[Harlikwin]

Originally Posted by idrisguitar

Thanks for all the wonderful replies. What a lovely community.

I think the format of my post may not have been clear, but after each point I explain why I’m conflicted, so when I mention fc3. The conflict was that I wanted a clickable cockpit and knew it wouldn’t have it.

But it seems clear that with VR, and il-2 covering my low fidelity sim flying needs that I will skip on FC3.

I will do some research on the f-5, f18, a10c and the harrier, think I will go with a or w of those to get me started.

I also welcome any more opinions and advice, but once again thanks so much for the help!

-Idris

P.s. Baaz, I will definitely look into the helos too ,

Honestly I'd look at the F18 for what you want, its multirole, sort-of complete and gets regular updates and skills you learn there will transfer to most western planes. The F5 is simpler in some ways, but also much more limited in the long run.

If you are in VR, FC3 isn't great as you have to map all the buttons to the hotas somehow and or use voice attack.

I'd stay well clear of the Harrier, its a buggy half working mess alot of the time, and doesn't get regular bug fixes or updates. They do come here and there but its frustratingly slow. And I say this primarily because it was my first clicky plane and it has been utterly disappointing and it isn't in a much better state in the year that I've owned it. Honestly I'd stay away from most of the 3rd party modules at first, they frequently have issues and aren't always updated quickly, Heatblur is probably the best 3rd party dev in terms of updates/fixes/stability etc.

[nessuno0505]

Originally Posted by Harlikwin

I'd stay well clear of the Harrier, its a buggy half working mess alot of the time, and doesn't get regular bug fixes or updates. They do come here and there but its frustratingly slow. And I say this primarily because it was my first clicky plane and it has been utterly disappointing and it isn't in a much better state in the year that I've owned it. Honestly I'd stay away from most of the 3rd party modules at first, they frequently have issues and aren't always updated quickly, Heatblur is probably the best 3rd party dev in terms of updates/fixes/stability etc.

It's a real shame the av-8b Is in this state since, despite it's not super-fast, It could be a sort of navy a-10c-like plane with the benefit of vtol, if only it was modeled as It deserves. If I had to choose a plane for itself, the av-8b would be my first choice. Unfortunately you have to choose not only for the plane but for the quality of the simulation, and that's why I do not own the harrier. But I keep hoping It Will be ready One day. I agree about Heatblur, but I do not suggest the tomcat, unless you buy two of them and have a friend Who wants to do your RIO or your pilot. With a crew of two humans the f-14 could be the best module overall, but if you have to play It alone with jester, I say no. I highly suggest the a-10c, since it's still the best module imho. 650+ pages of manual sound intimidating, but you do not have to learn It All to start to be effective, and you continue to learn something new even after years of play. It's not a/a, this can be a limit, but it's Just theoretical if you use It in the appropriate mission setting.

[lascaris]

Personally I love the Mirage both as a pretty straightforward plane to fly, it's definitely simpler than the F-18/16 or A-10, and it's campaign(s) which are absolutely fabulous.

[kaoqumba]

I suggest you wait a little longer before you can buy JF-17. As powerful as the F / a18c. The difference is that once jf17 is released, it's almost all done. You don't have to wait long

[Bagpipe]

Honestly? And i have owned this module for the least time out of them all but i would say get the F86 Sabre. Dogfighting AI mig15s is truly great fun and you learn alot about combat maneuvres. Plus it has rockets and bombs and Reflected is releasing a new campaign for it very soon.
It has a not too complex clickable cockpit and you can learn about the older navigation systems without overwhelming yourself with tech which will give you a solid base to build on for some of the later aircraft modules like F14/Hornet etc.

I wish somebody told me this back when i started out tbh

[Svsmokey]

Hornet , hands down . Easy to fly , intuitive systems , carrier ops and can do it all . Rugged gear for beginner land-based landings as well . Huey , to experience the best possible graphics experience in DCS . Steam-gauge jet of your choice to learn how to properly fly . I like the L-39 because the oversize instruments are easy to read in VR ,
Also has rugged gear , and it has delightful , vice-free handling characteristics .

[Pikey]

Worth mentioning that the F-16 is nice and simple currently. 3 clicks (and a couple of rows of switching things "on") and you can drive around in VR with very little effort. Also, for us EA is bad because we want it all delivered faster. But for someone that is new and confused, having most of it not implemented means you can grow as the EA process grows, finding new features bolted on, which might suit your style/pace of learning better.

Harrier is a strong favourite of mine but im not that much of a ground pounder. The Tomcat is the only plane I've done truly heroic things in with a RIO in the back and love to fly. The Hornet I feel dispassionate about, but its the tool for every job.

[KennyG]

I also endorse the F-5. It’s all purpose, a complete product, has a clickable cockpit and is great fun to fly in VR. It doesn’t give you any high tech crutches and will introduce the modern jet fighter in its purest sense. There are campaigns available and extra outside reference material from Chuck Owl, which the F-16 doesn’t have. It has a tail hook so you can do carrier operations. Great plane to start with and it’s cheap in comparison to the others.

PS the Air Force still uses a variant of this airframe for training today, in the T-38.

[malcheus]

My favorite is the mig21, because it doesn't have all the fancy stuff, but it does have the cool navigation systems, and the module has good tutorials.

Also, nukes.

[Varis]

Originally Posted by idrisguitar

P.s. Baaz, I will definitely look into the helos too ,

Helis are a whole different world and a new level to DCS so nobody should eventually miss out. I started out my simming with fixed wing in the 80's but since mid-90s (HIND) I've been more into helicopters. Their principles of flight are completely different so many will find them a very delightful, even if frustrating at first, experience. When/if the more detailed terrain model hits DCS they will be even more fun than they are today - we'll get more out of the sneaking, hiding and terrain use aspects that are focal to the helicopter world.

Naturally there's as many opinions on what's the best/easiest as there are pilots.

Ka-50 can be a bit overwhelming for the systems as it's the most complex. Then again it has the most powerful weaponry as well and is the only real attack helicopter we have. If you select the english language cockpit and just use gunpods/rockets there of course isn't that much of a difference.

Gazelle can be a great choice if you're into a very light scout helicopter. With a good array of weaponry it also has the most advanced visual sensor system (Vivian) which can be a great fun to lurk and spot targets with. At first it will feel very lively and twitchy to fly, but not too much for experienced helicopter pilots. Otherwise I'd say it's not really harder to learn than any other module.

The Huey and Mi-8/17 are older and more transport oriented helicopters. The modelling is great and many pilots swear by them as well.

When I first started out with DCS (Ka-50) I used to die to the vortex ring a lot. The helicopter modules are supported directly by ED, with the exception of the Gazelle; the Gazelle is also the only one which doesn't have separately sold campaigns available as I recall. Edit: the ED helicopters are supported with after market campaigns well enough for it to be an actual major selling point - for Mi-8/17 I count three separate campaigns in the shop, not counting the CA one, which is pretty darn great for any DCS module! The next upcoming helicopter will probably be the legendary Mi-24 from ED. It's an older aircraft than Ka-50 but has a broader mission profile as a transport/gunship and there's a fair deal of excitement about it, even from some pilots who otherwise tend to stick to fixed wing. Also the Ka-50 is getting an upgrade in the Black Shark 3 module which will be sold separately.