Noob Alert!

[Digitalvole]

So I’ve owned the F14 for nearly a year now but have only just started using it. (I blame ED for providing us with too much incredible stuff to play with ) That cockpit is insanely good! And I love the way it flies, ie no fbw.

 

But I have a few noob questions, id greatly appreciate it if you guys with your big moustaches, cigars and 80s haircuts could help me out with.

 

First off, the cockpit shakes a lot. Though that’s dead cool some of the time, especially take off, it seems to be vibrating even in level flight and I find it starts to make me feel a bit weird after a while (I fly with VR). I’m sure this is as it should be but it makes my brain feel a bit rattled, I was wondering if a buttkicker would help. Does anyone use one, and if so what’s the verdict? Or do you just get used to it after a while?

 

Second off, I fly sp as I don’t have any friends who like flight sims (or maybe friends at all since having kids, but that’s another story.) And I do like to move mud and play Liberation. The F18 is great for this due to its versatility but I’m a bit concerned that without a Rio with a pulse I may find a-g a real challenge (thinking sead/dead, guided munitions etc). Am I wrong in thinking this?

 

Third off, are moustaches mandatory? 
 

Many thanks in advance to anyone who takes the time to help me out. I know I could learn these things through doing, but it takes time I don’t have at the moment.

 

 

 

[Spurts]

I am too bald to have an 80's hairstyle, and due to having kids of my own I don't smoke cigars often, but I do have a moustache.

 

Shake, rattle, and roll.  I fly exclusively in VR (an old CV1, again... kids) and I don't even notice level flight rattles anymore.  I love reading the shakes and shimmies in dogfights.  Is it realistic?  I am sure the team of former Pilots and Rios they consult with would let them know if it was excessive, so I will go with yes.

 

Moving mud by yourself.  I also fly a lot of SP and love SEAD.  You are not wrong.  Jester can help you set up dumb bombs and Zuni rockets, but anything that needs a TGP he cannot.... yet (last notice was that the Oct 14 patch will add Jester LANTIRN!).  I was gifted the Tomcat by a friend who wanted a living RIO, and it turns out he doesn't like flying the old rattle-wagon.  He is a Hornet guy.  I love the backseat, but Iceman is less useful than Jester outside of a training environment.  Give it another week and lets see how it goes.  (disclosure, my first time SEAD/DEAD victory against an SA-10 was in the Tomcat with Zuni and Mk84s.  Super low level ingress until inside min range)

Third, Yes a moustache is mandatory, start growing!  lol.

 

The Tomcat is my most viscerally favorite module by far, and it's only getting better.  

[Digitalvole]

Thanks Spurts!

 

The moustache will just take a bit of tactical shaving

I think I may wait till the update and see what’s what with the targeting. Though low flying and dumb bombs is probably more of what I’m after, the Hornet is fantastic but can feel a bit sterile for want of a better word.

Do you think we’ll ever get the D?

 

good to know I don’t need an 80s haircut too

[Lt_Jaeger]

I fly with a seat Matt. That thing gives some extra immersion and an addition to the shaking of the cockpit. Got also a bit kicker but that thing is off most of the time, since the seat pad is more than enough

[draconus]

1. You don't shake on a cruise. You shake during high alpha, transsonic, flaps overspeeding, stalling, turbulence and what not - that's all good - it tells you the condition you're in.

2. A-G is great with Jester but just not self lasing atm. SEAD is not a Tomcat job but in low level interdiction it does not matter what the target was.

3. You don't deserve to ride a Tomcat if you have to ask

[IronMike]

Welcome to the family!

A couple words on air to ground from my side. First of all, it is a blast, because it is a really, really great platform for weapons delivery in terms of mud moving. Wing swept to bomb mode makes it very stable. It is simple enough to deliver dumb stuff even in a very precise way (check out computer pilot [ccip] vs computer target [ccrp]). Lofting a mk84 precisely (depending how stable you fly) via the loft cue onto a sam behind a mountain ridge is absolutely mind blowing fun. And lastly, it is a crazy ass bomb truck if you want it to be - even if not done during deployments irl, it could irl and can in DCS deliver as many as 14 MK82s and a bunch of other ouch plenty. Rocket runs are very much fun in combination with the TCS camera image, so is anything delivered in computer target, as the TCS locks on to the designated target, so if you like, it is like a mini lantirn for dumb munitions. Buddy lasing is great, take a friend with a Hornet, or a JTAC online, grab some GBUs, and deliver some precise ouch even without Lantirn. All while having more fuel, more munitions and more oomph under the hood than most everyone around you. Lastly: next week will see the Jester Lantirn inclusion, which after testing it now for the past week and more, is absolutely mind blowing fun as well. So by all means: go for mud moving as much as you can.

If you have the Persian Gulf map, I recommend two missions from Quickstart: Hormuz Rocket Run, for quick starters rocket pew pew and a small twist for mk83s. Once you feel a bit more stable in doing a2g, I recommend you try the mission "Watching the Devildog" - you can do it as Quickstart, or fly the full mission from the Mission tab. The latter I consider one of my all time babies, and I promise you, you will have an hour or two of exhilarating mud moving galore.

