VS461

Hi, I'm not posting a profile, but I use linear axes both in TIR4 profiler and Black Shark options menu and it's great although this snapping stuff, so I can advise this to ya. The tricky one is to find out which axes should be inverted in the BS options, I found Yaw and Pitch should be. Interesting: inverting an axis in the TIR profiler takes no effect in the game. Or it's my fault...:) So, evyone should work on his/her own profile (which can be based on others' stuff but I used other guys' X52 profiles in LO and after some flights I tweaked them for myself:joystick:), but the default linear mode is nice to me personally, I don't need looong tweaking process like my X52's axis curves (I use TrackIR 4 Pro w Track Clip Pro and not v5 beta). Maybe it should fit to ya as well. Cheers!

Hi, I just made a quick mission with myself and Peter the Great on a 30 kph run (I have the 1.0.1 patch). I managed to land on her flight deck and nothing sliding off stuff occured, with or without wheel brakes. The helo was trimmed to land (I mainly use AP in Flight Director mode, and nothing autohover on landings). OK, a very minor backsliding happened but nothing I couldn't handle with the brakes or the stick; I turned engines to idle to be sure. The only bug I found is my gears touched the deck about a foot below the surface... Cheers!

Hi girls and guys, I made a training run based upon a custom LOFC mission called Valley of Death (remember when you had to run through canyon-like valleys in an A-10 to mess with some Smerch launchers, and when you're back to Sukhumi, it's occupied by a Tor, a Shilka and a Strela-10. Never was able to get rid of all of them:music_whistling:). It's easier to stalk close with a Ka-50, so finally I can destroy the GBAD, but last time I just closed in at 3-4 m and about 30 kph, and suddenly Rita said it's vibration in the engine and the right one slowed down to idle (I think both had vibration but didn't remember). After the emer landing (well, I found myself on the ground with broken gears and blades...:D), the right one was in flames, and after ten secs she exploded although I had initialized the fire ext'er. I don't know why I had vibration: I didn't set failures. I found on ED forums that dust or ice can cause vibration and I didn't turn on the PZUs. Both icing and dust can cause engine stops, pressure oscillation (don't know the English term for it), and dust can cause the compressor blades' increased wear, reduced pressure ratio, EGT and performance. But in such a sort period of time (3-4 mins)? It must be hours of hard dusty or sandy operation to happen this last thing (you know, the Russian steel :)). And vibration? I can imagine that dust wear can unbalance the compressor blades but it shouldn't cause longitudinal vibration; TV3-117's IV-500E (if Ka-50s have this type; Mi-24s do have) vibration check unit detects only this longitudinal ones (for example, at both engines' vibration at same time you should suspect main gearbox failure and land ASAP). So, I don't know if this is an IRL stuff, although I haven't spent hours and hours in dusty and sandy areas with TV3-117s. Yet...:noexpression: Any ideas or arguments? Cheers! PS: Any A-10 jock who completed Valley of Death in LOFC: how can I get rid of these air defense guys, particularly the Tor stuff :) ?

Thanks, CyBerkut! I chose Cyborg 3D cause I needed at least one 8-way POV hat, after losing all the stuff on X52 throttle (ultra-cheap ST90 which can be bought either in T**CO:D does not have any POV hat); I had this at home useless:music_whistling:; I hoped that I can program her with SST; no cheap used ST290s or Cyborg EVOs were available at that moment (although I liked that adjustable grip head):(. Unfortunately OS recognizes her as "Saitek Cyborg 3D Rumble Force" but I cannot program her in SST (I had latest stuff). I had to program her within BS. Cheers!

