**UPDATE: DCS F-14 Flight Model Report!!**

Last week you got a first look at the basics. Here come some of the guts. :)

Nicholas Pirnia brings us a fresh perspective on the F-14 FM in its' current state.

Happy reading! :pilotfly:

http://www.mudspike.com/heatblur-f-14ab-flight-model-insiders-report/

Heatblur

Impressive read! It looks like you guys nailed it! Thank you!!! There will be a lot to learn and master...I can't wait!!!

Great article! Thanks for this, I'm sure this will be a killer module!

Nice read! But I'm confused... during the text, F-14B is mentioned several times... isn't an F-14A what we are going to get from HB?

Regards

Nice read! But I'm confused... during the text, F-14B is mentioned several times... isn't an F-14A what we are going to get from HB?

 

Regards

Both, but likely only -B at first release, we will then add -A a couple of months later.

"When I left flight sims in the late-90s I thought that the genre was dying and figured it was time to move on."

Exactly what I did as well: I moved to MMORPGs. I'm quite happy now that I found my way back ;-)

Looks like Tomcat will be great fun to fly. :D

Something tells me there's going to be a lot of people who buy this and then make reviews saying "the Tomcat is nice..but..I'm staying with the Hornet as my main module"

Mostly because they'll be too lazy to learn how to fight it well or they will lack to patience..or simply because they don't want to deal with it.

That TOMCAT will kill me over and over again...:helpsmilie:

Nice dream coming true:)

After reading the article it would seem like maybe the maneuvers, like the following reported 77 deg AoA in the video, won't be possible?

Is anyone on the test team yet been able to pull off maneuvers we know the Tomcat did? What is the maximum G pulled so far? (I'm sure you guys use Tacview or your own internal recording system).

Has anyone attempted one of the Cat's famous and very fast 360 deg sea level turns?

I'm glad to hear that it will take time to master and that it will feel like the raw analog fighter it is (I'm finally going with the VKB Pro extension to maximize immersion), but I also hope that one day I can maybe pull that 12.2G symmetrical that Hoser Satrapa told us about. Or the 10G break Muczynski pulled over the Med. Or the multiple 8-9G turns we know about. Or after a decent amount of training, feel like Major Farhad of the IRAF when he said “The capability of the F-14A to snap around during the dogfight was unequaled.... After only 100 hours of training, I learned to pitch the nose of my Tomcat up at a 75-degree angle of attack in just over a second, turn around, and acquire the opponent either with Sidewinders or the gun.”

Or I could be wrong and some of you Heatblur boys are already hotrodding it and not telling us :joystick:

(Video starts at relevant point) https://youtu.be/OeClwAksqOI?t=240

Last week you got a first look at the basics. Here come some of the guts. :)

Nicholas Pirnia brings us a fresh perspective on the F-14 FM in its' current state.

 

Happy reading! :pilotfly:

 

http://www.mudspike.com/heatblur-f-14ab-flight-model-insiders-report/

 

 

Heatblur

Now...now....now....you should not have done that! I was very patient right until this moment......now....now i got the stick itch!!! This better be coming out soon! :disgust::music_whistling::lol:

After reading the article it would seem like maybe the maneuvers, like the following reported 77 deg AoA in the video, won't be possible?

Is anyone on the test team yet been able to pull off maneuvers we know the Tomcat did? What is the maximum G pulled so far? (I'm sure you guys use Tacview or your own internal recording system).

Has anyone attempted one of the Cat's famous and very fast 360 deg sea level turns?

 

I'm glad to hear that it will take time to master and that it will feel like the raw analog fighter it is (I'm finally going with the VKB Pro extension to maximize immersion), but I also hope that one day I can maybe pull that 12.2G symmetrical that Hoser Satrapa told us about. Or the 10G break Muczynski pulled over the Med. Or the multiple 8-9G turns we know about. Or after a decent amount of training, feel like Major Farhad of the IRAF when he said “The capability of the F-14A to snap around during the dogfight was unequaled.... After only 100 hours of training, I learned to pitch the nose of my Tomcat up at a 75-degree angle of attack in just over a second, turn around, and acquire the opponent either with Sidewinders or the gun.”

 

Or I could be wrong and some of you Heatblur boys are already hotrodding it and not telling us :joystick:

 

 

(Video starts at relevant point) https://youtu.be/OeClwAksqOI?t=240

Heh, pulling 12G in a fighter is easy, making that being any good....that's the issue. Aside from that, take those "75 degrees AoA" inside to context. I can assure you, over the egg, with the right energy and stick/rudder management, you'll peg the AoA meter....... but again, the trick is making worth it in a fight :thumbup:

EDIT: take note, there is a great deal of difference between attained and sustained alpha....

Speechless!

very nice! I am so excited to see what is in store

Great article, thank you!