IRL, too, the Tomcat was quickly recognized as a very stable a2g platform, also due to its crazy loitering time. During the Afghanistan war, Tomcats were waiting at the target area for their Hornet buddies to finally arrive after their 5 refuels, while these guys still had loitering time left without ever tanking a single drop in comparison. Which in itself is another quality the Tomcat displays when mud moving.

As for the moustache: if you cant grow it, glue it.

Have fun!

Edited October 7, 2021 by IronMike

[draconus]

6 hours ago, IronMike said:

I recommend you try the mission "Watching the Devildog" - you can do it as Quickstart, or fly the full mission from the Mission tab. The latter I consider one of my all time babies, and I promise you, you will have an hour or two of exhilarating mud moving galore.

This one's a masterpiece - highly recommended!

[Eagle7907]

I agree with everyone here with an exception.

The mustache isn’t mandatory. You do have the option of getting oiled up for beach volleyball.

Also….

If you need a RIO, “give me a call, I’ll fly with ya.”


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[Digitalvole]

On 10/6/2021 at 8:39 PM, Lt_Jaeger said:

I fly with a seat Matt. That thing gives some extra immersion and an addition to the shaking of the cockpit. Got also a bit kicker but that thing is off most of the time, since the seat pad is more than enough

Is it this?

https://andres-shop.simshaker.com/jetpad-jetseat/52-vibrating-pad-simshaker-jetpad.html
Was hoping it might help my brain accept the vibrating cockpit a bit better. I’d imagine it’s rumbling away almost constantly, free back massage every flight!

 

On 10/6/2021 at 9:43 PM, draconus said:

1. You don't shake on a cruise. You shake during high alpha, transsonic, flaps overspeeding, stalling, turbulence and what not - that's all good - it tells you the condition you're in.

 

It’s vibrating all the time for me, probably more noticeable in VR. I’m sure I’ll get used to it.

On 10/6/2021 at 9:43 PM, draconus said:

 

3. You don't deserve to ride a Tomcat if you have to ask

Hehe

 

On 10/7/2021 at 2:29 AM, IronMike said:

Welcome to the family!

Have fun!

 

Thank you! Things like how one goes about setting up the target for the lofting on to that sam site has me scratching my head. But I suppose I’m about to go on the journey of finding out. Sounds awesome! I will deffo check out those missions. I think the stars are aligning as BVR productions have just released the Tomcast.

On 10/7/2021 at 2:29 AM, IronMike said:

As for the moustache: if you cant grow it, glue it.
 

 

But where would I get the hair from?

oh wait..

oh good god...

it’d be curly!!

 

12 hours ago, Eagle7907 said:

I agree with everyone here with an exception.

The mustache isn’t mandatory. You do have the option of getting oiled up for beach volleyball.

Also….

If you need a RIO, “give me a call, I’ll fly with ya.”


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Oiled up beach volleyball or

pube tache, that’s a tough call.

 

Thanks for the offer of a Rio, though I’m sure you’d take the Martin baker exit after a few minutes of my flying  

Thanks Guys!

 

Edited October 8, 2021 by Digitalvole

[Lt_Jaeger]

3 hours ago, Digitalvole said:

On 10/6/2021 at 9:39 PM, Lt_Jaeger said:

enough

Is it this?

https://andres-shop.simshaker.com/jetpad-jetseat/52-vibrating-pad-simshaker-jetpad.html
Was hoping it might help my brain accept the vibrating cockpit a bit better. I’d imagine it’s rumbling away almost constantly, free back massage every flight

Yeap, that's the one. I think that pad is the next best thing to VR and I prefer it over a butt kicker

On 10/7/2021 at 3:29 AM, IronMike said:

a mk84 precisely (depending how stable you fly) via the loft cue onto a sam behind a mountain ridge is absolutely mind blowing fun.

Is there a tutorial how to do lofting? Mud moving is not really my thing, but it doesn't hurt to know how it works. 

[draconus]

28 minutes ago, Lt_Jaeger said:

Is there a tutorial how to do lofting?

Not really a tutorial but...

 

Generally you choose CCRP, mark a target (for a SAM this might be the hardest part ) with help of the TCS and then toss it in nose high attitude.

http://www.heatblur.se/F-14Manual/weapons.html#computer-target

Edited October 8, 2021 by draconus

[Digitalvole]

Ok I’ve stocked up on books: Black Aces High, Tomcat Rio and F14 OIF & OEF from Osprey. 

I haven’t got to proper learning yet, just been tooling about dropping Mk82s on things (mostly trucks) but holy swear word meaning plops! This feels like what I thought flying a fighter jet would feel like. 

It’s just great, I can’t believe I’ve had this for a year and am only using it now. I’ve gotta try and learn as much as I can before the AH64 gets released so I’m not trying to learn two at once. What with all the different acronyms with these things it’s like learning a new language each time. I can barely manage English and I am English, I can’t do 2 at once.

I think just flying this thing makes you grow a moustache whether you want to or not. Also I do pretend it’s a Tornado sometimes

In summery: flipping heck Heatblur, what an achievement!

ps sorry for asking about the D, I didn’t know

 

[Spurts]

Moustache Intensifies!

 

Yeah, the Tomcat is visceral. 

[captain_dalan]

My recommendation, embrace the vibes and the rattles. best way to tell what angle of attack you're at by far. True, probably not as important for mud moving, but during ACM it's absolutely essential. After a while, you don't even see the code, all you see is blondes, brunettes, redheads.....