Direct lift control 
It can also position the spoilers in the flush position which actually increases lift. So some extra vertical control.
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Did someone manage to check their trapsheets as was described here? Whenever I open the kneeboard after landing and start changing pages, the sim always crashes.
Last night my first flight I was trimmed out at 33000 AGL thinking this tomcat is just a pussycat and started pressing buttons 
trying to get the gun armed and dispensing flares. I guess the DLC button is the one I thought was counter measures because pressing it spoiled my flight 
Iām having crashes while switching kneeboard pages.
Had a couple of hours last night so I spent some time in the startup tutorial. I took some notes from Laobiās video but ended up stuck looking for the Hydraulic pump switches (hint: they are under dark covers in the back right, deep back in the panel).
The best way that I could describe it ā¦ this module has a ton of character. The sounds are awesome. The jet model and cockpit textures are awesome. The flight model and characteristics of the jet are awesome! And the learning curve ā¦ itās also awesome :-).
It is going to take some time to get to know everything and be anywhere effective in that beast.
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The kneeboard crash issue has been reported: [RESOLVED] KneeBoard Crash - Bugs and Problems - ED Forums
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Thanks @Boltface, some people said removing that kneeboard page (itās the datalink info page) resolves the issue. Will check when I get home tonight
Thank you frog, for capturing the one good moment out of that entire endeavour! Thatās my motivation to try again.
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I tried clearing page 3 and still get crashes. Cobra acknowledged it so hopefully weāll get a fix shortly. I might try all custom pages in the meantime. For now, Iām really only using it for checklists anyway.
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I just had a total blast yesterday. Not only because I kept listening to this https://youtu.be/ZTidn2dBYbY but also because it felt like Christmas but without the annoying jingles. I was practicing carrier landing on Virtual Aerobatics and a guy hopped in the rear seat and told me that he didnāt even know how to start up the plane, let alone fly it. I performed a couple of bolters and circuits around the boat and he was just astounded to see the pilot body working hard to get that On Speed AoA while on downwind. Once I l finally managed to catch a 3-wire (woohoo!). The guy in the back seat was just completely extatic. I then went āWanna see something that will knock your socks off?ā, positioned myself for a cat launch. The guy then asked āDo I have to do anything?ā, to which I answered āJust hold on to something, buddy.ā I went MIL power, saluted the crew chief and off we went, engines screaming and a stupid grin on my face. The shuttle rattled, the fuselage shuddered, the wings flexed and my guest RIO just giggled in awe. āI HAVE to learn how to do thisā he said before thanking me for giving him a glimpse of what it felt like to land and takeoff this bird good and proper.
I also did a Coop mission with three friends of mine. We were in the Persian Gulf and took off from the Stennis among a fleet of angry destroyers, B-52s, F-16s and Tornados all heading to Iran. Among ourselves, we managed to shoot down three MiG-29s, three F-5s and a MiG-21. Incredibly, we all survived our engagements and eventually had to bug home. Now, the cool part was that as I still had 90 nm to go, I realized that my fuel level was somewhere between ānot enoughā and āMaster Cautionā. I had 2000 lbs leftā¦ BINGO setting was 4000 lbs. Awch! My buddies had about 3500 lbs and had more breathing room. I throttled back to almost IDLE and started a long and stressful glide to the boat. I dropped my external tanks and trimmed as much as possible to minimize any tiny bit of drag that would slow me down while struggling to keep every foot of altitude I could get. Luckily for me, I made it to the boat and went straight in for the groove. My first wingman had already landed while the other two were in a holding pattern, giving me the priority to land. As I slipped into the groove, I waited until the last second to drop my landing gear and extend my flaps. I trimmed in a hurry to get my AoA and nervously nudged the throttle forward to keep the aircraft from going below the glide slope. It was some raw, pure āCougarā Top Gun moment right there. I was on the edge of my seat, crossing fingers. As I saw the meatball, I checked my fuel: 200 lbs of useable fuel left. Holy shā¦ I had one chance and not nearly enough fuel for a bolter or waveoff. In the end, I caught the first wire and woke up my girlfriend while cheering. It was an incredible feeling. Just amazing, really. My second buddy landed successfully too as well (his very first trap!). We lined up the three of us, watching the fourth guy going for his landing. However, at the last second he got into some adverse yaw, stalled the plane and crashed right in the middle of our parked Tomcats.
