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#2094190 - 12/22/06 06:17 AM LOMAC/FC: Training Mission #06  
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BeachAV8R Offline
Lifer
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Lifer

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As basic flight and systems training draws to a close I’m looking forward to starting on weapons and tactics in future mission reports. Prior to starting this important phase of training however, I’ve been invited along on a sortie to show me what the training is all about. One of the more experienced attack pilots asked if I’d like to fly along on a typical “attack” profile that I might see out in the field upon completion of my training. I figured I’d take the opportunity to learn a little bit from this combat veteran and agreed to tag along on the flight.

Download this mission here: http://www.mudspike.com/lomac/simhq06.zip

During the briefing the lead pilot stresses to me: ”Stay glued to my wing. Do not lose me. Things will happen fast - - but whatever you do - - do not fall off my wing!” I was convinced. It felt strange strapping into an aircraft that didn’t sport the high visibility training squadron colors and my heart was pounding in my chest.

This particular mission starts airborne. Though not my preference I kept it that way in order to not mess up the mission timing. Also note you will have to cycle to the wingman aircraft and use the 'ALT-J' command to jump into the wingman position.

Coming down the valley we are shielded from enemy eyes and ears as I keep a close eye on the flight lead and try to mirror his every move.



At the termination of the valley we take a hard left turn, increase airspeed and drop even closer to the ground as we storm across the flat coastal plain. The flight lead is calm and cool as we hit our waypoints and the coast rushes ever closer. He pops up a couple of times to do a visual scan and I have trouble matching his maneuvering. Several times I lose sight of him as he is obscured by the frame of the cockpit and I have to roll aggressively and desperately search in order to pick him up again.





As I acquire him visually to my left and a bit below me I dive down onto him and pop my speedbrakes out to avoid an overshoot. Just then I see smoke and flames shoot from his aircraft. Flares? Oh shi#...flares!! If he’s popping flares there must be a reason!



I too pop some flares and reef my jet around into a hard right turn – pulling G’s and feeling the aircraft burble on the edge of stalling out. I ease off the stick a bit, glance at the AOA meter, and kept it bouncing around near redline (critical AOA or stall). Looking back up out of the cockpit I scan desperately looking for my flight lead but can’t spot him. All around me however things are blowing up and I can see tracers and shells crisscrossing the fields all around me.





A dramatic battle is taking place before my eyes as enemy and allied forces race at each other in a lethal barrage of artillery and armor piercing tank rounds. The hulks of burned out tanks sit glowing on the battlefield while other buildings and structures smolder and power transmission towers lay crumpled across the ground.



Cont…



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#2094191 - 12/22/06 06:17 AM Re: LOMAC/FC: Training Mission #06  
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BeachAV8R Offline
Lifer
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Out of the corner of my eye I spot a pair of friendly Mi-24 “Hind” attack helicopters closing in on the battlefield from the north as they eject flare after flare in an attempt to distract heat seeking missiles.





Between keeping an eye on my altitude and glancing around frantically looking for my flight lead I also spot another flight of Apache attack helicopters and watch as a line of tracers blot the lead Apache from the sky.



Suitably impressed, I drop another few meters closer to the deck and push my throttles to the stops. As I zoom through 900 kph the airframe starts to buffet and I lock my eyes on the vertical speed and radar altimeter readouts hoping not to smear myself across the ground.



High above a C-130 wanders too close to an air defense unit and a he pays the ultimate price.



Through my headset I hear an unfamiliar “humming” sound and I look down and see my threat receiver lit up like a Christmas tree. Not having received training on how exactly to interpret or use it, I yank the stick over and start popping flares hopping I'm not about to be hit by a missile.





Then I see white blobs zipping across my canopy. They are shooting at me!? What the hell!? I didn’t do anything to them!



Cont...



#2094192 - 12/22/06 06:17 AM Re: LOMAC/FC: Training Mission #06  
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BeachAV8R Offline
Lifer
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Lifer

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The first unit must have had trouble leading me because the rounds all passed harmlessly a few meters behind my tail and I whooped figuring I had them beat with my ultra-high speed. Unfortunately I was headed right at another gaggle of vehicles and the head on shot with no relative motion was a piece of cake for the enemy gunner. I watch the yellow tracers arc up from below and I hear a dull “thump-thump” and the airframe shakes violently causing the HUD to momentarily blur.



Shi#! I’m hit..! I didn’t know it right at the moment, but a few seconds later I learn my left engine is on fire.



Glancing over my left shoulder I see the tracers drop off behind me and in a few seconds the threat receiver goes silent. I can see the glow of the left engine fire reflected on my empty pylon brackets under the wing. That can’t be good! A glance at the engine instruments shows the left engine ITT pegged.





