Any P 51 Tutors Available ?

[SnowTiger]

Hi Folks

 

I'm hopelessly lost in the details even though I have been an avid Flight Sim guy for many years. Unfortunately, I am rusty and having great difficulties getting my old brain to function efficiently.

 

I could really use some tutelage.

 

Is anyone available evenings, weekends, days ... whatever .. to help me get set up in P 51 using Any Voiceware of your choosing ?

 

It is so much faster and easier when I can actually talk to someone while going through the setup procedures.

 

BTW - I'm using X-52 Hotas and TrackIR 5, Track Clip Pro.

 

Anyone who is willing to help will be greatly appreciated.

[WildBillKelsoe]

Hey mate. I'm available everyday from 10PM GMT. Tell me what areas would you like help with and I can help you real quick. PM me if interested. I have teamspeak 3 server set for my private use.

[Fakum]

Have you gone thru the provided training sessions 1st?

[SnowTiger]

Thanks for the replies.

 

Thanks for the offer WildBillKelsoe

 

I will try to connect with you shortly. Hopefully, you'll still be online.

 

@Fakum - Yes I have been working on the first couple tutorials, but I have been having Rudder/Hotas issues that prevented me from learning much.

 

Fortunately, I connected with Shahdoh today who has been a huge help getting me set up and on my way.

 

Thanks again folks.

[Fakum]

Congrats I suppose,,, you would serve yourself better if you went through the training 1st, then build upon that,,, but its your decission

[Shahdoh]

His first problem was control issues. I was able to help him get the controls setup correctly so that he is now able to get through the tutorials. B)

[Fakum]

Yes, I see that in his 2nd posting, his 1st posting infered he was trying to learn the plane, of course who would try that without 1st fixing your controls 1st, ya cant really fly the plane with broken controls,, can ya? Although my controls work well,, I fly like they are broke :}

[SnowTiger]

I absolutely agree.

 

DCS and Players didn't put in so much time building software, creating training tutorials and campaigns and training manuals for them to be ignored.

 

I believe the training and manuals are an absolute must to learn.

But having the minimum basics set up so things are working at least at a minimum level makes taking advantage of those things, much easier and more beneficial. And when one cannot determine what the cause of any problem is, it is then almost impossible to determine how to correct it, let alone take advantage of the training (i.e. when rudder toe brakes turn out to be mapped incorrectly).

 

Thanks again.

 

PS> It was during the training that I realized my setup was incorrect. I just didn't know how to correct it so I could proceed with training. Now I am up and running.

[Echo38]

I found the tutorials to be lacking. When I was first learning DCS, I kept needing to "flip back a few pages" during the tutorial missions to review a single page, but it wouldn't let me do that. The only way to see that page again was to restart the tutorial mission and sit through the whole thing again. This often made a fifteen-minute process take an hour, unnecessarily, mostly sitting through a bunch of stuff I already knew. (They also, IIRC, failed to update for custom control bindings--a major problem for me, because I extensively remap everything. So it kept telling me to press the wrong key, and it was up to me to try to remember or guess what the real key was for that function.)

 

As a result of these deficiencies, I would respectfully disagree with the suggestion that the tutorials should be a precursor to, or replacement for, virtual flight training. I would have killed to have a tutor when I was learning. Unfortunately, it seems that most people don't appreciate an instructor as much as I do. That's why I stopped giving virtual flight lessons--it wasn't rewarding. I spent hundreds of hours helping new virtual pilots get started, only to discover that the vast majority of them quit the sim anyway within a couple of weeks. Made me feel like chopped liver.

 

Still, I suppose it couldn't hurt to dust off the ol' soapbox, Snowtiger, since you seem genuinely interested in learning. Let me know if you need additional assistance and we can try to get together on Teamspeak 3.

Edited February 22, 2013 by Echo38

[Pman]

Glad to head that Shadoh helped you out, the tutorials are ok but nothing repalces the help of an experienced pilot

[SnowTiger]

I am genuinely grateful.

 

I am genuinely grateful for the offers received for help in this Forum.

Because I was having what seemed to be several "seemingly separate" issues that was preventing me from learning the right way (like everyone else did), I have posted questions in several threads.

 

I received multiple sincere offers of help in each of those threads.

 

I was fortunate to manage to connect with Shahdoh who patiently assisted me while I fumbled through several Hotas and Game Configuration Issues.

I have no idea where I'd be without that help other than to say that it would be a very long time before "I" managed to figure things out for myself "IF" that was even possible.