Can't wait to crash and burn in this thing! Great read, thanks for posting.

Something tells me there's going to be a lot of people who buy this and then make reviews saying "the Tomcat is nice..but..I'm staying with the Hornet as my main module"

 

Mostly because they'll be too lazy to learn how to fight it well or they will lack to patience..or simply because they don't want to deal with it.

Perhaps, though the Tomcat's more challenging flight dynamics will be offset by the simpler avionics and the offloading of some tasks onto Jester. That said, the Tomcat is simply older and has more manual processes, pilots who want the newest tools will prefer the Hornet since it has more tech.

The other thing is that the Tomcat is so satisfying to fly. Those flight dynamics add some challenge (not a total outlier for DCS), but seriously rewards the pilot who invest some time learning (not a ton of time either). Having to manage things like AOA during a dogfight is important in every aircraft. The F-15C doesn't perform well for long at high AOA either, but that aircraft gives audible warnings when the AOA is excessive while the Tomcat starts to mis-behave (unless you are wings level). The only tasks that is notably harder than other aircraft in DCS (imho) is landing, especially carrier traps. Doing that well will take real practice and will probably be a perishable skill if you take a long break from it. It feels amazing when you get the hang of it!

In the end, those who love operating systems will prefer the Hornet while those who like to fly will probably get more out of the Tomcat.

After reading the article it would seem like maybe the maneuvers, like the following reported 77 deg AoA in the video, won't be possible?

Is anyone on the test team yet been able to pull off maneuvers we know the Tomcat did? What is the maximum G pulled so far? (I'm sure you guys use Tacview or your own internal recording system).

Has anyone attempted one of the Cat's famous and very fast 360 deg sea level turns?

Transient AOA in the FM can be very high. With wings level, I have seen AOA exceed 50 degrees for short periods (eyeballing it in-cockpit or the F2/F3 view). Might be able to reach the 70s if I found the right combination of speed and control inputs (and desire). Its not that high AOA is unattainable, more that you don't want it since the airframe performs so well at lower AOA and banked high AOA causes some control difficulties with yaw and wing drop. Not to mention the fact that you need energy to maneuver and that high AOA costs a lot of energy. In the end, those moves feel like a stunt, not a solution to a problem imho. I have also done things like tail slides and rudder reversals, the edge of the envelope seems to be very well-modeled and dynamic.

I'm glad to hear that it will take time to master and that it will feel like the raw analog fighter it is (I'm finally going with the VKB Pro extension to maximize immersion), but I also hope that one day I can maybe pull that 12.2G symmetrical that Hoser Satrapa told us about. Or the 10G break Muczynski pulled over the Med. Or the multiple 8-9G turns we know about. Or after a decent amount of training, feel like Major Farhad of the IRAF when he said “The capability of the F-14A to snap around during the dogfight was unequaled.... After only 100 hours of training, I learned to pitch the nose of my Tomcat up at a 75-degree angle of attack in just over a second, turn around, and acquire the opponent either with Sidewinders or the gun.”

At speeds above ~425-450 KIAS you can pull a lot of Gs, leading to rapid blackouts. I have not monitored the exact G limits, but 10 G is attainable. I'm pretty sure that 8 G is do-able at speeds above 350 KIAS or so (but I would have to go back and check).

As far as the Iranian description, not sure about that. You can really get the nose moving, especially with wings level, but also getting a reasonable gun or sidewinder solution - not so sure about that. Maybe I just haven't tried hard enough. :)

-Nick

I think I'm going to have to finally invest in some pedals. The twist on the stick sounds as if it just isn't going to cut it for the Tomcat.

What a tease! The HB F-14 is promising to be the most exceptional module ever created.

Both, but likely only -B at first release, we will then add -A a couple of months later.

Great! Kind of like the temperament of TF-30 engines, so getting the -A eventually are definitively good news.

Regards!

I think I'm going to have to finally invest in some pedals. The twist on the stick sounds as if it just isn't going to cut it for the Tomcat.

im on the same.

If you want the legitimate Tomcat experience, grind the heels off your flight boots, whether your pedals put them on the floor or not.

Thanks for the response BlackLion, I am really looking forward to getting to know all the Cat's sweet and sour spots.

Buzzles, shonist, when I first started, I played for the first month with twist rudder, then I bought Saitek pedals and added curve and deadzone to my stick, whole new game, the planes came to life.

Tomcat sounds like is it going to be an amazing module! I just really hope, for Heatblurs sake more than anything, that ED are able to lift the base DCS platform up to a commensurate standard with 2.5.

@Cobra: Is any kind of FFB support planned for the Tomcat? I understand that the CAS is much simpler than in the F15C, Im just wandering if any of its quirks will be implemented (from a FFB perspective)?