DCS F-14 TOMCAT for DUMMIES Chapter 1: Pilot and RIO Cold Start Procedure

Welcome to the first part of my in-depth and simple tutorials for the DCS World F-14 Tomcat by Heatblur. This video will take you through all you need to know to cold start the Tomcat in both the Pilot and RIO seats. I hope you found this video helpful and informative. If there's any criticism or compliments you wish to give, feel free to leave a comment. Thank you for all your time and I hope I taught you well!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reach Me On Discord:
Prez#6839
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Join Alamo Squadron:
s.team/chat/X3uv7o2t
Timestamps:
0:00 - Introduction
0:54 - Pilot Cold Start
16:58 - RIO Cold Start
27:21 - Carrier INS Alignment
31:45 - Post-Alignment Process
33:42 - Outro

[@PrezDCS]

FYI: The part where I talked about using the datalink for the carrier INS alignment was slightly wrong. The way you use it was correct, but instead of it being the last 3 numbers of the frequency you input, it's actually the middle 3. A bit of a whoops on my end.

[@paulrjohnson58]

Is this the same then for airfield alignment?

[@PrezDCS]

@@paulrjohnson58 You don't need to tune the datalink frequency to anything for shorefield start-up

[@TaGF_Tomcat]

Ay bro, you got a nice voice, a lot of tutorials I just completely give up on bc the guy talking sounds like nails on a chalkboard

[@-_Nuke_-]

@@PrezDCS You can actually see that the data link panel, has a small "3" already typed with a white font. So that's why, the 3 is assumed, the computer only needs the rest of the numbers after the initial 3.

[@PrezDCS]

@@-_Nuke_- yeah I know.

[@cybers4339]

thank you a lot for putting so much time into this playlist. Helped me a lot

[@thomaspalasciano146]

This is extremely underviewed, clear and concise instructions even a newbie like me could understand! Thank you for making the F-14 incredible!

[@AliasAnimates]

while ive long since memorized and figure out how to start up the aircraft anf what is necessarry and not necessary, i still like watching these videos because for me repetition (from multiple point of views and from different people picking out the common points) works best for learning anything thank you for a really easy to digest tutorial

[@razorbackblood06]

This is pretty good. It seems like a lot of the other youtube tutorials reference keyboard shortcuts for things that can be handled in the cockpit and this is an issue for someone with a VR headset over their eyes.. Using the keyboard when you don't have to is a bit silly when you pay for a high fidelity module.

[@rcl99tlr65]

Thank you for this... I have been waiting over 10 minutes for RIO to finish cold starting and after watching your video I realized that I interrupted INS calibration because I released the parking break! Thank you lol

[@edwinkorteweg3612]

Thanks for this video. It helps a lot. I noticed you set 'Antiskid Spoiler BK' to BOTH during start-up .... I found this text on that : 'Set ANTI-SKID SPOILER BK switch OFF before t Note: When the ANTI SKID SPOILER BK switch is in BOTH during low-speed taxi (less than 10 knots for more than a few seconds), subsequent acceleration of the aircraft through approximately 15 knots will cause a temporary loss of brakes lasting from 2 to 10 seconds.' It's probably not functional in DCS but NATOPS Post Start puts it in BK to test if the spoilers retract when adding throttle and then sets it in OFF, as well. I know I know it's a quick tutorial for Dummies. 🤪

[@KainenMiffy]

Fair play this was an awesome video. Very concise and spot on with the details and the hows and whys. Really cannot fault it, 100x better than the majority of tutorials out there.

[@MNHemiGuy]

Keep it up, thanks for the tutorials. Giving the F14 a serious go after owning for a year.

[@nicksmith2361]

Excellent tutorial, just what I was looking for, like your teaching style so I had to sub!

[@jakemcnally4868]

Great tutorials! I will be deep diving in these and attempting DCS once again. Cheers!

[@chikokishi7030]

I literally just found this. Im very interested to get started. thank you

[@mrmachinehead8059]

This helped me so much! Thank you! Best video on the cold start up I've found! Totally new to DCS and this was so clear. I wasn't confused about anything at all! :)

[@BitLeg]

Great video buddy. If I could just add that it's good to get in the habit of checking that your physical HOTAS throttle is at full idle and the parking brake is on before commencing a cold start.

