I just did my first run-through of the BMS Ground Ops training mission with the Virtual Crew Chief, and it was a lot of fun!

Yesterday evening I watched Bogey Dope’s YT video (in which he uses VCC in DCS), and took detailed notes of the sequence of actions and the dialogue from the pilot and the crew chief. Then I modified the BMS ramp start procedure a little bit (from the GroundOps training mission) so as to match and incorporate the VCC dialogue and timings.

I used the procedure described above by @Kavelenko (and approved by @SemlerPDX ) to use the VCC VA profile as a “secondary” (my term) profile alongside / at slightly lower priority than AVCS. I made a few edits to the VA profile, such as the ones @Tomcattwo described above.

It took all yesterday evening to modify my stack of index cards (which is my checklist for ramp starts), so that “my” dialogue is written in red ink, the crew chief’s is written in black ink, and the switchology is still written in pencil. But for me, it was worth it! The procedure went pretty smoothly I will get a little better at “playing along” with some of the timings, but overall everything went pretty much according to plan.

When I got to the end and the crew chief told me to “bring 'er back Code 1”, I was well pleased! This will be fun to practice some more and use on a regular basis. I’m glad that Bogey Dope guy posted his video and his file, and I’m glad it “plays nicely” (with only a little modification) with BMS and AVCS 4. Thanks to everyone who gave advice on this thread, too! I think other BMS users will have fun with this, if they enjoy ramp starts.

I’m installing and setting up BMS on a new computer. Since it’s new, I figured I’d bite the bullet and make it my first Windows 11 machine.

I installed Falcon 4.0 from Steam, plus Falcon BMS from the BMS Downloader. When I ran BMS, I could access the AxisAssign and Keymapping screens, but when I clicked “Launch”, I kept getting a crash-to-desktop (“CTD”), and an error message telling me that a file was missing. It appears to be a file related to DirectX, and here’s its name:

d3dx9_43.dll

Here’s how I solved the problem after some Googling:

First, I found this page, which described several possible solutions, and described how to use a program called “dxdiag” to determine which version of DirectX you have on your computer:

https://geekflare.com/fix-d3dx9_43-dll-not-found-error/

I ran dxdiag and found that I have DirectX 12, which left me confused, because I assumed a “modern” version of DirectX would have all the necessary files needed by BMS. Not necessarily, as it turns out.

So, I went to a link listed on that webpage, and downloaded something called the “DirectX End-User Runtime Web Installer”. I ran it, it installed a bunch of files, and now I can launch BMS normally. Here’s the link where I got that installer:

https://www.microsoft.com/en-in/download/confirmation.aspx?id=35

I thought I’d post this here, in case anyone who’s new to BMS encounters the “d3dx9_43.dll” problem. I wanted to put the name of that .dll file in the title and body of this post, to make it maximally searchable by any new BMS users who have encountered this issue.

That image of a Viper flying above a photorealistic-looking Caucasus terrain is about the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen

If 4.38 looks anything like this, it will be heavenly

(… Of course, if there ever comes a day when a Viper is flying over Mt. Elbrus IRL, I think it will be the last day for all of us… )

We’ll just enjoy this beautiful terrain from the cockpit of a Viper in a sim, not RL!

I love this 50th anniversary video!

Many thanks to everyone who made it!

There are so many good things in it: The skin for the original F-16, the re-enactment of the first (unintended) flight, and then all the beautiful exterior views of BMS F-16s in flight. Knowing that it can be challenging to capture exterior views like this increases my admiration for everyone who made the video.

I think this is a beautiful way to showcase the present version of BMS (4.37). 4.38 will give us new terrain, which I look forward to , but there is a great deal that is beautiful about BMS currently, and this video shows it quite nicely.

The music is great, too. I listen to that song often (in the BMS Crew Entertainment / Winamp function, ICP List -> 0 -> 0) when I am practicing 1v1 BFM in the Dogfight module.

Great video, thanks for making it!

Thanks, @airtex2019 and @Kavelenko , that worked!

The SOF at Kunsan probably wondered what I was doing, driving around EOR and the taxiways like a crazy person. I was just enjoying my new rudder setting!

Thanks, @fisgas ! I really enjoy your videos. I think they are a helpful tool for learning BMS. IMO, it’s always useful to see an alternative presentation of something I’ve seen presented a different way.

I think your videos are a helpful addition to the library of BMS video series on YT, such as Krause’s videos, Supanova’s videos, et…

Many thanks, #hiuuz!

Getting the NVG mask sorted was on my to-do list for getting 4.37 fully up and running. Thanks to you, that item is now done!

It sounds like it would be difficult to incorporate a really good “virtual crew chief” into BMS, such that they could respond and interact realistically with us.

But as a “oh wow, this would be cool” item, I think it would be really neat. I enjoyed watching the video of the virtual crew chief in DCS, and the whole time I was watching it I was thinking “This would be awesome in BMS, it would be so cool!”

Maybe it can happen, maybe it can’t. For me, the new 4.38 terrain model is a higher priority (that’s just my personal preference), but things like a realistic virtual crew chief are really fun to dream about!

@Blue-Sky Many thanks for this! I’m very grateful to Outpost for writing this guide, and to anyone else who contributed.

Do you know if it’s possible to request new acronyms to be added to future editions? And if so, should such requests be posted here or over on Veterans-Gaming?

Many thanks for the suggestions!

Happily, the inner bushing is metal, so I won’t have a problem with lubricant making it brittle.

In addition to having some Nyogel, I found that I have a tube of a lubricant called Super Lube. I decided to put some Super Lube on the bearings.

