How to finish the traffic pattern ?

[jfri]

I don't understand what I'm supposed to do to finish and pass the traffic pattern mission. I follow the voiced instructions and come to a point where I'm told to contact ATC and leave the pattern. I do so and then I'm instructed to rejoin the pattern. When I did so I was told to continue the pattern then nothing more happened. No new instructions and no confirmation that I have passed this task.

[Sabre-TLA]

Once you leave the pattern you should contact ATC to rejoin the pattern. Once ATC clears you for landing then you can land and the mission should complete after that.

 

Did you not get any response from ATC after calling inbound? They should advise you when you are cleared for landing.

 

Here is a video how it should play:

 

[jfri]

Once you leave the pattern you should contact ATC to rejoin the pattern. Once ATC clears you for landing then you can land and the mission should complete after that.

 

Did you not get any response from ATC after calling inbound? They should advise you when you are cleared for landing.

 

Here is a video how it should play:

 

 

Do I have to land also ? I got the impression that this time I should only be flying the pattern and landing would be in the next mission.

[Sabre-TLA]

You need to land in each mission for it to be successful.

 

As per item 12 in the Mission Objectives:

 

"Land at Batumi and park in designated parking spot".

 

The landing in this mission is not graded as formally as the next one.

 

Each mission has a specific topic of interest so the grading is coded to that specific topic.

[jfri]

You need to land in each mission for it to be successful.

 

As per item 12 in the Mission Objectives:

 

"Land at Batumi and park in designated parking spot".

 

The landing in this mission is not graded as formally as the next one.

 

Each mission has a specific topic of interest so the grading is coded to that specific topic.

 

When I tried again last time I got confused. Before this mission started in the air but now it instead started on the ground with cold and dark plane.

[Sabre-TLA]

Yes the practice mission plays first (typically in the air). If you pass the practice mission then you are presented with the actual qualification mission which is a ramp to ramp mission.

 

We may change this in a future update and have the campaign just be the qualification missions since you can play the practice missions individually.

 

See this forum post for more details.

[jfri]

Yes the practice mission plays first (typically in the air). If you pass the practice mission then you are presented with the actual qualification mission which is a ramp to ramp mission.

 

We may change this in a future update and have the campaign just be the qualification missions since you can play the practice missions individually.

 

See this forum post for more details.

 

I have been able to reach the point where I have landed and taxi off the runway and shut down the plane. I didn't score a finished mission. Exactly where should I park the plane and shutdown ?

[Sabre-TLA]

You should park beside the tanker as instructed by the FE:

"You can park beside the tanker.

 

You have 2 minutes to complete your shutdown procedure."

 

The FE will tell you if you missed something.

[jfri]

You should park beside the tanker as instructed by the FE:

"You can park beside the tanker.

 

You have 2 minutes to complete your shutdown procedure."

 

The FE will tell you if you missed something.

 

And what is the tanker ? A plane a vehicle ? And where is it ?

[AMEDooley]

It's a gas truck. It should be right off the taxi way. I want to say it taxi way bravo.

[NoviceDCS]

any tips on maintaining my altitude while turning?

[Sabre-TLA]

You typically lose speed in the turns so I would throttle up a little bit to maintain airspeed and then keep an eye on the flight path marker and try and maintain it at the 0 degree altitude lines in the hud.

 

I takes practice but over time you will get a feel for how much throttle is needed to maintain speed and then add some back pressure on the stick to keep your flight path marker at the 0 degree altitude lines in the hud.

 

You aren't going very fast in the Traffic Pattern mission so you may need more throttle than you expect to maintain airspeed and more back pressure on the stick to keep the flight path marker up (as you lose airspeed the nose will drop).

 

In a later mission you get to do both low and high speed turns while maintaining altitude so you will get more experience with this maneuver.

[NoviceDCS]

well.. i can pretty much stay close to the required airspeed. My problem is keeping my altitude between 2300-2700 once i begin my turn. there is a sweet spot (bank angle or rate of turn) where i'm neither dropping nor gaining altitude but it's often too slow and I would overshoot my waypoints, which complicates things even further with the FE trying to get me to turn on the waypoints itself.

 

Well, I need more air time i guess..

[John C Flett]

I've checked the briefing docs but is there a more detailed illustration of the turn / trigger points as I keep missing one.

 

I've got better results flying slower 200kts as opposed to the 200-250 it advises but I still have trouble, often being told I'm off course before I've made the turn or being told to make a second turn while still making the first.

 

Eventually I find myself on a leg which I'm never told to turn off. It might help if I knew actually where I was aiming for.

[Sabre-TLA]

If you fly directly to each waypoint and hit it at the correct altitude you should be in the trigger zone.

 

When turning to the next waypoint make the turn aggressive so you are on course and altitude as quickly as you can. If you bank too shallow that could take you off course so you miss the waypoint.

 

If you miss a waypoint fly directly to the next waypoint.

 

When doing the pattern again we found it helpful to recycle the waypoints so you don't have to guess where the turns were.

 

If you still have trouble send us a trk file to mapleflagmissions@gmail.com and we can analyze it and give you some feedback.

[John C Flett]

Thanks. I'd suspected the waypoints but I found as I played I had an increasing variation between the waypoint heading and the instructed heading to a point where I couldn't make both. I'll try focusing more on the waypoints and less on the instructor.

[Sabre-TLA]

Yes the instructor voice overs are there to provide guidance.

 

The triggers are based specifically on the waypoints and your current heading and altitude.

[John C Flett]

Just finished the practice mission. Pretty obvious in hindsight but I'll remember to watch the waypoints in the future. Thanks.