[@TheSpaseDestroyeR]

Thank you for making these videos! Please do more!

[@sobe1205]

This is the best video on starting up the F14 that I have come across. Your explanations were very clear. Hope you are doing well in college.

[@deetwodcs4683]

Thanks for there very informative and to the point guide's. That's what I was missing the on point'ness"!

[@hotelroyal334]

This is a great video and the only one of the 10 I've seen that I actually understood! Thank you so much, great job! 🙏. Hope you'll do one for the F4 Phantom when it comes out...

[@atomgaming1413]

that was realy clear and helpful thank you so much

[@-_Nuke_-]

One thing to note is that Longitude needs a zero to be typed infront of it, so for example 39" 56' 7 should be written as 039 56 7

[@PrezDCS]

It doesn’t need a zero in the F-14 if I remember correctly. It needs it for the other airframes, but the F-14 doesn’t actually care about the 0.

[@-_Nuke_-]

@@PrezDCS mmm i might remember wrong then!

[@BitLeg]

When you switch on the ARA-63 ICLS it turns on the instrument carrier landing system. It doesn't turn on the AN/ALR-67 RWR. The Rio switches the power to that on.

[@PrezDCS]

Yeah, I knew I made that mistake a bit after I made the video. Thanks for the correction!

[@BitLeg]

@@PrezDCS tbh I've seen other authors make the same mistake in their video content. The F14 has so many systems it's a lot to take on board

[@PrezDCS]

@@BitLeg Yeah, I guess I learned to make the same mistakes. But the content I'm working on should be a lot better since I've met up with people more informed than I am. Just gotta work through the laziness of actually producing videos lol.

[@BitLeg]

@@PrezDCS I'm far from an SME. This plane is very in depth and you have to keep studying it. I'm even working on my own training schedule to ensure I keep my tool sharp. If you want me to proof watch any videos before you release them just let me know buddy 👌

[@Kraken9911]

In every video I've seen they uses Jester to choose ins alignment usually fine for the sake of complete demonstration. I didn't see you do that. So by default he does the fine align without command?

[@PrezDCS]

By default jester does a full alignment with no commands. I'm honestly not sure if that is the "fine" option or not. I would ultimately prefer a full alignment as it gives you the most accurate navigation capabilities especially for something as archaic as the tomcat.

[@dstevens7796]

Have you or would you ever do a tutorial video on options for setting up a HOTAS system for the F14? I currently use the Logitech X56 system and I'm brand new to DCS.

[@PrezDCS]

There's so many HOTAS options and combinations out there that I never thought to make such a thing which is why whenever important control buttons come up I will show them to make sure you bind it to something. I personally own a TM Warthog, and while I can certainly tell you what are must-haves for binds, not everyone can bind them. I prefer everyone figure it out themselves and try to closely copy them across all their aircraft to make it easier to switch between planes without much loss of function.

[@deividdi5779]

Congratulations. In a future, can you cover engines emergency procedures? Hydraulics, air.. I just bought this mythic module and I know I'm about to get hit a lot, I wish I can save a few of them :)

[@PrezDCS]

I may make supplemental videos covering smaller topics such as this in the future, but for now I’m working on bigger picture issues to help people out. Also, I am actually writing my own F-14 Tomcat manual that will become available here in the near future. Hope you don’t mind the wait.

[@deividdi5779]

@@PrezDCS Thank you very much for your work Pres1d3nt

[@MentalParadox]

I'm a bit of a flight simulator noob. I've got hundreds of hours in MSFS 2020 with just a controller, and I gotta say DCS and especially the F14 is beginning to look pretty good right about now. Still in doubt, as the modules are quite costly and proper peripherals would be even bigger an investment.

