Community A-4E-C v2.2 (October 2023)

[JNelson]

2 hours ago, DmitriKozlowsky said:

AGM-12 Bullpup appears to have similar characteristics as Soviet KH-23 for DCS: Mig-21Bis. Any chance of poaching that missile from Mig-21,putting AGM-12 geometry on it, and make it available as munition.

That's not the issue, the issue is guidance, I did manage to reverse engineer a solution but it's a little too hacky for normal use so there are no plans at this time.

[Direwolf]

I´m having serious problems on iron bomb dropping lessons. I´m following the procedures according the manual and from several youtube tutorials, but I shall be doing something wrong. I´am trianing with the Caucasus A-4E-C Bomb Trucking mission (that came along with the mod), and the payload is only of MK 82 bombs (1 bomb , on stations 1 and 5, 3 bombs on stations 2 and 4 , and 6 bombs on station 5). I´m selecting 2 bombs to the AWRS selector, 110ms in the drop interval selector and STEP SINGLE on mode selector (the most basic configuration possible). After arming only station 5 (and all the other selectors - master arm, bomb arm switch, weapon function selector),  I press the release button, and the entire rack falls off (similar to an emergency jettison)! I understood the emergency jettison procedure, but I never touched neither the Emergency Release Selector Switch nor the Emergency Stores Release Handle! Am I doing something wrong or this is a bug (in the mission or in the mod)?

 

[=Skywarp=]

16 hours ago, assafm25 said:

Thank for the hard work and outstanding job.

I think its time ED will add this mod a separate forum section and tag it in thee "Units" in the search in download user file

I totally agree.

Have been thinking on it few days ago.

[Scotch75]

I´m having serious problems on iron bomb dropping lessons. I´m following the procedures according the manual and from several youtube tutorials, but I shall be doing something wrong. I´am trianing with the Caucasus A-4E-C Bomb Trucking mission (that came along with the mod), and the payload is only of MK 82 bombs (1 bomb , on stations 1 and 5, 3 bombs on stations 2 and 4 , and 6 bombs on station 5). I´m selecting 2 bombs to the AWRS selector, 110ms in the drop interval selector and STEP SINGLE on mode selector (the most basic configuration possible). After arming only station 5 (and all the other selectors - master arm, bomb arm switch, weapon function selector),  I press the release button, and the entire rack falls off (similar to an emergency jettison)! I understood the emergency jettison procedure, but I never touched neither the Emergency Release Selector Switch nor the Emergency Stores Release Handle! Am I doing something wrong or this is a bug (in the mission or in the mod)?
 

After selecting your stations, you also have to turn the big white rotary mode selector switch to BOMBS & GM ARM or CMPTR (to use bombing computer). Above that rotary is the fusing switch; select ARM NOSE&TAIL. Set your AWRS as required. Finally, Master ARM switch ON. So, there are a few steps required to fire ordnance.

I suspect you may not have set your fusing.
Cheers!



Sent from my SM-G998B using Tapatalk

[Direwolf]

I am setting all of the switches and rotary to the proper position. But let´s say I forget to set one or some of them, ejecting the pylon shouldn´t be the answer to this fault, right? The real problem here is that the pylon is being ejected everytime I press the weapons release button. And this is not the procedure to eject the weapons. According to the manual, I HAVE to pull the EMERGENCY Stores Release Handle to have this behavior (after selecting the station).

[Hiob]

15 hours ago, Direwolf said:

I´m having serious problems on iron bomb dropping lessons. I´m following the procedures according the manual and from several youtube tutorials, but I shall be doing something wrong. I´am trianing with the Caucasus A-4E-C Bomb Trucking mission (that came along with the mod), and the payload is only of MK 82 bombs (1 bomb , on stations 1 and 5, 3 bombs on stations 2 and 4 , and 6 bombs on station 5). I´m selecting 2 bombs to the AWRS selector, 110ms in the drop interval selector and STEP SINGLE on mode selector (the most basic configuration possible). After arming only station 5 (and all the other selectors - master arm, bomb arm switch, weapon function selector),  I press the release button, and the entire rack falls off (similar to an emergency jettison)! I understood the emergency jettison procedure, but I never touched neither the Emergency Release Selector Switch nor the Emergency Stores Release Handle! Am I doing something wrong or this is a bug (in the mission or in the mod)?

