F-15C Flight Qualification Campaign

[pengjn]

I'm new to DCS so sorry for the question. I have just built a PC and got DCS 2.0 with NTTR setup. Do i need to install DCS 1.5 for this campaign and if so can I leave 2.0 installed or do i need to uninstall it?

[Sabre-TLA]

I'm new to DCS so sorry for the question. I have just built a PC and got DCS 2.0 with NTTR setup. Do i need to install DCS 1.5 for this campaign and if so can I leave 2.0 installed or do i need to uninstall it?

 

Yes you need DCS World 1.5 to play the campaign. Eventually ED plans to merge 1.5 and 2.0 so then you will only need one DCS World install. You can leave DCS 2.0 and have DCS 1.5 installed as well. Both can coexist without issue.

 

DCS 1.5 is the official released version.

 

DCS 2.0 is considered ALPHA pre-release so there are many bugs that still need to be fixed - like a working ATC however it is still playable to some extent.

[pengjn]

Yes you need DCS World 1.5 to play the campaign. Eventually ED plans to merge 1.5 and 2.0 so then you will only need one DCS World install. You can leave DCS 2.0 and have DCS 1.5 installed as well. Both can coexist without issue.

 

DCS 1.5 is the official released version.

 

DCS 2.0 is considered ALPHA pre-release so there are many bugs that still need to be fixed - like a working ATC however it is still playable to some extent.

 

Thanks for the super fast response. I'll get 1.5 setup. I have been experiencing some stuttering in 2.0 so I'll be interested to see if I get that in 2.0 as well. I think I know the answers from this thread (http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=135473) but...

 

1) NTTR isn't compatible with 1.5 but the only modules I own are NTTR and the F-15C. Do I need to buy the Black Sea module or does that come with 1.5 by default? If i need to buy a module then is it the FC3 one?

 

2) 1.5 doesn't support EDGE does it? I love the graphics in 2.0 so I'll be interested to see how different 1.5 is.

[Sabre-TLA]

Thanks for the super fast response. I'll get 1.5 setup. I have been experiencing some stuttering in 2.0 so I'll be interested to see if I get that in 2.0 as well. I think I know the answers from this thread (http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=135473) but...

 

1) NTTR isn't compatible with 1.5 but the only modules I own are NTTR and the F-15C. Do I need to buy the Black Sea module or does that come with 1.5 by default? If i need to buy a module then is it the FC3 one?

 

2) 1.5 doesn't support EDGE does it? I love the graphics in 2.0 so I'll be interested to see how different 1.5 is.

 

1. True that NTTR is not compatible with 1.5. The Black Sea map (Caucasus) is free with DCS World 1.5 so no additional purchases needed. If you have the F-15C module then that is all you need for 1.5 as well - no additional purchase needed. When you install 1.5 activate your F-15C module via the module manager. You can have activated modules in both 1.5 and 2.0 at the same time.

 

2. 1.5 is running EDGE and looks great compared to earlier releases. There are some terrain mods for 1.5 that make it look even better (we use Barthek's mod here) but I wouldn't recommend you start using mods until you are more familiar with DCS in general.

[chinaiyf]

I bought it and love it, but it tried to kill me! If you don't make the turn to 060 quickly (I did a standard rate) it won't activate the engine failure. The mission continues you at 060 6000' 420 knots which ends at a mountain that is > 6000'.

 

Can't wait for the intermediate and advanced lessons

[HoneyBadger]

I can't get to passed BFT02 - it seems to bug out. I take off and fly to Angles 6 at 300 but it he never tells to me change heading to 060. I waited 10 minutes but nothing.

Edited February 25, 2016 by HoneyBadger

[pengjn]

I can't get to passed BFT02 - it seems to bug out. I take off and fly to Angles 6 at 300 but it he never tells to me change heading to 060. I waited 10 minutes but nothing.

I just passed that mission for the first time last night. Are you maintaining a climb out angel of between 5-10 degrees? Are you flying on a heading of 300 or at 300 knots - the former being correct? Are you accurately flying the climb out speeds that you're given?

[pengjn]

On mission BFT03 Fly Traffic Pattern I'm struggling to meet my instructor at waypoint 2. I've got Nav mode selected (not ILS) and i've scrolled to waypoint 2 but I don't get how to use the Bank Steering Index - it doesn't seem to point me to go anywhere. I tried flying the mission a couple of times using the Nav to try to get to waypoint 2 but in the end I switched on the radar and found an F-15 circling at 200kts at angels 8 somewhere near the waypoint (I think) but he ignored me after I joined his wing and flew with him for a while. Any tips? I've read the manual about the Nav mode and Bank Steering Index but no joy in getting it to work.