[@PrezDCS]

The peripherals are certainly the most costly part, but only if you're buying brand new or one of the people that just *has* to have all the panels and add-ons. Personally, I started flying DCS with a Logitech Extreme 3D pro for like 40 bucks and now I have a hand-me-down Warthog HOTAS that I got from a friend for $200. Modules go on sale every season, and you only really need to buy the ones you like. Some people buy all of them and I think that's dumb, but people do what they wanna do

[@mjohnsimon1337]

Thanks for the video! I just subbed hahaha I'm really thinking about getting the Tomcat as my first "real" module (outside of FC3) since it's one of my favorite planes out there, but a lot of people are telling me that I should grab the Hornet instead. What do you think? Is the Tomcat really that bad?

[@PrezDCS]

Tomcat is fantastic, it's my most favorite plane, too. It was my first ever full fidelity module and now I'm pretty much the go to guy for tomcat info to everyone I know. I think it's great. If you want a multirole aircraft then take the hornet it's easy to fly, but nothing beats the tomcat in A2A especially when using a human RIO. Everyone tells you to get the hornet cuz everyone has the hornet. I prefer my dedicated aircraft roles over the jack of all trades aircraft

[@mjohnsimon1337]

@@PrezDCS Sounds awesome haha! It's probably gonna be my first fidelity module as well by the way things are looking up. Just gotta wait tomorrow for the Steam DCS sale. I love the Tomcat irl. Hell, I was there when one of the last demilitarized Tomcats was delivered to an air museum in South Florida! I know it's challenging, but I'm seriously down for it! Being a RIO looks fun too! Out of curiosity, is Jester really as bad as they say? Or is it more of a DCS meme?

[@roypougno]

How do u get into the reo seat

[@Scott11078]

I'm going to take a guess here and assume the Radar Altimeter will really come in handy during any mission with a hard deck/ soft deck. If so then would it also be a good idea to set it 500-1000 ft above the Hard deck for ample warning?

[@PrezDCS]

depends on how high the hard deck is. It doesn't have infinite range like the F-16s rad-alt. I would honestly pay more attention to your actual altimeter. But if you're fighting to the deck than sure, it's good to use

[@RevFilmore]

The pilot startup leaves out all the tests, pumps, pressure test, wing sweep tests, bit tests on ara63, hsi, radar alt... but for the quickstart jocks sure nice.

[@PrezDCS]

DCS doesn't model pre-start failures, so all the tests and such aren't a necessary part of start-up in the game. People can do them if they like of course. I'm just not going to spend the time teaching something that isn't necessary. That's the whole point of my series.

[@jameshunsinger4770]

I hope this question doesn't seem dumb but is there any reason the magnetic variance can't be set as you are beginning the ISS alignment sequence? Meaning, instead of it being practically the last item on the RIO's start up procedure, can the mag var be entered right after the LAT/LONG/ALT entries since you are already working in that area of the cockpit anyway?

[@PrezDCS]

Entering the aircraft's current position and mag var can be done at any point b/c the INS doesn't actually take information from the nav computer to calculate position. It functions entirely off relative motion and the computer takes that input to figure out where it is. So, no, there's no reason you need to wait. I was just copying the startup like it does in the manual when I made this a long time ago :p

[@jameshunsinger4770]

@@PrezDCS Cool, thanks for the quick answer and thank you for making these videos. They've been very helpful.

[@PrezDCS]

You’re very welcome :D

[@EdgardoAlessio]

Hi! My name is Edgardo Alessio and I write you from Argentina. I'm watching your amazing F-14 tutorial series. One simple question. Are you a former F-14 Tomcat pilot and / or RIO?

[@PrezDCS]

Haha no I am not. Definitely not old enough to have been a pilot or RIO while the F-14 was still in service.

[@federalcasemaker]

What do you do in the procedure if you have Jester instead of a human co-pilot? Do you just start up the pilot part and Jester does his own thing?

[@PrezDCS]

If you just start the engines then jester will automatically go through his start up process even if you don't explicitly tell him to start

[@federalcasemaker]

@@PrezDCS aight cool

[@JDuBz815]

Anyone know why the wings won't sweep automatically even when the lever is forward, down and covered and mode is set to AUTO? They seem to get stuck in forward or aft.

[@PrezDCS]

Have you hit the master reset button located at the bottom of the vertical panel in front of the throttle quadrant?

