Diesel_Thunder

Video link works for me. And I think I see what you did wrong. I think you used china hat aft long to slave the TGP to your steer points, which works. It looks like when you switch to Mavericks, that you also set the Mavs as SOI. What you should have done was set the HUD as SOI, select your Mavs, and then china hat forward long. At that point the seeker heads on the Mavs will then track in on the selected steer point.

I've been able to calibrate joysticks in every version of Windows since Win 95. (can't remember if you could in Windows 3.1, that's going way back) When you are on the desktop, simultaneously press Windows + R on your keyboard to bring up the Run dialog box. Then type in joy.cpl and hit enter. That will bring up the Game Controllers box. Select your stick, press the Properties button, then go to the settings tab and hit the Calibrate button. Hope this helps!

Setting the course as I did is a carry over from setting runway magnetic for landed based aircraft. I had assumed it was the same for setting the runway centerline of the CV (BRC - 9º). Not wanting to learn using the ICLS yet, I want to learn how to do this entirely visually and get the basics down. Noted. I' m improving on my timing to get the engines back up when I get the right speed. Sometime I get it right. What should the bank angle be going into the break? The turn to final use to really screw me up when I thought the bank scale was marked off in 10º increments instead of 15º as I later learned. It seems like so much going on that it's easy to get behind the airplane. I'm going to try that method Razor, by just flying around in landing configuration. Thank you for the feedback!

350-400 KIAS, and was turning at 1 mile past (CV at tail), but that leaves me very little time to get setup. I now turn when the TACAN shows 1.5 NM in the HUD. Not for lack of trying for sure. What I've been trying to do now is level out for a few seconds after 90º in the break to give me enough lateral on the downwind (1.2 NM abeam). If I focus on maintaining the G's, my altitude drops. If I try to maintain altitude, something else is missed. It's a struggle for sure. Here's a track. This is pretty typical of my practice sessions. Been bad enough that I've run out of gas without ever trapping, mostly due to the LSO aborting my approach or waving off on (lousy) final. case1 practice.trk

Started using Banklers mission to work on my landings. Wow, do I suck at these. Pretty sure CAG pulled my wings and kicked me off the boat after the last landing. :disgust: I stink at altitude control. A lot of my aborts were due to me being too close to the boat after the break. On several attempts I tried pulling less G in the break turn so I wouldn't be so close and I still end up too close to the boat. The one attempt that I was at a good abeam distance, holding the 30º turn to final, I somehow overshot the boat and ended up too far right. No idea what happened on that one. Here's my summary of this morning efforts. The 4th attempt scored me as a bolter for some reason. I aborted that approach on final since I was too low and passed down the starboard side of the boat. There was also an unscored landing because I was fuel critical and needed to land, and didn't have enough gas to start from the beginning. Touched down with 40 lbs of gas, and the engines flamed out shortly after raising the hook. Not sure where I need to start and direct my focus on what specifically to work on. Any advice for a rookie?

Yep, Caucasus map. I set the boat to go in a northwest direction. Haven't seen any way to set a specific course in the ME. And you are correct, once I readjusted to the new headings (BRC 301º/292º), it is looking much better. I still need to practice a lot more. Thanks MadCat!:thumbup:

Thanks Doc3908! I'm still have a lot of room for improvement, and it's still quite a challenge. Having some trouble with lining up, keep coming in off angle it feels like. I usually go for BRC - 9º. In this screenshot below, Stennis is going 25 kts at 307º. My course should be 307-9=298º, which I am flying, but it looks like I'm going straight down the center line of the ship instead of the landing zone. Still being new at this I don't know what it should look like when I'm lined up.

