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I most certainly do. The single most common reason private pilots kill themselves is saying “eh, I know the airplane well enough that I don’t need checklists anymore”. This was drilled into my head by my instructor on the C150, a much simpler airplane than the F-16.
Oh, and don’t call me Shirley.
Sure, go through the appropriate checklists, but surely not ALL of them? Do you go through the emergency procedures checklist? What about the formations checklist? Even on the main checklists, do you go through the descent/final/shutdown/hotpit refuel bits DURING startup? So I ask you again, what exactly are you doing in the extra 20-40 minutes? What checklists do you go through?
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@Red:
On the other side of the coin, you can’t really impose 45 minutes to all the BMS community because YOU fly the MLU with BAF checklists
True.
From entering the cockpit until IRS alignment start, you should need about 30s max to review the initial cockpit setup (Before start check-list => a quick glance from right to left should be enough to check that important switches are in the right position.) … need about 1min max to set your BAT ON with PGM checks, set your lights on, air source to norm, Backup radio to Both and vol on comm1 and comm2 … hit the JFS and 30s after your main gen is on-line you can put directly your IRS in align mod. Honestly, 2min
I do really not see why you need 5min!? … but even 5min … you need 8min for IRS to be aligned (during this time you have all the opportunity to perform all EPU and FLCS check plus DED/ICP/MFD/WPN setup), we are at 13, you still have 7min left before take-off.
Try to think where you can save time … trims check can be performed during taxi for example.To put it bluntly, that depends on how realistic you want to go, and I am fully aware this is up to every individual or group to decide.
In BMS as it is now, 95% of the cockpit switches are in the same position every time you enter the jet, and you can indeed enable everything the moment you have power. In real life, however, cockpit switch position may vary for whatever reason, and the SEC and EPU checks could create electrical spikes, which may fry your avionics, so those are best done prior starting anything related to avionics. That’s how we come to 5 minutes so easily.
I know these kind of things are not yet (properly) simulated, but as BMS is continuously improving towards realism, we took the decision for our VFS to already implement realistic procedures. That way, when BMS does come up with realism features like random switch positions or “SEC check has a 1/x chance of resulting in avionics faults” (this one is probably still WAY far off, but you get the idea), we do not have to adjust again.
In the following video, Faan does a startup completely according to a previous version of the checklist (so you may notice some slight errors here and there). He takes a bit longer than usual for display purposes, and admittedly, most of us don’t simulate ground crew interaction every time we fly, but he needs about 20 minutes to be ready-to-taxi, and what time he loses in this video, would probably be required to fit into the traffic flow of a campaign or busy TE. As such, I dare say it’s a good representation of how long a ramp start takes in real life.
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Why not just assign AI pilots earlier? If nothing else, it would add realism, since pilots don’t find out what mission they’re flying 30 minutes before takeoff. It would also mean that folks like myself could get into the jet sooner. By leaving the default ramp time at 20 minutes, everyone would be happy, right?
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Do you realize the eternity spent on the cockpit check in that vid!?! A RL student would receive a kick in the but!
In real life, however, cockpit switch position may vary for whatever reason, and the SEC and EPU checks could create electrical spikes, which may fry your avionics, so those are best done prior starting anything related to avionics. That’s how we come to 5 minutes so easily.
Come on, you are talking about real life, I perfectly know this Eagle.
But it doesn’t take 5min (five minutes!!!). Lets say that a fresh OCU student pilot will need 5min for his first or 2nd flight of his life on F-16, but if a regular pilot still need 5 complete minutes to check each switches prior start-up, it is because he fly less than 5h per years! Again, check are known by heart and are executed like a recitation, much faster than what you see on any YT video.
As I said, I quick glance do not take more than 30s to ensure that EACH switches is in the right position, no need to touch and spend 2s on each.Okay, 25min gives maybe more comfort, but IRL, you rarely work comfortably.
But this discussion is fly funking, if you need 25 or 40, in the sim you have all opportunity to set use the dedicated option.
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Take control of all squadrons at the airfield you are flying out of and schedule flights far enough apart so that you can take as much time as you like on the ramp. Stay off the tower comms to avoid ATC bitching and just use ATC for landing.
No reason to make everyone do it same as those who want to spend an hour on the ramp. Not being critical here, but until I retire from my full-time job in another 20ish years, this just robs me of precious flying time.
As it currently stands, I can ramp in the bunker at Osan (super long taxi), check/activate switches, step out on the porch for a 1/2 cigarette while the INS aligns, and still make it to EOR with 2 mins. till T.O. as long as DTC is setup for the mission I’m flying.
Edit : Above sggestion won’t work with AI as Flight Leader.
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In BMS as it is now, 95% of the cockpit switches are in the same position every time you enter the jet, and you can indeed enable everything the moment you have power. In real life, however, cockpit switch position may vary for whatever reason, and the SEC and EPU checks could create electrical spikes, which may fry your avionics, so those are best done prior starting anything related to avionics. That’s how we come to 5 minutes so easily.
I know these kind of things are not yet (properly) simulated, but as BMS is continuously improving towards realism, we took the decision for our VFS to already implement realistic procedures. That way, when BMS does come up with realism features like random switch positions or “SEC check has a 1/x chance of resulting in avionics faults” (this one is probably still WAY far off, but you get the idea), we do not have to adjust again.
Actually the switches IRL should always be in the same position. It is called switchology. If the A/C doesn’t have all the switches in the same spot then someone messed up. It is actually very important for a PC. It is one of their most important duties when pre flight is done. After a while you can look in the cockpit and see in a second or two if any switch is out of place. The rule of thumb is off or normal but that isn’t how it is done. Every switch has a designated position it should be in when the pilot gets in the A/C. It is not questionable. It is either correct or it isn’t.
