Let's fly

[sandstorm]

Hi all

It's been a bit quiet on the VG Falcon BMS server recently (UK time). We at the 185th fly on it nightly ( when not doing Falcon Online ) who else flies ??. Let's get the numbers up.

 

Sandstorm.

[Jeffu]

Hello, I've been flying in the FO event as well. I'll have to try and hop on with you guys.

[=VG= SemlerPDX]

Now and then, other games hook me for a short while, but I always return to my absolute favorite.  I told myself I'd retrain in 4.34, and I left off at LANTIRN and Maverick training missions.  Wanted to also breeze through the ILS in bad weather, too, so I'll be online more in the coming weeks.  Trying to force myself to be more regular, so might make a regular flight day just so I stop falling out of practice.  Been doing this for nearly ten years, but whenever I take a few months off, I end up having to re-learn how to ride that bicycle   See you at Angels 20 before long!!
Thanks for flying at VG!

[=VG= Kavelenko]

Could we start a flight school perhaps?

[sandstorm]

Hi guys. Would be good to get a good group together. When you say "Flight School" do you mean  to try get new pilots.? I am more than happy to get people started. I am no topgun (although I am still waiting for topgun ensignia for doing the VG Harrier challenge) but I am happy to run through the basics and ge people flying.. The more the merrier.

 

Sandstorm.

[=VG= SemlerPDX]

8 hours ago, =VG= Kavelenko said:

Could we start a flight school perhaps?

I have a curriculum I was working on many years ago, about the time a group created a website as a dedicated flight school for BMS.  I figured they could do better, so it went off by the wayside.

I could finalize it and assemble it into proper materials that anyone could direct a new player through.  Key features included initial technical setup of controls, bindings, config, all the way through warning/threat sound training using the original TacRef from earlier versions of BMS that still had sounds to play, and of course, directing the player through the in-game Training Missions and Training Manual that accompanies it.

I don't have the patience to be a trainer, I've done it a few times and I'd just about need a tranquilizer if I was to do it again.  I'd rather write up materials, create instructional screenshots in PhotoShop, or short videos rather than sit in a pit and direct a new player around the cockpit.

[=VG= SemlerPDX]

[=VG= Kavelenko]

BMS is a steep learning curve for newbies and a lot of people just give up if they cannot work out how to do the basics.

Its different for the real flight sim enthusiast who generally see all the bells and whistles as part of the challenge or fun of flying BMS.

In reality, fighter pilots would need to have formal training at a flight school (Top Gun anyone? (not that I know anything about it) , but my point is you don't hand the keys of the Ferrari over to a newbie who doesn't have a drivers licence do you? ROFL!

@=VG= SemlerPDX your little training video for the ramp start was a great idea but we need an updated version. I understand what you mean about "training" people its not for everyone it can be a bit like "herding cats".

If Sandstorm or others like Jeffu, Cobalt wanted to start a flight school I would sign up and be the first guinea pig, so long as there's no yelling at me for crashing on take off  or landing on the wrong air strip lol.

 

[=VG= Kavelenko]

4 hours ago, =VG= SemlerPDX said:

I could finalize it and assemble it into proper materials that anyone could direct a new player through. 

Do it if you have time, I'd read it.

 

10 hours ago, sandstorm said:

although I am still waiting for topgun ensignia for doing the VG Harrier challenge)

Its in the mail... .... I posted it yesterday.

[=VG= SemlerPDX]

I'd love to bring back the Medals and Ribbons module for this website.  Was a great way to have a history of activity at VG over time, and gives us the ability to do things like that ensignia thingy if desired.  I did it once for a series of game events, participants received campaign ribbons for their profile that included the date of the event, and a special one for those who all three parts of the event.  I miss that.  Thing is, I looked into it, and I don't want to pay for some IPS module that someone else did (annual renewal fees, ug!), so it would take some talent on our end to craft.  PHP anyone?

We'll see what's possible in time, just a thought.

[=VG= Kavelenko]

On 9/13/2019 at 3:23 AM, =VG= SemlerPDX said:

I end up having to re-learn how to ride that bicycle

Me too, I need a stripped down version of the ramp start so I don't waste time checking shit you never need in a flight. I had a voice attack based ramp-start which I could call and it automatically did the procedure in about 3 minutes flat, but then they upgraded BMS and it wouldn't bloody work. I haven't been motivated enough to modify the old version. 

