CFrag's Dustblower MP - Helicopter Landing Competition [All helicopters]

Version 20221217 (Ka-50 III update)

TLDR: The notorious "Lawnmower" Dynamic Helicopter Landing Trainer, now in Syria, and as competition!

"CFrag's Dustblower", sister to "CFrag's Lawnmower", is a mission to train, improve, and test your helicopter landing skills. Request a landing by difficulty (easy, normal, or hard), and the mission generates an LZ based on your request. LZs are generated dynamically, from tens of thousands of possibilities, virtually guaranteeing that no two missions are identical (unless you are unusually patient). Landings are rated individually, and after five or more consecutive landings, your overall skill is rated as well. Harshly. So better step up your game, soldier!

The mission supports all DCS flyable helicopters (Huey, Ka-50 (2 and 3), Mi-8, Hind, Apache and Gazelle), and you can switch between airframes. MP competition supported. Two hot slots and one cold slot per type per city.

HIGH SPIRE, DUSTBLOWER ONE IS READY FOR DEPARTURE

After finally acing that landing on the gas platform off Batumi's coast, you are now "Dustblower One", competing in Syria. As before, Landing zones are created dynamically based on the difficulty that you request. There are two areas supported:

- Haifa
Densely populated, Haifa is a beautiful city with a busy port. Missions here are somewhat more difficult than their Caucasus (Lawnmower) counterpart, with the "difficult" missions bordering on dangerous. Also not helping: the drop-dead beautiful scenery that will distract you.

- Adana
Where difficult landings become legendary ones. Even more densely populated than Haifa, Adana is home to two airfields, sprawling suburbs, industrial zones, and some memorable landmarks that are sure to show up as a LZ (only on challenging level) when you get lucky.

To liven up your task, and unlike Caucasus, there's a steady breeze coming in fr om the sea which you'll have to take into account when making your approach. Oh, and you are racing the clock in more than one way - sundown is sixty minutes after start-up. Landings will get progressively more difficult as darkness falls across the Mediterranean Sea. Finally, there's some air traffic that may or may not try to stay out of your way. Try not to end up on the windshield of a C-17, will you?

Choose your Helicopter (all types supported), then use the 'F10 Other' Command in Communications to request a landing exercise fr om High Spire. Landings are scored individually, and you accumulate a total and average score. After 5 or more landings, you are rated based on your average score. After a landing you can change helicopters and continue.

Each Landing is scored based on
- difficulty level (easy, normal, hard)
- time required until touchdown
- Quality (precision)
- Helicopter type

The mission also keeps an eternal 'top 10 best landings' table (requires de-sanitized DCS)

LZ are marked by a ring of tires with a red flag sticking out (easy and normal mission), or a ring of red flags (hard). Additionally, the position of the LZ is marked by blue smoke that is positioned just outside the LZ.

A touchdown outside of the marked LZ fails that exercise touchdown with a score of 0 (as does a crash). Aborting an exercise counts as a failed landing (Score 0) towards your total and average score.

You can request three different exercises:
- Easy: your landing zone will be mostly unobstructed and can be approached fr om any direction. It's big enough even for inexperienced pilots to hit, maybe even land in. There is a generous time lim it, and breaking the lim it will simply add less to the score.

- Normal: your landing zone may be partially obstructed, so plan your approach direction. Landing Zone size is still generous. Time lim it is shorter, breaking the limit also only results in a lower score

- Hard: your landing zone is virtually guaranteed to be obstructed fr om at least one side, and usually there are obstacles (trees, buildings, vehicles, power lines) close by that may even extend into your LZ. Size of the LZ is what you would expect in real-life extraction missions. Time lim it is harsh, and breaking the limit will reduce the entire score to zero.

You must also avoid other units moving about, even if they intrude on your LZ. Landing on a road is therefore not advised.

Helicopter difficulty:
- Ka-50 (easiest)
- UH-1
- SA-324
- AH-64 Apache
- Mi-24P Hind
- Mi-8 (hardest)


Nobody ever said it was easy. But it's fun!

INSTALLATION
To install, download and move "CFrag's Dustblower.miz" to
    C:\Users\[your user name]\Saved Games\DCS\Missions\
or
    C:\Users\[your user name]\Saved Games\DCS.openbeta\Missions\


TO START THE MISSION
Start DCS, then click
    - Mission (Note: NOT Training)
    - My Missions tab (upper left)
    - CFrag's Dustblower



Version History
v1.0 - 20210428
Initial Release, based on CFrag's Lawnmower

v3 - 20220910
Added Adana
Players can choose smoke color
Persistent Hi-Score
Reworked LZs to adapt to map changes (harbor Haifa, downtown Adana)
Radio Chatter for all Helos by default