Jump to content

Speed brake and flap controls


lesthegrngo

Recommended Posts

Guys, I've never had to opportunity to sit in a real A10-C cockpit, much less have the chance to operate the controls, so I'm looking for some information and feedback.

 

First up is the flap controls. I know that the Thrustmaster Warthog throttles I have does actually actually have that as one of the preset controls, but I struggle to believe that the real control is a tiny little switch tucked away behind the throttles. That it is three position switch, and that the flaps themselves are three position I accept, if nothing else because the in game behaviour is that. So where in the real aircraft is it? Google has not been my friend here!

 

Secondly, the airbrakes..... all the aircraft I have worked with and seen have a speedbrake that is operated by a lever, which if you move the lever by 40% of its travel, the speedbrake deploys by 40%.

 

However in game, you have a switch that deploys it and another that retracts it, with zero in cockpit feedback for the actual position of the brakes. Really? A major significant aerodynamic component with no feedback and no positive positional control? A proportional lever or multi-position switch is so much more logical, if nothing else because it gives positive in-cockpit verification of the position selected. The only in cockpit indication i have found is the 'SPEEDBRAKE SPEEDBRAKE' annunciation if I select takeoff power with them in a deployed condition.

 

Speaking to the (admittedly civil aircraft) pilots at work, they say that it would be totally unacceptable to them as pilots, yet I cannot find anything online to indicate it is not as the game depicts it.

 

So is it really like the game portrays it, or is there a different setup in reality?

 

Cheers

 

Les


Edited by lesthegrngo
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Speedbrakes on the throttle are exactly the same as the TM one with the 3-way switch. In the A-10 position is determined by looking over your shoulder.

 

The flaps control is a 3-way toggle switch. Only difference is the real one is a locking switch that must be pulled to put the flaps into the Down position. Other than that it is just a normal toggle switch.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I agree it is odd not having an indicator. When it's dark just have to make use of lights.

 

I have seen drawings showing a Speed Brake indicator on the landing gear panel where TEMS data switch is and on the A-10A gear panel there is a cutout and clamp for a 2" instrument but all photographs I have seen have a covering pate installed with the TEMS switch. I do not think the position indicator ever made it into the jet. Would be interesting to hear the story there.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I suppose the answer may be that the brakes are only used in benign situations - after landing, or in a straight line on approach. If they are not used anywhere else in the flight the need maybe lessened. But I always thought that having those big split brakes was one of the reasons it was so good at ground attack, that they could use them to help stabilise an attack approach, that type of thing.

 

Like I said earlier, a lot of commercial aircraft have a proportional lever, so by its very position the pilot in command and the co-pilot could know where the brakes were .

 

Well, it is what it is, whether I like it or not!

 

Cheers for the answers

 

Les

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What about by seat of your pants feeling. I have never flown in or been around a real A10C but when engaging the airbrake you hear the and feel the drag in DCS. Is this the normal for real flight? Or is dcs exaggerated?

[sIGPIC][/sIGPIC]

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Maybe it's because they're integrated with the ailerons?

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deceleron

 

The position would vary depending on flight controls use.

 

That's a possibility

 

 

What about by seat of your pants feeling. I have never flown in or been around a real A10C but when engaging the airbrake you hear the and feel the drag in DCS. Is this the normal for real flight? Or is dcs exaggerated?

 

That's also a good point and it had occurred to me, but not very empirical!

 

Les

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Let's face it:- it's not hard to look out the window and see the large flaps sticking up out of the wings! :)

In fact, it's probably easier to do that than find a light on the panel.

 

Flaps tend to have indicators because you can't always see them clearly when you look at where they are. Some aircraft, like the P51 don't have an indicator for the flaps at all.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What about by seat of your pants feeling. I have never flown in or been around a real A10C but when engaging the airbrake you hear the and feel the drag in DCS. Is this the normal for real flight? Or is dcs exaggerated?

 

That's a possibility

 

 

 

 

That's also a good point and it had occurred to me, but not very empirical!

 

Les

haptic pad are really handy for this, whenever Im flying with my pad unplugged, I feel totally disconnected from the aircraft.

i5 8400 | 32 Gb RAM | RTX 2080Ti | Virpil Mongoose T-50 base w/ Warthog & Hornet sticks | Warthog throttle | Cougar throttle USB | DIY Collective | Virpil desk mount | VKB T-Rudder Mk IV | Oculus Rift S | Buddy-Fox A-10 UFC | 3x TM MFDs | 2x bass shakers pedal plate| SIMple SIMpit chair | WinWing TakeOff panel | PointCTRL v2 | Andre JetSeat | Winwing Hornet UFC | Winwing Viper ICP

FC3 - Warthog - F-5E - Harrier - NTTR - Hornet - Tomcat - Huey - Viper - C-101 - PG - Hip - SuperCarrier - Syria - Warthog II - Hind - South Atlantic - Sinai - Strike Eagle

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yeah the warthog is accurate in terms of recreating the operation of the actual unit. The reality is the move to fast jets is very far away from General aviation

Hornet, Super Carrier, Warthog & (II), Mustang, Spitfire, Albatross, Sabre, Combined Arms, FC3, Nevada, Gulf, Normandy, Syria AH-6J

i9 10900K @ 5.0GHz, Gigabyte Z490 Vision G, Cooler Master ML120L, Gigabyte RTX3080 OC Gaming 10Gb, 64GB RAM, Reverb G2 @ 2480x2428, TM Warthog, Saitek pedals & throttle, DIY collective, TrackIR4, Cougar MFDs, vx3276-2k

Combat Wombat's Airfield & Enroute Maps and Planning Tools

 

cw1.png

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...