You're right, I forgot about that :doh:

One can re-arm with the engines running. Though, when I re-arm I typically start the APU on the taxi in, transfer electrical and then shut down the main engines. This allows the CDU to stay energized and retain its NAV initialization. To load the new weapons into your DSMS, you need to re-assign an MFCD OSB in order to bring up the LOAD page : Wait until you are re-armed and then push and hold one of the lower OSB's on either MFCD. After a moment you'll get new options on the right side OSB's. Let go of the button at this point. Select a new function, LOAD in this case, and then then click one of the lower OSB's to assign LOAD to that OSB. Then push that OSB to bring up the load page, and then select LOAD DSMS. Wait for that to finish and your new weapons will be in your DSMS. After this process your re-assigned OSB will revert back to what is normally on that button once you select a normal page (TAD, DSMS, etc).

There is no in cockpit indication that the speed brakes are deployed or stowed. The ways you know that they are out is to look out the window, and hearing more wind noise when they are deployed. The F-16 doesn't have any indication either. The F/A-18 does have a light on the front panel that lights up if the speed brake is in any position other than stowed.

I've put a lot of practice the past few days doing nothing but touch and goes (boring, but necessary). Learning to fly the AoA bracket with the throttles really paid off, and I stopped fighting the FCS when trying to pitch with the stick when the gears and flaps are down. I'm constantly adjusting the throttles to maintain that glideslope. I've gotten way better doing pattern work over land, and was finally able to get a few carrier traps. There is little margin for error when trying to land on the boat. I only recently picked up the Hornet, and carrier ops is a huge challenge. It has kinda forced me to learn more and become a better pilot. That practice has paid off nicely, not only with the Hornet, but with all of my planes. The Viper is similar in its landing behavior. I had the Hog for quite some time but always landed it poorly (high and fast), and am now able to quickly get it on AoA in landing configuration. And the Mustang is more manageable now too. The Hornet and the Viper both require constant attention to the throttle. The Hog is much more forgiving when it comes to throttle management. Gear, full flaps, and some speed brake, and you can usually find a nice happy spot for the engines, with minor corrections here and there. This video by Lex Talonis really helps put it in perspective, and has some great info:

They likely put that there because that was the only place they had room for it. Don't think they could have put the receptacle on the wing. Midway back on the spine (like the F-16) would have been nice. Really stinks that you can't use the lights because the boom is in the way. One thing on the early disconnects. You don't have to open/close the slipway door to reset the AAR system, though that is one way to do it. If you disconnect early, just press the NWS button on your stick, that also resets the system so you can reconnect. That will give you the READY light again on the refuel status lights.

@Gripes323 - Thanks! I've quickly learned that if I'm out of position or the approach is trash, better to wave off rather than plow into the stern of the ship. @Greyman - That's an awesome mission! I'll be using that more as my skill improves with this bird. Thanks for sharing. @CBStu - The Hornet seemingly has a very stout landing gear. I haven't damaged it yet that I'm aware, even coming in with too much vertical velocity. I have collapsed or damaged the gear on both the A-10 and P-51. The Mustang's mains certainly don't like being side loaded. I gotta say, practicing doing the touch and goes as much as I have in the Hornet has helped out a lot in landing the other aircraft I have. The Viper has a similar AoA bracket in the HUD, although it is a staple instead of an E. I'm able to manage landing that aircraft better. Same thing with the Warthog. Before all of this practice, with the Hog I would usually come in too high, too fast, or both. Now I'm able to nail the speed, angle, and distance almost every time. The Mustang is still a challenge (no pedals yet), but less daunting now. Can't help but think as I improve managing my landings and attitude control that it will help later with aerial refueling.

That's strange. I made the runway both times in my attempts, but almost came up short on the 2nd one. I'm on beta. Wonder if playing a beta track on stable causes issues with the replay? (I assume this is what's happening).

My first trap!

I got the F-18 last week and have really been enjoying it. I tried landing on the boat the day I got it, but I plowed into the stern each time I tried. Spent a few hours doing touch and goes on land, and thought I would take a crack at landing on the boat again. I had my first successful trap today! I've either had to wave off (a lot) because my approach was garbage or I wasn't quite lined up right and boltered (also a lot). I was expecting another bolter when I touched down but to my surprise, I caught the 3rd wire! Certainly wasn't pretty, and I need a lot more practice :joystick:. Still happy that I finally did it!