Hi, nice work. I just planned some similar with my X52. I will add some twist to the grip to fit to the stick's center position. I made a collective mod to the X52 throttle with a mop handle, a Cyborg 3D grip, a magnetic cassette case and some two-component stuff: http://img523.imageshack.us/i/dsc00557wd6.jpg/ http://img168.imageshack.us/i/dsc00556smallcb7.jpg/ http://img88.imageshack.us/i/dsc00561ll1.jpg/ http://img88.imageshack.us/i/dsc00555ec6.jpg/ http://img140.imageshack.us/i/dsc00560di6.jpg/ http://img514.imageshack.us/i/dsc00548sw6.jpg/ http://img176.imageshack.us/i/dsc00538kd4.jpg/ http://img519.imageshack.us/i/dsc00532qs6.jpg/ The throttle base's upside-down mount and the lever's min and max angle is made to be similar to Mi-24's collective position. And, as I want to play LockOn, I just dismount the lever and place the throttle in normal position. Hardcore MacGyver stuff, isn't it? Cheers! PS Hope the links are working

Hi uxscapjum, you're welcome. And let me be the first who welcomes you to ED forums! But... your post sounds interesting... private message was sent to clear occurrent misunderstandings. Cheers!

Hi there, after 50+ flight hours of Ka-50, I just read the Pilot Manual (may lead to some typical RTFM situations :)). I found a statement in Maneuverability: "The funnel maneuver gives a vital advantage in combat and can only be performed by coaxial-rotor helicopter". Let me politely disagree with this statement. I saw both nose- and tail-pointed funnel maneuvers by Mi-17s and Mi-24s on air shows and during test flights (while nose funnel is a combat aiming maneuver, a tail funnel is just for skill), and, although I'm a rookie, I've already made some as well. So a funnel can be performed with a conventional main/tail rotor helo. It's a lot of fun... :joystick: ... :D But, of course I must agree that due to the limitations of the swivel-design main rotor and mainly the tail rotor, in both aerodynamics and mechanics, a funnel can be faster, safer and more agile by a coaxial helo, like the Ka-50. Cheers!

RPGs against helos I am also waiting for the RPG threat in the air. Both in Iraq and Afghanistan helos were lost due to RPG hits, they were shot at from the back (that's why guys with M60s are on the ramp of CH-47s and CH-53s). An RPG-7 is much cheaper than MANPAD systems, and with another guy the reload is fast as well (during basic training I fired 2 rockets in 15 secs with buddy-reload, w/o experience). Hard to recognize, no RWR, LWR, no CM... sometimes hits... an ideal threatening weapon on some real theaters nowadays. There are "insurgent" guys in the DCS... they should fire their RPGs against helos. Cheers!

Hi all, sorry for a new thread. How can I remove the text messages of the Almaz, the "Watch ekran", my and my flight's radio messages? I hear them, why should I see them (not a major problem, but...)? And so does the Radio comm menu on the upper right. And a similar: I also don't want to hear my own radio messages for my flight, cause I want to use VAC. How to disable it? Thanks in advance. Cheers!

Hi all, although I want my beloved Hind as ASAP as possible:D, now I would be happy with a fictional Hungarian Ka-50 skin. We need some flyable A2G and A2A stuff for this game. Imagine those multiplayer campaigns... Helos, CAS planes, (multirole) fighters and UASs from both sides. This would (sorry... WILL) be a REAL combat simulation. Remember the first release plans as Lock On addon 1.2 or so? But many LO players don't like helos much, as some guys mentioned above... Mach 0.99 at 30 feet AGL... I like it as well! I think with LOFC flyables, a lot more guys would play DCS. So, I am sad to say this, but for the whole game's improvement, we need some A2A/A2G jet stuff ASAP, then other helos, other jets (sorry Apache fans!).

Hi all, I tried to increase and decrease the values in the .lua mentioned below with small steps, but no improvements. After every trimming I realized a heavily nose-trimmed state (in a hover, in acceleration, in aerobatics), both Flight Dir on and off (I mainly use FD) and the cyclic freezing went on as well and it begun at the take-off. I resumed to the original values (0.05x2, 0.1) but nothing happened, it was worse than before. My X52 has no deadzone in the Control Panel and no deadzone in the game as well. Maybe there is some interference between the trimmer method and the worn-out X52's physical deadzone (it ain't a new one). The interesting thing is that the new method worked during the first missions and in the first minutes and without any changes in the .lua or other settings. So I am back with the old trimming method and it is okay now. Maybe I'll try again with a new stick. Thanks guys for your help. Cheers!

I set them to 0.1 and try it. Gonna report if it is good or not. Thanks guys!!

