F-16C Viper: Air To Air Refueling & Approach Tutorial | DCS WORLD

[@tsangarisjohn]

After a very long time , I finally made contact. And no not of the collision type! I made contact for 2 seconds. yay!!!! Progress 👍🏻👍🏻

[@nighthawk8104]

Yeah, AA Refueling is hard as hell, I like basket more, but I don't get the Jet full either, can't hold position long enough 🙈 More Training...

[@dylanprice5070]

Don’t feel bad bro iv been at it for 3 days and keep missing the boom 😂 but that’s why it’s so intriguing and satisfying lol now imagine having to do this everyday in under 20 mins 😂

[@shaharzarhin4493]

For your knowledge guys, one part of the air refueling checklist says to switch from CAT 1 to CAT 3 (stores config switch) this makes the flight controls give less movement with the same gesture on the flight stick. Another advice is when your taking fuel from the tanker and you’re at exactly at the right UP/DOWN position is to turn on auto-pilot ATT HOLD switch then you only need to adjust left/right movements(that’s the refueling BOOM flexibility) Good Luck 👍

[@grimreapers]

did not realise, thanks!

[@shaharzarhin4493]

Let’s make it a little more simple! Cat 3 makes it easier to control the aircraft while trying to connect with the refueling boom... Auto Pilot ATT switch makes the plane stay steady at the optimum refueling nose angle... what I meant at the last section was that the refueling boom can move left and right without disconnect(but not up and down)

[@yieovgwqxaz7912]

Atth hold doesn't work when aerial refuel switch turned on

[@mythradites509]

"is he in" Cap at @7:40

[@shrekrecker]

( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

[@Bsquared1972]

The PDI (Pilot Director Lights) are used as follows: Solid Light=big correction; Flashing Light=small correction. Precontact is roughly 50 feet behind the boom on a 30-degree down line, and stable. After declaring precontact, the boom will clear you in, and give you a solid F (Forward) light...big correction, remember? We usually did not give up/down lights, looks like they have programmed that. At 10 feet from contact, the boom will flash the "F" light...small corrections now...line up the boom, and extend. After contact, both PDI lights come on, and show your actual position in the A/R envelope. The Forward/Aft lights (right side) should be used literally...as you move back, lights move back toward the "F" light. Move Forward, lights move forward toward the "A" (Aft) light. Same for Elevation...move up, lights move toward "D" light, and so on. If you get a disconnect, move back to precontact and start again. (Looks like the boom here will plug you if you just stabalize within the envelope. Nice job!

[@ralph_f16simulator]

Eyes glued in the HUD Tanker in peripheral vision Fly the FPM Every throttle adjustment affects the AOA a tiny bit, so stick compensates accordingly. Relax And if possible in DCS, put DED text in HUD with fuel page on With that you can directly read fueling progress in HUD without the need to glance away Happy days

[@321CRAB]

Just so you know, the TACAN isnt bugged. The BCN line presents the morse code that correlates to what you should hear on the tacan radio to know you have the proper stationed tuned in.

[@grimreapers]

Ah! Thanks a lot, I had no idea :)

[@Polish_Gopnik]

W pfp

[@ziljanvega3879]

Thanks for the tips, Cap, and congrats on landing your first attempt. Just tried my first aerial refueling ever tonight, really my first attempt at any kind of close formation flying. I managed to make contact several times at 270 IAS. Still haven't managed to get more than 3 seconds of fuel at a time, but I'm happy with my first day of attempts. Tbh fiddling with the DED and HUD switches to get the fuel to show up on the HUD was a huge win for me.

[@Bsquared1972]

BTW, we call the center position lights on the PDI light strips "Captains Bars"...that is the optimum position. If in a 2-place acft, the back seater will normally be telling the pilot boom position fore/aft...the boom has the same markings as the lights...green, yellow, and red (limits) zones. In the KC-10 when were were being refueled that's what I would do (I had a seat right behind the Aircraft Commander).

[@theonefrancis696]

Just so you know, the probe doesn't have collision damage so you can pretty much try your way around until it latches

[@grimreapers]

rgr

[@Bsquared1972]

I was a Boom Operator 8 years on the KC135A, and another 10+ on the KC-10A. It's called a "Boom" or "Air Refueling Boom"...the probe is what the Navy guys use to plug the basket. Love the vids. :)

[@grimreapers]

Yup always want to talk to real operators. Please give me a shout in the GR discord.

[@jopieavier7825]

I owe a lot of gratitude to a boom operator at the 100th at Mildenhall. Gave him a photoproll somewhere post Desert Storm and he send them back with great pictures of SP F-16's over Iraq or Turkije somewhere!

[@Templar7832]

It took me 15 minutes both times I've done it. Thank Cap.... lol amazing job first time out. :-)

[@grimreapers]

thx was a bit shaky lol

[@William3000x]

Nice. You made this look much easier than it actually is.

[@grimreapers]

Actually I found that a hell of a lot easier than the F-15C.

[@bazej1080]

@@grimreapers Eagle has conventional stick, no hard trim FBW and it is lot more sensitive. F-16 decreases stick sensitivity even more when fuel doors are open. If you select Cat III it can also dumpen steering impulses.

