Pilot progression in dcs for a noob

I'm new to dcs, and a noob pilot. I have a bit of flying time from fsx but not with jets and especially not with fighters. Boy this is way harder than I thought.

So I got myself an Albatross and started practicing traffic patterns in hope that it will make me a better pilot. Need some guidance though about my future plans with dcs.

After managing basic piloting skills (level flight\level turning\landing etc)I'm planning on learning the following:

1. radio navigation.

2. Low level flight

3. Using weapons

4. Basic multiplayer (aka being shot down a lot)

5a. Maybe fancy myself a mig 15 or a 21

5b. WWII stuff

What do you guys think? Ill appreciate any tips\ideas\criticism.

Thanks a lot !!!

Sounds like a lovely plan. Don't forget to have yourself a little fun along the way.

Instead of radio navigation, I'd suggest you look around in the maps we have and try to get some significant visual reference points for navigation. Why? Because sometimes the beacon is behind a hill or you can't get a signal at first. Then you'd have to navigate somewhere where you get a signal.

Also, you don't have to do PvP in multiplayer. There are also some Co-op servers out there, so you won't get shot down as much as in PvP servers.

Until ED implements the new damage model, I'd wait with getting any WWII stuff. You can try out the TF-51. If you like that one, maybe make an approach. But don't expect much, since there aren't many multiplayer servers around with WWII planeset, and few people flying WWII equipment online right now.

I'm new to dcs, and a noob pilot. I have a bit of flying time from fsx but not with jets and especially not with fighters. Boy this is way harder than I thought.

 

 

So I got myself an Albatross and started practicing traffic patterns in hope that it will make me a better pilot. Need some guidance though about my future plans with dcs.

 

 

After managing basic piloting skills (level flight\level turning\landing etc)I'm planning on learning the following:

1. radio navigation.

2. Low level flight

3. Using weapons

4. Basic multiplayer (aka being shot down a lot)

5a. Maybe fancy myself a mig 15 or a 21

5b. WWII stuff

 

 

What do you guys think? Ill appreciate any tips\ideas\criticism.

 

 

Thanks a lot !!!

Welcome to the forums ! Great plan , and a great first aircraft . I'll second the "Don't forget to have fun" comment .

I'm new to dcs, and a noob pilot. I have a bit of flying time from fsx but not with jets and especially not with fighters. Boy this is way harder than I thought.

 

 

So I got myself an Albatross and started practicing traffic patterns in hope that it will make me a better pilot. Need some guidance though about my future plans with dcs.

 

 

After managing basic piloting skills (level flight\level turning\landing etc)I'm planning on learning the following:

1. radio navigation.

2. Low level flight

3. Using weapons

4. Basic multiplayer (aka being shot down a lot)

5a. Maybe fancy myself a mig 15 or a 21

5b. WWII stuff

 

 

What do you guys think? Ill appreciate any tips\ideas\criticism.

 

 

Thanks a lot !!!

Don't worry too much about RNAV, it's not a huge part of DCS. F10 and Dead reckoning are good enough to begin with.

I don't own the L39 but since it is built as a trainer this is probably a great place to start. I do own the MiG-21 however, and this is not the most accessible module for a beginner (though it is an awesome a/c and module).

My advice - baby steps. Don't try to do too much too soon.

1. Unless you are pressed for time always do cold dark starts. This will imprint the sequence in your brain and help better understand the a/c systems. It doesn't take long on non-INS a/c anyway.

2. As above, always try to return home and land after a flight. Practice makes perfect.

3. Create a really simple mission. One a/c, one target (make it big and easy to spot to begin with), CAVOK weather. Practice just hitting the target with whatever loadout you have. Then gradually add some threats as your confidence increases. Start with AAA, then some older SAM systems.

4. Create another simple mission with one unarmed hostile aircraft of the same type and practice shooting it down. Remember 'lose sight, lose the fight'. This is when TrackIR or VR really come into their own. It is possible, but much harder to track objects (even with padlock) and maintain situational awareness on a flat screen. Once you've had a few successes, give the baddie some ammunition for his guns, and then move on to a pair of aircraft to fight, some simple IR missiles or DACT 1v1s.

The key is repetition (they say it takes 10,000 hours to become expert in something). Don't forget IRL this is a full time job for some (lucky) people. You will need to invest a decent chunk of time in order to get the most out of it, especially with the full-fidelity modules.

Oh, and read the manuals, watch the tutorial videos. There is a wealth of information out there, both real-world and simulator based. Use it.

