CBStu

Good. I need to get Nevada at some point. I feel somewhat competent in the 1v1 and 2v2 training missions but those 4v4s are tough. I also like a couple of the combat missions but can only do a couple of them and last long enough to make it worthwhile. I hate going through the rearm, launch, join up w/ wingmen, get to the coast and get shot down. I do go back to an easier one after I get blasted the 3rd or 4th time. But I keep doing them anyway to try to learn.

Do you have Persian Gulf map? That will more than double the # of supplied missions compared to the included Caucuses map.

What I did when I started trying traps was make long straight-in approaches. There is an instant mission for the 18 that starts you about 8 miles back of the boat. 100s and 100s of these has me pretty good at straight-ins and I am now trying to be that successful at the normal pattern using Bankler's tutorial. Not there yet but having fun practicing.

Dang, the last time he tightened his shoulder belt must have been before he took off. Also it looked like he made on big 360 degree circle vs the paper clip pattern. Maybe because of the poor visibility?

Not sure I get this. It may be because I have been too far away but there are quite often more than one target plane in the circle and it picks which one to lock onto itself. In the provided missions they are usually approaching in either pairs or flights of 4. In either case one needs to be very close to pick which one to lock onto vs the 7 makes it's own choice.

I am trying this. I will keep at it and especially try shooting from closer range. I decided yesterday after I typed my post that I was maybe a little on the off the wall side so watched a couple of youtube tutorials then fired up DCS and flew one of the missions specifically for the 7. 4-5 tries and still not very good. I 'think' I read somewhere that the 7 requires guidance from the plane the entire way until impact. So a few shots I did that. Felt like I was flying w/ a -Ok shoot me- sign on the side of the plane for 20-30 seconds which is an eternity. But they did seem to hit more often. Is this correct? I hope not. With 120s I use the hud and the sensor select switch. I pull the trigger when I get the 'shoot', I hit the sensor select and the hud moves away from that target, gives me the dashed circle and locks onto which ever target I place in the circle and I shoot on the shoot command. One of the missions has a flight of 2 Mig 29s and 4 Su?? coming at us. A lot of times I can hit all 6 planes using the above technique basically as fast as I can steer to line up the next target. As I said above the 120s hit maybe 95% and the 7s (using the same technique) hit maybe 10%.

I use it for flares and chaff.

I have a Gladiator mkII and I ordered the upgrade kit lite maybe a month ago because it happened to be in stock. Couple of days ago I ordered the SCG grip. Can't wait to try it out. DHL says it will be here Monday.

I have to admit that some of this thread is over my head so I am obviously not real good that this. But, yeah, for me AIM7s suck. I do single player only and use the missions that are available for the 18 in Caucuses and Persian Gulf maps. If the mission launches from the Stennis, I automatically re-arm and get rid of the 7s. If it starts in the air I usually just jettison them to clean up the plane. I keep trying to use 7s initially using the radar attack screen, and slewing the TDC and shooting. I believe they can shoot from further away than a 9 so I wait til they are at 20 miles and shoot. The usual result is that at least they are off the plane now. They never hit anything AND, when I switch to 9M or 9X there is a ton of crap all over the hud. Squares and diamonds moving all around and the small circle to aim the 9 is moving all over too. I always switch the sensor to the hud, I pound the crap out of the deselect key, I switch to A to G and back to A to A, anything I can think off to get the moving crap off the hud and let me shoot the 9. Sometimes the hud will clear to normal and sometimes I just get shot down. For me a 9 is maybe 80-85% effective (9x better than other 9s) and a 120 is 95% and 7s are close to zero.

I am grateful also. I did sims maybe 15 yrs ago and then got away from it. About 1.5 yrs ago I started again w/ another sim. Had a lot of fun flying 737s etc and then tried their FA-18. Enjoyed that but it had a flaw. The supposed self-trimming was terribly over done. There was a forum where the developer of that plane contributed. I asked several times if it could be fixed and the answer was the system was being re-designed for another plane and would be implemented on the 18 when the new plane was released. I looked around the web, found DCS, and haven't looked back. I know it's not perfect but I am far from fully qualified on the 18, or Mustang, or Spitfire, or A-10, so have a whole lot still to learn. A few threads here were a poster is almost demanding that his unhappiness be fixed today are really over the top. If there is something that doesn't work correctly, there are so many other things to do, I will get back to it when it's fixed. I say thanks to ED and everyone working there.

Great progress. I have never hit the basket. I gave up and started learning other skills. One thought I have is what are you using for a throttle? I had mostly given up on carrier traps until I spent the $ for a Warthog throttle. I think the need in both carrier traps and AAR is very similar. You need really fine control.

Are you pulling the stick all the way back after you drop to 100 or so?

This is exactly why I spent the $ for TM Warthog throttle.

That depends on the switch. Master Arm it is pretty obvious when you look at it. The toggle forward and a little to the left of the stick that needs to be switched before the EW will work is not so obvious by looking at it. It's a small toggle and the angle of view makes it hard to know what position it's in. These two illustrate the problem well. MA just left click and it moves to it's other position. On/off/on/off for each click. The other one, left click moves it down (or does nothing since it is usually already down) while a right click moves it up. I am with the OP.

BTW the new carrier is on pre-sale now at a discounted price.

If doing a straight-in approach I don't drop flaps til 170. If doing a pattern I make it near identical to a carrier trap. I preset the flaps for full down while still on the initial upwind. They won't drop until you go below 250 and that will happen while you are banked hard over in you initial 180 deg turn to downwind. You will feel something happen but all that lift that sends you ballooning when flying straight just helps tighten your turn.

You are lucky. 80% of the time I get all the wings etc blown off the plane and the remaining fuselage is spinning around like crazy. I am outside looking at it so I am dead. Just 20% of the time am I alive and able to eject. I can't remember a time when I had a plane w/ damage that was still flyable.

From what I read here this is a common problem. Mine works just fine on the radar attack page but sucks for a Maverick. Playing w/ the curves like alphamale says can help but it seems to be a compromise.

I think you will need to start using the throttle and trying the different switches to see how they work. Then you can try to use them for different FA-18 functions. Some of the toggles are momentary while others are two position which will stay in either position. I have read here something about lua files and also about the program that comes w/ the throttle that can be used to modify how the switches interact w/ DCS but that is way beyond me.

Those dang green lights are a bother for sure. I used to use target to turn them off. Then something happened and target doesn't work any more. I gave up. After a couple months I don't notice them any more.

I drop gear any speed under 250. (Or you can hit the switch at any speed but it will not drop until you are <250) Flaps not til 170 or so. This way the flaps bring huge drag so you will need to be ready on the throttle but much less, if any, lift. As I reread that sentence I realize it's not technically correct but it is how it feels. Do you have your trim on a hat on the stick? It needs to be very easily used. The end result is you will fly at about 135, w/ the orange AOA light lit or I prefer to use the E bracket in the hud. To me that is a more useful way to see the info.

I wish I were so lucky to get 'wounded'. I am killed probably 80% of the time and the other 20% I eject cause the jet has no wings and is doing crazy somersaults.

I am not sure I see the need. Usually when I select the missile using the weapons select button, the AA button is automatically turned on.

Harker and Zyll thank you both. Well now I see why I have such terrible results from the 7. Somehow I missed that about maintaining lock.

I don't know the Fox codes so I just go w/ AIM 9, AIM 7, 120C etc. In single player flying the built-in missions I see the 7s as nearly worthless. 9s are good and 9X is really good. But my favorite is the 120C.