Radial9

Thank You! I spent a few hours reviewing Lex's vids this morning. While I have only been reading DCS threads for a year or so, his AOA vid is the best DCS video I have ever seen. The man knows his stuff and can articulate it well. Probably in the top 3 of all the flightsim vids I have ever watched. The whole series were extremely helpful in giving me an idea of where I'm heading.

Well that did not take much convincing. Thank you Gentlemen for the confirmation of my thinking. I've also received an offer to buy the 4th MFD panel if I buy two sets, which I did. They should be here Monday. Down the rabbit hole I go. I'm going to take my time binding my TM HOTAS and Throttle using Chucks guide as a start and getting the MFD's fully configured before hoping in the front office with manuals to begin folding aluminum all over the countryside. I'm going to pull the trigger on the Hornet purchase later this afternoon. I already have the Nevada terrain. Are most all of the Hornet training missions and campaigns in the Persian Gulf terrain? I can pick it up if need be. Nevada or Persian Gulf to start?

I found some old posts in various flight sim threads discussing the use of Go Flight button boxes with DCS using GoFlight's GF Keys software. It's a 32 bit app that ran under previous Windows versions, but no mention of Windows 10. Anyone have any familiarity with the software. I have 6 GoFlight modules and see that, in the past, they have been utilized to send key presses to DCS aircraft. Thanks! Bob

So, I’m reading through Chucks Hornet guide this morning and I’m thinking why not begin my DCS jet training with the Hornet, now that it can fly in 2.5 stable, and bypass the year or so I was envisioning with the DCS training jets. I’m a real GA pilot, I have sixteen years flightsiming with 1000’s of logged hours. I've put about 25 hours into the A10. I’ve a few dozen hours flying the YAK using Steve Thompson’s “Air Combat Manoeuvres” and am slowly getting though Robert Shaw’s “Fighter Combat” in the outhouse library. If I’m going to spend literally hundreds to thousands of hours reading, training, flying, rinse and repeat for a year or two to just get “somewhat” proficient why not just get right to it and cut my DCS teeth with the Hornet? I have a Warthog setup and would buy 3 TM Cougar MFD’s right off. I did a search on “training” here and read all the posts. There are others coming over from props, but this subject was not directly addressed. Looking back would you have taken this route or gone the more traditional route? As the wife keeps reminding me, “you do know it’s a video game….right??”. I can just splash, crash, get up and dust myself off, learn from my failure and climb back into the office. Makes sense to me. I’m just getting the feeling I’m getting sidetracked learning other weapon systems and particulars when I could just “jet right to it”. Thoughts, Opinions, Advice, Experiences, Do’s/Don’ts?? I know, make up my own F'in mind, but sometimes experience can help the decision along. Thanks! Bob

I’m getting ready to spend some significant time learning the F5E over the next few months. Bound controls per Chucks Guide, printed out T.O. 1F-5E-1 Normal Procedures (Bunyap Sims tutorial) and reacquainted myself with Track IR. TrackIR is going to take some getting used to, but I’m determined to overcome my reservations and get across the curve. I have about 30 hours with the A10C, but for reasons I won’t belabor here, set it aside when the learning campaign turned into a major multi source research project. Other than those hours I’m new to DCS. I know I will return to it when baltic-dragon gets the new A10C training campaign out the door. My eventual goal is carrier operations with the F18 and F14C. I need to get serious about my training if I’m going to get there before the Grim Reaper finds me. Fully retiring soon, so my clock will be my own (amen!). I’m going to spend some hours just sitting in the front office and learn it with TrackIr and my TM Warthog Hotas and Throttle and these guides over this and next week. Other than the few control bindings Chuck’s Guides had me do, would anyone be willing to offer up some additional controls, buttons and switches that I should be thinking about binding to my hardware as I’m about to go through them all. I’m going to keep a notebook this time around. Appreciate any suggestions. I know everyone has different preferences for this and that, but since I’m going through ALL the controls, might save some time to focus on what might be needed down the road in a few weeks now while I’m in there. Thanks for any suggestions. I have a feeling your guys might be seeing more of me over the next few months. I will make every effort to use the resources at hand before asking for the lazy answer. Cheers, Bob

