CBStu

Wow, that is fantastic piece of info. I am betting that is the explanation for a lot of unusual things happening. Thank you.

I think it was mission 1 and 2. I had been flying to the side of the runway. I will try flying directly over the runway. Thank you.

Ryan I guess I should have remembered FLIR is forward looking IR. But your answer made me go to Chucks where he shows CCD(TV), black hot and white hot in both DDI green and AMPCD grey. I think I need to experiment w/ these 6 choices. Thanks.

You use active pause cheat???? Ha, ha, ha. Hey well, me too. I just did that on my 3rd try of a mission in the Eastern Friendship campaign using the pod from about 14,000. Just couldn't find the dang target and tired of getting shot down.

I am having a blast w/ this campaign. Thank you for the hard work. I am lost on the landing instructions though. As best I understand a standard field pattern is similar to a carrier pattern. But I am told to do a left or right break and then I am always told I did it wrong. Sorry for this newbie Q but can you pls explain what I should be doing.

Could water be made to look obviously different from land and crops. It's pretty obvious when the water is the ocean/sea off the Caucuses coast. But when I am moving the pod camera view across a river it usually just looks like a different crop in a field.

I had the same thing w/ the code. I entered it for the bomb (82LG I think) via the left DDI and then UFC and was sure I had seen in some tutorial that it also needed to be entered for the laser. But I go to the laser screen (right DDI) and the code is already there. Not that I am complaining but is that something that DCS has simplified for us?.

I started flying the missions in the Eastern Friendship campaign. Finally got through a couple of them and apparently landed improperly. Was told runway 26 and 'left break'? First one I was approaching from the wrong end so I thought fly parallel to the runway and then make a left hand 180 deg turn to line up and touchdown. After touchdown I got some comment from atc or tower about not doing the 'left hand break' properly. Next mission I get the same instruction but this time I am maybe 10 deg off runway 26 so just jog over to line up and land. Same comment there too. So what should I be doing? After the second one I googled and see I should probably have done the 4 sided rectangle pattern. I can see that as it is much the same at the carrier. But the first one where I was approaching from the wrong direction should I have done a 6 or 7 side rectangle pattern? That would seem to be way more pattern work than needed.

I still suck using the pod. But the good thing is that it is used for several different arms. I hope that, when I get better at it, I will find using it for arm B won't much different than using it for arm A. A couple days ago I downloaded a user campaign called Eastern Friendship. And wouldn't you know it the 2nd mission uses an 82LG. ( why the he11 do we need two names for every dang bomb or missile? 82LG is a dumb 82 w/ a laser guide package attached which makes total sense. But in their infinite wisdom it is also called an AGM12. An AIM9M shows as a 9M on the stores wingform, ok good, but a 120C shows as an AC, jeez) The target in the campaign mission is set as a waypoint so I was trying to just drop it as a dumb bomb but couldn't get that to work. Maybe I messed that up on my own, but anyway, now I will start working w/ lasing w/ the pod. I have a couple of simple missions I built so I could practice w/o being shot at so yesterday I added a warehouse, and then an 82LG to the plane, to which I had already added a pod. But trying to find that warehouse, YIKES. The F10 map looks a little different than the map in the ME, and different than looking out the from plane's cockpit, and different than the pod's pic. Later I am going back to the ME to see if I can change the warehouse color to make it stand out better. I can sure see how some fighters use a WISO to deal w/ all this stuff.

Thanks to all of you. Understanding the technical reasons helps me feel more in control and I think I can fly better when I understand why things happen.

