[KC Jones]

Congompasse, your explanation is "fishy" but good.

I like people with a sense of humor though it does get frustrating trying to explain that headwinds or tailwinds have nothing to do with airspeed. KC where are you in Virginia.

Congompasse,

I live in Northern Virginia, Fairfax County (thinks it's the Capital, not Richmond).

If you stop by, please don't bring any fishbowls with you I have an aggressive parakeet :mrgreen:

Btw, nice link to an in-depth discussion.

Anyway, to finish this topic off, yes I do use the TAS speedbar but only for bombing runs. Yes, I can use the bombardier's instruments but I'm too busy with other stuff like dodging flak, bandits, while setting up my Norden etc..

Take care

[and yes, this is a demo picture only - I know I'm going pretty slow]

[Trooper117]

What is needed in the game is a method of determining the airfield height...
At the moment, if I'm in a co-op and start at airfield 'A'.. I simply look at the altimeter and note the height whilst I'm on the ground.. this is ok if I'm returning to that airfield at missions end.
However, if I'm not returning to that airfield, but instead returning to airfield 'B'.. I have no way of knowing the airfield height.
In reality, when I'm flying in the real world, I simply request airfield information along with my radio check before landing.. I'd then recieve QFE and QNH info.. It's a pity that in our radio commands in game, along with our requests for headings to return to our airfield, and permission to land etc that we don't have the ability to request this info..

[.041 Safety Wire]

Congompasse, your explanation is "fishy" but good.

I like people with a sense of humor though it does get frustrating trying to explain that headwinds or tailwinds have nothing to do with airspeed. KC where are you in Virginia.

Congompasse,

I live in Northern Virginia, Fairfax County (thinks it's the Capital, not Richmond).

If you stop by, please don't bring any fishbowls with you I have an aggressive parakeet :mrgreen:

Btw, nice link to an in-depth discussion.

Anyway, to finish this topic off, yes I do use the TAS speedbar but only for bombing runs. Yes, I can use the bombardier's instruments but I'm too busy with other stuff like dodging flak, bandits, while setting up my Norden etc..

Take care

[and yes, this is a demo picture only - I know I'm going pretty slow]

KC,

Northern Virginia also but in Arlington County.

[KC Jones]

What is needed in the game is a method of determining the airfield height...
At the moment, if I'm in a co-op and start at airfield 'A'.. I simply look at the altimeter and note the height whilst I'm on the ground.. this is ok if I'm returning to that airfield at missions end.
However, if I'm not returning to that airfield, but instead returning to airfield 'B'.. I have no way of knowing the airfield height.
In reality, when I'm flying in the real world, I simply request airfield information along with my radio check before landing.. I'd then recieve QFE and QNH info.. It's a pity that in our radio commands in game, along with our requests for headings to return to our airfield, and permission to land etc that we don't have the ability to request this info..

Trooper,

I mentioned if before but I'll mention it again.

Use your peripheral vision to "see the runway coming up". Then its just a matter of mentally remembering what a runway/airstrip looks like when you're about to touch down no matter where it is located.

Unless you're flying an IFR landing you don't really need to know the field elevation.

I know that sounds stupid at first read but its true in real life. Yes, you are given the altimeter (29.92 or whatever) reading for an airport in real life but you don't really use it when landing do you ? Isn't that for "pattern height" compliance to know the airport's altitude ?

That is how I was taught by a real life CFI. Yes, he flys online too just to help folks like you and me.

When I was practicing for testing (there were a lot of tests I had to pass) on a "short field" landing I told him I had my attitude indicator very level and he cut me off !

He said "why the heck are you looking at your instruments while you're landing ?"

I was chastised after that for about a half-hour

So.....I made a desktop screenshot of what an runway should look like near touchdown.

Btw, here's some more freebies for you and others. The FAA manaul in PDF format. Chapters 4-9 are of interest.

http://www.faa.gov/library/manuals/airc ... _handbook/

Here's the wallpaper I used as a daily visual reminder until I could do it in flight. And no, I didn't have all the writing on it.

And yes I was using the speedbar to just very quickly glance at it to note if I was under 120mph crossing the threshold. But that was it. The rest of it was all done with my eyes outside the cockpit.

