Falcon Combat: Air-to-Air Help
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In all my years of playing SP I never felt I was good enough (nor maybe dedicated enough) to try MP. Gotta let that go someday.
Yes….you have to let it go. Look for a good VFW to join and you will never look back.
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Once you get the hang of the controls, weapons and radar, then study BFM. Pete Bonnani’s Art of the Kill is a good intro into it.
. (oops looks like sarge posted the same thing)It takes some time to understand the concepts and how they look from inside the pit. The easiest way to learn is in a VFS. Most of the people that I have met online have all been friendly and very helpful.
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…grab, and study -
http://www.imagery.vnfawing.com/PDF-Archive/Fighter-Combat-Tactics-and-Maneuvering.pdf
…then study some more.
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Shaw’s is the best that I have read and read and read……
Really good stuff in there.
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Its a pretty great intro, a little dated but an excellent primer.
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…the basics never become dated. The only changes are in how you employ any weapons you have before you get into the phone booth. But once you’re in there…
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…the basics never become dated. The only changes are in how you employ any weapons you have before you get into the phone booth. But once you’re in there…
Thats not entirely true. a lot of things in air combat remain the same. A lot of small things change. It depends on the performance of the platforms. For instance, the original immelman turn (now a hammerhead turn) was once a deadly tactic in air combat. Increasing speeds of fighters have made it pointless (since the 1930s in fact). A lot of exaggerated vertical maneuvers are less significant in their effect on total energy these days due to the advent of E-M theory, as modern aircraft can change their total energy state much faster (high TWR) and depend less upon constant yoyos to maintain airspeed in a turn.
The basics of maneuvering depend heavily upon what you are flying and what the other guy is flying. Core concepts, they essentially have remained the same in over 100 years of flight. But some specifics, even those inside the phone booth, even those inside the TC, have changed as aircraft have changed.
This doesnt invalidate the bible. It does mean it gets supplemented with newer texts.
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As the book points out, there is a difference between tactics and maneuvering - the only difference the performance of the airplanes make is which maneuvers make more sense when…and if you want to live you’ll train to fill your bag with all of the tricks available to you.
…I only read this book because an actual fighter pilot suggested I read it. Not so long ago. And he read it because his IP told him to read it. I still refer to it.
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And you’ll note that the book makes a big deal in the first half about which maneuvers make more sense and when they do - and a number of those judgement calls have different basis now compared to when shaw made them.
Im not criticising the book, Stevie. As I said, its an excellent primer to BFM and ACM training. Its a testament to the work Shaw put into it that its still in use today as a training tool. Im simply pointing out that the bible is not a single source text.
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Wow , thank you all for the amazing responses,
Yeah I will geek myself out and watch that video, as for now Im working on getting my Falcon BMS working first then I will fill you in on more A 2 A combat skills.
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Guys I have a simple question,
When I switch on my Dog mode, isnt supposed to lock on target automatically ? What do I do if the target is right infront of me but for some reason the Dog fight mode is not locking on.
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Dogfight Override kicks the FCR into ACM (as opposed to CRM). ACM initializes into 30x20 standby. The various radiating (and autolocking) ACM submodes are accessed by various directional presses of TMS or the slew switch.
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Guys I have a simple question,
When I switch on my Dog mode, isnt supposed to lock on target automatically ? What do I do if the target is right infront of me but for some reason the Dog fight mode is not locking on.
So use TMS up after entering DGFT mode and the missile will be slaved to the radar at boresight. See manual for other TMS presses to change management of radar in dfgt mode.
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Guys I have a simple question,
When I switch on my Dog mode, isnt supposed to lock on target automatically ? What do I do if the target is right infront of me but for some reason the Dog fight mode is not locking on.
Yes, “lock” is automatic in Dogfight/ACM (visual) mode when 1)“NO RAD” is not visible at the top of the HUD, 2) if the bogey is in range of the ACM mode (about 10 miles) and 3) bogey is also in the visual radar search cone of choice:
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SLEW 30 X 20 HUD: default ACM mode (cross with slewable circle in middle, slew the small circle with the throttle cursor control, TMS right once to return to SLEW from other visual mode).
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BORESIGHT: straight ahead of your plane’s nose (cross with no circle in the middle of the HUD, TMS up twice to call up this mode**).
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VS 10 x 60: Vertical Search, very useful when already engaged ACM and wanting to lock up a bandit that is somewhere above your plane’s nose in the direction of your plane’s lift vector (vertical line in the middle of the HUD, TMS down twice to call up this mode**)
** If no bandit currently locked up, “NO RAD” can be toggled on/off with TMS up or down once (NO RAD simply means your plane’s radar is not emitting although the radar equipment is still powered on). If stuck in SLEW 30 X 20 mode (i.e., can’t call up BORE or VS), make sure the slewable circle is centered in the middle of the HUD cross then try again (not sure if this quirk is RW or game bug). Use TMS down once to manually break any of these visual mode locks.
FASTEST way to master HOTAS manipulation is use Enhanced Padlock and also fly invulnerable, unlimited missiles/chaff/flare/fuel, no collisions, etc in Settings then blast away in Instant Action.
F1
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Corrections and additions to the above
Slew is a 60x20 scan volume selected by displacing the slew switch.
Bore is a minimum size scan volume selected by TMS forward.
30x20 is the fixed ACM scan volume selected by TMS right.
TMS aft cancels any radiating mode back to 30x20 standby. When TMS aft is pressed when in 30x20 standby, 10x60 is selected. So any mode is accessible directly from any other mode with one switch press with the exception of 10x60 which is only accessible from 30x20 standby.TMS left is reserved for RCR which is a function to attempt a count of closely spaced aircraft which only appear as a single contact (not modeled in BMS).
When TMS forward is held in ACM BORE mode, locking is inhibited until TMS forward is released
When HMCS is active holding TMS forward slaves the bore scan pattern to the HMCS LOS. -
Google Art of the Kill for youtube. Great video from the Master.
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how much cheese can you take
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Everyone is posting information in theory, but my question is technical.
How do I enable my Dog fight mode to automatically detect target aircrafts, as in what do I press etc…