Pilots that both F16 & F18 using Warthog HOTAS

[kmaultsby]

Hello everyone and happy holidays. I just got back in to SIM'S after years of family commitments and work. I just got the a Warthog HOTAS. Wow a lot have change. Back in the day we flying Janes F/A18. Before I took a break I was doing a lot of Falcon BMS. Anyway for those who fly multiple aircraft do you setup your HOTAS almost identical for both F18 and 16 accept for a few settings or do completely new profile for each aircraft? I purchased the F/A 18c and will be purchasing the F16 and A10 in the future. I may add F14.

[CybrSlydr]

Hello everyone and happy holidays. I just got back in to SIM'S after years of family commitments and work. I just got the a Warthog HOTAS. Wow a lot have change. Back in the day we flying Janes F/A18. Before I took a break I was doing a lot of Falcon BMS. Anyway for those who fly multiple aircraft do you setup your HOTAS almost identical for both F18 and 16 accept for a few settings or do completely new profile for each aircraft? I purchased the F/A 18c and will be purchasing the F16 and A10 in the future. I may add F14.

 

This is my main problem with learning other aircraft. Each aircraft has the same thing called something different. So it's almost impossible to get the same mappings to work for separate aircraft.

[Majik]

Have a look at this profile manager/GUI. It can be fiddly to set up but once done it's incredible (follow the included manual and you'll be fine though). There are common themes to all the profiles, but each is individualised to the module, and it's very, very detailed.

 

 

 

https://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=116454

 

 

I can't recommend it enough.

[JUICE-AWG]

Good topic!! I have the Huey, Mustang, Hornet and Viper and then the FC3 and Combined Arms. For the Hornet and the Viper, I try to map similar common functions like speed brake and gear and flaps (when needed) to the same HOTAS bind. However, I really try to use the Aircraft Dash 1 (Viper/USAF) and the NATOPS Manual (Hornet/USN) to map the buttons on the HOTAS to match the same as the airplane.

 

 

The commonly known factor of "negative transfer" is where one learned muscle memory or procedure is incorrectly applied to another platform or process and causes a problem. This is sometimes fatal in the world of Human Factors and Aviation. In DCS, it's just a learning curve as we don't die from our mistakes.

 

 

To overcome this, I do what my USAF and Civil Aviation Training has taught me. If I haven't flown a particular aircraft in a while, I do what I call a check flight, something that I approach like there was an instructor on the ride and for me, I become the student and instructor. Sometimes, I have another DCS Pilot in my unit who is "Current" in the airframe go up with me and act as the IP to requal me on that jet or a particular task in the jet. This only works if you treat DCS as a simulator and not a game. To each is own.

 

 

Sorry for the diversion...but best thing to do is open your controls and hit the keybind that default affects that result and then map the desired function to your HOTAS. Often the "Search" option can help you find what you are looking for...but when in doubt use Google and the community.

 

 

I have both aircraft so feel free to ask me if I might be able to help out.

 

 

JUICE

[kmaultsby]

Juice good point.

[Los]

I map everything the same as possible in my Hotas. Esp since I’m VFR.

 

I fly about four different planes in real life and don’t have that luxury, but the transition between them is not very difficult.

 

Los

[BlacleyCole]

My-lan as I haven’t mapped anything in dcs except the huey and I was using a pft Pune hotas for helos then it had the b4 grip witch matched the huey the collective had a toggle to select 3 modes fore the grip other 3way toggle and two buttons. I never got a setup I really could use but since I’ve been grounded I saw a nice Vedic on setting up the puma that made things nicer my main failure was getting VoiceAttack working for the other commands needed on a mission because the huey requires both hand and both feet to fly the only way to use a keyboard would be propit in to straight and level autopilot kit the key and back on the stick in vr that’s close to impossible during stressful times.

 

So I’m working in on matching controls for the a-10,viper and adapting the wh stick for the huey with a maxflight collective and tm tpr pedals the positioning the wh throttle just to the left of the collective and the cougar throttle once modded just outside the wh one if you notice the viper throttle looks to be almost at the lh wall of cockpit plan on putting the wh throttles full forward to be out of the way I might even mount te modded cougar stick on my rh platform for a side stick since I’m a vr flyer I should be fine.

[kengou]

I definitely try to map each plane accurately to the Hotas layout of that plane as much as possible. Each plane has its own control quirks, good or bad, and I want to experience that difference between each aircraft. It’s really not hard to jump into the controls options and click all my buttons to remember what they do, before jumping into any particular plane.

[kmaultsby]

I was thinking of saving my pennies and get the F18 stick, and that will force me to Key all functions to match the real thing.

[A2597]

I map as accurately as possible to the real plane. On the F-18 that means I have an extra hat, which I use for knee-board open/close/page forward/page back.

 

 

 

And yes, the switch is occasionally jarring. Muscle memory is a real thing. LOL

I actually feel the F-18 Hotas controls are far superior to the F-16, but part of that is because I learned the F-18 first.