Best F14 video tutorial series.

[Gunfreak]

Had the F14 for several years. But I can only do the the basics of weapons use, BVR and dogfighting.

I don't really know what most of the stuff in the cockpit does. Forget complex navigation. I tried Case III a few times and I usually hit the water several miles out. Once I got close enough to see the back of the carrier before I hit the water.

 

I love the F14, it deserves more from me.

[speed-of-heat]

 

I would also recommend the speed and angles campaign.

[Gunfreak]

2 hours ago, speed-of-heat said:

 

I would also recommend the speed and angles campaign.

Have that. But I doubt I know the F14 well enough to even pass the first part of the first mission.

[speed-of-heat]

My mode, is to fly the mission, work out what I don't know... Do /read/learn things to correct and repeat...do misson again, fail again, do more learning/study/practice... It provides a god structure to learning.

[Gunfreak]

On 2/3/2024 at 8:15 PM, speed-of-heat said:

 

I would also recommend the speed and angles campaign.

Looked through all of them, and each one is good, but still missing lots of basic stuff I need to be able to even do basic F14 mission more advanced than fly straight and shoot or land on a carrier.

[speed-of-heat]

can you be more specific ?

[RustBelt]

The problem is both the Official manual, and Chuck's guide only cover the raw basics, so that's all any videos cover since they use the selfsame sources.

Heck, the only documentation on the TID AVIA page is a Grim Reapers video.

Fun bonus quiz, what actual button undesignates the LANTIRN pod? It's an assignable binding, but no source knows what actual button on the stick it corresponds to.

My guess is S4 Left, but I have no documented proof, and no 3rd party instructions even speculates on it.

Edited February 7, 2024 by RustBelt

[speed-of-heat]

No idea I only fly the front seat

I just tell jester to unlock

[speed-of-heat]

Try this 

 

Or this https://flyandwire.com/category/gaming/dcs/f-14-rio/

 

[draconus]

On 2/3/2024 at 8:06 PM, Gunfreak said:

I don't really know what most of the stuff in the cockpit does.

1. Do the training missions.

2. Refer to the manual for anything you don't know.

https://heatblur.se/F-14Manual/index.html

3. Practice. Start with simple TACAN day nav. In Case III TACAN and altimeter is all you need to find the boat and not hit the water.

Videos are not your best bet to learn anything in detail imho.

Here's more:

Edited February 8, 2024 by draconus

[RustBelt]

On 2/7/2024 at 3:13 PM, speed-of-heat said:

Try this 

 

Or this https://flyandwire.com/category/gaming/dcs/f-14-rio/

 

Already read the whole book. It’s incomplete, because the manual is incomplete.

Edited February 8, 2024 by RustBelt

[sze5003]

I did the in game tutorials. Landed on the boat a few times, did the landing on an airfield a few times too. Then I purchased the speed and angels campaign.

It will teach you to fly the plane correctly. For any of the issues in the campaign I just look for playthroughs of it on YouTube.

[RustBelt]

The briefing PDF’s are pretty good. It’s literally the only source I’ve ever seen for actual formation sight lines on the Tomcat. 

[speed-of-heat]

On 2/9/2024 at 9:41 PM, RustBelt said:

The briefing PDF’s are pretty good. It’s literally the only source I’ve ever seen for actual formation sight lines on the Tomcat. 

its actually in the speed and angels mission that it teaches you that ... stop waiting to be perfect and do the missions

]

[Victory205]

On 2/9/2024 at 3:41 PM, RustBelt said:

It’s literally the only source I’ve ever seen for actual formation sight lines on the Tomcat. 

If anyone is looking, the formation sight lines are “literally” in the NATOPS Manual, starting in Section 9.2, “Special Procedures”. Lots of good information in that section.

Edited February 12, 2024 by Victory205

[Jayhawk1971]

I "third" recommending (highly recommending) Reflected's Speed and Angels campaign. 

It will teach a lot about the very necessary Tomcat basics. If you already have invested a lot of hours into the Tomcat module, it will help correct many bad habits that may have built up.

[Gunfreak]

5 hours ago, Jayhawk1971 said:

I "third" recommending (highly recommending) Reflected's Speed and Angels campaign. 

It will teach a lot about the very necessary Tomcat basics. If you already have invested a lot of hours into the Tomcat module, it will help correct many bad habits that may have built up.

I did my first cold start, runway take off and landing in the Tomcat yesterday. So I don't feel ready for anything related to reflected campaigns. I tried one of his other Tomcat campaigns and it was mostly confusing.

[RustBelt]

11 hours ago, Victory205 said:

Formation sight lines are “literally” in the NATOPS Manual, starting in Section 9.2, “Special Procedures”.

