LawnDart

Intake needs some serious TLC!

That's 12 years in the making... for a shooter!!! Flightsims are way easier to make...

Here's a good quick reference for different F-16 variants and what is most noticably different on each (see table near bottom of page): http://www.cybermodeler.com/aircraft/f-16/viperversions.shtml

Great work and very nice looking cockpit model! Being an avid F-16 fan, here are some tips... Appears you're shooting for a Block 50, using the F110-GE-129 engine, thus there are some things that need attention: Most obvious the intake shape. The Block 50 is using the MCID intake (although it doesn't look like your model has the NSI intake either, so take a look at that... the shape just seems off. Try to find a good reference photo from head-on of a MCID intake. The profile view of this intake is slightly different too). A few other things that stand out are the speed brakes angle (fully open with gear up they deploy to 60 degrees max, gear down they go to 43 degrees max). Can't tell for sure if the gear doors are bulged. The VHF antenna on top of the dorsal fin looks a tad off, but I could be wrong. The anti-collision light on top of the vertical stabilizer appears to be missing its shroud. Air-scoop on the bottom of the left wing strake is missing or very small (underneath the gunport). The angle of the LEFs (leading edge flaps) is actually -2 degrees when fully up, meaning they won't be aligned with the fuselage and wing strake extension even when flush. In the real Viper these obviously flex up and down to dig into the air allowing the pilot to max perform the plane, but in the most upright position they are actually -2 degrees and pointing upward in relation to the strake. Great work... keep it up! It's kinda hard to tell from only a few shots (and angles), but those are things that stood out to me at a first glance. Good luck! :smilewink:

Depends on the sim. In DCS it is actually recommended that you don't change anything from the default settings. In FC2 I use TARGET to setup a 3 or 4 "curve" and either 0 or 1 "zoom" (a.k.a. shift) for the X, Y and Z axes. (Since I'm using TARGET to tweak curves, I leave everything in FC2 default).

Maybe it's just the real pilot in me screaming peds first, but I'm not gonna argue that TIR is essential! ;)

You can customize your "curves" for TIR any way you'd like 'em. There's also a "precision mode" that can be turned on/off which greatly reduces abrupt movements on the screen.

I was ready to chime in an say TIR, but noticed you put rudder pedals on the list... Let me put it this way: If you have a HOTAS, but no rudders... I'd definitely go for rudders first before anything else! It's very immersive as it's part of how you control your airplane! :D

F-16

Yes! It will work with any game that employs a joystick. It does not have force feedback, and it's not needed (nor desired by many).

I've been using my HS+ modded Elites with the HOTAS Warthog. Unfortunately they connect through the HOTAS Cougar base, so having USB would be nice... however, the benefit of using the Cougar base is that the rudders show up directly in TARGET along with the rest of your TM gear.

Steve Kates, a.k.a. "Dr. Sky" radio interview with Whack, VTB5 Listen in to the live phone interview recorded on April 27, 2011 between Whack, VTB5 and TV and radio personality "Dr. Sky". Download your audio copy here: DrSky.mp3 Length: 29:34 File size: 40 MB Also available on Vimeo. About: Steve Kates– "Dr.Sky" has been engaged in the science of astronomy for well over thirty years, having got his first experiences while a young man from his parents, Bob and Dolores. His first true observations occurred while just seven years old, viewing the moon and planets in a ten dollar telescope provided by family members. The first real event he saw, was the 1966 Leonid meteor shower from his home in New York City, atop a tall building. This encouraged him to make the SKY his passion and has been so ever since. Locally, Steve Kates– "Dr.Sky" can be seen on a regular basis on such programs as 3TV's "Good Morning Arizona" and Fox 10's "Arizona Morning", sharing the secrets of the night sky and other related events. In the radio realm– Steve Kates has been a contributor to such programs as KFYI's Wake Up Arizona and has been a regular with KXAM's 1310 AM radio personality Bill Straus, "Straus’ Place". Website: www.drsky.com

LED! Btw, the term "Full HD" is the biggest marketing ploy of our time. For anyone buying today I'd go with 1080p (it's mainstream), 120 or 240Hz. Computer monitors will look sharper, but the larger displays (TVs) aren't bad, and the lines between monitor/TV are getting very blurred as they are essentially the same screens nowadays. My computer uses HDMI (not DVI) connectors. Lastly, unless cost is an issue I'd definitely choose LED as it's perfect for gaming! No ghosting, better color presentation and superfast refresh rates.

