VZ_342

Firing at point blank, perhaps?

There is a 3-way switch with a red safety cover directly above the center pylon selector, lower position is "camera", middle position is safe, upper position arms guns and missiles. When the switch is in the middle, the missile tone is not heard. Flip it up, and make sure volume is up (I think that is default). Hope this helps.

That's all well and good, but I really like "steam gauges"!

Doing a skin is time consuming....in the adult world time = money. Flash some $$ with your request and you'll probably see better results.

Maybe you've read an interview, confirming or denying the use of split throttles and control surfaces to be a "poor man's" thrust vectoring? It's pretty amazing if true. Thoughts?

No. Unfortunately it's more of a "wash, wax, and new paint" upgrade. Maybe not even new paint.

Ok, doing much better! The first few attempts (starting at 7000'MSL, sliding to the left and then gently nosing down until aligned and 20^) were on the border targets or just inside...but the last 3 were boom boom boom on the (now burning) target! Thanks Jascha!

So I was rolling and diving entering the approach, and found I ended up between 5700' and 5000' depending on how stable I was. That is a bit of altitude loss, so that explains the inability to reach 20^. I tried rolling to wings vertical, and pulling until the target was almost directly below, rolled level and simultaneously pointed the nose down to 20^. That helped, but still short. Then I tried an 8000 entry, made it to 25^ and again short. Next few tries were 7500' entry, but after a couple more wings vertical, level/nose down I decided to just turn into the target (30^ turn) and then just push over into a 20^ dive. That helped a lot, but still no go. But it was an improvement, and I wasn't frustrated after 8 attempts. I'm sure it'll get better.

Thank you! Yes, I'd wondered about the roll-in, there are several different ways to accomplish that, but also several ways (minus one, of course!) to mess the dive up. Yee gads, I can do the pre takeoff switchology in my dreams now... Thanks for the .miz!

One issue is the double standard for the process...They want a 20^ dive angle, AND the target two radii from the pipper. These are separate variables, and do not necessarily line up at the same time. The dive angle is measurable, but the pipper/2r/target is very much a "work in progress", and of course it changes throughout the dive (ending with the pipper directly over the target). Furthering the complexity, the F-5 isn't especially stable (requires near-constant trimming), so it is very difficult to tell if the pipper is getting closer by the dive or by pilot influence. Either way, the original pipper/2r/target (let's call it the "p2rt") relationship should be steadily decreasing with altitude. Altitude = 6700' MSL--->3200', so "halfway" should be 4950ish, and the pipper should also be halfway, or one radii from pipper to target. Just thinking out loud here, will re-fly the mission to check it out. Also, I did one run with a 7200' MSL roll-in, and weapons landed inside the ring, just beyond the target. Closest yet for me.

Yes, when he releases he's at 15^. 20^ for most of the dive, then nudges towards the target, when pipper is on the target, he is at 15^. But....otherwise, yes it's a perfect pass.

Still not happening....I've noticed that many of the YouTube videos for this confirm the 20^ dive angle, but the actual angle being used is 15^. The 10, 20, and 30 are full-width lines, while the 5's (5, 15, 25) are half-wide lines. Yet, they seem to have good luck with this. I'll just keep trying, maybe there's a technique which yields reliable hits.

^ = degrees I'm trying to complete this mission, but seem to be having a bit of a challenge....All settings/parameters are met, but a 20^ dive points the nose directly into the water, and this does not change throughout the dive. At first I'd dive at 20^, then I found myself slowly nudging the nose up, and the pipper would cross the target at 3200', but by then I was showing a dive of 15^....and I don't think I'm supposed to be adjusting the dive angle just for accuracy. As I understand it, holding 20^ allows the pipper to cross the target without any stick movement. I know this is a tricky thing to do, but that's why I've been persistent over the past 2 weeks, but that 20^ dive just ain't doing it for me. Any tips? TIA

I downloaded the .rar file with the gray "Download" link, seems to work.

Just passing on a personal observation....Once I knew where the G meter was, I did some practice flights while focusing on the meter...I realized that I had been pulling sharply on the stick, which was the cause of the wingectomies. I continued practicing gentle-to-medium stick inputs, and found it was pretty maneuverable and safe as long as I wasn't jerking things around. Most of my prior experience was in the SU-25/25T, which required pretty moderate force to turn...those are like Sumo wrestlers, while the F-5 is like a delicate ballet dancer.

If ya wanna fly in Viet Nam, ya gotta have napalm! Edit: I'd love to have a mod for this!

Now that I know where it is, I find that it is within eyeshot with just a slight nod downward. (3x pancake video)

Ahh, thank you.

Sometimes called an "accelerometer", but either way I am not finding where it is...I usually find I've exceeded G limits by the sudden absence of wings.

Considering ED's filled-to-the-brim schedule, I don't see them (or any third party dev) creating 4 different styles of learning assets. I'd suggest making your own, with the caveat that only about 1/3rd of the people who think they're a good instructor actually are. If you do create material, please pass it around to others who are knowledgeable about the aircraft/system(s) for feedback, before publishing it.

Ok, cool. I set up the Main and Beta builds, but how do I differentiate them in the Uploader? I actually have the Beta launching now, but not the Main. (Both are shown as "Beta", both launch Beta). Thank you!

Ok, I found your instructions on how to install "variant" DCS (such as Beta). Both are working, so now I'll try re-installing the updater.

Not simple. When I installed Updater, I got to the point where I'm prompted to update DCS....and it says it is updated, and nothing further in the installation process happens. The result is, when I open the utility, none of the buttons for DCS work. (Home tab) Your DCS Builds---is underlined, but isn't an active link. Slot #1 Build (and all slots)---also underlined, but not active. (Aircraft Modules, Campaign, etc tabs) INSTALL AIRCRAFT MODULES etc I can click on the modules that are installed, but it doesn't save. Advanced Updater Options No links work (Update to..., Manually Initialize and Install w/DCS Updater etc) I'm guessing it's only a partial install?

"Advanced Options" = Where is that?

I downloaded "proper" DCS because I didn't think I'd want to do the Beta thing (worried about game crashes, module issues, etc), but now I'd like to be able to use the Beta for doing more than just the regular DCS (which is fun, but Beta is better) Only thing is, I've tried Skatezilla's DCS updater, got it partially going, then it said I didn't have Beta installed....which is why I got the downloader, to install it. I'm told there isn't that much difference between Beta and proper, and certainly isn't worth downloading what amounts to a full copy of DCS and modules....so I'm a bit frustrated right now. So, the suggestion: In the DCS sim game, on the page that lists all the modules, settings, etc, maybe put a button in there that creates the ability to switch between Beta and proper...Is this possible? Thanks!