bonesvf103

You mean in boresight mode? I can understand that, but I don't think they loft in PH ACT mode or with the ACM cover off either. Besides at range in TWS, I don't think they loft in any other mode but PDSTT at range. v6, boNes

OK, but so does boresight mode, so why not just hit that? Also, if the RIO sets missile options to PH ACT, the missile is active off the rails, but only if the target is within 6 miles when on its six or 10 miles if on the target's nose. As far as Phoenixes go, is flipping the ACM cover up give it any further advantage if there is BRSIT and PH ACT mode available? v6, boNes

What does flipping the ACM cover actually do besides setting the gun to high rate and allowing access to the jettison button? I question this now because with the cover down, I have still been bale to use PAL, PLM, and VSL HI/LO which are ACM modes, so what does flipping the cover actually do? v6, boNes

I'm confused about the Phoenix's active abilities. I read up on it again in the Heatblur manual, but I'm not entirely sure if what they are saying at the beginning of the Phoenix section (https://www.heatblur.se/F-14Manual/weapons.html#id3) is what the Phoenix can do in real life, and the last part of the article what it can actually do in DCS (https://www.heatblur.se/F-14Manual/weapons.html#aim-54-in-dcs). Refer https://www.heatblur.se/F-14Manual/weapons.html#id3: Section TWS/SARH/ARH: It says in the absence of the command to switch to ARH, the missile will still be guided by SARH. What would cause the absence of the command? Section PD STT: I understand this to mean that if you get a PDSTT on a target and fire the Phoenix at it in with NORM mode in the backseat set, that it basically is a very big expensive AIM-7, is that right? If so, if the lock is broken and it's an AIM-54A then it's trashed, but if the lock is broken and it's an AIM-54C, it will immediately go active in hopes of still catching the target. Is that right? Section Active-Radar Homing (ARH): I understand this as saying that if you set the switch to PH ACT before launch, then when you fire on a target it will be mad dog off the rail so long as you are within 6 miles of the target's six or 10 miles of the target's nose. This is only when using TWS or if you have a PDSTT lock. So, when in TWS mode, do you have to hook a target for this to happen, or can you fire in the general area of the target and hope that it sees the target to go after it? If you have him in PDSTT, and you fire within those range parameters, then break the lock, the missile should still guide because it is mad dog off the rail, right? The PDSTT tells it where to look with its ARH seeker so you shouldn't have to keep the target locked in PDSTT, right? I suppose since if the missile can't find the target with its own ARH, it falls back to SARH, so it would probably be best to keep a PDSTT lock without breaking it for that reason. Section ACM Active: This is where I'm most confused. Do you have to have the ACM cover up for ACM active launch? It doesn't say so in this section but I thought you had to. In the manual it says you have to select BRSIT only. It says there are three conditions for ACM active mode launches: 1. BORSIT mode selected, 2. No WCS tracks and 3. A non-pulse doppler radar mode OR a TCS track must be used. So I understand that to mean the radar must be in pulse search or pulse STT. Since pulse search and PSTT are not doppler, then basically the TID should not have anything other than datalink tracks in it for this to work, right? Are PLM, VSL HI/LO, PAL,and MRL modes considered pulse doppler modes? Section ECM Mode: I understand that the Phoenix will automatically home on jam without the pilot or RIO having to do anything, and no special symbology would be displayed anywhere, correct? Section Missile Operation: "When used in boresight or ACM without a WCS track the HUD will not indicate any symbology apart from the ADL which is used to aim the missile." So, if I had a lock and then I broke it, say by hitting PLM then releasing it, then the only symbology in the HUD is the ADL cross? Again, there would be no contacts in the TID since contacts are only in the TID when in a pulse doppler mode or if it's a DL. Section AIM-54 in DCS: This section seems to override everything about Phoenix operation described in the previous sections. It keeps what is said about TWS and SARH mode, but simplifies things down to regardless of what mode you are in, if you fire less than 10 miles away (never mind about the 6 miles astern and 10 miles on the nose) or if you are in any ACM mode, or if the RIO has the PH ACT switch on, it will fire mad dog off the rails. Am I reading that right? Thanks for your help. v6, boNes

OK, thanks! I tried it and locked a target into PDSTT and launched at about 30 miles from angels 30 at a target that was between 10k and 20k hot, then I purposely broke the lock. The Phoenix tracked it anyway and killed it. I did it again another time and the Phoenix was tracking it but I think the bandit was able to trash the missile. Still, it looked as if the Phoenix was still trying to track it all the way until it self-destructed. I will need to explore this more. v6, boNes

OK, thanks, that's what I thought. I saw it in a tutorial video and was thinking, "That doesn't sound right." v6, boNes

If you fired a Phoenix in TWS-A and then changed the TID range afterwards, does it trash your missile? v6, boNes

I just heard in a tutorial video that if the AIM-54C loses a track, it will go active automatically and try to find the target itself. I thought that in DCS this is not the case. Which is true? v6, boNes

@MAXsenna beware of the scan low command in VAICOM. I've noticed that when you do that the top and bottom of the scan (numbers on the lower left of the TID) go to 0 and 0, which is useless. v6, boNes

Well yes and no....there are F-14s in the background. I took this photo when VF-103 came back from their final Tomcat tour and VF soon to be VFA-103 had their new Super Hornet waiting for them when they ceremoniously arrived. So it really is a Tomcat photo more than a Super Hornet photo. v6, boNes

Has anyone else been getting an issue where if you tell Jester to "Scan low,", he puts the scan so low that the TID upper and lower altitudes are 0 and 0? v6, boNes

