Donut

With our F-14B being a mid 90's Tomcat, a CD player would be completely realistic.

I don't know if this fixes it...in the Tomcat Case I training mission, the carrier is stopped with only wind over the deck. After landing, the Tomcat slides as the carrier moves with the waves.

Take a look at the following thread...some good info and I believe that there is a chart in there somewhere. https://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=233971 For individual missile weights, you could just unload one missile at a time in the mission editor and see the weight difference, however, I don't know if missile rails/attachments are calculated.

No problem stopping here either...I don't even use the wheel brakes until the absolute end to come to a complete stop. On touchdown, all I do is slowly pull the stick aft until all the way back...the elevators will act as an air brake.

54,000lbs is max trap weight In the mission editor, select a desired loadout and then subtract internal fuel until your maximum weight is at 54,000lbs...whatever fuel you have left is the max fuel you can land with on the carrier.

+1 I have added lowering the ICS volume in the cockpit to the top of my startup checklist.

Million dollar question right here. It's just downright silly that we have to do this.

+1...and don't forget the much improved HUD!

Just a general Tomcat history question that I have been curious about... Does anyone know why the progression of Tomcat versions went from F-14B to F-14D and skipped over F-14C? The A-10, F-15, F-16, and F/A-18 all went from their initial production A variants to upgraded C variants and I cannot seem to find why the Tomcat did not follow the same logic.

Instant purchase for me as well!

I have the X55 too. After some testing, I found that -15 in pitch and roll works for me. Try that and see what it does for you.

When selecting "Spot" on the menu, there is no response from Jester like when you select every other menu command. This leads me to be believe that it does nothing at the moment. Heatblur, what does Spot do?

A big thanks to Hummingbird and Spudknocker! Amazing piloting skills and you really showcased what the Tomcat is capable of in the right hands!

Does anyone have a link to the correct NATOPS for our Tomcat?

I am not going to pretend to be an expert on curves so I cannot say why -15 works for me, but it most certainly does. +15 didn't feel natural and it was still giving me that "twitchiness" and inability to be smooth with control movements. What works for me may not work for others and it may feel different depending on the aircraft. -15 for pitch and roll has made a huge difference for me in the Tomcat and is allowing me to make the airplane do what I want and stay smooth and in control.

Thanks Spiceman! Exactly what I was looking for! I really need to get a copy of the NATOPS...

The manual mentions attack guidance symbology on the VDI for the AIM-7 and AIM-54 but I could not find any pictures or diagrams. Does anyone have anything that labels and describes what is displayed?

Hello fellow virtual Tomcat aviators! Quick tip for those struggling to handle the F-14.... Many of you may already know about this and have it set to your preference, but for those who do not, pitch and roll axis curves make a huge difference! I originally had 0 curves on pitch and roll, then +15...still sensitive for me and just didn't feel right. So, I decided to try a pitch and roll axis curve of -15...I don't know why, but for me, this is my sweet spot. The difference is incredible and I feel much more in control of the Tomcat. It doesn't seem as sensitive and yet, I retain precise control. I also noticed that the in game stick more closely matches the movement of my actual stick. So, for those struggling with stability in the carrier pattern, maneuvering, or your are overstressing/snapping wings...experiment with the pitch and roll axis curves until you find something that feels right! Start with -15 and go from there...it worked for me and hopefully it does for you as well! FYI...for rudder, I have +25 curve which for me, dampens the sensitivity just enough and still allows precise control.

You bring up a good point. Did real Tomcat pilots have to pay this much attention to not breaking/overstressing the aircraft?

Is the sliding from wind or carrier movement? Has anyone determined at what speeds the sliding stops?

The track represented with the line is easy enough as it shows lateral and vertical deviation. As the rest of you, I can guess as to what the colors show but I really have no idea what I am looking at or how that information can be applied to correct what I am doing.

Looking forward to the paintkit release as well...I am no skinner and have no talent to do so but I I am hoping for more VF-103 skins from either ED or users. The two we have now are great but there are definitely a few more that can be represented.

Don't change... We virtual pilot's need some tough love and a swift kick in the rear to keep us motivated and focused.

At the very least, acknowledgement of this issue by ED would be nice. Realistic carrier ops are not possible and that to me is a game breaking bug when your two most popular products are naval aircraft. Hopefully the new carrier by ED or the Forrestal from Heatblur will fix this issue, but there has been no news on either for a long time.

Joined last week...great community for all things Tomcat!