Air refuel tutorial

[Berndt Mangler]

try the curve In the stick if you can, TMhog does it really well the resolution is higher, and you can switch back and forth on the fly.

 

The DCS axis tuning for the pitch made my VVI jump when crossing the horizon, If I was on center it would just pop back and forth, I'm suggesting a math issue there as when I go 1/1, no jumping and if I use SETCUSOMCURVE in TM target script, no jumping.

 

I use the TM script do the throttle also, I can easily shift the flat spot towards stick forward to better center the spot on 143nts(in the HUD) while the fuel door is open that is requiring a heavy trim to stick forward, a normal DCS curve that is usable puts 143 to 150 on the punchy side as its just on the edge of flat and ramping up. DCS user curves can help this, but the TM script does this also and works better.

[doright]

I do trim prior to preconnect, but Im not really following you otherwise,, the slop has an effect on the pot positions,,, you can watch the pot spikes on the graph while not even touching the stick, and as soon as you do, it go bonkers a bit while still working within the slop spot. Thats why I have to increase my deadband

 

Ah, ok. To me what your describing is electrical noise from dirty or worn pots. Slop, I think of as mechanical looseness in the mechanism so the joystick moves without actually moving the pot.

To clean up your pots you can cut the 4 little melted plastic buttons off the face of the pot, open it up and then spray in some electrical contact cleaner (Radio Shack still sells it) on to clean and lubricate them. Additionally you can still buy some replacement parts from Thrustmaster. Register on their support page and send them an email requesting new pots. After I install a new pot at the first sign of spiking I immediately do the cleaning above and they seem to last much longer.

[Fakum]

to tell you the truth, I never tinkered with the settings within TM,,, now that you mention it,, how does that work if you customize the settings in TM, then you hop in a mission and you must have some sort of settings within DCS Controls options,, isnt there a conflict?

[Fakum]

Ah, ok. To me what your describing is electrical noise from dirty or worn pots. Slop, I think of as mechanical looseness in the mechanism so the joystick moves without actually moving the pot.

To clean up your pots you can cut the 4 little melted plastic buttons off the face of the pot, open it up and then spray in some electrical contact cleaner (Radio Shack still sells it) on to clean and lubricate them. Additionally you can still buy some replacement parts from Thrustmaster. Register on their support page and send them an email requesting new pots. After I install a new pot at the first sign of spiking I immediately do the cleaning above and they seem to last much longer.

 

You were actually correct the 1st time,, it is mechanical slop from being worn out. Ive probably got about 1/4" of slop side to side, 3/4" forward to aft. When I bring up the axis curves within DCS and run my finger lightly along the slop travel, the dot is very bouncy within this slop range, after that it is fine, Si I have deadband set within that slop range so there is no impact on banking or pitch when its floating in the slop range

[doright]

I do trim prior to preconnect, but Im not really following you otherwise...

 

Going back to this. What I recommend is that you open the refueling port, stabilize behind the tanker, send the ready precontact radio call, and do anything else that might mean taking your hand off the stick. After that trim quite a few clicks, and re-stabilize behind the tanker holding the stick in the untrimmed position. The idea is that you are not trimmed level so your stick is preloaded in one direction. Since the stick is preloaded against the spring all the slop is taken out and any change in pressure should have immediate results. Also since you are not near the center you are also not having to fight deadband + slop + reversal of pressure on your hand (there is a reason the Blue Angels fly with substantial nose down stick load).

 

Just be sure to note how many clicks of trim you used so you can replicate or refine it next time.

[Derbysieger]

I used to make that argument. I just think that every hour flying under one type of configuration programs your brain for a given muscle memory and every time you change it you're changing the muscle memory again which means the relative level of expertise you have is diminished.

 

I don't want to sound like a jerk but its just sloppy in my opinion. I say this because I can say I was sloppy. Sure it was probably easier because my curve was so low, but I had it in place for over 2 years. What did it do to my flying? It meant that my gut reaction to pulling high G turns was wrong when I changed my curve despite having at that point hundreds of hours in the virtual plane.

 

I get it though, this isn't real life so enjoyment does matter. Some people would rather succeed with the limited time they have to play. That's perfectly reasonable. I still think its sub optimal as a learning process though. I'm just saying, if you can stomach the short term failure its better medium and long term.

 

 

Based on your post I went ahead and put my curve to zero. Guess what? Aerial refueling became actually easier for me because the airplane is snappier close to the center (I always trim down a little bit to avoid the center - no deadzone on the WH) and does exactly what I tell it to do. IMO the jump from 10 to 0 is no biggie if your stick is good.

 

However, I am very expierenced when it comes to flying the A-10C in DCS (probably more than 400 flight hours in the last two years, most of it in MP in formation with other players) and I still stand by my statement that a curve helps when you start out.

It will help you get into formation flying more easily and when you don't have a good stick that's mayby a bit wobbly it can make all the difference in the world (I still have a cheap Logitech and w/o a curve it's a pain in the ass compared to the HOTAS WH). As you rightfully pointed out this is an entertainment product and not R/L and in the beginning, a curve will keep frustration to a minimum.