That is very good to know. The other thread about DCS terrains and the difficulty in “stitching” them together implied that the terrains are flat. This was really disappointing when I read it but now, less so. Roundness of the Earth is fundamental to long-range flying and radar as @jross mentions above. How the DCS maps might be flat in some respects and round in others is I guess the power of code over reality. One game that new pilots often play (also a great trick to perform on a flying date) is to make the sun re-rise by climbing the instant it sets. In a high performance jet you can play this game for much longer. I doubt it is possible in DCS but I need to give it a try.
And I meant know disrespect to DCS in pointing this out. The greatest of all current sims in my opinion is Falcon BMS. I’m positive that its handful of available terrains are flat and that the radar horizon is way less sophisticated than DCS. Curvature isn’t all that important at the current scales these sims operate under.
For the record, I wrote the above in bed at 0500. Reading it now, 7 hours later, I have no idea what the heck I was trying to say. I think an AI assistant to help me not post until I am ready…or just not post. Carry on…
I’ve been messing with Bodo’s offset ILS and I’ve been wondering how exactly I’m supposed to do it.
In-game kneeboard chart says the localizer course is 262, so I punch 262 into the Viper’s ILS, dial my HSI needle to 262, fly the approach, but it appears the actual track is more like 27x. Am I supposed to account for magnetic declination in that T-ILS CRS setting and HSI needle?
That turn from the 093 radial is also nearly impossible to make unless you’re sub-200kts. Not sure how that’s done. I’m also curious how the transition from the offset localizer to runway centerline is supposed to go down.
Haven’t tried it in the Viper but I have made similar observations. I want to spend some more time this weekend, probably Sunday, flying the approach, maybe try the Viper as well. Max speed for the approach is 220KIAS IIRC. It’s definitely sporty.
I’m wondering how Europe handles fighters in the airspace. In the US most fighters (IIRC) have an FAA waiver for them to fly 300kts or higher, so whenever ATC requests a lower speed the typical response is, as I understand it, “unable.” But checking the Viper’s -1, there’s a note about instrument flying being done at 200-250kts. Still can’t find if the T-ILS CRS number is supposed to be magnetic or true…I’m assuming what’s written in the chart is in reference to true north.
Firghters are given lots of leeway in their speed so long as it is below Mach. They are rarely mixed in with civvy traffic anyway. Speeds on approach are non-negotiable. Often there is a radius turn involved which requires a certain speed to avoid terrain. It sounds like that’s the case here. Not every plane can do every approach. This one simply might not be compatible with the jet.
Regarding Mag or True. The chart usually will have courses marked with a “T” if true is required. In my jet we have a switch which is (generally) used in the terminal environment above 73°N. I’ve never used it.
You just align visually when able.
That’s what we civvies do, anyway.
I haven’t flown ENBO ILS 25 in DCS, but I have done so plenty of times IRL. The course for the LLZ is used without mag var correction. I don’t know if the Viper does it differently though.
I couldn’t find anything in the Viper manuals (real or DCS) stating if the CRS entry is true or magnetic. To further confuse things the barb on the mission planner/editor map has a course that disagrees with the chart course.
Not something I’ve thought about in a while but, aren’t ILS values normally[1] magnetic, same as the runways they line up with?
[1] Seems you could use either True or Magnetic in theory, with modern tech anyway. Magnetic is kinda messy - in my old job you mentally added (or was it subtract…gosh been a minute) 15 degrees at one location I was at, when giving headings. This vector would need to be mended by subsequent operators as you traveled, say, from LAX to BOS (you could be way off over time even without wind).
Common sense (I think) has me pretty convinced that you only use true if the chart commands it and the plane is equipped to do so. Think about it. If your compass is magnetic…
(Ah never mind. This Discourse bug is making posting impossible)
Yeah, I was having to do the ‘proof of life [humanity]’ check the last couple of days every time I tried to bring up the site, and it did have issues writing posts. Today no issues.
