Oldahpilot

DeLan clip is a very lightweight device that Velcro's on to the side of headphones and provides 3 red LEDs for the Sony camera to track with Face track Noir software, think I paid around £45 for the Camera and clip. Works great for DCS, FSX etc..

One other thought, when I fitted my last GPU, the system reverted to using the on board graphics chip because I hadn't quite got the card fitted in its slot correctly first time. The result was that things looked normal on the monitor until I ran DCS and it was then obvious it wasn't using the GPU. Checking the devices showed that the GPU wasn't driving the graphics as the motherboard couldn't see it.

Open the case and check all the connections with the Graphics card, some have 2 cables from the power supply unit for the more powerful cards, could be one has worked loose. also check the fans are free to spin without any cables resting against them (that would give a buzz at higher speeds). check the GPU is seated in its PCie slot correctly.

Don't know what seat you're using, but if its an office chair consider cutting out a small section of the seat base between your legs to allow you to pull the stick back all the way, costs nothing other than some black tape and allows you to get your forearm resting on your right thigh. You'll soon get used to just manipulating the cyclic with your wrist and fingers only.

I agree, very frustrating to find that a 70 tonne MBT doing 43 mph is stopped dead by a small bush or wire fence!

I use flir in my real life job and to fair it's not a magic bullet. The software does a fair job to match most scenarios but, there are a few when it's completely defeated or needs tuning from the operator. There is a period that happens twice every 24 hours known as the thermal crossover period,, dusk and dawn are really difficult as many objects are a similar temperature, add in mist or smoke and it can be impossible to define a target. Many modern armoured vehicles can deploy thermal masking camouflage as a passive counter measure and thermal masking smoke as an active measure. Our system enables us to fine tune by assigning colour gradients to the temperature range at each 10th of a degree and more so we can investigate a suspected target by separating it from its background but it takes time, skill, and experience, so many aircraft systems such as fighters etc don't have adjustable systems.

Your ground crew need a bit of retraining, either that or they've left it like that to stop a roll away if you're not using chocks. it's a castoring nose wheel so it will self straighten after a few rotations, but I wouldn't try to move forward in the real aircraft with the nose wheel at such an angle as it could pull the tyre off. I used to fly the Lynx Mk9 which had a castoring non powered front wheel for ground taxiing, after touchdown we always rolled it forward a yard to straighten it up and sit the tyres properly on their rims.

I've still got a foot in both camps. I've just bought the AV-8B so assigning controls and key bindings on the warthog and UFC controls while checking the manual and watching tutorials is a task best performed in 2D. On the other hand, It's taken me a year to become proficient with the A10C to the point that muscle memory means I can enjoy the full VR experience including using 2 x Thrustmaster MFCD, UFC, and Warthog Hotas. I'm not sure there will ever be an affordable solution for us PC based simmers, I fly in the real world and in multi million pound simulators, and trying to condense that experience into anything that fits on a desktop in a spare bedroom is a very big ask.

I was waiting for the trial as I wanted a couple of days to try it out. At half price I think it's a great deal so I bought it. I'm certainly in the camp of pilots who study the hell out of the aircraft manuals and watch all the superb YouTube videos to progress with the aircraft, so no doubt I'll discover some of the limitations along the way. To put things in perspective with DCS though, this time last year I was in the Typhoon simulator here in the UK, I'd say you could call the Typhoon simulator building a state of the art, multi million pound complex (and all it does is one type of aircraft). DCS does a hell of a job to go some way towards that experience on a desktop PC, monitor and VR headset for what is loose change in comparison.

Could be that as you near the runway/airfield you're distance settings for runway textures, grass, textures, trees etc are meaning the system is having to make so many more calculations for each displayed frame that it just has to slow down the frame rate?

The Gazelle is a very manoeuvrable light helicopter, it's very quick to accelerate and stop and change direction. That's the good news. The bad is that it's very dynamically unstable, so in the hover and at very low speeds that manoeuvrability counts against it. The main thing is to stay mentally ahead of the aircraft, if you give it a second it will get away from you, particularly at take off which is actually the time you do have time to think and act ahead. before applying power with the collective you can set rudder pedal so that the yaw doesn't take you by surprise. Keep looking at an object far out in front of you, not the grass 10 feet in front, something not moving 100 yards away, same to the side. Due to the way the main and tail rotor thrust act at different pivots there's an effect that means the aircraft will roll on take off as well as the yaw (Hooks joint) so you also need to apply a little side stick as your skids leave the ground to maintain a level hover. Loosen your grip on the cyclic and rest your forearm on your right thigh, move the cyclic grip with your fingers and wrist, not your arm. I'd say trying to hover the gazelle without rudder pedals and perhaps a small joystick extension is challenging, but if you don't have those altering the control axis curves would help. Main thing is time and practice, don't expect to hold a hover over an exact spot for the first few hours

