USMC Hornets from VMFA 232 "Red Devils" based on Al-Minhad AFB, in the UAE, are scheduled for basic formation training over the desert on this beautiful morning in the Gulf.
Devil 301, 302 and 303 CALLSIGN DODGE 2 are client slots, available as cold and hot starts.
Your Instructor Pilot is Devil 007 CALLSSIGN DODGE 1.
Follow DODGE 1 to runway 27 for take off.
Ten seconds interval, speed 270 indicated, climb 10° to angels 15.
Rendevouz with DODGE 1 after departure as ordered at angels 16 and train station keeping in tight formations.
Consult your KNEEBOARD before taxi, to see the planned course and further information.
After the first turn, when you can position freely, follows a 360° circle turn, which you can use to train CV rendezvous, simply by falling back into trail after the inirial turn.
The idea for this mission, was to provide a training aid to help, build muscle memory for flying in formation. As the AI is often difficult to anticipate and tends to fly turns very aggressive, the real challenge was to find a way to make the AI turn smooth and manageable, with a lower bank angle. The key to that is the aerobatics task...
I sincerely hope the result enables other people to train formation and station keeping, as it helps me.
The mission is available as ground or airstart, so you can even hop in for 30-40 minutes straight away, or if you have the time, do a complete ground cold start, taxi, take-off and the course, for a flight of a good one hour plus.
There are two tankers and a Supercarrier available if you want to train deck landings or AAR.
I have included NO SuperCarrier versions, as well.
NOTES:
WAIT FOR THE GUARDS TO CLEAR THE TAXIWAY.
DODGE 1 WILL SPAWN WHEN YOU START TAXIING, SO BE READY TO FOLLOW HIM BEFORE YOU START ROLLING!
FOR TAKE-OFF BE AWARE THE AI ACCELLERATION IS DIFFERENT FROM YOURS! CUT BURNER BEFORE 300 KTS AND TRY TO CLIMB WITH 15 DEGREES NOSE PITCH AT 270 KTS IAS UNTIL DODGE 1 IS CLIMBING INTO YOUR FIELD OF VIEW.
FROM THERE TRY TO MATCH HIS AIRSPEED.
IT WAS NOT POSSIBLE TO HAVE CONSISTENT AND PRECISE CALLOUTS FOR TURNS AND ROLL OUT, SO YOU NEED TO REACT TO DODGE MOSTLY ON VISUAL QUEUES.
NONETHELESS YOU CAN BUILD MUSCLE MEMORY, WHILE TRAINING STATION KEEPING AND FLY CONSISTENT TURNS ON THE AI WING.
DUE TO DCS AI LIMITATIONS A FORMATION TAKEOFF IS DIFFICULT AND FORMATION LANDING IS NOT RECOMMENDED,
THUS STAY BEHIND DODGE 1 UNTIL ORDERED TO RENDEVOUZ AND SEPARATE FROM DODGE 1 ON THE DESCENT AND RTB ON YOUR OWN.
Other assets airborne in theater:
ARCO 1 - TACAN 11Y - COMM 254.0 MHz AM (CH 1) KC-135 MPRS
SHELL 2 - TACAN 12Y - COMM 256.0 MHz AM (CH 2) KC-130
Al Minhad - TACAN 99X - COMM 250.1 MHz AM
CVN-71 - TACAN 71X - COMM 127.5 MHz AM - ILS Ch.11
EDIT: Fixed problem with Dodge 1 taxiing into the statics...
