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Navigation in foggy conditions


Johnr666

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After learning navigation using ILS/NDB/TACAN while flying the jet trainers and the F5E Tiger I decided it was time to experience navigation using the Normandy Map.

 

I started with the P51D Mustang because I had no experience with tail dragers and decided it was time to learn.

 

The cold start option for the P51D Mustang involves taking off in thick fog which very quickly results in me loosing sight of the airfield and eventually colliding with trees, chimneys etc while looking for a place to land.

 

My question is how can I navigate when I can barely see the landmarks and I have no maps to navigate by. The copies of the Normandy WW2 era maps downloaded from the DCS forums do not show railroads or landmarks in the detail needed to effectively navigate to a destination in limited visibility.

 

I am certain the WW2 pilots would have experienced these situations and developed the skills needed to locate their targets and return to their airfields. Hopefully this information is still available so I can progress my training to actually landing the P51D.

 

Any suggestions?

 

Cheers

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Foggy condition was mostly "no go" condition during WWII era, except for special trained pilots and often planes with special radio air navigation equipment.

 

If You want to fly with this, You have to prepare flight plan.

It has to contain nav. points distance, azimut between them and calculation flight time based on Your plane speed.

It is necessary to remember any significant land marks around Your planed flight route, like towns, lakes, forests, rivers...

Then You have to follow it with Your eyes on instruments and constantly calculate Your approximate position based on speed, azimut and elapsed time of Your actual flight.

 

Towers on airbases can help, you can always ask them for navigation assistance and TWR will give to You information about azimut and distance to asked base, but You have to preset correct TWR frequency in mission editor and select right button on radio control box.

 

There is no simple way or simple switch in WWII planes how to fly and navigate in such weather.

F-15E | F-14A/B

P-51D | P-47D | Mosquito FB Mk VI |Spitfire | Fw 190D | Fw 190A | Bf 109K |  WWII Assets Pack

Normandy 2 | The Channel | Sinai | Syria | PG | NTTR | South Atlantic 

F/A-18 | F-86 | F-16C | A-10C | FC-3 | CA | SC |

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It's strictly VFR.

 

Using the info from ATC is very iffy. If you ask for navigation assistance, ATC will direct you to the initial glide slop entrance, which is like 5 miles out from the airfield (hold-over from modern DCS). So if you go there and think you'll find an airfield, you will be disappointed. And you only get directions to this starting point. You have to look at your airfields chart to then know which direction the airfield is.... oh, there is none.

 

In WWII you simply would not go up in weather, in which you could not land, and if you can't find your airfield...

When you hit the wrong button on take-off

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