The throttle ‘rock’ tip is pretty essential. I spent about an hour last night practicing AA refueling and it really clicked using that ‘rock the throttle all the time, using smaller increments’. It really works for me.
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I’m a big fan of using the ATC when refueling. Probably against NATOPS, but it works very well.
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I tried that (as goodness knows I’m not religious about using anything that would help me) but it never seemed to be good enough to keep station. On a KC-130 last night I would engage it when hooked up (at say 294 kts) but I would still creep forward. If I engaged it at 293kts I would fall back. I really only wanted to use it to relax a bit when during fuel transfer but it never really worked out for me. The Su33 (I think, early here and need coffee) has those nice ‘speed up / speed down’ on its ATC, and I remember using that - but the Hornet has no ‘adjustments’ when in ATC, does it?
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I love this part of the game and it’s getting lots of attention.
Here are my tips.
- Don’t chase the E bracket. Put your flight marker where you want it and use the throttle to make the E bracket come to You.
- Do 3 circuits, take a break. Do 3 more… take a break. But commit to doing it every time you fly.
- Spend some time flying around getting used to this new style of flying. Get comfy with the throttle. Take your sweet time when flying away from the boat. Always be On Speed.
- Cage the HUD. It helped me a lot.
I’m no expert but I’m getting better. I used the carrier take off mission. It starts you off at 44000 lbs. If you can land or even bolter That then the Case 1 mission will seem easy.
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Has anyone linked A.E.W.'s videos? Apparently a legacy hornet pilot (20 years ago) and seems like he knows his stuff, has good things to say about the sim, and really nice tips on sightpictures and procedures for CASE I.
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Yep, I mentioned him already in the other thread here: Need Landing Tips for Hornet - #7 by damson
Also for all you deck spotters - beware:
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Unfortunately with my G940 throttle I’m not sure the rocking will work. For some unknown reason they programmed in this hysteresis that makes a change of 4% every time you reverse it. So if you push the throttle down to say 70%, and push it back up, the next value is 74%. If you push it from there to 75% and then reverse it, the next value is 71%.
This applies to the trim wheel axes on the stick and the two range wheel axes on the throttle as well.
I need to get a new HOTAS, but there is nothing I have seen in the range I want to spend. The G940 was the last entry in that segment and it has been barren since they discontinued it. 
The reason is that they used cheap ass pots and this was one of the ways they tried to fix the bad hardware in the software.
Hey Jedi, The new version of the Logitech X-56 is the best HOTAS I have used yet. Throttle, stick and ministicks are perfectly smooth and precise.
I finally have ordered Thrustmaster T16000m FCS HOTAS.
The stick is a bit poor with only one hat, but the throttle has enough cool stuff to make up for it - analog mini-stick with button action (ideal for TDC), two hats, one 8-way pov switch, rotary knob (radar elevation), rocker axis and few other things. Actually it looks a bit like Hornet throttle, albeit it’s not split.
But most importantly the set sports Hall-effect sensors for axis (the same used in Warthog HOTAS), so the precision should be good.
The precision is good, but with most of the buttons on the base, the stick design is poor. The opposite can be said for the throttle, which satisfies “hands on” in the acronym HOTAS. When I was without use of my left foot, I use the FCS throttle with a CH Fighter Stick and was good to go.
I saw the X-56 when it came out but I read mixed reviews which put me off. For example, out of over 100 reviews on Amazon it gets only 3 out of 5 stars.
Well, my b-day is coming up so maybe I will get an X-56 or a T16000m. I need new pedals, too, as the ones I have are part of the G940 and can’t be used separately.
I think its always going to be the same argument. X-56 is disposable vs Warthog witch is High Maintenance. I have used both for long periods of time. My last X-55 was awesome but then the throttle broke. I found it to be a good stick. I like it and I recommend it. You get what you pay for. My first X-52 lasted years without problems and so did my X-52 pro. However, that is not everyones experience and not my experience with the X-55.
Thrustmaster has some problems but its a good stick. I have two and an extra base. This hobby is important to me and therefore I’m all in. That said, sometimes I like the centering on the Saitek better…
I think if you have not tried the X-56 it is worth your time and money to try one. KEEP the receipt.
I have this setup, and like others have said, the joystick is lacking buttons/hats, but I’ve made it work. The throttle has a great setup of buttons and hats. The stick is very precise also.
I’ve mentioned it before, but this subject matter is discussed in detail by the pilots who fly (flew) them on the Fighter Pilot Podcast. Educate and entertain yourself during your normally mundane daily commute. I’ve listened to the two CASE 1 episodes a few times. Much LSO talk within as well.
For instance, I learned that the normal scan is ball, lineup, then AOA.
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@JediMaster you are correct but Logitech updated to kit this year with the promise that they have corrected the flaws. So far that’s been my experience for what it’s worth.
I decided to try them out, they arrive Friday. We’ll see how my experience goes.
Just to clarify, there is hall-effect sensor used only for X and Y axis on the stick. The rest are standard pots.
Good luck. I hope you have the same experience that I have. But now that you’ve spent the money I should hold my head in shame and admit a problem that I had initially but failed to mention above. (I did state it in my mini-review of the kit a couple of months ago.) Some buttons on the throttle were randomly actuating uncommanded. I put the throttle on a USB hub and never had the issue since.
My 940’s range wheels on the throttle will change output depended on throttle position because the wiring is too tight. Also the pot in the pedals will loosen over time and require disassembly and reseating or it will spike horribly.
So I’m no stranger to bizarre behavior.