Ground crews

[Dimebag1]

Not sure if it's already been mentioned, but I think the addition of ground crews who give taxiing signals and can prep the AC would be cool. I'd love to see them signal for me to turn, chocks in/out, spool up etc. And at night if they had those illuminated signaling battons, it would add an even deeper level of immersion.

 

You don't have to stop there either. You could request on the comms for ground crews to remove all pins before a flight, perform a walk around check, or inspect for damage after a sortie. Obviously it could become quite complex, so there would be a nice in between of realism and playability somewhere.

 

At any rate, I would love to see ED try to pull off animations of signals, even have the crew member walk with you as you taxi. It would add an even deeper level of immersion to this already brilliant sim.

[REL]

+++++++++++++++++++++1

[mvsgas]

... I'd love to see them signal for me to turn, chocks in/out, spool up etc...

:smartass::D I'm here to help

Chapter 2

http://www.e-publishing.af.mil/shared/media/epubs/AFI11-218.pdf

[BKLronin]

+1

[upupandaway]

+1

Great idea, but I´d guess it´s quite a bit of work to do this. In the future maybe...

[KillarZ]

+1 This would probally be hard as it is but also when you refuel and rearm have a truck come and have them show the crewman actually refueling and rearming the aircraft. And you should be able to select your payload and fuel in game maybe even be able to edit it in game.

[Frostiken]

Would be pretty pimp... what would happen if you ran him over or ignored him? :)

 

Along with ground crews I'd also like a fully-fleshed ATC / ground traffic handler.

[Cali]

Pilots don't need them to tell them when to turn and stuff like that. All they need to now is that no one is near the intake and behind them on start up and when the chokes have been removed. I think they just do that so the crew chiefs can feel special :D. But it would be neat to have them in game, just adds to the immerission factor.

[Dimebag1]

Well the reason I thought it might be a good idea is there seems to be alot of soldiers etc standing around completely still, gun in hand with a thousand yard stare, and i thought, why not give them something useful to do and give them battons instead of a gun. I know they can animate the soldiers because I saw they have a death animation, so I figure it might be possible to add in a few scripts and triggers to their ai and get something resembling a ground crew. Like if you are approaching a parking area with a guy there he will signal for you to park there, with the appropriate signals when you need to turn, slow, etc. I'm just guessing but I think it could be done, maybe even with DCS warthog.

[Cali]

I'm not saying it's a bad idea, like I said it adds to the immerission factor.

[hog_driver111th]

It would be great also if all those soldiers that stand around had some animation to them. I know from high up we don't see much of them, but at the airbase, or looking at them through the TGP, the look so, lifeless.

[Scrape]

Not sure if it's already been mentioned, but I think the addition of ground crews who give taxiing signals and can prep the AC would be cool. I'd love to see them signal for me to turn, chocks in/out, spool up etc. And at night if they had those illuminated signaling battons, it would add an even deeper level of immersion.

 

You don't have to stop there either. You could request on the comms for ground crews to remove all pins before a flight, perform a walk around check, or inspect for damage after a sortie. Obviously it could become quite complex, so there would be a nice in between of realism and playability somewhere.

 

At any rate, I would love to see ED try to pull off animations of signals, even have the crew member walk with you as you taxi. It would add an even deeper level of immersion to this already brilliant sim.

 

Those are great ideas, but even with hardcore simmers realism can sometimes be a burden. A true sortie would take anywhere from 4 to 10 hours depending on the combat situation. Also on the ground operations slow the time it takes to get into the action.

 

The pulling of pins happens in chocks on the ramp, and then again at EOR before takeoff. Time in chocks...then taxi to the correct runway...then park...pins...then taxi to runway....takeoff. perhaps you or I might enjoy it, but not always, and the majority will most likely not embbrace the time delay.

 

Walk arounds or preflight checks are done and completed before the pilots arrival. Pilots do their own walk around yes but not really, it just cursory, because most of them don't know how it works anyway. Engines? Yup wings? Yup. Panels missing? Nope. Cool I'm getting in. Damage after a sortie is the pilots resposibility to check for, but the ground crew will ultimately be responsible in the end and postflight or thruflight checks are done after the pilot has left. And ground crew don't walk with aircraft,at. Least not in the US.

 

Overall I support the inclusion of ground crew and maintainers although I know why its over looked in games, I agree that it gives a deeper feel to the game when they are included, and is often overlooked in its importance.

[Scrape]

Pilots don't need them to tell them when to turn and stuff like that. All they need to now is that no one is near the intake and behind them on start up and when the chokes have been removed. I think they just do that so the crew chiefs can feel special :D. But it would be neat to have them in game, just adds to the immerission factor.

 

Yes pilots do need another pair of eyes when moving an aircraft around on a cluttered parking area. A non game flightline or crarrier deck is crowded with people, trucks, tool boxes, and various aircraft related equipment. It keeps people safe and aircraft/equipment in one piece.

[Cali]

Yes pilots do need another pair of eyes when moving an aircraft around on a cluttered parking area. A non game flightline or crarrier deck is crowded with people, trucks, tool boxes, and various aircraft related equipment. It keeps people safe and aircraft/equipment in one piece.

