Pre takeoff procedures..

All, im currently working my way through Red flag 16-2 for the WH. I have a question about taking off at nellis. I'm used to stopping short of the runway, asking atc for takeoff - canopy & arming seat & cms systems, pitot heat etc. All overkill I realise but I just like to do it anyway. Where do I stop before I taxi onto the runway to complete these steps? If I stop before the yellow hash line, and ask for T/O clearance, atc doesn't reply, then I taxi onto the runway and he says I don't have clearance, seconds later I get clearance but I'm on my way anyway as I know it doesn't matter, just annoying.

Thanks for any info.

As far as i know, normally the tower would tell you where to hold short, something like "Dagger flight, Sochi tower, taxi holding point X runway XX via taxiway X" and if its needed they will add a contact radio freq. to the end of the first transmission with a "continue on XXX.XX" call . So you will look at your ground chart find your taxiway and holding point, go there and this time contact the tower for take-off.

But since the towers in dcs doesnt tell you anything about any of that, there isnt much you can do. If you really want to do it, you can just stop at the end of the taxiway that is connecting you to the active runway, you can make a call on your own for take-off and proceed to the runway.

Edit: I wish they upgrade the ATC a bit, nothing too fancy, just a bit more information on its calls would be fine for me.

Stop between the point where he answers and the point where you get a rollocking. Sorry, couldn’t resist it. In fact I share your frustration.

There is clearly a DCS trigger area, immediately before you enter the runway, but in reality it is far too small. In real life, you would call for take-off, at 100 yds or more before you reach the runway, once you have checked visually that there is no-one between you and the runway or on short finals.

On a military base, you often need to get airborne quickly, and the last thing you need, when you have 3 other formation members 30-50yds behind you is to have to stop, transmit and then retaxy.

In practice, in that situation I just enter the runway and line-up. In that case, you will hear ATC complaining about the other formation members following you on to the runway. You will also find occasions when, while you are taxying, when you get an instruction to hold - again, presumably because you are about to enter a ‘box’ on the taxiway which is already occupied.

That said, the ATC set up is really quite good in DCS, and you will soon get used to, and ignore, the obvious snags. Just don’t carry that into real life if you ever fly for real.

An ATC update is so direly needed...

Anyway, since the ATC doesn't do a good job in DCS, and even less so on the Nevada map, I'd use the EOR pads. Down at runways 3 and up at 21 you'll find a whole bunch of them outside and between the runways. That's where pilots would go through the before takeoff checklists without blocking any aircraft that taxi right onto the runway or off of it. Not at my PC right now, but can post a screenshot if necessary later on.

I don't have NTTR yet (I'm still waiting for DCS 2.5 to come out) but I know that even in Caucasus you need to be extremely close to the runway or the controllers simply won't respond. It's just how the current ATC system is set up and it isn't particularly realistic. I would advise you to do the ATC stuff as best as you can but without focusing on it too much. If the comms don't seem to work right it doesn't necessarily mean you are doing something wrong.

Southwest, Southeast, Northeast & Northwest EOR (End Of Runway) marked on page 32 on the 476th Flight Info Publication Nevada v. 2.1; http://www.476vfightergroup.com/downloads.php?do=file&id=405

Here you can see 476th Eddie taxiing into Southeast EOR during a mission 4:21, for take-off preparations;

Cheers

Hans

Here you can see 476th Eddie taxiing into Southwest EOR during a mission 4:21, for take-off preparations;

Good video!

I know it's nitpicking, but I think he's actually going to the southeast EOR, not southwest. :smartass:

The pre-takeoff boxes for the sim ATC are particularly bad in NTTR (varies by airport). Even where they are sort of good they don't necessarily align with the hold short lines in the art layer.

The ATC automatically forwards you along in the sequence when you violate the normal steps. While the correct thing is to be in the invisible box prior to being on the runway in some places it's physically impossible (e.g. you have to drive over an active runway to get to your assigned runway hold short area).

Someone should do an audit of all the runways on all the airbasen from all the parking slots and make a map of where the magic boxen are (and where they aren't).

Good video!

I know it's nitpicking, but I think he's actually going to the southeast EOR, not southwest. :smartass:

Thanks @Yurgon. Must have been too tired when I wrote it :lol:

Check out the remaining of Eddie's YT for that mission, 4 in total. Worth while watching.

Cheers

Hans

I know the ATC is getting updated, I still wish there was an easy way to disable it completely in the option menu now and when the ATC is updated, this way you can make your own proper ATC calls with voice overs, just like baltic dragon is doing now. You can download the first A10 Beta mission.

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Yes, all good replies thanks. It's a shame the atc is such a mess in DCS. In the Caucasus though I have no such issues really. I'm not that impressed with the red flag campaign as a whole, but that's another thread ;)

I know the ATC is getting updated, I still wish there was an easy way to disable it completely in the option menu [...]

Good idea.

On the other hand, just don't tune into ATC's freq and they won't bother you. :D

In my squad we usually use ATC-freq +0.1 so that we can derive the freq from DCS but can communicate our intentions without being bothered by it. For instance, in Nellis we use 327.1 (instead of 327.0).

In SP, unless the mission requires the player to be on that freq, I think it's more realistic to say your intentions to your PC screen ("Hawg 1-1 at apron south, taxi runway 07 via Golf" or whatever) than using the in-game ATC.

You can go to on of the EORs like in the video. Also, feel free to ignore ATC.

The overall taxi and-do-whatever depends on how the taxi is briefed. You could brief a direct taxi and feed-on to the runway, in which case you configure everything before taxi and go straight to the runway for take-off. No stopping anywhere for anything ... so whichever method you choose is up to you.

All, im currently working my way through Red flag 16-2 for the WH. I have a question about taking off at nellis. I'm used to stopping short of the runway, asking atc for takeoff - canopy & arming seat & cms systems, pitot heat etc. All overkill I realise but I just like to do it anyway. Where do I stop before I taxi onto the runway to complete these steps? If I stop before the yellow hash line, and ask for T/O clearance, atc doesn't reply, then I taxi onto the runway and he says I don't have clearance, seconds later I get clearance but I'm on my way anyway as I know it doesn't matter, just annoying.

 

 

Thanks for any info.