Rudel_chw, I'm going to take your sensible advice. Thanks for offering it. It was a toss up between the Albatross and the F5E. I'm going to have enough to learn without dealing with metric conversions too. Cheers, Bob

Truly pleased I came across this thread. After a few failed attempts to get the Maple Flag missions going I threw the canvas over the A10C. There were just too many research trips to these forums and YouTube to get through them. I’m new to DCS. The A10C brought me here after sixteen years flight simming on other platforms. I was willing to pay my dues, RTFM and put the hours in. And indeed it was enjoyable. But after a bit the frustration level was getting higher each attempt to move along. I don’t give up easily. I fly other VERY complicated aircraft. I believe it was the DCS World software updates that kept throwing glitches into the progress. Heaven knows it wasn’t my lack of willpower and determination! So… I bought the YAK, the L39 Albatross and the F5E thinking I would start with simpler jets and work my way up to the Hornet and the Tomcat. I’m not one to buy unfinished products, so will just wait and learn the DCS World before getting there. I simply cannot, at sixty five, pass up the chance for carrier operations here. Whatever it takes. Based on what I have read on this thread, I’m ripping the cold stiff wet canvas off the A10C , getting the laminated checklists AND Youtube bookmarks out of the binders and “givener another go”. I’m a first day purchaser when they are done. THANK YOU very kindly for doing this. Cheers, Bob

After a lengthy pause in my A10C training I am resuming my learning. The past few weeks I have refamiliarized myself with basic startups and pattern work. I have my TM WH and Throttle back up and have actually started to take a good look at learning Target, but that’s for another day. I have purchased the Maple Flag BFM series and am preparing to go through them along with Recon Stewart’s excellent video tutorials. Question: I am considering installing AlaskanGrizzy’s Kneeboard software and importing my (or should I say Bunyap’s) favorite checklists. Before I do so it might be a good idea to know that I can I pull up those Kneeboard checklists in the training missions. Can I? Thanks! Bob

Serial#: 5731 Location: Fort Myers, Florida

All right... you guys shamed me right into doing this... I get it. After obtaining a diagram of the button numbers associated with each HOTAS button, I have the hotas and my rudders working. Took a nice dawn flight in the P51D over Batumi. Nice. Let's see if I can get someone to assist with the pinky lever. The profile pic I have has a modifier of the pinky Lever, button 4, along with the TMS hat used to pull up and cycle through the kneeboard. Yet when I look in the control panel assignment in the add mode the modifier is limited to keyboard descriptions. How do I assign both button 4, pink lever AND a TMS hat move? Got the throttle and rpm working OK, will work on throttle buttons. We're getting there. Cheers!

New to DCS world. Got here from the A10C attraction from nearly 2 decades in the FSX world. Have logged nearly 10 hours and am having a great time learning. My first love has always been piston slappers. I picked up the P51D on the recent sale and it keeps yelling at me from inside my computer. I simply can't help myself. Is there a 12 step program for this addiction? Anyway, I downloaded Polaris's profile for my TM WH Hotas and Throttle. Have read and beieve I somewhat understand the procedure for getting it installed. In the comments section of the User Files under the download the comment was made that the controls are fine for DCS 2.5, but the instructions are not. Before I go in a F'c everything up, is there anything I should be aware of as far as file structure or placing the profile? Any pointers would be most appreciated. I know, I know, learn to bind controls. But... this is the easier softer way and I just want to get in the air. I will tweek as I learn. Not ready for the custom controls section yet, but am always willing to learn. Thanks "Nugget"

Emmy... I do, thank you. I just looked in there and see I should start there. Thanks for the pointer. RTFM..... probably going to hear that more and more. :) Although it would be nice to have a reference outside of the sim to become familiar with weapons as well as all the other placeable assets I'm likely to encounter. No worries... I will Google and see what comes up.