[@JDuBz815]

@@PrezDCS probly not. Thanks

[@Royalwaffles]

Phoenix go brrrrr

[@zacharyamatore1279]

Should I have my head camera and click able mouse be on together? If so. How?

[@PrezDCS]

Do you not have head tracking or VR? I don't know the answer to your question, sorry.

[@zacharyamatore1279]

@PrezDCS I do not, however do you recommend any cheaper headtracking devices? I wouldn't mind trying

[@PrezDCS]

@@zacharyamatore1279 There's plenty of DIY headtracking solutions you can find the instructions to online. There are also companies like DeLan Clip that I have purchased my head tracking from that can be cheaper solutions to TrackIR

[@zacharyamatore1279]

@@PrezDCS thank you!

[@LoudestHoward]

I didn't see you tell Jester to do the INS alignment, does he just do that himself after a while? And does he always choose fine? Would it be quicker to tell him to start it? :D Thanks for the vid!

[@PrezDCS]

Jester does the INS alignment automatically. Everything that the RIO has to start up on his end, Jester will do automatically once both engines have been spooled up.

[@LoudestHoward]

@@PrezDCS Awesome, thanks, looking forward to learning this beast :)

[@BrandoTheRando0]

hey so im on keyboard and mouse and when i get the engines started and move my throttle it gets stuck at mil power and i cant move it at all. if you could help me with this i would be very thank full and i really just want to fly.

[@PrezDCS]

I wouldn't know how to fix this issue. You could try posting it to the DCS forums to see if someone does.

[@justflynova920]

I can’t move my camera in the cockpit

[@gjurczyc]

what is your vid card?

[@PrezDCS]

My graphics card? I've had a GTX 1070 SC for probably the past 4 years or so now.

[@jinenjuce]

"It's just a bit embarrassing" I dunno I just imagine my DCS pilot just rolling off while flipping the bird at the crew chief

[@khaliltwa1224]

Rwr?

[@PrezDCS]

Radar Warning Receiver

[@operatorcow3569]

I wanna be a rio now so I can unarm my buddys ejection seat and only I eject and leave

[@tomcatter2027]

the A 10 is older than the Tomcat. in terms of technology.and only one year younger than the tomcat, just like the Eagle

[@nicolondonoe]

Pretty sure he is talking about the A10-C, which is significantly newer than the Tomcat (2005)

[@bobdadnaila7708]

"Steam gauges" 😂🤣😂🤣😂😾

[@PrezDCS]

How else am I supposed to monitor steamed meals

[@dougmasters4561]

Am I the only asshole who goes through this whole thing and the plane won't budge, like the brake is on? I cannot for the life of me figure this out. I have gone through the cold startup from straight reading through the steps, the longer Grim Reapers video, and this one, by the time I get through it all the Tomcat will not budge, it's as if the brake is still on. Every time, I have done this maybe 12 times by now. If I do a ready on the runway thing it's no issue...

[@PrezDCS]

Are you forgetting to turn off the parking break?

[@dougmasters4561]

@@PrezDCS Nope I had a helluva time finding the right verbiage to google but last night but apparently its not only a me issue. I read of a traction issue so to speak, Heat Blur is "waiting" on some info or action from ED before they can fix the issue. It doesn't really affect land based takeoffs much but lining this thing up on the carrier is a biiiiiiiiiitch

[@enzoivory5974]

I know this is late but I just finished my first pilot and rio cold start procedure and I felt like I was just having your same issue. I just put the throttle up and it felt like the aircraft was shaking then I said send it and I pushed the throttle all the way up. Needless to say... I ended up on the other side of the airfield. Maybe that's the issue? Gonna get back at it.

[@dougmasters4561]

@enzoivory5974 i later read it was something between the people who designed the model, and people who designed dcs. Something about the traction on the deck. And for some reason the dudes who made the model were waiting in the dudes who made dcs to change or fix something.

[@jameshunsinger4770]

I know this may seem dumb to ask but are you having the ground crew remove the wheel chocks?

[@johannesdolch]

It can't even start itself? Wow, Top Gun just got way less cool