Community A-4E-C

after last update, the A-4 it's missing, somebody know why?

Works fine for me. Just did a cat-start. Open beta, latest update.

What a Gorgeous Skin Norbot!

Hello

 

in addition to the carrier drifting bug, we found a simmelar problem with the aircraft while in the air.

 

 

in the video you see a (human controlled) A-4 fly a carrier pattern. As it rolls out on the 180 you see the speed as low as 100kts with 9 to 10 AoA.

As the aircraft passes the 90 you see the airspeed quickly building up to 140kts while in the groove the AoA is arround 10 still.

 

A-4 empty with 30% fuel

hook down before the break

Gear down and flaps full at the start of the first 180 and the rest of the recording.

 

It seems like there is some flightmodel anomally going on.

I watched the video and wonder if what TACVIEW is showing as TAS is not in fact GS. Because if your IAS is the same at the 180 as it is in the groove on final (supported by your AoA being about the same), the TAS should be the same, too, no matter what the winds are or how fast the carrier is going. What were the winds set to in that mission in ME (Mission Editor)? Could it be that you have about 7 or 8 m/s (13.5 to 15.5 kts) low-level winds blowing from the south (arrow pointing north in ME)? The carrier is moving north, right? And you align with it on a northerly heading, right? If the carrier is doing 11 kts and the wind is coming from behind at 14 kts, you have -3 kts wind-over-deck. The carrier is slightly back-winded and that won't help your landings. The wind arrows in ME point the direction in which the winds are blowing to, not the direction the wind is coming from...that always seems opposite to the way pilots are trained in North America. But that's the way it is in ME.

What a Gorgeous Skin Norbot!

Thanks! It's a standard skin from the A-4E mod. :)

Works fine for me. Just did a cat-start. Open beta, latest update.

If you start up the mission as "on the runway", at location 1,2,3 or 4 on the carrier (CV-74), you will be "engine running", and hooked up to the CAT. The hookup seems to hold the aircraft in place, so no need to hit the brakes. Applying full power seems to automatically launch the aircraft, so be ready. I launched from the No. 3 cat. I flew around the pattern and took a No. 4 wire, my first trap in the A-4 after 6 previous bolters that were "on the ball" with hook down. Then I tried to hook back up to cat 3; which, although the JBD was down, was still showing steam. I taxied to the exact same spot where I was placed at start...no cat hook-up. If I idle the engine, I'll roll backward. So, I held the brakes and applied wheel chocks. Then I could release the brakes and idle the engine and stay in the same spot. I pressed LAlt-1 and it replied, "Wheel chocks are on!" Holding the brakes, I removed the wheel chocks and pressed LAlt-1 again. "You are not close enough to any catapult" Steam is still showing from catapult 3, but JBD down and I am still in the exact location I was on the deck when the mission started. So, it appears you cannot launch again after landing. :( And you cannot get hooked up to a cat if you start "on the ramp"...which will place you behind cats 1 & 2 facing some direction. Bummer! I wanted to repeatedly recycle, refuel on deck when needed and continue launch--trap, launch--trap and so forth. But the makers of this A-4 do the best they can under limitations.

It's just my opinion, but the A-4 sure deserves to be made a full aircraft mod. It's a lot of fun flying it. It would be so much more fun if all its systems could function. And how cool it would be to operate off of the Essex-class carrier USS Oriskany, CVA-34! Is Magnitude 3/Leatherneck really going to make the F-8J Crusader? If so, that is the deck mate to the A-4 on the 7 steam-catapult-equipped Essex-class carriers in the 1960's & 70's.

A-4E-C Version 1.3.1 -- DCS Ver 2.5.5.35461

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It's just my opinion, but the A-4 sure deserves to be made a full aircraft mod. It's a lot of fun flying it. It would be so much more fun if all its systems could function. And how cool it would be to operate off of the Essex-class carrier USS Oriskany, CVA-34!

 

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Yes! Would be really nice, if we could have a full A-4E module. A lot could already be done with the existing mod, if we could only use all the radio functionalities. I wonder why no 3rd party developer intends to simulate this interesting and versatile aircraft. :huh:

I believe it has proven sales potential geez!

Its so frustrating!

I believe it has proven sales potential geez!

 

Its so frustrating!

:thumbup:

ED should really look into tapping this aircraft's market potential

Just throw in an EFM and add the few systems that aren't working yet and this would be a top seller. These guys have what it takes to be a good 3rd party dev IMHO.

I tried the A4 just now. I tried to find safe low speed / stalling speed. Pulled the stick full back and waiting for the shakes or wing drop. No. Full rudder. Nothing. I know there are planes that act like that, the un-stallable ASK-21 and the An-2 but would the A4 be this docile, idiot proof?

Full power, stick full back, it climbs briskly standing on it's tail about 80' deegres.

I love the details of the systems, but I find the flight model... I wouldn't know but I doubt it.

The team only has access to Simplified Flight Model. SFM. no advance or profesional like Payed modules..

So I believe that the FM is brilliant considering the tools they had to work with (BTW same FM ED uses for IA only aircrafts)...

Before criticizing someone else work get informed...

Aircraft with an SFM generally don't stall. It was the same for the Mb-339 and C-101 as well to name two (and possibly the Hawk?)

Having followed this mod over a couple threads, the group bought some aspects of the aircraft from a prior developer. The original developer had intended to make it a full fledged project until they got the price for licensing from the manufacturer and that seemed to kill the project based on projected sales vs cost to produce. And we got this mod when that endeavor lost steam. Free has significant limitations. Once the group takes money lots of folks want a part of the action.

Hopefully, as time moves forward we will get this one as full fledged module along with a few other historical icons - F-4, P-38.