I do have the TM WH set. Engine starts are no problem. I'll work with the various views to try to get the radio set. As mentioned, I don't need to be so anal about it. No one is going to ground this Nugget for not calling the tower. Keep in mind I'm a complete rookie with DCS and the A10C, but I am experiencing the same set of circumstances with regard to viewing the HUD. All is centered and readable on take off and most of the pattern, however after being up for a bit the view will not remain centered, even though I recenter my TrackIR and place my head in the sweet spot. I'll get there. This 4th week the whole famn damily is headed out to go RVing. Grandpa will be able, with any luck, to set in his lawn chair with Surface in hand and read A10/DCS "stuff" while the grand kids break stuff and get on everyone's nerves. Is there a fairly up to date PDF of the weapons encyclopedia a cadet can download to become familiar with weapon and asset systems in DCS? Gunnery range work is down the road some but it won't hurt to start becoming familiar with systems and terminology. I didn't see anything in the DOC folder. Thanks, Radial9

Just a quick follow up to say thanks again. I did spend time to study YouTube tutorials on the ME. Of course after doing so light bulbs just starting going off in the old cranium. Now I get it. I’m new to the entire DCS world and still had the Bill Gatus of Borg (You Will Be Assimilated) way of flight simming. I now see how important it is to be able to use the ME. Two issues that persist that I would appreciate comment on if anyone wishes to opine. The throttle will not move out of the way during cold start proceedure to scroll the leftmost VHF#1 radio knob to 13 for Batumi tower. After the APU is running I can forward the throttle lever to reset the frequency. However, it also starts the turbine PRIOR to getting clearance from the tower to start engines. Am I doing something incorrectly? The HUD readout placement. I have read a bunch on the issue in the forum. I get it, the HUD is a mirror projection and it is modeled the way it should be. I have fiddle f’d with TrackIR, my zoom slider and head movement and cannot find a position that gives me a steady magnetic course heading at the bottom while flying throughout the pattern. I can dip my head down and read the steam gauge, and that works, but it would be much smoother to stay on the HUD. Again, is it just lack of experience or is there a preferred methodology I’m missing. Cheers, Nugget

Yurkon... Thank You! for taking a moment to see this through. Very kind Sir. I will of course follow your advice. Just headed down the wrong road at the start here. I'll take your advice and spend some time becoming familiar with the ME. The checklists are becoming more second nature and memorized so it should get easier. Cheers! "Nugget"

Peaches.... thanks for the encouragement. I have created a new mission. I really don't want to spend hours at this point learning to build missions. The GUI guide clearly states I can take a fast mission I have created, which is saved in the missions folder as MG.miz and set avionics parameters, resave, and then fly again "at will" with the newly saved avionics settings. It simply doesn't work that way in reality. I believe I'm following the manual to the letter. The changed avionics simply won't stay with the file when saved. I'm following the procedure as outlined quite carefully. It's a NOGO. I must be missing something, but I cannot figure out what, if anything, I'm doing wrong. I have now spend considerable time and am just giving up on the idea. I will manually set avionic frequencies each time I fly. The really good news is that I got the TACAN down fairly well and can land her 4 times out of five and come to a nice stop. There's hope. Cheers! Radial9 AKA "Nugget"

Thank you for the responses. It is appreciated. Knowing that the MG.miz file is the most recent Fast Mission helps. However, maybe I’m missing something in getting the front office set up and saving it as a desired scenario mission. I created a fast mission. All is good. According to the GUI Guide in page 57 I need to open the ME, drop down the Flight and then the Prepare Mission menu. The page reads: “The PREPARE MISSION mode is used for integrating navigation and environmental data into the saved mission file. When near the end of creating a mission, you can start the mission in the PREPARE MISSION mode (it will look much like usual FLY MISSION start) and configure various avionics in the cockpit. Your avionics settings can then be save and will start in saved states whenever other players open the mission.” So… I go all the way out to the DCS splash screen (icons on bottom) and choose the ME. From there I opened MG.miz from the file menu. I’m looking at the map overhead at Batumi. MG.miz is noted bottom right. I then click Flight/Prepare Mission and the briefing splash page comes up. I click FLY. According to the manual this “mode” is similar to the regular FLY, but it is here where I can make changes. I do so. I change the TACAN and ILS frequencies, I attempt to change my VHF#1 radio but discover that my TH WH throttle will not move. SO… start APU, I can then get the throttle out of the way and change that radio setting. I stop here. I know there is more I can do from reading the guide. The GUI guide then reads “Once your avionics are setup as desired for the mission, exit the mission and press the SAVE button in the ME once again to save all the prepared data in the mission file.” This step may be where the whole thing falls apart. I’m on the mind the only way, per the above instruction, to exit the mission is to hit the escape key then press quit. I do that and get back to the ME. I then click save. While I’m there, I’m thinking what the hell, I’ll also do a SAVE AS and name it Batumi Cold Dark. I then exit out of DCS, come back, open the both the recently saved missions MG.miz OR Batumi Cold Dark and neither one has had ANY avionics saved from the Flight Planning effort. What am I missing? Thank you for your patience with me. I feel getting this down is important not only to utilize my valuable free training time more wisely, but will cross over to other areas of learning when I become more proficient. I know I can just practice resetting the avionics, but guess what, I’m an ANAL old man who needs to understand how systems work.:) Appreciate the help here.