I quickly reach for the engine shut-down command but then stop for a few seconds. Crap..is it ALT-END or SHIFT-END??! Why didn’t I just remap those commands to “L” and “R” or left and right bracket keys or something and get rid of the confusion? Taking a few seconds to look down at my keycard I confirm it is “ALT-END” all the while thinking my aircraft is going to explode. After pressing the right key the engine winds down and the fire goes out. I continue on to the west pulling away from the raging battle as the ground combatants take aim at each other instead of me.



Just off to the west I can see an airfield that I assume is in friendly territory since it lies behind the attacking enemy ground troops. Whatever the case I want to get this crate on the ground as soon as possible so I head over the field and enter a right downwind for the runway.



With no weapons or pylons on the wings my aircraft is fairly light and controllability on a single engine is quite manageable, requiring only a little bit of bank into the operative engine and a smidge of rudder. I fly my pattern a little too tight though and end up with some excess airspeed on short final and elect to go around rather than try to salvage the poor approach.



As I firewall the throttle to go around the nose slews to the left requiring a good bit of rudder to counter and as I pitch up slightly to climb away the airspeed decays rapidly. Damn…I thought I had hit the toggle switch to retract the speedbrakes but the performance is really lagging. I hit the toggle again and to my horror I realize the speedbrakes are stuck in the extended position!! Fortunately I never lowered the flaps beyond the approach setting so even though I can’t get them to retract I’m not suffering the extra drag of landing flaps. As my airspeed continues to decay I ease the nose down slightly and level the aircraft instead of trying to climb. Very slowly the airspeed starts to build and finally I’m able to start climbing slightly. I check the cockpit and sure enough the hydraulic system #1 failure light is illuminated. I briefly panic wondering if the landing gear is run from that system so I throw the gear back down and I’m relieved to hear it thunk down into place.



Cont...



#2094193 - 12/22/06 06:18 AM Re: LOMAC/FC: Training Mission #06  
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BeachAV8R Offline
Lifer
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Lifer

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With a “sick” airplane I extend my downwind to allow myself plenty of time to get lined up properly and happen to glance down at a nice target – I mean factory – that is very near the airport.



This time my lineup is good and I have no problems with airspeed control since my speedbrakes are deployed the entire time. I touch down, pop the chute and taxi off the runway near the end.



Taxiing down the flight line I have to admit the sexy lines of the Su-27s parked there are pretty alluring. Although I can’t help wondering why they aren’t in the air helping out the war effort.



Pulling into a parking spot I pop the canopy and breathe a long sigh of relief. So that is what it’s like huh? Sure did seem like a busy few minutes! And my mission was only to fly by the action, I can’t imagine how much busier it will be when I have to engage and set-up weapons and do all that pilot stuff. I have a lot to learn still! A glance around the airframe shows the damage to the compressor blades in the engine and some ragged holes around the engine fairing and across the top of the left wing. It certainly could have been much worse.



Meanwhile my flight lead has landed at another airbase (the intended airbase) up the coast to the northwest and I ask the tower to pass along to him that I’m down and safe. No doubt he is going to get in trouble for bringing an unqualified wingman along on his little jaunt down the valley, but it certainly opened my eyes to how busy things get during combat. I’ll definitely try to learn all I can during the weapons training portion of my education.



My instructors back at my home base in Saki are worried that I’m now so close to the front lines and ask if I’d feel comfortable flying one of the straight Su-25s at the base home that evening. I can leave the Su-25T at the base since it is going to require extensive repairs due to the damage I heaped on it. The differences between the two aircraft are slight so I shouldn’t have too much of a problem and I would be heading away from the action so I shouldn’t have any problems with additional tasks. I agree and start packing up my gear for the flight home.



This was a really cool mission to fly and get exposed to the frantic activity of the battlefield. Staying ahead of the aircraft and keeping an eye on the “big picture” is going to be the key to success I suspect.

- - - - - -

Note: I extracted this mission from the fantastic looking When Hogs Fly! campaign built for the A-10 by Andy Stotzer. I needed an action packed mission that had a lot of ground action going on and the first mission in the pack seemed to suit the bill nicely. Thanks to Pat01 for writing the nifty campaign mission extractor tool that allows you to extract all of the campaign missions into individually flyable missions. This mission was originally designed to be flown by the A-10 on the United States side of the battle but in order to have it fit in with my purposes I edited the player aircraft to be Russian Su-25Ts which puts you on the “other” side of the battle. I also lowered the altitudes for the waypoints, increased the speeds, and moved them slightly. I chose not to hang weapons on the aircraft since employing ordnance wasn’t the intent of the mission. Thanks to Andy for creating the mission and I look forward to writing up campaign reports using the A-10 and his campaign in the not too distant future!

