Hello all,
I have been learning the A-10 and thought I would take a break and fly the F-15 and I am having some issues with FC3. I have started the campaign for the F-15 and the first mission is just an orientation flight. Well I reach waypoint 8 and its time to land. I can’t see the airfield so I call for inbound and I am giving a heading to turn to. Well I turn to that heading and well still can’t find the airfield. Well I thought I would try the mission again, it gives me a heading and it says something like turn to heading 244. My hud shows I am facing 010. I ask for navigation assistance and it says I am heading 240. Is this messed up or am I reading it wrong. Oh the plus the F-16’s have a major bug with its graphics, there are two pods just floating in front of the plane, is there a fix for this?

Thanks,
Rockeye

Default DCS/FC air traffic control will vector you to a point about 10nm out along the extended runway centerline. This is a vector to begin the approach. Fly the specified direction-distance and then turn toward the airfield. If you are being vectored 200 for 7 expect runway 17, you'd fly heading 200 for 7 miles and then turn left to heading 170 toward the runway. for example. Be aware that the vector assumes zero turning radius which will be problematic if you approach the invisible initial point severely misaligned with the runway. Pay attention to the runway assigned and the vector to the initial point. If vectored 241 for runway 03, it's going to be problematic. Vector 241 for runway 23 will be easy.

Also the "navigation assistance" is a heading you should fly to travel to the initial point not what heading you are on. ATC trusts you can read your own heading.

In addition to what Frederf said, there are a couple of more tools that help with navigation.

In your scenario, I find it helpful to set the active waypoint to 0 (if you are RTBing to your takeoff point) and then watch the needle on the HSI. That will give you some warning when you are about to intercept the localizer for the active runway. In fact I've started using the HSI a lot more often. There have been times when I've been chasing the flight director and felt that I was going in circles. Using the HSI while switching between waypoints will help get your bearing sometimes easier IMO than chasing the steering queue.

And I've mapped four buttons on my stick to control the kneeboard. It helps keep you keep the mission's route as a reference as well as give you access to airport diagrams and approach plates. You can also create custom check lists and drop them in \<User Profile>\Saved Games\DCS\Kneeboard folder as .BMP files. You might have to create the folder, but it really works well.

One more good use for the kneeboard map: there are some tall mountains out there. On a recent mission while returning to base, I let down through a layer and came face to face with an immovable object. Just made it over, but it really got my attention.

If I'm not mistaken if you are in NAV mode and you select NAV mode again it cycles to an R&B way point which brings you home. Once you get to that way point it should cycle to the air field. Just follow the path marker in your HUD and you should be fine.

Hitting 1 (Nav mode) a second time puts you in ILSN mode for an ILS approach, displaying localizer and glide slope indicators. I've only used it once established inbound, so would be curious if that is the case. I'm not familiar with the the term R&B, but would that be like an intermediate fix (IF)? Anyway, I guess that I'm stating the obvious by saying that the the F-156C flight manual is pretty thin on navigation. In fact the FC3 flight manual and the F-15C flight manual display different symbology (one traditional steering bars, the other a steering cross) for the F-15 HUD in ILSN mode. Regardless, if I have time tonight, I'll fly some approaches and try to determine how it works in sim life.

OK, so I flew a couple of ILS approaches to Kutaisi (RWY 08). I began about 15 miles to the NW. The first approach I flew the heading directed by ATC when transmitting inbound, and the second I initiated ILSN mode and followed the steering cross. This is what I observed:

1) Following the directions of ATC put me at what would most likely be considered the IAF/IF, at around 10 miles on a radial that roughly matched the runway heading. Once you intercept the localizer, ATC announces "cleared for the visual", but no heading given. Did not try it in full IMC. However if you have ILSN mode enabled, the HSI bearing indicator will point directly at the the runway threshold (or TACAN, or NDB, or whatever), so you can begin your turn before it gets 90 degrees left or right abeam your heading depending on your approach. In my case it was moving toward my 9 o'clock. If I started my turn at about the 9:30 position, it put me nicely lined up with the runway. At the IAF/IF, 4000 ft and 250 kts with boards and flaps out seems to work for me, a little lower if following the steering cross. YMMV.

