Am I dumb?

[reddog832]

O I've had DCS sims for ages. Flown the BlackShark, then the A10C then the AV8 and the Hornet but I took a look at the F14 (though I dearly love it) (and the movie) and my brain just switched off. I mean I understand the F16 BMS radar and the Hornet.....but the kit in the F14 just has me staring bog eyed at all the blips and symbols. I mean how come all those dudes are flying about and shooting /bombing stuff already? Its gonna take me ages just to get this beast off the floor

[Looney]

It's called doing homework and hands-on training. Tons of stuff out there, go read, go fly, go have fun.

[Wavehopper]

Just learn it bit by bit. Flown 8 hours so far just learning start up and basic airmanship.

 

It’s a familiarity thing, and thankfully I played a LOT of MPS Fleet Defender as a teenager so the systems are familiar.

 

Practice. Practice. Practice some more.

[Airhunter]

O I've had DCS sims for ages. Flown the BlackShark, then the A10C then the AV8 and the Hornet but I took a look at the F14 (though I dearly love it) (and the movie) and my brain just switched off. I mean I understand the F16 BMS radar and the Hornet.....but the kit in the F14 just has me staring bog eyed at all the blips and symbols. I mean how come all those dudes are flying about and shooting /bombing stuff already? Its gonna take me ages just to get this beast off the floor

 

Only gonna speak for myself here but I started reading the NATOPS manual like last year and the HB manual once it was released. Always be prepared. :pilotfly:

 

But other than that there were/are plenty of tremendous tutorials on YouTube from various content creators which cover all the basics you need to get up and running and be profficient.

 

As a genereal tip: Start with the basics by watching the tutorials, referencing the online Heatblur manual and of course practice practice practice. Nothing beats actual experience. After that you can always dive deeper into the matter via the NATOPS manual, reference specific system functions and procedures etc.

[SVgamer72]

Here are a couple useful videos that go over some nuances of the RADAR and Jester...

 

 

[sirrah]

O I've had DCS sims for ages. Flown the BlackShark, then the A10C then the AV8 and the Hornet but I took a look at the F14 (though I dearly love it) (and the movie) and my brain just switched off. I mean I understand the F16 BMS radar and the Hornet.....but the kit in the F14 just has me staring bog eyed at all the blips and symbols. I mean how come all those dudes are flying about and shooting /bombing stuff already? Its gonna take me ages just to get this beast off the floor

You're not alone man :P

 

Lack of spare time will make it take ages for me to learn the F-14... and the little time I do have I don't want to spend reading manuals (no offence meant). Still I enjoy every minute I can get inside that cockpit

[AV8R]

Ive been into BMS so long, getting back to DCS is going to be a labor of love. Been waiting for a MP CPIT since Janes LB2

 

Thanks for the video links. WIthout such, I never would have gotten the DCS BF109 and MiG15 off the ground.

[Nexus-6]

Just learn it bit by bit. Flown 8 hours so far just learning start up and basic airmanship...

 

 

...Practice. Practice. Practice some more.

 

 

This. They don't call them "study sims" for nothing. I've had it since Wednesday, and I'm only now remembering how to do a cold start.

 

 

Don't rush it. It will come.

[104th_Maverick]

No you're not dumb but you are a little guilty of underestimating the module.

 

 

Remember this is pretty much like (don't get triggered people) learning to operate the real aircraft. Its not something you're going to pick up 100% over a few hours.

 

 

Stick with it, time and effort will take you to the top.

 

 

God Speed!

[Harlikwin]

Yeah, its not you. I can do basic things like T/O and land. I cant even start it up. But I will a month from now. Some folks spent a ton of time pre-learning, that's all. The rest of us will catch up though.

[dawgie79]

Yeah, its not you. I can do basic things like T/O and land. I cant even start it up. But I will a month from now. Some folks spent a ton of time pre-learning, that's all. The rest of us will catch up though.

Starting the bird from the pilot seat is fairly easy, systems operation as well. Really like those little arrows you can set on the airspeed indicator, glance at it and see instantly how fast you need to fly for a landing for instance (VR).

 

Flying it properly though, whole other ball game.

 

Landing on an airfield, yeah sure. On the carrier? Ask me again in a few weeks. ;)

[Supmua]

Am I dumb?

 

It definitely has a fair bit of a learning curve compared to other aircrafts like Hornet, Harrier, A-10C which share some common grounds in terms of operations.

 

I find the E-bracket to be a challenge to follow during landing as it tends to go all over the places and ended up relying on AOA indexer instead. It is also more difficult to stay on AOA while turning in for final approach.

 

The cockpit shake is pretty cool though and makes other planes feel sterile to fly in comparison.

[Max_Rogue]

If you break it down into different systems, and learn things one at a time, it becomes immensely easier.

 

 

Real life pilots don't start out doing a start-up, get into a dogfight, bomb a target, circumnavigate the globe, and then land on their first flights, do they?

[P.Carrasco =Keep Flying=]

T/O = ok

Land in an airfield = ok

Land in Carrier = I tried once only, successfully, I got the last cable, and the landing was very strong, I do not know how the landing gear did not break.

Bombing, Shooting Down, track any thing, pop chaffs = not yet

Flares = ok

[Napa]

New found level of respect to real F-14 pilots out there. They sure had their hands full with it.

[erniedaoage]

I am just doing instant action missions as free flight, dogfight and bvr at the moment and landed the bird every time successful except for the first time where i rolled of into the grass, cause i forgot to bind the nosewheel steering. I don't know if i got a much better pilot in the last couple of months, or the ai is set to easy, but it's quite easy for me to take down that su27 after a couple of turns i am right behind him and splash him. Was not able to win the bvr engagement so far against those 2 nasty mig29. :)

 

The best thing for me is that its non-fbw. For me it feels like i have wasted to much money on the m2000c and the hornet since both feel to sterile to me. Once on a free flight with the f18, i went to the toilette, got me a drink from the fridge and returned 3-4 mins later so see the bird is still flying cause i forgot to hit the pause key. Was kinda surreal for me since i flew a lot of migs and su27/33.

[Victory205]

..The best thing for me is that its non-fbw. For me it feels like i have wasted to much money on the m2000c and the hornet since both feel to sterile to me. ...

 

^^^^

 

This Gent gets it...