Retiring Rookie Introduction

[Radial9]

I don’t see a place for intro’s here so I’m hopeful I can just post this here. Retirement is soon looking me in the face. Two years ago I hung up my flightsim hobby after a major hardware issue after flying for over ten years. I am a real pilot, although not current and have not flown in 15 years. Looking around I made the call when the old system crashed not rebuild. So, I have been out of computer flying a few years now.

 

Now LMT has come out with P3Dv4. The future looks much better! Today I pulled the trigger on a nice new system, very similar to what David OC and a few others on the hardware build board just built. It will be a few weeks before it comes together. I have built 4 systems over the past 12 years, but I have never tried to OC a system. I’m going to try to do so on this one.

 

So… I stand here with crumpled up aviator hat in hand and see if, over the next month or two, I can have an additional resource to get me up and running. A place to come to when the feces hits the oscillating device, which it no doubt will, multiple times I’m sure.

 

Although I have flown mostly piston ac the past decade online, mostly the MAAM DC3. I was, and will be again, an active member of DC3 Airways. Thousands of hours all over the world. One of the nicest bunch of COF’s you could ever fly online with. I’m thinking of reaching for other new flying horizons along with the usual DC3 Multiplayer flights I join in on weekly.

 

And to the point of why I’m here… I dabbled a few frustrating years with Jane’s Longbow Apache many years ago. The A10C and Black Shark here are REALLY drawing my attention. I have spent a few weeks here in the shadows reading and watching YouTube to learning a bit more of the DCW world. There is no doubt once this system is built that A10 and I will be spending some serious time together over the next few years. I have ordered a nice joystick, so I guess the fall down the rabbit hole has begun.

 

I’m mature, I’m patient, I RTFM and know it is going to be a LONG climb to anywhere near proficiency. But hey, I’m getting ready to retire and I hope to have some serious time to dedicate to the efforts.

 

 

Down the road some, after this build and dozens of hours of A10C flight training, I might be looking around for other COF’s (certified old farts), and of course brazen young bold pilots, with which to fly with. Might have to have a look over the P51 and Spitfire too, being especially fond of piston slappers.

.

Thanks for reading! Again, I see no noob intro site so I thought guides and tutorials was a good place to start. Look forward to being part of the community.

 

Cheers,

 

Radial9

[JINX_1391]

I don’t see a place for intro’s here so I’m hopeful I can just post this here...Look forward to being part of the community.

 

Cheers,

 

Radial9

 

Welcome Radial9! I hope you find what you're looking for in DCS and virtual aviation. This community has a ton to offer and I hope you find yourself a part of it.

 

Now that you're down the rabbit hole don't hesitate to reach out. There is a wealth of greatness in the DCS community and everyone is willing to help. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised to know that the TF-51D comes free with the free download of DCS: World (if you already didn't know).

 

Again welcome - and cheers!

[OnlyforDCS]

The Spitfire is an absolute joy!

[MegOhm_SD]

Welcome Radial9!

 

You will find plenty of help and advice here in this great community.

 

Exciting times ahead for DCS...Have patience with the transition.

 

<S>

Edited June 20, 2017 by MegOhm_SD

[Home Fries]

Welcome Radial9.

 

You'll find that DCS has almost everything to scratch your flying/fighting itch (short of multi-engine transport), whether it be seat of the pants flying, systems management, low level strike, and also the best helo sim on the PC. If you ever had any interest in rotary wing flying, get the huey and start learning. You'll find a significant learning curve with a very rewarding experience once the proverbial light bulb turns on. Rotary wing is a fun challenge for real-world fixed wing types, so I highly recommend it.

 

Best,

HF

[Radial9]

Thank you for the welcome. Sorry for the delay in getting a post back up. The site is having some issues remembering me and my passwords. I think I have it worked out. My new dedicated flight sim computer is going together nicely. Should be done and ready for software in a week or so. Have spend many hours reading posts, manuals and tutorials to begin the learning curve climb. I'm taking notes as I go and will just slowly try to get questions answered and if I can't find the answer will post. Trying to decide now how much $$$ to drop on a flight stick. LOTS of opinions. I don't think I will be doing any other stick flying outside of DCS. I use, and have used, CH products for years and love them. I have 1000's of hours in the DC3 with them. Will be seeking advice on a stick here soon. The Warthog looks temping, especially since I will be staying in DCS. Just want to make sure it will be the right choice for the piston slappers and maybe the Black Shark too. Thanks again!!

