DD_Fenrir

So who can guess the airfield Wags is flying over in his P-47?

Beverley eh? Wow, four Centauruses in close formation!

Lol, thanks Mick. *Edit* - ooh I forgot one! Just popped it in before the Stearman!

Painless inspired me to post this topic - having a natter on TS, conversation fell to the motorcycle thread; it then evolved to a similar for cars. At this point I confessed I've flown more different aircraft than I've owned cars and my car collection was decidedly under-whelming! So Painless suggested why not an aeroplane one? So here goes. First, the aircraft I can legitimately claim to have flown, hands-on, didn't crash it! My first flight! Headcorn, aged 11 and I lost my aviation virginity to... a Cessna 172 Skyhawk II! : Then to the cadets, where I became a something of a ho' for aircraft - got the majority of aviating bed-post notches in my time (kind of) wearing blue. My first true love - the de Havilland Chipmunk: Many happy memories in this plane - bimbling around Cambridge on a hot summers day, watching the cumulus actually boiling up in the thermals and being overtaken by a P-51! Mock dogfighting with another Chippie over Whitstable; making the IP say 'Ooof!' and hearing the wings creak with a slightly over-exuberant pull into a loop over Pegwell Bay; orbiting the Capel le Ferne Battle of Britain Memorial and the Shakespeare Cliffs; and where I learnt that my favourite manouevre was the stall turn. I think heaven - if such a place exits - for me will be a warm summers day over Kent in a Chipmunk with unlimited fuel... Then it's replacement - the Scottish Aviation Bulldog T Mk.I: Pleasant enough but didn't like having to sit left seat (throttle on the right is just wrong!), having the IP overlooking what you're doing was disconcerting and there was a little deadspot in the middle of the stick travel where you could waggle the stick and nowt would happen! However, still have some fab memories - flying out of Manston and feeling my way through some very marginal weather and finding another Bulldog and flying a very loose formation with it under the scud; but my favourite was getting a ride with an AVM and upon being told what my level of flight experience, his comment was "well, that's pretty much everything. Done Spins? No? Well we're not supposed to do them in these..." Then spent the next 20 minutes getting up to 12,000ft (highest I'd then been in an unpressurized aircraft) and then tumbling down out of control and practicing recoveries! I had a blast. Thanks Bully! Next - the Jodel D.11: One word summed up my experience in this aeroplane: BORED! It was also unpleasantly hot. However, this lowlight was more than made up for by my next non-standard outing. However prior to that, one more RAF training crate! Grob Vigilant T1 This neat little powered glider was introduced to me on my trip to RAF Barnstaple for my Glider Course; a week in sunny(ish) North Devon with the goal of going solo! Wh00t! Except after a spate of engine failures, and a period of grounding, the type was not allowed to be flown solo by cadets, so my 'solo' was with the CFI, but he sat there with his arms crossed doing a good impression of taking a nap! Two things stick in my mind from this plane - one, being a tail-dragger it could get away from you directionally if you didn't keep on your toes, as I neglected to once - I learnt some choice new anglo-saxon words from the IP that takeoff! Secondly, that we were under advisement to three point the plane, in case the tail down rotation that tended to occur on a two-pointer increased AoA to such an extent that the aircraft would takeoff again. It was pointed out to me by the CFI that I habitually I kept two-pointing the a/c, but that the balloon never occurred under my hand and all seemed under control. Whether this was an admonishment or a compliment was always something of an equivocation but I took it as a compliment and kept flying it that way cos it worked! Boeing Stearman PT-13: Glorious! My first open cockpit experience, and on one of the most breathtakingly gorgeous summer evenings you could hope for - the sky gradually fading to a deep pink with the odd tuft of lilac hued cumulus scattered about. Simply