Hey all, I have an interesting problem after installing patch 1.0.1. During various single player flights (both own created and built-in missions), the cyclic and the pedal freeze at ca. 15 min flight time. This occurs after a trim button press (in various maneuvers, so I think it ain't a factor). The collective remains operative, but pedals and cyclic freeze. I can "release" them on the keyboard (quick push on an arrow key) but it repeats after an other trim button press. This repeatedly happens after ca. 15 mins flight time, during hover, en-route, weapons employment, aerobatics etc. And, if I shake my joy like :joystick:, the cyclic is sometimes back online again, until the next trim press... The rig: ASUS P5Q Pro Intel C2D E8400 3 GHz & Scythe Ninja 2 GeIL DDR2 800 MHz Black Dragon 2x2 GB & Scythe Kama Wing Sapphire Radeon HD4850 512 MB @ 625/1800 MHz & Scythe Musashi 200 GB SATA2 for OS in AHCI mode LG Super Multi DVD+-RW LightScribe/SecurDisk Saitek X52+Rudder Pedals+Cyborg 3D Rumble grip hack for collective CPU and GPU temperatures are below 55 °C during flights, ca. 45 °C at idle in these Summer times. The software: Windows 7 Ultimate RC b.7100 64 bit, with auto updates on ASUS EPU-6 engine (controls clock speed and voltage automatically) ATI 8.632.0.0 display driver, Catalyst 9.7 Realtek HD Audio 6.00.0001.5898 DCS:BS with patch 1.0.1 downloaded English version Saitek 6.0.4.1 drivers, SD6 64 bit (Cyborg 3D not programmable in SD6) DirectX 11 20/10 Mbit broadband internet connection I didn't attach a track file cause I think the problem can't be seen on it (my useless "cyclicing" isn't on screen). But if anyone thinks it's important, I can make one. I think that's all, I hope someone knows the solution. Cheers!

Self-solved problem; as I started-up my rig now, they disappeared. But thanks anyway!

1.0.1. Hi all, I installed 1.0.1. patch and I have the shortcuts for her on my desktop, so I don't want the old ones any more. But I can't delete them cause: "This is no longer located in C:\Users\Public\Public Desktop. Verify the item's location and try again". There ain't a ...\Public Desktop directory anyway, but the bigger problem is that two useless shortcuts. How can I delete 'em? I'm on Windows 7 RC x64. Cheers!

Hi again, one more thing, after you practiced much as a single helo: you can start formation flights with AI leader but NOT over hills or mountains: choose a simple, plain terrain. AI Sharks' (I mean, generally AI helos') terrain contouring is not realistic, you cannot follow your leader. Over the hills (and after some AI practice) you should choose a "human" leader during a MP session. Cheers!

For rookies like me Hi all, for rookies like me: Don't jump into a bloody battle just after installation. You have to learn how to fly this thing first. Start with these: Hover and slow movements Traffic patterns as a helo, as a fixed, with maximum TOW, with one working engine etc. Coordinated turns (try it without AP as well :D), acceleration and slow down, climb, descend, autorotation (you can practice it till the ground, it's quite cheap:D) Take-offs, patterns and landings from/to anywhere (trains, buildings, peaks with high MSL) Aerobatics Low level flights and navigation, adverse conditions navigation, NOE stuff I think these parts of a helo training should be done before combat. You can use any combat helo training manual via internet for exact tasks. I suggest some IFR practice if you have ideas about NDB nav: not for combat but improves your helo handling skills (you will be very smooth). For the handling itself: turn on the Flight Director and you won't fight with AP. That's all for the first. Cheers!

That's correct, Sir, but I mentioned air policing, NOT 24/7 air defence. Nowadays a few-seater slow mover craft ( with some home-made explosives) can either be a real threat for an industrial complex or a government building or so. Of course, there aren't a pile of crazy PPL-guys in the air to take revenge on the evil prime minister, so the very most of the "unidentified" planes are getting lost or having radio/XPNDR failure and so on. For those guys a similar slow mover "interceptor" can be a better aid than an Eagle formation whose guys usually aren't well-trained against slow movers; by the way, the first thing is the visual identification which is easier from a helo or a small plane. I didn't talk about regular air defence helo squadrons: it is a possibility if a situation/event/actual threat etc. requires flexibility in air defence, and it's more reasonable and easier to arm a mil helo (Gazelle/Ka-50/Mi-24 [built-in gun A2A mode] etc.) with A2A stuff if necessary than make some IK€@ Yak-52 AD variant.

