DCS F/A-18 - Case I Approach

[@sodaplayer]

The timing of this is perfect! I had just scheduled my friends to come over tomorrow and try out landing the F/A-18 as an activity. Now I got a good video to serve as a guide.

[@RequiemsACTL]

Don't be surprised if they bang into the back of the carrier a couple times 😆

[@sodaplayer]

@@RequiemsACTL Haha, we did a get a couple of those. Managing power on the final approach was usually the hardest part for most people.

[@RequiemsACTL]

@@sodaplayer Two things seem to be a rite of passage in DCS. 1. Slamming into the back of a carrier. 2. "Accidental" weapons release against a tanker when it just doesn't cooperate and keeps making you disconnect. 😉

[@williamwilkinson2748]

This is the most complete and clearest tutorial I have seen on a case 1 approach. Excellent.

[@guiduz3469]

100%

[@RequiemsACTL]

I appreciate it, thanks! Although I know a few guys personally in RL, luckily as part of my airline flying I'll also fly with those who have flown a wide range of USN and USAF airplanes so I get to pick their brains from time to time.

[@diggler64]

Yup... this is by far the best case 1 tutorial I've seen ... wow

[@RequiemsACTL]

Cheers!

[@kerbalette156]

Just epic. Think I’ll be watching this quite a few times

[@fighterguruf18]

a couple of corrections from a Hornet driver. The NATOP's (manual) calls for 1 1/2 to 1 1/4 miles abeam. And its 22 degrees angle of bank of the 180, which starts 10 seconds after to reach abeam of the ramp. The LSO says Roger Ball, not the pilot. the Pilot calls "Hornet, Ball (you see it), and your fuel state. eg. 5.5

[@clementboyer8325]

I just finished watching this tutorial series. I've been learning how to fly this bloody hornet for approx 3 weeks now. It was frustrating and boring to learn some topics here and there (I come from the M2000-C where taking-off/climbs, landing and doing approaches was easy thanks to the velocity chevrons). It felt like starting from 0 again. My landings (either field or carrier) are disastrous, my Case I were approach were executed poorly (that f*ckin' bounce from 600' to 1000' when dropping gear and flaps too late). Everything including landing procedures felt like a constant struggle with shaking hands and sweating fingers (and some swearing). And then i stumbled on your F/A-18 tutorial series. Clear, explanations well put, relevant terminology use, "theory then practice", tacviews, cockpit flows, etc. It's briliant, and it offers me new perspectives to practice flying that bird! Thanks a lot

[@RequiemsACTL]

That's really good to hear Clement, keep at it and if you have any questions or issues feel free to ask. Carrier landings especially takes time to get right and is a skill that atrophies if you don't do them for a while, but if you can master the airfield landings first then the carrier ones will be much easier.

[@IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIX]

Excellent tutorial! Thank you very much.

[@cyrilkatzen6146]

Excellent teaching . Just made it easy for us to understand

[@Geomanb]

the best - and it correlates with other online presentations of former Hornet pilots

[@RequiemsACTL]

Thanks a lot, I appreciate it!

[@timothysmith7364]

great tutorial!

[@nyandyn]

Hint: quite a few of the switches should match the hook position: hook down, hook bypass down, anti-skid down, landing light down, baro/rad down. For feet dry ops, these should be up. Just one of the small things McDD engineers took care of.

[@RequiemsACTL]

There's always some reasoning behind why engineers do what they do...often unknown...thanks for sharing the "why" I love it 😊

[@MatteoPollini-pg4kt]

D😅😊xx😅x😅😅😅😅😅😅x😅😅

[@EnigmaticPenguin]

Best case 1 tutorial out there.

[@wallyrankin4947]

Thank You Sir! Well done and very helpful!

[@FA18Training]

Useful video. The turn after 90 (for alignment) is always very stressful: bank of this turn depending its weight and too little time to correct in case of misalignment.

[@dunbar555]

Extremely well done

[@charenton82]

lesson more and more clear and good. bravo, mon pote

[@FatherCommodore]

Missed your tutorials! Wish yo u well and thanks.

[@marswor]

hey, thanks a lot for the video, outstanding as always! I wonder if you could talk a bit more about the burble effect in your next video, please? I find it to be the exact thing that messes up most of my landings and I just drop to the deck like a brick :D thanks again!

[@RequiemsACTL]

Yeah I have a WIP for how to improve these approaches that talks a little about that and other stuff

[@PluckyUnderdog]

Good seeing you post content again mate, I enjoyed your IL-2 stuff.

[@RequiemsACTL]

Thanks, I appreciate it. I've been on a self induced hiatus because I simply haven't had much motivation to complete new content this year. I have a lot of plans for what I want to make in the future 😊 I'm looking forward to easing into making more. I just needed a break I think.

[@PluckyUnderdog]

@RequiemsACTL Well sometimes life intervenes, etc, and sometimes like you say we just lose the motivation to do certain things. We're all human. Looking forward to new content. Take it easy mate. 👍

[@des06]

Best tutorial CASE I ever. Thak you

[@RequiemsACTL]

Glad it's helped you!

[@Drovek451]

Would you look at this... I was just about needing this video. 😄

[@pedromarques2842]

Awsome!

[@palleh.jensen4648]

Nice pass.

[@strikkflypilot927]

Beautiful❤

[@RequiemsACTL]

Thank you! 😊

[@DanielDrake]

Amazing!!!

[@jimmydesouza4375]

Why is there an extra set of wire machinery between wire 3 and 4?

[@RequiemsACTL]

That's a good question. I'm not sure to be honest, I'd speculate it could have something to do with the emergency barrier net system but I'd be guessing. I'm sure someone who knows more than me will pipe in at some point!