[Sabre-TLA]

On mission BFT03 Fly Traffic Pattern I'm struggling to meet my instructor at waypoint 2. I've got Nav mode selected (not ILS) and i've scrolled to waypoint 2 but I don't get how to use the Bank Steering Index - it doesn't seem to point me to go anywhere. I tried flying the mission a couple of times using the Nav to try to get to waypoint 2 but in the end I switched on the radar and found an F-15 circling at 200kts at angels 8 somewhere near the waypoint (I think) but he ignored me after I joined his wing and flew with him for a while. Any tips? I've read the manual about the Nav mode and Bank Steering Index but no joy in getting it to work.

 

Without going into a long explanation of how navigation works the easiest thing is to align the current heading pointer (inverted V at the top of the hud - ^) with the assigned heading line.

 

Ensure the current WP # shows 2.

 

That will bring you directly to the waypoint and the mission triggers should fire once you get close to that point. The FE will follow you once you get his instructions.

 

Here is a diagram.

[pengjn]

Without going into a long explanation of how navigation works the easiest thing is to align the current heading pointer (inverted V at the top of the hud - ^) with the assigned heading line.

 

 

 

Ensure the current WP # shows 2.

 

 

 

That will bring you directly to the waypoint and the mission triggers should fire once you get close to that point. The FE will follow you once you get his instructions.

 

 

 

Here is a diagram.

 

 

That worked great, thank you! I've now progressed the mission to just after the go around after landing but then I screwed up my altitude after I got to the first fix point. Is pattern altitude 1500ft?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Sabre-TLA]

That worked great, thank you! I've now progressed the mission to just after the go around after landing but then I screwed up my altitude after I got to the first fix point. Is pattern altitude 1500ft?

 

Pattern altitude is set at 2500ft.

 

We do recommend you read the briefing to see about other specific mission requirements.

[spikes525]

hi, maybe this question has been asked often but can i use this mission if i have DCS world install whit steam, i already buy F15-C Béta but i don't have training whit it. thank's

sorry for my english

[Sabre-TLA]

hi, maybe this question has been asked often but can i use this mission if i have DCS world install whit steam, i already buy F15-C Béta but i don't have training whit it. thank's

sorry for my english

 

Yes you can. The install instructions will show you how to install for a DCS World steam install.

 

This campaign uses the Caucasus map so you need DCS World 1.5 installed.

[spikes525]

:huh:thank's, i got to fing wich version i have. downloaded DCS world last week, maybe i have the last version. do i have to downgrade????:huh:

[Sabre-TLA]

:huh:thank's, i got to fing wich version i have. downloaded DCS world last week, maybe i have the last version. do i have to downgrade????:huh:

 

Nope. You can have both DCS World 2.0 and DCS World 1.5 running side by side. Eventually ED plans to merge them together into a DCS World 2.x version.

 

DCS World 2.0 is considered Alpha so there are still some bugs in it (but it does play pretty well for most things).

 

DCS World 1.5 is the official released version (but it still has some bugs too).

 

So it's true that DCS World 2.0 is the later release but it's still undergoing alot of development so you should consider it unstable compared to DCS World 1.5 which is more stable with fewer changes generally.

[spikes525]

ok, i buyed, and now wating for my KEY

[pengjn]

Pattern altitude is set at 2500ft.

 

We do recommend you read the briefing to see about other specific mission requirements.

I know I'm being dumb but I've installed the documentation package and I've got a PDF for each mission. For BFT03 I've got a 4 page PDF that is the same as the pre-flight briefing. I'm presuming that i'm not looking in the right place for more detailed documentation?

[Sabre-TLA]

I know I'm being dumb but I've installed the documentation package and I've got a PDF for each mission. For BFT03 I've got a 4 page PDF that is the same as the pre-flight briefing. I'm presuming that i'm not looking in the right place for more detailed documentation?

 

No you have it right. The PDF is a copy of the mission briefing material that you can put on a smartphone or tablet or print off for your kneeboard. Some users don't like having to pause the game to see the briefing material onscreen.

 

We are planning on some updates to the documentation package to capture all the details of the mission briefing text (we've done that for the A-10C campaigns and are slowly working our way through all the modules).

 

The F-15C documentation should be next to be updated.

[pengjn]

Question about BFT12 low level. I'm able to join the flight lead, so that's the first step done. However, after he goes into burner he rapidly hits the brakes during the descent and although i'm either at his altitude or fractionally above I keep getting busted for being too high. I guess I should stick to being a little below him but I'm surprised to keep getting busted for altitude when i'm right on his tail.

 

A broader question - could a good DCS pilot hop into BFT12 and pass? After failing i've tried to keep on lead's tail and I'm able to almost keep up when he goes into burner but i always overshoot when he suddenly opens his brake. It feels like I need to know what he's about to do otherwise by the time he's in burner I get out of formation as my engines take time to spool up and worse i can't slow down fast enough. Tips appreciated.

