ronht

[quote=Gimbal;3838412 -Getting the aircraft level is a pain, or even just descending and ascending, I'll be going down at a decent vert-speed, touch the throttle a little bit and now oh look I'm descending faster, or even climbing, or anything but what I want to do. -The same issue for maintaining a speed, this is a little bit better but coupled with the altitude issue it's just extremely hard because if I touch my speed or even breath too hard the aircraft is going to do something I don't want it to do. -The on-speed AOA is really confusing, maybe I'm looking at it too much from a hornet perspective, but I can't find any resources that explain it. "It says I'm slow so I'll speed up, annnd not I'm at +30 degrees." . This aircraft simulation by Heatblur is nothing short of incredible! The F-14 is more of a stick and rudder bird than any other modern fighter in DCS. To get the aircraft level first start with the Horizon display and the vertical speed then look at the HUD to see what that gets you to hold level. Now - understand that every speed/power change is going to require a different pitch position to hold level. For landing, the F-14 has a high pitch angle on final requires full speed brakes and DLC engaged. Make sure you understand what DLC is and how to use it. It should be mapped to your controller. Pay attention to the E bracket in the HUD for speed adjustments instead of the AOA lights. It will give you a much better indication of the trends. Then once you are trimmed up on speed, make only very small adjustments to the power and use the DLC to help control your glidepath to the runway. If you are getting a lot of wing rocking, you need to unload the elevator and trim more. Also, learn how to use the rudders to stay coordinated. Think - step on the ball to keep it centered. Lastly, have a little patience - if you think controlling speed on landing is difficult, just wait until you start dog-fighting. Under standing "corner speed" and learning how you are going to have to keep coordinated and manage small pitch inputs along with power is going to be a whole other learning process! Oh yeah - Don't forget to - Have fun! It's just a game after all!

I'm having the exact same problem, and I'm running the open beta, any help would be greatly appreciated.

I also highly recommend MFG, http://mfg.simundza.com/ I live outside Chicago and had no problem contacting, ordering or recieving any shipments from them. (I also have their rudder pedals which are second to none!)

I fly for a living and have over 40 years of real world flying experience in various aircraft. DCS is an incredible simulation that offers the most real world experience I have ever seen outside of the real multi-million dollar simulators we use in training at work. The stick forces that I have experienced with various FFB joysticks I have used do very little to add to the realism. In my opinion, extending the stick will do more to add to the realism than anything I've seen so far.

Reading some of the "disappointed" and "complaint" threads here I have to admit brings a chuckle and a smile to my face as well as some fond and very exasperated memories of flight sim software of the past. How quickly we forget just how lucky we are today! Never before have we seen software released to the public in it's Alpha state that works so well with so few problems. It's too good really! And it's ED's fault!!! Anyone remember the frustration with the various Falcon releases through 3 and 4? I can't tell you how many times a Beta or Release version of that software completely crashed our computers and all but fried some of our hard drives. Of course those complaints led to the developers of Falcon, the Janes series and others to simply put their coming titles on continual "hold" status with us waiting week after week, month after month and year after year on the next "release" downloading for hours or days on an old modem and installing the software hoping upon hope that we would at least get to the start-up screen before the BSOD (Blue or Black Screen of Death) locked up our computers for hours. Your not really a seasoned flight simmer unless you've spent hours slogging through the DOS prompts trying to recover your machine after the latest new release of Falcon nuked your computer operating system. What the developers of ED have accomplished with DCS is simply astonishing! Software released in it's "Alpha" and "Beta" stage in a state that has for the most part caused people to forget what those labels even mean. And to top that off, we get almost weekly updates to both the software and product news! ED "WHAT" pray tell are you guys thinking? DCS has provided more fun, entertainment, consistency and reliability than most software has been able to accomplish in it's final "release" versions. Sometimes you need to revisit the past just to realize how great the present really is. ED with the DCS series has "Spoiled Us with Excellence" There is simply no other way to put it and from time to time we all need to not only remind ourselves of that, but also be extremely thankful for the quality they have achieved and that we've come to expect. Thanks guys!

If you're not interested then take your comments elsewhere. This was simply posted as information for those who may not be aware.

