Istari6

I'm using XRNeckSafer with the Varjo Aero and it works great! However, I'm trying to help my friend get into DCS, and he's using a Vive Pro with SteamVR. He has neck issues, so helping getting this working will be essential to helping him enjoy flight simming. He's downloaded and installed VRNeckSafer, and I've walked him through the steps to get it working, but for some reason, it isn't. He sent me the following screenshot of VRNeckSafer from his system, and I can't see anything wrong. We're trying to have Autorotate work. We even bumped up the "rot" values to magnify the effect just to see if it was working. But he's hit the "recenter VR headset", it's reading HMD Yaw as he moves the headset around, but nothing happens in DCS. Any ideas?

Agree. Just flew back and forth between Waypoint 2 and 3 for an hour before giving up and landing. The AI Tomcats were landing with TALDs still under belly, so presumably the trigger wasn't fired for the rest of the mission. Disappointing, but understandable given how DCS keeps changing and updating. I'm skipping to the next mission, but hopefully Heatblur can fix this for future folks who try this campaign. To clarify, I'm playing OB updated to latest as of 1/9/23, and using SC version of campaign.

Thanks draconus. I ended up repairing my DCS installation and now it seems to be working. Looking forward to getting into this campaign!

Just trying to start this campaign today, and immediately on spawn in Mission 01, I have no hydraulic pressure in either Combined or Flight systems. Engines are running, I can move forwards, but no ability to steer. Is this expected behavior? Should I shut down the engines and restart them on the deck? (Edit: To clarify, this is the SC version)

Same here. Just starting to learn LANTIRN, and have been confused by setting up up RIO seat, then returning to pilot seat and losing the tracked target. Shouldn't Jester keep the same lock?

Thanks Reflected. I figured there were limits to how much "Bio" and other retired professionals can actually share. Wasn't sure if there were any open-source or declassified documents that provided concrete examples of gameplans vs specific types. I'd also welcome input from other veterans of the campaign on F-14A/F-5E and F-14A/F-16C. To get the conversation rolling: For F-5E in Event 01, my initial gameplan was to fight two circle. Slice nose down (to put the F-5 above the horizon for visibility) and get to 340 KIAS, then just motor around in best sustained turn until I had angles. Outlaw 42 actually passed me angle off, giving me 20-30 deg at opening, so I turned in and pressed an immediate pursuit. In the second engagment, we did pass nose-to-nose, but this time I wanted to try a one circle. So I entered the fight relatively slow, than reefed it around at high alpha to cut inside the Tigers turn. Then it took some time to accelerate and run him down. Bonus Question: are the AI pilots on limited fuel? I was surprised how long the Tiger II was able to ride in burner staying out in front of me. My memory of flying the Tiger II is that it had pretty limited fuel supplies.

Long-time fan of Reflected's campaigns, finally proficient enough with the Tomcat to start Zone V. I've just completed Event 01 (F-5E Tiger II), and I'm struck at how there's constant discussion of "gameplans", but no resources about them. I've read through all the Docs without going into spoiler territory for future missions (Quick Checklist, Nellis Course Rules, Syllabus, Event 00, Event 01), and there aren't any specific recommendations on how F-14 pilots were taught to fight specific airframes. I understand some of the basic principles: The F-14 has lower wing-loading than the F-5 and better high AoA controllability. So a 1 turn fight should favor the Tomcat. Yet F-5 is more nimble in roll. making close-in scissors potentially dangerous. F-14A T/W is 0.78 (50% fuel) and I think the Tiger is slightly less. Given lower wing-loading, the Tomcat should also have a higher sustained turn rate than the Tiger, so a 2 circle is an option. I can see argument for 2-circle as safer, but risk losing sight of the small Tiger. 1 circle keeps sight easier on a small bandit, but you're close in with the Tiger and need to ensure don't enter too fast or risk kicking out in front. This stuff I can sort of put together myself, but one thing I was hoping for from the campaign is a chance to learn how Tomcat pilots were trained to fight against these threat airframes. Are there any good resources to learn from in developing our own gameplans as I progress through the Zone V campaign?

