An Ed Macy Moment

[drhow]

I've been playing Black Shark for two weeks now. Basically new to sims, though somewhat familiar with aviation. So I'm still trying to get the hang of all the systems, and the piloting. And the systems while the piloting. Last night I played a mission online that still has me all excited.

 

I don't remember the name, something about The Other Side, I believe. Mission was to fly through the mountains into Georgia and attack an outpost or some such. We started with 3 on the server, set out our loads and took off. As I had never done this, climbing through the mountains was amazing. Trying to get to optimum lift speed, struggling to cross the peaks with a heavy load of weaponry, pushing the chopper to the limit. I was having a blast, but danger lurked! Along the way we lost one wingman due to a badly set de-icing switch and subsequent engine failure (Dust protection was on).

 

The remainder eventually made it to the ingress point and began the attack on the compound. We eased into position and fired away from our safety. I took my time, eventually wingman left to reload, while I loitered around cleaning up the remains of the base.

 

It was then that I noticed my fuel guage was much lower than when I had last checked it. Oops, seems I was hypnotized by the target. In fact, I had somewhere between 500-600Kg of fuel, I don't exactly remember. This was going to be close. I turned for home immediately, stressing out all along as I pushed the chopper back into the mountains. Don't go fast, fly efficient I kept telling myself.

 

I was getting more worried as the flight progressed. By the time I hit the apex of the mountain climb I was looking at around 200Kg of juice. I had altitude, which was good, as the airfield was much lower. So I continued on, keeping the collective as low as I possibly could, with a small descent rate and constant speed of 140. I was transfixed by the small dot of an airfield that was crawling so agonizingly slowly towards my little airplane on the ABRIS. I was a madman.

 

The closer I got, the faster I let myself descend, the lower the collective. Within a few kilometers of the airfield I had less than 40kg fuel, only in one tank, now being cross-fed. I lowered throttle to idle. The cockpit warnings beeped away steadily as I descended while maintaining close to 80% rpm. I was on a great slope. When about 50m up, and at the airfield, I put the power back up to full and went to land on the ramp.

 

As I tried to stabilize hover just before setting down, the RPM began to drop. I panicked and set her down with a bit of a thud, but no damage. I was back, I had made it. I don't think there was more than 10Kg of fuel left in the tank. What a rush!

 

As for the Ed Macy moment title, those of you who haven't read the book "Apache", he has a similar low fuel return, albeit, in much different circumstances. It's good read.

 

I tried to watch the track of this mission to get some more accurate figures, but in the replay I seem to shoot all my vikhrs into the dirt, and then swerve my helicopter into the mountain wall. I didn't remember doing that yesterday, I thought I had flown back...but....wait, can I see dead people?

 

In reality, I think the replay errors in this case come from the fact that I use TrackIR and the HMD with turn-to-target. My guess is the positioning is slightly askew even when I never switch views during the playback. I've not yet tried to play it out completely at normal speed, as it was a long mission. Oh well.

 

Now, I ask, does anyone else have any wonderful DCS moments they'd like to share?

[AlphaOneSix]

I actually ran out of gas on return to the airbase on that same mission. Luckily, I was already on short final and expecting the flameout, so I was able to autorotate onto a taxiway. SOmehow managed to not bang it up too much.

 

What I forgot at the time, and would have been a great help, is that with no stores remaining, and so low on gas, you can fly just fine on one engine (don't expect to hover, of course). That would cut fuel burn in half, and you could just do a running landing at the airbase.

[159th_Falcon]

:music_whistling:I'm afraid i am the "one wingmen":music_whistling:

 

As for the rolling landing procedure AlphaOneSix describes,

i would also jettison the rocket pods (even wen empty, i bet DCS gave the pods themselve a weight to, they might even let you burn some fuel cause of drag/air resistance) and any other remaining ammo to safe weight and thus fuel.

[GGTharos]

:music_whistling:I'm afraid i am the "one wingmen":music_whistling:

 

http://www.dosgringosrocks.com/audio/DOS_GRINGOS-The_Wingmen_Live.m3u

 

As for the rolling landing procedure AlphaOneSix describes,

i would also jettison the rocket pods (even wen empty, i bet DCS gave the pods themselve a weight to, they might even let you burn some fuel cause of drag/air resistance) and any other remaining ammo to safe weight and thus fuel.

 

 

Correct, stores do have weight and drag values.

[drhow]

I didn't think about dropping the pods until quite late, makes sense that they would be modeled to cause drag and have weight even while empty. Also that one engine trick is good to know.