A2A Ka-50 (like Mi-24) could be a good platform for air policing against slow mover aircraft. Airspeed, patrolling time with external tanks, cannon and Iglas: with AWACS control it's cheaper and more effective than send the A2A guys with their F-15s/16s/18s etc. During a sport etc. event, fighters and combat helos can work together to protect a dedicated airspace. PS: one 30 mm round is a bit overkill for a Cessna 172... :D

Hey Mark, hail to the new rotorhead:)! How did you try to hover? You need to trim the helo properly at all moments of your maneuvers. If you tried it with the autopilot on, it is quite difficult to fly the helo as you want it, cause the AP holds your attitude around your 3 axes. I don't know Cougars but it ain't a Force Feedback stuff, so you must trim your helo in every attitude change attempt and put the stick to the neutral position in no time. Try to fly with Flight Director on. You will still have AP but it only stabilizes your attitude, not holds it; on the HUD you will see the last trimmed attitude to hold it manually. I am a real life helo guy, I think this mode is closer to my helo's behavior, and it is easier to fly Black Shark for me. Time and practice will show you the right method. And don't forget that the trim button has influence on the three axes you want to steer: by pushing the trim you select an exact attitude in the space (and this will be held by the AP or displayed on the HUD). This means an exact force and torque system around the CoG of the helo. If you push the helo onto its nose by the stick, the drag force will accelerate the helo (until the raising resistance stops acceleration), and by trimming you stabilize this angle and force imbalance. If you push the right rudder, you change the torque balance, and the helo will turn right; by trimming you stabilize this imbalance, so your helo will turn and turn... This is a bit strange for me, my helo has no such kind of trim on its rudder... I constantly cursed during my first flights cause of the rudder... So, as you trim the Shark, you need to put the stick to neutral. Try this with the rudder as well. Turn the helo's nose to the desired heading and neutralize the rudder as quick as possible and now you push the trim button. With neutral rudders, now the heading has to be constant. In the real life, during smooth maneuvers, like hover, acceleration, underslung loads etc. we play with the trim button constantly to find the balance. I suggest you to try this during a hover first. Not an easy way as you read, but this worked for me. After a few try, it will work. See my signature below, a helo pilot have much more difficult job to do: (s)he always works with his/her hands and legs. Gods made helos for us as a bigger challenge:D:D:D. If you are interested in rotor stuff, you found the most realistic chopper sim I've ever tried on PC Cheers!

Hi all, I have an X52 stuff with Saitek pedals and I started BS with this setup. But I can proudly present my homebuilt HOCAS in its beta stage: It was a Cyborg 3D once upon a time (I had to kill her:(), so I can program it with SST (still unable to use its driver). The twist grip, hat switch and trigger will be used for targeting, I think. http://img140.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dsc00557nb5.jpg http://img88.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dsc00558rf5.jpg http://img523.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dsc00559smallog1.jpg http://img168.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dsc00560smallul5.jpg http://img88.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dsc00561ll1.jpg The rod is mounted to the X52's throttle with some 2-component epoxy stuff with a screw in it. The mounting is under construction:D, I've just checked the position of the collective. Now it is similar to the Mi-24's collective lever. Some cons: 1. not have a solid/rigid feeling as I hold and move it. 2. the rod mounting is not positioned in the throttle's axis, so after 7-8° of collective angle I need to raise the grip not only pull. Next step will be urze's stick extension... If anyone is interested in the details, photos etc... Cheers! Edit: some of the links don't work. Sorry.

Yes and agree with AlphaOneSix. Cyclic and collective actuate the same blade control rods through the plate. So I can say that they can limit each other theoretically. But now, after a few words about it, I think our Russian friends did their homework well :), so this blocking would appear well beyond the operational (rod length, booster buffer etc.) settings. Maybe I can ask for a try during the next ground-powered hydraulic test (and ask someone from the hangar guys. At least a smart idea:D). During a flight, it really does not a factor. Cheers!