We've been encountering the same issue recently. There's a thread over here that describes the issue: The common theme is that it's F-14 and game freezes when approaching the carrier. No crash. So solution yet, but it seems Heatblur is aware of it.

Just found this thread, as we're experiencing the same issues and started looking for solutions. It's getting frustrating as it is occurring consistently in our Liberation co-op campaign. Same pattern as others have described: flying MP F-14s with other F-14 Ai in the mission, DCS freezes up once closing to within 50 nm of the carrier. No crash, just completely frozen, and we need to shut it down via Windows. Is there anything we can provide that would help isolate the issue? There isn't a crash per se, are the other logs that might provide information? Also, has anyone else here found a workaround while the bug is being isolated? Does removing all AI Tomcats from the mission help?

Great topic. I had many of these same questions. Did Link 4 exist in 1974? ISTR reading somewhere that Link 4 is one of the features of the later A model Tomcats, and would not be available in F-14-95-GR.

Thank you for putting it so clearly. I knew the HUD wasn't a primary instrument, but I was having a hard time explaining to friends (who are new Tomcat pilots) why the HUD is not a reference source for level flight.

So if I'm following, ALQ-100 was as strong as the ALQ-126 in terms of power. Yet the ALQ-126 had multiple versions, with progressively higher frequency ranges and modernized components. Hornet C/D received ALQ-126 from the start, while it was retrofitted to Tomcats later?

Really interesting, thanks!

Great discussion, thanks for all the new information. Some questions: 1. I thought the ALQ-126 DECM was installed as part of the mid-late 1990s upgrades that added the ALR-67. Sounds like it was installed as standard in F/A-18s in the 1980s, then added to some F-14s in the late 1980s/early 1990s? Right now, I'm learning the F-14A and trying to fly it as it was in the late 1970s to mid-1980s, using AIM-7F, AIM-9L, AIM-54A and fighting MiG-21, MIG-23, MiG-25. So for a circa 1985-1986 Tomcat, assume that DECM wasn't available? 2. If I wanted to simulate the weaker ALQ-100, is it better just to leave jammers off? I'm just starting to fight MiG-23s, and trying to figure out BVR tactics. With DECM, it seems relatively easy to break the MiG-23s lock at longer ranges. But I'm trying to learn how real F-14A pilots at the time engaged the Flogger, and I've heard that that ALQ-100 was quite a bit less effective. 3. So if I'm following, then the real ALQ-126 is selective and only transmits the minimum necessary to break lock, then goes quiet again. So HOJ should have a hard time in the real-world. Yet in DCS, it works much more like a barrage noise jammer and makes the Tomcat more vulnerable to HOJ missiles? If so, what DECM tactics do people use inside DCS? Do you not turn on XMIT for Fence In, and only wait until there's an actual lock?

Ah, right. I was turning up the volume on ARC-182 in the RIO cockpit, but hadn't thought of trying to adjust knob #3 in the pilot pit. Will give that a try.

That's interesting. If Home-on-Jam is that good, than what use are jammers at all in DCS? Seems like an enemy missile has guidance either way - either with traditional lock without jamming, or follow the jamming once that begins. Also, I thought the DECM was pretty sophisticated (1990s tech) so that it's only jamming occasionally as needed to break lock, not a continuous barrage jamming.

Aha, thanks!

Solution that worked for me is turning down In Cockpit Noise. I've never had to adjust that before, but it does seem that F-14 baseline is super loud, even when "Hear in Helmet" selected. With In Cockpit Noise turned down to ~60-70%, I can more easily make out the radio calls.

(Thread, arise!) Just learning the ALQ-126 DECM here in 2022. Is there a reason why a Tomcat crew wouldn't automatically switch to XMIT on Fence In? It seems the DECM is not just a barrage jammer, but is selective, waiting for incoming radar signals and then determining the appropriate response. So why wouldn't you turn it on automatically on entering enemy territory? Particularly given that with the massive AWG-9 radiating at 10,000 W, you're not exactly operating stealth otherwise.

