Attitude hold.

[Cintra]

Hi all.

 

I struggle with one thing in the f16, constant trimming.. it always rolls slowly to one side or another even while the ATT Hold is active.

 

Correct me if I am wrong but I assume that the ATT Hold is meant to prevent roll?

 

Thanks for any replies.

[Emmy]

Yeah, there’s something amiss in that system. I experience exactly the same thing. Get it going on heading and after a short while, you need a quick flick of roll trim to bring the nose back to where you want it. Sometimes it will settle where you want it, but sometimes it will continue to wander off course the other direction.

 

Drift / Flick / Drift / Flick...

 

You can get the jet to hold a constant heading with Heading Mode, but you have to dial in the necessary magnetic variation on the heading bug or else the jet will track a True Heading.

 

Chalk it up to WIP I guess.

Edited December 17, 2019 by Emmy

[HILOK]

Yeah, there’s something amiss in that system. I experience exactly the same thing. Get it going on heading and after a short while, you need a quick flick of roll trim to bring the nose back to where you want it. Sometimes it will settle where you want it, but sometimes it will continue to wander off course the other direction.

 

Drift / Flick / Drift / Flick...

 

You can get the jet to hold a constant heading with Heading Mode, but you have to dial in the necessary magnetic variation on the heading bug or else the jet will track a True Heading.

 

Chalk it up to WIP I guess.

 

i am experiencing this mainly after ramp start in self made missions, not so in the stock instant missions starting in air. maybe it has to do with the alignment process?

Edited December 18, 2019 by HILOK
quote added

[Theodore42]

i am experiencing this mainly after ramp start in self made missions, not so in the stock instant missions starting in air. maybe it has to do with the alignment process?

 

Check your autopilot switches maybe. They are on the left console near the Master Arm.

 

ATT stands for attitude, so this will only keep your pitch at a constant angle. So if you want to climb or descend at 20 degrees up or down, this will keep you there.

 

Going from memory, HDG is for heading, so it will keep you at a set direction that you can manually input on the HSI, that compass looking thing in front between the pilots knees. There is heading knob that will let you set what direction you want to go.

 

I have no memory of using this feature in DCS so it may not yet be implemented.

 

I'll jump in the game and check (getting on forums before firing up the game) so I'll check back here, but if someone hasn't already answered your question by the time I'm done writing this, then it will be answered by the time I get back to you :D

 

EDIT:

 

Ya it is confusing AF to explain but easy to figure out while just messing around.

 

There are 2 switches that matter for the autopilot, labeled on the left eyebrow console as "MISC" for some reason.

 

They are the two switches located under the master arm switch.

The left one is labeled "ROLL" and the right one "PITCH"

 

Instead of explaining everything I'll just tell you what is going to confuse you and you can jump in game armed with your confusion repellent and quickly understand what is going on.

 

The "ATT HOLD" writing in between the two switches is referring to the left "ROLL" switch, not the right "PITCH" switch. Makes no sense? Don't worry, the right "PITCH" switch also has a "ATT HOLD" setting as the bottom selection. If you think the "ATT HOLD" letters between the two switches is referring to the right "PITCH" switch, you will actually have the right "PITCH" switch set to "A/P OFF", which is the opposite of what you're trying to do.

 

If the right "PITCH" switch is set to "A/P OFF" then the setting of the left "ROLL" switch does nothing.

 

Set both switches to "ATT HOLD", which means the left "ROLL" switch is in the middle and the right "PITCH" switch it flipped down.

When I tested this I didn't get any uncommanded roll inputs. If you have an asymmetrical loadout it might be different, or it might just be WIP bug, but if you're symmetrical then you should be fine.

 

For completion's sake, when I earlier referred to the "HDG SEL" on the HSI:

On the HSI, which is the compass thing on the center console between the pilots legs, there is a knob in the bottom left. Its kinda hard to see. Use the right mouse button to drag the knob around and set your heading on the little notch on the compass. As long as the right "PITCH" switch ISN'T set to "A/P OFF" and the left "ROLL" switch is set to "HDG SEL" then the autopilot will point you whatever direction you manually input into the HSI.

 

If you set the left "ROLL" switch to "STRG SEL" and the right "PITCH" switch ISN'T set to "A/P OFF", then the autopilot will turn to the current waypoint.

 

If you're confused about any of this, just mess with the switches and

 

*****REMEMBER YOUR CONFUSION REPELLENT*****

The "ATT HOLD" writing in the middle of the two switches is referring to the left "ROLL" switch and not the right "PITCH" switch.

