BeachAV8R

I've dreamed about that for years. It would be really cool in a MP environment to get picked up, flown back to base, and be allowed to walk off the helo into another aircraft. It's on the Wish List I think... BeachAV8R

That would be one of my choices too. There is an excellent Mi-2 for X-Plane that is fantastic to bring to life and fly: BeachAV8R

Agreed!

Thanks for the comments. I won't say anything else specifically since I don't want to give away any additional details on the missions...but you can see from the Tacview replay that there is a lot going on and it is structured realistically. And yeah, it's gorgeous. Thanks to Matt and ED for allowing me the opportunity to share some of the awesomeness. As well, I can't wait to see what the talented user created mission designers come up with for NTTR. I don't care if you run a mission under the auspices of a training scenario..because it's just as heart pounding. Going to be some interesting "warfare" in NTTR..sign me up! BeachAV8R

The rest of the footage is here..and it is really awesome.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N086JXfk0wM BeachAV8R

New Hornet Ball 2015 video... Some nice footage of Hornets in action. Not quite as good (in my opinion) as Wingnut's Hornet Ball 2014 video..but still good.. For reference - Hornet Ball 2014: BeachAV8R

Thanks - we are working hard..err..well, it isn't really work, it's fun..but we are working hard to put up some good content. We appreciate the encouragement. :thumbup: BeachAV8R

:detective_2:

:D I've got a call in to Danica to increase our bandwidth... Yeah.. BeachAV8R

Thanks Wags and ED for allowing me to show a peek at what they have in store. I wish I had the time to invest in something like the 476th vFighter Group because they are gonna have a field day with this training environment. Same with mission designers like Wrecking Crew and Eno - the playground is fantastic! BeachAV8R

Right. There have been times I've gotten out of my airplane with my knee shaking a little bit from a particularly bad combination of bad weather and poor decisions (LOL)..but I've never really had that happen in a sim. I *have* had that dull ache in my shoulders from tension and hands on the stick and throttle for long periods though - so that could be consider synonymous. Like I said - being able to game the game is one thing (ie - effectively use the weapons and complete the mission), but it isn't beyond the scope of the simulator to use real world flying techniques (proper formations, tactics, approach and landing procedures) to ramp up the difficult toward more realistic parameters. So the scope of the term proficiency with regards to the "modules" can be extremely varied. BeachAV8R

Don't the modules simulate nearly all aspects of the real life aircraft though? I'm just pointing out that a lot of us game the game and it gives a unrealistic self analysis of our performance. For instance - there are probably people out there that can dogfight the heck out of the F-15 and win every engagement, but if on return to the airfield they have to shoot an ILS to minimums..they might not be able to. So how proficient is that person? BeachAV8R

LOL..I'm just making angels dance on a pinhead with my comments. It's always fun to look at the differences between the sims we fly, how we think (as simmers) the sims we fly are relative to reality, and how the reality really is (that sounds like a Yogi Berra sentence..).. In terms of the poll..I think it is safe to say people are responding about what platforms they feel they are "effective" at flying and fighting in the sim. For me, that answer is different than whether I'm proficient... :D BeachAV8R

I think the trainers (L-39, Hawk, C-101) can and will add a lot to the DCS experience. As a CFII, teaching was a lot of fun for me and it is pretty cool to get to witness someone's transition from knowing next to nothing to "getting it"..or not getting it as sometimes happened. <g> It was always interesting. I think people would be surprised how much fun it will be to be multi-crew in trainers in DCS with an experienced pilot taking a newb through the process. It adds a whole new element, or at least expands on the training element and can give seasoned players a new outlet for their DCS fix. Personally, I'm a bit over playing missions where I drop 40 bombs on tanks and am more interested in the social aspect of the sim and playing more precise and well briefed missions (some of which don't even result in destroying anything). Anyway..OT..so sorry about that. BeachAV8R

