[NO BUG] Nose Wheel steering

[Naquaii]

8 minutes ago, F1GHTS-ON said:

Using this thread to ask another NWS question. (Keeps NWS questions together?)

If by accident you taxi a couple of feet too far forward on Stennis or Forrestal, I have found the bow area (FLY 1) too narrow to turn around in, even with what I believe to be full left/right lock. External view seems to show my F14 only showing approx 45degrees of turn.

Is this right? There is no NWS HIGH option like on AV-8B, but surely the nose wheel can turn further?

Thank you

To get the minimum turn radius you need differential braking as well. Hold the brake on the side you want to turn towards as well as full rudder to that side.

[Baz000]

5 hours ago, Naquaii said:

To get the minimum turn radius you need differential braking as well. Hold the brake on the side you want to turn towards as well as full rudder to that side.

Naquaii, I just wanted to draw your attention to this posting I made on here a while back visibly demonstrating that the NWS in the DCS Tomcat isn't actually behaving like the real aircraft.

 

Not only is the NWS not doing this but also the OLEO on the nose wheel is like there is no constant force being imparted on it.

"in DCS our nose strut doesn't compress on wheel brake application or when brakes are held also on power up"

And the reason WHY in particular this NWS authority is important to solve sooner, rather than later is when our carrier decks become completely crowded with planes and equipment and personnel all over the deck, just like in a realistic environment.

In this video you can see a Tomcat taxiing mid-deck in between cats 1 and 2 and it is able to turn around and park effortlessly alongside the other Tomcats parked abeam cat 2. In contrast, in DCS you can't do this even with an empty Fly 1 deck. Also, you can see how meticulously slowly they can inch the aircraft up using precision while taxiing... There is no crazy tire friction like we have in DCS.

 

I made a video in DCS trying to mimic as best I can the taxi behavior seen in the above video (granted the real video is taken from the USS Eisenhower class of carriers)

the result was abysmal. I also included a track.

 

f-14a_cdeck_taxi.trk

[Naquaii]

21 hours ago, Naquaii said:

To get the minimum turn radius you need differential braking as well. Hold the brake on the side you want to turn towards as well as full rudder to that side.

I have to correct myself after having re-read the parts about this in the documentation, you actually should not use differential braking but you can use single engine thrust on the opposite engine to increase turn radius. Sorry about that.

 

14 hours ago, Baz000 said:

Naquaii, I just wanted to draw your attention to this posting I made on here a while back visibly demonstrating that the NWS in the DCS Tomcat isn't actually behaving like the real aircraft.

 

Not only is the NWS not doing this but also the OLEO on the nose wheel is like there is no constant force being imparted on it.

"in DCS our nose strut doesn't compress on wheel brake application or when brakes are held also on power up"

And the reason WHY in particular this NWS authority is important to solve sooner, rather than later is when our carrier decks become completely crowded with planes and equipment and personnel all over the deck, just like in a realistic environment.

In this video you can see a Tomcat taxiing mid-deck in between cats 1 and 2 and it is able to turn around and park effortlessly alongside the other Tomcats parked abeam cat 2. In contrast, in DCS you can't do this even with an empty Fly 1 deck. Also, you can see how meticulously slowly they can inch the aircraft up using precision while taxiing... There is no crazy tire friction like we have in DCS.

 

I made a video in DCS trying to mimic as best I can the taxi behavior seen in the above video (granted the real video is taken from the USS Eisenhower class of carriers)

the result was abysmal. I also included a track.

 

f-14a_cdeck_taxi.trk 754.24 kB · 0 downloads

Some of those issues you describe aren't as easy as that, the nosewheel centering system is not always in effect and is actually turned off when the pilot depresses the button.

As for the ground friction issues it's a long standing problem with DCS having strange ground movement behavior that we have yet to find a good solution to.

But for this and the other issues I'm afraid I'd have to refer you to @IronMike as he's head of testing. I'm not and that's why I haven't replied to those threads.

My main responsibility is research in this case and I mostly try to chime in when there's misunderstandments in regards to how things should work.

[IronMike]

Noted, thank you.

[Baz000]

You gentlemen are most welcome, I love this aircraft and the work you all have done and continue to do to fine tune it.

[draconus]

On 11/19/2021 at 5:24 AM, Baz000 said:

I made a video in DCS trying to mimic as best I can the taxi behavior seen in the above video...

I tested last night and could make that turn from around the center at the bow to turn back around. I agree that the NWS deflection is limited though and braking on the inner wheel does help. This tire itself unrealistically turns at the same speed as the outer one like they were on the same welded axis. That's a bug.

I noticed in the second run you used both brakes and also stopped in the middle which breaks the turning somehow and make you drift when starting again - thus the failure. You have to gain a bit of forward speed and then turn max again. That of course are just workarounds and we await the gear, NWS and ground handling overhaul. I don't agree that we're much handicapped right now.

[Baz000]

23 minutes ago, draconus said:

I tested last night and could make that turn from around the center at the bow to turn back around. I agree that the NWS deflection is limited though and braking on the inner wheel does help. This tire itself unrealistically turns at the same speed as the outer one like they were on the same welded axis. That's a bug.

I noticed in the second run you used both brakes and also stopped in the middle which breaks the turning somehow and make you drift when starting again - thus the failure. You have to gain a bit of forward speed and then turn max again. That of course are just workarounds and we await the gear, NWS and ground handling overhaul. I don't agree that we're much handicapped right now.

Make a DCS video recording or track... I wasn't able to turn the aircraft around at all trying to follow the movements of what the cockpit video showed the aircraft was capable of doing.

I tried to use visual in cockpit references of where the aircraft is positioned in relation to the ship. You can see in my DCS video I move the mouse cursor around in horizontal plane showing the edge of the ship's bow in relation to the right pilot mirror. The RIO glare shield for the radar being in line with the edge of the deck of the ship when the aircraft stops moving forward and begins the turn to point aft and park.

These aren't exact 100% visual references but they are close approximations based on line of sight and spatial relationship between 2 objects... It is the same principle as flying off visual references in formation.

[Sarowa]

On 11/20/2019 at 8:37 AM, IronMike said:

 

 

 

 

Repairs in general are still WIP a bit, but I put down an extra tracker for this.

I ran into this today in multiplayer in the latest Open Beta.

My F-14A was damaged and the gear didn't extend normally, so I had to emergency extend it. That at least got the gear down. I landed and managed to differential brake off the runway onto the taxiway, then repaired. After repairs finished, I still didn't have NWS. It was a bit frustrating after waiting for the repair and also running through the startup with my human RIO.

[Croaker47]

Refuel probe check ended up with accidental gear turning today, so necro-reminder to make this repairable.