A couple of questions

[Belphe]

Hi,

I have a few questions after the latest update but I'm not sure if they're bugs so I'd rather ask here first.

1. Is it correct that the Velocity Vector now disappears much earlier on the edges of IHADSS than e.g. the Heading Tape?

2. The Torque readout on IHADSS is now very prone to change, e.g. 3-degree change in pitch can increase it from 75% to 83%. Before it was much more stable. Is this correct?

3. George AI is not launching the next Hellfire on the same target while a previous missile is still in the air, despite saying "Roger, engaging".

4. SOMETIMES, multiple pilot launched Hellfires with 12-second intervals while George AI is lasing are not acquiring the laser after the CP/G is ordered to lase the next target. Being 12 seconds before impact I would have thought they could still spot and track the laser as it's just slightly off of their original heading.

5. A cold started, fully "INS'ed" and stationary Apache is SOMETIMES showing 5, 6 and even 7kts on IHADSS.

6. Attitude Hold (>40kts): when enabled e.g. at 120kts the helicopter negates all roll and naturally starts drifting right.

7. Altitude Hold: when enabled in a hover at 5ft it fails during gentle side-strafing and ultimately "lands" the helicopter.

8. Altitude Hold: when enabled in a hover, the caret is placed below the current alt bar on IHADSS (suggesting a loss of alt), even though it holds the altitude well.

9. Velocity Hold (<40kts): gently lowering collective with velocity hold enabled around 30kts+ causes strange pitch down movements and ultimately accelerates the helicopter above 40kts.

10. George AI is reporting "Laser On" but observing his actions with TADS reveals that he takes good 5-8 seconds to actually place the crosshair on the target.

11. INS drift occurs very quickly after take off/reset.

12. When my drifted INS is "lying" to me that I'm doing 7kts but I'm actually in a super stable hover, how does the helicopter know how to remain stationary?

13. Are INS drift and wind affecting Target State Estimation?

The above is not to upset anybody. I just noticed a few things and would really like to know if they have been noticed, perhaps are already being worked on or as a matter of fact are working as intended. I know DCS: Apache is in early access, beta and is subject to change. Please respond if you have any knowledge on any of the above.

Thanks

[Raptor9]

1. If you're referring to the Flight Path Vector (Velocity Vector is the long line that grows from the LOS reticle), then yes. The FPV, Head Tracker diamond, and ACQ LOS reticle (broken cross) will disappear prior to intersecting with other symbology elements around the edges of the HDU. Strangely enough, the navigation direct-to homeplate doesn't adhere to this same logic (in both DCS and the real aircraft) for some reason. 

2. The engine modeling and Collective SCAS channel are WIP

3 and 4. I'm pretty sure the George interface and his behavior as a CPG wasn't really designed to be launching Hellfires in rapid succession (multiple missiles in the air at a time). Having said that, he is also WIP. But when his currently tracked target is destroyed, he will stop lasing. During that time where there is no laser designation, even if George starts lasing a target in the same vicinity a few moments later, it is not a guarantee the missile will see the laser spot in time before it flies to a point the spot is outside the seeker's field-of-view. There are a lot of factors that come into play in such a situation, and "12 second spacing between missiles" is not anywhere near enough to say whether it should work. Bottom line, I would avoid multiple Hellfires in the air on the same designation spot unless you have a human CPG with you that knows what he is doing and proficient at it.

5, 8, 11 and 12. Again, this is an area that is WIP, but the INS (and the cockpit indications that are affected by it) shouldn't be drifting. The AH-64D has an EGI, which is a navigation system with a fully-integrated GPS receiver.

6. If roll angle is 3 degrees or less, when Attitude Hold is engaged it will auto-level the aircraft. The right drift is an aspect of the flight model that is still WIP.

7. If ground speed is <40 knots, the Altitude Hold should be in Radar Altitude Hold mode (assuming it's on and you are < 1,428 feet AGL), but currently it enters Barometric Altitude Hold. This is a brand new feature and is still WIP.

9. Hold modes are also WIP along with the flight model, so... 

10. Again, George is WIP and sometimes his actions may not match his speech feedback (which is also WIP) when commands are given very rapidly. As before, not a lot to go on with this question.

13. Unknown. The INS is WIP as mentioned, as is the TSE system.

Everything is WIP.  But a lot of your questions are very broad and would require more information to identify them as a user error, a bug, or correct behavior.

Edited June 25, 2022 by Raptor9

[Belphe]

Thank you so much for your answers! Something being WIP is actually good news.

14 minutes ago, Raptor9 said:

The AH-64D has an EGI, which is a navigation system with a fully-integrated GPS receiver.

Am I right to believe that the GPS is not yet implemented? Can the IHADSS information be fed from GPS instead of the INS?

[Raptor9]

17 minutes ago, Belphe said:

Am I right to believe that the GPS is not yet implemented?

I couldn't tell you since I haven't done tests without GPS to see behavior.

18 minutes ago, Belphe said:

Can the IHADSS information be fed from GPS instead of the INS?

No, GPS alone cannot provide immediate nor precise inertial velocities. Even in your car or your cell phone, your immediate accelerations and orientations are provided by accelerometers since GPS position data can only provide a change in location after a second or two of movement to develop a trend. But even then, that's assuming your GPS had a level of precision that is not possible. Inertial measurements, coupled with other devices like pressure sensors, doppler, radar altimeter, and augmented by GPS signals to maintain their position accuracy, are what provide all this movement data and indications in the cockpit.