jaylw314

Gyro-stabilize is reasonably useful, with DMS up hold. That seems to work like a snowplow mode. Ground stabilize doesn't make much sense since you can do the same slave-stabilizing from another sensor, and you'll rarely be using the Maverick as your primary sensor I double-checked a test mission in Syria, from low-level with an AGM-65D I was able to lock on and fire from about 7 nm. From 20,000', I was able to do so from about 10 nm.

I did some testing previously and came out with a completely non-visually helpful set of angles where the laser and/or camera is masked. Of note, TGP AREA/POINT video tracking and the laser have the same smaller FOV than the camera: I'm not sure specifically why you're having an issue locking the IR/TV Mavs at distance, although admittedly it does randomly seem to be difficult, presumably due to insufficient contrast with the environment. I'm also not sure what you meant when you were trying space stabilization, since TMS left long is unrelated (broadcast SPI). Gyro stabilization is DMS forward hold, and ground stabilization is TMS aft short.

You're discovering the AGM-65L is not very useful for taking out taking out SA-8's FWIW, you should be able to get lock with AGM-65D's at 8-9 nm, well outside the SA-8's range. Also remember the SA-8 takes almost 30 seconds from detection to track to launch, so if you need to get close using terrain masking, you should have plenty of time to pop up, acquire, lock a Maverick, fire and hit the deck. Just don't try that against an SA-15

Under Settings->Controls->'Cockpit Views', there are the keybinds for moving around your head position. I think the defaults are LSHFT+LCTRL+Arrow keys? If you move your head back to maybe 6" in front of the headrest (where your head would be), you can see the engine panel pretty well. The problem, of course, is that it's a 3D cockpit--you may be far enough away from your monitor that you have to increase the FOV to too much of a wide angle, and it might be too small to read.

Wait, is the IR pointer visible OUTSIDE the NVG's?? in the lower right?

LOL, TIL, I didn't realize this would work in the menu screens!

Looks like you have The JOY_X and JOY_Y axes bound to the TDC Slew for the Warthog throttle. I don't know if those are the correct axes for the Warthog, but if you click on JOY_X (or JOY_Y) and then 'Axis Tune' you should be able to move it around with the physical controller. If it doesn't move, then there's something wrong with the device's setup or hardware. If it does move, there may be a DCS issue or skill issue (like not assigning SOI to the TGP page before slewing).

I think you need to look under 'Assign Axis' and assign the slew control axes (not the keyboard commands) appropriately. Right-clicking on the device in the Assign Axis screen (not the buttons screen) should also allow you to reset them to default?

There is always a SPI, designated by one sensor, be it the TGP, TAD, HMD, HUD, MAV, IFFCC, STPT or MARK (I'm sure I missed something else). The sensor designating the SPI is always noted in the lower left of the HUD (and nowhere else). So when you 'set a SPI', you're only really designating which sensor's target is the SPI. That means if you move that sensor, the SPI will move around. That's not good for bookmarking stuff or setting a reminder. I'll often hear people finding something with the TGP, pressing TMS Forward-Long and then slew the TGP around to something else, thinking they set the point on the ground as the SPI. It does not, it just means that setting TGP as SPI will make whatever the TGP is looking at at that moment the SPI. So once you slew the TGP, that point on the ground is now lost. So yes, use markpoints to give yourself reminders. You have 25 of them, so knock yourself out. Some other random uses I've found for markpoints: drop them on moving vehicles every minute or two so you can see a trail of breadcrumbs. That will cue your vision to look ahead to find them and see where they're going Drop one on your position and one out in the direction of an RWR contact. Fly a bit and do it again. Look on the TAD and drop a markpoint at the intersection of those two lines, the emitter is around there Make your HMD SOI and make sure the HDC is on the center cross. Now when you fly cover for someone attacking, just look at smoke trails and AAA and rapidly mark them. Note if you want to drop a very accurate markpoint, you can look in the general area and slew the HDC until it's right on top of the target, then drop the markpoint. TMS Right-short actually drops the markpoint on the HDC. But if you just want a markpoint in the ballpark, you can just keep the HDC on the center cross If you want to figure out the elevation of terrain nearby, just drop a markpoint on it and look at its info. Draw smiley faces on the ground if you're bored