Aircraft with an SFM generally don't stall. It was the same for the Mb-339 and C-101 as well to name two (and possibly the Hawk?)

I think MB-339 has a external flight model that can be stalled... I'll take a look later.

I read some years ago about the original companies for military planes squeezing money from sim makers. I think that's pretty shameless first, do they really have to be so greedy?, and secondly, taxpayers payed for the original developments most of the time.

How good of quality is this mod compared with official full fidelity modules?

Have y'all thought about releasing it to ED as 3rd party status but keep the mod here to download for free? That way, people can pay to have the module included in the full game and would be able to join MP servers, etc. even if everyone does not have it downloaded.

I think MB-339 has a external flight model that can be stalled... I'll take a look later.

It can now, but not in the original release which included an SFM.

Just new to this module and it's terrrific

I'm starting to learn it, I have one question so far on the nosewheel steering

When I bind buttons for steering engage/disengage nothing seems to happen likewise the Hi Gain mode

Does it simply not work or am I missing something?

Oh hope I'm posting in the right place

I tried the A4 just now. I tried to find safe low speed / stalling speed. Pulled the stick full back and waiting for the shakes or wing drop. No. Full rudder. Nothing. I know there are planes that act like that, the un-stallable ASK-21 and the An-2 but would the A4 be this docile, idiot proof?

 

Full power, stick full back, it climbs briskly standing on it's tail about 80' deegres.

 

I love the details of the systems, but I find the flight model... I wouldn't know but I doubt it.

The team only has access to Simplified Flight Model. SFM. no advance or profesional like Payed modules..

 

So I believe that the FM is brilliant considering the tools they had to work with (BTW same FM ED uses for IA only aircrafts)...

 

Before criticizing someone else work get informed...

I don't think it was so much of negative criticism as an observation. But yes, the A-4E-C flight model is perhaps not on par with the paid, full modules. Nevertheless, at this point it is what this Community team has been able to do with it...or else no A-4 Skyhawk. So, I'm very glad to have what they've made. And it's impressive. I love the detail in the 3D modeled cockpit. It makes you want for all those things to work...most of them do! Doppler radar for drift angle and ground speed, automatic dead-reckoning navigation computer and an impressive array of external stores and ordnance...including the Lazy-dog Launcher. It makes a cool pyrotechnic display on the ground. :) All if you appreciate technology from about 1960, as I do. But no UHF comms because they can't get it to work outside of the full module.

The F-5E-3 is a great professional-level module, I think because it is a fairly simple yet versatile aircraft in real life. The A-4 Skyhawk is another such simple, versatile aircraft...for carrier ops and the surface strike mission! The Skyhawk's primary original mission was nuclear strike. I was really surprised to see the operational multimode radar in this module. It's too bad it's not very useful...however, it may well be exactly as useful as the real one was in the real aircraft. I have read pilot accounts of also being able to use the A-4's radar for air-to-air search. It could not lock-on or direct air-to-air weapons, but it could help find your tanker at night or in cloudy weather, they said. But I have not been able to detect other aircraft with this radar in this module...another limitation of the module's situation, I think. In-flight refueling is something that is greatly missed for the A-4...as well as it acting as a tanker. You can't act as a tanker in any other aircraft in DCS. This A-4E-C can carry a "buddy tanker" refueling pod on the centerline store. But it doesn't function, at least not yet. Another feature that I'm sure this team tried to make work but haven't been able to figure out, given the limitations of not being a full module.

Flight model as it is, I still enjoy the module...probably because it's easy to fly! If you are new to DCS and find some of the aircraft too challenging to pilot, try this A-4E-C.

Also, the A-4 Skyhawk, clean and free of external stores and pylons, had pretty good performance and thrust-to-weight. The Navy used it as a MiG-17 emulator for dogfight training. The prototype once held the world's speed record for a short time in the mid-1950's...having taken it from the USAF's new F-86H Sabre. The XA4D-1 prototype set a world speed record of 695.163 mph on October 15, 1955. Which is impressive for an attack aircraft...just before Marty McFly arrived in the Delorean time machine ;)

The team only has access to Simplified Flight Model. SFM. no advance or profesional like Payed modules..

 

So I believe that the FM is brilliant considering the tools they had to work with (BTW same FM ED uses for IA only aircrafts)...

 

Before criticizing someone else work get informed...

The EFM API is Part of the Base DCS Install, everyone has access to it.

Thank s for the module!

I wonder if the fligth model will be updated.....

It is so much irreal and arcade!

Thank s for the amazing job.

Finally got around to giving this beauty a go.

The guys that developed this have done an outstanding job.

It's probably the most fun to fly so far.

If you havent already got just get it.

I'd be a great start to jets as well.

I thought I'd get around to giving her some loving with a new skin..

WIP at the moment but I'll post them up when I refine them.

(still need to do thinks like fuel tanks, tail hook etc)

Also can someone tell me how to turn the Radar Altimerter on after take-off.

(It's on when I air start but not from runway) Thanks.

Hey Helles,

Skin is looking fantastic mate. Is that an historical RAN skin or fictional?

IIRC you left or right mouse click on the radalt knob. It does move in/out slightly.

Cheers!

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Hey Scotch,

Thanks for the info, I’ll give that a go. I don’t know how long I looked around trying to figure it out.

The skin is fictional. Pattern (loosely) based on late US variants.

Edit: I mean the colour pattern on US, but for a late fictional version of a RAAF 6 Sqn A-4.

Ok cool, thanks Helles, now I remember seeing that livery on the mighty F-111s when they deployed on exercise to Pearce years ago lol.

Great work

Cheers!

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