I liken the whole scenario to the following example:

 

If anyone were to take actual flight lessons (let's say in a Cessna 172) but were presented with a busted plane, there is no way they would succeed with their training without first becoming a Small Airplane Mechanic.

 

Anyway, although I was able to get off the ground a few times prior to resolving my setup issues (which most would probably consider serious), by the time Shahdoh got me straightened out, I had to Un-Learn everything I had learned in attempt to overcome my setup shortcomings. As such, Shahdoh never did get to see me leave the runway except for hitting the grass in a ball of fire while he buzzed the airfield, patiently waiting for me.

But rather than wasting any more of his enjoyable flight time, I decided that now I just have to get back to the DCS Training, Reading and self-practice on my own.

 

With a proper setup and a few great tips from Shahdoh, I went off on my own last night and spent several hours going over Startup, Taxi and Take Off procedures. I had a few mishaps, but I got to spend an hour or so in the air ... Buzzing the Tower and shooting at buildings etc. It was really fun and encouraging.

I am a Flight Sim Nut from way back. So there is no way I will fail at becoming proficient with all my sims (BS 2, A-10 and P-51) in due time. I have waited so long to get away from FPS's and back into the air, that I just can't wait to get into it all.

 

Thanks again to everyone who has offered help. I will undoubtedly take a few of you up on your offers as situations arise or further customization of the DCS Options is required.

In the meantime, I sincerely wish to thank Shahdoh for his time, patience and experience.

 

Have a great day everyone.

[Echo38]

I decided that now I just have to get back to the DCS Training, Reading and self-practice on my own.

 

As an ex-VFI, this indicates to me the single most important quality in a student--an earnest desire to learn. All virtual fighter pilots want to become proficient, but most don't want it enough to put in the required effort. I can't tell you how many times I experienced the following scenario: a VFS would ask me a question, I would respond with a lengthy explanation, followed by a suggestion that they read up on it on their own, giving them a few keywords and noting that this was how I learned. They would invariably shift their eyes and nod and say, "Yeah, sure, great, thanks," and then I would later find out that they made absolutely zero effort to follow through. They wanted me to give them easy shortcuts and magical tricks which would make them expert VFPs; naturally, no such things exist.

 

Once in a very rare while, however--I would estimate less than 3% of them--a virtual flight student would actually go out and do some research, or some other effort outside of the sim. Those are the ones who have the capability to become a top VFP. Nearly anyone can be a great VFP, if he wants to badly enough. I would say anyone, but a small amount of people have serious handicaps (e.g. epilepsy) which might prevent them from being able to do so. So, nearly anyone can be a great VFP; the critical factor is in whether the desire is great enough to cause the aspiring VFP to put in the requisite effort. I am pleased to see that you very much appear to meet that, Snowtiger. I hope to someday be defeated by you in duels.

 

(TL;DR: Jolly good, Tiger!)

Edited February 22, 2013 by Echo38

[SnowTiger]

Thanks Echo38

 

Hi and thanks to Echo38 for the kind and supportive comments.

Trust that I do mean what I say. I am not too intimidated by the detail of the manuals.

 

Back in the mid-90's, I enjoyed MANY hours (often 18 hours daily) flying in Janes Longbow 2 which was a hoot.

Proficiency required reading an Inch Thick Manual to understand all the Flight Characteristics, Weapon Systems, Avionics etc etc.

And that was the days when Flight Sims, however complicated, required everything to be done with Keyboard Commands ie. few if any working cockpit-clickable controls.

 

So while I have so much to learn, I am eager to do so, no matter how long it takes. That said, I estimate it will likely take an easy Month to get any good (but far from proficient) with the P 51 (even though I primarily flew that in other sims such as Aces High 2).

 

I expect it will easily take at least 3 months to become "familiar with" and comfortable with each of DCS BS and the A-10 (the latter of which is most certainly my favorite modern aircraft).

 

I did start with BS 1 4 years ago. I was just starting to get the hang of it (could fly the KA-50 for at least 30 seconds before crashing !) but then I got sidetracked by poor health and a new puppy until now. As well, my PC wasn't up to the task of the newer Modules.

I have just built a new 8 Core 4.0 Mhz, 8 Gig Ram, Win 7 64 bit, GTX 57 HD vid, computer.

 

So while I am eager and will learn faster as time goes on, don't expect to see me on your tail any time soon Echo38. As much as I like the sound of that, I'm sure I'll be fending you off for a long time yet. But know that if you get careless and I just happen across your 6, I'll gladly take you up on the opportunity to add your tags to my wall !!