OK… I have spent considerable hours the past week reading both the A10C GUI Guide and the 600 page manual. I’m going to risk putting my intellect on the line here and ask some questions that I’m still grappling with. If I have missed the answers either in the manuals, which I did reference, or tutorials both in the sim and online, please give me and this 63 year old well worn brain a pass. I really am trying here. The most frustrating issue I’m running across is trying to save a mission that sets the A10C on the ramp in Batumi cold and dark. I make an advanced fast mission, choose the southern most airfield from the nearly useless map, lacking any labels, and change all the hardware on the right to none save a minimum ac setting. I create the mission, and then using the Mission Editor I name and save it. I look in the missions folder and low and behold, there it is. However, when I fly the mission at least half the time the mission place me in Trablinkski (spelling wrong I know). The other half of the time it does place me correctly. What am I doing wrong here? I read somewhere that the Hammer with ACA mission puts you there, but as soon as I get into the air I get chased and shot down. Not conducive to a flight training environment. Along the same issue, I read that after I setting the mission up I can set up my avionics such as ATC frequencies and some CDC settings. However, every way I attempt to do this, following the very brief and unclear manual, the mission starts me in mid air off the coast with no aircraft. I’m just hanging in midair motionless with no aircraft. I have tried setting the radios and settings and saving in multiple steps and get the same results. What am I doing wrong? I get it, I can’t save a flight like I’ve been doing in “the other sims”, but it sure would be nice to be able to set myself up in a static situation of my choosing so I can do some pattern, nav and maneuvering work more easily than what I’m going through now. Exterior lighting. I have spent hours trying to figure out how to get exterior position and nav lights working. The switches are inop. No exterior lighting at all. Have read and looked online and can find no solutions. Any help appreciated. Radios… I set the freq for Batumi, call ATC for an engine start, get it and then when asking for taxiing permission the only option on ATC is “request startup” again. What am I doing wrong? Once up and running and taking off I am getting some good flights in. Trimming is coming along. TM WH works really really nice. Slowly learning my way around. It would go so much more fluidly if I did not have to dicker with a set up to get a cold dark cockpit to start from. 20 minutes of ff around takes the momentum out of the learning process. Any clues would be most welcomed by this old crusty pilot. Cheers,

ART-J... Thank you for taking a moment to respond. That did the trick. Took a few minutes to rebuild, but the system came back up. Appreciate the help. FYI. It was the loading of the game that hung at 55%.

New user here. Installed 2.5 stable last week. All going well. Today I loaded the Georgian Hammer with CA mission to begin some training to compliment regular tutorials. Upon restarting this evening DCS will only load 55% then hangs. Google search brought me to 2.5 Open Beta thread which instructed me (from BigNewy) to see YouTube video to do a command line cleanup and repair. Did those. Of note: had to run the programs from the command line in the task bar (run command) as following the video tutorial of left shift click and opening a command window did not work. Windows gave me error, so I ran the two cleanup and repair files in the bin folder from the command line. Both files executed. The repair did indeed go out to your servers and did a repair. No effect. Still hangs at 55%. Updated video drivers (1080ti). Windows 10 version 1803 Build17134.112 Now what? Thanks! Radial9