Milan has just made available extensions for the Warthog joystick you can check out the details at this address - http://mfg.simundza.com/blog/ I just got a set to try with my Wheel Stand Pro and this is a fantastic add-on!!! Really makes a difference in the handling - much more realistic. Check it out Ron

Turning on "Easy Communications" in the options menu fixed it for me

Sure - It says "We are working as hard as we can, no one wants this out more than we do so we can take a breather. As DCS world becomes larger with more modules it becomes more complex and with increased complexity comes more issues that we must deal with in our effort to give you a product that is not only up to our standards, but one we feel you deserve. Thank you for your patience." At least that's my translation of it.

Guys the simple fact is that many things in aircraft in real life are just simpler in execution than what can be represented on a 2 dimensional screen. What ED and the DCS team have provided us in a personal computer simulation for the price is simply amazing but the truth of the matter is, even many of the multi-million dollar full motion simulators the airlines use aren't able to realisticly replicate every aspect of flight.

I think it would be fairly easy to get a couple of metal straps that you could configure to fit both the holes you have drilled now and the MFG's mounting holes. One other possibility would be to contact the ThustmasterPro folks and get a new baseplate from them. Best of luck with you setup

The MFG's have 4 holes already drilled for mounting. I only needed to use 2 holes to secure the MFG's to the base plate of the ThrustmasterPro Wheel Stand. The base plate was quickly drilled and the pedals mounted as you see here is a few minutes. They are very secure and are not going anywhere. I really love this setup.

Mine arrived this morning - Super easy set-up and calibration and easily mounted onto my Thrustmaster Wheelstand Pro base. About all I can say that hasn't already been said before is WOW!!!!!!! These things are a game changer! I can't say enough about how great these pedals are and I've been using SimPads for several years - My SimPads have been great, but I can't believe what a difference there is between those and the MFG's. Absolutely incredible product, well worth the price and the wait. Thanks to Milan for such a great product.

Serial # 0699 Illinois, USA

I have both the Thrustmaster Warthog and the G940. I also switch out the sticks depending on what I'm flying, however, I never use the Logitech throttle or rudder pedals - I continue to use the Warthog throttle and my old SimPad rudder pedals, (at least until my MFG's arrive)

I'm on the list for May as well but haven't heard anything yet. :)

#1. Turn the bolt around so that it sticks up instead of sticks down. If it is still in your way, use a hack saw or a dremel to trim off the excess bolt or simply go to the hardware store and buy a shorter bolt. This can be remedied for less than a dollar. #2. The best stability is on a hard surface floor. Varying thickness of carpet will affect the stability. Nothing short of the foot print of a desk or table is going to be as stable as a desk or table. Notice your chair isn't as stable as your desk, does that mean you should return your chair? That is not an issue of the Wheel Stand Pro, I seriously doubt you will find anything more stable to replace it on any surface. #3. Move it out of the way - the entire concept of the Wheel Stand Pro was to be portable. If leaving the components under your desk is bothersome when not in use then move it out of your way. This again is NOT an issue of the Wheel Stand Pro

After re-reading my post it is me who needs to apologize. Sorry, it came off that way. I was just attempting to clarify that the pictures I posted were not intended to show how the stick should be stored. The point you brought up is a good one. I just don't have anything else to add to this thread about the product - other than I believe it is a good one and I would recommend it to anyone. Take care and good luck with your decision

To be clear the pictures I posted above were intended to be helpful in answering your earlier questions keeping all the parts in close proximity for clarification. They were not intended to suggest how to store the stick for any period of time. The Wheel Stand Pro is very high quality product which I have been very happy with and which I would highly recommend. I am not affiliated with Wheel Stand Pro in any way, I was simply trying to provide some helpful information. Buy it or not - It's your decision - I'm done with this thread.

Yes the Warthog is heavy enough that it would sit on the plate just fine. If you felt you needed a bit more security than that I would suggest some velcro strapping - very simple and secure.

