BeachAV8R

Tonight we get some revenge for the massive attack suffered in the valley last evening. Intelligence has found a high value target location and we are tasked to eliminate one of the terrorist leaders. We will take off from Skala FARP and proceed to the target location where the FAC (Udav-2) will direct the strike. The intelligence photos for this mission are excellent and we should have no problem finding the target. The bird is fired up and ready to go on the pad at Skala FARP. I’ve seen other people using their landing lights in missions so for the first time ever I actually turn mine on. Pretty cool feature although with NVGs it is sort of redundant. After taking off I slave the autopilot to the PVI steerpoints and engage the ROUTE mode. The glow from the lights in towns I pass is warm and it is hard to believe a war is going on out there. At the HOLD point I pull into a hover and the FAC contacts me with instructions. With the excellent intel photos I quickly get my Shkval optics on the target even though the light is very dim. I engage the auto-turn to target mode and let the helo weathervane toward the target while I select the Vikhr missiles. Suddenly the whole target area and surroundings are lit with brilliant light as our support aircraft overhead zips by and drops a string of illumination flares. The I’m given the order to engage as tracer fire erupts between the building and our assault troops. I fire several missiles at the house and it erupts into flames. As the flames leap from the building a message comes across that a vehicle has escaped and I’m requested to engage it. While setting up the attack on the house I have drifted lower in my hover and I have no line of sight on the road. I pull up on the collective and start gaining altitude and desperately search for the moving car with my Shkval. I can’t seem to find the road and then suddenly the whole scene goes pitch black as the flares overhead sputter out. Damn!! I’ll never find that car now. I start heading for the house intending to at least try to find the car by looking out the window with my NVGs but I’m wary of the warning in the briefing about MANPADs and AA threats. As I approach the house I’m thrilled to see the overhead Sukhoi has released another string of flares! Yes!! I spot the lone vehicle fleeing south through the town. I’m doing close to 200 kph now though and don’t have the time to get the Skhval optics on the target on the fly so I drop my collective and haul back on the cyclic to bleed off speed while selecting my unguided rockets. This attack is going to be very precarious since I was warned in the brief that collateral damage should be avoided. Me and rockets don’t do very well, but I see the vehicle approaching the limits of the illumination radius and know that I might not have a chance to find the vehicle if I hesitate. My first few rockets go long, but luckily the attack axis is down the road so nothing other than pavement gets hit. My next rockets are smack on target and the car explodes in a nice fireball. The FAC is happy with the mission result and I’m relieved that I didn’t fly into a flak trap or get hit by a MANPAD since in the rush I forgot to deploy countermeasures. After the illumination flares burn out I put my NVGs back on and orbit the burning vehicle waiting for additional tasking but the “MISSION SUCCESS” message appears and I know my job is done.

Looking forward to this. I used the License Tool, made the purchase, and received a key within a couple hours. The missions installed fine and I'll be starting to fly them very soon. I'll report back as I go.. * Purchased the A-10C training mission set.. BeachAV8R

Nice app. Will be posting an article on it on SimHQ.. If I could make one suggestion (don't know if it possible or not) - would it be possible to make the check marks permanent and then add a "clear check marks" menu or something? The reason I ask is that there are times when you might need to interrupt a checklist to switch to another checklist (say to set up the weapons release settings) and then it would be nice to return to the previous checklist and still have the check marks there for the accomplished items. Regards, BeachAV8R

As we settle onto the FARP we get the “MISSION SUCCESS” message and I’m surprised to see the FARP lights turn on. Amazing little touches in this sim. I turn off my engines and watch my wingman make his approach to the FARP. He settles gently onto the pad despite not having a nosewheel. I see the 180 second “repair” time come up and I wonder if my wingman will also get repaired, but unfortunately he doesn’t. This mission is great. Not a shot fired by us, but it was tense, unique, and a lot of fun to fly. This is a great example of an awesome hand-crafted mission. Nice job to the mission designer! BeachAV8R