 

Hey, I just tested it out - works like a charm. It releases exactly one MK-82 from the center pylon upon release button press. Have you checked your bindings? Perhaps it's a wrong or double bind?

Edit: This is what the weapons settings need to look like:

Edit: Tried it several times with different ripple settings (step/ripple/single/pair)… works all the time. I strongly suspect a binding problem.

 

Edited January 16, 2022 by Hiob

[bC3660]

On 1/14/2022 at 6:51 PM, Helles Belle said:

I have tried this skin in game and in model viewer, apart from the fuel tanks missing a texture (which I am fixing) what exactly is wrong with the aircraft skin?

It seems to appear fine.

Nothing worng with it. Just wasnt in the skins when I downloaded it and wasnt sure if it would work with the new download and didnt want to brake the new download by adding it.

Now I just have to remember how to ad it to the A-4. LOL

Edited January 16, 2022 by bC3660

[zildac]

I cannot for the life of me get the comms menu to appear when trying the A2A refuelling mission. I have it mapped to a button on my throttle (same as all other modules) but it just refuses to appear. Aby ideas?

[JNelson]

26 minutes ago, zildac said:

I cannot for the life of me get the comms menu to appear when trying the A2A refuelling mission. I have it mapped to a button on my throttle (same as all other modules) but it just refuses to appear. Aby ideas?

you are mapping radio ptt?

[zildac]

No "Communications Menu" as per all other modules.

[bC3660]

I dont seem to have any misions other than the ones I made my self?

[JNelson]

26 minutes ago, zildac said:

No "Communications Menu" as per all other modules.

Communications menu will not work in the air on most modules if you have realistic comms. You will usually need to build a comm/ptt menu button. The primary radio PTT is by default RALT+\ on most DCS modules include the A-4E mod.

[zildac]

Interesting. Let me double check my other modules because they're all mapped the same as far as I recall, and work fine.

[JNelson]

1 hour ago, zildac said:

Interesting. Let me double check my other modules because they're all mapped the same as far as I recall, and work fine.

I tested the default comms menu on the f18 free flight and it doesn't work same behaviour as a4

[zildac]

My apologies, you are indeed right. I just got home and checked my bindings for the other modules, and it is not "comms menu". I've mapped it to PTT and all is well. Thanks. Been a while since I looked at those mappings!

[Helles Belle]

8 hours ago, bC3660 said:

Nothing worng with it. Just wasnt in the skins when I downloaded it and wasnt sure if it would work with the new download and didnt want to brake the new download by adding it.

Now I just have to remember how to ad it to the A-4. LOL

 

Ok, . All good.

but yes, it’s not part of the community download, it’s a seperate user skin that I made.

you won’t break the Mod if the skin is placed in the correct folder - saved games not in the mod folder.

enjoy.

[bC3660]

35 minutes ago, Helles Belle said:

Ok, . All good.

but yes, it’s not part of the community download, it’s a seperate user skin that I made.

you won’t break the Mod if the skin is placed in the correct folder - saved games not in the mod folder.

enjoy.

All good! just played it and it looks stunning!! Thanks again for making it!

[Direwolf]

10 hours ago, Hiob said:

Hey, I just tested it out - works like a charm. It releases exactly one MK-82 from the center pylon upon release button press. Have you checked your bindings? Perhaps it's a wrong or double bind?

Edit: This is what the weapons settings need to look like:

Edit: Tried it several times with different ripple settings (step/ripple/single/pair)… works all the time. I strongly suspect a binding problem.

 

 

You were right. Changed the key, and everythig is working right. I don´t know what happened (some conflict I couldn´t identify), but with your tip, I solved the problem. Thanks a lot. I thought I woud have to give up on this plane...

[DmitriKozlowsky]

On 1/14/2022 at 6:17 AM, plusnine said:

if you are locking up the brakes or over-castering the nose wheel, you're going too hard on your brakes (possibly as a result of throwing too much thrust in - remember the engine spool time is greatest at the idle end). if you bitch-slap those brakes, expect them to bitch-slap you right back by locking up or over-turning.

as is noted on the taxi/takeoff notes in the kneeboard, i recommend use of the controls indicator to monitor the nosewheel position and figure out exactly how, on your individual input setup you need to apply the brakes in order to get the turn you want while you develop your personal feel for ground handling in the A-4E-C. like a lot of things in DCS, some finesse is required, making too many or too extreme inputs in any one thing is what is going to trip you up.