Download the edited single mission here: http://www.mudspike.com/lomac/simhq06.zip

Download the original campaign here: http://www.stotzer.com/LockOnStuff/Missions/

Download the campaign mission extractor utility from Thomas’ site: http://www.lockonfiles.com (look under Utilities / Tools)

Many thanks to the awesome modding community that brings us these missions and tools (for free!) to enjoy our sims even more!

BeachAV8R



#2094194 - 12/22/06 07:11 AM Re: LOMAC/FC: Training Mission #06  
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EricJ Offline
Me, just me.
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The manual has a good description on how the threat system works, but here's it simplified. The MIG-21 shape obviously represents your aircraft, the nose is of course your front. The globes represent the direction the threat comes from, while the two bottom ones, the left and right, represent the rear quarters of your aircraft. Steady pulses mean it's scanning you at the moment, while of course a steady tone means the threat is locked on you. The numbers on the bottom represents the type, with 1 usually being fighters while like 6 is usually AWACS. The manual describes the exact type, with "4" being the Vulcan AAA that lit your engine up ;\) Rich did a track on interpreting the RWR, but I think it was Flanker 2.51


|My Books | Home Page | http://562.combatace.com/ |
- 'Nearly everyone felt the need to express their views on all wars to me, starting with mine. I found myself thinking, “I ate the crap sandwich, you didn’t, so please don’t tell me how it tastes.”' - CPT Cole, US Army
- "...parade ground soldiers always felt that way (contempt) about killers in uniform." -Counting The Cost, Hammer's Slammers
#2094195 - 12/22/06 07:37 AM Re: LOMAC/FC: Training Mission #06  
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EricJ Offline
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Another thing regarding AAA, never fly a straight path, unlike you accidentally blundering into them as you did in that mission. Jink jink. Even modern radar technology has alot of trouble with putting a bullet where you think you might be, so maneuvering against a known threat always keeps it easier on you, or hit them from high up, as if the ranges stayed the same, should be around 3500 meters or so horizontally and vertically. So the first sign of tracers, turn away and start jinking, then come back and attack, if you got the position, or unless they were predesignated in the Mission Editor.


|My Books | Home Page | http://562.combatace.com/ |
- 'Nearly everyone felt the need to express their views on all wars to me, starting with mine. I found myself thinking, “I ate the crap sandwich, you didn’t, so please don’t tell me how it tastes.”' - CPT Cole, US Army
- "...parade ground soldiers always felt that way (contempt) about killers in uniform." -Counting The Cost, Hammer's Slammers
#2094196 - 12/22/06 09:18 AM Re: LOMAC/FC: Training Mission #06  
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Groove Offline
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Beach, you will remember my post in your 1st Training Mission Thread. I told ya about the workload which will crush on you when you start to use the weapons in a hostile enviroment \:D

The russian RWR has some limitations. For example it cannot distinct between friendly and hostile Radar waves.

Also be aware of the fact that it will STOP warning you about any threats as soon as your bank reach more than 30 degress. If you come back under 30 degrees and will start working again.

#2094197 - 12/22/06 01:49 PM Re: LOMAC/FC: Training Mission #06  
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Beach your graphics look great, what are your settings?

#2094198 - 12/22/06 01:52 PM Re: LOMAC/FC: Training Mission #06  
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I really need to stop reading these...LOL. Recently I have turned everything on realistic and was really proud of myself last night for going from total engine start to having a really nice takeoff and some really good flying time and then a really nice explosion when I tried to land.

I was felt good about it until I read your report. One day I will be able to do this stuff


Life is tough. Life is tougher when you are stupid. - John Wayne
#2094199 - 12/22/06 03:39 PM Re: LOMAC/FC: Training Mission #06  
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Great report Beach, a really fun read.

Yeah, factory looks like a target for some reason...hehe...

Nice pic of the battle damage. I love the way this sim models damage, systems, in-cockpit, and visually. Very cool.

Now the real fun begins, weapons training. Can't wait!


Pat Tillman (1976-2004):
4 years Arizona State University, graduated with high honors.
5 seasons National Football League player, Arizona Cardinals.
Forever United States Army Ranger.
#2094200 - 12/22/06 10:14 PM Re: LOMAC/FC: Training Mission #06  
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Wags Offline
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Check e-mail Beach, #07 mission inbound.

