What was your learning process for this aircraft?

[Pajeezy]

Besides simply, "watched youtube videos and read the manual," in what order did you learn the mechanics and how did you do so? So far I've learned via youtube how to get the aircraft up and running, but I'm not sure where/how to go about it next. Any suggestions or firsthand experience?

[Rongor]

I did all the tutorials and everything I didnt fully understand I looked up in the manual. Never be too lazy to look something up in the manual.

 

Repeat each tutorial (especially the startup one) until you can do the stuff yourself recalling it purely from your memory. If you feel safe in one topic, go ahead to the next.

 

Pay extra attention to SPI/SOI and the interactions of all the HOTAS functions...

[tsumikae]

While I'm still in the process of learning A10, I got some assurance with the KA50 pretty quickly using this step by step method:

 

-learn the very basics (the ones you seem to know by now)

 

-try a mission, and fail. Then understand why you failed. What particular skills you lack to actually succeed, and what system you need to learn (not necessary master, at that point) to do so.

 

-read the manual regarding those systems, check the forums for the very helpful folks advice around here, watch tutorials, try again with your fresh knowledge. Mayebe fail a few more times. Eventually, you'll succeed.

 

-proceed to another mission. And another. Until you find another aspect you need to learn before continuing. Etc...

 

After some time, you should find yourself quite capable of handling most casual avionics without much trouble. From there, you'll know how to perfect your skills naturally.

 

 

The most important part is to avoid being overwhelmed by informations. One step at a time.

[camsr]

Played test missions to deduce how some things worked, like how many bombs it takes to crack an ammo bunker. It takes 4 GBU-10 and nothing else will do it, not even 14 GBU-12. AND, they must be dropped sequentially, or they blow each other up!

[SyntaxError]

Started by reading a bit of the manual then did the training missions about 3 times each, then went back to the manual again. Youtube is good for learning things the training missions don't cover, such as multiple JDAM drops, CBU settings input, inputting coordinates etc etc.

Edited February 19, 2014 by SyntaxError

[WildBillKelsoe]

well you pretty much nailed it. Now if you want to perfect 'techniques', join online squadrons. These range from non-rigid, tolerant, and mixed age groups to rigid, tight, bottleneck, strict, (ass crevice if you can't get the picture), hierarchial, adult only groups.

 

I recommend Shrek squadron for flexibility and friendliness, and if you don't mind militaristic control (albeit exaggerated on my part), 476th squadron. That doesn't mean the rest of the server hosts out there are bad, but that is just my experience. Just so you know I tried joining 476th but they seldom have spots for rookies (at least those old days, don't know about now).

 

Other squadrons I equally recommend (not in order):

1- 104th Phoenix

2- DCS Mercenaries (payroll style gameplay, and my very first group)

 

or any other group that fits your psyche and persona.

 

As for the mechanics part, I still say that I learn everytime I fly this bird, and I can never master it no matter how hard I do. Sometimes, I am attracted to other craft/modules but in my heart, A-10C is the only simulation that I ever loved, because I'm a HUGE fan of the Hog.

 

EDIT:

 

and it is not strange when you get caught up in something in the sim and find help in the form of a teamspeak user or even text user. the community is forgiving more than you think.

[kontiuka]

Definitely do all the tutorials. Some of them, you'll want to do at least a couple of times because they are rather involved. Make practice missions. And read the relevant section of the manual if you find you don't quite understand something. I haven't done this yet but check out the YouTube material out there. And ask questions on the forums.

[lesnyborsuk]

There was so much to learn for me, that's why I have divided it to small parts and combined practising with some fun.

In example- instead of reading all manual first and learn all theory or whole startup process I have just learned how to set up 30mm cannon and practise shooting with it. After some time when I got confident with it and got bored I have learned how to shoot mavericks, and practised it again for a while. And so on ...

This is what keeps me motivated to learn.

 

Good luck :thumbup:

[PFunk1606688187]

Learn to fly. Don't just click autopilot and stare through the Targeting Pod the whole time.