 

@Falcon1906

Thanks for the game last night, it was alot of fun and learned some new things too. Shame we had to lose you in that mountain stream.

 

 

@GGTharos

Never heard those guys before, some hilarious songs.

- JDAM Blues

- I'm a Pilot

[EvilBivol-1]

Thanks for the "war story". Neat. :)

[26-J39]

When in dire straits I will sometimes fire off all my cannon rounds also.. every little bit will count..:P btw... usually set fuel loads to 50% just in case of a turbine failure.. this way you are able to RTB without too many probs :)

[My Fing ID]

So I was strafing a convoy of trucks with some armored escorts (BRDMx3 and 2 of something else). First run I fire my rocket pods. I hit 1 escort and took out 3 or 4 trucks. I pull left, drop the expended pods, and start engaging with my gun. I came in perpendicular and missed but took a few rounds from the escort. I then went right and decided to put myself between them and the sun. Its dawn so the suns low and I figued they wouldn't be able to hit me. I was wrong.

 

I took a few trucks out and started firing on an escort when suddenly my HUD goes blank. I pull off the attack and notice my controls suck. Figued I was dead, that they'd got an engine or something but after looking at the box on the right I see my hydrolics are shot. All my APs are flashing and when I look back at my gauges I see my guages read empty (and my wheel brakes still on).

 

With almost no experience flying without AP I was site I was boned. I tightened my grip on the controls and started to head back. Since the enemy was between me and the airfield I figued I'd give em another run. No hydrolics isn't an excuse for failing now is it! I decided to play it safe at first, moving my gun back into movable and aiming at a dead target. Thinking about the hydrolics and probable loss of my ability to aim the fun via camera I fire off a few rounds. They go no where near target. Ill have to close with the enemy and kill them blind, no HUD no camera.

 

I come upon the rear escort about 3 km out near a bridge. In my excitement I'm starting to gyrate the copter, making it difficult to aim. The escorts open fire. I raise the collective, ease the stick, and get stable. I then fire a burst at the closest escort, about 0.5km out. Almost hit him. I aim low and walk in the tracers. He starts flaming. Next targets up. I'm starting to gyrate again but none the less manage to get off a good Z pattern, killing him with only a few AP rounds left.

 

Continuing down the road I seemed to have missed the remander of the convoy, nothing but trucks now. I switched to HE and pulled left. 270 degrees later I spot the trucks. They went off road, following the river. Managed to kill 3 more before running out of ammo and returning to base.

 

I knew landing would be rough. No AP = too much gyration, though tbh I'd been flying pretty steady. I flipped the landing gear. Who'd of thought it wpuldnt work right? I flipped the red switch by the gear switch, did nothing. Tried releasing the parking break and flipping the switch again but no luck. So again I'm boned. I slow way down, get nice and low. Once over the airfield I pull into a hover a few meters from the ground and probably had the smoothest landing ever. Don't even think I scratched the bottom.

 

Fun flight!

[Frederf]

I used to routinely get engine ice problems until I learned to put the dust switch to the ice/dust position. Now I always run with the pitot heat (2) on and the second Betty tells me icing warning the main rotor and engine ice come on right away and don't go off until the message clears.

 

I really liked On the Other Side, fun mission, most of my losses are due to enemy helos. Low fps does not make a good dogfighter.

 

In that mission or another one I made sure to request Ferry Fuel before take off. You have to be a little gentler in the canyon turns but the extra gas is so worth it. Using the ABRIS VNAV properly really helps for an efficient climb as well.

Edited November 6, 2009 by Frederf

[drhow]

Thanks for the "war story". Neat. :)

I may have dramatized the events for added thrills. Who wants to read about an internet helicopter running out of computer fuel. :D

[sobek]

pilot heat

 

I guess you meant the pitot heat. Pilots are already hotheaded. ;)

[Deigs]

I may have dramatized the events for added thrills. Who wants to read about an internet helicopter running out of computer fuel. :D

 

Well it was still a cool read, Thanks for sharing Drhow :)

[WhiskeyJuliet]

Haha what a story! And testament to the effort and ATD that ED put into making this sim.

 

I've read Apache, it's cracking book and I bet the adrenaline must have been high when you were burning vapour! Great story thanks for sharing :).

[Dr_Watson]

Apache is good, his 2nd book "Hellfire" is much better IMO.

[WhiskeyJuliet]

Yeh I need to get round to buying it :P.

[vrv]

I had the same kind of situation but...well let's just say that I didn't land anywhere near the airfield ;)