Community A-4E-C v2.3 (May 2025)

[Vertigo72]

Just downloaded this today, it looks awesome and seems like a fun plane. Thanks a ton!

Im a little surprised by the stall characteristics, but I have no idea if this is "work in progress" or if it actually flew like that? You can fly all day long with the stick in your belly, and it will shake, but will not depart, even if you add in some roll or rudder,  and you can even maintain altitude and have some roll authority. Somehow that doesnt feel right to me, or?

[Hiob]

10 minutes ago, Vertigo72 said:

Just downloaded this today, it looks awesome and seems like a fun plane. Thanks a ton!

Im a little surprised by the stall characteristics, but I have no idea if this is "work in progress" or if it actually flew like that? You can fly all day long with the stick in your belly, and it will shake, but will not depart, even if you add in some roll or rudder,  and you can even maintain altitude and have some roll authority. Somehow that doesnt feel right to me, or?

It preserves energy pretty well at higher speeds. Nevertheless. If you don't loose speed and/or roll authority, you're not pulling hard enough....

The cockpit shaking is a little too much for my taste - certainly more pronounced as in most other modules (except the tomcat perhaps). Perhaps this gives you a sense of more g's than you are actually pulling. Luckily the shaking can be adjusted in the special options menu.

Edited January 10, 2022 by Hiob

[Vertigo72]

You do lose speed and roll authority, but with full power and adding in some rudder, it doesnt prevent you from just keep flying it with your nose way up and at walking pace. something I doubt would be possible IRL. Its certainly a trick I would have thought the blue angels would have performed (did they?)

Another "issue"; the roll rate is insane but apparently accurate. Its also "instant" with very little inertia. But when you recenter the stick it only slowly stops rolling (comparatively speaking) as if its a much heavier plane with modest roll authority. Doesnt feel right to me, but again, what do I know. 

 

Edited January 10, 2022 by Vertigo72

[=Skywarp=]

6 hours ago, Hiob said:

It preserves energy pretty well at higher speeds. Nevertheless. If you don't loose speed and/or roll authority, you're not pulling hard enough....

The cockpit shaking is a little too much for my taste - certainly more pronounced as in most other modules (except the tomcat perhaps). Perhaps this gives you a sense of more g's than you are actually pulling. Luckily the shaking can be adjusted in the special options menu.

 

Wich percentage are you using for the shaking cockpit?

[JNelson]

6 hours ago, Vertigo72 said:

You do lose speed and roll authority, but with full power and adding in some rudder, it doesnt prevent you from just keep flying it with your nose way up and at walking pace. something I doubt would be possible IRL. Its certainly a trick I would have thought the blue angels would have performed (did they?)

Another "issue"; the roll rate is insane but apparently accurate. Its also "instant" with very little inertia. But when you recenter the stick it only slowly stops rolling (comparatively speaking) as if its a much heavier plane with modest roll authority. Doesnt feel right to me, but again, what do I know. 

 

 

The moment of intertias are correct in their axes. As for the roll stopping the SME has never complained about it.

7 hours ago, Vertigo72 said:

Just downloaded this today, it looks awesome and seems like a fun plane. Thanks a ton!

Im a little surprised by the stall characteristics, but I have no idea if this is "work in progress" or if it actually flew like that? You can fly all day long with the stick in your belly, and it will shake, but will not depart, even if you add in some roll or rudder,  and you can even maintain altitude and have some roll authority. Somehow that doesnt feel right to me, or?

I mean it is a delta wing and the CL CD curves are straight out of a NASA document. SME seemed happy with it. It will depart under the right conditions, but if you are flying a fwd cg light plane you will have an easier time keeping in control.

[CarbonFox]

Loving this free module. I hope sometime, the avionics hump can be made removable to get the true clean look of the A-4.

[Stilgar]

Hi, there is a list of all the keys used for this mod?

[Rudel_chw]

14 minutes ago, Stilgar said:

Hi, there is a list of all the keys used for this mod?

There is an Export to HTML button in the Controls setup menu. Open to the HTML with Webbrowser or print to file/PDF with your browser. 

[Hiob]

2 hours ago, =Skywarp= said:

Wich percentage are you using for the shaking cockpit?

between 25 and 50%. Enough feedback for me….

[=Skywarp=]

1 hour ago, Stilgar said:

Hi, there is a list of all the keys used for this mod?

In the previous page, I put my configs. Hope it helps.

[jurinko]

12 hours ago, =Skywarp= said:

Wich percentage are you using for the shaking cockpit?

75%. Can't wait to feel the shake with the Simshaker jetpad. Damn the customs office, they are prolly sitting on it.

In case no one mentioned it, A-4 Skyhawk module is an awesome piece of work. You guys have made a great time for thousands, like Beatles or so. Salute!

 

 

[Vertigo72]

18 hours ago, JNelson said:

The moment of intertias are correct in their axes. As for the roll stopping the SME has never complained about it.

I mean it is a delta wing and the CL CD curves are straight out of a NASA document. SME seemed happy with it. It will depart under the right conditions, but if you are flying a fwd cg light plane you will have an easier time keeping in control.

