Jump to content

F-18 or F-14? Which is easioer to learn?


franx

Recommended Posts

I've been struggling with the AV-8B for the last two weeks and am now officially brain-fried. I just can't seem to master the basics. So I want to shift my attention to something a bit more friendly. I have both the F-18 and F-14 modules. Which is easier/faster to gain to some basic confidence in flight time and weapons systems?

I do realize learning these modules can be a lengthy process. I just don't want to be shouting at the screen all the time. :noexpression: Thanks for any counsel.

aka MadMonk; Windows 10, 64 bit, Radeon 6800XT gpu, Ryzen 5 5600 cpu, 32 gig ram; Samsung 2TB EVO SSD, Thrustmaster Warthog throttle and stick, Saitek combat rudder pedals; Oculus Rift.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

go with the F-18. the systems are more complex but with the fly by wire it's very user friendly. keep in mind while landing on ships the manual will tell you to drop flaps and gear at 250 knots. if you do the plane will go crazy. i wait untill 150 knots to do this and it's much easier. even the guys on youtube who say their real pilots say 250. you'll see what i mean. at the end of the day 250 will have you overcorrecting where 150 puts you real close to where you need to be. but f-14 is a blast too. it's just a bit harder to actually fly. hope this helps

Link to comment
Share on other sites

F-18 is hands down the most straight forward of the 3. No VSTOL, modern FBW jet, modern user friendly interface, easy as hell to fly. Make no mistake it will take you a long time to get *good* at it and learn the systems and the advanced stuff, which there is a lot of. It's also the easiest to aerial refuel by a wide margin as well. It will also be the most capable when complete.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

In my opinion, it would be the Hornet.

 

I continue to struggle with flying and handling the Tomcat and find it to be one of, if not the most difficult, flightsim aircraft that I have ever flown since I began flightsims in the 80's. If you have ever flown Rise of Flight, I would compare it to trying to learn to fly the Sopwith Camel. The F-14 will require a ton of stick time to become proficient.

i5 7600K @4.8GHz | 1080 Ti | 32GB 3200MHz | SSD | DCS SETTINGS | "COCKPIT"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think the way I look at it is;

 

F-18 has complex systems but the basics of flying are easier thanks to FBW, a modern HUD and glass cockpit.

 

The systems on the F-14 are less complex for the pilot (as the RIO does a lot of that heavy lifting) but she is more complex to fly.

 

For your situation go the Hornet. She is still a lot of fun to fly, has a lot of modern systems and will give an introduction to carrier ops. Then when you want something that is a challenge to fly go the Tomcat.

 

I love both, find myself alternating between the two as to which one I prefer. My Mirage 2K is languishing a bit now, and can’t go back to the FC3 modules.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks guys. These comments are really helpful. F-18 it is.

aka MadMonk; Windows 10, 64 bit, Radeon 6800XT gpu, Ryzen 5 5600 cpu, 32 gig ram; Samsung 2TB EVO SSD, Thrustmaster Warthog throttle and stick, Saitek combat rudder pedals; Oculus Rift.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Tomcat is easier to learn to begin with (because the RIO does all the hard-to-learn systems for you), but harder to master. So your choice was alright. Just get the other one next time you can spend some bucks and you'll have both worlds twilightsmile.png

dcsdashie-hb-ed.jpg

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes!

 

Thanks guys. These comments are really helpful. F-18 it is.

 

Good choice!

Intel i7-13700KF :: ROG STRIX Z790-A GAMING WIFI D4 :: Corsair Vengeance LPX 64GB ::  MSI RTX 4080  Gaming X Trio  :: VKB Gunfighter MK.III MCG Ultimate :: VPC MongoosT-50 CM3 :: non-VR :: single player :: open beta

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If you need to ask if F-18 or F-14, then the answer will always be F-18.

 

If you want to buy a car, and you have to ask if a Minivan or a Muscle car is the right thing for you, also, always go with the Minivan.

 

True, the F-18 and the Minivan are by far not as cool as the F-14 and the Muscle car, but when you realize that the F-14 does not have the airspeed on the HUD, and that your childseat does not fit in the Muscle car, you will be glad.

 

Seriously. The F-14 is more simple, but has much more deepthness to learn. It makes you a better pilot and RIO, but you have to learn and train. Also it needs a lot of passion.