I was having the same problem a couple days ago. I don't have it 100% yet but a couple things that I realized. That mission has a JTAC to do the lasing for you so you do NOT need the flir. Chucks Guide gives the procedure for using your own pod w/ flir to do the lasing and then throws that line or two you noticed in at the end. You said that here. "Chuck's Guide goes over all these different steps, but at the end says if target being lased by Jtac uncaging the missile will search for any laser in the vicinity, but I am getting nowhere with this. The problem is he doesn't tell you exactly which step to back up to or which steps to leave out. You 'may' be able to find an older youtube tutorial from before the pod/flir existed which would be helpful. I disagree w/ Zyll. For me the JTAC is easier to deal w/ than the pod/flir. First, I have a very hard time finding targets w/ the pod/flir. The JTAC eliminates that for us since he finds the target and lases it. Second, you have to get the flir started up, then you have to somehow couple it so that when you find the target and lase it, that info is transferred to the Mav. I found oilman's comment worked for me. "Better sending in a TRK file, remember the JTAC will give you co-ordinates, I think in that mission they are at a waypoint, so make sure you are pointing directly at it, ensure you declare to JTAC, ‘IP Inbound’ and then ‘Laser On’ command, once they acknowledge then Uncage your Mav, whilst pointing your nose at the general area, ensure your pointing down at about 5° to get optimum chance of lock." Are you getting to the screen where the X is going back and forth left to right indicating that the MavE is hunting for a laser? See Chucks Guide page 356 top right pic. When it finds the laser the X stops and turns into a solid square like on pg 359 right pic. (Note the page #s are hard to see depending on what the backround is. Find pg 360 and go up one for 359) In that training mission I cheat like crazy and find the targets on the F10 map. Then at least I have a general idea where to fly. On one pass I noticed that oilmans 'pointing down at about 5*' to be important. I gather that the seeker can only see up and down a certain amount. So, depending on altitude and distance from the target, your plane needs to be pointing down somewhat or the seeker is looking over the target and not seeing it. So I was approaching the target, the X was going back and forth like crazy, I dropped the plane's nose to see better and bam, the laser locked on. BTW I found I could just fly up and down the coast line which kept me properly oriented and shoot going both directions. BTW2. I am flying more missions w/ more new to me weapons ( like you) and I recently moved my Com1 and Com2 to a switch on my throttle grip. This has been a huge advantage w/ this stuff. I can get the Com1 menu up on the screen w/ a push of my left thumb, and then hit the comment I want to make w/ the mouse pointer.

Wow, this is all quite interesting. How does it fit in w/ the often heard, so I assume true, thought that jets get better economy at higher altitudes. I always figured that was because the air is thinner so offers less drag. But if the power is also dropping, is it dropping more slowly than the drag? I will do some research so I can get a better understanding of this. Mach# is right there in the HUD, is ground speed available on the GPS maybe?

In any of the FA-18 missions in either Caucuses or Persian Gulf I have a problem while climbing from a carrier launch. I usually go into AB for the launch. Wheels up immediately I leave the deck. Flaps up at about 250k (they may have come up automatically but I move the switch anyway) and out of AB 275-300. While in AB I can climb at 15 degrees and still accelerate. Once out of AB I drop down to 10-12 deg climb & get to maybe 425k. Say I want to get to 30,000ft. Past 10-15,000ft the speed starts dropping off from the 400+ so I reduce climb to about 7deg and can hold 375 for a while. Then I notice I have dropped below 375 so I reduce to 5 deg. Once around 25,000 altitude I have to drop climb to 3 deg or speed keeps dropping. Is this normal behavior? If not what should I check for?

As dburne says you have missions for the Hornet in the free Caucuses map. If you also by the Persion Gulf map, you get more Hornet missions. Some are very similar to the Caucuses but w/ much different geography.

Ah, OK I wasn't aware it would be different. I was thinking it might be a similar problem so my solution might help.

I haven' done any slewing in the HUD but w/ my Warthog throttle slew I had the overly sensitive problem when trying to slew a MavF. It worked fine on the attack radar screen. For quite a few months I used the MavF in boresight mode similar to rockets and guns. Then I got a new stick w/ more 5 position buttons. So now I use the throttle slew for radar and the stick slew for Mavericks and can adjust them to work very well in both.