magnificent. The smell, the noise, the sensation of the wind racing around you was fabulous. Being flown by Charlie Brown - he of moustache and Spitfire renown - was another highlight. Though I misheard an instruction to make a 90 degree change of heading turn as a 90 degree angle of bank turn, so I think I put the wind up him a tad when I threw her over on one wing and ground around making holes in the sky for a few seconds... sufficed to say his next instruction was most clearly enunciated! I blame the boom-microphones... My penultimate (at time of writing) powered ride was this little honey, the Piper L-21B Super Cub: My girlfriend at the time, bless her, bought me a lesson out of Redhill in this lovely little aeroplane. I had a blast. No aeros, but some nice wing overs, and I got to practice some serious side-slips, something the Cub seems to do very well and really flatters the pilot. Gentle, forgiving, a delight. Coming into land at Redhill paralleling the heavies on approach to Gatwick was somewhat disconcerting , mind! Then a sailplane interlude: ASK-21 The entry level training glider of choice, it was staid, solid dependable, but responsive too and nigh impossible to spin unless you loaded a crap ton of ballast in the tail, which was regarded as unsophisticated if not downright unwise. Chasing thermals in this was both a challenge and a delight, and nailing a good landing very rewarding, if not very difficult. PZL Bielsko SZD-50 Puchacz I only flew the Pooch (as she was affectionately called) once to do spin training (since the ASKs were so belligerently uncooperative in this regard!) but flying this in the aero-tow was great fun, feeling your way around the wake & prop-wash of the tug - I was complimented by my instructor on my debut aero-tow flying, something I attribute to all the sim time chasing you buggers around! The spin itself was positively sedentary compared to those I had experienced in the Bulldog, so having geared myself up for some serious weightlessness and rotational adventures I was a little taken aback by the dignity and unhurriedness of the Pooches attitude to spinning! And finally the big tamale: Supermarine Spitfire T.9 What a day, one I'd dreamt of since I was 4 years old. The start-up was the moment it crystalized into reality for me - this was actually happening, the airframe trembling (or was it me) with anticipation, the Merlins steady staccato chug like the breath of some impatient beast anxious for the chase... Then the takeoff - good god the takeoff! I knew beforehand that it was going to involve significant levels of sound but despite this I still muttered a small gasp! Nothing quite prepares you, not just for the noise level but the entire nigh overwhelming blast of sensory input. Sound, vibration, acceleration, my adrenaline was maxed out and I went from excited but analytical (I had planned to watch the rudder input, boost settings etc for comparison to the sims) to a state of sensory overload and internally giggling like a little boy. Not a chance of paying any attention to the details I had so scientifically planned to monitor! It was the very essence of awe inspiring. It was great to feel some 'g' again; not lot's but enough and to watch the world revolve whilst in the peripheral of your vision you see that wing shape... simply magnificent. Video of it below for those who haven't seen it: As well as the aircraft I actually got hands on stick time with there were some honorable mention rides: Hawker Siddley HS.125 Lockheed C-130K Hawker Siddeley HS 780 Andover Westland Wessex HC2 Hawk T.Mk.1A This I have only loose memories of - partly because it was long ago (almost 18 when it happened), partly because I was so excited, partly because I had so little input - "do not touch ANYTHING!" - but mainly because I was overwhelmed! It wasn't a long flight, some 25 minutes, but sensory overload is a thing! I recall Welsh valleys going passed around me at some unfeasible rate of knots and some sustained and pronounced 'g'! My faculties, being accustomed more to speeds in the 90-100 knots range were somewhat saturated at the 400 odd I was told we were doing! So guys, that's my collection - let's see your aviating bed-posts!

