I am writing this in a language that is by no means technical. I fly
flight sims. I make no money and I don't claim to be as good as or even
care to compare myself to active combat pilots. They have a serious job
to do and I respect them for it.
I have an Army background and I am using my knowledge of
tactics and applying them to Falcon 4. F4 is perhaps the most demanding
combat flight simulator ever released for the PC, and we can all use
all the help out there to make our experience enjoyable and successful.
Takeoff
Every mission starts long before you climb into the cockpit.
There is several hours of preparation, planning, coordination, and a
high pucker factor! I will start off inside your AC. Before requesting
to taxi, you had better run a series of checks. I have a standardized
preflight checklist that every pilot is responsible for.
This may seem like a real pain, but believe me it has saved my butt
many times over. I will break out the systems that I go through. It is
up to the VFS commanders to create their specific checklist.
ICP Integrated Control Panel
DED Data Entry Display
RWR Radar Warning Receiver
STPs Steerpoints
HUD Heads Up Display
Delivery profile Ripple, Ripple distance, etc….
Once I have confirmed all points on my list. I break radio silence with an acknowledgement.
Before starting to taxi I request clearance from the ATC. Once
cleared to taxi, engage full wheel brakes and throttle up to 90% and
back down. This lets you know if there will be control over your power.
The flight lead is always the first to taxi, followed by the 2 ship, 3
ship, and so on. Spacing is very important in Falcon 4 due to lag and
collision distances.
You do not need to touch the AC in front of you to collide with it (one
of those little things we have to deal with in the virtual world.) Keep
at least 2 AC lengths apart, and when you stop behind the AC in front
of you go into a herringbone formation. This will allow you to shoot
past the AC in front of you and out into the grass if he stops
abruptly.
You can do a formation takeoff but it is very difficult, especially
with occasional warping. The flight lead should remain on the runway
heading until about 4 miles out. The following unit should break and
head to the assembly point one mile previous to this, and likewise for
#3. This leaves the 4th ship breaking at around 1 mile out. This will
aid in the flight regrouping and falling into formation.
Assembly
This is the real test of a Squadron's mettle. Formation flying
is essential in the real and virtual world, allowing coverage to the
flight and quick scanning for targets. Again I advise that any type of
demonstration flying is very difficult, due to collision monitoring
within F4.
It is not a race to see who can get to the assembly area first,
but there is no sin in arriving early. Radar should be off until you
turn to the push point. That is what the ADA pukes are supposed to be
covering you for. : )
Push Point
This is where you earn your money! Lock and load! The flight
commander will issue the order to proceed to the target. His decision
will be based on the following criteria.
TOS - Time Over Steerpoint
Accountability of AC
Flight Status
Threat Status
Radio silence will be maintained from now on. Calling out threats and
contacts are the exception. Each pilot is expected to maintain terrain
masking and radar avoidance at all times. I will spend some time on
this because I feel very strongly that this is critical in this part of
the mission.
As pilots you have to not only maintain SA (Situational
Awareness) you need to drive the falcon. This seems like the easy part
in an ATG role right? Wrong! There should never be a straght and level
flight plan in combat. If straight and level is what you want then
there is a huge pool of commercial aircraft simulations out there to
choose from.
My SOP for my flight is < 1000 AGL. What does this mean? This means
that I had better not see you over 1000 feet above ground level or you
are not ready to fly in competition under the Grave Dancer flag.
The no fly zones in combat are as follows.
Low Altitude < 1000 ft
Medium Altitude >10,000 ft
High Altitude > 20,000 ft
No Fly Zone = 1000 - 10,000 ft
Terrain features
Hills and valleys are not just pretty scenery, they offer you
vital protection against SAM radar and detection from other AC. Terrain
Masking still needs work in 1.07 but that is a small price to pay for
what was fixed.
Follow these simple rules:
Fly around hills
Fly along the edge and low in the valleys
Fly around populated areas and structures.
Stay below the hill tops if feasible
Keep from following rivers, roads, and beaches. (These are
easy to navigate by, but remember it is easy for the enemy to navigate
by these also.)
Engaging the Target
There are 3 basic sequences that encompass the attack.
Identification
Acquisition
Execution
Identification
If you have studied the reconnaissance photos you should be very
familiar with your assigned target. During the reconnaissance phase you
should have picked out reference points to give you visual clues to
help you quickly identify your target. Examples are as follows:
Lighted smoke stack from the target or a nearby factory. Night missions are good for this.
Terrain features
Stadiums, airfields, bridges, etc….
Major road junctions
Lakes and streams
Acquisition
After those precious seconds taken to identify your target comes the
task of pointing your weapons. I am only going to scratch the surface
on load-outs versus target types. Threat level really determines which
delivery mode to choose. The three that we are all familiar with are
CCRP, CCIP, and DTOS. Each offer the pilot certain benefits and
hindrances.
CCRP Continuous Calculated Release Point
Good for precision
Good for location of a target illuminated by your radar
Bad because you have to over fly the target in most cases
CCIP Continuous Calculated Impact Point
Good for precision using visual targeting
Good for minimal stand off
Good for quick in and out attacks
Bad in bringing you close to the target defenses
DTOS Dive Toss
Great for long stand off deliveries
Good for precision against an area target, area effect weapons
Bad due to decreased accuracy, high learning curve to employ
Every pilot out there has a certain preferred way to employ each of the
discussed delivery modes. I am not going to argue that my way is the
right way, but this is how I have been employing each of the methods.
I use CCRP to find obvious targets on my radar and use the
steering cues to locate the target faster. When acquired I slave my
Mavericks and LGBs and wait for the image to appear in my MFD. I obtain
the lock and do my pop-up and hopefully the ordnance releases giving me
time to get back down. If you time it right the weapon will hit just as
you get behind the nearest terrain feature. This takes some practice.
CCIP is my work horse mode. I use it for most of my point
targets such as bridges, troops, airfields, or targets that require me
to put all my bombs in the same area. I do take a lot of ground fire
and SA-7 hits but I can bet my dog that I will hit the target.
DTOS? I love this mode! I can loft 4 MK-84s from 6 miles out
and turn 180 degrees and be down behind cover before those bad boys
hit! Even the best lofters out there have to admit, DTOS is best-used
for down and dirty work. Best to play with the ripple and release, to
maximize the effect. But don't expect to hit an air-conditioning vent
with this mode; you are hitting the entire city block!
5 Golden Rules!
Thou shalt not engage a single fixed target more than once!
Do the job on the first pass! Expend all ordnance!
Don't ever look to see if you hit or not. That is what the ACMI is for!
Be aware of your altitude!
Know when to break off!
Exiting Target Area
I have stressed over and over again to get down behind the nearest
terrain feature and put a big chunk of real estate between you and the
target. If you were inbound at an altitude of 200 feet you had better
be exiting at 100 feet or less. You have just kicked the hornet's nest
and they are pissed!
Continue to follow the simple rules of low-level flight discussed
earlier. If you are in a 4-ship flight break off into your elements,
the old rule of thumb. Everyone knows that four targets are harder to
hit than a group of four. Make the enemy work for their meals!
Flight leads need to get a sitrep (situation report) from all pilots in
his or her flight. Categorize the damaged birds from most severe to
least. It is the lead ship's responsibility to decide to land at the
alternate runway or try for home plate.
If you burn in on the runway be considerate to your fellow pilots and
only take out one lane of the runway. Announce which side you intend on
landing on. Finally, get off into the grass ASAP!
I hope this helps you better appreciate the level of control
that Falcon 4 offers to us. Thank you for reading, and I wish you God's
speed in all of your virtual missions.