There is a cover plate between the two throttle levers held in position by two allen head bolts. Remove them, pull the throttle back and look down inside in front of the throttles for this little piece and remove it. [url=https://flic.kr/p/2iNRZUk][img]https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49757071687_86af06120c_z.jpg[/img][/url][url=https://flic.kr/p/2iNRZUk]AB throttle detent[/url] by [url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/152454123@N04/]craig stuard[/url], on Flickr File the surfaces indicated by the arrows so they are 45 degrees instead of 90.(The pic shows the final shape) Do this a little at a time. Keep slipping the piece back into position and temporarily holding it w/ a finger while you move the throttles forward. Before this is done the throttle levers hit this stop while being pushed forward and need to be lifted up to go further forward into AB mode. When you get the amount of plastic filed off correct you will feel the throttles hit the piece but just a little more push effort and it will move into AB w/o any need to lift them up. Then go into the 'instant action - free flight' and hit F2 so you can watch the jet outlets. When you go to AB they turn bright red/orange. I had to adjust my throttle curve a little so they turned color at the correct throttle position. Also somewhere in the sound settings there is a box you can check to get extra AB sound so do that.

I use R Shift + R Ctrl and slash to move back a little. Then I try the R Alt and Num 0 to save it but that doesn't save it. Is there something different used to save fore-aft position?

I fly the FA-18 because I enjoy the challenge of carrier traps.

I use a TM Warthog throttle w/ my VKB stick

I am retired and I have been flying the FA-18 for 2 years now and still have a ton to learn. One thing to note is that DCS itself isn't perfect so you can frustrate yourself no end and then find it's a bug or something. One training mission for a JSOW, I think, has you flying toward the target which is a SAM and which is shooting at you. Those dang SAMs can shoot down the JSOW as well as you so, after a quick question here, I decided to skip that one altogether. Recently I have been flying a mission where the plane has the target pod. I can see it in F2 view and it shows up on the stores diagram. But there is no FLIR button to click to get it fired up. ( I had to go to CHuck's to verify how to use the pod because that is another piece I haven't gotten good w/ yet) It is mounted centerline but it can't be dropped either. So I shoot the MAVs using their own camera system. Oh, and I haven't figured out laser MAVs yet, so I hit R and rearm the laser MAVs w/ MAV Fs. One other skill that is handy is being able to create your own basic mission. I had done a couple and when I decided to skip that JSOW mission I set up my own mission. Close to the same location but I set up 4 tanks as targets and set waypoints to match them. Then I put 2 JSOWS, 2 GBU38s on the plane. Now I can practice using the JSOWS etc w/o anyone shooting at me. Once I had the basic mission set up, I could go back and change the armament and do a 'Save As' so I have 3 versions now w/ different arms on the plane.

Generally you should be at a 30 deg bank, and pulling back some on the stick, so when the flaps drop they tighten the turn more than they balloon the altitude. Since the flaps won't drop until 250 and we approach the boat at 350, I set the flaps to full somewhere behind the boat. The gear will drop when you hit the button so I have to watch the speed during the initial turn and hit the button at 250. Otherwise (although I don't think it's modeled in DCS) the gear could be damaged if dropped >250. For me the flaps dropping may create a bit of a bobble but it is minor and some times I don't even notice it. On a straight in approach to carrier or airfield I don't drop flaps until 180 so there is little to no balloon.

There are 5 missions in the Caucuses map that I enjoy. They all start from the carrier w/ the plane already running. I quite often hit R to rearm so I can have 9X's vs 9Ms and 120c's vs 7s and chose a bomb or ground missle I know how to use. Look for 'Combat Mission-Hornet 1989'xxxxxx. They are fairly simple missions that I really enjoy and I usually go back to the Stennis to land. If you look under campaigns the 'Hornet 1989-Task Force Challenger' uses these missions w/ a few mods. Also I have my screen set up so I have the usual windows buttons across the bottom of the screen still visible when DCS is running. When I try something new, I quite often pause DCS, and then open Chucks Guide or go to youtube for a tutorial to help me set up my new missile or whatever. Sometimes I may pause DCS 4-5-6 times to do a couple steps, pause to check my tutorial, unpause and do more steps.

Not for me. Chucks Guide has something like 70 steps and I have no interest in learning that. I use auto start.

I have so little success w/ AIM7s that if I can't change them I just don't fly that mission. One mission where there are 2 AIM7s and 4 AIM9s I just shoot the 7s first to get them off the plane. Missions where we start on the catapult, I hit R for rearm and change the 7s to 9Xs.