Not a bad week. Installed my TH WH, kept my CH Pedals. Set them on two MonsterTech table clamps. Installed DCS 2.5 and reinstalled and activated my A10C. Installed TrackIR and spent some frustrating hours learning and tweeking it. Long way to go but it’s somewhat functioning. Ran through a few of the tutorials. The HOTAS familiarization tutorial was used to just get a “feel” for the A10C. Did some basic 180 and 360 turns to see if I could keep it at altitude. Needs work. Spent a few more hours just getting a feel for the aircraft. I have been flying piston slappers for years, so this is a whole new ballgame. I am having difficulty trimming it to center in level flight at 250kts. I think it’s just going to take some time. I did change the POV hat on the HOTAS for trim. Just need to keep at it. It will come. I then spent a few hours with the Georgian Hammer with CA mission going through Chuck’s startup guide on my second monitor. A few mistakes and hunt/peck for buttons. TrackIR is going to take some serious getting used to. I understand it takes a week or two. It’s going to take this old pilot much longer than that. Was debating whether to recount this, but what the f… Got feeling a bit cocky after getting through the startup a few times, so I think I’ll see if I can taxi out to the runway and get it into the air. I WAS SURE I heard the initial briefing (my wingman I assume) tell me he would follow me out. So out to the runway I go without looking where he was to my right and ran right into him. Big ball of flames…killed him deader than a door nail. Probably the best thing that could happen at this stage. I will from now on ALWAYS pan around and LOOK before and AS I taxi. Thank you again for all the help and suggestions. I think it’s finally day one of training now. Cheers, Radial9

Greetings… I have spent the past week setting up my A10C both for a cold/dark start and starting the tutorials. New to DCS, new to the A10C, experienced flight simmer. Hardware/software up and running, now need to begin to use hardware/software to begin training. I bought and have installed TrackIR. It’s going to take these old eye’s and brain some effort, but I’m willing to giverago. Have my profile setup “kinda”;to a starting point at least. I’m sure I will fine tune as I learn, but I’ve reached a point I can actually start maneuvering in the pit. This is after days of tweeking. Did a search here using “TrackIR” going back 6 months and have not found the question discussed. Question is: Reading and watching training I’m of the understanding it is desirable to assign one of my TM Warthog HOTAS buttons to the center function in TrackIR, and perhaps also the pause function, as these are used heavily. So… which button is everyone using that won’t conflict with ac ops down the road? I’m thinking the pinky switch, which turns on nose wheel steering?? I can reassign that button to the numpad “-“ keyboard key I now have the TrackIR centering function set to and then find another key combo for turning on nose wheel steering. Nosewheel steering seems to be a good choice in my inexperienced brain, but there may be a better way to approach this. Am I on the right “track ir” here? Cheers, Radial9

Right now I am very much attracted to the challenge of becoming proficient flying it. I have the time, the desire and without sounding too confident I believe I have the skill set potential to become a half decent pilot. Unbelievable the level of immersion. And as the wife puts it. It will keep me off the streets and out of the pool halls. Right now I'm sifting through, organizing and evaluating the absolute overload of A10C training materials. I have to keep reminding myself how a mouse eats an elephant. First up, and what I did not expect, is to learn the mission editor so I can set up a cold dark ramp ac at Batumi for the start of front office training. Second up. Decide to use someone else's startup checklist or use a few out there to make my own. Even if it's a 95% copy of others, setting it down into a spreadsheet item by item would be a good start, for me. I learn faster when I take the time to write something out, piece by piece. It's mine then, I will use it, even if most of it is a copy of other checklists. Thanks again for all the good wishes and comments. They are appreciated. Nice to know there is a friendly community out here to ask for assistance and clarification when RTFM doesn't sink in. Cheers, Radial9

Quite a successful day. Started out installing and configuring TrackIRPro. All went well with the help of a few YouTube views. It works both in DCS and P3D with my ChasePlane. Plugged in my new Warthog HOTAS, downloaded drivers and Target software, all is good. Fired up DCS World 2.5 and configured it. All went well. Reinstalled A10C. All went well. Bought the Maple Leaf Qualification Campaigns for some self torture. I must say in nearly three decades of flight simming NOTHING has ever gone this well, considering what I accomplished today. I'm impressed! Come Monday I will begin my familiarization and flight training starting with the A10C module tutorials. If anyone has some suggestions from where to go from there as far as basic flying, navigation and weapon systems I would most welcome opinions on the quality of training out there, both free and/or payware. I know nothing beats airtime and folding aluminum, but some basic instruction first might save some time. And so it begins........... Cheers, Radial9

Serial #: 78267( Joystick + Throttle ) Location: SW Florida, USA