My Slaw Device pedals are nice and quiet now! No squeak when I use the right toe brake

Huge kudos and good vibes to you, @SemlerPDX !

I’m a huge cat person, so I’m sending you and the kittens lots and lots of good thoughts!

You’re a good person, and if it takes a while for something like a new VCC update to come out, you’ll get no grief from me. You are doing a good thing, and you’re making this cat person feel grateful!

Cool views! I’ve practiced strafing those Phantom hulks at KOTAR so many times, as I suspect we all have. I never thought about trying to capture a ground-level view. Nicely done!

I use one of these behind each of my Thrustmaster MFD button frames, along with some black cardboard to cover the unused portion of each monitor.

Yikes, what a crazy long link this is… I’m sorry for such a ridiculous link, it’s what Amazon gave me.

https://www.amazon.com/Eyoyo-Monitor-1024x768-Resolution-Portable/dp/B01FHDL1DE/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=35CUZHUBOTC4K&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.GdaPiv2Fkwz0wiLR0zpsNs_zyG4nYxwFkUBz8GACZea7Z0BkY_qzr-Pl0LJDUp9IEq8L1ER6nBNIztSb36ainz2YIZzU4RXYec88jBvi52J_47pIWK6OMs8JdaEZwR6Y2JDUKgpieGU1-UMutSFmsC68mw5q0woXao2-OFRScZT9UnTPbMDpUj943NFSm6ZdLy8_aZ-CvMvV9QK52jQC0ddCZ8gxD6f1wuJgWTDTiaI.CTp18wpaFmUD3zOWq0LIm4jRHjC5Flh5wZHt2Kto8Zg&dib_tag=se&keywords=eyoyo%2B8%2Binch%2Bmonitor&qid=1719211587&sprefix=eyoyo%2B8%2Caps%2C131&sr=8-1-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&th=1

Thanks, @fisgas ! I really enjoy your videos. I think they are a helpful tool for learning BMS. IMO, it’s always useful to see an alternative presentation of something I’ve seen presented a different way.

I think your videos are a helpful addition to the library of BMS video series on YT, such as Krause’s videos, Supanova’s videos, et…

Many thanks for the suggestions!

Happily, the inner bushing is metal, so I won’t have a problem with lubricant making it brittle.

In addition to having some Nyogel, I found that I have a tube of a lubricant called Super Lube. I decided to put some Super Lube on the bearings.

My Slaw Device pedals are nice and quiet now! No squeak when I use the right toe brake

Nice find, @jagfour !

Thank you for the reminder about the beautiful-looking terrain which was shown in that video. That will be a beautiful thing to see someday!

A few years ago I bought a set of used Slaw Device pedals from someone here on the forum. They were in very good condition, and they still work very well.

But recently a bearing has started making a surprisingly loud squeaking noise when I use the right toe brake. I don’t know what this type of bearing is called; it is the one at the right end of the small metal piece shown in these images. I think the shiny surface is from the same rubbing that is causing the squeak.

It doesn’t appear as though these bearings had any lubricant on them originally.

I was wondering if anyone knows what would be a good type of lubricant to use on a small bearing like this? I am hoping I can avoid using some sort of oil that will end up dripping onto the main body of the pedal assembly, and/or would end up attracting dust and dirt. I have some Nyogel 767A that I once used on a Cougar throttle, but I was surprised at how viscous it is. I’m not sure if that’s the right type of lubricant to use; at least it wouldn’t be likely to drip, I guess.

Here are two pictures showing the metal piece and the bearings:

I have the same setup as @Jumpstart5179 , and I have been happy with it.

I love this 50th anniversary video!

Many thanks to everyone who made it!

There are so many good things in it: The skin for the original F-16, the re-enactment of the first (unintended) flight, and then all the beautiful exterior views of BMS F-16s in flight. Knowing that it can be challenging to capture exterior views like this increases my admiration for everyone who made the video.

I think this is a beautiful way to showcase the present version of BMS (4.37). 4.38 will give us new terrain, which I look forward to , but there is a great deal that is beautiful about BMS currently, and this video shows it quite nicely.

The music is great, too. I listen to that song often (in the BMS Crew Entertainment / Winamp function, ICP List -> 0 -> 0) when I am practicing 1v1 BFM in the Dogfight module.

Great video, thanks for making it!

This isn’t about guns, specifically, but it’s about something the AI doesn’t do in the Dogfight module. This is something I’ve always wondered about:

If I set up a 1v1 dogfight against an AI opponent, where we each only have guns and rear-aspect heaters, the AI pilot never launches a heat-seeking missile. In all the dozens (maybe hundreds) of times I’ve used the Dogfight module in this way, I’ve never had a heat-seeking missile launched at me.

Granted, when I fire an AIM-9 Papa at my opponent, it almost never hits and it eats their flares instead. I assume that’s simply a realistic model of the Papa’s RL performance. A few of my Fox-2 Papas hit, but only rarely. Still, it does sometimes hit my opponent. I’m surprised the AI pilots never try to shoot their heaters.

I usually set the Dogfight module so that the opponent is flying either a Fulcrum or a Flanker, and I set them to Ace.

When I set up a 1v1 BVR engagement, where we each have radar missiles and all-aspect / HOB heaters, they do fire heaters at me. And sometimes those HOB heaters hit me. We each fire a radar missile, crank, dodge each other’s shot, repeat, and then go in for HOB shots. If we both dodge those too (fairly rare), we go in for guns. All of that fits with what I’d expect in RL.

But a DPRK AI opponent in the Dogfight module, armed with only rear-aspect heaters? I’ve never seen one of those guys launch at me. I’ve always wondered if there’s a reason for it.