 

The HUD is not a primary flight instrument. That means you should be referencing those steam gauges on the forward console as often as you're looking at the HUD. Don't just be a slave to the Green stuff. The TVV can and will fail under battle damage so be able to fly the airplane the old fashioned way.

 

Get a good control configuration. Try to mimic the HOTAS configuration as best as you can with your current hardware. Do your best to memorize the functions on pages 88-92 of the manual. These are your main controls for the aircraft. You should be able to do the vast majority of your flying without letting go of those controls while interacting with the systems. HOTAS is a beautiful concept so don't forget to make it work for your configuration.

 

I'd say its an essential to write out or print those controls on 88-92. When I taught myself the A-10C I wrote out and printed a lot of reference material. That sheet is the only thing I still reference whatsoever, and regularly. Collate the various tables into a single one that should fit onto one side of a single sheet, keep it by your side.

 

You should come to understand the concepts of SPI and SOI. Those directly affect how you interact with every combat and sensor system. Don't think its just about the Targeting Pod. People get obsessed with that thing and think its the only way to gather data and view the enemy. The A-10C is still very much a visual aircraft, you should map an FOV function to your stick or throttle so you can zoom in regularly to look for targets below you and coordinate what your eyes see with what your sensors see.

 

Its hard to recommend a specific learning path because different people learn different ways. I sat down and digested the manual twice over before actually really flying. Others prefer to get into the pit and break things until they get a rhythm going.

 

^^^lesnyborsuk has a good one I think. If you set yourself limited goals it focuses your learning. Staying interested is always a great way to learn.

[howie87]

I'd say get online and find someone to teach you. I learned 10x more from flying with more knowledgeable pilots than just from reading the manual alone.

[Viper482]

I started playing on game mode and slowly incorporated avionics into it, learning on thing at a time. You can still use a good amount of the sim avionics in game mode if you choose to which allows you to learn the tough stuff while still in the forgiving easy mode with "tab targeting" and symbols for where AAA and SAMs are.

 

This board and youtube vids are my goto, the DCS tutorials are horrible.

[westr]

I sat through the tutorials and made notes of the important points in a notebook which I can revert to, to jog my memory. I found that worked.

[Scrim]

Bought the A-10A, found it a bit funny, but quickly grew bored of the extremely limited controls and possibilities compared to the A-10C. Sat down during my free time around Christmas, payed attention to what the tutorials said, and within half a week I was flying around semi-proficiently in the DCS module I'd previously bitched about saying you'd need to treat it like a full time job to learn.

 

From that point onward, and still, I mostly watch YT tutorials for things that weren't covered or explained well enough for me to understand in the tutorial missions.

[kontiuka]

Well, I think the tutorials are pretty good. I mean, no, they don't cover everything but it would be pretty overwhelming if they did. So, I think they serve their purpose. One lesson that could be added is basic / common CDU functionality like contacting JTAC and creating new waypoints - especially since the easy instant action mission 1 requires you to know that, lol ! At least it's in the manual.

[rajdary]

1. First i learned all the flying, no weapons or anything only many many freeflight learning how to fly, HDI,ADI,ILS,TACAN,CDU etc....

2. Then did all the rest of training missions with the manual in hand (iPad), focusing on all the weapons and TGP,SPI etc.. each training misión is good to reinforce with at least 2 YouTube videos on the same subject.

3. Lastly Campaign, if you see youre not advancing, then youre missing something.

 

Even though i am in misión 10-2 of Campaign, which is not bad for 40 days since i started, i feel that i am weak in CDU,JTAC,Air Refuel and formation Flying, but with necesity and practice i improve quickly

[fjacobsen]

Don´t try to learn too much at once.

 

Mkae some very simple missions with no opposition. Then learn to fly, navigate, use simple weapons like the gun, then advance through the other and more complex weapons. Start with some basic ise of the targeting pod and Maverick sights and dig deeper into them.