Look forward to reading the AAR for this one \:\)

-Matt


Matt Wagner
Producer, TFC/Eagle Dynamics
#2094201 - 12/22/06 10:49 PM Re: LOMAC/FC: Training Mission #06  
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BeachAV8R Offline
Lifer
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Lifer

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Got it! Thanks..looking forward to sweating through it.. :p

BeachAV8R



#2094202 - 12/23/06 06:32 PM Re: LOMAC/FC: Training Mission #06  
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Not only are these great training aids, but these reports (especially this one) makes for great story telling as well.

Been looking at a lot of videos at FlankerTraining.com and I am continually impressed by the quality of the videos.


Corsair8X

virtually making history 30mm at a time
#2094203 - 12/24/06 12:48 PM Re: LOMAC/FC: Training Mission #06  
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Thanks for the training sorties AV8R . Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and yours .

#2094204 - 12/25/06 02:14 AM Re: LOMAC/FC: Training Mission #06  
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Ive been doing each mission after reading the reports, Its fun trying to reproduce your results, and usually failing \:\( But Its been a MAJOR help for me, stil some difficulties on landing without blowing tires. But Ive gone ahead and practiced the weps a bit \:\) pretty simple for the most part. and I also have a suggestion, have Eric modify the skin to not have names on it and make it downloadable that way we feel more like were training as well \:\)

Great job thus far, keep up the good work \:\)


Xbox Live Gamertag: DanTheSasquatch please add me!
#2094205 - 12/25/06 02:31 AM Re: LOMAC/FC: Training Mission #06  
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BeachAV8R Offline
Lifer
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Lifer

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Roger that..I'll ask Eric to blank out the pilot names and re-post a link. Great suggestion... Glad you are enjoying the missions...even though they aren't exactly works of art..hehe.. I'm learning just like everyone else though..so the process is definitely an evolution. \:\)

Thanks for the comments Corsair & Crash III too!

Hope everyone has a great Christmas and holiday!

BeachAV8R



#2094206 - 12/25/06 03:11 AM Re: LOMAC/FC: Training Mission #06  
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DanTheSasquatch Offline
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Illinois
Merry Christmas to you too Beach, and hopefully Im getting some gear for my flight sims (my current setup is VERY simple, MS Sidewinder Precision 2 lol, hoping for a Saitek X52 \:\) ) That skin would be a nice present too, I actually got some today, I got a book called "100 Years of Aviation" pretty good \:\)


Xbox Live Gamertag: DanTheSasquatch please add me!
#2094207 - 12/25/06 03:19 AM Re: LOMAC/FC: Training Mission #06  
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BeachAV8R Offline
Lifer
BeachAV8R  Offline
Lifer

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Posts: 24,314
KCLT
Great Head Hunter..the X52 is a nice stick (what I'm using) and if you ever get the chance to drop some cash..the TrackIR4 is definitely one cool piece of equipment that really shines in LOMAC/FC...

Have a great holiday...

BeachAV8R



#2094208 - 12/25/06 03:30 AM Re: LOMAC/FC: Training Mission #06  
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DanTheSasquatch Offline
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Illinois
Well, I plan on buyin the TrackIR4, but unfortunately me having any money at all (let alone 100+) is VERY rare (Im too young to get a job, Ill have 1 next year though) but I definetly think it would be very good, its a must have for full enjoyment from what Ive heard \:\) .


Xbox Live Gamertag: DanTheSasquatch please add me!
#2094209 - 12/26/06 02:09 AM Re: LOMAC/FC: Training Mission #06  
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EricJ Offline
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EricJ  Offline
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Baltimore, MD
Quote:
Originally posted by Head_Hunter:
Ive been doing each mission after reading the reports, Its fun trying to reproduce your results, and usually failing \:\( But Its been a MAJOR help for me, stil some difficulties on landing without blowing tires. But Ive gone ahead and practiced the weps a bit \:\) pretty simple for the most part. and I also have a suggestion, have Eric modify the skin to not have names on it and make it downloadable that way we feel more like were training as well \:\)

Great job thus far, keep up the good work \:\)
I have a splitting headache, so doing the whole skin wasn't A) necessary, and B) I've got a headache. Not trying to be rude or lazy, but I just had to remove a layer anyways. Just download his skin and then unzip the file in the zip file in the Bazar/TempTextures directory and replace it with this one:

http://562.50megs.com/LOMAC/Projects/BeachAV8Rnonames.zip

Merry Christmas!


|My Books | Home Page | http://562.combatace.com/ |
- 'Nearly everyone felt the need to express their views on all wars to me, starting with mine. I found myself thinking, “I ate the crap sandwich, you didn’t, so please don’t tell me how it tastes.”' - CPT Cole, US Army
- "...parade ground soldiers always felt that way (contempt) about killers in uniform." -Counting The Cost, Hammer's Slammers
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