[Home Fries]

The hog is a great choice for a stick, especially if you want to fly the A-10C. However, if you're comfortable with CH and its programming language you can do a lot there as well. It all depends. I have a Cougar and Warthog (got the hog later), and I use a Sidewinder FFB2 for the Huey and Mi-8.

 

DCS will recognize all of your controllers, so you can use the WH for the tactical, CH yoke if they make a flyable C-47 or P-38 etc.

[Radial9]

It says much about a community when members, who appear to be quite involved in the community as well as RL, take a moment to welcome a complete noob. Thank You! All of you. It’s appreciated.

 

I have a stack of boxes sitting next to me. All my components are here for a top shelf dedicated FS build. I have to leave on a business trip so the build is going to have to wait a week or two more. All in good time.

 

I’m going to wait to buy a stick and throttle. I spent a bunch of time on Home Fries pages looking over the work you have done. Pretty impressive. WAY over my head at this point. I need to work on getting ANY of the planes in DCS up and down without refolding any metal. I absolutely LOVE that Navy Aviator signature! Read it to the wife on the lani early this am over coffee. “Yup… met a few of them over the years.” I will give your rotary craft suggestion some cogitating… thanks.

 

I come to a flight stick decision with no previous preconceived bias or fondness for stiffness, functionality, or layout. At this point it might make sense to lean toward a TM Warthog. Especially since I see scripts and layouts for most all the piston slappers in DCS as well as the A10C.

 

Is there a rumor of a DCS C47? That would be as good as it gets as the saying goes.

Again, thanks for the outstretched hands. Always makes it easier to move forward into the unknown here.

 

Cheers,

 

Radial9

[mkiii]

To be honest, I haven't really found the need for scripts in DCS for my TM Warthog, although I do use one for another sim.

 

The A-10 practically runs out of the box with a WH, as you might expect, since the stick and the sim are designed for each other.

 

What I would recommend is something to get your stick off the desk though. Some people have posted many & various ways to do this, with floor mounted long extensions being the extreme end, and desk clamps to get the stick base.

 

I have just bought a Monstertech desk mount for the stick (the throttle sits on top of my PC to the other side). They are expensive, but do give you the flexibility to have the stck where you want it, and at a reasonable height.

 

As Homefries mentioned, a lighter stick can be more useful for the more nimble stuff. I just keep an old Saitek X-52Pro for those occasions.

 

As for a C47? Not sure, but it looks like at least one person is doing a mod...

[FragBum]

hey you guys most of those aircraft have the rotor on the wrong axis,.. :P :music_whistling:

 

Cheers Radial9 sounds like your getting ready for some serious SIMing :thumbup:

[DeepDrummer]

Welcome to DCS and welcome to retirement. You are about to enjoy, as do I.

[MegOhm_SD]

A couple if ideas you might consider.

 

An option to get your controls off the desk is to attach the HOTAS to your chair. You can either buy platforms for this or make your own. Ofcourse that depends on the chair. This was my solution which I am quite happy with. I also mounted a mouse pad on the chair. (wireless Razor Mamba).

 

I dont know if you are thinking Track IR but if you do, go with the Pro which you can easily convert to wireless. This works well with a wireless headset. Who wants wires hanging from their head anyway? If you search a little there are some threads on how to do this. Some better than others so choose wisely. It is important to get the right battery. I have been using the same one for over 5 years now and it has never died during flight time.

 

Have fun building out your system and rig!

[Radial9]

Now that the PC is up and running I’m going to start out with the A10C, of course. I have downloaded the 700 page manual, the Lobo version 8d checklist guide and bought a digital copy of PC Pilots special issue dedicated to the A10C.

 

I am getting ready for an extended business trip to Alaska, where I spent most my life, for business. The fun of these trips was gone years ago, they are a PITA now. Three weeks of LONG jet rides and boring hotels. Good time to start reading these manuals. I’m a bit of a nerd about these things, but I really enjoy reading these docs.

