DCS World - Heatblur F-14 Tomcat - Early Access First Look

[Jabbers_]

Sorry I have to say this, but I just started watching the video and I noticed it has some strange stuttering, was thinking it was on my end until I noticed that it runs at 50fps. Pretty please, do us one single favour in future: Never ever up videos at 50fps again. I'd pretty much prefer 30 over 50 since it runs smoother as it is half of the 60Hz that most screens sport. 60 would be best though. Expect positive feedback in about half an hour when I'm done watching the awesomeness

 

Oh, crap I didnt realize it was at 50, will fix in the future thanks for pointing that out!

[Eldur]

Watched it now and had a blast even with that weird unsynced framerate, thanks for addressing that

 

Those details... buffeting from missile "jet" wash, never expeced that

 

Having to salute to get a cat shot... ED, look here, this is how to do it

 

And the graphics, just marvelous... lighting and stuff, reflections on canopy, faint scratches even visible from outside, wiring behind the indicators up front (noticed that somewhere else already)...

 

Having to fly her with the pedals probably will separate the men from the boys

 

Can't hurt to go practice in the Fok. Dr. I in another sim to get used to that

 

Also was pretty impressed of the performance seen in the beginning, doing M 1.5 with ~2/3 of the AB range at almost 34k ft, with quite an adequate FF of just around 4.6 per engine on those gauges. Guess that's 4600pph, so it equals to 46 on the Hornet's gauges which is not much. The 18's FF roughly is in that ballpark as well, but well, no M 1.5 to be achieved at that setting in a climb though

 

And that buffet... the airframe literally talks to us. Looking forward to have some of that on my FFB stick as well

 

jester is so funny, can't wait to piss him off :D

 

I just wonder if you can make him vomit like back in the days of Jane's USNF

 

the only one i really have now is that damn lantirn

 

i cant believe he show cased the guided munitions but didn't use the lantirn pod.

jabbers was the lantirn pod not fleshed out yet or something yet? i know you talked about the rio cockpit not being finished yet but what about the pod?

 

LANTIRN is controlled by the RIO and as far as I've read and heard, the JESTER implementation for that is still WIP as is the backseat pit itself. That's why Jabbers did the buddy lasing instead.

 

Can't wait to get my hooves on that module soon, but I also look forward to more of your videos...

 

 

PS: Liked that "sorry, got more important things to do" intro which first seemed to be the answer to HB, but then got the twist to "sorry, dear wife, you gotta spend the holidays without me" - made my day

 

Watching yourself in the mirr' all day long also was pretty fabulous

 

BTW thanks for recording in 16:9. Noticed that when some text appeared at the top right corner that was truncated.

[Flamin_Squirrel]

FF is basic engine operation only and doesn't include A/B. It'll be drinking more than that! Another quirk of the cat.

[Lucas_From_Hell]

Out of curiosity, is there a list of the specific AIM-7/AIM-9/AIM-54 variants that'll be available on release? Cracking video by the way, Jabbers!

[phant]

 

 

Bye

Phant

[hansangb]

He got me. I thought Jabbers was going to say something like "...But HB understood and worked with me in January...." That was LOL funny.

[captain_dalan]

Severe buffeting, non-friendly HUD wanna-be, snarly RIO.. Plus the quirky engines of the A model.. What's not to love.. ;)

 

 

My thinking exactly! :thumbup:

 

Primary buffeting sensor for F-14 pilots

 

 

Right on! :lol:

[pocketedition]

I missed something maybe.

Was the a question regarding the mirrors answered, Y/N

Do they work for looking behind or not.

 

Thanks Jabbers, good job.

[Sandman1330]

 

 

Bye

Phant

 

Tell Meg I love her!

 

So I wasn’t the only one who thought this might be an Easter egg??

[Watari]

Tell Meg I love her!

 

So I wasn’t the only one who thought this might be an Easter egg??

 

 

You lost that loooooooooooovin feeeeeeeeelin. :lol:

[impeller83]

Totally awesom video Jabbers, great work

 

Skickat från min SM-G965F via Tapatalk

[Ratcatcher]

I missed something maybe.

Was the a question regarding the mirrors answered, Y/N

Do they work for looking behind or not.

 

Thanks Jabbers, good job.

