Bullseye help

[Gaspuch62]

When AWACS tells you where something is in relation to bullseye, how do you quickly figure out where that is in relation to you? I tried this law of Sine and law of Cosine stuff, but I don’t think pilots are going to have graphing calculators.

[jinro88]

I just guesstimate based off of geographic knowledge. If I know that Bullseye is at Kaesong and I know where Kaesong is on the map, I can easily guess that Bulls 180 30nm is roughly around Seoul.

I don’t bother engaging bandits unless they’re within 20~30 degrees and ~40nm of my current Bullseye posit.

[d0o0m]

i always use the following resources as nice bullseye primers for folks. different game but relevant information.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgcXcfeGb2M

also a trainer here:

http://www.185th.co.uk/squad_info/training/basic_n&b_bullseye.htm

and finally - here is a page that helped me in my early days:
http://www.virtualnavairops.com/wiki/index.php5?title=Navigation

Bullseye Navigation

“Bullseye” is a reference point from which positions are reported. It may be a point on the ground, nav-aid, the ship, or any point the controller assigns.
Use the following pictures as an example:
Your position is on the tail of the needle -270 Radial at 100 (in red) the outer ring of the compass is your distances -100 miles

The position you wish to go to is 150 Radial at 50 miles (halfway to the outer ring in yellow, if the outer ring is 100 then 1/2 to the outside is 50)

Visualize a line from your position to the desired position (red dashed)
Move the line (parallel) to the centre of the compass (red solid line)
Where the red solid line crosses the outer compass ring is the course to the new positions (110 degrees)

Fly that heading to reach the new position (corrections may need to be made enroute)

[Wildcard]

The two white numbers to the bottom left of the radar tells you the position of the cursor relative to the bullseye. First number is bearing, second is range in miles.

The blue compass with the two numbers (also blue) tells you your own position relative to the bullseye.

[Blu3wolf]

@Wildcard:

The two white numbers to the bottom left of the radar tells you the position of the cursor relative to the bullseye. First number is bearing, second is range in miles.

The blue compass with the two numbers (also blue) tells you your own position relative to the bullseye.

I have a pretty good ability to guesstimate the rough distance and bearing from knowing my position relative to bullseye and something else relative to bullseye.

you really dont need to use Sine or Cosine rules in the air - you dont need that level of accuracy for a radar intercept.

If however you are having trouble with it, what wildcard suggested is what I use for confusing stuff or when I am starting to get task oriented… the HSD is very useful for that - you can select the HSD as SOI, and slew to see various coordinates in relation to bullseye - whilst your ownship bullseye is still displayed.

if you still cannot ‘get’ where things are after working it out on a horizontal situation display, maybe you need to slow things down or find an easier sim…

[Dee-Jay]

Simple:

• your posit
• bogey posit
  = estimate a heading
  then use radar cursor bull’s for precise positionig

[caper]

My MP templates. I used a clear sleeve and water ink pens. The offset was needed for Balkans. Use the range ring to scale bearing and range.

Basic info was STPT’s, enemy airbases & a/c type (AF AWACS made launch detection calls, indigent spies), SAMs, green zones,……

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[Dee-Jay]

Good … but no need of pen (Time consuming) … just build a mental picture. Use HSI compass to imagine posits. (like in post #3) … you will save precious time. This is how pilots does IRL.

[caper]

Why would you use a pen in the pit?

When 200-300nm out and both positions are in the same quadrant the HSI trick becomes less accurate. Sometimes you have to divid the HSI radial by many multiples for range.
And I like the bullseye map because it gives an idea what type of a/c that could be in pursuit for some cases if you prep.

[Dee-Jay]

Bulls on overview map (WDP) is perfect …
I was just saying no pencil …. and no need of big acuracy. you have radar cursor. Note that over 100 - 1500nm BE becomes too much unprecise… IRL there are several bulls on the theater.

[Amraam]

Use a pen is not a bad idea, in fact it’s a real technics use by F-16 pilot before M3 update. After a picture call, put a dot on the sketchmap.
Why M3? because since M3, you have a HSD cursor bulleyes. And in Falcon too, so this is the new technic use (and the one I use too). When receive a bulleyes, switch SOI on HSD and slew the cursor. Bulleye of the cursor is given on the lower right corner. Then you have a good SA of the bulleye position.

[jcenzano]

Hi there.

What I use to improve my sa a little bit is this

It helps me especially if BE simbol is visible on hsd display. This way I can figure out faster in my head where the given bulls position is.

If BE is not visible on Hsd, I can quickly zoom out until it is.

It takes no time at all to set it up, and if you use WDP once you draw it, it will be there too for your next mission. I always use line 4 to draw it.

Some A/C have a HSD mode in which the display can be centered on BE and oriented to north.
The display will be fixed and it is your AC which is moving around the screen. With this mode it is very fast and easy to lacate a BE position, but it does not work as well when you are flying very far away from bulls.

I whish F16 had this hsd mode…

Anyway I hope my little “trick” helps you.

[Blu3wolf]

you can fix the display so that the aircraft is not centered in the screen, but without actually flying over BE as you do it I am not sure about centering it over BE.

[jcenzano]

@Blu3wolf:

you can fix the display so that the aircraft is not centered in the screen, but without actually flying over BE as you do it I am not sure about centering it over BE.

I have to further look into this…

Thanks for the tip

[Blu3wolf]

OSB 7 on the HSD is the FZ option, which if selected (is supposed to) freeze the movement of the HSD as well as center it over the ground stabilised position of the HSD cursor. so if you slew the cursor to bullseye, then hit FZ, if should center the display over the bullseye… but I think it retains your present orientation though, which would mean you would need to be heading north to start the process.

[jcenzano]

@Blu3wolf:

OSB 7 on the HSD is the FZ option, which if selected (is supposed to) freeze the movement of the HSD as well as center it over the ground stabilised position of the HSD cursor. so if you slew the cursor to bullseye, then hit FZ, if should center the display over the bullseye… but I think it retains your present orientation though, which would mean you would need to be heading north to start the process.

What happens then if u change the range scale?

[Blu3wolf]

same as usual unless you have also coupled the range to the FCR.

[Arty]

trainer: http://www.185th.co.uk/squad_info/training/BullseyeTraining.zip

[TeeSquare]

I think that the HSD is the easiest way to check a BE coordinate. But it also helps to be able to imagine where the BE is and its orientation to me in order to be able to move the HSD cursor around and predict how the numbers are going to change as I move it instead of just randomly moving it around as numbers change.

What helped me was to use a post-it note, and draw a circle on it with lines for 0, 90, 180 and 270. Then give myself a random BE position. Hold the post it note where the BE is. The lower left corner of the FCR and HSD has a symbol that points toward it. I would imagine a line from me to the BE for proportional distance. Rotate the post-it note correctly. Then imagine a line from the post-it note to the contact position. Practice this enough and you can imagine a line coming from your position to BE and out from BE toward the contact. To remember which way the numbers go, I tell myself “left-large.” Because the numbers always get bigger going left on the dial as you look at it.

I hope this helps.

[Harlequin]

I wrote a dirty little excel program to help with my bullseye calls. I found the other trainer listed above was too much for me (maybe i was trying it too early in my falcon career?). Feel free to give it a shot: http://www.mediafire.com/view/fnr3mc4bt45kaea/Bullseye_Training_0.1.xlsm

Far from professional grade, but i needed something when i moved from BRAA to bullseye calls. No plans to update this thing further. The file uses Visual Basic macros, so you’ll have to “trust me” and allow them. After trying this thing again for the first time in ages, i’m realizing that i could use some more work too….

Good luck!