Lesson 02a: F-14B(U) Cold Start Airfield PILOT
Lesson 02a: Introduction
Welcome to the cold & dark startup of the F-14B(U) Tomcat on an airfield! Your aircraft is spawned cold on the apron in Batumi airfield, and you are placed in the PILOT seat. It is not possible to switch seats during the course of the lesson.
Objectives
The instructor will guide you through an extremely abbreviated INTERIOR INSPECTION procedure, the full PRESTART procedure, the full ENGINE START procedure, and the full POSTSTART procedure for land-based operations, until reaching "ready for taxi". You will then have the choice to either taxi & takeoff on your own discretion without guidance, or to end the lesson.
Prerequisites
For the procedures covered in this lesson you do not need experience on the older versions of the Tomcat.
It is recommended that you first glance over the procedures in order to get a first overview. Look into your kneeboard or the pictures in the briefing window. Following the procedures from top to down, you may then read through the respective sections in the aircraft manual for each aircraft system, although this takes a considerable amount of time and is not really required for accomplishing the lesson. Another option is to hop into the jet, start over with the lesson, and in case you are interested in more details on a certain system, open up the in-game manual and read after while going through the procedures.
System tests
As you will notice, many steps during the course of the procedures are system tests. If you don't want to perform them, you may bypass them by pressing SPACEBAR during the explanations. For the purpose of DCS, these tests are in fact not necessary, because in DCS the aircraft is always spawned in a perfect condition. All such steps are introduced with the phrase "SYSTEM TEST" in the on-screen text of the DCS window. Please note that during such steps, certain levers / switches / controls still must be set according to the procedure, so look out for the label "REQUIRED: " in the on-screen text. This means that you have to set the levers / switches / controls to a certain position, but it is not necessary to perform a system test. The reason behind is that systems covered in subsequent steps might need the specific levers / switches / controls set to this very position in order to work properly on their side.
Interaction
Considering you set everything correctly, you can skip instructions by pressing SPACEBAR, although for many steps it's better to listen carefully before taking action!
Duration
Considering you listen to all instructions and perform all system tests carefully, this lesson takes about 30 minutes. If you skip the instructions and leave out all system tests, this lesson takes about 10 minutes.
Lesson 02a: Keybindings
Before flying the lesson, check & assign all necessary actions and keybindings for the F-14B(U) Pilot! Take special care for bindings that have no clickable control elements in the cockpit!
F-14B(U) Pilot → Category → Axis Commands
| Command | Suggested Assignment |
|---|---|
| Pitch | To be assigned |
| Roll | To be assigned |
| Rudder | To be assigned |
| Throttle Left | To be assigned |
| Throttle Right | To be assigned |
| Throttle (both) | Alternatively assign this if you only have one throttle axis available |
F-14B(U) Pilot → Category → Stick
| Command | Suggested Assignment |
|---|---|
| Autopilot Reference / Nosewheel Steering Toggle | N |
| DLC Toggle / Countermeasure Dispense | To be assigned |
| DLC Thumbwheel Forward | To be assigned |
| DLC Thumbwheel Aft | To be assigned |
| Trigger | De-assign Spacebar |
F-14B(U) Pilot → Category → Throttle
| Command | Suggested Assignment |
|---|---|
| Exterior Lights Master Switch ON | To be assigned |
| Exterior Lights Master Switch OFF | To be assigned |
| Left Engine Cutoff - ON | To be assigned |
| Right Engine Cutoff - ON | To be assigned |
| Wing Sweep Forward | To be assigned |
| Wing Sweep Aft | To be assigned |
| Wing Sweep Auto Mode | To be assigned |
| Wing Sweep Bomb Mode | To be assigned |
F-14B(U) Pilot → Category → Communications
| Command | Suggested Assignment |
|---|---|
| Communication Menu | \ |
F-14B(U) Pilot → Category → Flight Control
| Command | Suggested Assignment |
|---|---|
| Flaps Up | Left Shift + F |
| Flaps Down | F |
| Trim Pitch Up | Right Ctrl + . |
| Trim Pitch Down | Right Ctrl + ; |
F-14B(U) Pilot → Category → Gears, Brakes, and Hook
| Command | Suggested Assignment |
|---|---|
| Gears Up | Left Shift + G |
| Gears Down | Left Ctrl + G |
| Speed Brake Extend | Left Ctrl + B |
| Speed Brake Retract | Left Shift + B |
| Wheel Brake Both (Gradual) | To be assigned |
F-14B(U) Pilot → Category → Jester AI
| Command | Suggested Assignment |
|---|---|
| Toggle Menu | A |
| Command 3 | Left Ctrl + 3 |
| Command 4 | Left Ctrl + 4 |
F-14B(U) Pilot → Category → Systems
| Command | Suggested Assignment |
|---|---|
| Seat Adjustment Up | Left Shift + S |
| Seat Adjustment Down | Left Alt + Left Shift + S |
Lesson 02a: Audio & Text
Always listen carefully to the instructor. Assume that everything he says is important. All text is displayed at the top right corner of the screen. The text remains visible on the screen for a maximum of 1000 seconds, until it either disappears after that time, or is replaced by new text. You can access the message log by pressing the ESC key, and then selecting MESSAGES HISTORY anytime.
Lesson 02a: Tips & tricks
To be filled in once fellow pilots send some feedback ...