 

Thanks again everyone.

[The LT]

I am also looking for an engine management tutorial. I occasionaly get a seized engine :)

[SnowTiger]

Hi The LT

 

This article might well help you out.

I seized one of the first engines I flew because I didn't understand this stuff about Manifold Pressure and RPM's.

http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=87065

 

You might also benefit from looking at your manual with regards to the Carburator. The first 2 knobs/handles you move during the startup procedure are for heated air for the carbs. Take note of the NOTE that is at the top end of the right hand knob that specifies not providing heated air when over 12,500 Feet Altitude (or 12,000 I can't remember which).

 

Please Note: I am very new to this aircraft sim, so I have No Idea why you are seizing engines, but the suggestions I provided "might" bring you to a solution.

 

Happy Trails.

[Konrad Friedrich]

You may check out my last three videos I posted in the "'show me your mad dogfight skills':

http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=87518&page=25

I attached the *.trk files, put them into your 'track' folder and jump into the cockpit.

Press LCtrl+Z so you can move my 'virtual head' ;).

You can check my settings to see how I manage the throttle, the flaps and the trim wheel.

It may help to understand how they work together - and that 'full throttle' is an option and not the standard setting ;)

The videos are about dogfighting - but that's exactly the situation where you seriously need to manage your engine :D

Btw: use the 'radiator coolant open' switch to cool down the engine when it's getting quite hot.

You need to hold the button down to force the cooler gate to open.

Don't forget to flip the lever back to 'Auto' or else the gate stays open and your engine gets too cold.

Map these buttons to your Hotas.

It is very important to know that the RamAir system needs speed to work properly.

If you get below 100 mph with high manifold settings (e.g. steep climb) you'll soon hear the pop-off valve farting ;)

So keep an eye on your coolant and oil gauge in steep climbs or in slow turns.

Edited February 24, 2013 by Konrad Friedrich

[SnowTiger]

Thanks Konrad

 

I most certainly will check out your vids.

 

While I wasn't the original Post'er in this Thread, I too still have lots to learn.

Hopefully, The LT will also consider checking out your vids and suggestions too.

 

Thanks again and have a great day.

 

Chris

 

EDIT: Oops.. I guess "I" was the originator of this Thread.

When I saw The LT's comments about seized engines this morning, I thought I was reading a new thread (for some unknown reason).

Thanks again.

Edited February 24, 2013 by SnowTiger
To clarify and correct one of my statements.

[The LT]

Well, I've written down the MP/RPM chart and put it to use, but I believe I still use incorrect power settings for ascent and maneuvering :)

[DieHard]

Hi Folks

 

I'm hopelessly lost in the details even though I have been an avid Flight Sim guy for many years. Unfortunately, I am rusty and having great difficulties getting my old brain to function efficiently.

 

I could really use some tutelage.

 

Is anyone available evenings, weekends, days ... whatever .. to help me get set up in P 51 using Any Voiceware of your choosing ?

 

It is so much faster and easier when I can actually talk to someone while going through the setup procedures.

 

BTW - I'm using X-52 Hotas and TrackIR 5, Track Clip Pro.

 

Anyone who is willing to help will be greatly appreciated.

 

Well, in Real-Life there is a reason they train noobies on the Training Aircraft. They do not put a new guy directly into a F-18. And not just flying the aircraft but going through basic training, flight school, the various phases of becoming an officer and accepting and growing with that responsibility, the various backup training around survival out of the aircraft and SERE.

 

I found Axis Tune in the Options setup to be valuable in tweaking the P-51D or any aircraft in DCS or any other flight sim or the equivalent. Practice getting down the basics in Single Player, offline.

 

The real P-51D that Chuck Yeager flew, he loved it. All the P-51D guys here should read his first book. His first bailout was in training flying the P-39 AirCobra, it had a nasty habit of flat spinning with the engine behind the pilot's seat. My father-in-law worked for Bell all through WWII and all of the P-39s went to Russia. Yeager was an Air Corps mechanic before he was a pilot, so he had that edge understanding how the aircraft functions.

 

DCS should implement a training program, server based, for each aircraft way beyond their excellent training portfolios they include in the purchase. Most of the flight sims online I have tried had some kind of a training pre-requisite before treading into the main combat arena.

 

(I have not seen SnowTiger around on the forums since June 2013, he quit posting, wonder what happened? He seemed so gung ho.)

