steele6 Posted January 11, 2019 Share Posted January 11, 2019 Have any of you just sat back and appreciated how user friendly the F/A 18C is compared to a steam gauge cockpit or older generation combat aircraft? Is it just me, being a millennial that finds the UFC and DDI’s revolutionary, simple and intuitive. In the A10C for example, to change the radio channel we have to look down, find the right switches, rotate them, etc, now, in the F18, we just select the radio, enter into the frequency we want and enter it in! pronto! Same for Tacan, in front of us. You lose so much Situational awareness digging around in your cockpit for the right switch for this or that, its so clever how the F18 puts almost everything right in front of your nose whilst still enabling you to keep an eye out of the plane. The only negative I can think of is if you take a round through a crystal display from AAA then all those functions are lost, compared to only one steam gauge being hit. But maybe this isn’t a concern? Perhaps a modern AAA round wouldn’t leave a small hole and would rather be the end of the plane if it went through the cockpit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emmy Posted January 11, 2019 Share Posted January 11, 2019 Through control mapping (via the paddle switch as a modifier) I never have to look down to tune any radio preset in the A-10C nor do I have to look down to flop between preset and manual. [sIGPIC][/sIGPIC] http://www.476vfightergroup.com/content.php High Quality Aviation Photography For Personal Enjoyment And Editorial Use. www.crosswindimages.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eaglewings Posted January 11, 2019 Share Posted January 11, 2019 (edited) Never flown a jet aircraft more user friendly than the FA-18C in dcs. Very Uncomplicated cockpit. Startup is a breeze. Just got the AV8B Harrier, boy start up procedure for the harrier is almost ranking up with the likes of A-10C and KA-50 Black shark. Yes the FA-18C is homely for sure. I holding back on the up coming F-14A/B. Not really to good with reading analog dial and having to look down to check state of these parameters while flying. The HUD for the F-14 I have seen so far is just bland. The F-14D would have tickle my fancy more. Edited January 11, 2019 by Eaglewings Windows 10 Pro 64bit|Ryzen 5600 @3.8Ghz|EVGA RTX 3070 XC3 Ultra|Corair vengence 32G DDR4 @3200mhz|MSI B550|Thrustmaster Flightstick| Virpil CM3 Throttle| Thrustmaster TFRP Rudder Pedal /Samsung Odyssey Plus Headset Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flia Posted January 11, 2019 Share Posted January 11, 2019 I agree. Cockpit layout is superb. Very easy and intuitive interface. Its pleasure to flight and fight with Hornet in DCS. PC: i7 9700K, 32 GB RAM, RTX 2080 SUPER, Tir 5, Hotas Warthog Throttle, VPC MongoosT-50CM2 Base with VPC MongoosT-50CM2 Grip, VKB-SIM T-RUDDER PEDALS MK.IV. Modules : NEVADA, F-5E, M-2000C, BF-109K4, A-10C, FC3, P-51D, MIG-21BIS, MI-8MTV2, F-86F, FW-190D9, UH-1H, L-39, MIG-15BIS, AJS37, SPITFIRE-MKIX, AV8BNA, PERSIAN GULF, F/A-18C HORNET, YAK-52, KA-50, F-14,SA342, C-101, F-16, JF-17, Supercarrier,I-16,MIG-19P, P-47D,A-10C_II Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mule Posted January 11, 2019 Share Posted January 11, 2019 Yep! It's really good. Sitting in that pit in VR is just fantastic. Fighter Pilot Podcast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
majapahit Posted January 11, 2019 Share Posted January 11, 2019 (edited) I just figured out mouse actions with VR goggles in the UI layer. LR click UD wheel scroll. Problem was the blue pointer 1st time shows up way in the right down corner of the VR vision (somehow, in my setup, perhaps because there's the "FLY" button). Solved this with VoiceAttack (10$), define "mouse", command-1. click left mouse button (makes the VR cursor show up), command-2. move mouse pointer to center of the visible screen, now just say 'mouse' in the microphone. Et voila. Great aircraft. Edited January 11, 2019 by majapahit | VR goggles | Autopilot panel | Headtracker | TM HOTAS | G920 