DACT 1v1s.

Dissimilar Air Combat Training = when 2 guys fight flying a different aircraft.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dissimilar_air_combat_training

At the Academy (see https://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=254647) the progression looks like this

1. Straight and level, turns, slow flight, flying the pattern, stall practice

2. Navigating by visual reference and dead reckoning, basic formation flying

3. IFR techniques (pretty basic, boils down to TACAN approaches and communicating with ATC. The weather in DCS is sometimes pretty gross so this is helpful)

4. Carrier quals for Navy types

5. BFM training for Air Force types.

We are still working on the BFM curriculum but we figure the first step is to learn very basic maneuvers. Flying in a circle. Split S. Out of plane maneuvers.

Then bring another jet into the equation, learn tactical formation maneuvering. Run some offensive and defensive perches. Then start talking about the merge.

We want to get that stuff down first before we start doing intercept training. Only then do we start deploying weapons, and even then it's a small part of the picture. There's a lot to it with jets capable of BVR engagements. Jousting pretty much never works out.

We just brought in an expert on attack, we'll integrate low level flying in there somewhere, most likely once we have BFM and formation flying down. Keep the ground out of it at first.

Where are you based btw?

Also check out the thread in my sig. Really great discussion on progressing in DCS. Baby steps is the key.

DCS is a huge learning challenge. Especially if you try and learn multiple aircraft like the vast majority do. Might help to concentrate in an area eg. helicopters/fighters/air-to-ground and also western vs eastern equipment. (But don't be afraid to experiment either!) There's always that rush of excitement when you realize you have learned a new aircraft, learned to do something useful with it for the first time, the first time in multiplayer, then the first time in a multiplayer tournament... you get the idea :-D

Veterans often seem to fly the Mig-21 for the extra challenge and savoring the masochism. Mig-15 is much easier to get to and is probably quite fun for a new pilot... there are pitfalls of course, it's an older generation aircraft :-) But it's simple to learn.

A few thoughts. There is a key combination to get from DCS to the web but I forget what it is. I run DCS in a window so the bar across the bottom of the screen is visible. I can pause DCS, use an icon in that bar to go to the web, or look at Chuck's guide which I have saved on my PC. Then un-pause and try whatever I just learned. I agree w/ not worrying too much about Nav. I am good w/ Tacan which most of the Caucuses airfields have so I use that. But then most of the Persian Gulf airfields do not have Tacan. In both though I use the F10 map. The airfields are fairly close together so it's not like you are trying to figure how to fly from Boston to Atlanta. When you pause DCS and hit F10 you get the map w/ an icon for your plane. The map is oriented w/ north at the top. I just mentally superimpose a compass rose centered on my plane. If the airfield I'd like to go to is exactly to my right I will need to fly at a 90 degrees heading. If it is just a bit to the left of straight below me I will need to fly at maybe 190-200 degrees. This will get you in sight of the airfield. I am a little different than some of the guys here. I have almost no interest in a cold and dark start. I spending a lot of time learning flying, bombing, missiles, etc so just don't feel like spending the time to learn cold dark starts. I fly only in my PC using the provided missions and two simple ones that I created. If I get lucky enough to survive the mission, I do like to land at a nearby field. I agree w/ others who say don't forget to have fun. I can get frustrated learning something new. At that point I escape out and pick a mission that I know I can do fairly well. Have fun!

For basic flying skills, every lesson that is available in FSX is still applicable to DCS. Skills such as level & coordinated turns, slow flight, touch & go, climbs, descents, approaches, proper aircraft trimming, etc are all the same except everything happens at a higher speed so that means less room for error and everything happens faster. So take those FSX lessons and transpose them to your favorite jet in DCS.

My next suggestion is start using the mission editor to create different scenarios such as adding weather and changing time of day. IFR lying is a lot of fun too.

Inter-space this with some weapons training to keep things interesting. Besides, watching things go boom is one big reason for this game!

Be sure to check out Chuck's guides as a previous poster mentioned.

Even though it's geared toward Cessnas and initial civilian ratings check out Embry Riddle's flight training channel.

Better to learn the correct fundamentals now then have to unlearn bad habits later.

For the first flight of the day, I will go through the checklist and realistic start up procedure. After that just use the autostart feature or play missions where you start hot on the runway.

USAF/USN training puts a lot of emphasis and time on formation flying/precision navigation/emergency procedures.

You can cheat on the emergency procedures with the pause button but the other two are worth the time investment. Happy flyin'