CBStu

Well crap, I asked this Q maybe a year ago and found that the string should bracket the WPDSG. That worked out nicely. If this change stays, we would need to redo all WP used for targeting AND you would need a different adjustment depending on flight direction. Ugh.

I went back to an older user mission w/ 7 choppers to shoot. Turns out that 120Cs do just fine. I guess it is just something else that has changed.

Anyone else need to salute twice to get a launch in AB? I have almost always launched in AB so never noticed having to be in AB, but lately I often have to salute twice (I use the comm1 dropdown menu).

In the past it seems I have had reasonable success with 9Xs while 120Cs never work. But in the last couple days they don't seem to work very well. I have a hard time judging distance from another aircraft but I swear, by the time I get the tone that the 9X has found the chopper, I could dang near use the gun. I have been shot down by choppers using some kind of missiles so I don't like getting that close.

The problem that I was hoping the tpod could help with is the limited magnification available in the Mav screen itself. Unfortunately, for me anyway, it isn't worth the trouble to use the tpod because by the time I get it all to work (in the few instances where I succeed) I am pretty dang close anyway. It is a pain in the butt getting hit by whatever armament a tank can shoot at me.

I have pretty much given up on using pod + Mav F. Getting the pod to change from the standard reticle to the moving target reticle and having it actually lock onto the moving target that I want it to is very hit or miss for me.

I have noticed that too. Some of the user missions I fly must have variable weather because sometimes, while it isn't night, it isn't a real bright sunny day either. So what I am seeing is that the light is on but is so dim it is very hard to find.

I do my best in the break turn so I end up at the 1.2nm from the boat. But a couple of fudges usually help. I set tacan course to BRC and, as mentioned, I watch the distance from the time I straighten out of the break as it drops down to it's minimum as I am abeam the boat. BTW, I use the course line to determine when to straighten out of the break. I want to fly parallel to the course line. I use the distance at abeam to decide on my final turn bank angle. 1.0-1.2nm = bank of 30deg. 1.4-1.6 = bank of 26-28deg. As mentioned the 18 doesn't settle into a bank. On it's own, the bank will steadily increase. So when I want a 28deg bank, that is kind of an average. I may vary 26-30deg. Also I will use some bank adjustment to help me fix an altitude problem. Especially if I get low, I need a lot of throttle by itself to increase altitude but a few deg reduced bank can help w/ that. Also, if I use a lot of throttle to gain altitude, I find coming back out of the throttle so I don't overshoot my desired altitude more difficult than cranking back in a couple degrees bank. One more fudge. You do have your HSI set at 5nm right? Anything more reduces the level of detail.

Over on the right side of the IP, just to the left of the hook lever is the manual analog altitude instrument. It has a small knob on it to set a minimum altitude. Cranking it down to zero gets rid of the constant horn warning when flying a super low alt ingress in the canyons. It 'may' get rid of Betty too but I am not sure on that.

I have no idea what the \ key does. Do you not have a button on your throttle set to Comm1 and Comm2? I have a self centering button that a forward push goes to Comm1 and a backward pull goes to Comm2.

Bankler's tidbit has saved me scads of times. Longer flight I often use AP for the first 10-20 minutes and 30 min later I forget that I had used it.

Chucks Guide is invaluable to me. I often put DCS on pause, open his guide, and then go back and forth. If you are flying by yourself w/o any wingmen, using active pause make this really helpful.

Thx Tholozor. Maybe things will improve.

I have never figured out the reason but sometimes TACAN won't pick up the boat. My work around is to go to Waypoint 0 and use that. Eventually, as I get closer, TACAN will work .

A typical taxi to cat I pinky twice. First turns on NWS, second makes it 'HI'. I notice that it isn't just wings down that will turn off 'HI' it is wings 'LOCKED' that does it. I discovered that because I move wings down soon after I start rolling and usually taxi all the way to the cat and stop, then 'LOCK' the wings. But one time I hit lock 2/3 of the way to the cat and bang, 'HI' went off. So then I had to hold the pinky button to keep 'HI' active.

Be glad you have an actual mfd w/ buttons. It is harder hitting those buttons w/ a mouse while using left hand for the stick.

But a MavF beats the heck out of trying to enter 89 items to launch a Harpoon so it can fly around out there and pick it's own target.

I read all the above explanation but still, it seems DCS has some problems w/ this. Contact a tanker and he tells you altitude and speed. It is never correct. It is in the ball park alt is + or - 500, speed is + or - 20-30. Look at F10 map and read the altitude of other planes. It is never correct. Click one of those planes and look at the speed in the popup window. Never correct. I just live w/ it but do wonder sometimes why. OTOH, I have no idea how they make DCS as super as it is so I fly on and enjoy.

I downloaded a user file mission where you make a fun canyon run on your way to try to blow a Russian AWACs plane. I get maybe 3/4 through the canyon and a Mig29 pops up on the EW screen and soon fires a missile at me. I have tried keep flying and eject flares or chaff. I got blown up. The idea of the canyon run is to stay off radar which seems to work since this isn't a SAM problem. But the 29 has me. I was hoping that staying in the canyon would lose the missile tracking but no luck. The 29 shows on EW but not on radar so no way to launch a 120c. At that point should I come up out of the canyon to be able to make evasive maneuvers or ?? Come up out of the canyon as soon as the 29 shows on EW and try to shoot him first ?? Any suggestions will be appreciated.

95% of my landings are on the carrier but the 1% didn't work for me either. My initial 180 deg turn is at 30deg bank. As I run the downwind leg the tacan readout gives me distance from the boat or landing strip. My final 180deg turn will be at a bank angle correlated w/ the tacan distance. 1.6 might = a 25deg bank. 1.2 might = 30 and 1.0 might = 32 bank. I also agree w/ dmatsch, run the down wind a little long so, if you don't come out of the 180 lined up, you have a bit of distance to correct it.

Me too. It is another reason I don't like laser guided bombs. I almost always change out to GPS guided.

A couple of comments; - L Shift R is your friend. When you get shot down or otherwise screwed up just hit L SHift R and start over. - Do like I did and mess w/ your screen size numbers (and set DCS to 'play in a window') so you still have that lower band across the screen w/ your internet browser and file explorer icons showing while you are in DCS. When I need help I hit pause, then I go to my 'SIM FLYING" folder for stuff I have saved. Or I hit the web for 'Chucks Guide' or any of 100s of youtube tutorials. I often swap back and forth maybe once or maybe 5-6 times between DCS unpause make a change (learning a new bomb or missile setup) pause and go back to my help. - There are times I get frustrated and think, OK screw this, I got into this to have fun. So I get out of whatever is frustrating me and spend my last 15 or 30 minutes flying a mission I enjoy.

Be aware that you can usually get enough trim to make it fly level and straight. But when you then go into a turn that heavy wing is a killer. IE; drop the left bomb and then trim to level. If you then make a right turn it will be dang near uncontrollable.

I have never looked at rpm so not sure if I can see it. But I balanced my FOV, head position etc to get me as wide and tall view as possible w/o making all the labels too small to be easily read. Beyond that Track IR5 let's me move my head around to see something specific on the panel better and I do that a LOT.

Isn't TOO w/ 'waypoint designate' using a waypoint w/ 'precise' coordinates fairly accurate? Or does DCS make it seem more accurate than it is in RL?