HOTAS | MS FFB 2 | Throttle Quadrants | 8600K | GTX 1080 | 64GB RAM| Win 10 x64 | Voicerecognition | 50" UHD TV monitor | 40" 1080p TV monitor | 2x 24" 1080p side monitors | 24" 1080p touchscreen | Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tenkom Posted January 11, 2019 Share Posted January 11, 2019 You guys have something to look forward to in the f16. F18 is fine but the f16 is sublime. Those who have played BMS will know what I’m on about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macedk Posted January 11, 2019 Share Posted January 11, 2019 You guys have something to look forward to in the f16. F18 is fine but the f16 is sublime. Those who have played BMS will know what I’m on about. You beat me to it, with that comment :) OS: Win10 home 64bit*MB: Asus Strix Z270F/ CPU: Intel I7 7700k /Ram:32gb_ddr4 GFX: Nvidia Asus 1080 8Gb Mon: Asus vg2448qe 24" Disk: SSD Stick: TM Warthog #1400/Saitek pro pedals/TIR5/TM MFDs [sIGPIC][/sIGPIC] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eaglewings Posted January 11, 2019 Share Posted January 11, 2019 I would imagine the F-16 is going to be gorgeous with dcs upscaled graphic and lighting features. Another aircraft with well laid out cockpit. It would be fabulous to have Heatblur type texturing for F-16 The FA-18C is absolutely lovely in the night with console and instrument light on. Windows 10 Pro 64bit|Ryzen 5600 @3.8Ghz|EVGA RTX 3070 XC3 Ultra|Corair vengence 32G DDR4 @3200mhz|MSI B550|Thrustmaster Flightstick| Virpil CM3 Throttle| Thrustmaster TFRP Rudder Pedal /Samsung Odyssey Plus Headset Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joker328 Posted January 11, 2019 Share Posted January 11, 2019 Yes, I think that was part of the design focus for the F/A-18, making it a simple and intuitive cockpit for a single pilot to operate. The super hornet goes a step further replacing the UFC with a touch screen that can double as an EW or FLIR display. Would have loved to get that. The F-22 and F-35 are in another league though. In the F-35 it's basically one giant touchscreen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TechRoss Posted January 11, 2019 Share Posted January 11, 2019 Yeah the Bug cockpit is fantastic. I picked up the Harrier on the sale, and although they are very very similar, even just having t look around the UFC to see the MDFs feels very wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Svsmokey Posted January 11, 2019 Share Posted January 11, 2019 What makes the Hornet my favorite aircraft (for the last 20+ years) is the aircraft/pilot interface . It just works naturally for me somehow . Flew F-16s in the usual suspects for years and still like the Hornet much better . Having it in DCS is a dream come true . 9700k @ stock , Aorus Pro Z390 wifi , 32gb 3200 mhz CL16 , 1tb EVO 970 , MSI RX 6800XT Gaming X TRIO , Seasonic Prime 850w Gold , Coolermaster H500m , Noctua NH-D15S , CH Pro throttle and T50CM2/WarBrD base on Foxxmounts , CH pedals , Reverb G2v2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonofEil Posted January 11, 2019 Share Posted January 11, 2019 (edited) Have any of you just sat back and appreciated how user friendly the F/A 18C is compared to a steam gauge cockpit or older generation combat aircraft? Is it just me, being a millennial that finds the UFC and DDI’s revolutionary, simple and intuitive. In the A10C for example, to change the radio channel we have to look down, find the right switches, rotate them, etc, now, in the F18, we just select the radio, enter into the frequency we want and enter it in! pronto! Same for Tacan, in front of us. Two things. First, a huge reason for the uncluttered cockpit is FADEC. Engine instrumentation takes up a lot of cockpit real estate on non-FADEC aircraft (obviously the A-10 is a prime example). Second, as a minor defense of the Hog, a lot of the ‘looking around’ required inside the cockpit is a direct result of this being a computer simulation. You’ll notice on the A-10, as an example, that all the switches and dials are different shapes. Irl, once you’ve learned the layout you actually don’t have to look at the consoles much at all. We don’t have tactile feedback (yet!) so we have to look every time. While this makes it more difficult for us, I’d argue that proficient real life pilots can do things like change radio freqs with similar speed between the A-10 and F-18. Edited January 11, 2019 by SonofEil i7 7700K @5.0, 1080Ti, 32GB DDR4, HMD Odyssey, TM WH, Crosswind Rudder... