TACAN Navigation manual?

Hello,

I've bought F5 module last weekend and having a bit of a hard time getting myself comfortable with TACAN navigation. Is there a manual or a detailed write up on it somewhere? I understand how to set select and navigate towards TACAN station, but having hard time getting grips on CRS and how to use it to setup for landing.

P.S. I did try the Nav tutorial for F5, but between text getting cut off in VR and me missing something, I end up with Bearing Pointer and Course Arrow pointing in almost opposite (ie close to 180 degrees) directions and my brain just ties into a knot and gives up.

Thanks!

Hello,

Check out Chucks Tutorials: https://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=135765.

There is a Part on Navigation in the F5 Tutorial.

Or watch some Videos on YT like Bunyap great Series on Modules.

Here's the part including basic TACAN Navigation

Hope this helps,

S!

Flo

You could also check out the FAA Instrument flying handbook here: https://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/handbooks_manuals/aviation/media/FAA-H-8083-15B.pdf

(that have lots of other great aviation- and aircraft related books/manuals ; and best of all, they're free! https://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/handbooks_manuals/)

TACAN is just a military VOR+DME, so anything related to real world VOR navigation will also be applicable for TACAN use in DCS (except for the frequency setting and the different a/g and a/a modes).

Ok, it's morning and I had some to think this over... Still confused... Straight from F5 Navigation training mission - before takeoff I enter landing airfield's TACAN frequency and it shows approximately 120 degrees. I then set desired heading to 116 as per instructions, take off, climb and turn to heading 116. Everything is fine as of this moment, I'm flying towards the the desired airfield... At 6000 feet I use CRS dial on TACAN to dial 116 course and this is where things start to break down... Bearing pointer still shows to 116, but I'm off the course and need to turn left to realign; however Course Arrow now swings almost 180 degrees. How is this possible and what did I do wrong?

Ok, it's morning and I had some to think this over... Still confused... Straight from F5 Navigation training mission - before takeoff I enter landing airfield's TACAN frequency and it shows approximately 120 degrees. I then set desired heading to 116 as per instructions, take off, climb and turn to heading 116. Everything is fine as of this moment, I'm flying towards the the desired airfield... At 6000 feet I use CRS dial on TACAN to dial 116 course and this is where things start to break down... Bearing pointer still shows to 116, but I'm off the course and need to turn left to realign; however Course Arrow now swings almost 180 degrees. How is this possible and what did I do wrong?

Do you have the pointer the right way around?

Sounds like you flew over the tacan station

Do you have the pointer the right way around?

Sorry, not sure what you mean... I'm already flying heading 116 towards TACAN station (range decreasing) when I dial in CRS 116. My thinking process - I'm already flying the right direction, all I need to do is to fine tune my positioning so as to overfly TACAN station; I should not be making any drastic heading changes... This is also confirmed by Nav tutorial text and pictures, it looks like I should be within 10-20 degrees of the correct heading when I dial in the course...

Sounds like you flew over the tacan station

TACAN station is around 30miles or so in front with range decreasing when I dial in the course.

OK, so I know I'm not nuts... I've just created a quick mission in Mission Editor and flew from/to the same airfield as in training, TACAN worked as expected. Also tried running the full training mission not in VR and it worked. Tried it in VR and sure thing, same TACAN problem... Strange.

P.S. Quick TACAN question - when I flew Quick Mission I created, I noticed range to the station got stuck soon after take off. I had to turn off TACAN and turn it back on. Is this normal?

TACAN's operate by line of sight. There must be no obstructions which would block a signal traveling directly from the station to your aircraft. What most likely happened was that the station was masked by terrain, and that will cause the range dial to get stuck.

TACAN's operate by line of sight. There must be no obstructions which would block a signal traveling directly from the station to your aircraft. What most likely happened was that the station was masked by terrain, and that will cause the range dial to get stuck.

Thanks! So just to confirm, it does not 'reset' itself after re-acquiring the signal - one needs to switch the TACAN off and turn it back on?

No, it should re-acquire.

Thanks! I guess, I'll save the track next time and report.