Chaogen

It is not a matter of perspective. It is a matter of Aircraft Design. This is a historical aircraft that had limitations. The argument here is that instead of changing the rules/environment/platform to overcome inherent "deficiencies", you can apply and improve your Airmanship to overcome them What you do in your single player game is your prerogative. I merely suggest that you find ways within the realm of the sim to solve your problem instead of bypassing physics by means of a mod. Also no one is asking to ban the mod if you choose to use it, as for those of us who play multiplayer, they can be screened out if need be. It should not however become the norm.

Because the F-14 is not a single seat aircraft nor does it have complete duplicated controls in both cockpits. The point of this mil-sim is that you operated the equipment in a close to similar manner that the real ship would be, within reason, instead of some balanced/nerfed "fair" participation award type war game. While you could make multiple arguments about how other developers implemented their modules or how unrealistic rearming/refueling is, but there is a difference in speeding up a process vs adding features that bypass the station in your A/C that should be handling those functions. Jester is not an integrated Aircraft Systems Input AI. He is an AI RIO. He is only there because you don't have a human player sitting there, but he's not part of the A/C. His code uses the same input parameters as a human player would use. You communicate your requests to him (yes through the wheel, but it is more efficient than the Radio Menu), which he interprets and then inputs through his controls. That's fundamentally different than directly inputting your controls directly to the TGP Pod as the MOD does. Ultimately if you dislike the fact that the RIO has to operate the TGP then you will need to re-asses your choice in operating platform. If you are forcing balancing on equipment to make it more "fun" than this becomes just another arcade game. The whole point is to assess, analyze, and formulate a plan to work around the deficiencies of the equipment you operate by, for instance in this case using a Buddy to Laze, JTAC or FAC until Jester gets more proficient. Alternatively get a Human RIO or another platform that suits your needs.

For me, I made some new friends on the MP servers, having them buddy lase, since some servers' JTACs didn't operate on the GBU laze codes. We had to co-ordinate targets, forcing you to think about how you do CAS and describe target locations from 20k ft to another A/C which you may or may not have it sight. I personally think it improves your Airmanship and makes you a better team player. The best example was me flying close trail formation with another Cat with a human RIO, and following their release queues after they were winchester A/G. Not arguing for or against, but maybe the real world limitations gets you to solve your problem in a different way, and perhaps learn something in the process.

I did that in a practice mission and after struggling for a few minutes finally figured out the tanker extended that side for my AI wingman who was right behind me..

Heatblur, I just wanted to say how much fun I had this weekend. Flying MP with the F99th guys, it was great to do CAP in the Cat. Got in a few dogfights. Got shot down a few times. Got some guns kills. Engaged targets BVR, once a pair from 50nm away and managed to down both enemy planes simultaneously (probably because they got target fixated on the CAS planes). But my most favorite moment was when a friendly F-5 (which I didn't know was friendly at the time) passed by by cockpit head-on in the Mig-28 skin banked within 50ft, in a fur-ball. At that moment my 5 year-old inner-self shed a tear of joy. Even though I did have 2 CTDs in the 3 hours or so, that didn't deter me from how much I enjoyed flying this work of art. Thank you!

I for one would love the chance to fly this. Growing up in South Africa, having read some books on the program they had, met a pilot (that got hit during a dogfight, nursed his F1 back to base just to be ejected when his seat malfunctioned overrunning the runway) and a personal friend who worked on them when they were being assembled, I can't wait. As long as someone does a SAAF livery.

I had not considered that, but then again that's good way for "someone" to loose some digits while I'm driving. :music_whistling:

It really shouldn't. These patches are to address new and emerging threats that wasn't a factor at the time the A/C were designed. Aerospace as an industry has a very hard time adapting new components into any certified system ad-hoc. Mainly because its a safety thing and so many systems interact with each other, so you need lots of testing to validate that it doesn't adversely affect operation of the vehicle. You can't pull over mid-air. But that doesn't support in-theater aircraft that need a solutions ASAP. And sometimes its not worth going back and integrating that component into the A/C. Just like cars its not always worth integrating a GPS system in a 1980s car. Easier to stick an external unit on the windshield, or nowadays just a phone holder. Actually I'm amazed that so many drivers with fairly new cars with in-dash gps still have phone holders to navigate, presumably because the software on your phone is just that much more adaptable and up to date, than the car mfg software.