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eaglewings Posted January 11, 2019 Share Posted January 11, 2019 A lot of metal hardwork must have gone into her conception and design. I am so glad the Hornet is getting matured gradually with more advanced features like data link, MIDS/L-16, TWS and others promised to be fused in soon. The Hornet would stay as my carrier based aircraft should other eventually join my list. Windows 10 Pro 64bit|Ryzen 5600 @3.8Ghz|EVGA RTX 3070 XC3 Ultra|Corair vengence 32G DDR4 @3200mhz|MSI B550|Thrustmaster Flightstick| Virpil CM3 Throttle| Thrustmaster TFRP Rudder Pedal /Samsung Odyssey Plus Headset Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eaglewings Posted January 11, 2019 Share Posted January 11, 2019 Two things. First, a huge reason for the uncluttered cockpit is FADEC. Engine instrumentation takes up a lot of cockpit real estate on non-FADEC aircraft (obviously the A-10 is a prime example). Second, as a minor defense of the Hog, a lot of the ‘looking around’ required inside the cockpit is a direct result of this being a computer simulation. You’ll notice on the A-10, as an example, that all the switches and dials are different shapes. Irl, once you’ve learned the layout you actually don’t have to look at the consoles much at all. We don’t have tactile feedback (yet???) so we have to look every time. While this makes it more difficult for us, I’d argue that proficient real life pilots can do things like change radio freqs with similar speed between the A-10 and F-18.Good points Windows 10 Pro 64bit|Ryzen 5600 @3.8Ghz|EVGA RTX 3070 XC3 Ultra|Corair vengence 32G DDR4 @3200mhz|MSI B550|Thrustmaster Flightstick| Virpil CM3 Throttle| Thrustmaster TFRP Rudder Pedal /Samsung Odyssey Plus Headset Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deezle Posted January 11, 2019 Share Posted January 11, 2019 I disagree. The Hornet cockpit is great, don't get me wrong, but the ability to do so much directly from the HOTAS in the Hog trumps having the radios on the UFC. Intel 9600K@4.9GHz, Asus Z390, 32GB DDR4, EVGA RTX 3070, Custom Water Cooling, 970 EVO 1TB NVMe 34" UltraWide 3440x1440 Curved Monitor, 21" Touch Screen MFD monitor, TIR5 My Pit Build, VKB Gunfighter Pro w/WH Grip, TMWH Throttle, MFG Crosswinds W/Combat Pedals, Cougar MFDs, Custom A-10C panels, Custom Helo Collective, SimShaker with Transducer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TechRoss Posted January 11, 2019 Share Posted January 11, 2019 Setup your HOTAS nicely, build a switch box and you never have to look for switches. Only ever touch the mouse for UFC (which I am building a desktop version of and Comms menu. The Bug is so nicely thought out, I have spare switches and buttons to use on my setup. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
majapahit Posted January 11, 2019 Share Posted January 11, 2019 Setup your HOTAS nicely, build a switch box and you never have to look for switches. Only ever touch the mouse for UFC (which I am building a desktop version of and Comms menu. The Bug is so nicely thought out, I have spare switches and buttons to use on my setup. I use VoiceAttack (10$) (VA can make appear the cursor in the center of the VR googles view and then I run a 4 way button for the VR UI mouseclicks). I say "right MAP" from the default right DDI FCS which changes to HSI on the right DDI, I say "Tacan ON" which switches TACAN on, I say "7","4","UPC ENTER" to set the TACAN channel (unless its channel 1), I say "TACAN right" which pushes OBS 5 for TACAN on the HSI, I say 'course' which makes VA hold the course button 1.8 seconds to make the course line appear in the HSI and sets the UPC