DCS A-10C QUESTIONS

[KESTRAL24]

Sorry if this is the wrong place to ask this question but i am new to this site.I have played flight

sims for a long time, and now i would like to build a cockpit.So if anyone could tell me where i

can find plans to build the A-10c cockpit i would be really gratefull.

[kontiuka]

^

try this forum ...

 

http://forums.eagle.ru/forumdisplay.php?f=101

[baltic_dragon]

OK, two more questions from me - not really related one to another:

 

1) Asking the ATC for "navigational assistance" - how in practice can we use the directions they are giving us?

 

2) Bingo fuel - is there any way to be able to tell how much mission time is left? As I read A10s over Kosovo, the pilots knew exactly how much time they had. Does it come with experience, or is it somehow possible to calculate it?

[kontiuka]

1) Asking the ATC for "navigational assistance" - how in practice can we use the directions they are giving us?

 

I believe the ATC gives you the bearing to the non-directional beacon at the end of the airstrip. This wouldn't really set you up for a landing approach but at least you can find the airstrip. It's kind of redundant unless your navigation systems are damaged and you can't see your steerpoints.

 

An alternative to this is homing in on a TACAN signal.

 

EDIT: Calling "Inbound" to the ATC, on the other hand, will provide you with a bearing that sets you up for a landing approach.

Edited April 2, 2014 by kontiuka

[SmokeyTheLung]

2) Bingo fuel - is there any way to be able to tell how much mission time is left? As I read A10s over Kosovo, the pilots knew exactly how much time they had. Does it come with experience, or is it somehow possible to calculate it?

 

Pay attention to your fuel flow indicators, they display pounds of fuel burned per hour at the current throttle setting. Combine that with an estimated time of flight to a given steerpoint (at a given speed/at a given PPH fuel burn...) from your nav systems and you should be able to do some quick math and figure out when to head home.

You can also pay attention to how much gas you used to get to your destination, and make sure you turn back once you reach that number + 1500 pounds (or whatever reserve you think you'll need)

 

I'd assume that the "real" way to do it would be with some fancy chart before a flight but I'm not really in the know on any of that :D I know that some guys around here are though; have you tried searching the forum for bingo fuel calculation?

[Need-To-Know]

RETRACTED - My bad

Edited April 2, 2014 by Need-To-Know

[baltic_dragon]

I believe the ATC gives you the bearing to the non-directional beacon at the end of the airstrip. This wouldn't really set you up for a landing approach but at least you can find the airstrip. It's kind of redundant unless your navigation systems are damaged and you can't see your steerpoints.

 

An alternative to this is homing in on a TACAN signal.

 

EDIT: Calling "Inbound" to the ATC, on the other hand, will provide you with a bearing that sets you up for a landing approach.

 

Thank you! I was wondering why would you need navigation assistance with all tne tools at your disposal... as for 'inbound' message I sometime use the TAD tand 'hook - cursor' option to find an exact bearing and distance for good approach and then I create mark point at that spot.

 

Pay attention to your fuel flow indicators, they display pounds of fuel burned per hour at the current throttle setting. Combine that with an estimated time of flight to a given steerpoint (at a given speed/at a given PPH fuel burn...) from your nav systems and you should be able to do some quick math and figure out when to head home.

You can also pay attention to how much gas you used to get to your destination, and make sure you turn back once you reach that number + 1500 pounds (or whatever reserve you think you'll need)

 

I'd assume that the "real" way to do it would be with some fancy chart before a flight but I'm not really in the know on any of that :D I know that some guys around here are though; have you tried searching the forum for bingo fuel calculation?

 

I haven't, no - but I will have a look. Not that it matters at the moment, as in training flights I rarely go below 1/2 of the fuel. But your tips are very useful. Thanks!

[wolfstriked]

Can someone explain to me better about using the boat switch to stabilize the maverick and then having to do TMS aft short.Basically......what is force correlate and why do I have to do it if TMS aft short ground stabilizes anyway.

 

Also I have put slew speed to 0.5 and its very jerky still and hard to fluidly place on target.Any idea why?

[SmokeyTheLung]

Force correlate is one of two ways that the maverick can lock onto a target.

 

In the simplist terms; it'll net you a bit more range from the missile at the expense of the ability to track a moving target.

 

Getting comfortable with switchology is a bit tough (especially without the TM warthog joystick/throttle). Practice, practice, practice!

 

Your second question is tough to answer without watching you fly.

Make sure your flying a stable platform with the nose of the aircraft pointed towards the target you're trying to track, use autopilot as it can help a lot here. Lots of TMS aft short as well! :)

[wolfstriked]

Force correlate is one of two ways that the maverick can lock onto a target.

