AvgWhiteGuy

Whoa....that's weird...the exact same thing happened to me last night. I'd been away from DCS for about a month, updated to latest beta. Flew a mission I had done a dozen times before, almost exact same setup as LooseSeal except I was reading about 5 targets at 30,000 when I initiated a dive. Handoff showed good @23,000 and fired, then toggled to another...H-off and fired again. Repeated for last 2 HARMs and during egress watched 3 of the 4 loft to the heavens and head off toward the sea (Batumi) 90 degrees off target. WTF....flew back to Kutaisi, re-armed and the exact same thing happened again. 3 of 4 HARMs seemed to go rogue on me after a confirmed H-off with targets on center of screen. I didn't save the track because I noticed new screens on the DDI so figured I had some new shit to learn about HARM TOO. So I can confirm what LooseSeal experienced and will try it again and save track.

@Panther & Gruman....got it sorted, cable and connection was fine, something went FUBAR with drivers. Had to tear out ALL my TM stuff and got it right on the 3rd re-install ! :cry: Quite frustrating but back in the air with rudder N/A steering and wheelbrakes. :pilotfly: Thanks for your suggestions and attention....that's why I love this community. Pretty damn boring here in Shanghai without my wings to keep me out of the bar!:cry: Cheers, regards...fly safe

Regarding Thrustmaster TPR pedals...... I was away for about a month and tonight was practicing landings when I discovered I had no rudder or nosewheel steering. My year old TPRs are suddenly not recognized in DCS when I check the control panel. Then I discovered they are not recognized AT ALL by my machine. I removed the TPR soft & driver and tried reinstall...NO JOY. My computer, with no significant changes or upgrades, suddenly can't recognize the hardware when plugged in. TM HOTAS and everything else is fine. Any suggestions and/or help would be greatly appreciated...had my heart set on returning to DCS following my recovery for a hip replacement. Please....:helpsmilie::helpsmilie:

@subseauk..(& others with the same question)..here's my take on why starting with the A-10 is the right way to go. Firstly....you got the TM Warthog HOTAS, it's virtually Plug'nPlay with DCS and the A-10, why would you want to augment the native functions of the controller to fit a different aircraft? Then there is.... * Best documentation; print it out and read it chapter by chapter; it may seem a daunting task but you will be rewarded. Use a PDF editor to markup the digital version for further reading or clarifications. Then read it again! * Most developed & stable with the biggest community for help, guidance...no further discussion needed. * the Gun - BRRRRRRTTTP....need I say more.........yeah....learn when NOT to use the Gun PAK * Appreciate the details of the cold startup and get a solid understanding of how the various systems interact. Then when you rush or somehow botch it and shit goes bad later in-flight, you know how to resolve the issue. This is a key element to any of the DCS aircraft but starting with the A-10 it becomes a very satisfying because it's more complex with more steps involved...be patient....if you're not talking to yourself there's something wrong. Once you've mastered an A-10 startup, the F/A-18 and F-16 all become a simple task. * Time to think - yes, she's slow compared to others but this gives you a lot of time to plan things out and check/double-check your shit. Flight plan & Navigation, weapons check (profiles & parms), navigation, Weapons Hot/Warm-up/Cool-down, Fence-in, Ingress, Execute, Egress, navigation, rinse & repeat. * Ground Pounding is much more satisfying than A2A (IMO), you have to use your head, observe the environment, terrain, and force location (blue vs red) then plan your strategy. And you get to see the results of your efforts especially in relations the troops on the ground. You're going to be low & slow...enjoy it. * Weapon selection and payload - when they say 'diversity is our strength' they were talking about an A-10 load-out :) With the number of hardpoints, different weapons available and ability to tote around that much tonnage, the Hog can bring an incredible amount of 'whoop-ass' to the fight. No other DCS modern aircraft can boast the versatility of it's potential weapons load-out and firepower. It's the big reason I incorporate an A-10 flight in every mission I build. The Hog is my go-to, Swiss Army Knife when the F/A-18s & F-16s have cleared the skies and suppressed the long-range, mid-altitude SAMs. * Flight & Loiter time - fill'er up and fly for hours (it seems). There's no BINGO fuel alarm in this plane cuz it would be a calender. This give you more time for the sheer fun of flying. Fly, attack, loiter, attack & fly...doesn't get much better than this. And when you're running on fumes on the way home at +13,000ft, she will go for miles and let you put her down without power. Try that with any 'go fast jet'; once they're out of fuel you're flying a refrigerator. * You get to fly it home - once you've taken damage from AAA or a missile, many times you're not bailing or dead and have to fly it home. There's a sense of satisfaction & accomplishment in understanding and working with the systems to nurse the pig home, however ugly your landing might be. Note: I've never been hit in the F/A-18 and been able to do this....it's generally game over; DEAD or Eject! * Finally...you have FLY this plane...it's basic stick & rudder, seat of the pants flying. All of the flight control surfaces and external influences (wind/weather) are much more tangible, palpable, observable, 'feelable'...you get to learn to fly, and you get to really understand the concepts of flight, and the forces involved, as compared to her faster, high-flying, more modern siblings. So go for it, jump in the A-10......with the HOTAS you have you can be up and flying in minutes experiencing the thrill instead of spending hours of frustration trying to map the Weapons Mode Select button to the Nuclear Consent switch on the F-16 :)