Edited October 18, 2013 by DieHard

[DieHard]

You may check out my last three videos I posted in the "'show me your mad dogfight skills':

http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=87518&page=25

I attached the *.trk files, put them into your 'track' folder and jump into the cockpit.

Press LCtrl+Z so you can move my 'virtual head' ;).

You can check my settings to see how I manage the throttle, the flaps and the trim wheel.

It may help to understand how they work together - and that 'full throttle' is an option and not the standard setting ;)

The videos are about dogfighting - but that's exactly the situation where you seriously need to manage your engine :D

Btw: use the 'radiator coolant open' switch to cool down the engine when it's getting quite hot.

You need to hold the button down to force the cooler gate to open.

Don't forget to flip the lever back to 'Auto' or else the gate stays open and your engine gets too cold.

Map these buttons to your Hotas.

It is very important to know that the RamAir system needs speed to work properly.

If you get below 100 mph with high manifold settings (e.g. steep climb) you'll soon hear the pop-off valve farting ;)

So keep an eye on your coolant and oil gauge in steep climbs or in slow turns.

 

:thumbup:

[DieHard]

I found the tutorials to be lacking. When I was first learning DCS, I kept needing to "flip back a few pages" during the tutorial missions to review a single page, but it wouldn't let me do that. The only way to see that page again was to restart the tutorial mission and sit through the whole thing again. This often made a fifteen-minute process take an hour, unnecessarily, mostly sitting through a bunch of stuff I already knew. (They also, IIRC, failed to update for custom control bindings--a major problem for me, because I extensively remap everything. So it kept telling me to press the wrong key, and it was up to me to try to remember or guess what the real key was for that function.)

 

As a result of these deficiencies, I would respectfully disagree with the suggestion that the tutorials should be a precursor to, or replacement for, virtual flight training. I would have killed to have a tutor when I was learning. Unfortunately, it seems that most people don't appreciate an instructor as much as I do. That's why I stopped giving virtual flight lessons--it wasn't rewarding. I spent hundreds of hours helping new virtual pilots get started, only to discover that the vast majority of them quit the sim anyway within a couple of weeks. Made me feel like chopped liver.

 

Still, I suppose it couldn't hurt to dust off the ol' soapbox, Snowtiger, since you seem genuinely interested in learning. Let me know if you need additional assistance and we can try to get together on Teamspeak 3.

 

That is the value of joining a good squad, if that squad is any good. The good squads, a squad noobie has to pass incremental qualifications before flying combat sorties with them. They have an experienced assigned training officer. There are not too many squads of this caliber.

[Echo38]

Last post before yours was eight months old. You mind? I'm not trying to be the forum police, but it's generally regarded as poor form to "necro" a thread like that.

[DieHard]

Last post before yours was eight months old. You mind? I'm not trying to be the forum police, but it's generally regarded as poor form to "necro" a thread like that.

 

 

Sounds like it to me. That is the first complaint I have gotten in almost three years posting to the DCS Forums.

 

I will let the moderator decide. If the message posts I submitted here get deleted, then I will know.

 

I see you are or were a real life flight instructor.

Edited October 20, 2013 by DieHard

[Siq6Six]

Maybe it's a hint that we need more activity around here! :D

 

Bringing back the dead thread... So close to Halloween! How... On topic? Buahahha

 

On that topic, its not something people catch flak from mods for. Just let em die. Unless your doing more than just commenting. Like posting a question/problem your experiencing in which the thread was originally created for, thus avoiding multiple threads seeking answers to the same problem. Or updating such thread with a recent fix or work around. Or updating to a thread which serves as a timeline - like a story or build progression.

 

There have been some interesting & funny posts when people bring back a dead thread, others don't notice the date & comment as if its all recent.

[Echo38]

I see you are or were a real life flight instructor.

 

No--sorry for the confusion--VFI, VFP, VFS = virtual flight instructor, virtual fighter pilot, virtual flight student. Virtual being the differentiation from real, of course ; )

I do have about ten hours of real-life flight time, but as a student and not as an instructor! Grounded for health reasons--I never would have stopped voluntarily.

 

There have been some interesting & funny posts when people bring back a dead thread, others don't notice the date & comment as if its all recent.

 

Yeah, that's why a lot of people don't like it when threads get randomly necro'd. I guess in this case it isn't such a problem, but I've seen year-old arguments become spontaneously lit up again as a result (often when the original participants no longer even observe the forum!).

Edited October 20, 2013 by Echo38