CBStu

Yes it is. I have been re-arming so I have 9Xs instead of 9Ms so I can use the helmet device. This way I can get a shot off w/o needing to do a complete 180. What do you guys feel is a min speed- as I turn and bleed speed, how low to let it go before easing off on the stick? 350? 400?

Thank you, I will look at GVAD.

Is the 18 > the 29 at high altitude? Is the 18 > the 29 at low altitude? Is the 18 > the 29 in diving or climbing? Is the 18 > the 29 turning? I am getting tired of being shot down and readily understand it is probably mostly me. But I have read many books about fighter pilots where they found their plane was better than the enemy in a certain performance area so they tried their best to direct their dog fight to use that advantage.

I have always had little success w/ AIM7s so I re-arm and grab some 120s.

I flew a downloaded mission last week and was having a heck of a time w/ the wheels locking up on the FA-18 and the plane sliding all over. Been flying this plane for 2-3 years and this is the first time w/ this problem. I found out that, for some reason in this mission only, the abs is turned off. I have just a button control so abs is needed. I now try to remember to flip the abs switch each time I fly this mission.

I know it might be considered a bit of a cheat but, when I can't see what I think I should be able to, I hit active pause. Then I try out every adjustment and every view option I can find. It is amazing how these change things. One mission using ATFLIR I need to take out two trucks parked next to a Mig. There are some combinations of adjustments where I can't even see the trucks. In the same mission I need to take out two SAM launchers. I slowly figured out that I need to fly higher to get more range for the JDAMs so I can stay out of the SAM range. Otherwise the smoke created by a SAM launch completely blocks visibility and I have to fly around waiting for the smoke to clear. I found here too that some combinations of adjustments let me see 'through' the smoke better than others.

I am not sure that finding some abnormal way to manipulate the handle qualifies as needing to be fixed. You are pretty much asking ED to fix something that shouldn't be done anyhow.

Something else that might help you is to go to somewhere in general settings/options and click 'synchronize switches on startup' or similar. I don't know how much this will do but I know that since I clicked that, the plane starts w/ it's flaps set to whatever position my hotas button is in.

So all has been well since my 11/28 post until yesterday. Then the old problem occurred. But it only lasted 10-15 seconds. Why? Because I remembered this thread, thought back a bit through this flight, and realized I had used B-Alt way back at the beginning of the flight. Hit my 'shut off AP' button and bam, all was well. Thanks once more guys.

Yes and thank you very much Badger633. I have no idea how kneeboards are created but what I see in some instances is that all the info already exists because we see it in the initial screens before we click 'Fly'. And most have at least some kneeboard pages. I am thinking that maybe a little reformatting of the existing info and we could have a few more kneeboard pages. We all know that this is just a game but, to me, I feel more realiistic looking at a kneeboard than looking at either my phone or pausing the game so I can go back and read part of the briefing.

I find that I almost always need to adjust those two knobs. I am not so sure that they actually adjust contrast because they usually look to me like 2 brightness knobs. But they are quite useful. On a recent mission where we are supposed to take out two 'armed boats' that are hassling a larger boat, the adjustment knob would change the image enough that the smaller boats were either visible or not, depending where the knob was set. It was also interesting that I could have the MavF screen on the left DDI and the Atflir screen on the right DDI and compare images. The main advantage of the Atflir was it's greater ability to zoom in.

Most all that I have downloaded have a lot of info like radio frequencies, tacan #s, etc in the text writeup and a couple to a bunch of pictures showing targets, waypoints, etc. But not so many include this info in the knee board. And I never know until I start flying the mission/campaign which it will be. So I end up taking pics w/ my cell phone of my PC screen so I can use them as a reference later on. Sometimes I need to use the 'Escape' key to pause the game so I can go back to the briefing to get info. So I'd like ask that all needed info be included in the knee board please?

As a quick check does he have the throttle bindings in 'Controls' - 'Axis Commands' - 'Thrust Left' and 'Thrust Right'? Just above 'Thrust Right' and 'Thrust Left' there is a 'Thrust'. I imagine that would be for a single lever used to control both engines.

Are you using BALT auto pilot? If so I notice it can take 3-4 cycles to settle in especially if I hit the button while the plane is still in a slight climb. If not using BALT I still notice that it can take a cycle or two from when I level out until it decides this is a good attitude or maybe it's altitude.

That is funny as heck. Most car navs limit what you can do while moving. This limits what you can do when flying.

Yep, and twice in the last two days I have locked onto a red plane on the RdrAttak screen and suddenly it changes and is replaced by a white line rectangle with "Friendly' inside. Also have had a problem where I get a lock, and in the HUD I see I need to turn to get the circle and steering dot properly aligned and 3 seconds later the circle and dot just disappear from the HUD. I look back at the radar screen and of course it has automatically switched modes and is kind of a messed up display. So, in addition to undoing the 30deg of turn that I had done trying to get the dot aligned, I also have to figure out which button to push to get the radar screen back to normal.

Jeez, you are taking all the fun out of it. It's always better to just hop in, fire it up, and take off. BTW F18mech, welcome to the forum. I am thinking your mechanical knowledge will come in handy in a lot of discussions. There seem to be a lot of Qs that come up where info from the web doesn't do it. Sometimes one source will contradict another source. Sometimes it seems there is plenty of info for the B models (for example) but nothing on the C we are flying.

A huge thankyou to everyone who helped me out. I have done three carrier traps in 3 different missions and they all worked just fine. Doing a specific AP shut off fixed my 'trim moving on it's own' problem. Thank you all.

So dropping 8 jdams may not be realistic but how about two or four jdams? To me that is a very realistic possibility. How often do you want to fly over a target to drop 4 jdams? I'd prefer one pass.

I have run across this situation several times now in different missions/campaigns so a general question. In a mission where wingman and I are supposed to sweep the area of enemy fighters, while the other flights do the bombing. I splash several enemy, wingman does the same, enemy is gone. But now I am now out of missiles, out of flares and chaff, and have just 100 rnds for the gun. AWACS calls another incoming enemy fighter group. I am hanging around but soon it's obvious, as they launch missiles from 30-40 miles, that about all I can accomplish will be getting shot down so I head for the carrier. After a bit I get a popup saying I failed the mission. Realizing the writer can set things up however he wants I wonder; 1- what IRL would be the expectations. 2- what to do in the sim? I have looked in the radio menu to advise AWACS my situation but there is nothing. Regularly I hear an AI pilot radio he is bingo gas so I assume he heads home or tanker. Not sure if I have heard AI announce out of weapons. So just hang around (way around) and try to avoid getting shot down?

rob and Tholozor thank you. I have a button on my stick to disengage AP but I am thinking I may have been getting lazy and not using it. I often fly back to the ship in AP-BALT and just make small nudges to the stick to correct heading. But eventually I need to either descend or make a more serious turn and just do it until the stick pops loose. I will also check binding for that switch. I did check trim switch bindings and found only one set of them.

I always re-arm and get rid of 7s if I can.

Guys this has been very helpful. I am doing better w/ understanding what is going on around me so slowly but surely lasting longer before getting shot down. Hey, sometimes I don't get shot down which of course is the point. Thanks all.

PA mode??? I don't know what that means but I am pretty sure I had used AP in BALT mode on the flight back to the carrier. I tend to use that a lot and it's definitely possible that I didn't properly shut it off. BTW when in BALT it kind of stiffens the feeling in the stick and at a certain point, say in making a turn and I go too tight, it feels like the stick pops loose and AP is no longer working. Would that cause a problem if I never properly shut off AP?

Jeez another new update effes up a weapon use. Fantastic ED!