Binding request - finger lifts

[ReaperMadness]

First off, yes I know the bird doesn't have finger lifts. This is more a matter of compensating for throttle designs without a physical detent.

 

I'm waiting on a Virpil throttle upgrade to my TMWH and I can't really think of a more elegant solution than what ED implemented with the Hornet.

 

Also, I am aware that Virpil added a virtual finger-lift function to their software. That's great, but in my opinion that is kind of a band-aid fix compared to being able to select it in the Special tab for the F-14.

 

Thanks for your hard work Heatblur

[r4y30n]

Also waiting on a Virpil throttle. This sounds like a great option, especially since detents seem to be on the way out for throttles in general.

[ReaperMadness]

Yeah especially with the popularity of spaceflight sims. DCS needs to be better adaptable to different hardware. A good example is having multiple binding options for the same switch/knob depending on what kind of switch or button the user has. Heatblur knocked it out of the park with the Tomcat binding options.

 

To only have one option, even if it is the "realistic" option, is kind of an unreasonable expectation of the customer. We can't all be expected to build a full 1:1 pit for each module, you know what I mean?

[SUBS17]

First off, yes I know the bird doesn't have finger lifts. This is more a matter of compensating for throttle designs without a physical detent.

 

I'm waiting on a Virpil throttle upgrade to my TMWH and I can't really think of a more elegant solution than what ED implemented with the Hornet.

 

Also, I am aware that Virpil added a virtual finger-lift function to their software. That's great, but in my opinion that is kind of a band-aid fix compared to being able to select it in the Special tab for the F-14.

 

Thanks for your hard work Heatblur

 

The finger lifts in the real Hornet were disabled and the Afterburner is on the throttle without a detent in the real aircraft. No one on the planet uses finger lifts, the only guys ever to use them were test pilots who complained all the time about them. The first F/A-18A had them and then had them removed. With finger lifts its possible to leave the afterburner on and idle the engine and use up all the gas by accident which cost a good man his life and led to them being removed.

The real F-14 uses a solid detent with each throttle but there is no linkage to make a combined smooth thrust adjustment which is why afterburner is always one engine then the other.

[ReaperMadness]

Yeah but you're missing the point. We won't have a physical way to stop/feel before afterburners depending on YOUR physical throttle design. As I said before, this has nothing to do with the real planes, just our real lives..

[r4y30n]

In a way ED has done this with the helicopters. The trim systems have unrealistic options for stick centering and rudder trim because PC controls don’t work like the real choppers. And at the end of the day these unrealistic options allow you to fly more like the real pilots, which should always be the goal.

The real F-14 uses a solid detent with each throttle but there is no linkage to make a combined smooth thrust adjustment which is why afterburner is always one engine then the other.

 

I thought they lit one at a time because the time from ignition to light off is variable, you just don’t notice it with one engine.

[Chuck_Henry]

Just adding on that I, too, would really like an Afterburner Detent option under the Special tab just like ED did with the F/A-18. There are fewer things worse right now in the F-14 than finagling a detent-less throttle around the 80% range to get mil power without lighting off the burners.

[ReaperMadness]

Bumping this for visibility. I'd rather this was a DCS wide option but I have more faith in Heatblur doing it sooner, or at all.

[Nealius]

The finger lifts in the real Hornet were disabled and the Afterburner is on the throttle without a detent in the real aircraft. No one on the planet uses finger lifts, the only guys ever to use them were test pilots who complained all the time about them. The first F/A-18A had them and then had them removed. With finger lifts its possible to leave the afterburner on and idle the engine and use up all the gas by accident which cost a good man his life and led to them being removed.

The real F-14 uses a solid detent with each throttle but there is no linkage to make a combined smooth thrust adjustment which is why afterburner is always one engine then the other.

 

Source on the detent being removed? I recall specifically that the Legacy Hornets had a detent requiring 35lbs of force to push through.

[yngvef]

I would really like a bindable button that has to be held down to enter afterburner. And a toggle in the specials menu for those that don't want it.

 

This is to compensate for the fact that most (maybe all) don't have a physical barrier between full military and afterburner on most of our joysticks.

 

This would really help with making sure you can run up to full military thrust on takeoff not accidentally run at less than max or at AB.

 

So, +1 for this

[key_stroked]

Would also love a way to reliably engage AB after I've already maxed out my throttle range.

 

I say reliably because I played with throttle curves to stop at 100% RPM, but holding a button to increase throttle doesn't always work because it snaps back to 100% when it detects even the smallest movement in the throttle hall sensor.

[statrekmike]

A finger-lift option does make a lot of sense. Others have pointed out correctly that it helps offset the lack of a real detent that any afterburner equipped aircraft would have in real life but there is another benefit as well. Pretty much every throttle unit on the market has a different overall travel so the person who owns a early Virpil throttle is going to have a tougher time with extremely precise throttle management when compared to someone who owns a Warthog and its slightly longer travel.

 

Having a finger-lift option would allow everyone to use their entire throttle travel for precise control and would be able to engage afterburners only when needed without having that afterburner portion cut into precious throttle travel distance.