Out of curiosity I tried my google-fu and found the A4E flight manual, which Im sure the developers have seen and studied extensively, and it more or less confirms the benign nature of the A4 stall. It even says wing drops, if any,  can easily be compensated with rudder, which is exactly what it does in the module. (and exactly what I would never do IRL, shows what I know I guess)

But it does also say the nose drops, which in game can easily be countered by holding up elevator.. That still doesnt feel right to me. 

Edited January 11, 2022 by Vertigo72

[Winter Warrior]

To the development team:

This is a great mod and I have been really enjoying it.

I was wondering if you have ever thought of making this an official free module, like the TF-51D and the Su-25T Frogfoot that come with the game? I am not sure that that is possible (it's just an idea) but I think that would make this mod more accessible, it would be easier to fly it in multiplayer, and would also help DCS as a whole.

I am not speaking for ED and I am not making any offers, just making a suggestion.

Thank you for all the work you put into this mod

[AdrianL]

16 minutes ago, Winter Warrior said:

wondering if you have ever thought of making this an official free module

 

 

[Winter Warrior]

Oops, I had missed that.

Thanks!

[Captain Orso]

I wonder if ED couldn't/wouldn't grant the A-4E troop access to the SDK as an exceptionally dedicated and talented organization. It wouldn't put money directly into their Swiss banque accounts, but it would help make the DCS offerings fuller and more vibrant.

[JNelson]

3 hours ago, Vertigo72 said:

Out of curiosity I tried my google-fu and found the A4E flight manual, which Im sure the developers have seen and studied extensively, and it more or less confirms the benign nature of the A4 stall. It even says wing drops, if any,  can easily be compensated with rudder, which is exactly what it does in the module. (and exactly what I would never do IRL, shows what I know I guess)

But it does also say the nose drops, which in game can easily be countered by holding up elevator.. That still doesnt feel right to me. 

 

Yea the elevator was recently redone to add CG effects and may have effected the authority at higher AoA.

[Doc3908]

Practicing carrier landing. It's still the hardest plane to trap properly, but the FM has definitely been tweaked since the 2.0-beta first came out. There's less pitch up with throttle application and the engine doesn't take nearly as long to spool up as it used to do. Now both traps and (especially) AAR are much easier (AAR is actually very easy now). 

 

[Hiob]

I struggle with landings, too. Both - on carriers and ashore. Definetly missing a flight path marker... (kidding!).

I always drop short - either rear ending the carrier or touching down way before the threshold. From my guts, it feels as if the Skyhawk has a pretty steep glide slope when dirty and AoA on speed.

I know - practice, practice, practice....

[ASW]

Please tell me, what is the difference between dropping bombs on this plane in LABS and CMPTR mode? I watched the Grim Reapers channel all the videos in the process of creating this aircraft. Now I use only CMPTR mode. But why then the LABS mode if it's the same thing? In general, I'm confused.

[=Skywarp=]

4 minutes ago, ASW said:

Please tell me, what is the difference between dropping bombs on this plane in LABS and CMPTR mode? I watched the Grim Reapers channel all the videos in the process of creating this aircraft. Now I use only CMPTR mode. But why then the LABS mode if it's the same thing? In general, I'm confused.

"LABS is just a Toss Bombing Mode where you pull up until the bomb is released to giving it a ballistic path with an upward vector. Just Loft bombing

CMPTR mode is a pseudo CCRP with target preselection upon depressing the release button, to let the computer calculate the release point.

On the A-4 Mod maybe isn´t any difference. Yet. LABS was used first to accomodate the CMPTR mode, but now CMPTR is fully coded so no need of LABS. Maybe on the A-4 was an option for nukes and thats why in the mod is no difference because nukes are not modelled."

 

In the past: LABS mode was used. That's why there are videos teaching it.

After v2.0: use CMPTR mode

[ASW]

Thanks.,I'm just confused, Grim Reaper didn't delete the old videos. I have previously seen in the manual how LABS is used on the F-86 sabre module. This is throwing a nuclear bomb "over your head".)

[plusnine]

The LABS switch position in the A-4E-C does not function.

The LABS position on the switch was used temporarily in the 2.0 betas as the initial implementation of the computer was being tested, but this was only because the cockpit model did not have the sixth CMPTR switch position animated and available yet. This has caused some confusion on the part of video makers who failed to note that fact.

Edited January 12, 2022 by plusnine

[Hiob]

Puh

Thanks for the clarification. I thought, I'd go mental.... makes sense now.

 

[=Skywarp=]

1 hour ago, plusnine said:

The LABS switch position in the A-4E-C does not function.

The LABS position on the switch was used temporarily in the 2.0 betas as the initial implementation of the computer was being tested, but this was only because the cockpit model did not have the sixth CMPTR switch position animated and available yet. This has caused some confusion on the part of video makers who failed to note that fact.

 

Plusnine, is the functionality in CMPTR mode identical as it was in LABS mode?

Edited January 12, 2022 by =Skywarp=