[Jeffu]

What exactly do you guys need from a guide? I made a stripped down ramp start video in 4.33 a few years ago but never made it public.

It covers the basics of starting the jet and powering up the systems as well as radio basics.

It needs revision, doing the throttle movement part in 4.34 will lead to engine failure on startup. In 4.34 it needs to be kept stationary until the throttle detent is clicked.

 

 

[=VG= Kavelenko]

10 minutes ago, Jeffu said:

In 4.34 it needs to be kept stationary until the throttle detent is clicked

What? Is there a new update? I have 4.33.5 Build 16084 installed.

[Jeffu]

New version came out in April: https://www.benchmarksims.org/forum/showthread.php?35505-Falcon-BMS-4-34-Full-Installer

[=VG= Kavelenko]

Great Ramp Start video Jeffu, that was real easy to follow. So do we need to install this new version to fly on the server or not?

[=VG= SemlerPDX]

lol - yea.  You must have been away at the time.  It's a standalone, so you don't uninstall 4.33.5 if you don't want to, for example I still have 4.32 and 4.33 and now 4.34 installed on my PC, and can fire up any of them and fly.

But yea, we're on 4.34 now, and there have been some notable changes to the radios and the SOP for taxi/takeoff/departure/approach/landing/etc.  The presets have changed and Jeffu's guide on Radios in 4.34 talks all about it.  Of course, complete information is in the included docs folder.

The cockpit looks a little different, too, IIRC with the T-ILS knob missing, gone digital or something.  I had to retrain for that, threw me for a loop first time I tried to come in for a landing in 4.34

[=VG= Kavelenko]

Ok installed 4.34. I noticed that in the Ground Ops training mission my throttle is  not responding in other training missions its ok, I guess they missed that bug.

[sandstorm]

I think a few of us have done Ramp Start guides.. We should have our own training video channel on YouTube. I will happily start redoing videos again.

 

 

[=VG= Kavelenko]

I'd love an official SOP for fragging a flight on the VG BMS server, I've forgotten what Sem showed me and it would be good to have that procedure properly documented so there's no complaints when someone else does it.

All the videos I've seen on fragging a flight seem to be overly complicated. We should all know how to correctly frag a flight, ramp start from an airfield and/or carrier and do a mission.

[Blu3wolf]

On 9/14/2019 at 2:35 PM, =VG= Kavelenko said:

Me too, I need a stripped down version of the ramp start so I don't waste time checking shit you never need in a flight.

Well, the best place to start would be with the flight manual. Print out the startup, then start crossing out items you feel are a waste of your time.

On 9/14/2019 at 5:55 AM, =VG= Kavelenko said:

In reality, fighter pilots would need to have formal training at a flight school (Top Gun anyone? (not that I know anything about it) , but my point is you don't hand the keys of the Ferrari over to a newbie who doesn't have a drivers licence do you? ROFL!

Top Gun was a polishing program. The students there were already qualified fighter pilots, going through a refresher intended to bring their substandard skills up to scratch.

For the USAF, fresh students first go through UPT, undergraduate pilot training. This is "how to be a pilot" essentially. The initial portion of UPT is the same for all students, and towards the end you get put into different aircraft depending on your performance. For the fighter/bomber track, you finish UPT flying the T-38. From graduating UPT, your next step would be the B course for the F-16, IQT (Initial Qualification Training), followed by the A course, MQT (Mission Qualification Training). IQT has you training to fly the F-16, and you learn to perform many specific tasks, but no actual tactics as such, more just training techniques and procedures. IQT is completed at a training squadron, but MQT is done at your assigned combat squadron, and focuses on qualifying you on the squadrons specific mission or missions.

So yes, USAF fighter pilots have formal training at two different flight schools before they are assigned to their squadron, and still require further training before they are considered Basic Mission Capable.

[=VG= Kavelenko]

2 hours ago, Blu3wolf said:

So yes, USAF fighter pilots have formal training at two different flight schools before they are assigned to their squadron, and still require further training before they are considered Basic Mission Capable.

This is exactly what I'd like to see done on our VG server (for those who wish to do it).

[=VG= SemlerPDX]

Welcome to our website, @Blu3wolf!  Very helpful & detailed info on combat flight training, thanks!   