 

 

I think Jabbers responded earlier by saying that because of his screen res the recording didn't really show off the fact that you can see behind OK.

 

Ah, here it is:

Post #42

Jabbers: "I had to move my head because I have an ultrawide and recording some things in 16:9 I have to get creative, so the view is a bit different."

[BlackLightning]

buffeting from missile "jet" wash, never expeced that

 

@12:48... I didn't expect it either: I have never considered that missiles produce jet wash, too. After all they may be small but they are very fast, so that makes sense.

I'd like to see some aerial refuelling and formation flying, too and hear/read consequent comments about the jet wash.

 

I'd also like a demonstration of how to use the controls to manoeuvre the F14 in which we can see how the pilot is supposed to use the rudders.

 

Thanks to Jabbers for the video and congratulations to Heatblur for the amazing work.

[Phil73805]

I flew the F14A for eight years, over 1600 hours in the air (USN count flight time from launch to land, not startup, taxi or shutdown time), and Nick's statement in the thread above is exactly correct.

 

The Tomcat gave excellent feedback via buffet on alpha and energy bleed rates. It also buffeted heavily and exhibited wing rock, proverse and adverse roll and needed to be flown using rudder input only with the stick centered laterally for roll at typical air combat turning alpha states. It buffets at one G with the landing flaps down too.

 

The F14 talks to you in a number of ways. Airframe buffet is primarily the result of overwing flow and vortices impacting the vertical tails and horizontal stabilizers. The vertical tails shook visibly under certain conditions, RIO's could see it better than pilots, the latter of which was masked by canopy distortion and position. Heatblur seems to have modeled it well. Use it to your advantage.

 

Most swept wing jet fighters exhibit this behavior, it just hasn't been modeled properly to date.

 

It's responses (and members) like this that make me so very happy.

 

I look forward to hearing your feedback after release :)

[Victory205]

 

..I'd also like a demonstration of how to use the controls to manoeuvre the F14 in which we can see how the pilot is supposed to use the rudders.

 

Thanks to Jabbers for the video and congratulations to Heatblur for the amazing work.

 

You'll figure it out naturally in about three minutes.

 

Buffet cues are key- Without buffet, use coordinated rudder and stick to initiate roll. This includes in the landing pattern. Lateral stick only will produce adverse yaw, some wallowing and divergence. Coordinated controls produce a beautifully handling aircraft. You should be doing this in any non FBW swept wing aircraft.

 

With light buffet, lead with rudder and include stick. Increase to moderate buffet, center stick and roll with rudder. Heavy buffet, put your elbows on the cockpit sills and keep that stick perfectly centered using smooth rudder inputs only. The aircraft is perfectly controllable and responsive rolling with rudder only. Be smooth in all control inputs, including throttle. In the landing configuration by the way, throttle also results in a mild pitch response due to the low thrust line. This helps in glide slope control, but it takes a little time to learn to work with it.

 

If you are in an alpha regime that requires rudder instead of stick, then lateral stick either won't roll the aircraft, or it will roll opposite. Correlate that behavior with buffet intensity.

 

You will need to spend a few minutes setting up your rudder axis curves and dead zones.

 

Are you beginning to see why sensitivity to buffet is so important in the F14?

Edited January 6, 2019 by Victory205

[Manuel_108]

Interesting. So, generally speaking, the rudder is used for basically evey turn?

[BlackLightning]

Thank you Victory205, I appreciate that I've just read an explanation by someone who flew the real airplane.

 

 

Are you beginning to see why sensitivity to buffet is so important in the F14?

 

Yes, if I got it right: a rule of thumb to begin flying the F14 is the following: the higher the AoA, the more rudder is needed to roll the aircraft and we can estimate the AoA by considering the amount of buffet. Therefore, the higher the buffet, the more the pilot needs rudder to roll.

 

 

In the landing configuration by the way, throttle also results in a mild pitch response due to the low thrust line.

I think I get this, too: by looking at pics I've seen that the engines are lower than the dimensional center of the aircraft and I guess that they are even lower than the center of gravity. So, when thrust is increased, the F14 will pitch upwards. Well, this behaviour sounds more common; I think I've experienced this (but not in real life) with Flaming Cliffs 3 jets.

Edited January 6, 2019 by BlackLightning
Forgot a “1” in “F14”.