Alarm! Shorpa FARP has come under attack and we must get airborne as quickly as possible and reposition to FARP Skala. I’m dumped into the cockpit in a cold & dark startup. The text dialog suggests a quick start with LWin+Home but I’ve been playing a LOT of BS2 online and have the start procedure down pretty cold. It is pretty intense as tracer fire arcs all around us as my wingman and I scurry though the start. I skip lots of steps and concentrate on getting the APU, engines, and NAV systems up and running as quickly as possible. I also take a minute to order the ground crew to change out my helmet mounted system to the night vision goggles. I get the engines running and the ABRIS up but the HUD is still blank as the call that mortars are incoming. I hit the stability augmentation buttons and pull the collective and the Shark jumps into the air. I trim up for a slow climb and I urge my wingman to hurry up. I give him the rejoin command a few times hoping that will hasten his departure. I can see his spot/landing light down on the FARP as I climb away and I hope he can get airborne in time. He lifts off as the mortars come crashing down on the FARP. He radios that he has been hit and I can see his tires are shredded as he somehow manages to lift off. As we climb away to the north the FARP and town are lit up by burning wrecks of FARP support vehicles and base infrastructure. Finally my HUD symbology comes alive and it takes me several minutes of fiddling with the various rheostats to figure out the correct intensity level for the NVGs. I’ve almost never flown with NVGs and the effect is really cool. I’ve applied the awesome circular NVG mod by Diveplane, it is very nice! The radio messages come fast and furious as multiple locations call out they are under attack. All along the valley tracers spray back and forth as it becomes clear this is a bit of a “Tet Offensive” by the insurgents. Our rapid departure did not allow us to load weapons, which is probably a good thing since determining friend from foe is near impossible. I see a few tracer lines reach up toward us as we fly overhead and I decide it might be a good idea to pop some flares as we fly over the areas where the shooting is occurring. I scan my ABRIS and find the FARP on the map. There is no flight plan loaded or anything in the inertial system since we didn’t have time to load anything prior to liftoff. I consult the briefing map and it is easy to find where we are supposed to be going. As we cross a town I’m momentarily surprised when night turns to daylight. An Su-25 is flying overhead dropping parachute flares to help illuminate the valley for the defenders. The flares illuminate the valley and us too. It is only in the brightness of the flares that I realize the extent of the damage to my wingman. His ride is trashed with panels blown away, the nosewheel completely gone, and his much of his rudder missing. I’m amazed he was able to join up and make the flight. I suppose the alternative, staying on the FARP getting mortared and perhaps overrun was a good motivator! I peer through the HUD and finally make out the landing area at FARP Skala.

I will be buying this shortly. I think great work should be rewarded.

The next DCS module should be DCS: Swimming Pilot. All I had to do was tread water for about two minutes and the cavalry was steaming up the hill to save me! Doh!

As the vehicles reach the northern outskirts of the village I spot enemy insurgents scattered throughout the village. I’m not a fan of indiscriminate fire in populated areas, but I let loose with a few rockets to suppress the enemy. The external view (cheat – yes) shows one of my rockets heading over the town and then the AAA unit and enemy troops become evident but I’m already closing at high speed on the town. I continue my rocket barrage hoping I can get some rounds on the biggest threat – the AAA emplacement. My wingman calls out that he is hit as he pulls off with an engine on fire. I curse my stupidity for not maintaining my standoff range. As I cross over the village I hear the tap tap tap of rounds hitting my airframe. I instantly hear the rotor low RPM warning and I lose control of my helo. As we descend rapidly I hit the eject button as my helo pancakes into the ground. In a stroke of terrible luck, my chute drifts down into the stream running next to the village and I must end up drowning since I’m reported as DEAD in the debrief. A minute later my wingman also succumbs to his damage as he tries to set his chopper down in the valley and explodes. Our friendly forces do manage to finish their advance and despite the loss of both helos we get a mission success. I assume the “FAILURE” listings on the debrief are component failures resulting from damage. It was a horribly executed mission and I should have stayed at standoff range and proceeded to find and hit the AAA site with precision missiles. I felt under pressure to advance with the friendly armor however and paid the price. Lesson learned that haste is not a good idea in some cases. BeachAV8R