@=VG= Kavelenko  The difference with a real pilot vs. what we do is that we enjoy going out on whatever mission piques our interest, SEAD, Strike, Air Interdiction, CAP, CAS, etc. and in the real world, squadrons are built upon specialties in a majority of cases.   Seems there are multi-role squadrons, but essentially, a majority of squadrons specialize in a specific task if I am not mistaken.  This could get rather boring for the PC sim pilot, so it's good we're not so restricted, and also that VG is a very casual PvE COOP style group - frag whatever missions you want, and even severe losses of player controlled aircraft won't detract from the actual war effort significantly.

A training track might start diverging near the end, while the beginning would be very streamlined.  But having a couple different tracks for players to follow, what to read and when in the Dash1/Dash34 and Training Manuals, and references, would be very unique if they focused on giving the new player the essentials and offering those who want to know everything a deeper dive.  If I wanted to train someone on the AIM-120C, in the F-16, they could breeze through the BVR training, or really get into it and even study a real world manual on the AIM-120C (I just looked around my PC and thought I had one of these, I remember diving deep in the training, but can't find that IRL slammer manual anywhere!).

A training track for VG might include that deeper layer for those who want more, as well as self check tests, and maybe even some kind of formal public test with an already "certified" pilot at VG.  We won't ever restrict who can fly at VG, but I agree that it would be nice to have a small flight school here, or at the very least an informal training track for people to follow to help guide them through the many manuals and aspects of flight training.

_____

I had a mind to create several SOP's for the VG BMS Server, for regulars and newcomers alike, but I still have my own questions about how everything runs in this new version, so it's not the time for me personally to start creating instructional content, though I'd like to before too long.  The materials already exist in the manuals, my only goal would be to make quick essentials guides heavy on info-graphics, leaving the deeper reading to those who want to know more.

Fragging missions could be boiled down to a much more simple procedure, again leaving the details and nuanced bits for those who want to know more.  It's really basic to right click on the map anywhere and add an Air Interdiction with one or three wingmen, I think it's the recon part that gets things complicated as well as the various types of missions.  Fragging a CAP in Mig Alley requires far less recon and additional tasking vs. (for example) an OCA Strike Package, I hope that goes without saying.  Someone might make a dirty 5 step guide to frag a CAP, for example, but might need at least 3 more steps for an OCA Strike due to the extra data on stationary targets, getting that info saved to the DTC, etc.

 

[=VG= Kavelenko]

On 9/16/2019 at 2:57 AM, =VG= SemlerPDX said:

Fragging missions could be boiled down to a much more simple procedure, again leaving the details and nuanced bits for those who want to know more.  It's really basic to right click on the map anywhere and add an Air Interdiction with one or three wingmen, I think it's the recon part that gets things complicated as well as the various types of missions.  Fragging a CAP in Mig Alley requires far less recon and additional tasking vs. (for example) an OCA Strike Package, I hope that goes without saying.  Someone might make a dirty 5 step guide to frag a CAP, for example, but might need at least 3 more steps for an OCA Strike due to the extra data on stationary targets, getting that info saved to the DTC, etc.

Fragging missions is not a simple process especially for new players, I'm ok with setting up for a bombing run but if I get engaged by a hostile I'm generally toast because I haven't trained for dog-fighting in BMS.

To be honest I'm quite happy bombing the crap out of stationary targets for now but whenever I take a break I tend to forget how to do it all, and I spend hours in the pit trying to work it all out again.
 You've been writing quite a lot of SOPs already and they're still useful but with the new changes we might need to update the radio procedures.

[=VG= SemlerPDX]

Dogfighting training is super simple:  Press Instant Action, and get busy!  You can worry about things like weight and balance later - first get familiar with the Dogfight mode systems and have fun with it.

Seriously, though, it doesn't come up much, but it's good to practice.  For setting controls and testing things, I always use Instant Action, and it's a turning game.  Clean your monitor, cuz it's about finding that tiny bird on your tail and getting onto his tail.  Cover the bits in the manual, learn the 330-440 rule (speeds for highest turning potential in CAT1) and watch your G's.  The ACM of the Dogfight mode is a vertical slice for the turning battle, so it instantly locks onto a target in front, within 20 degrees.  And EEGS is my favorite Guns mode, you can set this as well and test out the different modes in Instant Action much faster than a scheduled flight with RAMP/TAXI/ETC.

The Guns funnel of the EEGS gives a great visual representation of where your cannon fire will go.  Try for that one good short burst as you don't carry much ammo.  Give it a try, you'll like it.

[Draft]

I would like to fly with you guys. Where can I find the server information. I am new here