 

So…. Question is. When I get home and have my HOTAS, MFG Crosswinds and my beautiful 32 inch 4K monitor in front of me, which version of DCS world is going to make the most sense, 1.5 or 2.1? I understand the differences of geography. I also understand the Mapleleaf missions and much of the earlier training stuff is all centered around v1.5.

 

Will I be at a disadvantage to start from ground zero training in v2.1? Would be nice to have the benefits of v2.1 with all this new hardware, but I don’t want to limit my training.

 

Anyone out there been where I am with this decision? I suppose I can go v1.5 for 6 months to a year as I gain proficiency and then move up to v2.1 as we get closer to “the big migration”.

Any thoughts, experience or informed opinions would be most appreciated.

[Home Fries]

Radial,

What I recommend is that you go through the tutorial missions in 1.5 before you leave on your trip. This will familiarize you with the cockpit and systems as well as give you some context when you are reading. Trying to digest the manual without context is like trying to read a technical manual without knowing about what system you are studying.

 

Once you go through the tutorials, you should at least have familiarity with the alphabet soup that includes TMS, CMS, DMS, SPI, SOI, SADL, CDU, EAC, etc. All of these will become second nature, but without context things get even more confusing. Once you have at least seen it, you can hit the manual, but don't worry about reading it cover-to-cover. Think of it more as a reference: read overview sections and skim the more detailed system stuff (e.g. CDU functions) because you won't retain it without context, but at least you'll know where to find it again.

 

I also recommend Chuck's A-10C Guide and watching Bunyap's

series on YouTube (though you can skip the A-10A entries in the series). Chuck's guide is a great reference that also presents the information in a more narrative fashion (good when you're away from a PC), and Bunyap's series is well reknown.

 

Good luck!

[Radial9]

Home Fries... Thank you for the advice. Will make every effort to follow it. Schedule is a bit tight a few days before a three week business trip. Makes perfect sense though. I'm going to assume the tutorials are a bunch of watching rather than doing. Let's see if I can make it happen. I will attempt to at least get a start on them if I can't get all the way through before I head out. Thanks!!

[VampireNZ]

Hi Radial9, welcome to DCS! My pop is retired and I am in the process of introducing him to DCS also. Heading home in a few weeks to help him set up his controllers and get him started on some of the 'simple' aircraft like the F-15. He also has lots of hours in FSX flying all over the globe, and is quite interested in the piston fighters so also getting him into IL-2:BOS. Will be interesting to see how he takes to the 'newer' fighter jet combat in DCS.

 

The tutorials in DCS are very good and put you in the aircraft watching and doing - so very good for learning your way around the cockpit as Home Fries suggested. Take it slow with the A-10 and start with the basics like simply flying it and navigation etc. Then when very comfortable with that stuff move onto delving into the CDU more, then moving onto weapons employment - so progress just like real aircrew do when converting to a new aircraft!

 

I would highly recommend getting yourself a TrackIR 5 as well, pretty much a compulsory piece of equipment for flight sims.

[Radial9]

OK Gentlemen... Thank you for the advise and thank you for the warm welcome!

 

Was able to install DCS 1.5 and the A10c. Configured them and am quite pleased with the results. Was able to watch the first tutorial video. Hopefully will be able to watch a few more before heading out. I feel like a 16 year old kid with a new toy. Tempting to set my responsibilities aside and crank up another tutorial. But.....

 

Another quick question. Was able to get a summer special of the A10 and the Black Shark for a good price. They also have the A10 for 2.0 along with a mission on sale. And... Normandy and asset pack. Serious coin for something I may not be doing for months yet. Should I take advantage of this or do these sales come up every six months or so? Don't want to miss out.

 

Will give some thought to a HOTAS while I'm bored at 30K feet for 9 hours. The Warthog is serious money. Not sure how I'm going to take to blowing the $$it out of stuff yet. It's the cockpit and the flying that is the attraction here. Might just be able to fly just fine with a CH stick. But who knows, I might find air to air combat a wee bit of fun....

 

Thanks again!!

[Radial9]

I was able to find some time to run through the first six lessons of the training. MUCH was simply following rote commands without really knowing what was going on, but as per the excellent advice to do this, it should help a great deal over the next few weeks as I find time to read the flight manual, Chucks Guides and a few other resources I have tucked away for the trip.

