Beginning in a new plane

[DblAAssassin]

What do you do to become proficient in an airplane? I'm interested to see everyone's different methods for training.

 

Thanks,

Conner

[_Acoustic_]

I only have spent time in the A-10C, but the thing I did to get the basics was to play the training missions. They are excellent.

 

I also have a few community made checklists or step by steps that I have on my ipad that I use as my knee board.

 

Just learned how to drop laser guided munitions, so much fun.

[dburne]

I have had DCS and several module for some time now, and my problem was I never took the time with any one of them to truly learn the systems, operations, and weapons. How to actually fly a combat mission.

 

I would start with one, play around a little , get frustrated - lay off a while, then try another, rinse and repeat.

Finally , now that I have more time on my hands, I decided I was going to learn a module come heck or high water, to where I can at least fly it, know how to navigate, and how to employ weapons and actually destroy some stuff.

 

The first ED product I had bought was the KA-50, so figured I would start with it - as I have a love of the helicopters especially.

So I dug in - did a lot of reading of the manual, asked a lot of questions on these great forums, did a lot more reading - started flying the training missions. Did a lot more reading, asked a lot more questions, and just kept at it.

 

I started that process right when 1.5 Open Beta came out, around 1st of Oct I guess, and have finally got to where I can actually load up a single combat mission and fly it, sometimes even with success. I am not even touching another module, until I can do some successful single player campaign flying. And I have put many hours into it since beginning then.

 

So my recommendation from my experience over the last several weeks:

Pick a module that really interests you. Decide you are going to learn that module, and nothing else in the meantime.

Read the manual. They are very good. Really read and study it as you have spare time.

Ask questions on anything you are not clear on, on these great forums. A more helpful community you will not find. I have had tremendous help from these great folks here.

Get familiar with those instruments in the cockpit and what they do. Manual is great for this.

Try a training mission, start with the first one for that module. Do it several times.

Also some great youtube tutorial vids out there, a simple search on the module you are learning should pull some up.

Check the sticky threads in the forum for the module you are learning, usually some great info in those. If it has a guide by Chuck, download that puppy - he puts some great guides out for some of the modules.

 

Don't get frustrated and give up too soon, there will be times it just seems too overwhelming. Believe me, there will come a point things will just start coming together for you, and you will go - oh yeah, I can do this!

 

The end result, is so rewarding it is worth every bit of time and effort one puts into it. Just be patient and persistent, and you will get it.

 

I too am still learning , and still have so much more to learn, and have several modules yet ahead of me to learn, and that is what is so great about it.

And most importantly, have fun!

[SFC Tako]

There's a lot different schools of thought out there.

Normally, people begin with learning takeoffs and landings until they don't damage the aircraft anymore. Then they move on to using the weapons on ground targets and later on air-to-air combat.

Then we have the nerds: They read up on everything and THEN perform the above and stay with that for the rest of their lives, never pushing the envelope.

And finally, the whackos: Never read up on nothing, just set the controls and start practicing carrier landings! Yeah, I'm one of those. When I get a new aircraft I always start with carrier landings. It's the best way to learn piloting a new aircraft, how it behaves at low speed, how things like gears, flaps and airbrakes work and what not. After that, I go straight into a shooting war. Cause there's nothing like combat ;)

[Kayos]

I guess I fit into the whackos side :)

[Yurgon]

I try to take it slow. When available, I do all the training missions, most of them several times, but not all at a time.

 

Of course, lots of videos, forum reading, following tutorials, reading parts of the manual, and building my own specific training missions are part of the entire process all along the way.

 

The following goes for modules that I really want to learn.

 

First, I try to get ground handling, simple startup and shutdown into my brain until I feel more or less comfortable with it. Then, obviously, take-off and landing, followed by basic handling and simple aerobatics. Next up, emergency procedures like stall recovery, single-engine/flame-out/autorotation landings, SAS failure, hydraulics failure, stuff like that. Next, of course (and sometime off course :D), navigation in good and bad weather, instrument and ILS or equivalent landings in low visibility.