This morning our mission is to depart “Shpora” FARP and provide support to a force attacking a reinforced area at Krasniy Karachai. Enemy forces are holed up within three fortified bunkers. Our job is to fly in support of the attack as directed by the FAC on the scene. As the briefing notes, the ceiling for the mission is scrubbing the tops of the high mountains along the route. Heading up the valley toward the first waypoint I engage the autopilot in ROUTE mode and sit back and enjoy the views. At the turn point the terrain climbs sharply and we have to climb up into the bottom of the ceiling. There are some tense moments when visibility drops to near zero as we scrape across the top of the ridgeline. We crest the ridgeline and I’m relieved to be descending back down into clear air on the far side. As we descend into the valley we turn south and head down the valley toward the FAC position. Approaching the FAC position I peer though the HUD and can make out some scattered exchange of gunfire between the lead elements of our armored troops and the bunkers in the village. I quickly locate the source of the fire and send a trio of Vikhrs toward the targets. The FAC provides encouragement as we destroy the three bunkers. As the third bunker explodes the mounted infantry starts advancing up the hill into the town. The FAC advises us to support the advancing troops and he warns us of a AAA gun operating in the area.

My wingman and I rejoin and head back to the FARP. In the debrief I’m curious to see how the action occurred. I can see the obvious – my initial rocket attack killed a fair number of insurgents, then the scout opened up with his cannon killing more while I hit a few more with cannon rounds. From what I can tell, it appears the scout and his dismounts were killed by a shot that occurred at 7:49:26 by Unit #5 (Infantry AK) but I’m unsure of what the weapon type was (5 45x39) (RPG I assume?). The mission is a success however and I’m looking forward to mission #3. BeachAV8R

We’ve been tasked to provide overhead escort to a convoy of vehicles driving in the valley between Karachaevsk and Verhnyaya. Initially the support will be provided by a pair of Mi-24s and we’ll pick up the route midway down the valley. As we get spooled up back the FARP the convoy proceeds under the cover from the Mi-24 flight… For this mission I’ll have a wingman – something to keep in mind when making decisions. We head south down to the entrance of the valley before picking up the road eastbound where we will relieve the Mi-24 flight. Zoomed in through the HUD we spot the convoy passing the small village partway down the valley. The Mi-24 flight spots us and gives us a brief overview and heads back to the FARP. The convoy has a scout unit several hundred meters in front of them while the main convoy consists mostly of trucks. As we continue up the valley we keep our eyes peeled. I saw a tracked vehicle near the far end of the operations area and I almost blew it up before realizing it was not an enemy vehicle. Scanning carefully we spot a group of insurgents in positions on the north side of the highway, obviously setting up an ambush. They don’t actively fire at me, so I can take my time and set up for a hovering rocket attack. The rockets blow up in the tree line and insurgents fall left and right. I figure I’ve prevented the attack and briefly pull my attention away from the area to check on the status of the convoy. The lead element comes around the bend and comes under vicious attack. I turn back to the hillside and am surprised to see a whole bunch more troops sliding into position beneath the trees. Holy crap! I switch to my cannon and start lacing the area with rounds as I sweep the tree line. I think I’m doing a pretty good job but somehow an RPG squeaks through and blows up the scout unit. Enraged I put my remaining rockets blindly into the trees hoping to kill any remaining insurgents. As the convoy pushes through the ambush no more units are destroyed. We stare up the valley into the sun and I send my wingman forward to recon the route ahead. Soon enough the convoy releases us as they approach their destination.

