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F-5E as T-38 Substitute?


panton41

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I've waffled about getting the C-101 Aviojet as a trainer to learn basic flying skill (which I woefully lack despite decades of playing flight sims), but from what I've seen of it I'm not terrible impressed.

 

I've had the F-5 for a while since I simply think it's a cool plane and it's fun to fly, but would it make a reasonable substitute for a basic flight trainer ala the T-38 Talon (which is shares a common ancestor with).

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I got it for that purpose originally. It works fine - work loads are relatively low and logical. Also consider the L-39. The F-86 is good also from a simplicity point of view.

 

 

I didn't like the C-101 very well either. Between the buffeting noise at/near stall and the horrible engine noise above ~85% throttle I decided to take a pass on that one.

 

 

Speaking of trainers - Yak-52 is pretty cool. Working from '52 to T-38 and/or L-39 to the heavy metal is a logical progression I'd say.

 

 

Spitfire and/or Mustang will teach you a lot also.

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So, the main differences between the c-101 and the F-5E as far as training goes would be: F-5 is supersonic, F-5 has a radar, C-101 has VOR and ILS navigation as well as TACAN while F-5 only has TACAN, and C-101 has tons of failures and navigation centered missions and an IFR hood and is really based around being a trainer, while the F-5 would require some mission creation to get there.

 

In my opinion they’re both pretty good for VFR training of general aviation and air/ground combat basics, but the C-101 is way better for IFR and a bit worse for air combat training (radar notwithstanding the thing is an absolute pig).

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It's a computer game. You don't need to learn in a trainer.

 

If you actually want to learn how to fly better, train on a WWII plane.

 

I don't want to have to fight advanced avionics in order to learn basic stuff like taxiing, take off, landing, etc.

 

I considered X-Plane briefly, but other than the Cessna Skyhawk it didn't have much that would work as a trainer. (Though being able to fly around my local region would be fun, but not $40 on sale kind of fun.)

Windows 10 64-bit | Ryzen 9 3900X 4.00GHz (OC) | Asus Strix B450-F | 64GB Corsair Vengeance @ 3000MHz | two Asus GeForce 1070 Founders Edition (second card used for CUDA only) | two Silicon Power 1TB NVMe in RAID-0 | Samsung 32" 1440p Monitor | two ASUS 23" 1080p monitors | ASUS Mixed Reality VR | Thrustmaster Warthog HOTAS | MFG Crosswind

 

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The F-5 handles almost exactly like the T-38. In fact, I used the Air Force's "T-38 Flying Fundamentals" publication to learn how to fly the DCS F-5. There are some minor differences like how you operate the flaps (automatic or thumb switch in the F-5 instead of a manual lever) and trim (no takeoff trim button in the F-5; you manually set a nose-up value based on gross weight and stores), as well as the extendable nose strut. The F-5 is still very manual, underpowered, and unforgiving in the hands of a careless pilot and will impart the same basic handling lessons as the T-38.

 

One major disadvantage, though: the version of the F-5 simulated in DCS lacks VOR and ILS, which were optional features on the real jet. All you have as far as instrument approaches go are TACAN and ADF. In real life, if the weather is so bad that you need a precision approach, you'd request a PAR, but that's probably not going to be an option in DCS until the long overdue Air Traffic Control overhaul.

 

If you're looking specifically for a T-38 and/or the ability to fly ILS approaches, my personal recommendation is to wait for Milviz to update their T-38A Redux for compatibility with the newly released P3D v5. Otherwise, the F-5 is an excellent 80-90% solution.

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F-5 is one of my favorite modules: I'm using it as an advanced trainer for BFM and ACM on the NTTR map.

I think you can use it as a basic trainer too, although it lacks ILS: TACAN is a sort of military grade VOR/DME so I don't think you will miss it.

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  • 3 weeks later...

The Tiger is very easy for a supersonic air-to-air fighter. If you want something easier, look into the L-39 (it is slow and simple and has two seats) or A-10 (the Flaming Cliffs A-10A is particularly easy because it does not have a clickable pit, and the bundled non-clickable F-15C, with its low wing loading and good slow-speed handling, is similarly easy to pick up although it is competitive in combat with any other DCS fighter except perhaps the >1,900mphMach 2.83/78,000ft ceiling MiG-25 and MiG-31, which are AI only and have lousy maneuverability and range).

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F-5E For sure - MB-339A for Free!

 

Already some excellent advice and recommendations mentioned earlier in this thread.

I just got back into DCS recently after being away from it for a few years.

The F-5E was the first supersonic jet module I bought because of its flight model, modest weapons and avionics package.

You really can't go wrong with it as long as you practice!

Have you heard about the Aermacchi MB-339A? Since it is free, I would highly recommend adding the MB-339A to your virtual hangar.

If you want an even simpler pure flight feeling with easy rockets and bombs, it is ready to go. Landing takeoff and taxi are rewarding. There is also an Airshow mission where you can do some formation flying practice.

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If you want a pure trainer which is barely capable of anything else but does that very well, go with the L-39. Outstanding flight model and for another 10$ you should get yourself the Kursant campaign. If you master this campaign, believe me, then you know how to fly.

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If you want a pure trainer which is barely capable of anything else but does that very well, go with the L-39. Outstanding flight model and for another 10$ you should get yourself the Kursant campaign. If you master this campaign, believe me, then you know how to fly.

 

I recommend the C-101 as a pure trainer with western instruments and cockpit layout. It is a very detailed module as well but there's no campaign for it. However, you can find excellent user made tutorials by Rudel-Chw in the user files section.


Edited by blaster182
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Personally I tried both C-101 and L-39 during the free period and in the end I chosen to buy L-39: C-101 is a nice plane but a lot underpowered respect to the L-39.


Edited by LordOrion

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