Here's my menu and loading screen:

This particular one is MP v6, boNes

In the same mission, I noticed sometimes if I put a map marker on the F10 map then tell Jester, "Map marker X to fixed point," for example, he doesn't do it. BUt if I do the same thing on another mission, it will probably work. So do you think there is a possibility that it depends on how the mission was written/setup where I get this Icemma/Jester anomaly or the map marker one? v6, boNes

I've noticed on random occasion that if you jump in the backseat and give a command to Iceman, when you go back to the front seat and give a command to Jester, it will not be carried out and you will get a message "You are in Jester's seat!" even though you are in the front seat. Then if you go to the RIO seat and give an Iceman command it will say, "You are in Iceman's seat!" Anyone else get this phenomenon? v6, boNes

Recently it worked fine for me. v6, boNes

"Bio" Baranek wrote in his book Tomcat RIO that they would fire 1 second long bursts to be effective. IronMike, thanks to you guys! I haven't had that much fun in a mission in a while. I keep coming back to fly it. When I have more time I'll check out Op Reforger. v6, boNes

When you say you are rising relative to the glideslope, that is telling me that you are flying through the glidepath. Picture it this way: the slope is headed diagonally down from your nose to the deck. If you are flying at the same altitude (whether you know it or not), it may be on slope at that moment, but if you held that altitude, now the glideslope is beneath your nose and so your needles will indicate you are high even though you haven't gained any altitude. And the glideslope needle will get lower and lower as you continue on at the same altitude. To maintain your position on the slope, it take alot of having the donut on your AOA indexer (which is primarily controlled by pitch via stick) and power control (subtle and tiny amounts of throttle jockeying). You should strive to use what is called a three part power corrections. Let me allow a naval aviator to explain it: I will also add one of the most valuable tips I can think of: TRIM TRIM TRIM! Trimming your aircraft to be on AOA is probably the single best thing next to throttle control there is to making a successful trap. When you trim your aircraft to be on AOA, you are trimming your aircraft to not only be on speed, but to have your nose pitched up in such a way that the hook dangling from the back of your aircraft is poised properly to catch that coveted 3 wire. You can tel if you are properly trimmed if you can take your hands of the controls and the aircraft will fly straight and level with the AOA indicator showing the donut. I wouldn't recommend hanging on the trim button to dump in your trim except at the start. after that, just a few clicks should do it--even better if you keep track of how many clicks you put in in case you need to back off a bit, you can get a feel as to how many clicks in the opposite direction you need to put in. Anyway, by being trimmed on speed you now have released all that back pressure from the stick and have your hook positioned in the best place for landing and can now concentrate on the ball/slope and the lineup. v6, boNes

That's a good question. I think maybe the best thing is to distill it down to who is actually the biggest threat, ie, who is on your six? v6, boNes

Thanks for the heads up. I checked out that mission (didn't know I had it) and it was fun. I don't recall a burst issue though. I was able to shoot down one F-15 and was poised to kill the other but then I ran out of bullets and almost gas. I also discovered this other mission, "Imhotep's Bandits (BVR)--that was fun. I had 4 AI wingmen but they all got shot down leaving me to fight at least 5 by myself until the ready 5 arrived. v6, boNes

I think the main thing aside from trusting your instruments is to keep in mind that when landing, the throttle is only used for altitude/position on the glideslope (helped with DLC) and the stick is used for airspeed or in the more relevant case, maintaining the donut in the AOA. If you do this, the jet won;t fall out of the sky. But it becomes a hard dance when you are in Case III conditions without visual reference and so you really really have to trust those instruments AND make very small subtle but intentional control inputs. That's what I can offer from the start. Trying doing it ashore without ICLS or any ILS for that matter and no approach charts. That is hell! Now who's the glutton for punishment? v6, boNes

Thanks all. See, the thing is, I set VAICOM Pro up fir the first time when I installed it back when it was payware and never had to change anything since until the Community Version came out. So that's a few years that I may not be remembering what my settings were. It may also be that I have been using it that way for so long that I don't exactly remember the nuances of the original setup V the current one (hence why the video is different from my post). I just felt like something was "off" and different in the new version and the part that stood out the most was how the comms menu was still there even after my broadcast was ended and I had to key the mic to make it go away. And yes, by clear the mike, I mean a button on my HOTAS. I have a button on my HOTAS set to emulate "R" for mic press and "T" for mic release. This is only set in VAICOM Pro, I did not set anything in DCS. I'm pulling this out of me head and I am not near my rig now to be able to definitely confirm (maybe later tonight) so I'l double check. MAX, I noticed and realized last night when fiddling with the options that the "hide menu" option was there...maybe I had that set before as in the video, the menu never seems to comes up when I key the mic and speak. I'll have a look and see again. Thanks both of you for the added insight! v6, boNes

Here is a video when I was using the Payware version. You can see at around 33:45 that when I call inbound no menu comes up but the commands go through fine.

Back when this was payware, it used to be that you key the radio mic and the comms menu would appear in the upper right, you said what you eneded to say, and then when you released the radio mic button, the comms menu would disappear. Now, if I hit the mic button the menu appears, I say what I need, releas the button, it does my command, but the menu stays up there. The only way for it to go away is for me to key the mic again or hit F12. Is that a change since the payware version? Any way to get the menu to disappear automatically? v6, boNes

This is for when it was payware, but it's essentially the same. You didn't used to have to say "page" or "show," you just said the keyword. Anyway, use these as a starting point and you'll figure it out easily: v6, boNes