[Sabre-TLA]

Question about BFT12 low level. I'm able to join the flight lead, so that's the first step done. However, after he goes into burner he rapidly hits the brakes during the descent and although i'm either at his altitude or fractionally above I keep getting busted for being too high. I guess I should stick to being a little below him but I'm surprised to keep getting busted for altitude when i'm right on his tail.

 

A broader question - could a good DCS pilot hop into BFT12 and pass? After failing i've tried to keep on lead's tail and I'm able to almost keep up when he goes into burner but i always overshoot when he suddenly opens his brake. It feels like I need to know what he's about to do otherwise by the time he's in burner I get out of formation as my engines take time to spool up and worse i can't slow down fast enough. Tips appreciated.

 

It's one of the more challenging missions (and a good one to finish the campaign on). :thumbup:

 

Since you are restricted to the altitude block, don't chase the lead if he changes altitude (part of his up and down motion is due to AI changes which unfortunately we can't control). You can think of him as trying to goad you into breaking the altitude limit.

 

Let him climb up the front of your windscreen, you can still stay in formation in relative distance terms, he will come back down a little later in the flight. It's more important that you match his speed and turns than trying to stay absolutely level with him.

 

You really need to keep an eye on the lead and try and anticipate his movements. You know where the turns are based on the briefing and you can get an idea how close you are to the next turn looking at the waypoint info in the hud. Usually he will slow down at the turns so you can cut the corner a bit to stay with him or narrow the gap so you can stay in formation. Expect him to go to burner after the turn as he is racing to get to the next waypoint on time. Use this knowledge and prepare for it.

 

You won't fail the mission if you fall out of formation a couple of times, but the number of times you are out is counted and if you do it too many times then you will fail.

 

As with formation flying the more practice you get flying with someone the better you get at judging the speed changes you need to make to stay in formation. It's harder from a tail aspect and works better if you have a large monitor as you can see the subtle changes in his flight pattern better. However, if you keep an eye on the lead through the entire flight (don't worry about your instruments or looking at anything else) just follow him close and watch your altitude you will find a way to be successful.

 

We will be posting videos of all of our missions (once some other important work gets completed) so we will be able to show the results of our test runs.

 

Good luck!

[Sabre-TLA]

We have updated the documentation package for the campaign and also made some minor documentation changes to the missions.

 

You can download the updated packages here:

 

F-15C BFT Campaign

F-15C BFT Campaign Documentation

 

The Campaign documentation package was updated to add the mission briefing and objectives to each mission PDF file so you can reference it without having to pause the game to read the briefing screen.

 

Your mission key and password can be used to install these updated packages and your campaign progress will not be impacted as it is recorded in your logbook.

[pengjn]

We have updated the documentation package for the campaign and also made some minor documentation changes to the missions.

 

You can download the updated packages here:

 

F-15C BFT Campaign

F-15C BFT Campaign Documentation

 

The Campaign documentation package was updated to add the mission briefing and objectives to each mission PDF file so you can reference it without having to pause the game to read the briefing screen.

 

Your mission key and password can be used to install these updated packages and your campaign progress will not be impacted as it is recorded in your logbook.

Thanks for the updated docs! Where I need more information should I refer to the flight manual? In BFT06 I found '- Modify the rate of descent or pattern by techniques to attain the selected landing area'. I just ran off the end of the runway due to landing too fast so I was wondering what techniques I can use to improve my approach on the forced landing.

[Sabre-TLA]

Thanks for the updated docs! Where I need more information should I refer to the flight manual? In BFT06 I found '- Modify the rate of descent or pattern by techniques to attain the selected landing area'. I just ran off the end of the runway due to landing too fast so I was wondering what techniques I can use to improve my approach on the forced landing.

 

Yes the manual has some information about approaches and landings that can help. The challenge is judging the speed needed to land at touchdown.

 

In testing we used a slow downward spiral to bleed off speed and judged a reasonable distance from the runway to land at minimum (just above stall speed) so we didn't need as much runway to come to a stop.

 

It may take a few tries but eventually you will know what speed works best.

[Barao]

We have updated the documentation package for the campaign and also made some minor documentation changes to the missions.

 

You can download the updated packages here:

 

F-15C BFT Campaign

F-15C BFT Campaign Documentation

 

The Campaign documentation package was updated to add the mission briefing and objectives to each mission PDF file so you can reference it without having to pause the game to read the briefing screen.

 

Your mission key and password can be used to install these updated packages and your campaign progress will not be impacted as it is recorded in your logbook.

 

Do I need to reinstal the campaign and doc? Or I only install new DCSWF15C_CMPDOC01.V1.5?

Edited March 5, 2016 by Barao

[Sabre-TLA]

Do I need to reinstal the campaign and doc? Or I only install new DCSWF15C_CMPDOC01.V1.5?

 

The missions themselves haven't changed just some text on the briefing screens.

 

If you want to keep current with the latest version then you should install it but it won't change the current mission play.

 

The documentation package does have the additional briefing screen info now so you probably could make use of that.