 

In the simplist terms; it'll net you a bit more range from the missile at the expense of the ability to track a moving target.

 

Getting comfortable with switchology is a bit tough (especially without the TM warthog joystick/throttle). Practice, practice, practice!

 

Your second question is tough to answer without watching you fly.

Make sure your flying a stable platform with the nose of the aircraft pointed towards the target you're trying to track, use autopilot as it can help a lot here. Lots of TMS aft short as well! :)

Thanks,Smokey.Some more studying and I have found that FC is the ability to lock on to a specific area rather than an object that uses contrast difference to lock on.With FC you can lock on to a certain window on a building for example.It doesn't track an object though so its good for stationary objects with bonus as you said of ability to launch from further away.

 

That said I am still lost on launching them.Every time a mav fires from my plane I have no certain idea what I did to make that happen.:D

[shagrat]

Thanks,Smokey.Some more studying and I have found that FC is the ability to lock on to a specific area rather than an object that uses contrast difference to lock on.With FC you can lock on to a certain window on a building for example.It doesn't track an object though so its good for stationary objects with bonus as you said of ability to launch from further away.

 

That said I am still lost on launching them.Every time a mav fires from my plane I have no certain idea what I did to make that happen.:D

 

Search on YouTube for "DCS Maverick Force correlate" you should get plenty of tutorial videos. They are much easier to understand, than text.

 

Basic procedure is: TMS UP SHORT locks the Maverick on a target. Sometimes you need to press TMS UP SHORT multiple times before you get a lock. After you have a lock, you press WEAPON RELEASE and hold it(!!!) until the Maverick launches. Some 2 sec...

 

Now, Force Correlate is only working with TV Mavericks, not with IR ones. First you need to center the boat switch, now switch boat switch aft (or forward) and back to center. Now before you press any other button press TMS UP SHORT (1-3 times) until the crosshair is solid and connects in the center. Now the MAV is locked on to the image of that area and will find a contrasting object near the center.

Press and hold the WEAPON RELEASE button until the MAV launches.

 

The thing about FC mode is in fact the extended range! From high altitude you can take out a SAM at over 12nm easily... that is why the specs say "range over 12 nmi". :thumbup:

[wolfstriked]

Search on YouTube for "DCS Maverick Force correlate" you should get plenty of tutorial videos. They are much easier to understand, than text.

 

Basic procedure is: TMS UP SHORT locks the Maverick on a target. Sometimes you need to press TMS UP SHORT multiple times before you get a lock. After you have a lock, you press WEAPON RELEASE and hold it(!!!) until the Maverick launches. Some 2 sec...

 

Now, Force Correlate is only working with TV Mavericks, not with IR ones. First you need to center the boat switch, now switch boat switch aft (or forward) and back to center. Now before you press any other button press TMS UP SHORT (1-3 times) until the crosshair is solid and connects in the center. Now the MAV is locked on to the image of that area and will find a contrasting object near the center.

Press and hold the WEAPON RELEASE button until the MAV launches.

 

The thing about FC mode is in fact the extended range! From high altitude you can take out a SAM at over 12nm easily... that is why the specs say "range over 12 nmi". :thumbup:

 

What confuses me is that my mavs seem to lock on just by slewing it onto a target.When I slew near a target the cross starts flashing and I press fire and it fires.I don't recall pressing TMS up when this happens.:doh:

[shagrat]

Absolutely correct! When manually slewing the MAV, it tries to lock as soon as you stop slewing. See this as a kind of snapshot mode. After introducing Targeting Pods, you can lock with the TMS up short as slewing is not occurring. In FC mode you usually do it by using TGP to find a target.

[SafetyTurtle]

Dunno if this is supposed to happen, but when I'm in the A10C I'm finding it a bit difficult to read the numbers on the HUD (to small) and when I lean in to get a closer look (I have TrackIR) they just get father away.

 

Is this normal or is something off or perhaps I'm doing something wrong.

[nomdeplume]

Dunno if this is supposed to happen, but when I'm in the A10C I'm finding it a bit difficult to read the numbers on the HUD (to small) and when I lean in to get a closer look (I have TrackIR) they just get father away.

It's normal, they remain at the same size regardless of how far you are from them. That's why you can see them and the terrain at the same time, instead of having to keep shifting your focus.

 

You might want to look at the zoom settings instead, which adjusts your field of view and therefore makes things seem larger or smaller on your screen.

[SafetyTurtle]

 

You might want to look at the zoom settings instead, which adjusts your field of view and therefore makes things seem larger or smaller on your screen.

 

Yeah I tried setting the zoom function to one of my HOTAS buttons on my X52 Pro throttle, but when I use it the image starts "shaking"...it did make it better for a while though, so may have to figure something out with the zoom.