It shows up as its own sound device. I'm not sure about the ins and outs of the headset, but it needs to be selected as your playback device if you are to use it. Most games let you pick which sound device to use, but if I select the G930 in Windows as my playback device it inhibits all my other sound cards as well. One cool thing you can do, however, is select your sound card as the playback device in Windows (and FC2/DCS) but setup TS/Ventrilo to use the G930 as the inbound/outbound sound device. This lets you play engine noise, beeps, bells and whistles over the speakers while all your buddies on comms are heard over the headset!

The Logitech G930 is its own sound device. I also have a X-Fi card as well as "onboard" sound, but the G930 is selected as the "sound card" when used. In other words, my rig has three sound cards total and the G930 headset is one of them. (Only headset I've ever used like this that actually shows up as a separate sound device).

Had mine for about 6 months now, best headset I've ever had! :thumbup: Get the aformentioned Li-Ion battery pack for your TIR clip and you'll be completely wireless while gaming!

They didn't exactly take what they had and ran with it... Aside from the fact that the handle itself is almost identical between the F-16C and A-10C, there's not much that's inherited from the Cougar's handle. The material is different, the button and trigger forces are different. It even comes apart differently and has different electronics. The paddle switch was an easy "add-on" for any Cougar users (or F-16 pit builders) wishing to upgrade their Cougars with the new handle.

“In The Loop”, Spring 2011 Download your copy here: Newsletter Spring 2011 (Archive can also be found on our website). Virtual Thunderbirds: "2011 Promo" We're thrilled to be back and without further ado present our 2011 promotional video. Download here! Quality: WMV HD 1080p Length: 2:03 File size: 118 MB Also available on our YouTube Channel and Vimeo in 1080p.

Welcome to “In The Loop”, The Virtual Thunderbirds Quarterly Newsletter We're happy to announce the first issue of our newsletter along with some exciting additions to our site, video channels and downloads. You can read all about it in the first of two issues of our newsletter being released this weekend. The Winter 2011 issue is out now! The Spring 2011 issue will be out tomorrow (since we're already in spring). Download your copy here: Newsletter Winter 2011 (Archive can also be found on our website). Virtual Thunderbirds: "Delta Soaring 2011" The wait is over. The team is back in training and here's a glimpse from inside our 2011 training season. Download here! Quality: WMV HD 1080p Length: 3:15 File size: 190 MB Also available on our YouTube Channel and Vimeo in 1080p.

