Swordsman422

Thief of Baghdad looks amazing!

Probably not just because he makes jokes all the time. Probably some other guys just got freakin' sick of it.

Also waiting for the paintkit, then I mean to tackle VF-104 from Punk's War. I've been awaiting a Tomcat worthy of that fictional squadron a long time.

I'll be honest it's probably my own inexperience, but I have missed with the Phoenix FAR more often then I have hit with it. Against small and medium fighter-sized targets, shooting all my AiM-54s at the oncoming enemy is basically just dumping weight for the WVR fight soon to follow. Against heavy fighters and attack jets my hit rate goes up. On the other hand, I have not yet been able to shake a Phoenix regardless of what I am flying. Almost like the SA-6 in Behind Enemy Lines. I'm still learning, though.

Also front to back, which I thought it would be aft forward to ensure the dropping missiles don't collide with the nosecone of the weapon behind it.

9 fleet squadrons, 1 training squadron, and 1 test squadron all flew the B even briefly. VF-11, -24, 32, -74, -101, -102, -103, -142, -143, and -211, and VX-30. While all but VX-30 have been represented in the release, these aren't the only liveries these squadrons had.

So many A liveries for the B. Any actual B liveries in the works?

The Bs got the JDAM before the Ds did. Bs dropped the first JDAM in anger from a Tomcat. VF-11 I think did it. If we did get a D, it would probably be from the same period as our B, so JDAM would be off the table then, too.

As accurately as they modeled the Tomcat, I cannot imagine the amount of screaming over how difficult the A would be to fly with those horrid TF30 engines flaming out and compressor stalling from being flown too hard. I'm glad we got the B first. It's my favorite variant. Sure, only 9 fleet squadrons ever flew it, but 3 of those squadrons are in my top 5 favorites.

I'm hard-pressed to find a photo of the tomato with fuel bags on to say they ever painted any for her. Not having tanks matching the jet may not be wrong.

I could be wrong, but I think this might be your trigger item right here: 2019-03-18 17:59:13.883 WARNING F-14: F-14 Build vs DCS version mismatch! Built with: 2.5.4.28461, DCS is: 2.5.4.28615

The fuel gauges were also unreliable below 800 pounds indicated.

Also, be absolutely certain you have a hot trigger cue on your armaments panel.

I haven't delved too much in depth with TWS modes, but it seems like Jester locks enemy targets in TWS as soon as he detects them. I have pointed my nose in the general direction of an enemy flight of 4, squeezed off 4 Phoenixes with only a hot trigger cue, and killed 4 targets. Sometimes as a Tomcat pilot I feel a bit out of the data loop.

It's in a hard to see place and doesn't look like any other switch around it. At least you know now.

Definitely a good catch. I am also of the mind that we should be seeing an HGU-55 or -68. HGU-33s in this config were gone from Tomcats by Desert Storm. But though the -33's service was short lived, it is iconic.

Mine will always be this one...

Have you checked the master light switch position on the throttle? Otherwise the taxi/nose wheel light is on the right side outboard panel just ahead of the flood light controls.

I think the LANTIRN we actually have is the early one as well, so trying to lase a target above 25k feet should cause a catastrophic short. The 40k LANTIRN wasn't available until 2001 or so.

I'm hoping for more liveries that actually appeared on B-model Tomcats. OEF VF-102 line jets, VF-143 final cruise, VF-103's 1992 clubleaf livery, or their first cruise after taking on the bones.

I agree completely on the difficulty of tanking this jet. Digital HUDs have obviously been a crutch for me, as I can reliably plug the Hornet and Harrier in and stay plugged no problem, adjusting the throttles as I gain or lose a knot. The F-14's air speed indicator is difficult for me to comprehensively read, so I keep overshooting the tanker. I'll try Jabbers' method when I get home and maybe better results will be forthcoming. We've had this bird for less than 24 hours. You can't walk away from it that soon. Give it some time, patience, and practice. It'll be a worthwhile conquest.

For me, it's just a collection of cool stuff (that I keep in my own basement, thanks) and will probably end up donated to museums when I'm dead. I use some of it when I go to DragonCon every September, but that's about it. Too much hassle getting all of it on to sit in my chair and play a game. Growing up, I was always a fan of Navy jets, but I preferred bombers and strike fighters like the Intruder and Hornet. I didn't really start paying attention to the F-14 until it was strapping bombs on started playing the multirole game. Until then, I thought Tomcat fans were all Jolly Rogers/Top Gun fanbois. Now, it's my favorite fighter. Jeeping around at breakneck speeds on our bikes pretending to be fighter pilots is exactly something we did. This was Tulsa, Oklahoma at the turn of the 90s, so no helmets. That wasn't the law yet. We even had "dogfights" while riding and shooting nerf darts at each other. I don't RP while I sim, though. If I feel like making it feel real, I just go to the airfield and go flying.

Attack of the Killer Tomato!

Russia's bagged milk was pretty decent... then Anya Sakova got cancer...

Those two F-14s are Bs with VF-11 some time in 2004. Looks like GBU-12s or GBU-16s. I don't think the GBU-24 couldn't be carried on the Tomcat side-by-side like that.