Well, we weren’t expecting a Mustang….

A big, big LOL. DCS are releasing the classic P51D as their next aircraft. And yes, it can even fly with the Hog! I doubt if many were expecting that one. Well the hint was a US fixed wing aircraft. Of course, no one thought they would go back to WW2.

“The DCS: P-51D Mustang will be modelled at the same exacting detail as the existing Ka-50 Black Shark and A-10C Warthog Digital Combat Simulation (DCS) aircraft and it will be online compatible with them. Based on many years of restoring, flying and maintaining Mustangs, The Fighter Collection brings its unique ability to portray this aircraft in its full glory.”

Fantastic photo of a flying Hog

A-10C 78-0689 from the 107th Fighter Squadron, 127th Wing (Michigan Air National Guard), Selfridge ANGB, during Red Flag 11-3 at Nellis AFB, Nevada, March 9, 2011. (Photo by Paul Filmer). Source: Warthog News

DCS A-10C picks up gong at SimHQ

SimHQ have given DCS A10C Warthog the 2011 gong for ‘Best Commercial Flight Simulation’.  Not a whole lot of competition in the category as Oleg’s WW2 sim struggled on the apron. Still, hats off.

Combined Arms update from ED

From the ED newsletter.

Development continues on the upcoming add-on “Combined Arms”. This paid-for add-on will allow A-10C Warthog, Black Shark 2, and Flaming Cliffs 3 owners to:

- act as ground force commanders as the mission is running,
- direct ground units,
- set fire missions for artillery and multiple rocket launchers,
- take the role of a Joint Terminal Attack Controller (JTAC).

As the JTAC, players will have:
- night vision goggles,
- IR pointer,
- laser designator,
- Forward Looking Infrared (FLIR).

Several other new items are still being considered. Combined Arms will work in both single player and multiplayer missions.

Latest patch for Warthog is out

And it’s all the one’s for the latest patch for DCS A10 C. Details on the ED forums here. The download is over here and weighs in at a very hefty 1.8gigs. Updates are below and a detailed list it is too. Fair play to Eagle Dynamics.

PATCH 1.1.1.1

GENERAL

• Crash with South Ossetia in Fast Mission Generator is corrected.
• Updated A-10C flight manual.

GRAPHICS

• HDR effect on sun corrected.
• Dust and smoke grenade effects at night no longer appears as if day.
• Fixed building errors at Sukhumi airbase
• Visibility range of rocket smoke marker has been increased.
• Canopy reflections have been corrected.
• Contrail duration time is reduced.
• Corrupted NVG image after long use is corrected.

AI

• SEAD flights use anti-radiation missiles correctly again.
• Crash with more than one aerial tanker in a mission is corrected.
• Orbit trigger action has been corrected.
• FARP and airbase ATC now responds correctly after landing.
• JTAC radio options now appear properly for clients.
• Ground unit logic of driving over bridges adjusted.
• A-10C wingman AI evasive maneuvering adjusted.
• Repeating wingman rejoin messages fixed.

AIRCRAFTS AND WEAPONS

• Fixed occasional crash using CBU-97 and CBU-105.
• Landing gear door animation for Ka-50 is fixed.
• Occasional A-10C engine shut down during start up or taxi is fixed.
• Trim with force feedback joysticks has been fixed.
• A-10C weapon alignments adjusted.