Like 3 little bullet points with no pictures that I never even NOTICED until you referenced them now because I only ever used the NATOPS for Systems. Also not everyone is ALLOWED to have the NATOPS. You can't even share it HERE. 

12 hours ago, speed-of-heat said:

its actually in the speed and angels mission that it teaches you that ... stop waiting to be perfect and do the missions

]

They're OK. But they lack insight when you don't nail the maneuvers, so it's just a guessing game as to how you could actually improve. The Text is by far the more useful bit. 

[sze5003]

I did my first cold start, runway take off and landing in the Tomcat yesterday. So I don't feel ready for anything related to reflected campaigns. I tried one of his other Tomcat campaigns and it was mostly confusing.

If anything that is what you do in the first mission of the speed and angels campaign. You can replay it as many times as you want to get better. You will be graded on the maneuvers and landing.

There are some important concepts in that first mission like level turns and maintaining speed, and vertical maneuvers.

[Jayhawk1971]

vor 19 Stunden schrieb Gunfreak:

I did my first cold start, runway take off and landing in the Tomcat yesterday. So I don't feel ready for anything related to reflected campaigns. I tried one of his other Tomcat campaigns and it was mostly confusing.

Yep, Reflected's campaigns aren't "beginner friendly". They require a certain level of advanced module knowledge.

Probably the best way to get into the Tomcat would be to first complete Heatblur's training tutorial missions, then do some of the single missions and the Reforger campaign. Also, there are some very helpful tips and tutorials floating around these forums and YouTube. Heatblur's SME wrote up some very helpful PDF tutorials if you can still find those.

Once you feel you have a good grip on our F-14, "Speed and Angels" will be a great start if you have the patience to work through it yet (and it is work during the "RAG" phase of the campaign).

An alternative route would be to start with "Fear the Bones", as it is more entertainment-oriented and not as "hard" as the other two Tomcat campaigns. Caveat: that does not mean the campaign is "easy", though. You are required to do a night trap qualification as your first mission. Also A2A refueling is required in at least two missions (IIRC). And one somewhat dicey night trap surprise (ironically, my best night trap in the Tomcat ever, proving @Victory205 's point about us all being virtual HUD cripples who would improve greatly if we would only fly by the analog instruments  ).

Edited February 12, 2024 by Jayhawk1971

[Gunfreak]

26 minutes ago, Jayhawk1971 said:

Yep, Reflected's campaigns aren't "beginner friendly". They require a certain level of advanced module knowledge.

Probably the best way to get into the Tomcat would be to first complete Heatblur's training tutorial missions, then do some of the single missions and the Reforger campaign. Also, there are some very helpful tips and tutorials floating around these forums and YouTube. Heatblur's SME wrote up some very helpful PDF tutorials if you can still find those.

Once you feel you have a good grip on our F-14, "Speed and Angels" will be a great start if you have the patience to work through it yet (and it is work during the "RAG" phase of the campaign).

An alternative route would be to start with "Fear the Bones", as it is more entertainment-oriented and not as "hard" as the other two Tomcat campaigns. Caveat: that does not mean the campaign is "easy", though. You are required to do a night trap qualification as your first mission. Also A2A refueling is required in at least two missions (IIRC). And one somewhat dicey night trap surprise (ironically, my best night trap in the Tomcat ever, proving @Victory205 's point about us all being virtual HUD cripples who would improve greatly if we would only fly by the analog instruments  ).

 

Fear the bone is the one I tried. refueling went fine, I then flew back and forth patrolling the route without really knowing what I was doing, and got bored as I had been flying back and fourth for 30 minutes, went to land and crashed into the sea as I have no idea how to do CASE III, I then downloaded a CASE III training mission and continued to hit the sea between 5 miles and 200 yards behind the carrier.

[Jayhawk1971]

vor einer Stunde schrieb Gunfreak:

Fear the bone is the one I tried. refueling went fine, I then flew back and forth patrolling the route without really knowing what I was doing, and got bored as I had been flying back and fourth for 30 minutes, went to land and crashed into the sea as I have no idea how to do CASE III, I then downloaded a CASE III training mission and continued to hit the sea between 5 miles and 200 yards behind the carrier.

Which mission was that? "Hello Ivan"?

Re. CASE III in the campaign: Reflected provided kneeboard cards in the campaign, which include "CliffsNotes" versions of Case I/II/III recovery/ departure procedures. The radio menu carrier comms required to "initiate" CASE III are identical to the DCS Hornet. 

Edited February 12, 2024 by Jayhawk1971

[RustBelt]

Reviewing and/or PRINTiNG out the documents with a Reflected campaign is mandatory. It fills my 1990’s big old game box full of feelies heart.