Ok, hope this clears up what I was trying to say - As you can see, the stick (like I have) or plate that holds the throttle and stick can be quickly removed in seconds ( no tools required) This leaves the lower portion that is 13 inches high which easily fits under any desk and can be rotated forward or back to be out of the way, keeping the pedals in place. Because I ordered two Wheel Stands, I have an extra plate which I can use with a Logitech force-feed back stick or driving wheel. It is quickly interchangeable with the stick. As far as customizations, contact the Wheel Stand Pro folks, they are very helpful and can offer attachments and pre-drilled plates that are not all displayed on the web site. I highly recommend this product.

Look at the picture I posted above. If you want to keep the pedals in place, you can remove the stick completely down to where you see it is painted black. That part would be well under your desktop but could still be rotated forward or backward as needed to get it out of your way. The silver part of the stick-holder, to include the plate which your joystick/throttle is attached, can be completely removed out of the black part of the vertical tube, in seconds and placed aside out of the way or in storage.

The entire system is highly adjustable - plate included or no plate if you prefer. There are a number of ways to attach rudder pedals depending on which pedals you have and they would remain secure while in use. If you look closely above, I used velcro strips and some pvc pipe to temporarily secure my SimPeds to the plate. They don't move at all and I can remove them in a few seconds. I have MFG pedals on order and plan to attach them to the plate with bolts. Finally, Yes - it is possible to remove the stick and just use the rudder pedals. The adjustable tube that the stick sits on can quickly be removed by loosening the adjustment lever and simply pulling the tube out leaving just the shorter black base tube that you see above. That then could be left in place or rotated forward or back out of the way.

Here are my thoughts from an earlier post. I really like the sturdy-ness and adjustability of the stand. It is excellent. Using one stand only, places the controllers fairly close together and as you can see I went with to for more realistic positioning. Certainly not cheap but a highly recommended setup if you can afford it. Overall it's a great product, very sturdy and very high quality. Good luck with your decision. ----------------------------- Hi guys, i know there have been reviews on Wheel Stand Pro done here in the past but I just wanted to pass along my thoughts about this product and tell you about a new attachment they have for the Thrustmaster Warthog Flight Stick. I recently purchased two stands to make a quick very mobile and very realistic cockpit setup anywhere. The new Warthog Flight Stick attachment, really makes all the difference in realistic feel while removing all obstacles that are in the way of your legs as you sit in a chair with your feet positioned on rudder pedals. Here is my set-up

I have over 28,000 hours in various real world airplanes from sailplanes to transport jets and I find the handling characteristics of the Mig 21 to be very realistic and outstanding for a computer simulation. One of the difficult issues for many people who are learning to fly heavy swept wing aircraft versus the straight wing types is the relationship between pitch and power, where pitch becomes your primary speed control and power becomes your primary altitude control. In a heavy swept wing aircraft, target speeds on final approach will vary based on weight. The heavier you are the faster you will need to fly on final and the more power you will need to control the rate of descent. Simply flying the same speed regardless of how the aircraft is loaded and pitching up to flare may only change the angle at which you hit the runway and do little to arrest the descent. Power is the key to controlling the rate of descent once a proper pitch angle is established on the final descent. The other limitations are more to do with how all of this information is being displayed on a 2D computer screen. You simply are not getting all of the information that your senses would be picking up if you were in a real airplane. DCS has done the best job of any home computer simulation I have ever seen in bringing a "real world" feel to actual flying, however, the limitations of reproducing this on a home computer will always be a trade off. As an example, tail wheel aircraft and helicopters in real-life are much easier to take-off and land than in the DCS simulation, NOT because DCS has made it more difficult, or not modeled the effects associated with their flight models correctly, but because you simply cannot get all the sensory input from a 2D computer screen in the same way as you would being in the real thing. I fly the approach in the Mig-21 at 340 - 360 on a 3 degree glide slope (runway just visible over the nose) using the pitch to control the speed and the power to control the rate of descent (typically about 90% with full flaps) Use a small flare just above the runway to arrest your descent, (you will loose forward visibility at this point) so look to the sides (as you would in a taildragger) to keep your alignment with the runway. At this point, squeeze the power off just a little while holding the aircraft level to let the aircraft settle onto the runway - once down, idle thrust, speed brakes, the drag chute and normal braking is all you will need for a controlled rollout. Thanks again to ED, DCS and the third party developers like Leatherneck for making all of this possible.