NAV mode “RETURN” without airfield designator

[wernst]

For Su-27 navigation there are 4 NAV modes available.

One mode is “BO3B” (RETURN) which is designed to navigate to the initial landing approach point of an airfield which has been selected.

When cycling through the nearby airfields available the direction to an airfield will be displayed on the HDD as a course line

and the distance is shown in the lower part of the HUD. So far so good.

 

But I do not have any information WHICH airfield I have selected, there is no airfield designator.

I may only guess from steering direction (course line) and distance to which airfield I’m guided.

 

Upon arrival I may ask TOWER where I am. Did I miss anything?

[DarkFire]

Correct, there is no airfield designation displayed. There are 2 ways to tell:

 

1. Use the knee board to tell you where you are.

 

2. When you bring up the communications menu for talking to the tower, the list of airfields that appears is sorted by distance, i.e. the closest airfield appears at the top of the list. If you can estimate from the head-down-display which the geographically nearest airfield is, then the comms menu will tell you the name of that airfield.

[wernst]

Correct, there is no airfield designation displayed. There are 2 ways to tell:

 

1. Use the knee board to tell you where you are.

 

2. When you bring up the communications menu for talking to the tower, the list of airfields that appears is sorted by distance, i.e. the closest airfield appears at the top of the list. If you can estimate from the head-down-display which the geographically nearest airfield is, then the comms menu will tell you the name of that airfield.

 

Thanks, darkfire

 

Although these proposals will work they are somewhat unrealistic.

Either solution doesn’t help much when being lost somewhere, exhausted from a delicate Mission and want nothing more than getting to the home field asap.

But there is no single push button NAV function “home”. The procedure to follow is:

 

I have to switch the COM menu and search for my home base in the list of airfields sorted by distance.

Let’s say, my home field is at third position from top of the COM list. I then have to go to the NAV / RETURN menu

cycle through the airfields and look which airfield is distant on third. Done.

 

Really? The Englisch translation for what we say in Germany for this kind of “solution”:

From the rear through the breast.

[Ironhand]

If you zoom the HDD all the way out, you see just about all the airfields. Then you can just cycle to the one you want. This assumes, of course, that you know the region map well enough to know which base is which.

[wernst]

If you zoom the HDD all the way out, you see just about all the airfields. Then you can just cycle to the one you want. This assumes, of course, that you know the region map well enough to know which base is which.

 

This is just an acceptable solutions I can live with.

I wonder whether this kind of "basic" NAV functionality simulates the real thing.

[Robin_Hood]

I have said this time and time again, but there is a way (although quite imperfect) to know which airfield is currently selected.

 

1°) Note that when in LNDG mode (not RTN mode), the course indicator on the HSI shows the runway heading

2°) Know that every runway currrently in DCS has a unique heading. It is possible to make a list of all the runway headings

3°) Compare the course shown by the HSI to a list of runway headings, and deduce which airfield is selected

4°) In case of confusion (if several runways have close headings), use distance and direction as discriminating factors.

[wernst]

I have said this time and time again, but there is a way (although quite imperfect) to know which airfield is currently selected.

 

1°) Note that when in LNDG mode (not RTN mode), the course indicator on the HSI shows the runway heading

2°) Know that every runway currrently in DCS has a unique heading. It is possible to make a list of all the runway headings

3°) Compare the course shown by the HSI to a list of runway headings, and deduce which airfield is selected

4°) In case of confusion (if several runways have close headings), use distance and direction as discriminating factors.

 

Are you able to read from the small HIS scale the unique RWY heading with the precision of one degree to know which airport has been selected??

e.g. SOCHI (06) KOBULETI (07) KUTAISI (08 ) SENAKI (09)

[wernst]

4°) In case of confusion (if several runways have close headings), use distance and direction as discriminating factors.

 

Just to complete my comments made earlier:

Your Point 4 (if there are close headings) then “use distance and direction as discriminating factors”.

 

You propose a workaround for the workaround!!

 

Using “distance and direction” is the basic problem and the reason why I have posted here.

[DarkFire]

Thanks, darkfire

 

Although these proposals will work they are somewhat unrealistic.

Either solution doesn’t help much when being lost somewhere, exhausted from a delicate Mission and want nothing more than getting to the home field asap.

But there is no single push button NAV function “home”. The procedure to follow is:

 

I have to switch the COM menu and search for my home base in the list of airfields sorted by distance.

Let’s say, my home field is at third position from top of the COM list. I then have to go to the NAV / RETURN menu

cycle through the airfields and look which airfield is distant on third. Done.

 

Really? The Englisch translation for what we say in Germany for this kind of “solution”:

From the rear through the breast.

 

I agree, they're both very unrealistic. I'm guessing that the Su-27 designers didn't foresee a scenario in which the pilot wouldn't land at their designated landing airfield and couldn't radio someone (either an AWACS, GCI or EWR) for navigation assistance.

[BravoYankee4]

Hm... shooting from the hip in the dark here... but aren't the airfields numbered and if so shouldn't there be a list of airfields with the corresponding number assigned to it (like the RSBN)?

[Ironhand]

Hm... shooting from the hip in the dark here... but aren't the airfields numbered and if so shouldn't there be a list of airfields with the corresponding number assigned to it (like the RSBN)?

At some point, the numbering system disappeared (or, perhaps, I'm just missing it). Didn't notice it myself until the OP asked his question.

[DarkFire]

Hm... shooting from the hip in the dark here... but aren't the airfields numbered and if so shouldn't there be a list of airfields with the corresponding number assigned to it (like the RSBN)?

 

The airfields do all have codes, it's just that the Su-27 doesn't display the code for the selected airfield anywhere, whereas other aircraft such as the A-10C do display the code. If memory serves I think the Su-25T also displays the airfield code somewhere...

[Stealth_HR]

Correct, the Su-25T does display it in ВОЗВ mode in the bottom-right corner of the HUD.