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Actually the switches IRL should always be in the same position. It is called switchology. If the A/C doesn’t have all the switches in the same spot then someone messed up. It is actually very important for a PC. It is one of their most important duties when pre flight is done. After a while you can look in the cockpit and see in a second or two if any switch is out of place. The rule of thumb is off or normal but that isn’t how it is done. Every switch has a designated position it should be in when the pilot gets in the A/C. It is not questionable. It is either correct or it isn’t.
This is one of the things that gets me about BMS defaults sometimes seem counter-intuitive to how I think the switches would be set. For instance all the volumes being turned down. Why would they all be turned off? A lot of room for Murphy there. I don’t think I’ve ever gotten into a aircraft with all the comms volumes off, but maybe those silly fighter pilots do something different. I know you can bypass that with saving your cockpit config with alt+c then s IIRC, but I think my personal .key prevents that from working.
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I don’t think I’ve ever gotten into a aircraft with all the comms volumes off, but maybe those silly fighter pilots do something different.
Look carefully …
Your are a bit harsh with those silly pilots.
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Actually the switches IRL should always be in the same position. It is called switchology. If the A/C doesn’t have all the switches in the same spot then someone messed up. It is actually very important for a PC. It is one of their most important duties when pre flight is done. After a while you can look in the cockpit and see in a second or two if any switch is out of place. The rule of thumb is off or normal but that isn’t how it is done. Every switch has a designated position it should be in when the pilot gets in the A/C. It is not questionable. It is either correct or it isn’t.
Granted, but if you dont check and just assume, one day it is gonna bite you in the butt. Cockpit interior check, then followed by a verify check - even though you yourself should have just set and checked those switches correctly. Its not about being able to assume things, its about things being verifiably so.
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On 09/11/2001 was the first and only time (as of yet) the fast align GPS nav system was used. The two f-16 scrambled in like 5 minutes (unarmed they were told to basically fly into the last remaining hijacked plane) and yes an emergency situation is different.
I say this because as awesome it would be to do simulated walk arounds and all that the 20 minutes that we have (generally) more than suffices in my opinion. That doesn’t mean that I wouldn’t like to go for as real as possible.
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Look carefully …
Your are a bit harsh with those silly pilots.
Hehe, several of the volumes are left on. Also judging by the 3 color desert camo pants and very short shot of the MFD reflection showing a headset and not a helmet, I would bet this guy is ground crew not a pilot
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This is one of the things that gets me about BMS defaults sometimes seem counter-intuitive to how I think the switches would be set. For instance all the volumes being turned down. Why would they all be turned off? A lot of room for Murphy there. I don’t think I’ve ever gotten into a aircraft with all the comms volumes off, but maybe those silly fighter pilots do something different. I know you can bypass that with saving your cockpit config with alt+c then s IIRC, but I think my personal .key prevents that from working.
I used to move all switches and knobs in the pit during inspection. Why? Because one day a pilot was able to pull off a UHF radio knob during launch and I felt like an idiot for not checking it and tightening the set screw. So, I would go in the pit and starting with the test panel, I would pull up on every knob and set to off, auto or normal. This would also make sure the panel was secured, some times they to come loose.
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… this was precisely my point
Ah, now I get your point, throwing all those hard working guys under the bus instead of the slacker silly pilots.
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Friends, slow down. I’m still looking for an answer to my question. Is it possible for me to change something so that the AI pilots get assigned sooner? If not, is that something that could reasonably make it into an update, being that it would (I’m assuming) just be one variable hidden away in the code somewhere? By moving back the time that the AI pilots get assigned, realism would be increased, while nothing would change to the average end user. It would, however, allow people who want more time in the jet to do so. Everyone wins, right?
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By moving back the time that the AI pilots get assigned, realism would be increased, while nothing would change to the average end user. It would, however, allow people who want more time in the jet to do so. Everyone wins, right?
There might be a half “solution” … but it bring other issues leading into less mission generated … or even no more generated.
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There might be a half “solution” … but it bring other issues leading into less mission generated … or even no more generated.
Wouldn’t that issue not come up because of the number of pilots? The squadrons have 48 pilots for the 16 airplanes, and many of the AI pilots end the campaign with no missions flown, while some AI pilots are flying back to back missions. Wouldn’t the ATO just assign the pilots farther down the list? That would actually be better anyway, no?
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Wouldn’t that issue not come up because of the number of pilots?
No. Because of “air task requests” sent by “air task engine”. By he time the ATR is sent, if most of a/c are in flight there will be very few mission tasked.
To make it simple (AFAIK, it is even more complex than that) ATO engine can not anticipate the return (or the loss) of a/c and have to deal with what is “actually available in hangars” (not in flight and +1H after return) … so, if you try to assign mission and pilots too early, there might be not a single aircraft/crews available => no mission is scheduled.That would actually be better anyway, no?
Not necessarily if you consider how the code is made and that if, you touch to a single thing, tens or hundreds of other things might be also impacted.
So better not touching this for a “very low” prio issue.
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I think you misunderstand what I’m asking. As far as mission generation goes, I don’t want to touch that. All I’m asking is that the AI pilots get assigned sooner. When a mission gets created by the ATO, the pilots will be listed as “unassigned” until 30 minutes before takeoff time. Would it be possible to just assign the AI pilots earlier, perhaps even when the mission is fragged?
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I think you misunderstand what I’m asking.
I rather bet that you didn’t understood what I was saying.