ericinexile

I'll also second the Harrier (any version). Should be easy to model since the low-speed FCS simply uses bleed air distributed through flight control nozzles. It'll never happen but how 'bout the Su25UBP. It's the navalized version and flies off the Kuznetsov. Or the Georgian modernized Su25KM.

Just finished Chapter Three and I have to say the tweaks really improved the playability. If you previously found the campaign to be a bit frustrating you might consider playing through the new version. Thanks for the update Wags! (P.S. In case you missed it, the updated campaign was released separately from the upcoming patch and is available in the "Files" link on the DCS front page.)

Actually I don't want any of this (or the Apache for that matter). It would put my poor wingy out of work. I just found it interesting.

Yeah, that placement error is the reason I've stopped caring about the INS update. To understate, the DCS ME Map needs a "little" work.

It's never been so dark in my experience that I couldn't find the batteries and the dome light.

Works great! Note to self: "RTFM!"

I think the confusion with those "Blue" buttons lies in the fact that these buttons all have multiple functions. They all engage axis dampening. And, if the Flight Director is off, they also engage axis HOLD. The Flight Director is the most confusing because the name describes the most insignificant function of the button. Who cares about the HUD symbology? It's real function is to disable the Axis Hold functions of the other blue buttons. The trim also has multiple functions: with the FD ON (OR with ALL buttons OFF) it just trims. Otherwise it also commands the attitudes for the AP to hold.

Did you return to the FARP? That's a winning condition for each Republic mission

That could be true but the manual says: So I follow the manual's lead. Like you, I use the the Flight Director whenever my head is outside.

There you go...you learn something new each day.

Yeah, it seems obvious that if the Skhval can designate a DL target then conversely, a selected DL target can slave the skhval. Unfortunately that is not the case, at least in my experience. (Only target points direct the Skhval.) It's pretty easy to find the DL'd target by watching the ABRIS cursor as you slew it over the target, occasionally designating (locking) to update the rangefinder.

I fly for a living. The airliner I fly is (at least at the level I am required to know it) far more complex than the DCS Ka50. The four checklists that are completed by takeoff brake release amount to 18 items about 5 of which really matter (ie, "killer items"). The reason the checklists are so simple is that pilots accomplish the majority of tasks through flow patterns. The "flows" allow pilots to achieve accuracy over hundreds of small tasks without the huge amount of time it would take to challenge-and-respond each item. That's what every player eventually does with DCS. My point is that a detailed and ACCURATE checklist is important during the learning phase (and recurrent study) but becomes increasingly useless after a dozen or so flights.

From the Mission Editor open the desired .miz file in the Campaigns folder. Then find your flight and scroll to the first waypoint which will state "Takeoff from Runway". Change it to "Takeoff from Parking". Keep in mind that this will change the timing of your flight and may blow the mission. There are ways to fix that as well but now we are getting to graduate level mission editing so I'd stick with the simple stuff for now. Have fun.

Come on! Really!? It's one thing to appreciate the realism that the Devs have built into DCS. But let's not get girly over the brilliance and sophistication of the simulation. Much is still scripted (the ABRIS boot sequence, for instance). DCS is complex enough without wasting time math-munching gearbox oil viscosity loss over time, turbine blade dust nicks, and seat cushion sweaty-butt compression.

If the distance is big, FD off and Route Mode On. If the the distance is not so big then FD On (autopilot off) and the PVI slaved to a useful WPT or TP for a quick-reference bearing while primarily using the ABRIS for navigation. Simple techniques for a very simple machine.

I'd like this cleared up too. [Thread Drift Pause] Great campaign so far. I like the idea of dispensing with the pretense of "dynamic" and just tell a story and let the player progress along that story. Very entertaining. [/Thread Drift Pause] The manual could not be clearer about campaign scoring and progression. Average score is nothing but a number the player sees when he clicks on the campaign. The stages shift and missions are assigned purely on the score of the last mission played. That's the manual and as a guy working hard on writing a campaign that's how I WANT it to work. If that isn't how it works, It would be nice to know.

When that happens to me it is because I failed to turn the governors on.

Thanks. Now...I wonder why it is so difficult?

So what it is about a dedicated server that "we" are hoping ED will eventually incorperate into DCS and that they have said will be a long wait?

This just might be the dumbest question I've ever asked on this forum. But even after having used the phrase myself (to sound really smart) I realize I don't really know what it means and how the lack of it might limit the game.

^^^ Even more than IC engines, turbines depend entirely on lubricants to keeps moving parts from immediate failure. These fluids must reach an optimum temperature before further stress is placed on the engine. ...And that's just the engine. The gearbox has the same issues.

Assuming that you are talking about the real thing: your own sense of professionalism and career preservation.

I've read the above a few times but maybe I'm missing something. Hover IGE makes a dramatic difference (15% +) in hover ceiling. The actual IGE ceiling has absolutely nothing to do with the math you stated (although your smiley suggests you do so in jest). The closer an airfoil is to a uniform solid surface the more efficient that airfoil becomes (lest induced drag).

This is more a failure of the campaign designer than of the DCS campaign engine. The GUI manual is very specific about how mission scores affect the player's staging within the campaign. With a bit of creative scoring the campaign writer can help ensure that the player isn't unduly penalized for events beyond his control. I think every mission should begin with a score of 50 guaranteeing the player to at least stay in-stage unless he does something to specifically earn a penalty. The "Oil War" campaigns are very well crafted but very poorly scored in my opinion.

The ADI SHOULD get its information from the INU. I say "should" because in modern aircraft (and at 20 years the Ka50 qualifies as modern) the inertial system provides all attitude, heading, and (usually) VVI data--except for standby, of course. The 30 minute alignment process is, fortunately, ignored in the game. Don't forget the INU heater in your preflight.