Had a very long and detailed reply typed up... and ED forums decided to log me out so I lost everything I had written... (Trying to start over... Argh)! Bumfire, I had a nerve pinched in my arm before and my ring finger and pinky went numb for several months. I had my chiropractor do NIR light therapy as well as regular adjustments to my elbow where the nerve that was causing my fingers to go numb is. This was inexpensive and not intrusive at all, only annoying that I had no sensitivity in two fingers for months. I didn't stop me from flying in my normal job, nor online... however... The reason it happened was because my elbow had been resting on the side of (not on top of) the armrest for hours upon hours of flying for weeks and months. This caused the nerve to get pinched in my elbow and my fingers to go numb. It took me about 3 months to get my sensation back in my fingers, and my doctor (chiropractor) said the same thing: "Lay off the flying for a while". Well: 1) it's my job, and; 2) it wasn't going to happen online either as we had one of the biggest aerobatic shows coming up at the time. So, I went back to the root of the problem... Seating position and ergonomics! ***EVERYONE WITH THEIR THROTTLE AND STICK ON A DESK SHOULD PAY ATTENTION TO THE FOLLOWING*** Can't stress this enough, but anyone flying with their HOTAS on a desk is just setting themselves up for health issues. You don't need a pit either, and this is my point... I have my throttle on a pair of cinder blocks positioned closely to my body on the left side of my seat bottom cushion. The height is exactly 16 inches off the floor, add another 1 3/4 inch for the throttle base and it sits just under 17 3/4 inches above the floor. My seat bottom on my chair is exactly 17 inches off the floor. This is important! It lets me rest my hand on the throttle where it would naturally want to be even if the throttle wasn't there. Final step: make sure there's no armrest interferring with your elbow. If there's an armrest your arm should rest on top of it, not push against the side of it or at a weird angle. This is why the cinder blocks and throttle are aligned right next to the seat so my arm doesn't stretch out or angle away from my body. It should be a very natural posture while sitting. Now, onto the stick handle... I simply place it between my legs, on the seat bottom itself. The base plate of the HOTAS Warthog sticks out about 1/5 of its length at the front of the seat (but it's also angled). I angle the stick with the natural angle my forearm has when I keep my upper arm parallel to my body and then angle my forearm as if I was grabbing hold of my... [:music_whistling:]. This angle is the same alignment (or twist) you'll want your stick handle to have (as mentioned earlier). It lets you rest (i.e. RELAX) your right forearm on your thigh while flying. With your upper arm parallel to your upper body (down the side), and your forearm aligned with the handle.. you should position the the stick itself right in front of your "Randy Johnson". You'll be all set with a feather light touch on the controls, and very comfortable flying! (It may even make you a better stick). How far out your base plate on the HOTAS Warthog will stick out depends on how big you are, but in general I leave just enough room so I can pull the stick all the way back to its stop without hitting the "jewels" or causing my wrist to have an un-natural angle with the stick pulled all the way back. I've said this before, but seating position is THE single most important thing for precise and comfortable flying. Anyone using a throttle and stick on top of a desk is commiting what I like to call "HOTAS abuse". Even half the people who place their HOTAS' to the sides of their chairs are doing it in the worst possible and non-ergonomic ways (requiring them to stretch their arms out and away from their bodies). Everyone really should pay attention to this, because I've been there, had health issues with it... (almost developed carpel tunnel once too from my force sensor stick at one time, but that's another story). I never stopped flying though, in real life nor in the sim! The answer is: Take care of the problem at hand. First and foremost, see a doctor/chiropractor for some treatment. Secondly, fix your setup!!!!!!!!! It doesn't require a pit, and hardly any money to have a good seating position with ergonomic placement of the flight controls. Just be smart about it! Seat height, lateral displacement, fore/aft positioning etc. of the controls... it all makes a huge difference in not only control, but you won't get fatigued and as in your case (and mine, thanks to a poorly placed armrest) substancially reduce the risk for health issues. Your condition will get better, but in the meantime tackle the problem at hand!:joystick:

“In The Loop”, Spring 2011 Download your copy here: Newsletter Spring 2011 (Archive can also be found on our website). Virtual Thunderbirds: "2011 Promo" We're thrilled to be back and without further ado present our 2011 promotional video. Download here! Quality: WMV HD 1080p Length: 2:03 File size: 118 MB Also available on our YouTube Channel and Vimeo in 1080p.

Welcome to “In The Loop”, The Virtual Thunderbirds Quarterly Newsletter We're happy to announce the first issue of our newsletter along with some exciting additions to our site, video channels and downloads. You can read all about it in the first of two issues of our newsletter being released this weekend. The Winter 2011 issue is out now! The Spring 2011 issue will be out tomorrow (since we're already in spring). Download your copy here: Newsletter Winter 2011 (Archive can also be found on our website). Virtual Thunderbirds: "Delta Soaring 2011" The wait is over. The team is back in training and here's a glimpse from inside our 2011 training season. Download here! Quality: WMV HD 1080p Length: 3:15 File size: 190 MB Also available on our YouTube Channel and Vimeo in 1080p.

Let's hope it matures into a full-fledged sponsorship after the event. ;)

Thrustmaster T.16000M Cheap alternative that uses the same Hall sensor technology found in the HOTAS Warthog.

As Panther already pointed out, the HOTAS Cougar is no longer in production... HOWEVER, given that the F-16C share the same stick handle as the A-10C, and the A-10C share the same throttle quadrant as the F-15... one has to wonder if there isn't something in the works between ED and TM for the next launch of DCS. It wouldn't require a completely new product from scratch... Just either a new TQS or F-15 stick handle, and you'd be all set to fly either the -16/-15 again with high end gear. The possibilities...:joystick: :music_whistling: Sorry, there's no -18 HOTAS AFAIK though... :cry: