A-10C heading bug?

lxsapper · September 14, 2013

So I found what I belive is a but in the A-10C. I found this while doing some ILS/TACAN practice aproaches. The problem seems to have it's heading disaligned by about -5.5º to 6º Degrees. I'm posting a few screenshots to ilustrate the problem. I'll also leave a couple of tracks of an ILS aproach flown in the A-10C and another in the SU-25T for comparison. The shots and tracks were made in Kobuleti, but the problem is not specific to this area. When viewing the material keep in mind that kobuleti runway has a heading of 070º, I've done this testing in Batumi where the runway heading is 126º, results where consistent.

So this first image is taken in Kobuleti aligned with runway 07 with a mission set with a takeoff start so the airplane is perfectly aligned with the runway, no problems at all but Pause Mode is still active.

As soon as I take it off Pause:

So we can better see the problem I adjust my HSI course, first to 070

And then to about 064.5

Notice the magnetic compass on the cockpit frame:

Because the problem seems to develop after taking off pause I thought to do a ramp start so I could do a full alignement of the aircraft but the problem persisted:

as you can see after rampstart I taxied and aligned the aircraft near perfectly on the runway

It's very much the same

I'm sory for the bottom part on the screens I have a second monitor set up on the bottom to export the MFCDs I should have croped the shots before uploading them.

Also I feel like hitting myself for not doing it during the day, but this was an edit for another mission I was fooling around with and I forgot.

A10C ILS.trk

SU25T ILS.trk

JackDant · September 14, 2013

The A-10C is correcting for magnetic declination. The Kobuleti runway's true heading is 64 deg. You can see the airport maps on the SU-25's kneeboard with true headings, but I don't know if there is a way to show them on the A-10C.

lxsapper · September 14, 2013

That may be what the chart is telling but it's not true in game. If you use the ruler tool on the Map you can check the lenght and heading of the runway it's in fact 070 (besides runways headings are magnetic and not true, and if Kobuleti was 064 it should be runway 06 not 07). Also zooming on the map (in the mission editor) on top of the ILS it clearly says 111.50 070 as oposed to say Batumi 110.30 126. However I've now checked and it apears this is not a problem with the A-10C, the UH-1H shows the same heading on the backup compass. So I'm confused now.

lxsapper · September 14, 2013

I've checked SU-25 kneeboard I belive those charts are old. Initialy some Airfields in DCS did not have headings acording to their real world conterparts and it's been corrected but the charts didn't get updated. In anycase all those headings are magnetic and not 'true'. On a further note the SU-25 aligned on the runway shows the correct heading on it's HSI. Is this an issue not afecting FC3 aircraft only DCS level aircraft?

Flagrum · September 14, 2013

Ixsapper, there are differences (bugs?) between Huey and A-10C vs. FC3 aircraft when it comes to magnetic heading. I am no expert here and haven't wrapped my head around this topic, yet. But perhaps this can give you some new pointers:

http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=73419&page=16

http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=104397

Edited September 14, 2013 by Flagrum