Dobby

Straight in and not a pattern approach, but at least I manage to fly the ball now. No. 3 wire!

Re speed: I remember a passage in "Warthog: Flying the A-10 in the Gulf War' where they transferred from the US via the Atlantic in really bad weather with no autopilot, and they had to refuel mid-flight. The tanker (KC-135?) was barely able to maintain minimum speed with flaps extended in order for the A-10A's to refuel.

aww, just when my TrackIR committed suicide over the weekend, the patch comes out... figures... have fun nonetheless Dobby

This is something I don't get: why do so many people feel the urge to map each and every key to their hotas? In the example given (no offence, aceflier...) you need the flaps/gear/wheelbrake exactly twice during a sortie, namely after takeoff and before landing. It's easy to use the keyboard for that, also in the real planes that is a switch in your cockpit and not on your stick (airbrake is another thing, though). Hotas means to not have to get your hands off your controls in combat or in difficult flying situations (like re-trim), not to be able to fly without touching anything else but the stick... Just my two cents... Cheers Dobby