[@rmp5s]

"Is he in yet?" --Cap, 2019 😆

[@grimreapers]

lol

[@DerekSpeareDSD]

Think of the light on the Fore/Aft marker as your plane's position in relation to the tanker.

[@Bsquared1972]

I don't know if they have the KC-10A Extender in the Simulation, but it's a bigger envelope, and the PDI lights, while they operate similarly to the KC-135, actually show "TREND" data instead of actual position, i.e., it will anticipate your movement to give you more time to correct. ;)

[@JIMJAMSC]

Try this....The tanker needs to be on a long straight and level course but at least for me this method made it easier, well not as difficult. Get in what you consider the position and then hit autopilot. It will hold the alt and heading but still allows you to move the aircraft. Still requires practice but eliminates the huge up/down swings aka PIO.

[@therealtjpek]

Fast forward 6 months, aar disables auto pilot

[@tomriley5790]

Impressive skills Cap!

[@markdonovan220]

Just an update when entering tacan you need to type (will use video example) 11 ENTER 0 ENTER to change from x to y dost just change by typing 0 as shown in the video

[@grimreapers]

Thanks

[@tropicaldog5852]

I’m new to dcs and I’ve been trying this and can’t manage my throttle and pitch. It’s SO hard

[@ariesthehound5443]

Try using the engine rpm gauge, or the fuel flow gauge to judge power output. Real pilots memorize certain power and configuration settings on the airplane to get it to fly specific speeds and descent profiles. For example, a Cessna 172 will fly 90 knots, level in a clean configuration at 2300 rpm. A 500 foot per minute descent with no flaps for an ILS approach in the same airplane calls for 2000 rpm. With flaps 10 at 90 knots is 2300 rpm. Pitch- Power-trim in that order. Use the same configuration whenever possible. Now, in an aircraft like the f-16 you’ll have to throttle and trim for different payloads and weights, so the throttle wont always be the same. so faint the setting which holds the desired airspeed, if the setting you have is too much, reduce it until you begin to decelerate, note both fuel flow/ rpm numbers, the setting you need is somewhere in between that. You cant fly with precision if you don’t measure what you’re doing. Now pitch is infinitely easier to manage when you watch your Velocity vector (aka flight path marker) set it level to the horizon. And keep it there. If you’re fighting a lot of pitch up[/down, learn to use the trim. When I fly IRL, trim is key to good flying. Set your power then trim for that airspeed. The f-16 in DCS has a lot of Dutch roll and Ive found you really shouldn’t use the rudder to adjust your left/right position, its just too unstable, so roll gently. Use your fingertips to manipulate the joystick. No more than maybe 3 degrees of bank. Small inputs, small corrections. Flying an ILS is much the same way, to say on glide path, use the throttle and adjust for your glide path using power changing by only SMALL corrections and WAIT for the slope to return. Localizer path same deal, a few degrees left might cause the needle to move too much, note it, then go right til it stops or returns the other way, again you know the heading/power setting in somewhere in between 2 extremes but ALWAYS small corrections.

[@benjicodis]

Turn on music. Helps me a ton. I usually fly with a friend of mine and we will chat while one of us is refueling. Helps keep you relaxed. Turn off your radios if using srs. The lights are all that matter, fly the lights and you will get it.

[@theonefrancis696]

Have you properly set your Axis curves?

[@MrEzmodebro]

I am glad i am not the only one. This shit is hard.

[@andrewrushton1]

Sorry guys hate to point it out but radar requires switching off to avoid baking the crew onboard the refuelled. Just saying. Nice vid

[@romakrelian]

Can you please do a mission video? While I appreciate these tutorials, the Viper doesn't even have a damage model. I feel like this plane will go through many changes and half of these videos will be obsolete. Just like the early videos for the Hornet.

[@TealJosh]

Didn't the yesterday's update give us a very simple damage model?

[@romakrelian]

@@TealJoshYeah, but I think that's a "placeholder."

[@TealJosh]

@@romakrelian but can the plane be killed by other means than squashing the pilot? I haven't tested post update f-16 yet, so I don't know.

[@romakrelian]

@@TealJosh Well, I was hit a few times by AAA and didn't notice anything. Then again, I never die on purpose, so I'm not quite sure.

[@grimreapers]

Yup! missions vids start tonight.

[@Papershields001]

I’ve always wondered how in the world the F-16 can be such a popular export fighter, when pretty much only the US can Air to Air refuel it.

[@grimreapers]

lols

[@valuedhumanoid6574]

This is when you can measure how good your controllers really are. Speed control is by far the hardest technique to master. It requires such minute throttle inputs that will drive you to drinking. Increasing/decreasing by 2 knots is bad enough, then your speed change affects you lift, which changes your altitude and when you just get it right...the tanker banks and you lose it all. Right now I am burning 10 lbs of fuel to receive 1 lb. I don't think that's very efficient...

