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Flight Planning and Waypoint Accuracy


Slydog486

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Hello! This will be a multipart question, so don't feel like you have to answer the whole thing:

 

I regularly visit the TFP Free Flight server, and have recently come in contact with a small group of pilots that I'm really enjoying flying with. A few days ago I volunteered to make a flight plan for the group to tackle a somewhat sticky target area. Though I certainly don't mind making complex flight plans for the group, it would be nice to know of any tips you may have for the future. So, on to the questions:

 

1) When making your flight plans, what information do you use on your waypoints? (How do you choose names for them, how do you choose whether to stick with ground elevation or place the waypoint in midair, how do you choose an accurate DTOT, etc.)

 

2) For example, we have a target area on a road, immobile, that has 6 MBTs and 2 Shilkas. Would you recommend A: Placing a waypoint on each individual truck (they're about 25-30 feet apart from each other in a line), B: Placing one waypoint for the Shilkas and one for the MBTs, or C: Placing a single waypoint for the whole area. If it's the second or last one, how would you let people know, through the waypoint name or something they can check easily in the cockpit, what the target type and number of targets there are under the waypoint?

 

3) Last but not least, how do you guys name your flight plans? I'm aware of how to assign the name, but how do you go about choosing one properly? I plan on having one flight plan for ingress, one for the actual target area, and one for egress (I'm doing it this way due to the sheer size of the flight plans themselves).

 

Thanks for any feedback I can get!

-Slydog486, Veteran DCS Noob

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1) When making your flight plans, what information do you use on your waypoints?

 

I try to name them as short as possible while giving basic information.

 

Just an example:

WP1: CLIMB

WP2: REJOIN

WP3: CRUISE1

WP4: CRUISE2

WP5: FENCEIN

WP6: IP

WP7: SAM

WP8: AAA

WP9: CCCPRI

WP10: CCC2ND

WP11: TRUCKS

WP12: EGRESS

WP13: FENCEOUT

WP14: CRUISE3

WP15: CRUISE4

WP16: FINAL

WP17: HOME

 

I guess most are already self explanatory, except for some of the target waypoints, which should be further explained in the briefing, like:

 

Your primary target is a mobile Command and Control Center at WP9. A second CCC is located around WP10, this is your secondary target. A group of trucks at WP11 is a tertiary target, in case your flight has weapons left and you deem the risk low enough to warrant an attack.

 

Elevation is an important thing. All cruise/rejoin/ingress waypoints should be at a sensible altitude that deconflicts with other flights and keeps the flight as safe as possible (NOE in a high threat SAM environment, or > 15,000 ft AGL when MANPADs and AAA are the biggest threat).

 

All target waypoints at ground level, always. Nothing worse than having to fiddle with the CDU in the middle of the enemy homeland because the TGP points to another continent. :D

 

2) For example, we have a target area on a road, immobile, that has 6 MBTs and 2 Shilkas. Would you recommend [...]

 

Probably option C (single waypoint) ;)

 

Most vehicles/groups will disperse after the first attack, so you might end up with 8 waypoints and no targets under them.

 

Maybe one waypoint for each target group, but I think a good flight lead would create waypoints or markpoints on the fly (pun intended ;)) while preparing for the attack.

 

3) Last but not least, how do you guys name your flight plans?

 

So far, I don't, one flightplan has always been enough for me. ;)

 

-Slydog486, Veteran DCS Noob

 

LOL at "veteran noob" :D

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