Edited December 18, 2019 by Theodore42

[Cintra]

Check your autopilot switches maybe. They are on the left console near the Master Arm.

 

ATT stands for attitude, so this will only keep your pitch at a constant angle. So if you want to climb or descend at 20 degrees up or down, this will keep you there.

 

Going from memory, HDG is for heading, so it will keep you at a set direction that you can manually input on the HSI, that compass looking thing in front between the pilots knees. There is heading knob that will let you set what direction you want to go.

 

I have no memory of using this feature in DCS so it may not yet be implemented.

 

I'll jump in the game and check (getting on forums before firing up the game) so I'll check back here, but if someone hasn't already answered your question by the time I'm done writing this, then it will be answered by the time I get back to you :D

 

EDIT:

 

Ya it is confusing AF to explain but easy to figure out while just messing around.

 

There are 2 switches that matter for the autopilot, labeled on the left eyebrow console as "MISC" for some reason.

 

They are the two switches located under the master arm switch.

The left one is labeled "ROLL" and the right one "PITCH"

 

Instead of explaining everything I'll just tell you what is going to confuse you and you can jump in game armed with your confusion repellent and quickly understand what is going on.

 

The "ATT HOLD" writing in between the two switches is referring to the left "ROLL" switch, not the right "PITCH" switch. Makes no sense? Don't worry, the right "PITCH" switch also has a "ATT HOLD" setting as the bottom selection. If you think the "ATT HOLD" letters between the two switches is referring to the right "PITCH" switch, you will actually have the right "PITCH" switch set to "A/P OFF", which is the opposite of what you're trying to do.

 

If the right "PITCH" switch is set to "A/P OFF" then the setting of the left "ROLL" switch does nothing.

 

Set both switches to "ATT HOLD", which means the left "ROLL" switch is in the middle and the right "PITCH" switch it flipped down.

When I tested this I didn't get any uncommanded roll inputs. If you have an asymmetrical loadout it might be different, or it might just be WIP bug, but if you're symmetrical then you should be fine.

 

For completion's sake, when I earlier referred to the "HDG SEL" on the HSI:

On the HSI, which is the compass thing on the center console between the pilots legs, there is a knob in the bottom left. Its kinda hard to see. Use the right mouse button to drag the knob around and set your heading on the little notch on the compass. As long as the right "PITCH" switch ISN'T set to "A/P OFF" and the left "ROLL" switch is set to "HDG SEL" then the autopilot will point you whatever direction you manually input into the HSI.

 

If you set the left "ROLL" switch to "STRG SEL" and the right "PITCH" switch ISN'T set to "A/P OFF", then the autopilot will turn to the current waypoint.

 

If you're confused about any of this, just mess with the switches and

 

*****REMEMBER YOUR CONFUSION REPELLENT*****

The "ATT HOLD" writing in the middle of the two switches is referring to the left "ROLL" switch and not the right "PITCH" switch.

 

It seems my confusion repellent is finished. I'll open my game later and test it.

[HILOK]

hi Theodore42,

 

thanks a lot for taking the time to explain in all detail! actually my post was meant to second emmy's message, and i am confident it has nothing to do with AP or its usage. i should have been more clear probably.

 

thanks anyway

HiLok

[macedk]

Also me think the balance of the jet is yet to be final :)

 

Said it before tgp pod imbalance is driving me nuts :)

 

Dcs could make it on rails but, I think that would through off the hole aero of the jet elsewhere.

 

Fighterpilot podcast(youtube channel) did touch on this, no two jets are the same in real life.

 

Again DCS is going "ya ungrateful #¤%#¤%#" ;)

 

But all this feedback can only help to find as close of a compromise as possible :)

[Theodore42]

hi Theodore42,

 

thanks a lot for taking the time to explain in all detail! actually my post was meant to second emmy's message, and i am confident it has nothing to do with AP or its usage. i should have been more clear probably.

 

thanks anyway

HiLok

 

Ah, ok.

 

I was motivated to reply to the ATT Hold reference because it reminded me of when the autopilot was implemented in an older F-16 simulator. It confused me in the way I described for the longest time until I read about it in the manual, lol. Not sure if everyone gets confused in the same way I do though.

 

And the TGP pod drives me crazy also!

 

EDIT:

 

If you guys are talking about the ATT setting on the EGI knob on the Avionics Power panel then that's just referring to if the EGI fails and you want to manually align the attitude so you can use the ADI and HUD without a functioning EGI.

Edited December 18, 2019 by Theodore42