DmitriKozlowsky

What is even more confounding is that if I fire a Hellfire after CPG selects a target, the missile does not guide. I can't even tell if CPG lases the target.

This is setup from pilot seat. Target selected, ARM on, weapon selected. But CPG will not fire, and I am unable to make AI George to do so. Thus IMHO this implementation is lacking. Its confusing.

OK. From a pilot seat. Weapons ARM Trigger guard: open ACQ: TADS CPG command: AGM 114K LOBL, tgt: APC1 (or another target), Pilot: Fire 1st det.: NO LAUNCH, 2nd DET: NO LAUNCH, Consent To FIre. In all cases. Weapon is not released, and George AI does not fire.

Damn CPG will not fire Hellfires. PERIOD! No matter what. I don't care what CPG instructions pilot does. He won't do it. Weapons aiming and control is part of this module I hate on how its deployed. Its confusing and inconsistent.

I beg to differ. I know exactly what helicopter dynamic rollover is.

I think , in DCS, friction works correctly for rubber wheels, becouse pedaling into wind while rolling can only be done safely when light on wheels. With collective down, the helicopter won't pivot due to pedal , as easily, and should not be done.

Safest is proper approach with fwd speed (relative to landing spot), with near zero fwd speed at touch down. Difference is when deck landing, which I am practicing in Apache, is slow fwd approach to parallel the deck spot. Then side fly over the spot to IGE hover and settle down on spot. Navy/USMC style. Looking at deck qualls of Army Apaches on LHA on YT, sometime they land and T/O with slight angle to the deck . However Marine AH-1W and AH-1Z land straight.

Works, in DCS for wheeled geared helicopters. More difficult with skids, due to dynamic roll risk.

You can roll quite a good distance . Not that you need much in a helicopter. For GW get above ETL, and as soon as helicopter is light on wheels pedal nose into wind, and correct for dynamic roll with cyclic deflection. If you need long roll, or can't hover in ground effect, you are too heavy for safe flight, and certainly you can't fight.

I changed my mind. I no longer desire CPG screens in pilot seat. I find that placing VID/TADS or GHS as background for ASE or ENG screens on left MFD in pilot seat as sufficient.

I am not certain if APKWS is cleared for use on Apache. I don't why not. All knowing all powerfull Oracle of Wikipedia does list Apache as a launch platform. If A-10C, AV-8B, AH-1Z, and Eurocopters can use it, so should Apapche.

I have not yet learned how to boresight head mounted sight.

Thanks. Looks like it is. There is no feedback on trigger guard. No light , no audio feedback.

I thought I had all the settings right for pilot to fire gun. Gun selected P-HMD as sight Weapons ARMED But gun won't fire, neither do rockets , from pilot seat. I don't understand why not. Tried with first detente, second detent fire. Just does not fire from pilot. Regardless of RTFM, this area of weapons fire control in AH-64D is confusing and inconsistent.

Helicopters take off and land into the wind. Unless you are so heavy that you need a rolling takeoff. A helicopter may be directed by ATC onto runway, but there is no requirement or need to take off linearly along runway as fixed wing. Even if you need a rolling takeoff you can diagonal across runway in a helicopter. Fly helicopter as helicopter, not as fixed wing.

Is that because gun has to be bore sighted at start of every mission?

When going below ETL speed (about 20 knots indicated), put nose into wind as much as mission (at that time) allows. Definitely, when landing, hover taxi, T_ACQ hover, point helicopter into wind. With tail wind, it will be unstable and twitchy. Use trim system to steady the helicopter.

I have similar top end speed in Georgia, PG (over flat desert), over Cyprus , and Normandy. Cyprus becoming my favorite flying area. It seems to me, that turbulent winds around mountains and hills are implemented in this area to higher degree then other theaters. There are powerlines strung across valleys, and makes for challenging RL-like helicopter flight.

135 KIAS is fastest I gotten her. Thats with 60% fuel and no stores. I placed engine in MAX performance mode, 99% power over Nevada flat terrain. I would love to see how others get 150 knots indicated out of current build. At above 130, I have a definite deflection on cyclic to the right side, and thats how I trim. Above 130 knots she wants to roll to the left. At that air speed my pedals are neutral. The slipstream is doing the work of anti-torque. So above 130 to 135 knots I feel retreating blade stall coming on, but not there yet. Which is fine. I bet if somebody starts at angels 5 or 7 already at 130, bottoms the collective, and fwd cyclic slowly into 15 deg, dive , like its a fixed wing, she will exceed 150 knots, and depending on air temp and GW, above 150, perhaps at 155, retreating blade will stall hard. The helicopter will roll to the left uncommanded. I think that some don't realize that knots is not MPH. 150 knots is 173 mph. Some view 150 knots as 150 mph. It aint. Now Apache is not a dinky little Robinson. Just punch up R44 Tragedy on YT. Multiple RL mishaps, where pilot dove the R44, exceeded Vne, causing a retreating blade stall, which then flapped and sliced its own tail boom off. Followed by R44 breaking up in flight with rotors breaking and flying off, long before the fuselage impacted the ground. Lethal every time. Helicopters cannot be flown like fixed wing aircraft. Helicopters are flown as helicopters. Except for few crazy pilots flying BO105 and AW Lynx. Doing loops, Immelmanns, snap rolls. Just crazy.