Good luck !

Congompasse, Arlington County eh ? Maybe we might get together some time.

[.041 Safety Wire]

KC,

Im heading out of town on Thursday, will be gone about a week. PM me your Phone # and I'll give you a call when I get back. You spend any time out at Hazy since you're so close. If not maybe I can give you a tour. BTW no fish here but I have kept budgies and African grays when I lived in that part of the world.

[.041 Safety Wire]

Other things to remember during landing stick controls airspeed and throttle controls rate of desent. If you chop the throttle and you have the runway visually locked in the center of the windscreen. If it starts moving towards the top you are going to be short so start adding a little throttle to extend your glide. If it is moving down you are going to be long. So put the aircraft into a slip to help bleed off altitude. This is a good method when you have no spoilers or airbrakes available. You want to time this so as you round out over the runway you are in a three point atitude and right at the stall speed of the aircraft. Being able to put the aircraft at a precise point on the ground will come in quite handy if you have to dead stick your craft to a safe and survivable landing. Try to always fly a standard pattern with a distinct entry leg ,downwind, crosswind ,final. On the high performance stuff if you are new to this carry a little power during this process until you get the idea of where you need to cut the power to land on a precise point on the runway. A good way to practice this is with touch and go,s. When you hear the tires chirp add power and do the go around making sure to climb to pattern altitude, here you will not have the entry leg just an additional crosswind leg. As you fly downwind glance back over you should often to determine when you will make your turn to base. As you become more experienced you will know when to cut the throttle to give you that precision touch down point. Practice both right hand and left hand patterns though I don't think there are any airfields with parallel runways in this sim. After you master the touch and gos and full stop landings then you can practice picking an adequate open field and practice approaches so if you need to dead stick a landing you will be prepared. The old U2 in game is an ideal trainer for landing in fields and on roads just dont forget to keep the stick in your crouch to prevent nose overs. The stick in the crouch applies to all tailwheel aircraft. After you master three point landings then you will be ready to attempt some two point wheel landings. Hope this helps all you fledglings.

[KC Jones]

Other things to remember during landing stick controls airspeed and throttle controls rate of desent. If you chop the throttle and you have the runway visually locked in the center of the windscreen. If it starts moving towards the top you are going to be short so start adding a little throttle to extend your glide. If it is moving down you are going to be long. So put the aircraft into a slip to help bleed off altitude. This is a good method when you have no spoilers or airbrakes available. You want to time this so as you round out over the runway you are in a three point atitude and right at the stall speed of the aircraft. Being able to put the aircraft at a precise point on the ground will come in quite handy if you have to dead stick your craft to a safe and survivable landing. Try to always fly a standard pattern with a distinct entry leg ,downwind, crosswind ,final. On the high performance stuff if you are new to this carry a little power during this process until you get the idea of where you need to cut the power to land on a precise point on the runway.

Whoa ! You just described (my yellow highlight) one of the tests I had to pass.

Dead-stick from 5,000 feet !

And he wanted me to put it down between two sets of cross-runway lights.

While I'm here I'll share with you all something I just came across while I was going thru my birthday presents. A page from a magazine.

Yes that's the year I was born.

Bummer. I hope its readable. The image I uploaded to ImageShack was 900x1392. I guess forums scale them down.



ps - I'll get in touch with you buddy

[.041 Safety Wire]

Yes,

I had to deadstick an ultralight in from pattern altitude. Powerplant failure on downwind. Being the draggy creature that it was, coupled with a pretty stout headwind, when I made my turn to final the runway was most definitely moving up in the windscreen. I opted for a cornfield, luckily this was in the fall so the corn had already been harvested. Chose the spot added some airspeed to give me adequate elevator authority for the round out. The only other minus was that I was going to be perpendicular to the chopped off corn rows. It worked out well ,as I could use the airplane again. Ah the wonder of the two stroke powerplant! I must add that I had quite a bit of time in gliders and various other fixed wing ac when this occured so all past experiences came into play. KC are you familiar with Chryslers first hemi powerplant. It was a V-16 I believe and slated to power a variant of the Thunderbolt, I think they only built two or three of them. There is one at the Garber Facility. btw Happy Birthday.