Consecutive traps being odd? (Speedbrakes won't stow at MIL; LSO always cut pass on good passes)

[Nealius]

I used to shoot CASE 1 traps a lot before the Mudhen came out and never really had this issue, now something weird has been going on and it seems to partially be a Tomcat issue and perhaps partially a Supercarrier issue, but they may be linked. F-14B specifically, in this case.

Online, dedicated server. Startup, launch Cat3. Trap, slam throttle to the MIL, DLC comes in, speedbrake comes in, roll forward once the wire is released, taxi off. Grade: OK WX (but no such verbal call), SLOX (typical since LSO not calibrated to Tomcat's on-speed, #2. Personally I felt it was a terrible pass but I got a 5.0. 

Refuel, launch Cat1. Controls are still frozen during whipeout per this bug report. Second trap was a 5.0 pass in my opinion, yet I got a cut pass EGIW without pulling power. Now here's where I noticed something weird: despite full MIL power the speedbrake didn't go in, but DLC did, and of course I rolled forward once the hook came loose since I was still at MIL for a few seconds after stopping. I confirmed the MIL stop is stowing the speedbrake as it should once I taxied clear, but for some reason it doesn't on the second trap of the sortie.  

If this were a one-off then I'd ignore it, but this pattern is repeatable for me every single time I do two traps on a sortie. I haven't tried third and fourth traps so I don't know if this is limited to just the second trap of the mission, or if it would happen to all consecutive traps after the first one, but I might investigate if it builds a better case. For the moment I'll pull the server replay and grab a screen/video of my RPM at 100% and the speedbrake not going in.

I suspect that there's some link between the controls-frozen-on-catapult / damage to left intake on cat shots bug causing something funky with the speedbrake so that it won't close, and then because the speedbrake doesn't close that trips the LSO's EGIW logic for a cut pass, but who knows.

At any rate, has anyone else noticed weirdness with shooting consecutive traps and launches without slotting into a new aircraft?

Addendum: Something is indeed sus.

Exibit A: Physical throttle is correctly calibrated, showing 100% (maybe 99%?) on the guages at the MIL detent; also note on the cat in tension the info bar shows 99% (sometimes 100%) for RPM:

Exibit B: Note on trap that at the exact same MIL detent that gives me 99~100% on the gauges and in tension is only giving 94% on the trap. Also note speedbrakes are being stowed as they should:

Exibit C : Note second trap, same 94% RPM at the MIL detent yet the speedbrakes are not stowed.

Now, I don't know if this 94% RPM on traps is normal or not, but I doubt the speedbrakes would fail to stow on the second pass at the exact same parameters as they functioned normally on the first pass. I also noticed in the server replay the LSO grades were all EGIW, perhaps because of this 94% reading. Something doesn't add up.

Edited September 12, 2023 by Nealius

[RustBelt]

The grades are because the Supercarrier LSO only knows how the F/A-18 should land and grades you according to that. 

[Nealius]

51 minutes ago, RustBelt said:

The grades are because the Supercarrier LSO only knows how the F/A-18 should land and grades you according to that. 

Yes but that is not the cause here. If that were the cause, then this specific issue would have existed pre-2.8, which it did not. I have never once gotten cut passes or EGIW in the Tomcat in 2.7. Prior to 2.8 my trap score average was 4.56. I also did not experience speedbrake stow issues until 2.8.

This has also been added to the bug tracker per the HB discord but no updates here.

Edited September 16, 2023 by Nealius

[bernyssen]

I can't comment on the speedbrakes because I haven't been able to spend time on DCS recently, but the lower RPM is intended behaviour. It is caused by a system called the RATS, Reduced Arrestment Thrust System. It has an advisory light on the pilot's caution panel, but I dont think I've ever looked to check if it was on after trapping.

It is described in the general overview chapter of heatblur's manual. 

[Nealius]

And the speedbrakes are tripped by the throttle's physical position at the MIL detent, not RPM %, right?

[bernyssen]

Sorry for taking so long to reply, I finally had some free time to spend on DCS.

You are correct, even with the RPM reduction from the RATS, the speedbrakes are supposed to retract when the throttles reach the MIL detent.

I came across the non-retracting speedbrake issue on my first bolter trap, and I also replicated it on land in the Caucasus and NTTR maps, which rules out the Super Carrier module.

It seems like it is a throttle curve issue, not a Tomcat module issue. Earlier this year, I upgraded to a Warthog throttle and I've been using it with the afterburner detent installed and a curvature value of 13. If I moved the throttles to the detent, the speedbrakes would remain extended, but if I slammed them forward, it would sometimes cause the speedbrakes to retract. I increased the curvature value to 14 and now they retract every single time, and without engaging the afterburner.

Edited October 16, 2023 by bernyssen
image placement

[Nealius]

I'm thinking it might have been a Warthog detent issue as well. When I checked the controls indicator, my throttles were barely short of the indicated detent, however engine power itself was functioning as if the throttles were in fact at the detent. This has not happened in the last ~3 years of me flying the Tomcat. I adjusted my curve to match the indicated detent and it (knocks on wood) seems to have fixed the issue.