So if you need to ask, you probably have not enough passion for that plane and you would be disappointed. Take-off, land and carrier based recoveries, airial refueling, useing the radar and flying on the edge in a dogfight is BY FAR more easy and easier to learn in the Hornet.

Steam user - Youtube

I am for quality over quantity in DCS modules

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Personally, I have never struggled so much with an sim aircraft than I do with the F-14. I really just don't get it despite trying quite hard!

On the other hand, the Hornet is a lot of fun once the systems are learned to a reasonable degree.

Intel i7 12700K · MSI Gaming X Trio RTX 4090 · ASUS ROG STRIX Z690-A Wi-Fi · MSI 32" MPG321UR QD · Samsung 970 500Gb M.2 NVMe · 2 x Samsung 850 Evo 1Tb · 2Tb HDD · 32Gb Corsair Vengance 3000MHz DDR4 · Windows 11 · Thrustmaster TPR Pedals · Tobii Eye Tracker 5 · Thrustmaster F/A-18 Hornet Grip · Virpil MongoosT-50CM3 Base · Virpil Throttle MT-50 CM3 · Virpil Alpha Prime Grip · Virpil Control Panel 2 · Thrustmaster F-16 MFDs · HTC Vive Pro 2 · Total Controls Multifunction Button Box

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It would be interesting to know from the OP as to what aspect of the Harrier they were struggling with. If it was the avionics side then they'll probably hate the Hornet as well.

 

In terms of learning to fly the 18 v 14 (versus learning systems), I agree with others that the 18 is much more forgiving whereas the 14 bites back quite hard if you stray over the limits.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If you need to ask if F-18 or F-14, then the answer will always be F-18.

 

If you want to buy a car, and you have to ask if a Minivan or a Muscle car is the right thing for you, also, always go with the Minivan.

 

True, the F-18 and the Minivan are by far not as cool as the F-14 and the Muscle car, but when you realize that the F-14 does not have the airspeed on the HUD, and that your childseat does not fit in the Muscle car, you will be glad.

 

Seriously. The F-14 is more simple, but has much more deepthness to learn. It makes you a better pilot and RIO, but you have to learn and train. Also it needs a lot of passion.

So if you need to ask, you probably have not enough passion for that plane and you would be disappointed. Take-off, land and carrier based recoveries, airial refueling, useing the radar and flying on the edge in a dogfight is BY FAR more easy and easier to learn in the Hornet.

 

Easy killer, lets calm down with the rhetoric a bit. The F-18 is every bit as "deep" as the Tomcat, just in a different way, you have much more complex systems and weapons and the tactics to go along with them, to learn in the Hornet. The Hornet is a more accessible jet for new pilots due to its easy going, pilot-friendly flight control system, not because it's any less "deep" or because it requires less passion or motivation to learn properly.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's a tough. I want to say both. Two totally different experiences. The 14 looks modern, but it definitely doesn't fly modern. The F18 is FBW and very "user-friendly." Personally, the more interesting part of the 14 is the Rio seat - everything can be done from there minus actually flying the jet, and it'll definitely be a learning curve jumping back and forth between the two seats to fly a jet that takes two people to fly. I feel the Hornet is only lacking in its engines: the engines don't feel near as responsive as the Tomcats. Go with the hornet. you just feel like your doing more stuff. In the tomcats pilot seat I feel like I always feel like I'm not doing enough which is what the plane was designed to feel like from the pilots perspective.

Ryzen9 5800X3D, Gigabyte Aorus X570 Elite, 32Gb Gskill Trident DDR4 3600 CL16, Samsung 990 Pr0 1Tb Nvme Gen4, Evo860 1Tb 2.5 SSD and Team 1Tb 2.5 SSD, MSI Suprim X RTX4090 , Corsair h115i Platinum AIO, NZXT H710i case, Seasonic Focus 850W psu, Gigabyte Aorus AD27QHD Gsync 1ms IPS 2k monitor 144Mhz, Track ir4, VKB Gunfighter Ultimate w/extension, Virpil T50 CM3 Throttle, Saitek terrible pedals, RiftS

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If all you want to do is CCIP bombing runs, the F-14 is better for that and easier, but if you want to learn CASE 1 landings and the full gamut of combat roles, then the F-18 is going to be a much easier learn. The systems are more intuitive on the F-18 than the F-14 and even than the Harrier, and the FCS will pretty much stop you from killing yourself unless you just drive into the ground.