[wolfstriked]

Absolutely correct! When manually slewing the MAV, it tries to lock as soon as you stop slewing. See this as a kind of snapshot mode. After introducing Targeting Pods, you can lock with the TMS up short as slewing is not occurring. In FC mode you usually do it by using TGP to find a target.

 

Perfect,thanks Shagrat!:thumbup: Was flying last night and I felt so connected to my Hotas.I was flying thru the SOI and SPI and locking on etc and then suddenly my brain went blank again and I just started at screen for 30 seconds.:megalol: Worth the practice as this sim is gold!

[shagrat]

Yeah I tried setting the zoom function to one of my HOTAS buttons on my X52 Pro throttle, but when I use it the image starts "shaking"...it did make it better for a while though, so may have to figure something out with the zoom.

Combine an axis (one of the rotaries) to zoom, together with a modifier button! To zoom, hold the modifier and adjust with the rotary! When you release the modifier button - no more jitter.

 

The root cause is the potentiometer of rotaries are fļuctuating a bit and the axis virtually moves a little up and down. Can't be helped when potentiometers are used. Unfortunately the warthog HOTAS' grey friction slider is a potentiometer rather than a HALL sensor :doh: ...save some $1.50 on a $400 device!

[arkroyale048]

Been trying to find this function for a very long time now...

 

How do I activate the 'gun funnel' reticle on the HUD for air to air engagements ?

[SafetyTurtle]

Combine an axis (one of the rotaries) to zoom, together with a modifier button! To zoom, hold the modifier and adjust with the rotary! When you release the modifier button - no more jitter.

 

The root cause is the potentiometer of rotaries are fļuctuating a bit and the axis virtually moves a little up and down. Can't be helped when potentiometers are used. Unfortunately the warthog HOTAS' grey friction slider is a potentiometer rather than a HALL sensor :doh: ...save some $1.50 on a $400 device!

 

Yeah I found that out, thank you very much for the help.

 

Have nother question though.

When going through start up on my own, not in the training mission I've noticed that HARS is on but not EGI and nothing happens when I try to turn it on.

Theres power and everything is set up, ready to start up the engines but it won't come on.

 

Have I missed something?

[kontiuka]

Been trying to find this function for a very long time now...

 

How do I activate the 'gun funnel' reticle on the HUD for air to air engagements ?

You should do the A-10 air-to-air tutorial but anyways ...

 

1. make sure gun is armed

2. press and hold the master mode switch to go to air-to-air mode

3. make HUD SOI

4. press DMS left or right short to scroll through gun funnels for different aircraft types

 

There's also a way to change which aircraft funnels are displayed when you scroll with the DMS.

[Yurgon]

When going through start up on my own, not in the training mission I've noticed that HARS is on but not EGI and nothing happens when I try to turn it on.

Theres power and everything is set up, ready to start up the engines but it won't come on.

 

Best way to figure it out is if you post a track.

 

EGI depends on quite a number of other systems to be ready, which I don't know in detail off the top of my head. I'm pretty sure EAC belongs to them (EAC switch below throttle) as well as INS alignment, and of course the EGI Power Switch (next to the CDU Power Switch), but there might be other required preconditions.

 

Come to think of it, your problem is probably the EAC switch which is practically invisible while the throttles are in the Off-position (unless you have the HOTAS Warthog; the throttle base includes this switch, that's why I'd almost forgotten about it not being visible during cold-starts).

[Blue_Maverick]

Ok, maybe I m stupid, but I cant find this answer nowhere... How to change elevation from HOT to DTS?

[kontiuka]

Yeah I found that out, thank you very much for the help.

 

Have nother question though.

When going through start up on my own, not in the training mission I've noticed that HARS is on but not EGI and nothing happens when I try to turn it on.

Theres power and everything is set up, ready to start up the engines but it won't come on.

 

Have I missed something?

You have to wait until your navigation system is fully aligned before you can engage EGI. You'll know it's aligned when it flashes "INS NAV RDY" on the CDU MFCD. Then you have to press the "NAV" OSB button on the CDU MFCD. Then you should be able to select EGI which will deselect HARS.

[kontiuka]

Ok, maybe I m stupid, but I cant find this answer nowhere... How to change elevation from HOT to DTS?

Not sure if this is what you're looking for but from the manual ...

 

"To accurately use CCIP gun sights, the aircraft must know the elevation of the aim point. This is most often done by selecting DTS elevation. This is done by first pressing the DATA rocker on the UFC and then the SEL rocker until DTS is displayed on the third line of the HUD data block. If DTS is not selected, the elevation will be based on the steerpoint. If based on steerpoint and the steerpoint is at a higher elevation than where the CCIP gun sight is pointed, you will get a CCIP INVALID error."