to 60 in the Nvidia Control Panel, as that takes it easy on the GPU and allows extra "eye candy" Using any type of upscaling (DLSS, FSR, NIS) caused other aircraft in Liberation to intermittently freeze in flight and then warp to new position. Verified this was across the board, looking at the theatre map. All aircraft would stop moving on the map, 10-15 seconds would go by, then they would move again, and then freeze again. So then I decided to try the different settings WITHOUT upscaling. MSAA same glitching, but not as bad TAA same glitching, but not as bad. In addition, TAA introduced "ghosting". Not TERRIBLE, but noticeable. DLAA no glitching, everything seems smooth as silk. SSS is ON. All that said, Liberation now runs like a champ, maintaining my 60 FPS nice and steady. So 2.9 works a wonder I think for overall performance, but I think there are some issues with the new Anti-aliasing and upscaling that are causing stutters/glitching/warping. They may need to do some fine tuning. Now, different from your issue, my aircraft didn't hesitate or glitch at all during any of it, just the AI aircraft. So there is a difference in your experience, but again, I think there is some computing going on in the program related to AA and upscaling that is causing some stutters/glitching/warping, but DLAA does not seem to have an issue that I can see. Maybe you can try just using DLAA with NO UPSCALING and see what happens. mobo: Z390 Aorus Ultra cpu: 9900k (Aorus Ultra mobo bios OC to 5.0) RAM: 64GB GPU: EVGA FTW 3080 Ti DCS Anti-Aliasing: DLAA Upscaling: OFF

Noticed something odd the other night flying Liberation campaign mission. I set up the aircraft in Liberation to have the center tank installed, and when I got in the aircraft not only did I have the extra bag of gas, I also had 1200 rounds of gun ammo. Should be one or the other, not both, right? Anyone else noticed this happening?

I went through what was then Tango school summer of 85, I don't even recall Romeo training was ongoing yet, as we didn't start getting the H-64's in the 82nd until right before I rotated out in March 88 (they were doing a year long train up at Fort Hood), so I'm thinking Romeo training started later. Not even sure if they still have Drill Sergeants for the students anymore. Between basic, AIT, and Airborne school I had someone in a hat yelling at me for the first 7-8 months I was in. We never trained at Felker, we used the hangers over where the Diver training tower was on main post. Our barracks were older type H shaped buildings with latrine in the middle, just across the street from the hangers and right next to the old AIT "Winners" club. They actually had civilian girls basically dressed as strippers working in there, and there were also dancers over at a club near the bowling alley. Never see stuff like THAT nowadays. Overall that was a great 4 months, it was during the summer and after the first couple of weeks we pretty much could do what we wanted, could have vehicles, even going off post. Went down to the beach a lot. Training back then didn't include FTX's and any other soldier garbage at all, just aircraft maintenance training in the hangers the entire 16 weeks. I used to live up the road in Charles City county in 1990-1992, and used to go to Eustis all the time and noticed the "soldier training areas" popping up around base. That's probably why it's there. But what kind of training during the FTX? Actual component replacement? It doesn't look like there was any BDAR training done on it, no holes or patches, or did BDAR training even occur? That was probably a thing for line units to train on I guess, not AIT. I was a BDAR NCO later, but we never actually had anything to punch holes in or anything like that. Next time I'm down there I'll try to see if I can get a tail number on it. Probably still has the data plate on it, just not sure where those are located on the 64's.

I was going to post these in screenshots, but actually wanted to discuss if anyone ever trained on this. I'm retired Army Aviation as a UH-60 mechanic/CE/TI, and so Fort Eustis is sort of a second home. I currently live in Richmond area, and once lived about 20 miles from Eustis. Anyways, last year I was down at Eustis taking a look around to see what had changed, and ran across this H-64 out just of a road in the woods. I believe it is/was probably used as a trainer for BDAR (Battle Damage Assessment & Repair). Just wondering if anyone knows the history, and if anyone ever actually trained on it and can confirm that's why it's out there. I wonder if it was ever used in combat, maybe Gulf I, etc. I spent my career at times around the same UH-60's, for instance when we turned in 79 and 80 models to pick up new factory fresh models when I was in the 82nd Airborne back in the 80's, lo and behold all those aircraft we turned in were sitting on the ramp in Richmond Virginia with the ARNG when I left the 82nd and joined the Guard full time. Including the first H-60 I ever crewed, 80-23464, which Virginia had for several more years. 20 years later, my former Battalion sent me a photo of 80-23464 when he saw the aircraft sitting somewhere out in Nevada. So I get a little sentimental about the airframes themselves, and their little idiosyncrasies and problems. Always makes me a little sad when I see one abandoned like this. Poor thing sitting out in the middle of the woods, with no companions, not even the dignity of becoming a display somewhere or sitting in a boneyard. I marked on the map the approximate location if anyone is ever on Eustis and wants to see this abandoned piece of history.