 

I have no experience flying a HUD. I can see I’m just going to have to spend considerable time doing basic maneuvers to get learn to trust the instruments rather than my eyes on the horizon. I was able to accomplish a few 360’s within 500 feet either side of altitude and keep fairly consistent airspeed.. I’ll take that as a win for now. When landing there was indeed WAY too much going on, but after I was able to pause the sim, get the ILS programed for Batumi I was able to find my way there. Over shot the runway on approach and reciprocal headings half a dozen times before I was able to align, on the reciprocal runway, don’t you know, and was able to get the flaps and gear down and land the beast about 20 feet off the side of the asphalt. I’ll take it as a win.

 

Pretty much convinced me I need a MUCH better HOTAS. I’m using a TM T-HOTAS X, with no programming or profiles. But fun was had by all concerned and it did give me MUCH more of an idea of the cockpit as I read more over the next few weeks. Great advice, thank you!

[Hawkeye60]

Another quick question. Was able to get a summer special of the A10 and the Black Shark for a good price. They also have the A10 for 2.0 along with a mission on sale. And... Normandy and asset pack. Serious coin for something I may not be doing for months yet. Should I take advantage of this or do these sales come up every six months or so? Don't want to miss out.

I started out with FC3, the A-10 and Black Shark. I think I paid full price.

 

From then on I would wait for the sales to pop up which they do quite regularly.

Most every other module was bought on sale!

I do own them all!

(Yes, I admit I an a serious addict! Warning!!!!! There is no cure!)

 

Recently I bought the Viggen (awesome aircraft!)

Normandy and the WW II asset pack pre-release.

This saved a few bucks, I could not wait for a sale to occur on these!

 

So enjoy the A10!

Sales happen often.

I printed the manuals for that important "Office" ie: bathroom, reading material!

Seriously though, having the physical manual in my lap made learning MUCH easier. Anything I need to know was right there without leaving the cockpit. While paused of course.

 

The only problem with this whole scenario is ED went and released the Gazelle!

I was just getting comfortable with the A-10! Dam!

 

My poor A-10 sat in the hanger, rusting, while my days and nights were spent in Helo heaven!

 

YMMV

 

Oh, and welcome to the nut house!

You must be a little crazy to do this as much as most on these forums do!

Me included!

 

Hawkeye

 

ps: A Rift is a MUST have.

Sell your first, no, make that your second born if you must! :D:lol:

[Home Fries]

Pretty much convinced me I need a MUCH better HOTAS. I’m using a TM T-HOTAS X, with no programming or profiles. But fun was had by all concerned and it did give me MUCH more of an idea of the cockpit as I read more over the next few weeks. Great advice, thank you!

 

Since you're obviously dedicated and not just testing the waters, I recommend going full-hardcore with the HOTAS Warthog. It is based on the A-10C HOTAS, and every switch and button is mapped in-game. Honestly, I can't even imagine trying to manage the A-10C tactical systems with a T-Flight X. I had a tough enough time with the Cougar (which is essentially the same stick, though fewer switches on the throttle). If you know you're in for the long haul, you might as well suck it up and start your good habits now. Besides, you'll appreciate the Warthog with the Shark as well, being able to map the Shkval functions to the hat switches.

[Radial9]

I can’t believe it has been a year to the week that I started this DCS/A10C adventure. A whole series of life issues put my A10C training on hold. I had to replace the cooler on top of my homebuild CPU. I had a whole series of crashes in P3D from some original incorrect install config issues along with the cooler. All sorted out now. I made the decision to start from scratch and reinstalled W10 and all my flightsim gear. Then IRMA decided to make landfall right over the top of my house. Ten days living off a generator. Computer put on top of cabinets because if you listened to the local media there would be six feet of water in my house and we were all going to die. At the end of the ten days, at sixty three, I felt as if I had been beat about the head and shoulders with a baseball bat. But… we were more fortunate than many.

 

Anyway…… life goes on. I must admit to dabbling into the Majestic Q400 virtual airline thing over the past few months. Always thought about reinstalling DCS but never getting around to actually doing it.

 

Then last week I’m looking at Frooglesim’s weekly YouTube and watch him land the F18 Hornet on an aircraft carrier and my life changed.