 

I usually find that that keeps me happy for at least a week, and depending on the aircraft and its complexity could take up to maybe a month.

 

Then comes employment of the various sensors, weapons and delivery types, then countermeasures and missile/threat evasion.

 

At that point, or most often a bit sooner, I try single player missions and then start flying campaigns. I find that with Ka-50, A-10C, UH-1H and Mi-8, the campaigns really helped me to get a lot better at flying and using these aircraft because then I had a reason to give my best, several missions in a row. Besides, most campaigns start simple and then get more difficult as they progress, which is very good for beginners.

 

But I have to admit, the above is an idealized version, it's how I'd like to do it. Most often, I see interesting stuff in a video and think, well, using guns looks real easy, let's do a simple training mission, and next I'm deep into weapon systems before I've even looked at emergency procedures, which is guaranteed to bite me in the behind in the future, and more than once. :D

[King_Hrothgar]

I have all the aircraft in DCS except the trainers, my approach to learning them goes like this:

 

1) Watch a youtube video on cold starting.

2) Cold start in game, often requires alt tabbing back to youtube.

3) Takeoff, fly around, land. Repeat until I'm comfortable with it.

4) Learn how to use the essential weapons systems (ie vikhrs on Ka-50) via youtube.

5) Blow stuff up on target range missions until I'm reasonably effective with that main weapon.

6) Dive into MP with it and pick up additional skills as I go.

[OnlyforDCS]

It all depends. This is mostly how I do it with the beta planes which don't feature interactive training missions or campaigns.

 

First, read the manual. It is usually available in the /docs folder of the module of choice in your DCS install directory.

Then I do some hot-starts, practicing take-off and touch and go landings trying to use some of the (badly) memorized procedures from the manual.

After that I usually find a youtube video demonstrating the start-up procedure. I watch this a few times, pausing the video to write up my very own start up checklist.

Using this checklist I practice doing cold starts a few times, until I get comfortable with the procedures.

After that I usually proceed with the systems training, focusing first on navigation, then radar use, then weapons training, sometimes by rereading the relevant passages in the manual, but mostly using the method described above (Hint: Youtube is your friend).

For the beta planes which don't have many missions I usually use the provided instant missions, editing them in the editor to change a few parameters now and again, I also download some user made missions if they are available here on the forum. (Most of the times they usually are).

 

edit: I forgot to mention. I usually map the essential keys/joystick axes etc, before ever setting a virtual foot in the cockpit. I only do the essential stuff first and then when I figure out what gets used the most through practice, I add that stuff to the controller profile.

Edited December 11, 2015 by OnlyforDCS

[Para_Bellum]

For me it's pretty much always the same basic procedure:

 

1.) Cold start the aircraft, get to know the cockpit instrumentation and layout

2.) Taxiing, take off, simple navigation, landing

3.) basic weapons employment

4.) advanced navigation

4.) advanced weapons employment

 

Learning tools are the official manuals, tutorial missions (if available), youtube tutorials, forum posts.

 

I frequently write down procedures while learning both as a help in the future and to memorize actions

[SFC Tako]

I guess I fit into the whackos side :)

So now there's two of us :)

[JINX_1391]

Make that three.

 

I recently found DCS about four months ago. It is (so far) what I've been searching for in a Military flight SIM my entire life.

 

What DCS offers takes time and has a steep learning curve. But so does doing this IRL, and that is what this community strives for. As close as we can get to IRL while sitting in our basements ignoring our families. :doh:

 

Learn how you like to learn; watch videos, ask questions, read, google stuff, practice, and make it what you want. Above all else have fun...remember what brought you to DCS and the frustrating stuff will be worth it.

 

Don't be afraid to get on MP. Get on MP, talk to other people, and ask questions.

 

Can't wait to see you up there!

[Swordfish]

Select QuickStart Target practice, Bind controls, shoot stuff. Figure out all the gauges and stuff afterwards. Learn to start it when I'm going to play MP and have to.