Hey Gravy, DCS is certainly one of our addictions! Welcome to the kennel/pound/madhouse. 😜 We fly DCS thwice a week, Mondays is currently a general activities night, half training half combat ops in both jets and props (whatever takes your mood) in our dedicated DF server and Thursday is when some masochistic types go and partake in an online WW2 PVE campaign under the guise of 443 squadron with some other squads whilst the rest practice their current torture of choice in our DF server.

Sure - just trying to find time between 443 Sqn, DCS General night and the occasional foray into GBS!

Heatblur? It's an ED release old boy... and it's come a long way in the months since October of last year.

In these times where many of us are stuck indoors or isolated in a workplace and in need of some measure of aviation based distraction but videos may be a no-no because of work, I can heartily recommend you guys visit The Fighter Pilot Podcast. https://www.fighterpilotpodcast.com/#listen While DCS jet flyers might find it particularly relevant to what they do, the fact is that there's a wealth of info, entertainment and some great stories here, it is well worth a listen. I will post some personal highlight episodes below. I hope you get as much enjoyment from these (and some relief from the oppressiveness of current events) as I have.

https://forums.eagle.ru/showpost.php?p=4242799&postcount=21

FT you are a solid gold legend. Thank you mate.

At last! Let's hope the majority of the performance/Carrier Ops/Netcode issues are mitigated if not wholesale solved by this patch. Warning! - it's 4GB...

Negative Nick, the current F-16 variant is the C (block 50) in USAF service and all variants of the F-16 have been known by their pilot and engineer community (and by extension the rest of the military) as Vipers The USAF (and to some regard the US Navy) have always held the official names for their aircraft in a poor light, and nearly all were spurned, with the various communities christening their airframes with their own unique sobriquet; in some regards just as a pilot earns his callsign as a nickname, so too the aircraft were awarded their own unique names by the pilots and crews that flew them. E.G: A-1 Skyraider - "Spad" A-4 Skyhawk - "Scooter" A-7 Corsair II - "SLUF" A-10 Thunderbolt II - "Warthog" SR-71 Blackbird - "Sled" B-1 Lancer - "Bone" E-2 Hawkeye - "Hummer" UH-1 Iroquois - "Huey" The Viper nickname came two-fold 1. Partially aesthetic - from the LERXes that resembled the hoods of a cobra 2. When the F-16 was first introduced "Battlestar Gallactica" was on TV - the flight stick of the good-guy ships, the colonial Vipers, was almost identical to the F-16; given this and the almost space age nature of the FBW controls and the remarkable performance of the early light F-16s, their pilots would joke that they were going to fly their "Viper".

Reflected (imho the best DCS Mustang skinner out there) has updated all of his P-51 skins to make the most of new shaders and rendering technology available and they look better than ever! Go find them here chaps: https://www.digitalcombatsimulator.com/en/files/index.php?PAGEN_1=3&set_filter=Filter&arrFilter_pf[filetype]=6&arrFilter_pf[gameversion]=&arrFilter_pf[filelang]=&arrFilter_pf[aircraft]=85&arrFilter_DATE_CREATE_1_DAYS_TO_BACK=&CREATED_BY=reflected&sort_by_order=TIMESTAMP_X_DESC

OpenBeta users rejoice! Lots to chew on here gents: https://www.digitalcombatsimulator.com/en/news/changelog/ for the TL;DR crowd, F/A-18 gunsight now improved, F-16C finally gets proper gun-pipper, lots of small improvements to F-14, M2000, Harrier, Viggen, C-101and the JF-17. A biggy is an improvement to night lighting overall, with many fixes for both the Normandy and Persian Gulf maps an added bonus. Could be a biggy, so those on limited connections: be warned!

Use the AoA indexer (the three light cluster on the left wind shield frame with the amber ring between a green or red chevron) to tell you if you are "on speed". If you have the amber ring this gives you your appropriate AoA of 8 degrees. Green chevrons is too slow, red too fast. The issue here is, that while you require 8 degrees AoA, the glideslope is 3.5; ergo you need to ensure that your nose is pointed 4.5 degrees above the horizon on your approach. It sounds to me, Arthur, that while your AoA is ok your nose is too low ref the horizon - you'll need to set the nose higher to give you the correct glideslope. Bear in mind to the knock on effect to your engine power - because you're essentially falling less quickly you'll require a touch more power to hold "on speed" at this new attitude.

I ignore the HUD - typically I leave it in Cruise or Air-to-Air mode - and use meatball, centreline and AoA indexer only.