Sounds good. If possible, please post a screen grab of curves on pedals. To me pedals and yaw is most problematic.

In Pilot seat you combine TADS video with engine or fuel or COMs.. In Pilot seat on LEFT MFD press VID button then select TADS as source. Then press A/C button to overlay ENG ine page on top of TADS video.

I only had AH-64D for few weeks. Flying it for sim flight training only thus far. There are quirks, but there are also correct real world behaviors that are reproduced in AH-64D. At least as those appear to me. Weakest area of control is yaw authority and oversensitivity of pedal. Transitioning from slow fwd OGE flight into slow/hover IGE is messy. Roll and yaw become noisy. Since I am throwing out acronyms I add another one. OMG! The task of transitioning from OGE slow flight at 12 knots parallels with Tarawa, to coming into pre-land IGE hover over deck spot is difficult. All RL main/tail rotor helicopters will suffer twitchiness of of cyclic and pedals when hovering or slow fwd below ETL flight with tail wind. Which I observe is happening in sim. While I have yet to experience LTE in the sim, with relative wind from aircraft's 10 O'clock, I do have to use more pedal. So my approaches to landing spot, once near ETL limit of 20-25 knots, are done with wind from my 12. That is the safest technique, and one that is taught in RL helicopter schools. I have now watched and rewatched every video from Helicopter Ground School Coffee With Kenny video and Helicopter Lessons in 10 Minutes or Less! on YT. The guy behind 'Helicopter Lessons in 10 Minutes or Less!' , I beleive, is a former Army rotary aviator. It feels to me that DCS:AH-64D helicopter FM does not like crosswinds , hates tailwinds, and partially affected by 'danger zone' from 10 o'clock wind requiring stronger left pedal.

That sounds like you exceeded Vne and suffered a retreating blade stall that may or may not have been accompanied by tailrotor over pitch adding to roll. Uncommandedroll at IAS above 130 knots is a sign of Vne excess. Or (perhaps and) you trimmed your cyclic while in substantial bank. Trim should only be set in level stable flight. When encountering loss of cyclic authority , immediately turn OFF trim, let go of cyclic for a moment to let cyclic self-center, center pedals, reduce collective. Take back cyclic, after moment, and hold aircraft in straight attitude, as it slows down. Avoid IAS above 135 knots. Vne-Velocity Never Exceed

With all respect to our NATO Allies in Europe, and to our Pacific allies, Australia's decision on AH-64D/E , which I agree with, has more to do with interoperability with Australia's prime allies. UK and US. Both UK and US operate AH-64D and AH-64E (which India ordered). AU operates UH-60L/M as does US . All three operate CH-47 family. Japan ordered license built AH-64D later upgraded to E. Singapore and Taiwan (ROC) ordered the platform. Tiger is a COSMIC helicopter. It has earned a good availability and lethality (to enemy) in AfPak and African theaters. Going from French assessments. Scout target recon and designation mission is substantially riskier then attack mission. In high end peer vs. peer warfare (NATO vs. Russia or vs. China) with high density air defense, expected loss rates among scouts are 2-3X then attack platforms. To give crew max chance of mission success and survival, speed, small size, and nimbleness are required. Army thought that scout on 21'st century battlefield needs to have low observables in radar and IR/UV. Hence the RAH-66 Comanche program.

I don't see how Army Aviation branch could not take a good modern, in-service, helicopter and turn it into manned scout platform. Of course I am talking about UH-72A Lakota light utility platform in use in Army National Guard as medevac, and utility to replace National Guard UH-1N helicopters. Another option , in the interim, is for Army to buy or lease some Marine AH-1Z CobraVenom airframes. For armed scout roll. Lease Eurocopter Tiger, or Mangusta from our NATO Allies. As an interim solution . Least palatable is to resurrect RAH-66 Comanche program. The rotary equivalent of F-35. But I fear it is too expensive.