to CSEL select, I say UPC numbers like f.i. "3","0","4" for the course and then say "UPC ENTER". Et voila courseline 304. I do the same for ILS. How 'bout them apples. | VR goggles | Autopilot panel | Headtracker | TM HOTAS | G920 HOTAS | MS FFB 2 | Throttle Quadrants | 8600K | GTX 1080 | 64GB RAM| Win 10 x64 | Voicerecognition | 50" UHD TV monitor | 40" 1080p TV monitor | 2x 24" 1080p side monitors | 24" 1080p touchscreen | Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Svsmokey Posted January 11, 2019 Share Posted January 11, 2019 Been giving a lot of thought to upcoming VR switch in Hornet . I'm seeing mice with 12 extra buttons on Amazon that should work very well for UFC . Considering adding some voice commands to my Vaicom pro installation as well , and a couple of Cougar MFD's . 9700k @ stock , Aorus Pro Z390 wifi , 32gb 3200 mhz CL16 , 1tb EVO 970 , MSI RX 6800XT Gaming X TRIO , Seasonic Prime 850w Gold , Coolermaster H500m , Noctua NH-D15S , CH Pro throttle and T50CM2/WarBrD base on Foxxmounts , CH pedals , Reverb G2v2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tenkom Posted January 11, 2019 Share Posted January 11, 2019 Been giving a lot of thought to upcoming VR switch in Hornet . I'm seeing mice with 12 extra buttons on Amazon that should work very well for UFC . Considering adding some voice commands to my Vaicom pro installation as well , and a couple of Cougar MFD's . What about something like this? https://www.multicom.no/razer-tartarus-v2-tastegruppe-med/cat-p/c/p10045583?utm_source=kelkoono Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Svsmokey Posted January 11, 2019 Share Posted January 11, 2019 What about something like this? https://www.multicom.no/razer-tartarus-v2-tastegruppe-med/cat-p/c/p10045583?utm_source=kelkoono Thanks for the suggestion . I did look into that . I was put off by the ministick not being axes , and by quality concerns . All of which is not to say that i am ungrateful for the suggestion . Quite the contrary , as i will be ordering the Rift next week , i have got to get things in order and welcome all input . 9700k @ stock , Aorus Pro Z390 wifi , 32gb 3200 mhz CL16 , 1tb EVO 970 , MSI RX 6800XT Gaming X TRIO , Seasonic Prime 850w Gold , Coolermaster H500m , Noctua NH-D15S , CH Pro throttle and T50CM2/WarBrD base on Foxxmounts , CH pedals , Reverb G2v2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cik Posted January 12, 2019 Share Posted January 12, 2019 16's better Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doum76 Posted January 12, 2019 Share Posted January 12, 2019 (edited) Have any of you just sat back and appreciated how user friendly the F/A 18C is compared to a steam gauge cockpit or older generation combat aircraft? Is it just me, being a millennial that finds the UFC and DDI’s revolutionary, simple and intuitive. In the A10C for example, to change the radio channel we have to look down, find the right switches, rotate them, etc, now, in the F18, we just select the radio, enter into the frequency we want and enter it in! pronto! Same for Tacan, in front of us. You lose so much Situational awareness digging around in your cockpit for the right switch for this or that, its so clever how the F18 puts almost everything right in front of your nose whilst still enabling you to keep an eye out of the plane. The only negative I can think of is if you take a round through a crystal display from AAA then all those functions are lost, compared to only one steam gauge being hit. But maybe this isn’t a concern? Perhaps a modern AAA round wouldn’t leave a small hole and would rather be the end of the plane if it went through the cockpit. Totaly agree with you, got to say the Hornet is my fav bird ever. My only regret, the Hornet module wasn't released back then in 2015 when i went to the Airshow i was able to sit down ina Hornet, god knows how i woudl had paid much attention and look around to feel the real vs VR feeling. :( Edited January 12, 2019 by Doum76 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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