Like Yellowgixxer My experience has been from the helicopters point of view, one of my many hats was as an ACTI (aviation combat tactics instructor). I've set up and taught many courses turning very good Army helicopter pilots into proficient helicopter fighters (there's a big difference). Day one is to get into their heads that helicopters never go hunting for fast jets, we're generally doing something important in support of others and will only fight if we have to as it detracts from the thing we're trying to do. Jets on the other hand may indeed be looking for us as something on their list of priorities. Our mantra was to 'Avoid, Evade, Threaten, Kill' when jets were about. If we see the jet first, then avoid if at all possible, get into hard cover, shadow etc before it sees us, keep the jet padlocked until it passes. If it turns in on us, then evade with manoeuvres and find cover. If it persists with an attack then adopt a positive counter attacking stance, ie use the weapons to put it off, and if it is still coming use the weapons to kill. Like jets, helicopters would not be used singularly, but as a section, and would fight as such. Most jet v helicopter engagements would be visual, not sure most jets would fly around at high level using active radar and advertising their presence on RWR to everyone on the battlefield. I arranged fighter affiliation against Harriers and the outcome was often frustration of the harrier attacks as they were drawn into a tight low gun fight. The clever ones would disengage to a safe distance and have one go high to spot us and line the other up for a run if we were stupid enough to break cover before they went bingo fuel. Poor weather was our greatest weapon, flying a Lynx at 50 feet agl at 100kts in one mile visibility with 200' cloud base isn't a problem, try that at 350 kts in a harrier while looking for a lynx and trying to avoid the next set of wires or ground fire and you'd soon decide we're not worth the risk. Properly trained helicopter crews are constantly alert for the threat, using terrain masking on route, using allocated section scanning and reporting, trained section manoeuvre drills without hesitation when ordered, and of course using AWACs and ISTAR where available. As a footnote 2 scout helicopters were downed by Pucara in the Falklands war, one shot down with canon fire, the other over torqued and crashed trying to evade the cannon fire. Unfortunately the Falklands had neither hard cover or trees to hide behind!

Have you looked at the wind vector? I tend to fly slow aircraft so the wind vector can have a significant effect when trying to perform a full 360 degree steep turn, moving through the wind requires subtle changes in pitch to maintain the same altitude. Quite satisfying to feel the thump when meeting your own wash!

I agree, in a real control setup there are the various mechanical tolerances, inertia due to component weight, frictions, cables, pulleys and bearings etc. then the aerodynamic forces acting against the inputs such as..... Pulling the collective up results in movement of the pitch change rods at the swash plate, increasing the pitch of the main rotor blades to increase lift, this of course increases drag. In a real aircraft this provides feedback not only in the performance but also in the apparent weight of the collective. Of course, most real controls such as cyclic and collective as well as having a longer throw than a joystick also have adjustable friction collars to increase stability and reduce over controlling etc.

Tail draggers The spitfire being a tail dragger makes it very unforgiving on the ground, the main wheel undercarriage doesn't help. I went through basic fixed wing training with the British Army Air Corps when we had the Chipmunk, it really is a miniature spit! Starting was with a cartridge starter. There's a reason tail draggers are an add on rating to normal PPL, they're really twitchy. Taxiing is best done by weaving and looking out left and right of the nose to clear the path ahead, so using taxiways aren't easy, best taxiing across the grass and using a grass runway. Landing on Tarmac is a recipe for a ground loop in inexperienced hands . The main points during take off being, be alert to the sudden swinging action as the throttle is advanced, be prepared for a boot full of rudder to counteract torque effect. I think some also forget that you don't fly the aircraft off the runway from all three wheels, once you've got enough airspeed push the nose forward to get the tailwheel off the ground, continue to take off speed and then pull back on the stick to lift off. Similarly when landing, touchdown on the main wheels and then when slow enough pressure back on the stick to get the tail down. While taxiing keep the stick back to stick the tailwheel to the ground, use aileron to counteract wind trying to lift the wing. Keep looking at references far enough away from the aircraft to pick up early changes in direction.

You're welcome Gazpad. I currently fly the EC135P2 (now airbus) which has a massive shaped fin, you can really feel its effect. No tail rotor failure with it yet, in fact the only total tail rotor failure I've experienced apart from in the sim was a Lynx Mk7 in the hover taxi, we landed upright after a full rotation, co-pilot got the ECLs back (throttles) and we walked away so it was a good one.

