Airfield Lights Won't Stay On

[mytai01]

I'm flying the MiG-21Bis in DCS World (Beta Version) to Mozdok Airbase (RSBN/PRMG ch. 9). My missions have been set up during the day in very poor visibility weather. I use the radio to call the Mozdok tower (ch.13) and they respond as they should. However, they turn the airfield lights on for only a short period of time and then they turn them off well before I've gone visual and I can't ever find the airfield. I have to cancel my arrival and re-contact them when I'm close to get them to turn the lights back on. Make sure you're in landing configuration about 80km out or you'll have a very hard time...THIS is a BUG! The only Good Bug is a Dead Bug! Do you want to know more???

 

MiG-21bis Training.miz

 

BTW, real ATC is required (at least in the US) to have the lights on 30 minutes before arrival of expected IFR traffic...we only turn the lights off when we don't want them...;)...

Edited March 12, 2019 by mytai01

[Ironhand]

I'm flying the MiG-21Bis in DCS World (Beta Version) to Mozdok Airbase (RSBN/PRMG ch. 9). My missions have been set up during the day in very poor visibility weather. I use the radio to call the Mozdok tower (ch.13) and they respond as they should. However, they turn the airfield lights on for only a short period of time and then they turn them off well before I've gone visual and I can't ever find the airfield. I have to cancel my arrival and re-contact them when I'm close to get them to turn the lights back on. Make sure you're in landing configuration about 80km out or you'll have a very hard time...THIS is a BUG! The only Good Bug is a Dead Bug! Do you want to know more???

 

[ATTACH]206023[/ATTACH]

 

BTW, real ATC is required (at least in the US) to have the lights on 30 minutes before arrival of expected IFR traffic...we only turn the lights off when we don't want them...;)...

Downloaded your mission yesterday but haven’t had a chance to fly it. Hopefully tomorrow. Did open it in the ME and was surprised to see the fuel load. Is there more going on than a 180 km cross country flight? I’d like to know before I climb into the cockpit tomorrow morning. :)

 

BTW, why be in landing configuration 80km out?

[Ironhand]

Flew your mission this morning. Mozdok does behave differently. As soon as you call inbound and get the response the lights come on and will stay on (as with everywhere else in the Caucasus). They were on for roughly an hour before I quit. However, once you request landing and get the permissive response (which occurs around the outer marker), you must land. If you abort or do anything but land, the lights go out. By way of comparison, at Nalchik the lights will stay on after you receive permission even if you abort.

 

I haven't tested (and don't have the time to) to see why there's a difference. At Nalchik, when you receive permission to land, additional spotlighting at the end of the runway is turned on. I noticed no such additonal lighting at Mozdok. Don't know whether or not that plays into it.

 

EDIT: I flew this as a straight cross-country trip. Had no problem locating the field visually, since the runway lights were on. On a second flight, after receiving permission to land, I added power and started to turn away short of the runway. The lights immediately went out.

Edited March 14, 2019 by Ironhand