 

I've been in the air force for 12 years, working the flightline, I know how it is. Yes the extra pair of eyes is good, but a lot of that stuff they can do themselves. Carrier deck is a different story, since I have never been on one I can only talk from seeing stuff on TV and videos. Crew chiefs basically make sure they don't hit anything. I'm talking about fighters here, not tankers or bombers. I'd hate to be in a C-17 or B-52 without a crew chief there.

[Scrape]

I've been in the air force for 12 years, working the flightline, I know how it is. Yes the extra pair of eyes is good, but a lot of that stuff they can do themselves. Carrier deck is a different story, since I have never been on one I can only talk from seeing stuff on TV and videos. Crew chiefs basically make sure they don't hit anything. I'm talking about fighters here, not tankers or bombers. I'd hate to be in a C-17 or B-52 without a crew chief there.

 

I don't know any crew cheif that would trust a stick actuator so openly, what's your afsc? Couple months ago an A10 pilot tried to go at it himself and clipped a bread truck with his wingtip here at Nellis.

[Cali]

2A674, that pilot wasn't too bright then. I know pilots do some dumb stuff, but so does everyone else. I'm just saying they don't need a cc to tell them when to turn and do things every time. I have seen a lot of them turn before they were told.

[Snoopy]

I'm a crew chief, 2A353, and yeah you're right to a point. Most pilots don't pay attention when we are marshaling the jet until just before we stop them for the rollover.

[Scrape]

I'm a crew chief, 2A353, and yeah you're right to a point. Most pilots don't pay attention when we are marshaling the jet until just before we stop them for the rollover.

 

I'm no QA champion, but tolerating the pilots inattentivenesscan get someone hurt. its one of those dangerous things that dosent happen except in a rare circumstance, but the rule is there for a reason. I have a few examples in my experience..

[Cali]

There are a lot of things that QA would have a field day with. Scrap what do you do?

[Frostiken]

I don't know any crew cheif that would trust a stick actuator so openly, what's your afsc? Couple months ago an A10 pilot tried to go at it himself and clipped a bread truck with his wingtip here at Nellis.

 

All the crew chiefs do is marshal him in and out of the spot. He has control of the aircraft for all of about fifty feet. Once it leaves its spot, the pilot controls it.

 

I've seen plenty of times the pilots just sort of do what they want - they stop too late, pull into the spot at high speed, hell at one point some crusty old Colonel didn't like how long our ramp was and cut completely through the line.

 

PS: At Bagram we had an A-10 heading through our ramp put its wingtip through the rear of the six truck :D I'll bet it didn't even lose a sortie :P

 

Unrelated, but the funniest aircraft movement goof I've seen was when two F-15s got stuck on a taxiway because a C-130 was coming in the other direction. They just sat there about fifty yards apart... thankfully the C-130 can go in reverse :D

[mvsgas]

Pilots never pay attention how we marshal them, but when they hit something, is always our fault. Before they put the shades in Luke they had to repaint the lines. (this is back in 98 or 99) So, the contractor would paint the spots while the jet was in the air, not a big deal paints dries rather quickly at 120 degree weather. Anyway, my stick actuator had to come back early, monsoon weather over the range, paint is not dry yet. So I'm trying to keep him off the line but of course, a butter bar can't listen to an enlisted, so he stayed in that line, and cover my nose tire with yellow paint, which in turn covered the bottom of the jet and the wheel well.

[Scrape]

There are a lot of things that QA would have a field day with. Scrap what do you do?

 

I'm Weapons.

[Scrape]

All the crew chiefs do is marshal him in and out of the spot. He has control of the aircraft for all of about fifty feet. Once it leaves its spot, the pilot controls it.

 

I've seen plenty of times the pilots just sort of do what they want - they stop too late, pull into the spot at high speed, hell at one point some crusty old Colonel didn't like how long our ramp was and cut completely through the line.

 

PS: At Bagram we had an A-10 heading through our ramp put its wingtip through the rear of the six truck :D I'll bet it didn't even lose a sortie :P

 

Unrelated, but the funniest aircraft movement goof I've seen was when two F-15s got stuck on a taxiway because a C-130 was coming in the other direction. They just sat there about fifty yards apart... thankfully the C-130 can go in reverse :D

 

I'm not arguing that it doesn't happen like you say, of course it does, but if you have the right kind of cheif and commander the problem goes away. Most of the time its not a big deal. Usually isn't in the air force unless someone got hurt or is about to be. Navy pilots are not as free thinking as airforce counterparts and listen without distraction, obviously. Different circumstance I agree, but I seen a crew cheif loose his ability to walk from a pilots distraction. I know how it is, but I also know how it can be. Amxs has its own commander.

[Frostiken]

Pilots never pay attention how we marshal them, but when they hit something, is always our fault. Before they put the shades in Luke they had to repaint the lines. (this is back in 98 or 99) So, the contractor would paint the spots while the jet was in the air, not a big deal paints dries rather quickly at 120 degree weather. Anyway, my stick actuator had to come back early, monsoon weather over the range, paint is not dry yet. So I'm trying to keep him off the line but of course, a butter bar can't listen to an enlisted, so he stayed in that line, and cover my nose tire with yellow paint, which in turn covered the bottom of the jet and the wheel well.

 

LMAO - that sucks :D

[Jona33]

What if we'd have some visible ground crew in airfields ? It'd be quite interesting, especially if they are going to make a game with naval ops (I saw it in VRS and other games).

 

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A wish that is older than the games themselves...