CDU ... holy complexity!

[kontiuka]

Just started reading up about this thing in the manual and it looks pretty daunting. To those who have been playing with the A-10C for a while, how much of the CDU's functionality would you actually typically use. 25%? 50%? I mean is there someone who's actually stored 20 different flight plans in a mission? :)

[Scrim]

Why have 20 different flight plans for one flight?

 

The important thing about the CDU is to remember how you eat an elephant; Bit by bit. There's no point in taking a day off work and sitting down with a dozen cups of coffee, expecting to learn every single thing about it. Start with the useful things, like how to add mark points so you can benefit from the grids the FAC gives you by understanding where the target is, and being able to slave your TGP onto it. That I'd say is the most basic, useful thing about it.

 

Then again, that might be because that's all I can do with it :P But the opening point still stands, learn small things you feel might help you, one by one, and it's less of a daunting task, and the CDU goes from being "that weird gizmo I'm afraid to touch, lest it royally **** up my flight plan" to an amazingly helpful tool.

[Supersheep]

The CDU section in the manual is an advanced form of anesthesia. I suggest you play around with it, read a bit about what it can do, and then look at Youtube for some videos about how to do that. Then get in the sim and try it yourself - it's not like you can break the thing, and even if you would, you can reload ;)

[cichlidfan]

Actually, the important thing to know about the CDU is that most of it's functions (as covered in the manual) are scripted routines that don't actually do anything.

 

It is useful, but a majority of that section of the manual is not.

[Bushmanni]

Skim the manual first to see what it can do and learn the interesting and useful stuff first. I think maybe half of the apparent functionality is non-functional or useless in DCS like detailed information pages, advanced systems settings, self tests and stuff like that. Then again half of the stuff that can be used is mostly not really needed or you can easily do without.

[NoCarrier]

The dirty little secret of the A-10C CDU is that you actually don't need to know two-thirds of the pages, if not more. Most of the INS/GPS and DTS stuff the CDU does works by FM (F'ing Magic) anyway, so you needn't worry about that. Inputting mission waypoints is what you'll be doing most, followed by looking up divert airfields and building additional flight plans if you feel the need. Advanced users will want to hit the WIND page and put in wind profiles if the wind's particularly strong, I guess. Maybe put down an offset waypoint, bring up the Bullseye bearing and range on the HUD.... There's not much more you can do with the CDU, honestly.

[Thick8]

There are some very informative CDU videos on youtube. just do a search for "DCS CDU".

John

[Yurgon]

Some more hints in a similar thread.

[Maverick-X]

I recommend to get some knowledge about navigating through the CDU menus, where to find things about INS Alignment and how to create waypoints from given coordinates, either lat/long or MGRS. Thats quite easy to learn with some repititions and very useful.

 

Also look up the controls (my combination is l-ctrl + l-win + button, dunno if thats default), you can do input to the CDU directly vía keyboard. Saves a lot of time

[JayPee]

Only, and I mean only, use the manual to get an idea of the CDU pages hierarchy/structure. If done so, watch youtube vids and try messing around with the basic functions as stated in this topic.

 

After a while when you feel more confident about using the CDU, take a look at what the manual has to offer. Although I doubt it will offer you anything useful by then...

 

On this part the manual is an unnecessarily complicated piece of work, telling you things you really don't care about and leaving the essential operations of the tiny little thing out.

[kontiuka]

Ok. Thanks all.

[Pinefang]

I surly don't know everything about the CDU but most of what I do know I learned from the you tube videos. Every question I have had was answered on a you tube video, plus of coarse this great forum.

[Wrecking Crew]

Know how to go to the Flight Plan Mode (FPM Button) to change the steerpoint advancement from Auto to Manual.

 

Know how to enter map coordinates, to include a name for the point.

 

Know what the diff is between FLT PLN, MARK and Mission and what to expect from each mode in the HUD as you cycle steerpoints.

 

For extra credit, make a few Mark points and use the CDU to create a new flight plan. From this you can triangulate an air defense threat that is showing on the RWR.

 

WC

[rassy7]

From this you can triangulate an air defense threat that is showing on the RWR.

 

Really? I'm afraid to ask how, but how?

[Flagrum]

Really? I'm afraid to ask how, but how?

http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?p=1251488#post1251488

 

or this

[rassy7]

WoW. That's great. I have to try this now. I'm thinking in practical use, this isn't idea for areas with multiple SAM threats but it could certainly make the difference in an SEAD task and more so at night. Thanks Flag.

[Wrecking Crew]

I was afraid someone would ask :-)

 

A-10C Flight Manual, Page 252, Flight Plan Build. Page 467 Create a Flight Plan. It is not that difficult, and the manual is just a couple of pages here. You want a name for the new flight plan, like RWR1, and if you have Mark points (which is the only way I've built these new FLT PLNs) you can enter the Mark Point A, B, C, ..

 

Take it a bit further... RWR threat...

 

Staying out of range, head to an RWR threat. Using the TAD as SOI and its cursor, make two mark points -- one under your a/c and another waaay out at 80 miles on your nose; then turn 100-120 degrees and go a couple miles and turn back to the RWR threat and do the same thing. You now have two sets of wayoints -- A & B and C & D. Where they cross is where the RWR threat is.

 

^^^ You can combine all four of these waypoints into *one* new flight plan and where the lines cross is where the threat will be. Instead of doing a new flight plan for the first two waypoints only, wait to get the other two as well to see where they cross on the new flight plan.

 

 

I will typically end up with a few more Mark Points that what I intended in this effort. I may get Mark Points B, C, D on the first leg to the RWR threat, and D & E on the second leg -- just keep track of the two sets, and once you create the flight plan from all of the points then you will see where they cross. Then slave the TGP there and start searching.

 

WC

[Supersheep]

Originally, I intended the video to be an academic curiosity, but it seems well-suited to teach how to use the CDU. I put a step by step in the video description when I made it.

[Dejjvid]

Learn the different icons and things get easier.

 

Things i use often is, changing/creating waypoints, offset waypoint, overhead mark, mark, divert, steer info, anchor point, fast align with BATH (for scramble) and various trouble shooting when i experience those FUBAR moments...

[PFunk1606688187]

All I can tell you is that after becoming very comfortable with the CDU, first time I loaded up Falcon BMS I looked around the cockpit and wondered to myself "How in the hell do I do anything without my CDU?".