Campaign and flight plans.

[Lonefox]

I've just finished the training missions and tried to start a campaign ... needless to say i'm not doing very well.

 

What im having trouble with is following the flight plan and having enough time to designate targets before im already over them and getting AA up my kiester. After reading around this post had some good tips about keeping distance

 

http://forums.eagle.ru/showpost.php?p=1281373&postcount=3

 

The tips here say to fly far away, does no one really follow the set flight plans then? are they just a general guidance of where the target is? The first mission flight plan for example basically says take off then head to the target area (about 2-4 mins away) and it also seems to have really low altitudes for the way points.

 

Just wondering how you guys approach the campaign missions?

 

Cheers.

[nemises]

Hi Lonefox,

You should loiter at the IP (or before) until you have a good picture of the target.

Use the FAC's also, they are there to designate the targets for you so you don't haveto be as heads-down.

 

Don't be in a rush... as far as I know there are no TOT dependencies..... the flight plans are usually laid out to ingress / egress safely through clear corridors so stick to them UNTIL you hit the IP, but from the IP and beyond, they are more indicative (unless the target area is pre-briefed).

 

Say for eg, in Georgian hammer 1-1-0 (assuming that's the campaign you are talking about), take off and fly the plan to your IP (or even stay south of the IP)...set up a holding pattern and orbit while you contact the JTAC/FAC , (hint , use ALT autopilot whilst in a 45deg bank or so)...once you have a target, scan the target area with the TGP to get a picture of the layout of the target(s).

Depending on the weapon's you will use and the likely threats in the area, plan your ingress...perhaps set a few mark points and use those as an impromptu flight plan for your attack.

Once you have a plan, and youre set up (Maverick's are powered up/cooled , DSMS profiles are set etc), THEN roll in for your attack.

 

...it's unlike , say for eg in Falcon4:AF , where you have to be over a target at a certain time and sometimes the pilot workload is too heavy to get your targets and weapons set up...this is more dynamic.

 

Unless there is a briefed time limit , or something bad is about to happen (such as the Tanks you are supposed to be protecting are about to get jumped by new group of T72's) , then you usually have plenty of time to assess the situation from long range with your TGP before rolling in guns blazing

Edited September 7, 2011 by nemises

[Lonefox]

Thanks, that clears some things up :)

 

The first mission I had was a destroy the bridge mission. I just flew straight over to it and got nailed. With missions with objectives like this (destroy the bridge) are you meant to just blow the bridge and get out of there or take out some targets as well as the bridge?

[kylania]

Depends on the mission really. Often times you'll have other planes of various types that will be assigned to take out air defenses and you follow them in. Or you're supposed to fly over the air cover and take it out with a GBU-12 from 18,000ft or something.

 

Or use your wingmen and flight elements to take out specific targets as seen in this video: