F-14A- Three Possible Discrepancies

[Flash_111]

Hey- love the module so far. Couple things I noticed that may be out of whack.

 

First- based on reference materials, if the jet is on a dry paved surface, the brakes should be able to hold the jet in place with both engines in zone 2 afterburner (See NATOPS 7.4.7.3 Shore Procedures - Afterburner Takeoff). Seems like the brakes currently begin to give out around 90 percent RPM. I have tried with Anti-Skid on and off. Even in the B model it seemed like the brakes would give out early at around 85 percent RPM (B pubs say to perform engine checks during static runup at 90).

 

Second- AB lightoff is staggered. This is an issue that was present in the B as well- AB very rarely, if ever, lights off and stages simultaneously. The result is a very jarring yaw moment in the direction of the delayed engine. I have never flown the aircraft myself, but the large amount of footage I have watched suggests that AB lightoff is effectively simultaneous between engines (both the GE and PW). This is not a control issue on my end- I have observed the behavior on both split and single throttle setups. I'd be happy to defer to SME input on this issue as it's not a major problem. If it's accurate behavior, maybe it (and brake behavior during run-up) would be a good candidate for a special options menu toggle.

 

Third- There seems to be some kind of engine or drag issue in the M 1.1-1.2 range making the transonic to supersonic transition in level flight extremely difficult, even in a clean jet. If a dive is utilized to exceed ~M1.3, the aircraft can be leveled off and will continue to accelerate (to comical speeds, depending on your altitude). Again, no first hand knowledge here- but I assume that a 4th gen interceptor should be able to attain supersonic speeds in level flight- especially in low drag or empty store configurations. As before, I'd be happy to defer to SME guidance on this.

 

Keep up the good work!

[petey293]

For #2, I'd believe the staggered afterburner light could be accurate, I've seen multiple videos showing this behavior. Here's a long one with multiple F-111 takeoffs (same engines). Happens to nearly every one of them:

 

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