Well when at sea, ASL = AGL, unless of course you're on the carrier, but I'm sure that's within the margin of error.

Something else to keep in mind, the F-15A and F-16A cockpits did not look like the C models most people are familiar with.

The AP Disconnect paddle on the stick disconnects the A/P, Roll and Pitch SAS (there was some talk that this may be a bug). I was playing around with assignments one day and hit the Paddle before maneuvering and found the pitch control much more relaxed (not as responsive) as with Pitch SAS on (counter-intuitive I know). I'm able to make lower sustained G turns with the same stick input than the excessive G snaps I was getting before. Like I said it might all just be psychological, but my guess is that the simulation of SAS in addition to stabilizing the A/C also changes the pitch output curve in relation to stick input. Or something like that. As much as I like the realism and details that HB has implemented in the module, its still a simulation, and what I am proposing is a work around that would not have been done in a real Tomcat or as per the manual. As Victory has stated, the root cause is the lack of force feedback due to aerodynamic forces, which can't be reproduced in the Sim because very few users have the equipment to do so. So in fact the stick input given by users are unrealistic in of itself, hence all the planes falling out of the sky, until you master your muscle memory. Keep in mind a lot of modern A/C are FBW, and suffers from the same problem in real life. The controls aren't connected to the flight surfaces and therefore the pilots can't feel the aerodynamic response to the input. Hence why the flight computers "interpret" the stick input and produce an flight control surface output that will get as close to what the pilot said they wanted without ripping off the wings.

Awesome. Thanks Shagrat. Learn something new everyday. Obviously the other modules aren't that realistic, never mind changing code midair, so hopefully they can just change the JTAC codes on the server.

This morning I flew with some guys on a 99th server and had a great time with GBUs. This plane is just a phenomenal team A/C both inside and outside the cockpit. So our session all started because I was unable to set the GBU Laser code to the CTLD JTAC of 1112. The second digit will only cycle through 5,6 and 7 on the kneeboard. Not sure if it's user error, by design or if it's been discussed before? But never-mind, that forced me to team up with Wildcat who was RIO for Hendo with a Lantirn pod. After they dropped their first GBU, Hendo flew a close trail lead for me calling out his Time to Release while Wildcat lased it, and low and behold it worked like a charm. Then at some point Hendo had to hit the head, so while his cat was in orbit on autopilot, wildcat managed to keep a target lased long enough for me to roll in with manual release as he talked me in. If you are not flying multiplayer with the Cat you are definitely missing out.

Are y'all disengaging Pitch SAS before entering ACM? I used to over-g my aircraft all the time till I started using the emergency autopilot disconnect paddle before maneuvering, which also disables Pitch and Roll SAS. I know from a mechanical standpoint you wouldn't do that in real life, but I suspect it changes the effectiveness of the stabilizers over the stick input curve, since most of us do not have force feedback. Or maybe its a placebo effect?!

This. I was driving to lunch following a car, pondering my existentiality and the fact that I didn’t need to know what speed I was driving or how fast the car in front of me was driving to maintain an exact distance. In fact the only reason I need to know what speed I’m going is not to get a ticket. I can tell from experience and the buffeting sounds when I’m about to understeer cornering. I don’t need to know how fast I’m going to know how much distance I need to brake sufficiently. I’m not going to check a chart before hitting them. All of this comes with experience, practice and learning your vehicle. The hardest transition I had to make from sims to real A/C was to get my head out of the cockpit and look outside. I had one instructor cover the panel with a sun visor to prove a point. Stop trying to fly the instruments and fly the plane. Lack of "features" on the part of the A/C, is no excuse basic Airmanship. And before someone tells me this isn’t real life and lack of G-Forces equals the need for artistic license in how we interact and experience this A/C in the air, I concur with the suggestion to go have fun on some arcade AC7 or whatever. And that ASI is used in other A/C from that era, so its not unique to the Tomcat either. More likely they were used because pilots had become familiar with the corresponding position of the needle to IAS.