 

If You do too much at once You will become frustrated and fail - accept that You must crawl before You can walk and walk before You can run.

 

Having succes in steps is very rewardingand makes You want to come back flying the A-10 again. Same with the Ka-50 and other more complex modules.

 

FinnJ

[WildBillKelsoe]

as for my earlier days before venturing online, I just sat down with the manual in one hand, the aircraft on my PC and just fiddled around the cockpit. It took me an hour to start the Hog the first time. From there, I decided to skip startup/shutdown and just focus on combat. This was the tiebreaker to me. I went first with the canon practice and setup for combat, then I came to realize that the most difficult thing to do in a slow aircraft like A-10C is to drop unguided ordinance. And this is my current learning point. Its easy to drop with technology but I'd rather a more classic potential.

[MatzWarhog]

After about a year away from the A-10C, I'm now in an almost advanced "relearning" process. I am much more pointed in my methodology. My recommendation is use the tutorials as a spring board. Go through the ramp start, and take-off/landing. Then (while studying the manual, checklists, YT Tutorials etc) sit in the parking area, and "Learn" the cockpit. Know where everything is, it's purpose, how to employ it... make a cold start second nature, then, when that part is behind you! Then move to perfecting (or as close as you can) Take-offs and landings in different places and weather, etc. Then move to the basic weaponry, The Gun! Then Rockets, Mavs, Dumb Bombs, Laser Guided Bombs, etc.

 

I soon realized during my "re-learning", just how little I learned the first time around! Walk slowly and carry a big knowledge stick! I was always terribly inaccurate with the Gun, so now, I have been running mission after mission with just Rockets and the Gun, and becoming proficient at employing them and learning all the nuances of each reticle, approach, angle, everything. Then when you have learned one step, move to the next! I'm still moving at a slow pace, studying, learning, researching and will eventually get there. But when I do arrive closer to "there"... I'll know my stuff! Slow and Steady wins the race! :thumbup:

 

Matz

[Poutine]

I have a bit of background in terms of the flight fundamentals, from many many years ago, that much I skipped over... then realized I have forgotten much.

 

So I started with all the training, take off and landing 1st.. Added the basic weapon training (+landing) then move though until I felt ok enough to try the instant missions. I got overwhelmed (spring 2012) but this past December I came back to try this sim again to give it an honest go

 

I started with the first easy instant action mission and did that mission over and over until I was able to get back safely. I did that one a lot. Then something magical happened. I found this forum & YouTube... Soon after some new gear arrived :|

I have since moved along doing the same thing. Doing each instant action mission to safe completion. And just last night, I load up the "hard" instant action for the first time, and well, lost a wing... So I'll tackle this one then look towards the campaigns etc... I figure I should be able to complete the instant action before for going online

 

I'm at about 60hr in worth of training and playing about: trying to get this and that to work (TrackIR). driving around the airport etc

 

I found the manual to be only OK. But like I said that is where searching this forum makes life easier. Post-it on the monitor help too

 

Meanwhile, I'm still learning lots, trying different tactic; and as a sidebar I'm also shopping to get me a mic'd headset for MP....

 

later

[WildBillKelsoe]

oh and I forgot to mention, books..

 

Books can develop your combat skills real quick and make you love the bird more.

[Drunken_Skull]

I reccommend reading "Stuka Pilot" as mentioned in the a10c manual. Great read and really gives you a "feel" for CAS flying as well as an appreciation of the A10's potential and how it all came about. The following link feels as though it takes off from where Hans Ulrich Rudel leaves off and fills the gap between wwII and sitting in your a10 office. http://www.volanteaircraft.com/ov-10.htm

Edited April 19, 2014 by Drunken_Skull

[jubus]

First two weeks i did

1) Tutorials one by one until i mastered them

2) Studied the manual completely

3) Was completely lost when i started the campaign :joystick:

4) Checked youtube-videos about everything you need when flying in practice (sam avoidance, 9-lines, ils/tacan, dropping all ordnance in a single pass etc) and practised those at the same time.

