Recommended AFCS settings for BFM?

[Jakey-Poo]

AP emergency disconnect shuts off all AFCS except yaw.  Common consensus through most tutorials I've watched/read say to only disconnect roll stabilization, while a very select few have mentioned hitting the paddle and disconnecting pitch as well.  I've tried both, and have to say that disconnecting the pitch either should not be recommended, or takes a mastery of the jet (completely plausible) that I don't have.

 

1)  Which is common practice while engaging in BFM (hitting the paddle, or turning off AP and individually selecting roll to off)?

2) Does disconnecting Pitch stabilization yield any actual benefits?

3) Is (I'm sure it is, but I have to ask) the AP emergency disconnect paddle modeled correctly in turning off both pitch and roll stabilization, as to my understanding it is meant as a quick disconnect in an emergency BFM situation?

 

Thanks for all the input, and I'm sorry if this has been covered, as my search of this forum didn't turn anything up.

Edited August 8, 2021 by Jakey-Poo
wording

[TLTeo]

1) Personally, just roll off, not hitting the paddle because that turns pitch off as well

2) Not that I'm aware of, the function of the Tomcat paddle switch is nothing like e.g the Hornet's

3) The manuals I can look at are beyond the time frame of our Tomcat (1972 A, or early 2000s jets with DFCS), but the first one states that disengaging SAS should only happen as long as the paddle is pressed, and the latter (which again, completely different FCS) says that SAS should not be disengaged when the paddle is pressed, so yeah, you might be right.

Edited August 8, 2021 by TLTeo

[r4y30n]

You’re right that its function is totally different from the Hornet. I assumed the purpose of the disconnect was just what it says on the tin, a way to remove the autopilot’s ability to drive the plane in the event of unexpected behavior when cruising from waypoint to waypoint. I don’t think it was ever intended to be used in BFM.

[eatthis]

roll off disengages the ap  too afaik so i just do that. but i often forget completely and just deal with it lol

 

[Callsign JoNay]

It would make sense if the paddle disabled roll only, but I can't think of any reason to use the paddle with the way it currently works.

[captain_dalan]

Tried BFM with each SAS on and off and honestly, i can't really make my mind up.  Recently, for role playing reasons, i've been fighting with roll SAS off only, but i can't tell you if it's actually better or not this way  
If in a pinch, then maybe i'd say, don't flip the pitch SAS off, but i never really minded it so...... je ne sais pas...... 

[eatthis]

12 hours ago, captain_dalan said:

Tried BFM with each SAS on and off and honestly, i can't really make my mind up.  Recently, for role playing reasons, i've been fighting with roll SAS off only, but i can't tell you if it's actually better or not this way  
If in a pinch, then maybe i'd say, don't flip the pitch SAS off, but i never really minded it so...... je ne sais pas...... 

what it does if left on is make the nose wander around when you have aoa on the jet. easy to test. stick it in a flat turn maintaining 15 units of aoa (the thick line on the gauge) then switch the roll sas on ands youl notice it becoming just slightly unstable

 

[Spurts]

really?  I have never turned anything off in BFM.  I guess I can get my kills fast now as the wandering nose means I sometimes miss a shot opportunity.  Roll-Only you say?

[eatthis]

6 hours ago, Spurts said:

really?  I have never turned anything off in BFM.  I guess I can get my kills fast now as the wandering nose means I sometimes miss a shot opportunity.  Roll-Only you say?

yup. and use rudder to roll the aircraft NOT stick (you can use a LITTLE but it takes practise) when you have aoa on her, be gentle and fly her by feel and shes a beast! 

[captain_dalan]

13 hours ago, eatthis said:

what it does if left on is make the nose wander around when you have aoa on the jet. easy to test. stick it in a flat turn maintaining 15 units of aoa (the thick line on the gauge) then switch the roll sas on ands youl notice it becoming just slightly unstable

 

Oh i know, but it's so easy to tame it, i've never seen any practical difference. It can literally fly with everything on and everything off. And i've never really found any major benefits from the roll SAS off either. Maybe it's the specifics of giving certain inputs to the controls 

[Spurts]

2 hours ago, eatthis said:

yup. and use rudder to roll the aircraft NOT stick (you can use a LITTLE but it takes practise) when you have aoa on her, be gentle and fly her by feel and shes a beast! 

Believe me, I got this.  I can read the shimmy, the shake, and the rattle to know what my "roll" input needs to be.  That's how I can spit an AI MiG-15 out from my tail. I've just never turned anything off.  

[eatthis]

al good then. i often forget it and just deal with it lol