How proficient are any of you at formation flying? I used to suck at AAR too, until I spent a lot of time on the AerobaticsOnline Server. 1. You don't need to know what speed you're going or anything happening on your instruments for that matter. Your head is always focused on your lead. The shape of the plane will also not bother you as much. 2. The other thing you are going to learn is very small inputs so you don't yoyo around. On my, oh-so-terrible, X-55 I don't even get into the spring area to make corrections, which is probably 1/32" movements Now the biggest other contributor is a VR set. Sorry, but without depth perception you are going to have a hard time chasing baskets. I know people like to argue against VR sets for various reasons, but depth perception is the single biggest reason I refuse to go back to a flat screen.

Thanks! I'll give it a try. I've messed with my vive's physical IDP. Didn't know there was a DCS software one too. To clarify though, I just meant comparatively speaking to the F-18/Harrier pit. Even the RIO feels like it has tones of room. The pilot position feels akin to the toes in a lady's high heels, wearing a shoe two sizes too small. In all honestly I've just been enjoying flying it, so I'll fiddle with settings/eye position sometime this weekend. :D

And I agree Sims can’t fully prepare you for Real Life and Vice Versa. There are fundamental differences on each side. No real forces or peripheral vision in Sim. But the experience will change your expectations for the other side. My commentary about having flown 6-Pack GA A/C is in regards to the lack of digital information displays in the Tomcat. I learned on circa 60/70’s Cessna and Pipers, which are a far cry from the G1000 generation planes and pilots today. Like Victory said somewhere else, it’s Analog watches VS Digital. Although nothing is quite like the C172B I flew for a while where your vacuum pump is a venturi tube, so NO instruments till you are pretty much in the air. All of which is in regard to a lot of disillusioned posts I’m reading about lack of MFDs and Complex HUDs impacting their Airmanship. In that regard the F-15, 18, Harrier and A-10C would not have prepared you for accurately flying the Tomcat, and may have disproportionately skewed your expectations, although coincidentally, non of it diminishes the ability of the airframe. My only disillusionment with the F-14 is the Pilot Cockpit feels much smaller in VR than I imagined. :joystick:

I’ve read that sticky many times, along with this board for a few months. Reading it and practicing it are, alas different things. I liken it to my experience with Kerbal Space Program. Even after 5 years of Mech Eng school and what felt like all the Newtonian, dynamics and kinematics equitations in existence, I didn’t “get” Orbital Mechanics until years later playing KSP and seeing it visually represented. Besides, I’ve only done 3 ACM hops. I keep getting sucked into target fixation. So for sure just practice and learning to temper myself on the stick. More Iceman. Less Maverick. :P

To be honest, I was expecting the A/C to be much more brutal than it has turned out. That's what I get for listening to all the hype. In normal flight and even canyon flying it is extremely stable. Maybe even boring, other than the speed. Maybe I'll chalk it up to my experience in 6-Pack GA A/C. My learning curve has been in ACM and energy management. You will induce a ton of drag with too much pitch input and it will slow you down into the stall envelope in a heartbeat. In the F-18 you can still point the nose, even while in a deep stall. Not sure of that’s an immature FM issue with the Hornet or just the effects of relatively large control surfaces and FBW. Carrier Ops is also less dramatic than the Hornet. If you are onspeed the rest just happens naturally. The first time I cratered trying to mess with the DLC controls, but second attempt was a 2 wire. The Hornet experience isn’t wasted. It thought me to trim onspeed and use throttles to control decent. Something I never understood or mastered in real life. Last but not least AAR was a challenge, not because of the A/C but because of the added jet wash. Holy crap, those tanker wing tip vortices are ruthless. I figured out to approach low, and the rest was business as usual. Again it’s a super stable platform, so I was able to keep my position a lot better than in the Hornet. Love everything about the Tomcat. The F-18,Harrier and even A-10C is a lot of work inside the cockpit. The Tomcat has you working outside. Of course the RIO helping with workload is fantastic. Thanks Heatblur!