 

After a month i knew the ins and outs the plane and finally could start learning how to apply that knowledge in "real" situations and stuff that can be learned only with experience.

 

I've been flying warthog now for about 1½ years and still learning something new every time (today's lesson was that the attack heading given by JTAC isn't always just him talking out of his backside and taking a 5min detour can save 13 mill of virtual taxpayers' money).

 

One thing i recommend to all hog pilots after you've learned the plane:

To save you the relearning process after a long break, dedicate 30-45 min every month to cold start the plane, load it full of ordnance and drop them on a bunch of tanks and land. This works very well to keep everything fresh in memory.

[hcf]

I go back and forth between missions and tutorials a lot.

 

To learn the CDU it was helpful to sit on the ground at the airport and fiddle with it. One thing I found was most CDU make-a-waypoint YouTube guides are wrong; they have you alter a mission waypoint and then copy it. Easy to spot with TAD up and wpt 0 visibly moves when you update it.

 

Smerch hunt is fair for learning JTAC interactions. Fairly quick mission, and your targets are all spotted for you except the last one on the road.

 

One thing tutorials don't tell you is good altitudes to avoid SAM, how to approach, fire, escape, and repeat.

 

Use "Alt" autopilot, engage it on a slight banking turn. Lets you take your time with avionics without flying over the target.

 

One advantage of learning in the sim is you can try a lot, and crash a lot of planes, with no real consequences. Change your expectations; start a mission assuming you will make a yard dart on a divebomb, and you'll be more pleased when it doesn't work out that way.

[tacca]

I'm very much still in the beginning stages of learning how to use the hog. All this is very fresh in my mind as I only got the game last week.

 

1 - searched for and set up hotas profiles for my x52 controller. printed out said controls and stuck above my monitor.

 

2 - had a quick flight to see what the flying and graphics was like. (flying is familiar to me from fsx). I loved the hog and the vc cockpit!!!!!

 

3. completed the tutorials once each. realized how important mastering hotas was going to be!!!!!!

 

4. found this graphical hotas

 

I didn't understand 80% of what was on it at the time this has been the most important item in my whole learning experience in being proficient in bringing great fury and vengeance upon thee.

 

5. tried the first mission of the campaign and got smacked :/ and was completely out of my depth.

 

6. went on-line looking for written tutorials and campaign guides (live in regional Oz and have limited internet downloads so no Youtube for me) and found this great forum.

 

7. Flew the weapons training mission (not tutorial) a lot to learn how to brrrrp, laze, gps inertial bomb (which doesnt work on moving targets), CCRP/CCIP and where the above mentioned document started to help.

 

8. found derelor's hideout and serpents head guides (which are great).

 

9. completed the hideout mission after a couple of goes. It taught me heaps about comms, nav and using the wingman.

 

10. currently trying the serpents head mission which to prepare myself I have researched about JTAC's, 9 line targeting and starting to use the cdu (which I have realized is very important). I got schwacked 6 times in a row tonight by man pads just after dropping the gbu38 on the compound (trying multiple tactics ie 300ft agl, 2500ft agl, maveriks first at the soldiers and then the gbu in the same run which is a decent work load).

 

11. this has led me here to join this forum to say thankyou for how much knowledge is shared on here.

 

12. im currently researching countermeasures at the moment to try and stop my bottom getting blown off :)

 

somewhere along the lines i ended up with alot of WarriorX's pdf guides which are also really good, Thankyou.

 

 

Overall all I would say its working for me. Im finding out skills im not proficient in very quickly and learning them in manageable chunks while constantly improving my situational awareness and HOTAS coordination using the a-10 systems.

 

Damo

[slowhand]

Learn to fly the Aircraft How hi,fast,turn rate stall, spin, Nav and most of all Where all hell breaks loose:music_whistling:Cus what's the point if you can run the wpns sys, B:thumbup:ut u can't get there..FLY FLY FLY!!!:pilotfly::joystick::D