Former Viper demo pilot’s DCS Viper demo flight
1 Like
Good grief, what a video!
Landing at Bodø
6 Likes
IMHO the Phantom is one of the easiest, if not the easiest aircraft to refuel in DCS. Its incredible stability and quick throttle response make it an absolute joy to fly in formation
1 Like
Have you done it in an A-4?
I have to admit that I have never really flown the scooter. I have maybe 1h flighttime in it and it’s been a few years
1 Like
I’ve had the opposite experience with the Phantom 
I can never seem to get the power right, and the connection window feels smaller; Jester tells me I’m “charging the boom” while the PDL lights show that I’m only slightly forward, he tells me I’m “falling off” when the PDL lights show that I’m only slightly aft, and I get disconnects while the PDL lights indicate I’m still in a workable position. The throttle is so sensitive I’m constantly drifting fore or aft.
Are you flying in 2D? I’ve noticed in my squadron that the guys flying in VR just drive up to the tanker, plug in and then stay plugged until it’s full (on their first try ever!) whereas the guys in 2D will find it extremely hard to connect and then keep it connected. A lot of “return pre-contact” can be heard.
What you can’t see in the video because I have my seat all the way up and I’m looking over the canopy bow is that my throttles make constant tiny adjustments at a much higher frequency than what you’d see me use in a Viper, F-15E or A-10C. If you could see the fuel flow gauges you’d notice that the needles jump around like crazy. There’s not a single second in that video where I don’t move the throttles. It’s even more extreme than trying to stay on speed during final approach on landing.
There’s also a very noticeable shift in the center of gravity as the tanks fill up which every now and then requires a few taps on the trim hat to correct.
I’ve also done refuellings with a very heavy bomb load and even that is not too difficult although having one engine in minimum burner and only using the other for corrections does take some getting used to and you have to increase the average throttle position a lot as the aircraft gets heavier compared to a fighter with a light air to air loadout like in my video.
Edit: Forgot to mention: the jester call outs at the tanker are very precise. There’s a part in the video where I can’t see the right PDL at all due to the sun and I am relying completely on my picture and the jester call outs. His call that I am about to fall off at the 7:40 mark saved me from a disconnect. The problem is that when you’re all over the place the change in position is so quick that by the time he stops talking it is not relevant anymore. You’d have the same problem with a real person in the back. Charging the boom calls can happen even when the PDL shows that you’re right where you should be because they’re more related to your relative speed to the tanker than your current position.
4 Likes
SideKick kindly created an update video for Vietnam War Vessels 0.6.0:
The Skyraider for AI is now a thing. Back to refine and test the AI MiG-21MF and AI O-1 Bird Dog, and also work on a rather lacking model of CV-65 USS Enterprise…
3 Likes
I’m in VR. Constant throttle adjustments aren’t working well for me because too much/too little is a matter of millimeters. Perhaps I’m too light when tanking. Typically when it comes to boom tanking I find the Viper to be easiest after the update that allows us to turn off the baked-in stick augmentations.
1 Like
Maybe it’s the frequency of your adjustments not the amount. Any adjustment needs to be followed by a readjustment back towards the previous position immediately. The Phantom requires you to be religious with that practice because of the very powerful engines. You can not take a moment before the readjustment like you can in the A-10C for an example at the extreme other end. The Viper is kind of in the middle although I haven’t tried it after the update and I would expect it to be considerably easier to refuel as you mention. Even the update that reduced the input lag at the beginning of the year improved handling a lot.
2 Likes
It’s amazing anyone ever won a dogfight in a viper before the input fixes… 
4 Likes
With the throttle adjustments, when you add some throttle … wait a tic… then take half of what you added out.
Same (in reverse) for throttle reductions.
Works a treat for most platforms!
Well most people aren’t fighting the almighty schurem, lord of the gunfighters, deliverer of aerial justice
1 Like
In the Phantom that tic needs to be considerably shorter than in other aircraft
1 Like
Like in that pit vid of an F/A-18E landing on a carrier, the throttle hand is doing much the same as me when cutting branches. 
4 Likes
There’s also that one Super Etendard video
7 Likes
Holy 
that’s some hair raising 
!
3 Likes
Use a reference point and make the same three part power corrections you make on the ball.
A little on, a little off, half back on.
A little is very subjective, particularly in sims since everyone has a different throttle and potentially a different axis tune.
Try about a half inch for starters. Adjust from there. The “trick” is that you aren’t, for instance, adding power. You’re adding an “amount/shot/quantum” of power.
If you leave it on, you will have “excess” power and will accelerate…probably more than you want.
As to a reference, it’s more difficult on sims because your throttles are, generally, out in the open with nothing to lean on. You can even try to anchor your thumb on your leg, if your sim is setup for that.
The anchor gives you a set point for your reference. You should be able to make corrections without losing your anchor. If you find yourself constantly making positive power corrections, consider moving your anchor up. Obviously the same works on the low side.
Doing these two things allows you to make discrete corrections and avoid chasing the power.
8 Likes
8 Likes