This is an interesting poll..as well, interesting responses based on people judging what "proficiency" means. In my real world job..I'm "proficient" in two aircraft (King Air 200 and Citation). I've had other jobs where I've flown up to five aircraft types simultaneously (King Air 200, 300, Citation II, CitationJet, Citation V) and I would say I was not proficient in any of them. By that I mean, I couldn't tell you all of the memory items for each or limitations with any real accuracy. Even with flying just two different aircraft (though vastly different), I'll occasionally mix up a King Air question on the oral exam with a Citation answer. Given that some of these aircraft modeled by DCS are way more complex than the aircraft I fly in real life, due to the additional requirements of knowing weapons systems and limitations, I would guess that most sim pilots would probably be "proficient" in at most one aircraft, and probably not to the point a real pilot would be. You basically would need to know ALL of the memory items from...err..memory, all of the limitations (do you know what kind of hydraulic fluid your DCS aircraft uses?, what is the turbulent air penetration speed, what is the maximum operating altitude, what is the maximum cabin differential, what are the tire operating pressures and speeds?..etc..etc..), all of the weapons parameters and safety procedures, and many of the aircraft servicing facts (can you use Jet A? B? Can you use AVGas in a pinch (we can in the Citation!))... Then there are the mind numbing items that most sim pilots never even consider. Can you shoot a partial panel instrument approach to minimums? Do you know where in the aircraft flight manual that you can find net climb gradient. Are your takeoff and landing data predicated on accelerate stop or accelerate go? Are those numbers even published for your aircraft? Is there a minimum icing speed? Maximum icing speed? What is the max ramp weight of your aircraft? Max zero fuel weight? What is the wing fuel load imbalance limitation? Etc..etc..etc.. Now all of that isn't to say that someone like Harrison Ford can't get into any one of his fleet of aircraft and fly it just fine and safely..but they lean heavily on experience and probably a bit of a "not getting caught up in the finer details" type of approach. Which works well enough for casual flying. But if I'm flying over guys that will cut my head off when I go down..uh..I'm gonna study that aircraft down to the finest detail, since my life actually DOES depend on it. So to answer the question - I'm proficient in NONE of the DCS modules. I can fly some of them..and bungle my way through, but I would not call myself proficient at any of them. Fun topic! BeachAV8R

Thanks for the update. Stuff happens and the quality of the work thus far, I think, has earned you patience from most of us... These things are not easy. Hope the changes you have made result in good things for the team and the community... Regards, BeachAV8R

So I'm trying to get a handle on the difference between these two rockets. According to Wiki: The S-24B is 2.33 metres (7 ft 8 in) long, with a launch weight of 235 kg (520 lb). It has a 123 kg (271 lb) blast-fragmentation warhead. But I can't find much specifically on the S-24A - is it a penetrator warhead? Regards, BeachAV8R

This might help..a graphic I made for an upcoming PC Pilot article..(this excludes the Kh-66, nuclear weapons, and gunpods): BeachAV8R

So I was looking through the manual today - and I see several situations where the MiG-21 can land above the maximum certified landing weight, but the asterisks are a bit hard to keep straight. Does anyone have a simplified chart (or text) that makes it easy to tell what exactly you are allowed to bring back to the airfield? For instance - I really don't see any mention of the Grob - and am wondering if you are allowed to land with those still attached? I mean, I see in the manual you are allowed to bring back two guided missiles (does that include the Grob?) at weight under 7300 as long as fuel is less than 800L. :music_whistling: BeachAV8R

You don't remember Wags creating the Valhalla campaign? I still have bruises on my backside from that one! :thumbup: BeachAV8R

Nice update there. Beautiful skins...

And letting us pretend it's an Su-25UTG? :music_whistling: BeachAV8R

Thanks to Chuck for sharing his impressions with us - and thanks to Wags and ED for allowing us to host the article and video... BeachAV8R

LOL..that end shot is pretty embarrassing. I got a wing full of stand-off weapons and there I am diving into the valley. My only excuse is that I've been away from the A-10C for a bit..and couldn't really remember the steps to get things like LGBs on target in my panic to help out the downed Hind. A more proficient pilot would have gotten a nice scenic picture of them, in their cockpit, back at home base with empty ordnance rack and an Mi-24 parked next to them.. LOL.. BeachAV8R

Indeed. The visibility and haze, when coupled with low-angle light and deep shadows really makes World 2.0 look fantastic. I tell ya..the sun glare and stuff is really good. I haven't experimented with the different modes of HDR, but I liked the one I used. BeachAV8R