Trying to polish my Supercarrier landings, and I'm struggling a bit with "The Burble". I have Wake Turbulence turned off in the options, so I should be only experiencing the Heatblur burble and not any potential additive effects of ED+HB. My challenge is how to react to the burble when it hits my Tomcat. I'm getting reasonable at establishing a descent along glideslope, but then the burble hits and I balloon up high on the ball just as I'm nearing the deck. The temptation is to cut power, use DLC or push the nose down to get back on glideslope, but then the downdraft hits and I'm swung dangerously close to the stern. I'm particularly struggling with the burble in Case III landings, where it's hard enough to judge relative motion and see the deck anyway. Is the best approach to just do nothing and "ride out the Burble", trusting that the updraft and downdraft will neutralize each other back to the original descent? At least in the current version of Tomcat (mid-June, OB), I'm finding the effect surprisingly strong and it seems to really throw off the ability to make a predictable landing.

Agreed with last post. I was also confused with the new night op gestures. I can't find any references for them online, but through trial-and-error, there seem to be two new gestures. 1. Lower launch bar ("kneel") - yellow wands, put one lighted wand out while putting other under armpit. 2. Spool up to full power for cat launch - green wand held at belly level sweeping back-and-forth horizontally. This is in the F-14 Tomcat.

Thanks. I tried checking the headphones source device same as the main audio, but still no fix. I'm using the subtitles for now, but it's strange. Don't have this problem with Harrier or Sabre, the other two modules I've flown recently.

Just started learning the F-14A Tomcat in April. About a month ago, for my own interest, I ran a series of tests to get a sense of maximum speeds with different loadouts. Conditions: ISA (15C, 29.92 Hg) LOADOUT w/FT x 2 @ 5000 lbs Clean @ 5000 lbs Notes AIM-54A Mk 47 x 6, AIM-9L x 2 Mach 1.65 Mach 1.80 SLOW accel past Mach 1.2 AIM-54A Mk 47 x 4, AIM-7F x 2, AIM-9L x 2 Mach 1.75 Mach 1.85 SLOW accel past Mach 1.3 AIM-7F x 4, AIM-9L x 4 Mach 2.00 Mach 2.20 Mach 2.1 @ 7100 lbs rem* AIM-54 pylons only Mach 2.10* Mach 2.25 *Unpleasant oscillations w/FT Best result was a clean Tomcat with just the AIM-54 pylons, topping out at Mach 2.25. All speeds are indicated in the cockpit gauge, actual speed might be slightly or lower. Hope this helps others.

Thanks for the info above about how real pilots use ROE. Reflew the User-made mission linked above, this time faced four fighters of a different type (no spoilers). Applied the lessons here about evading, turning back for reinforcements, etc. and successfully completed the mission. I was operating too much from the opening scene of Top Gun, assuming we had to close and do WVR maneuvering with the bandits to get STT locks. There's a much wider range of ways to handle threats even with restrictive ROE.

I've just started learning APC and Case III landings here after the arrival of the June 8th patch. While I'm new to both, it seems very possible that the burble effects are being "added" together. I've now done 9-10 approaches with APC and almost everytime the burble is significant and ends up pushing my Tomcat dangerously low behind the stern. I can fly it by hand and be much safer. It seems the APC simply isn't reacting strongly enough to whatever burble effect is there now. The other challenge is that I can't seem to get ACLS to engage. I've never used it before, but I've walked through multiple YT videos and guides, and the steps don't work. First, instructions I've seen say that the RIO needs to set ACLS Radar Beacon Selector to SINGLE. Yet that doesn't create the Push-To-Test light. Only setting ACLS Radar Beacon Selector to ACLS does that. When I do this, I get the VOICE, then the LANDING CHK, then the ACL READY, but I can't seem to get the next step of AP/CPLR. I have datalink setup with CVN, AP mode is set to ACL (down), AP selector is Engage (up), APC is engaged, DLC deployed, flying ICLS needles with STEER mode engaged for ACLS. Is ACLS just broken for the moment?