My first thought was that it was a rotary too, like what we get in the Viper. I have mine set to one of my rotaries, just have to make sure it's centered. Hope we can have it selectable between how it functions IRL or being on a rotary.

As the title says, what are these slots in the leading edge extensions for? Noticed them in an external view, and thought it strange that I could see through them. They wouldn't be there unless they did something.

That STOW/ABLE switch threw me for a while too. I ended up assigning that the = key on my keyboard. It is good to practice without the bars occasionally and use the raw data. You look at the HSI for your horizontal positioning with it's course deviation indicator, and the glide slope indication on the left side of the ADI.

Just tried it again, and I was able to induce the wild oscillation repeatedly at various fuel states. Above 800 KIAS, kicking the rudder will set in motion the oscillations. I have been unable to correct it with normal control inputs. My only reliable way out of it is to throttle back and put the speed brakes out. The oscillation starts to dampen out, and the aircraft recovers around 500 KIAS. EDIT: I did try one where I went low level and full burner, setting the altitude hold and no control inputs. Got just above 900 KIAS and it stayed straight as an arrow the whole time. f-16 oscillation.trk

I had this happen to me as well, shortly after I bought the Viper. I created a mission where it was clean wing, and full fuel. Quite a lot of fun when you start the takeoff roll and hear the burner kick in! Anyway, I went low level, about 150 feet over water on full burner with the altitude hold turned on. Don't recall my fuel state, but it was not bingo. As I went faster I started to oscillate side to side as well, which got progressively worse. I pulled back the throttle, but was still oscillating badly. Got to the point that it blacked out my pilot, and when he came to, I was inverted but stable and still flying. I didn't save that track, but I'll see if I can duplicate it.

That's an awesome mission! I'm nowhere near ready for the boat, but I did have some great practice yesterday. I created a mission where I cold start at Kobuleti, and just do touch and goes. I would climb to 5k and go downwind about 15 miles. I then turn base and final, drop the gears and flaps and try to maintain AoA the whole way down. Started coming together for me as I learned to work that throttle. I start the mission with full fuel and keep doing this until I hit bingo, which I set at 2,000 lbs. Did this mission twice yesterday, so burnt two tanks of gas in my practice. Today I'm going to keep at it, and lower the starting altitude in 1,000 foot steps as I progress, so today I'll only climb to 4,000 feet and go downwind around 13 miles. 1st time I did this mission, I did a few go arounds because I wasn't where I needed to be and didn't want to crash. Second time I think I only had one go around. Once I am able to do this at 1,500 feet consistently, then I'll work on setting up everything on the downwind. Then I'll introduce myself to the boat.

Here's my 2nd attempt: Takeoff - 08:00:24 Max ALT - 47,210 Landing - 08:05:10 Total flight time - 4:46 Successful landing, though almost came up short. Touched down on the displaced threshold but kept it on the runway to a full stop. *NOTE* setting the EPU to ON during the descent, does not allow it to stay running after touchdown. Open Beta f-16 1000 lbs attempt 2.trk

That would be great, and thank you for offering. PM sent. :)

Good day Pac-Man. Thank you for putting together those videos, very helpful! Got one request. I just got the Hornet a few days ago, and am liking it a lot. Right now I am mostly working on my airmanship with it. Taxi and takeoffs, no problem. Straight in landing, I'm decent. My biggest struggle is doing the overhead break landing (over land, not even going to try the boat anytime soon). I can make it through the initial 180° turn and get on the downwind. That turn also slows me down enough so I can drop the gear and flaps. My biggest problem I am having is that I end up ballooning once the flaps drop and either end up really nose high and too slow with excessive sink rate, or too fast and starting to climb. Any chance you can do a video on the overhead break landing?