*** Spoilers Below *** Operating in the mountains of Karachaevo-Cherkesiya we will be participating in operations to clear the area of enemy forces. Our task on this familiarization flight is to escort a Mi-24 who will be giving us the grand tour of the area of operations. No weapons will be loaded and the flight will take about 45 minutes to complete. While I setup my system the Mi-24 spools up on the far side of the FARP. Throughout the mission we are reminded to keep on our toes and our guide in the Mi-24 points out several action areas along the route. I set my counter-measures panel for flares in case we run across a MANPAD. With all the verbal warnings from the guide I half expect to see a missile trail come up out of the woods and blot out the Mi-24. After a leisurely pace the first 10 minutes we pick up the pace to 250 kph and start flying a bit more nap-of-earth for the middle segments. All the while the guide is calling out local landmarks and trying his best to help me get familiar with the area. Our route takes us across one of the forward operating areas and a FARP that we might be expected to occupy in the near future. It is fun flying formation on the Mi-24 and I alternate sides and close up on him hoping he doesn't make any abrupt maneuvers. It is a challenge to get the trim set just right for (near) hands off flying at 250 kph. Soon we are approaching our final waypoint as we finish up the large rectangle across the region. The EKRAN warns of a low fuel state just near the finish of the flight. We had departed with on 50% fuel and with no ordnance the aircraft performed like it was light as a feather. After the "Mission Success" I'm released from the escort and I land on the FARP pad while the Mi-24 lands on the far side of the base. Nice intro mission with a good pace and no action - which is a good way to start a campaign. I'm sure things will be heating up soon however. BeachAV8R

Wow..awesome!!

I'll throw in my thanks too. I've never had the patience (or talent) to get into the mission editor..but I've enjoyed the efforts of all those that create these complex and immersive missions (single and multi-player). Whether they are training missions or combat missions or campaigns...we really enjoy flying them and trying to win them. :clap_2:

Just a note to say thanks. This missions are great fun online. Spent a couple hours playing Gudauta Push tonight and had a blast. Nice job..

My stick died a couple weeks ago. It is now up in Canada getting worked on. I feel your pain. After flying with the TM WH it is tough to want to fly with anything else.

Looks like 3 hours or so for me via Torrent. Will seed when done.. Great news this patch!

Those are all very good suggestions. I agree that a complete and incremental training regime adds a LOT to the immersion of sims like this. :thumbup: BeachAV8R

Any idea when BFT01 will make it through the "moderator pending" process? Can't wait to try it out.. :) BeachAV8R

Thanks for the hard work Sabre... I was enjoying the challenge of the BFT1 mission right up until it wouldn't go any further. Quite a feeling of accomplishment to actually get the start-up down to an acceptable procedure! BeachAV8R

Consider this incentive...all those other guys missed a switch during their start-up.. The consequences are...... DIRE! Subs - I tried that link you sent but it wasn't working this morning.. Thanks for taking a look at the mission.. :) BeachAV8R

LOL..sorry about that! I posted that message in the wrong thread..it is actually Sabre's flight training regime that I was showing there. :doh: I think it has a bug since the newest patch..which causes the Cobras to start shooting up the civil aircraft on the ramp. It is quite funny and startling when it happens. :D I'm using your Weapons Training mission (Day) the last few days to make sure I'm brushed up on my switchology in the A-10C. I've been trying to wipe out the "Hard" waypoint of threats, but I only manage to kill 6 or 8 vehicles before I inevitably wander too close and get taken out by a missile (SA-6?). Love the Maverick, but sometimes wish for a miniature HARM missile.. :thumbup: Keep up the great work! BeachAV8R

Consider this incentive...all those other guys missed a switch during their start-up.. The consequences are...... DIRE! :thumbup: BeachAV8R

LOL..I thought of it as incentive to get the procedures right. I figured the guys getting shot must have screwed up their ramp starts.. :D

Having a problem in the first mission (BFT01)... Using 1.1.1.0 and a couple things.. First - are the Cobras supposed to be blowing up things on the ramp during the mission? Seems odd that an AH-1 would be slinging lead right over my head. Anyway, I managed after 6 attempts (always forgot something..EAC or pitot, or light test..argh!!) to get the the point where I could follow the HUMVEE. When I reach the end of the ramp, abeam the burning A-10, my game crashes. I've attached a track... It has happened twice and I can't get any further. Any ideas? (Well, I tried to upload the track but apparently the file limit of 5MB is preventing that..) Thanks - this first mission definitely helped me brush up on speedily running the preflight checklist. Regards, BeachAV8R