 

The F-14 lacks a couple key developments that make it especially difficult to fight with, namely, TWS Auto is not modeled, and you need another human for laser guided bomb chuckery...

 

The F-14 flight model is fantastic, and it's truly a joy to fly, but it's also like a 1,000 hp go-cart... really fun, really fast, and always trying to get you to commit suicide. I can't believe anyone actually flew the real thing... those guys truly had balls of steel.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Are you more concerned with learning to fly it or learning to use the weapon systems? The former is harder in the F14, the later is harder in the F18.

 

The F18 is practically point the plane where you want to go and let go of the stick. The F14 requires almost constant trimming. You go heads down for 7 seconds, look up and you might be inverted headed for the earth at mach 1.

 

The F18 is a multi-role aircraft so it can employ all types of weapons which takes time to learn.

 

Both fun for different reasons but the F14 is really fun to fly.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I will mention a consideration that ends up affecting me a lot, personally. The F-14 is great if you have someone to fly with. Jester is cool and all, but it was very clearly designed for two players. If you’re like me and you don’t have anyone to fly with, the FA-18 is probably a better choice.

 

If you’ve ever wanted to mess with the A-10C’s systems but wished it was faster and more exciting, the FA-18 is calling.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

One question regarding these two aircraft:

 

Is Jester dealing with all the chaff and flare stuff?

 

I started working with the Hornet and as long as I have one or two targets, it's all fine... But as soon as it starts to get hectic I stand no chance to survive...

 

So is Jester a proper "Lifesaver" so that I could focus on flying and fighting, while he tries to keep us alive? Or do I still have to manage that by my own?

Before you call everything a "bug": RTFM & try again! Thank you. :music_whistling:

 

I9-9900k, 32 GB RAM, Geforce RTX 2080 TI, 128 GB M2 SSD, 1 TB SSD, Track IR, Warthog Hotas

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi,

I would say learn both, both are amazing modules.

Both aircraft co-habit our lan groups missions and bring a wide variety of mission types into the mix. As for the F14 needing two players, I agree that if you can find someone who is good enough yet to know how to get the most out of the back seat when you are flying together it would be an amazing experience.

I have been using the (paid $10) AIRIO plugin for Viacom Pro which gives you voice control of Jester and removes the need to navigate the menu system.

 

https://forums.eagle.ru/showpost.php?p=3330611&postcount=2

 

I have found this increases the speed of getting Jester to do stuff and keeps the immersive experience intact, by having a conversational interface to our trusty RIO :-)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

i have both i fly both i love both different in many aspects but share same love

[sIGPIC][/sIGPIC]W10(64bit)Asus Rog Strix Z370-F - i7 8700K - Dark Rock Pro 4 - 16 giga ram Corsair vengeance 3000 - MSI RTX 2070 Super - Asus Rog Phobeus soundcard - Z906 Surround speaker - Track ir5 - HOTAS Warthog

Link to comment
Share on other sites

One question regarding these two aircraft:

 

Is Jester dealing with all the chaff and flare stuff?

 

I started working with the Hornet and as long as I have one or two targets, it's all fine... But as soon as it starts to get hectic I stand no chance to survive...

 

So is Jester a proper "Lifesaver" so that I could focus on flying and fighting, while he tries to keep us alive? Or do I still have to manage that by my own?

the backseat handles chaff and flares, and can give additional control over chaff or flare (only one at a time) to the pilot

 

really though it's the pilots job to keep the rio alive by managing engagements such that they dont wind up in a 4v1.

you should learn to fight without relying on cm's first.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If you need to ask if F-18 or F-14, then the answer will always be F-18.

 

If you want to buy a car, and you have to ask if a Minivan or a Muscle car is the right thing for you, also, always go with the Minivan.

 

True, the F-18 and the Minivan are by far not as cool as the F-14 and the Muscle car, but when you realize that the F-14 does not have the airspeed on the HUD, and that your childseat does not fit in the Muscle car, you will be glad.

 

/QUOTE]

I can go with the muscle car = tomcat. But hornet = minivan? Really? Let's at least call it a BMW sports car. Then your analogy would be a little more credible. Minivan? Come on dude.

 

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...