Yep, once again, I’m working on a “Chuck’s Guide” for the Hornet. That will not be the case with the Hornet I’ll simply have to be a bit patient and learn to walk before I can learn to run. Therefore, the Hornet we have does not provide negative training, which is great since I don’t like having to un-learn things. Most of what’s missing is advanced weaponry and system modes, but nothing that is basic is missing. The armament available for now is a bit “crude” (dumb bombs, rockets, guns, air-to-air missiles) but I feel like we need to learn to walk before we learn to run. However, the Hornet in its current state is the sort of early access that I like: the aircraft itself is functional and most basic systems are implemented. For those who want to wait, it’s totally fine. Air-to-Air refueling will be quite important too, but so is protecting your carrier.Īs the release date comes (May 30th, yikes!), so ends the 20 $ discount that comes with early access. This creates unbearably tense situations. I’ve flown the Hornet for a few hours now and I can’t count the number of times I came back to land on fumes. Carefully planning your flight will now be more important than ever since the Hornet is a real gas guzzler and fuel is a rather scarce resource at sea. This means that most of your operations will revolve around (you guessed it) carrier operations. The F/A-18 brings something new and fresh to DCS: a multi-purpose naval aircraft. If you landed too far, Missing the wires will result in a “bolter” and a sudden urge to slam the throttle forward to avoid the mass of water clutching at your toes. Catching the first wire will likely happen if you approached way too close to the stern of the ship. After dozens of landing, I still feel the adrenalin kicking in when I’m going for the Number 3 Wire (arrestor cable), being tossed left and right by crosswind, turbulence and my own shaky hands. While being a Fighter Pilot is a hard job, DCS has given me the impression that being a Navy Fighter Pilot is even harder. During carrier ops, the ship looks like it’s the smallest runway in the world. The sense of scale goes even beyond that. Luckily for us, DCS keeps pushing the boundaries further with each new module. Few developers go to this level of depth for aircraft when it comes to simulating damage and malfunction effects. Also, circuit breakers are functional! For instance, pulling the FCS CHAN 1 breaker will have dramatic effects on the Flight Control System. I am sure you will have a lot of pleasure sinking your teeth in both them. You will learn that the top speed of a Hornet isn’t limited as much by how well you fly as it is limited by the additional drag generated by your ordnance and the insatiable thirst for jet fuel your engines have.Įagle Dynamics’ Hornet’s manual is quite exhaustivie and the NATOPS manual available on the net is full of juicy tidbits of information as well. You will learn that the engine response has a bit of lag into it. You will learn that the hook under your aircraft that catches wires on a carrier can bounce off the deck if you come in too hot or with a wrong angle of attack. That’s the beauty of a study-level simulation: problems rarely happen just by themselves and most of them can be explained logically if you look into it. So… you started your engines, did the Fire Test and your ECS (Environmental Control System) seems non-functional? Did you forget something? Well, too bad! The Fire Test closes bleed air shutoff valves and requires you to reset them. The Hornet itself is rather simple to operate thanks to automated systems doing most of the hard labor for you (keyword: “most”). I’ve come to the conclusion that they’re very much insane (in a good way).
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