[@bradw04]

I have literally spent hours trying this, have made contact once for about a second maybe two, I can't hold 3 axis at once on a simulator.... Very frustrating

[@AlexanderShearn]

Anyone new coming by - there's an actual tutorial by Gaffer that explains it all a whole lot better than this. Although this is entertaining, I learned very little from watching Cap's attempt! Gaffer explains it nice and clearly, including useful setup of the DED page on the HUD, etc etc.

[@KurohaLucifer]

I think on a scale of things that are terrifying to do while flying, I think aerial refuelling is far more scary than a carrier landing

[@henryoshea4951]

When I hit 0 to change to the Y bandwidth it just types zero into the Channel selector

[@becomingwater]

I get the same result

[@ThePetersilie]

Press Enter.

[@saiduslu7681]

how do you open the joystick assistance at bottom left

[@grimreapers]

RCtrl+Return

[@saiduslu7681]

@@grimreapers thanks bro

[@PassportBrosBusinessClass]

I tried this yesterday. F-16 has the worst setup because the fuel intake is behind the cockpit.

[@therealtjpek]

Trust the lights. And if you can't see them, just make very very tiny adjustments until the guy says you are plugged in. Or just go land and refuel, it's easier 😂

[@chopperskier]

So I follow these steps exactly. When you press 0 while CHAN is highlighted, it changes your band from X to Y. On my F-16, it changes the channel to 0. Why is my F-16 different than yours?

[@byronayala1830]

Probably a dumb question but would this refuel the drop tanks as well? 🤔

[@alexgobbo4516]

When u switch your brobe at up 400 of CAS, probaly in the real F16 there are a fuel trapped.

[@anguspogo8344]

so i was told that the re fuelling door needs to be open 5 mins before to sort the pressure out in tanks and also i was told when door is open it changes flight characteristics of plane ie it dampens down control inputs is this true thanks CAP (you are so good at getting it across) Blue-e

[@Templar7832]

Both of those are correct yes :-)

[@grimreapers]

I didn;t realise about the door. Thx

[@andreartymiuk]

@@grimreapers I think the OPEN DOOR 5 mins before applies when you have external tanks , not when you are internal fuel only?

[@ramjet7089]

The external tanks are pressurized by bleed air to move fuel to internal tanks. This is the pressure you are relieving by opening the AR door 5 minutes prior.

[@Knightfang1]

been trying this for a week without success and I just realized my tanker is flying much slower than yours, my airspeed when flying along with my tanker was about 220 and I could not keep the jet stable

[@grimreapers]

Impossible that slow. 350+ best.

[@ziljanvega3879]

270 is the default F-16 mission speed for tankers. If you make a custom mission I think you can set the airspeed of the tanker higher if needed.

[@vegardpig8634]

I refueled my first time successfully yesterday with an f-16 and a tanker that flew at 200 knots IAS lol, was hard as fuck

[@MHDsniper]

Air refueling is more fun with f/a 18c

[@abaddon3744]

Hey cap, just wondering what HOTAS you use?

[@grimreapers]

This one: kzbin.info/www/bejne/aai1qGaVqst5p68

[@Scootah95]

How the hell do I maintain the same altitude and speed? I am always either going to fast or too slow................ And when I do manage to get close.... my aircraft sways at the slightest touch, causing me to lose control, speed, and altitude. Does it actually just take a crap load of practice, or am I missing something? I've browsed the manual tons, and I'm very new.. but something doesn't seem right.. youre telling me a 50 million dollar aircraft isn't equipped with an altitude lock? Frustrating Right now I am operating the aircraft between my keyboard and controller. My thrustmaster set arr8ves today or tomrrow. God I hope it gets easier with that lol

[@dannsgamingfails8899]

So, do I get this or the F14?

[@spacextreme1]

Now imagine servers that have the tanker speed set to 290 knots...nightmare

[@grimreapers]

Good Lord

[@lordofweed]

why does it matter?

[@DmdMixZ]

@@lordofweed because the F-16 is a lot more unstable at low speeds. It's more like drifting in the air, rather than flying an airplane. The F-16 was designed to only be aerodynamically stable when it's supersonic. The slower you get, the more unstable it is, which makes it harder to do small corrections.

[@spitlera]

The speed for refueling an F16 is 310KCAS.

[@fenny1578]

Heya Cap, I got a request that I think'd be pretty appreciated. I've read that its possible to make randomized spawn positions in the map editor and even have it pull from a list of what could even be spawned in but I haven't the slightest on how to do so. If you know how could you perhaps throw out a video for us or point me in the right direction maybe? Not having much luck, but I'll admit to being a braindead bonobo.

[@grimreapers]

hmm will have a look for some functionality but it's also certainly an external script function.

[@fenny1578]

@@grimreapers For sure, but a might useful one for mission replayability. Thanks!

[@fenny1578]

@@davidhaystacks4153 Sure, I'll check it out. Sadly, I'm highly illogical myself but perhaps I can work it out lol

[@maudireal8945]

I cant do it with my f 15c i m just shaking or I can t see the lights in my cockpit Update: I got a new joystick much better and I got it with much concentration. For me it s easy to attach but hard to hold.

[@yieovgwqxaz7912]

Harder than f18 refuel

[@Nenonism]

IM so bad at this =/