[@kerbalette156]

You don’t have an air-to-air refueling tutorial for the FA/18 do you?

[@RequiemsACTL]

Not yet.

[@ProGamer-gc3wv]

I am not trying to be smarter here, but Air brakes were not use in real. If you fly 350 Knots, you just turn with 3.5G and this works very nice, at least it works for me fine. Then 250 Knots, flaps down, l.gear down and i am on speed. My biggest issue is 5 seconds before landing, even if i am perfectly flying to the carrier, there is something like air burble and this takes me down, then i react to that with more thrust, and then i am too high and i land very ugly. I have no idea, it don't seem for me realistic, cant imagine this in real.

[@RequiemsACTL]

It's all good. I'm always all ears when it comes to any extra techniques to hear about! I have noticed there is a little something odd right around that time...never quite sat right with me either. I think it comes down to how the lift is modeled around there that screws things up enough to throw you off

[@ProGamer-gc3wv]

@@RequiemsACTL in your case i looked at 11:26 you were perfect, and even the burble effect did not effect your landing really... I wish i could land at least like you showed here. When i am on the same position like 11:34 it feels i just fall down. I may still catch 3 wire, but i am not satisfied to "fall" down on the carrier. I think, i have to compensate this effect, maybe i should add +Thrust for 2 Sec. then release the thrust ++ Back and then again +Thrust 1/2... I can remember, before they add this burble effect, the landing was very easy and nice...

[@Bushwookie_18]

Just when we needed him most, he’s back. Just got back into the hornet after a 8 month hiatus from dcs. Great vid.

[@RequiemsACTL]

Thanks! We all just need a break at some point. It's healthy to do anyway so you don't get burnout

[@janusz4156]

45 years of F/A-18 in 2023

[@RTSchramm]

Nice video

[@Pekins]

Very well done I will reference this video to every newbie I meet

[@fighterguruf18]

A couple tips from someone that has a lot of real traps. Use the auto throttle control function in the airplane. If you have the Thrustmaster throttle, It's the small red button under your left ring finger. Once activated it will show up in the HUD as ATC. This will make it much easier to get aboard. Now use pitch to control your glideslope. Once you pick up the meatball on final, try not to be reactive to the meatball, waiting for a high or low indication. Assuming it's close to centered when you pick it up and you're around 700 fpm, flatten your approach with a little back pressure on the stick and look for the meatball to move very slightly above centered and then adjust back to a slightly lower pitch and drive the ball back to centered. Then repeat until touchdown. Now you're controlling the ball not the other way around. This technique was called "Crowning the Ball." years ago and helped me get aboard every time. This technique works also with any airplane flying a glideslope.

[@KillerKev1961]

Outstanding tutorial.

[@valhallaab8399]

The Hornet is a hard module but somehow I feel like the F-14 is easier. Love landing wire 3 without the right engine and busted hydraulics after I took an Igla to the face. Was shocked I even got it.

[@MrCarvion]

Excellent as always!

[@benoitrenard3462]

You forgot to speak how to trim the aircraft and the preset of radar altimeter

[@RequiemsACTL]

No, I didn't. All my videos build on what you learn in earlier videos, so those items are both assumed knowledge from previous videos in my Hornet playlist. Video #3 explains AoA and includes an exercise with demonstration for trimming to On Speed AoA. Video #6 covers setting up for the arrival to the carrier, which includes the radar altimeter preset.

[@TheHerobrinecreation]

if you could do this for the f14 I would be forever thankfull!

[@RequiemsACTL]

Yep, will be one day. Got flows and everything already done for the Cat

[@flightknight4269]

Would love to see you do one of these for the F-14 as well!

[@RequiemsACTL]

Yeah me too!

[@flightknight4269]

@@RequiemsACTL What's your editing time like on these videos? Mine aren't as elaborate and still take me a good 4-8hrs per video.

[@RequiemsACTL]

@@flightknight4269 You really don't wanna know LOL Seriously though I try not to think about it to be honest...but, between recording the footage exactly how I want, the extra elements I create through Photoshop and stuff, then the editing and voiceover....it has to be at least 30hrs for this kind of video. Plus my content gets peer reviewed before anything goes public too, so if I have to make any changes after a draft that's easily an few extra hours provided I don't need to fully refly anything (happens rarely though). I don't really care about making money off YT so with my content it's not just a matter of doing stuff "on the fly" then putting it out there ASAP for clicks, which is why it takes me a while sometimes or I take a break every now and then. I like to plan out what I'm doing to keep things concise and straightforward for you guys. That's probably more than you wanted to know, but figured I'd share my process a bit.

[@squidboii]

First

[@_MarkV_]

highly underrated channel. we just need some f16 and apache tutorials from you ;)

[@RequiemsACTL]

Well I do own the Apache, but helicopters are not my specialty, so I don't expect to make helo content anytime soon. The F-16 though... that's very likely.

[@FD1CE]

Awesome tutorial as always. Thanks for making such clear lessons :)

[@RequiemsACTL]

No worries! Thanks 😊

[@jebb125]

great video, wish I saw this years ago. reading the NATOPS and understanding are two diff things....

[@RequiemsACTL]

Thanks, yeah when it comes to that it can get rather dry. I try to cut through that stuff to make it a bit more palatable.

[@jep1103]

Great vìd hopefully case 2 and 3 will follow...please

[@RequiemsACTL]

Yeah I've already got recordings done for it. Just have to put the videos together. You'll enjoy them 😊

[@aplaceinthesky82]

fantastic work make learning to flight with you is much easier

[@RequiemsACTL]

That's why I'm here!