So you've been practising and lately your finding that you can land your shiny little DCS Hornet (or not so little Tomcat) on the good ol' Stennis 9 out of ten attempts , not always pretty but generally safe - you must be getting pretty good eh? Might even have had a shot at passing real life US Navy carrier quals, hmmm? If you have jumped on the DCS: Supercarrier bandwagon and pre-purchased this exciting looking addition to DCS: World, then be prepared to re-programme your technique for getting aboard 'the boat' and to have your carrier landing skills tested even further. "Why?!?!" I hear you cry in disbelief, " it's a carrier, the same sub-class of USS Nimitz as we have just with shiny new textures, toys and deck crew!" True. It's also got a brand new feature to DCS carrier ops. It's called the burble. Sounds cute enough. I can almost hear you thinking: "Something with that innocuous a name surely couldn't cause me that much grief?" Well... What is the burble? To paraphrase the AOPA webpage: And the Fighter Pilot Podcast website: Still, no biggie right? Again I can hear your thoughts: "Bit of rough air in the final stages of approach - can't be that bad?" Well if your definition of 'not that bad' is first a patch of rapidly rising air that will cause you to balloon out of glideslope (and over every last wire!) unless you chop throttle - to idle - followed immediately by the exact opposite, a patch of descending air that will try and throw you into the ramp well short of the wires and can require a solid burst of full military power to control the sudden descent rate (remembering your engines were spooling down to idle because of the updraft you received a second earlier) then my friend you are an uncustomarily unflappable customer, cool as a cucumber in ray-bans and a darn sight more imperturbable than I. Be prepared gents....

Gentlemen, this will be a modern jet focused campaign. We will fly as part of the Western Allies/NATO forces against AI controlled aggressors. Planning a schedule of one Monday a month (so approx. every 4 weeks) to allow me to build and tailor each mission and give people time to prep for each. I have flexibility to allow for whatever aircraft you want to fly for a given mission, or if you want to fly a certain type throughout the campaign then that should be doable too. The first mission will require a mix of CAP, CAS and some CSAR - 2 or 3 Huey/Hip drivers needed! Please sign up below and state what aircraft type(s) you would like to fly during the campaign.

Welcome the Caucasus, specifically, Georgia. Why are we here? Good question. 8 months ago a mining operation in the South central region, not far from the Armenian border near a town called Patara Darbazi discovered very large deposits of highly valuable metals; Rhodium, Platinum, Ruthenium, Rhenium, Iridium and some Gold have been discovered in quantities that indicate that this source has the potential to rival some of the world’s largest producers. These metals are VERY highly prized, essential to the production of electronics and avionics and the discovery has already boosted Georgia’s economic status. If the projected quantities are realised, then Georgia potentially becomes a major player in the supply of precious metals to the world electronics industry and a primary economic power in the Black Sea region. Sufficed to say, this has caught the attention of a certain neighbouring former superpower. Russia will be eyeing this situation with a combination of covetousness, resentment and concern. Since the Russo-Georgian war of 2008, relations between the two countries can be described - at best - as strained, with Russia’s official recognition (and tacit support) of the two Georgian secessive states of Abkhazia (to the West) and South Ossetia (North central region) not assisting matters. After the war Georgia received limited assistance from NATO and the U.S., primarily focussed around keeping some form of peace in the region. Georgia’s economy has not previously allowed it the ability to build up the military forces it would like, to both subdue the separatists and feel confident of repelling any Russian military involvement that action against the separatist states would inevitably attract. However, that equation just changed. With its new-found mineral wealth and the concurrent ability to now purchase significant levels of modern Military Equipment, Georgia could unwittingly (or otherwise) escalate the situation in-region, by either initiating conflicts with the secession states or by presenting such a perceived threat to Russia that it pre-emptively takes military action. Adding potential fuel to this rather inflammable cocktail is Russia’s recent behaviour in the Crimea and Eastern Ukraine. The former Warsaw Pact states are understandably wary of their former Puppetmaster at this time, and Georgia – only too aware of its recent history with Russia - more than most. In an effort to promote peace and stability in the region, the US and some of its NATO partners are actively offering assistance to the Georgian government (for some recompense, naturally) and this includes advisory, training, logistics and the supply (for purchase, naturally) of military hardware. The geopolitically savvy of you may also recognise the ulterior motives of this move. Firstly, through US and NATO influence we could potentially limit any Georgian military action on the secessive states and secondly send a message to Russia that further territorial intimidations or annexations are not viewed favourably by the Western alliances and, with forces in theatre, dissuade them from such actions. Whether this action is actually a cynical exercise by the Western alliance to exploit economic benefits from the relationship with Georgia and its new-found mineral wealth and, by doing so, inject even more Western interference into an area historically regarded by Russia as being part its sphere of influence – and thus perhaps adding yet more fuel to the volatile situation - depends on how pessimistic you are...

Coming Soon: The Caucasus Marionette Campaign