CBStu

Why not have the image size smaller than the screen size. See the OP's second picture and look at the right DDI which has surface radar displayed. It has a black border all around the screen so the green labels really stand out.

When I am having a problem that might be a double binding I go to the Options- Controls section like this. It takes a couple of minutes but I scroll from the top all the way down and look for that key to pop up somewhere. It may appear in the section you expect it to but also in another section. If you find it where you don't want it, click on it to highlight it and then click the 'CLEAR" button below. If you don't see the F2 button anywhere, scroll around until you get to all the view options. Find the option you want (I don't remember exactly what the outside view is named) and click it. That will put a lighter bar across the screen like 'Rudder' is in my picture. Now push the F2 key and you should see 'F2' pop up in the 'Keyboard' column and then click the 'Add' button. BTW once you get F2 to give you an outside view, you can move around the plane using your mouse ---IF--- the radio communications list is not on the screen.

The 'Pause' key stops the entire game but will let you look at the F10 map. I don't know if it came this way or something I set up, but my 'P' key gives me an active pause. My plane stops flying but the rest of planes etc keep going. But, while my plane is sitting still, all it's functions remain running. I cheat this way often when flying a new mission and having trouble finding a target, or if I didn't set up a weapon correctly. My wingman just circles around me until I continue.

Thanks guys for your help. I think I am going to rearm w/ an ATFLIR on most all missions.

Exorcet thanks for the info. I realize this may differ mission to mission but...I like to download and fly missions from the user files. In general would doing a re-arm to the ATFLIR mess up a mission that had the Litening originally?

Is there a reason we have 2 types of FLIR available. Just thinking, things are difficult enough trying to learn the FA-18, a single FLIR would reduce the study needed to be competent. Does 'our' FA-18 span a long enough time period that in real life it had both systems? If so, do we need both systems? We had Litening first and then got ATFLIR. Is that the real life progression? Is ATFLIR generally better than Litening? If it was the second system in RL, one would assume it is better. For me anyway, I'd be happy to pick one and discard the other.

I fly single player on the current stable version. I have downloaded quite a few missions and campaigns. As we all know there are problems here and there w/ how a feature works. I wonder if some of the problems are due to the current DCS version flying a (for instance) 2 year old mission. Let's say the mission used AG missile 1. But that missile has had several updates in those 2 years since the mission was created. Is DCS going to work well? Is missile 1 going to work as it should making use of all the advances that have been applied to it?

BALT works just fine for me. There have been quite a few questions about it though and the fix is usually adding a small dead zone to the pitch movement of the stick. I know it fixed my problem. W/ this in mind, I think equinox137 is correct.

That could be it. I didn't get a detailed enough look to see what it was locking on to but it sure wasn't the moving tanks or trucks.

Thankyou Rob. I thought maybe it was a time zone thing because I noticed that the minutes part of the two displays matched. I will look into the TOT stuff. I have been using airspeed of 360 = 6 miles/per minute to try to come out of a circle and pass over a WP on time. That works reasonably well but since I am never sure when to launch from the carrier I often circle for 20 min to make a WP time. I figure I should sit on the carrier for 15 of those 20 min.

I am on the 3d mission in campaign Measured Imperative. This campaign is strict on times which I enjoy working with but...I can not find a way to get the correct time to display until in the air. I can't get any time in the hud. There is a time display below the fuel gauge which shows a time but it is not correct. So far I have managed to get through missions 1 and 2 because there is a specific time to cross WP2 but I do it by circling for 20 minutes or so somewhere before WP2. Help please.

You are creating your own missions? Already? There are a lot of missions that come w/ DCS. You get more when you buy a map or when you buy a plane. I am not sure I understand your problem.

A couple of months ago I decided to give up on MavF use w/ a pod. Since then I usually either skip user file missions that use MavF or try it but using the Mav seeker only and no pod. 2-3 weeks ago something changed and suddenly moving tanks etc, are bright white and the Mav seeker locks on wonderfully. But yesterday I was flying a mission that I had had problems with hitting the tanks/trucks and always got shot down. Figured I would just keep hitting L shift-R and try different techniques. Well, he11, Mav F is back to it's old self. It won't lock on to anything in the convoy tried 3 times and same result. Jeez, am I missing something?

I can see that for sure especially if you are several planes back.

A question for RL. Why is groove time so important? What would be caused by an extra 3-4 second long groove.

You will always move to the left, or more accurately, the ship moves to your right. I counter that in a straight in approach by having the circle of the VV sit w/ it's left edge on the vertical line of the ICLS cross until about .3 to .4 miles out. At that point I let the circle slide to the left so it is centered on the cross. This is the only pic I have at the moment and it isn't quite correct. The VV vs ICLS cross is correct but at this distance the VV should be centered on the island.

I don't use target at all. I use this button on the throttle of speedbrake. I just noticed I labeled it air brake.

Maybe I am misunderstanding something but salute is there already. I use it for every carrier launch. As the crew guy motions you to wind it up, I have the radio onscreen already selected to deck crew. When I hear the AB kick in I click 'Salute' to get launched.

Also if you buy another map, Persian Gulf for instance, you get a ton of missions w/ it.

Be sure your stick has a little bit of dead zone. I increased mine several months ago because I had the same problem. Now I can be in fast forward level 3 (which I do a lot on long flights) climbing at 5degrees and as soon as I see it hit 30,000 (or whatever) I hit the BALT and it levels out w/ a couple of slight swings below and above 30000. I just checked and my stick pitch dead zone is set at 3.

This is where mine is bound

I am flying similar to you w/ similar results. I have found that I need to set the carrier channel in one of the radios since this is not always done by the mission or campaign creators. Or it may be on radio 2 channel 3 and I just miss it. But I usually get a return call giving me carrier course, some other data and an ask to call a 'see you at 10' which I do. Then they say to switch to tower or something (which I don't do) but seems to happen automatically at 4,5 miles. I always get the no 'proper communications though' and at this point I just don't worry about it. If you would like scoring re; your approach and trap, I recommend Banklers Case 1 Recovery mission. It is fantastic.

BuzzU, that is exactly what I have been doing. I just thought it would be nice to upgrade my technique a bit. I have done maybe 10 approaches now and, for me anyway, I like Tusky's technique. Anything involving either airspeed or time just adds one more thing I have to monitor and control. Thanks to all for sharing their knowledge.

Tusky so far I like your process best. Hulkbust I may like yours but so far I haven't gotten it to work for me. 475FG your 6 comes from 40nm / miles per minute at whatever speed I want hold right? Out of time now so I will work on this more tomorrow.

Say I am 50nm out at 30,000 and I want to be at 2500 (maybe math would be easier using 3000) at 10nm out. Is there an easy do it in my head way to calculate what descent angle would get me there?