Everyone dead. Mucho fun was had by all. It was a great night like I havenāt had one in years.
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You took down a Bear with a single 9?
Last night I hit an F-5E with a 9 and all it did was take out his left stab. He was smoking and streaming but still flying. Hard to believe a Tiger can take more battle damage than a Bear!
Thatās the reverse of what I want to do. I want to take all the modules I have bought from ED over the years and put them into DCS World on Steam so I can get that max bandwidth DL speed.
No, I wasted two Sidewinders on him.
It is the same button. Normally it deploys countermeasures, but if you have flaps deployed and throttle below MIL it will engage DLC.
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I spent several hours yesterday flying around in the tomcat. I have come to the conclusion that this is the best module, third party or otherwise, available for DCS.
The 3D modeling and artwork is the best Iāve seen. The detail is astounding. I mean those screenshots you see when people show off their WIP projects rarley look as crisp as the final product. This does without a doubt. The hornet has a great level of detailing as well, but I have to say F-14 beats it.
Sound effects are amazing. Weāve all heard the switches and clunking sounds, which by themselves gives the cat way more character than some modules, but itās not just the pit sounds. The sounds of weapons coming off the rails, missles firing, gear up and down, probe, etc are all proprietary and sound amazing. A Phoenix thumping off the rails, the gun, even the aim 9s have redone sounds. Many modules tend to have borrowed sounds in DCS, but I have never heard most of these.
Flight modeling is also very authentic, even in its day one status. The plane feels weighty and very powerful. Iām sure there is tweaking to be done, but I certainly didnāt have that āthis feels strangeā or āI donāt think thatās how physics workā moment YET. Compare to other recent releases it dominates in this aspect as well. To be at the very least on par with the accuracy of the hornet module is a compliment to the team.
The systems are probably 85-90% complete (maybe higher?), and the ones everyone will be using are in place and functional. Iām sure there are bugs in this department, but no show stoppers for me.
The jester system is a great accomplishment by itself. Really intuitive menu system, and works well for the most part. I can tell there is still work to be done in this area. Just try to refuel with him and youāll see why. I think he talked for 12 straight minutes. Again no showstopper here. Excited to see how integrated jester becomes with lantirn.
Bottom line: Heatblur has raised the bar significantly for DCS and flight simulation in general. I would rate this as a must have for any fan of flight simulation.
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Yup - this is a very important module. Heatblur could have easily released this a year ago to fanfare and spent the past year working on Open Alpha/Beta mode, as has been typical. But nay - one day one we have:
- A functioning, high complexity model of an archaic INS system and IMU
- A functioning, high complexity model of a powerful, archaic radar & fire control system
- A gorgeous flight model that tries to encapsulate how physical this jet was to fly while sitting at a desk in the comfort of your home.
- Pilot and co-pilot multiplayer interaction and a surprisingly high functioning AI for single player
- A targeting pod.
- EDIT: Interior and exterior models and textures of absurd fidelity
I canāt think of another complex module this feature complete on release - ED/Belsimtek get bonus points for spearheading the way with the Hornet and having to work with more complex computerized systems and being initial developers to a lot of the underlying engine technology (especially with respect to radars and sensing), but this definitely feels like Heatblur planted a flag in the ground.
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Yep, this has to be the most impressive launch of a new module I think I can ever remember in DCS.
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yup. its awesome and iām humbled. it also makes me want a 3rd generation VR headset and pc to power that.
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I am in love with it too. Got my first AA kills tonight 2 missed Aim54C s on a bear hot at 66 miles. Then closed to down it with 2 sidewinders.
Its a lot easier to understand than the hornet which I also love but for totally different reasons. Canāt wait for some MP as soon as I get some time
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Mind blowing quality really on the Tomcat. I hope Headblur/Meta continues to make modules for DCS. Iām super excited to see the A-6E they were working on, even if itās just an AI version I can pretty up my carrier with 
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