AVIONICS

• A-10C RWR now correctly detects Pyotr Velikiy radar locks and launches.
• Fixed HSI Course offset when navigating with TACAN.
• Hydra MK1 rockets are correctly displayed as Target Practice (TP) in DSMS now.
• Engine oil pressure lights logic fixed. They will light when pressure is low and engines are running or not.
• TGP gimbal will remain stowed now if TGP is OFF or STBY, and HOTAS “Slave All to SPI” or “Slave TGP to Steerpoint” commands have been attempted.
• Manually entered magnetic variation (CDU OPTIONS page) will now be applied to all directions in TAD and CDU. Exception is CDU OFFSET page, which always uses the variation computed by EGI.
• The map convergence correction was applied to TAD. Now the flight plan line is always oriented straight up when the aircraft is flying along it.
• With SCS mode selected CDU STEER and ANCHOR pages will provide steering to the SCS point instead of steerpoint. Same applies to the HUD steering symbology.
• SCS point color on TAD was changed to yellow.
• Flight plan lines are correctly removed now from TAD when SCS is selected.
• Flight plan waypoints auto-sequence is disabled when SCS is active.
• IFFCC target elevation cannot be edited in SCS now.
• ADI vertical steering works correctly with SCS now.
• The last created markpoint will be not blanked from display on TAD in SCS mode.
• IFFCC target elevation will be updated from steerpoint, when it was edited in CDU.
• When TGP entered LSS and if it was SPI source, SPI will be reset to steerpoint. Once laser track have been obtained, TGP can generate SPI again.
• AGL waypoint elevation option is handled correctly by CDU upon loading data from Mission Editor.
• Fixed wrong geographical coordinates position (it was shifted up) on TGP display.
• Fixed: external fuel tanks are red boxed on DSMS.
• Fixed wrong symbols input on UFC upon the first attempt.
• IFFCC hot elevations can be entered via scratchpad now.
• Overhead markpoint elevation is set from radar altimeter if IFFCC hot elevation is selected.
• If DTS fails of goes into search, flashing XXXX is shown in HUD target elevation window. Pressing UFC ENT makes it steady.
• DTSAS Coordinate Ranging will be inoperative if DTSAS is in search.
• LASER CODE MISMATCH caution will be displayed now only if Autolase was set ON in the profile.
• Fixed store settings display in Quick Look profile.
• “IFF” VMU message will be heard now if IFF alert was set up via IFFCC TEST menu.
• HUD is correctly initialized with HARS mode at ramp start.
• Selecting profiles while INVALID FUZING was visible on HUD will not result to wrong sight calculations anymore.
• PBIL jitter (especially in CCIP CR) was eliminated.
• MRS will correctly account now for MIN TOF set in BDU-33 profile.
• DRC now should display correct impact point according to DES TOF set in profile.
• Fixed MRS/DRC calculations for CBU-97.
• DRC/MRS calculations now account for target elevation – i.e. they should work correctly in mountains.
• PBIL does not move oddly (like going parallel to horizon) anymore on low altitude deliveries.
• CCIP pipper does not jitter anymore with CBU-97.
• TGP line-of-sight does not return to the LSS start point anymore when laser track was exited.
• Default CBU-97/105 open height is temporarily changed to 1800 ft.
• Slave All to SPI function was adjusted for AIM-9. Now if TGP is A-A mode, and is SOI, AIM-9 will slave to TGP LOS (other sensors will be not affected), otherwise AIM-9 will slave to current SPI, as well as other sensors.
• So called “initial points” will be loaded with correct elevation into CDU.
• Maverick slew sensitivity is independent of HOTAS throttle slew sensitivity now. Slew logic was reversed – 0.5 is most sensitive, and 9.5 is least sensitive. Adjusted HOTAS throttle slew sensitivity range, and values minimum step.
• Fixed FPS drop down by 30-40% when ILS is turned on.

kinect for PC coming

Full details over on ED forums here

Nevada is not just for Vegas…

Indeed, some nice WIP shots of Nelis AFB in the Nevada map coming soon to the DCS Warthog sim. And there is more detail of the future plans that ED have in mind for this and other sims here. So plenty to look forward to. Honest.

Navigataion training in the Hog

And lots more useful videos from Gerry too.

Useful HOTAS guide for A10C

Oooh, I like this. A very nice HOTAS guide for the Hog. And some other useful links on the page as well. It’s all here.

New flavour of Falcon lands smartly

A new version of the venerable Falcon 4 has arrived from Benchmark Sims and this is certainly a fine speciman. It’s free of course and only the original CD or Falcon 4 EXE is required. To see how well it looks and performs, take a peep at SimHQ’s first look at it over here. I mean, look at that 3D pit….