@BonzoDCS.....if dureiken has a TM Warthog Throttle, why would he want to mess with the 'Target' software, it works perfectly within DCS for setting, establishing the SpeedBrakes? What am I missing here? It's fantastic in the F/A-18 environment as well.

@BIGNEWY....thanks, I thought I was losing my mind last night over this just after updating

I think we need more info on what you're using...just a keyboard, mouse click, a proper HOTAS or what? On a TM Warthog HOTAS it works perfectly; I can extend or retract the SpeedBrakes as much or little as I want without any external software programming. More details please.

@ hornblower793 No brainer...all good now at after viewing Hollywood post you recommended. VA keyboard shortcuts disabled was the culprit, took me a minute to find the icon. PRO version initialized and config page accessible via LCtrl+LAlt+C Thanks for your help and quick responses, I'm sure I'll be back for more...cheers..

@ hornblower793 Only VA running and hit LCRTL + LALT + C and nothing happens. Content of window: 11:58:37.077 Plugin 'VAICOM PRO 2.5' initialized. 11:58:37.076 Ready for commands. 11:58:37.058 Listening suspended 11:58:35.419 Initializing.. 11:58:35.419 Press LCtrl+LAlt+C for config. 11:58:35.419 VAICOM PRO for DCS World. License: FREE 11:58:35.334 Plugin support enabled.

Can someone tell me what I need to do to access the 'plugin configuration window'. I just today paid for the PRO version, installed it and it works. I can't get to the panel to enter my registration info. I start IrTracker, then V/A, then DCS...open and start a mission. I'm sitting at Batumi (cold) and hit LCRTL + LALT + C and nothing happens. What am I doing wrong?

I would love to know how to change the font color of the text on both sides of the top; radio responses & COMMS menu. Sometimes the contrast just sucks against the background and a brighter color (orange or ??) would be much more suited to us senior armchair flyers that couldn't pass the eye exam.

@Harker...thanks for the info, I'll check that later today....especially the Radar Altimeter. Regarding the COMMS issue...I use VAICOM with Voice Attack but it has a very strange problem. COMMS is mapped to the correct Warthog throttle switch(es)...works perfect with A-10C. BUT when I use that same switches with the F/A-18 it launching a VIEW instead (enemy airport and other crap). I've cleared ALL the mapping between F/A-18 and the Throttle several times but can't seem to get it to work correctly. So I've just been using Comms menu. Any idea on that issue...driving me crazy!!!! If I can sort that out I can use your #2 suggestion. So you're saying that it is a known issue that the Carrier ATC (generic) will give the correct ship heading but sometimes give a completely random Runway heading? It doesn't happen all the time, just sporadic but WAY, WAY off. Thanks again, stay safe....

The F/A-18 isn't the only module affected; the A-10C is having the same problem. Last night flew a mission that starts with F/A-18 for SEAD then I fly the A-10 to obliterate the tanks. Seeing FPS drop from 60 to 12 on both modules; especially when either use the TGP. The TGP in the Hog has gone back to almost useless in all 3 modes.