It's a shame we can't fail the tail rotor drive, but we can simulate the various scenarios to some extent. Stuck or limited control is simulated IRL by just locking your feet in position and performing a run on landing at a speed and power combination that you work out at a safe altitude with trial and error before taking it in for landing. Choose a long and wide hard surface if available to prevent rollover if the aircraft starts to turn as you reduce power after landing, not grass. If it's a total loss of tail rotor, it really depends on your flight profile at the time of loss. In ground effect hover, just lower the lever and accept the hard landing, IRL with 2 crew, the non handling pilot would get the engine off if possible. In an out of ground hover, get the nose down and lower the collective, gain airspeed and try to find an airspeed power combination to fly to a safe landing area for an EOL. In the cruise it might not be apparent that the tail rotor has gone depending on your power setting and type of aircraft until you start to slow down and it starts to turn. Look at something like the french design gazelle or 135 with a big fin that's really effective over 65kts. In the worst case an engine off landing is required, hopefully you have found an airfield to land at and got rid of most of your fuel. Pick a landing spot one third of the way along the runway, at 1200 feet above the runway elevation at 90kts and into wind, lower the collective fully, switch off the engines, aim for around 65kts, control the rotor speed with the collective. As you pass through around 80 feet start to flare the nose up with back cyclic to reduce speed and rate of descent, at around 20 feet check the rate of decent with up collective and forward cyclic and cushion the touchdown with full collective. Do not try to come to a hover or zero speed landing. Let the aircraft run on and keep it straight with cyclic., do not lower the collective abruptly to prevent digging in. It won't be pretty but just concentrate on looking ahead to the end of the runway.

Seems that in DCS Vortex ring state or settling with power is modelled to be quite unforgiving of steep approaches at low airspeeds. There's some great advice throughout this thread of how to minimise the risk, particularly during approach to land where it is most dangerous. IRL in can be quite difficult to demonstrate VRS on anything but a flat calm day, I've flown quite a few different helicopters and all have their own vices, but VRS is predictable, it always involves low to nil airspeed, a moderate to high rate of descent, and crucially a high power demand (ie pulling up on the collective). It's no surprise that these conditions occur in a rushed approach to the hover, particularly if you're not landing into wind. My first 2 years of flying were in the role of front seat air observer/gunner. We were trained to fly the aircraft to a safe landing in the case of pilot incapacitation. This always involved recovering the aircraft from an unusual attitude (wings level, bar to bar on the artificial horizon), securing the pilot off the controls with harness lock, and carrying out a sight picture approach in a safe location. A sight picture approach is very similar to landing a light fixed wing. pick a large flat landing field, free from obstructions with a shallow approach into wind. Pick a spot one third distance into the landing area. Start the approach from 500 feet and 1 mile at 60 knots. Keep the landing spot in the same place on the windscreen as you approach (sight picture approach). As you start the approach lower the collective gently a small amount and maintain the picture with a little aft cyclic pressure, you should be at around 50kts at 400 feet above the ground, 40knots at 300 feet, 30 knots at 200 feet etc. At first resist the urge to come to a hover, no one is marking you for prettiness here, once you're at less than around 30 knots the airspeed indicator becomes unreliable so maintain your focus on that sight picture, keep looking at and ahead of the chosen landing spot, use peripheral vision to judge speed, as you arrive at the landing site you keep looking ahead past the landing spot, keep the aircraft straight with pedals, gently pull collective smoothly to arrest the rate of descent but not stop it and don't attempt to come to the hover by pulling back on the cyclic. As the rotor loses translational lift the aircraft will vibrate and become a little unstable in roll, at this point you may actually have to push the cyclic forward a little to keep moving ahead at a jogging pace. You may also feel the ground effect build up so you may need to lower the collective gently to push through it, as you make contact with the ground you should be looking well ahead, keeping it straight with pedals and cyclic, and then gently lowering the collective to stick the aircraft to the ground and slow to a full stop, do not dump the collective as this may result in digging in. even touching down at 20 kts will only see a run on of 50 yards or so. Once you've done 20 or 30 of these move on to take off to the low hover and then land again, we had hover squares marked on the airfield that measured 40 yards by 40 yards. The object of the hour long lesson was to first keep it in the square after take of and then land it in the square from the hover, by the end of the lesson you should be quite happy to take off to the hover from the centre and land in the centre. Main point of all this is don't rush the approach and landing, keep your brain ahead of the aircraft so you're never catching up with it.

I'd say towards heavy but precise. I also use the Saitek x55 and that's floppy in comparison to the warthog.

Angels used to express altitude, in feet above mean sea level. Height is used to express feet above the ground. The elevation of a spot on the ground is in feet above mean sea level. In practice this means the airfield I'm based at is at an elevation of 283 feet above mean sea level. If I set the barometric altimeter to zero feet it now shows my height, if I set it to 283 feet it shows my altitude. Radar altimeter will always show height above the surface it's reflecting off.

Great ideas, I usually find the corner rocker switches and and work from there, same technique with the keY board escape and function keys by finding the top left edge of the keyboard

I use the A-10c printed manual, bought it brand new on ebay a year ago, read it twice so far! cost me £30. I'm using the rift S now so the manual is for reference only when not using VR. Very useful in small sections.

You're right.