I have this strange feeling that there is a help document or manual somewhere that I haven't read. I say this as my pilot training is not going well.

After the first two missions where I sit in the back and observe the trainer, things started to get more difficult. For the third mission I got my own plane and was asked to follow instructions from the trainer. I sat on the ground next to the trainer's plane for about 15 minutes and nothing happened. Eventually I noticed that there were options to turn on a tactical display and instructor help. This was a great leap forward for my next mission. I started the engine, increased throttle and took off.

Unfortunately, after taking off I never get to see the trainer's plane again. Does he take off? I get some clear instructions about altitude and throttle but also some more cryptic ones about following red lines to get into formation. I try to follow the red line but it keeps flipping to the opposite direction and there never seems to be anybody to get into formation with and if there was, what would constitute being in formation. After a few minutes the red line disappears and the instructions dry up. I avoid the almost certain crash landing by using ctrl-Q.

I really would like to be trained how to land safely but I don't know how to make that happen. Also, is there a description of the TAC display somewhere? Can anyone help?

Thanks in advance, Jim

Welcome Jim, yep Mission 3 is to take off and follow Cpt Triggers, Shift+T brings up Tac and Shift+D messages on/off. Triggers is probably to the left of you on take-off..Start your engine have a nosy and see if Triggers starts his, take off and if you look behind Triggers should take off, has your climbing keep to the altitude provided and keep an eye out to where he is.

The red line is your formation line i usually keep Triggers to the right of me. if you press T it alternates between balloons, aircraft ect on the TAC ..press it until you see Aircraft and Triggers is the green craft..CTRL+Shift+T alternates between the distance on the TAC if you use 0.5nm or 0.2nm the green line will show Triggers path, use slight joystick controls (up,down L,R and) control your throttle and you should be able to keep him in sight and complete the take off mission.

Welcome to the world's most addictive flights him, Jim!

Adger has already commented on finding your trainer, so I will confine myself to the business of landing. Once you have found your aerodrome, throttle back and begin your descent. You will build up too much speed if you keep the throttle full open. Try bringing it completely back to idle and gliding as much as possible. Your BE2 will still be able to fly at speeds of between 50 and 60 knots. Until you are quite sure of yourself, keep your speed on approach to 60 knots and bleed off as much altitude as possible without flying into trees, telegraph wires, or church steeples. Be prepared to give the machine more throttle if it starts to feel sluggish or wobbly – that's the beginning of a stall. Just before you think your wheels will touch the ground, level off and kill the throttle. If the nose is slightly above horizontal, your wheels and tail skid will touch the ground at the same time for a perfect landing – admittedly unlikely until you have more practice. You might even wish to stop the engine completely at or just before touchdown if your fingers can manage Shift + E while dealing with everything else. When the machine settles onto the ground, let it begin to slow down and when it is too slow to try to lift off again, pull the joystick back slightly. That will drive the tail skid into the earth a bit and help to stop the aircraft. Don't forget to start breathing again once you're down.

Best wishes!

Thank you, Adger and Raine. Lots of useful sounding stuff there.

No worries Jim, any questions just ask, and welcome to the forum and sim you won’t find a better bunch of folks or a better Dev team than the OBD boys. There’s also some excellent mods that really enhance the sim if you’re comfortable messing around with them.

I’ll mention this because I know some folks forget. BHAH II doesn’t automatically download patches so make sure you keep up with the latest patch that’s always posted on the forum (patch 1.34) is the current one. If you do download any mods ..uninstall them before you patch the sim. Happy hunting pal.

Just be wary of Capt Triggers Jim. He's a peculiar fellow. Do not try to outstare him or assert any kind of authority through eye contact. He'll win every time. I tried to change trainers but failed. Just keep your head down. I'm certain he was sent to the home front due to Flying Sickness D. Poor chap.

I now have several "no hospital or morgue" landings under my belt. Things are looking up.

Anyone know the approximate percentage of pilot trainees in each service who died in training accidents? I don't think it was all that unusual.

Fortunately, Jim, you have an unlimited supply of virtual pilots! Until you become proficient at landing, you may want to consider selecting "Pilot never dies" in Workshop, if you haven't done so already.

May you have many happy landings in your future!

Thanks BuckeyeBob. Back to the campaign now with "invincible" mode turned on. In cockpit view mode, I crashed five times and was immediately resurrected to try again. I switched to chase view mode and landed easily. Knowing where the ground and trees are makes it so much easier. I know I must master cockpit view mode though. My new DelanClip head tracker should help.

I did see Captain Triggers land from afar when I was on my fourth failed approach. He must have accidentally turned his cloaking device off. In my sixty odd years on this planet he must surely be the most useless trainer I have yet encountered.

Head tracking makes this sim infinitely more enjoyable. Assuming DelanClip is TrackIR compatible, don't forget to look up some pre-made WOFF profiles you can use. There may be some on Sandbagger's site or you can try a forum search.

As for Captain Triggers, he is a strict "by the book" type of instructor. His methods of training have not changed. At all. Ever. However, I hear the German instructors are even worse!