Is there no place in any LUA file where you can set a 'text on screen timeout' option? Or even an option to 'repeat transmission' HOTKEY for us dyslexics that jumble our numbers

Carrier Landing Issues - buggy or ?? ****** Version: 2.5.6.47404 Some of these may be buggy and some are pilot error-ignorance. I'm referring here to carrier ops with F/A-18, nothing to do with SuperCarrier. Carrier Stennis gives the correct heading back to Mom (close to TACAN) but wrong runway heading. She had a true heading of 262° but called out RunWay 1-0. Happened on several occasions, same mission but different days. Once you have contacted Carrier with Inbound, and she has responded with heading & runway...is there a way to recall this information or contact carrier a 2nd time....and not with Navigation assistance. Sometimes I don't get the info correct the 1st time. Can someone tell me the exact requirement for setting the F/A-18 Radar Altitude? T/O from the carrier, all good...return to carrier and Radar Alt was high by over 1000 ft...which put me dangerously low. What are the normal steps on activating-calibrating Radar Alt in startup and/or pre-landing sequence? What all must be ON? And the 'pièce de résistance', onboard carrier taxiing to Aat the A/C slid slideways toward the stern, stopped...then slid off the carrier and stayed in the air stationary, engine running while the carrier just sailed off. I've had some strange carrier events but this takes the cake....after a 4 hour mission Attachment is the new DCS F/A-18 Stol hovering off the coast of Georgia after I had ejected.:helpsmilie:

87's are for 'soft targets' like if you wanted to scratch up a Ford Pinto and won't do much more; the 'explosion' is less then enthusiastic. For some awe-inspiring effects use the CBU-97 or the 105 on tanks at sundown; much more exhilarating! Regarding what you wrote above, the altitude was probably below the HOF (Height of Function) as mentioned above; I usually find 6K is a good altitude. Using 105s it's fun to drop at above 10K; gives you a lot of time to maneuver and watch your handiwork

You may not be clear on what they're saying; it's ALL dependent on aircraft weight. I've never taken off at an airfield with a 16/17/19. Now having said that, there has been an issue of excessive nose-up in the past but I've found (as mentioned above) to make sure to reset FCS, takeoff trim, and flaps (several times) and the problem has not occurred. If this doesn't work, as mentioned above, can you post a short track.

@Rudel_chw I don't know if it makes any difference but I'm only building this mission for solo, not multiplayer.

* After building a mission or campaign, how can I edit (add) a country to the coalition? * Is there a way to 'stage' my other aircraft visually before I take control of them? ie. I have 2 F/A-18 & 2 Warthogs in the mission at start. I choose a role but would like to have the other 3 to be there visually parked on the line. Appreciate any help.:thumbup:

Yup, there's a problem there. I was behind CAT4 while the boat was making a 90° port turn and kept getting shimmie'd to the rail ....before being tossed off:cry: All that after a 4hr perfect set of missions...with 1 target left...what a pisser:megalol:

@StormBat....maybe you could share what you 'figured out' so others can be enlightened as this is a new feature.

@Rudel_chw......thanks very much; that was a 'duh' moment when I looked at the properties of the Icon. Appreciate the help....time to fly!!!

Is there a way to bypass, skip or otherwise cancel the Checking for Updates and go straight into the sim? The internet speed right now in Shanghai is horrible due to this global health issue and it takes more than 10 minutes to download just the measly 7.1MB updater (2.9.13.13). I DON'T WANT to update anything, I just want to fly!!!!!! Why can't the Cancel button dialog just cancel the updater and move on to the sim instead of exiting DCS? Is there a flag I have missed in the Settings to avoid checking updates? Thanks,:helpsmilie:

Firstly, what SAMs are you avoiding at Angel 35? If someone can point me to a spec table of the various SAMs I would appreciate it. The reason I ask is that I've been plinking tanks at 25,000 without first lasing for range and coordinates and have a 85+% kill ratio. My pickle point is more than 8 mi away so it's a pretty safe bet. What I find interesting, and entertaining is the flight path of the JDAMs (32 & 38) when it seems to be defying gravity running more along the horizontal axis than the vertical. In comparing this weapon to a JSOW, those things are worthless when attacking a SAM protected target. Like 'majapahit' wrote; it's a turkey shoot....a waste of ordinance and mission time.

I downloaded, installed...spent almost an hour trying to fix the HOTAS assignments and Axis. Then took off, circle the field, landed and uninstalled. Thanks for the flight but I'm not going backwards to a no fidelity cockpit regardless of how much I really like this plane. Call me when you have a clickable High-Fidelity version...I'll buy right away.