 

I am sorry thats not an explanation or a solution. The front gear gets stuck in arbitrary angle and does not straighten out by itself. In multitude on YT videos on A-4 on flightdeck, there is a flight deck crewman holding the a tow bar that he uses to set the caster angle. We don't have that luxury. I find that is use less then 50% on wheel brake strength, aircraft does not pivot.

[DmitriKozlowsky]

Here is an example of A-4E_C 2.0 (latest) taxi steering fail. The front gear casters in bad direction, difficult to impossible to correct, and makes precise line up on cat unpredictable.

Implementation is weird. CBB.

A-4E_C20_taxi_steering_fail.trk

[Captain Orso]

5 hours ago, DmitriKozlowsky said:

I am sorry thats not an explanation or a solution. The front gear gets stuck in arbitrary angle and does not straighten out by itself. In multitude on YT videos on A-4 on flightdeck, there is a flight deck crewman holding the a tow bar that he uses to set the caster angle. We don't have that luxury. I find that is use less then 50% on wheel brake strength, aircraft does not pivot.

The nosewheel is not "free-castering". It acts like to turn the nosewheel (not role over the ground, but change the horizontal direction in which it is pointing) it requires great amount of energy to force it to turn, as if there a brake on the nosewheel axis preventing it from free-castering.

--

Pick a large open area, where you can taxi without running off the pavement or hitting anything.

Put the Skyhawk into a slow taxi role straight ahead.

Slowly apply ONE wheel brake (either side), but only the one, until the aircraft is turning in a tight circle around that one locked wheel.

Throttle down and gently apply the other brake as well until the aircraft stops turning. it is now motionless.

Use F2 to view the nose wheel. It is turn approximately 90° to the facing of the aircraft.

Stay in the F2 view. Release both brakes and gently apply throttle. Eventually the aircraft will start to move forward, but the nosewheel does not turn - it remains turned 90° to the aircraft facing, while the nosewheel slides across the ground.

After a few seconds, it will slowly start turning towards the front, until it is closer to straight, but not straight and the aircraft will continue turning in the direction of the nosewheel.

--

The nosewheel is NOT free-castering. It should easily turn toward the direction of inertia. The only deviation from straight ahead motion should be from the nosewheel's ground contact point moving from 90° offset from straight to inline with the aircraft.

 

[Hiob]

9 hours ago, Direwolf said:

 Thanks a lot. I thought I woud have to give up on this plane...

You're welcome.

That would have been a shame. Such a lovely aircraft!

[Calabrone]

8 hours ago, DmitriKozlowsky said:

Here is an example of A-4E_C 2.0 (latest) taxi steering fail. The front gear casters in bad direction, difficult to impossible to correct, and makes precise line up on cat unpredictable.

Implementation is weird. CBB.

A-4E_C20_taxi_steering_fail.trk 1.03 MB · 3 downloads

The maneuver gets pretty easy after a while, but you have to practice doing it until you get it parked well enough. The greatest difficulty I had it on the deck of the aircraft carriers where most of the time I end up in the water.

[MAXsenna]

8 minutes ago, Calabrone said:

The maneuver gets pretty easy after a while, but you have to practice doing it until you get it parked well enough. The greatest difficulty I had it on the deck of the aircraft carriers where most of the time I end up in the water.

If you use the controls indicators and practice a little, it gets easier. But I do agree it behaves very strangely compared to i.e the C-101/L-39 etc. But I have no clue how it is IRL. But if one wants to check out how real castering works, just get hold of a tricycle, or a shopping cart for that matter. I bet anyone has some experience with broken ones of the latter.  

[AndyJWest]

The castoring behaviour seems a little odd to me too. It isn't usually a problem on an airfield, but can get awkward quickly on a carrier with any obstructions at all. Particularly with the sort of relative wind over the deck needed for launches at high weights, since it tends to turn into the wind even when you don't want it to. Modelling the guy with the tiller clearly isn't practical, but it did occur to me that a (hopefully) relatively simple fix might be to add some sort of 'straighten nose wheel' command that could only be activated when the aircraft was stopped. This might at least simulate the deck crew helping out with steering to some extent, without making everything too easy.