HUD Setup...

[mytai01]

Everyone who's flying the F-14A/B has probably already noticed that the HUD pitch ladder seems off, and the manual doesn't have any explanations about how to set it up for proper use. The game manual appears to be based on available information from the actual NAVAIR manual. Well, the section on the HUD in the NAVAIR is missing. I don't know why, but it is. So, I recently noticed the HUD Trim knob and played around with it to discover what it does. It moves the pitch ladder up or down. That means this thing has to be setup in real life to insure accuracy. The only way I could get an accurate reference point to align it was by switching to the Landing HUD mode that provides the flight path marker. Then adjust the HUD Trim knob until the zero pitch line aligns with the flight path marker. Then select T.O. HUD mode and you're ready to go. If you're in the air, it's going to be more difficult. You're going to have to do your best at flying level and adjust the HUD Trim to be level with the flight path marker. It might be easier to be in auto pilot to do this. If anyone knows a former A/B pilot, please ask them if they can explain what they actually did.

[razo+r]

Don't do that, leave it as is. It is not a modern HUD, it is not conformal with the outside view. It is simply an ADI projected infront of you. 

More info here: https://forum.dcs.world/topic/204331-where-to-keep-fpm-during-landing/page/3/#comment-3862477

[DD_Fenrir]

First thing to note is that, unlike any other modern era fighter aircraft, in the F-14a/b the HUD is not a primary flight instrument. And it really shouldn’t be used as such.

The first point to realise is that when you’re looking out through the front windscreen is that it is not aligned vertically with the aircraft datum, it is actually depressed partially so the pilot view is through it is down as well as forward. 
 

The second is to note that whilst you can indeed trim the hud pitch ladder to get the pitch ladder horizon to coincide with the actual horizon, that 1. as soon as you move the aircraft in it’s pitch axis you will find that the pitch ladder horizon displaces, because unlike your Hornet, Viper or Eagle, it’s neither stabilised nor calibrated to do so. 2. Also if you do trim the hud, your aircraft datum (the w symbol) will no longer be accurate in reference to the pitch ladder, so if you use it as a reference for the pitch angle of your climb, it will be incorrectly telling you that you are climbing shallower than you are.

 

[bonesvf103]

I read somewhere that it is centered physically on the Tomcat's nose by default.  I don't use the HUD for much more than rough reference; for accurate horizon I use the VSI and attitude indicator instead.

v6,

boNes

[Naquaii]

20 hours ago, mytai01 said:

Everyone who's flying the F-14A/B has probably already noticed that the HUD pitch ladder seems off, and the manual doesn't have any explanations about how to set it up for proper use. The game manual appears to be based on available information from the actual NAVAIR manual. Well, the section on the HUD in the NAVAIR is missing. I don't know why, but it is. So, I recently noticed the HUD Trim knob and played around with it to discover what it does. It moves the pitch ladder up or down. That means this thing has to be setup in real life to insure accuracy. The only way I could get an accurate reference point to align it was by switching to the Landing HUD mode that provides the flight path marker. Then adjust the HUD Trim knob until the zero pitch line aligns with the flight path marker. Then select T.O. HUD mode and you're ready to go. If you're in the air, it's going to be more difficult. You're going to have to do your best at flying level and adjust the HUD Trim to be level with the flight path marker. It might be easier to be in auto pilot to do this. If anyone knows a former A/B pilot, please ask them if they can explain what they actually did.

That's because there isn't a setup or trim for "proper use". The pitch ladder on the F-14 HUD isn't at all referenced to the outside world, it just references the wings on the HUD. You should regard it as an ADI on the HUD and an instrument in itself not referenced to the outside world.

[mytai01]

I guess I wasn't specific enough about what I'm doing with the HUD. I'm actually not really using it to achieve level flight for cruise flight as much as the vertical speed indicator, as it is aligned more for the landing mode. I use it as a reference for the flight path marker. I use it as a reference to achieve level flight because it just doesn't make sense to use the +5 line.

[Naquaii]

3 hours ago, mytai01 said:

I guess I wasn't specific enough about what I'm doing with the HUD. I'm actually not really using it to achieve level flight for cruise flight as much as the vertical speed indicator, as it is aligned more for the landing mode. I use it as a reference for the flight path marker. I use it as a reference to achieve level flight because it just doesn't make sense to use the +5 line.

Not sure what you mean by aligned, like I mentioned the pitch ladder on the HUD was never intended to be referenced to the outside world. You can use the trim to move it on the HUD but as it doesn't correspond to the outside world it won't be correct for anything but that specific altitude and aircraft position.

You really should regard it as a digital ADI that's on the HUD, nothing more. Imagine the ADI in the attached image transposed digitally on the HUD, that's basically what it is. And the only reference to read the pitch line being the aircraft wings that I've circled in the HUD image. The pitch lines aren't designed to be used as a reference for anything but those.

You're ofc free to use it as you wish but this is the reason it isn't detailed in the manual, it was never intended to be used in any other way. This is the primary reason why the HUD in the F-14 isn't a primary flight instrument unlike in newer aircraft where the horizon line on the HUD is in the correct spot on the HUD vs the outside world. (And the other pitch lines for that matter which it isn't in the F-14.)

Edited March 31 by Naquaii

[SuperKermit]

vor 11 Stunden schrieb Naquaii:

This is the primary reason why the HUD in the F-14 isn't a primary flight instrument unlike in newer aircraft where the horizon line on the HUD is in the correct spot on the HUD vs the outside world.

What about the flight path marker in the landing mode? That one should of course be referenced to outside, right?

[Naquaii]

2 hours ago, SuperKermit said:

What about the flight path marker in the landing mode? That one should of course be referenced to outside, right?

Yeah, there is other symbology like that one and the targeting stuff that is positioned correctly vs the outside world but the pitch ladder is not.

[bonesvf103]

I wonder why Grumman (or whoever) made it that way.

v6,

boNes

[Q3ark]

3 hours ago, bonesvf103 said:

I wonder why Grumman (or whoever) made it that way.

v6,

boNes

I read I think it was in the Haynes Tomcat manual, the HUD was supposed to be upgraded after the first few prototypes but the navy didn't want to pay for it.

[Naquaii]

3 hours ago, bonesvf103 said:

I wonder why Grumman (or whoever) made it that way.

v6,

boNes

Likely because it was a really early HUD and that it was too difficult to make a pitch ladder that was correct to the outside world. Or they just didn't prioritize it due to not having enough experience with HUD interfaces in general.

[Jayhawk1971]

Didn't the A-7 have the first "real" HUD in the US military, 1967-ish? Or was it introduced with later A-7 models? If the former, I wonder why that technology didn't make it into the A-Tomcats?

Edit. A quick search found this article: https://www.twz.com/34405/the-a-7-corsair-iis-heads-up-display-was-a-revolution-in-air-combat

 

Edited April 3 by Jayhawk1971