 

I now have a new TM Warthog HOTAS, two MonsterTech HOTAS/Throttle desk pedastals and TrackIR sitting on the floor here next to me. To put it as I put it to the wife when I showed her the video (she’s gotta “thing” for fighter jocks). “I gotta do this.” She replied: “Yes… you do”.The CH Yoke and THQ will get packed into a storage box for my nine year old grandson. I will start the hardware installs this weekend.

 

Even though my retirement date has been pushed out a year, I can’t keep putting this off, especially after seeing the F18 videos. I believe I will have (or will make!) time over the next year or two to climb this learning curve.

 

Also got all my DCS/A10C training materials; video’s, manuals, threads and documents all organized and reread and reviewed again over the past week.

 

Everyone here at DCS, and in this thread in particular have been extremely kind in offers of help and encouragement. I hope I have not burned any bridges here. Life just threw a curve ball this way.

 

Where I sit right now is DCS World 2.5 has been downloaded and installed. I have not clicked the icon to open it after the install yet. Thought I would wait until I pull all the CH gear and install the TM warthog. It is USB spaghetti down there, as I also have a few GoFlight modules. I have not reinstalled the A10C.

 

I have some initial Warthog HOTAS install uncertainties after reading Chuck’s tutorial a few times. I don’t think I need a profile as I have read the A10C should respond to the TM Warthog pretty much out of the box. But Chuck discusses some axis binding that needs to be done. If I run into issues I’ll scurry back here ASAP if I can’t get through the documentation and manuals.

 

If you have made it through this rather lengthy post…. Again, and Again…. THANK YOU for the kind welcome and your encouragement. It has made a difference in making the decision to fall down this rabbit hole.

 

All the Best,

Radial9 AKA “Bob”

[Saintan]

...So…. Question is. When I get home and have my HOTAS, MFG Crosswinds and my beautiful 32 inch 4K monitor in front of me, which version of DCS world is going to make the most sense, 1.5 or 2.1?...

 

:megalol: I was happily reading through this "new" thread; planning "me too" type welcome reply, thinking your thread had just started. THEN I read which DCS version you were currently considering! :lol: Had to stop and reply. Will now continue reading the remaining replys and submit my current welcome in the correct context. :)

[Charly_Owl]

I have some initial Warthog HOTAS install uncertainties after reading Chuck’s tutorial a few times. I don’t think I need a profile as I have read the A10C should respond to the TM Warthog pretty much out of the box. But Chuck discusses some axis binding that needs to be done. If I run into issues I’ll scurry back here ASAP if I can’t get through the documentation and manuals.

 

 

Hey mate,

 

The Warthog HOTAS should work right out of the box with the A-10C. It did for me, at least. Feel free to ask any question you have here if you run into any hiccups.

[Saintan]

Hey R'9. Welcome back! :)

 

Sorry to hear of your delayed retirement. I'm another...life-experienced individual; semi-retired and slowly easing into DCS after witnessing the huge advancements in the past year.

 

I consider myself a life-long gamer and once-upon-a-time hardcore simmer. Except for the later Falcon iterations, hardcore today is a totally different beast than the golden years (late 80's - late 90's, for me) of PC flight sims.

 

I'm not all-in/pot-committed in becoming proficient in the study-level aircraft, but I LOVE the level of detail and options they provide when the flight-sim section of my aging OCD brain takes hold from time to time. ;) All the best!

[Radial9]

Quite a successful day. Started out installing and configuring TrackIRPro. All went well with the help of a few YouTube views. It works both in DCS and P3D with my ChasePlane.

 

Plugged in my new Warthog HOTAS, downloaded drivers and Target software, all is good.

 

Fired up DCS World 2.5 and configured it. All went well.

 

Reinstalled A10C. All went well.

 

Bought the Maple Leaf Qualification Campaigns for some self torture.

 

I must say in nearly three decades of flight simming NOTHING has ever gone this well, considering what I accomplished today.

 

I'm impressed!

 

Come Monday I will begin my familiarization and flight training starting with the A10C module tutorials.

 

If anyone has some suggestions from where to go from there as far as basic flying, navigation and weapon systems I would most welcome opinions on the quality of training out there, both free and/or payware. I know nothing beats airtime and folding aluminum, but some basic instruction first might save some time.

 

And so it begins...........

 

Cheers,

 

Radial9