2) Following the ILSN steering cross instead of the heading given by ATC brought me in a bit tighter, say about 7 to 8 miles out. It snaps rather abruptly to the localizer at interception, so if you are not paying attention to the HSI needle or don't have your eyeballs on the airfield, you will overshoot rather far. You can still make the approach, but it won't be pretty.

3) The HSI bearing pointer always points to the runway, no matter your location. Not sure of the range, but it appears to be at least with all of the presented airfields.

4) At one point I did an Active Pause and while in ILSN mode, toggled through all of the ILSN "channels" via the next waypoint commend. The lower right hand corner of the HUD displays ISLN mode, the distance and time to the runway, but no frequency, channel, RWY heading, or airport identifier. The HSI and steering cross do swing toward the bearing of the selected ILSN runway, but no other way of IDing the airport is available. So, of dubious value.

5) The manual needs to be updated. Some small errors: it states that in ILSN mode that the waypoint is shown. Not the case, not that is needed. The HSI image is not correct in that the bearing indicator has a cross and the manual shows an arrow. When shooting the approach, the GSUP and GSDN or MKR (inner marker?) don't display as shown in the manual. Either that or you have to be really far off the glide slope.

Sort of like ILS approach light. Not all there but probably a good introduction to the procedure.

Edit: Addendum to no. 4. I stated that it is of dubious value, but in fact if your F10 view is turned off, you're in IMC, your comm radio is shot out and/ AWACS and ATC are unavailable, you could switch to ILSN mode, use the bearing and range to two airfields to roughly find your fix, and then rock on.

ATC has no concept of instrument approaches or overhead breaks. It has one mode which is "go to this point, then turn on a dime and land." It's assumed you know where the runway is and can see it. Landing in IMC is entirely the responsibility of the pilot to use an effective procedure and equipment. You don't even have to fly through the ATC approach point. The ATC will "clear you for the visual" if you are within a zone around the approach path even if you didn't fly through the approach point.

Using the ILS as a standalone tool is a common mistake for sim pilots. ILS approaches are reliant upon a procedure to get you in a good spot to switch over to referencing the radio equipment. Dialing in the frequency and just "flying until the bars line up" is not how it's done. It's all so frustrating because a real F-15 has real tools. DCS F-15 is like trying to build a house with a plastic hammer and a rubber saw. They look like real tools on the surface but they are just for show.

The primary indications of ILS alignment are the CDI on the HSI (easier to read if the CRS knob is set to the correct course) and the GS scale on the left side of the ADI. The ADI steer bars (yellow) and HUD cross are secondary steering cues. If you want to land on runway 08, fly so you are 15nm bearing 260 from the field, get down to field altitude + 2000', turn heading 080, line up the CDI needle, and follow the GS needle when it reaches the center line.

That's for sure. While approaching the IF, if you cheat and turn in just a little bit too soon, ATC cancels the approach. If you stay on course to intercept, you overshoot and then only get cleared for the approach once your established back on the localizer. Most of the time the ILS bars on the ADI work, but occasionally only the GS works and the localizer is stuck to the side of the window. The HSI does seem to work most of the time, it's just that it won't let you manually set the course. Anyway, it's the only F-15 in combat sim right now, so I'll make do. Hopefully a mud hen will emerge one day with all of the bells and whistles.

If I want to fly a Beagle I fire up SF2.



The Jedi Master

Yes, JM, I guess if I needed a richer F-15 IFR experience I could fire up the Iris Mudhen. But it has issues as well. Metal2Mesh was supposed to do an avionics upgrade for the Iris product, then announced F-15E for DCS. Not heard anything for over a year. But hey. You can fly a world beating Mirage. Lite Eagle and no Phantom. Meh! :(-