Just make sure your SPI sensor is also SOI, then press TMS Right-short. I assume both are set to the same sensor since you were 'working' it, but the distinction is important, e.g. if my TGP is SPI, but my TAD is SOI, TMS Right-short will make a mark point at the TAD cursor. So make TGP SOI first (coolie switch left/right-long), then make the markpoint. MAV seekers are pretty terrible. IRL, I've heard they were used as within visual range weapons, not really standoff weapons, so that at least correlates with being unable to lock or locking on the wrong target more than 4-5 nm away. The problem you described with losing targets is not clear to me, and it could be just spotting difficulty or a cold vehicle in IR. I have not seen a terrain issue cause that problem.

IIRC, if you have any amount of braking, the wire will not drop from the hook.

Ah, I was wondering what MUFC was

A screenshot and track would be good, since they just squashed some other entertaining instrument panel bugs (floating HSI arrow hub)

Modern Pb acid batteries have capacities at 24V of about 15-25 amp hours. The nav lights might have a current draw of 5-10 amps or so, and same with the landing light, so an hour or two of battery time wouldn't be far off. Not sure about the draw from other electrical stuff, though.

LOL, I thought I recall the training mission previously had the carrier set zero knots, which I thought was strange for Case I.

Now we just need sundogs, tangents, perizenithal arcs and other ice-associated phenomena. I'm kidding, of course! FWIW, ice halos are often seen and photographed in cold weather because they can also be caused by ice dust close to the ground, but presumably when you see it in an aircraft, it's ice crystals at high altitudes

Dang it, it happened to me also this week, but at the end of an hour flight. Had to fight to trim nose down and struggled with the go-around. Suddenly on downwind everything seemed fine again and landed normally. I won't bother with the track, just so people know it's still there occasionally whatever is causing it.

X and Y don't show up on the scratchpad, they're only denoted by the colon next to the UFC buttons I assume you misheard 'x-ray' as 'kay'?

FWIW, you can change AGM-65L codes in the DSMS->INV->INV STAT page just like all the other laser guided stuff as a workaround, but obviously this would not be the way they did it IRL...

LOL, I'd compare the A-10C to MSDOS and the F-15E to Windows 3.1

I mean, I suppose you could drop markpoints on the TAD if you weren't using them for targeting, but you'd have to copy them to waypoints to put them into a flight plan, which is clunky to say the least. That's 90's tech for you

There isn't one in the A-10C, you'd have to enter each waypoint in the CDU, then add those waypoints to a flight plan. It's not hard, but it is tedious and annoying. I'm assuming you know how to enter waypoints and add them to a flight plan? At least a couple minor shortcuts: Recall that waypoint #0 is always your initial position, so not really a need to set a departure waypoint if you started on the ground. You can add the airport waypoint #'s found on the NAV->Divert page (or scrolling through the waypoints) to the flight plan. If you already have a waypoint near your target that you want to change or copy the MGRS coordinates, if it's in the same grid zone and grid square you do NOT have to type in the grid square letters, e.g. if you want to change 38S YJ 123456 to 38S YJ 123456789, you don't need to enter the 'YJ' part

LOL, I suspect it's a bug, but I think the shadows are rendered slightly differently in each eye, so it often sticks out from the terrain more so than in flat screen

In VR, I have one word for you -- 'shadows' Unless the time of day is wrong, you can see vehicle shadows easier than any other cue, and you can scan a larger area with your Mk 1 eyeballs faster than the TGP. Especially with the spyglass zoom function, you can systematically clear out a sector by visually scanning it much faster than the TGP. And if you get shot at, you'll be able to see far quicker if your head is already out of the cockpit, and if you're fast enough you can drop markpoints on the shooters for future reference.

LOL