Hey all, Mi-8/17/24s' collective stays where you've left it. They have hydraulic released collective brakes. But you can tighten or loosen this before take-off preparing for a landing with the emergency hydraulics (only main hyd actuates the brake release). So if you loosen it too many, it drops slowly. Strange thing on long enroutes: why we are slowing down and/or descending???:D On other helos: I've just tried a certified Robinson R-22 simulator, the collective remained in the preset position, I think. As Frederf said, both cyclic and collective actuate the rotor blades by the same rods. I don't read about high collective restrictions of the cyclic about my Hind but highest collective angles are present in two situations: take-off/hover/land and high-speed level flying. Neither require high-angle cyclic activity. And if, for example, at a hi-speed flight you start to maneuver the Hind with the cyclic so intensively, you will exceed the G-limitations and you can cause stall on the blades. So the angle addition is not a practical problem. And, of course, the helo's fuselage follows the rotors by the swivels/elastomers: we don't need (relative) high blade AoA change for a 45° of bank. We :joystick: maneuver the Mi-24 at cruising speed or below: that means about 2/3 of the maximum collective angle (before the maneuvers:D). An other issue: at this speed and collective we have enough power remaining for the maneuvers. The things I've written above is caused by the Hind's limitations, but I think this stands for other helos as well. Think on fast jets: dogfights are not performed at Mach 2.5. Cheers!

AlphaOneSix, I think it must be a general stuff in helo (and fixed) aerodynamics: http://www.dynamicflight.com/aerodynamics/drag/ This diagram is what I mean. According to the total drag, we must raise the collective to decelerate below economic speed. But you have right, maybe on Mil helos, this could be more significant (blade/tail rotor/fuselage etc. design, and I don't know Blackhawks etc.). I think that shudder effect can be modeled by some vibration (some less powerful than vortex ring state). On Mi-8s, it really shakes the helo (big fuselage against axial airflow), while on Hinds, this is less powerful. But it has a typical sound effect as well. At acceleration, this transition makes some nose-up torque (and some sound effect as well) so for a steady acceleration and climb we have to push the cyclic (and lower the collective). At braking to a land, not to push the stick and raise the collective during this transition, you can crash. Only raising the collective means a stop way before and above your desired landing site (not necessarily dangerous if you have enough power but not a nice landing). If these are present on Ka-50s, I think it could be modeled. By the way, before anyone has a thought, I don't want to turn BS into a Hind:D. Just asking...

Realism Hey all, I got some realism questions. I'm trying to fly this helo with the Flight Director on, cause I found this "do NOT touch the stick while I AM flying" autopilot mode more handful and more similar to my beloved Mi-24. But it is a nightmare even to stay hovered:joystick:... My business... :D So I've trying the basics: hover, traffic circuit and training box stuff as I started with my real chariot of fire... During hard acceleration from hover, it is necessary to apply some right pedal movement. Not as on the Hind: continuous pedal-collective playing but after about 200 k's per hour, it is needed. Is it real? I don't know coaxial stuff. But I found the braking strange. I don't know the performance-speed diagram of the Ka-50 but it must be similar to the Mi-8/17/24 and all other helo: to decelerate at a constant altitude beyond the economic speed (which is at the lowest performance needed to fly level), we must raise collective, not lower more or not just pull the stick more. I found that I can almost stop for a hover with constant collective and by pulling the cyclic more and more. Are my hands still too rookie or are the Hokum and basically coaxials completely different than I expected? How about the real ones? And another one, connected to the previous: during landing from a traffic circuit, I don't feel the phenomenon as the airflow transits from slanted to axial (what are the real English expressions, I don't know) on the rotor blades. At that point, main/tail rotor helos start to vibrate and descend and brake more than before, cause the axial airflow needs more power. So we need some cyclic push back and we need more collective to stay on glidepath. And I need take-off performance to brake for and stay in hover. I don't feel this tendency in BS. I know that coaxial rotors are very effective stuff (civvy Ka-32s as sky cranes with same TV3s and 8 tons of load) but is it real that this phenomenon does not exist on it? Or still my rookie hands are the solution...:) Thanks in advance. Cheers!