Lesson 03: F-14B(U) Cold Start Carrier RIO
Lesson 03: Introduction
Welcome to the cold & dark start up of the F-14B(U) Tomcat on the carrier! Your aircraft is spawned cold on the parking area of the CVN-74, and you are placed in the RIO seat. It is not possible to switch seats during the course of the lesson.
Objectives
The instructor will guide you through the PRESTART procedure and the POSTSTART procedure for carrier operations, but without actually starting the engines. All RIO systems can be used because ground power and external cooling air are available. Since the back seat doesn't provide primary flight controls, you will then have the choice to either emphasize on the RIO cockpit and the systems (which we highly recommend by the way), 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.
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!
Planned duration
Considering you listen to all instructions and perform all system tests carefully, this lesson takes about 20 minutes. If you skip the instructions and leave out all system tests, this lesson takes about 10 minutes.
Lesson 03: Documentation
If you feel the need for knowledge, you may read through the following chapters of the manual:
Chapter > External ECS Air Supply
Chapter > Oxygen System
Chapter > ICS - Intercommunications System
Chapter > Fuel System
Chapter > Internal Lighting
Chapter > Master Test Selector
Chapter > Ejection System
Chapter > Canopy
Chapter > Systems Overview
Chapter > Link 4A & C Data Link
Chapter > WCS Power Switch
Chapter > PTID
Chapter > AN/AWG-9 and AIM-54 Cooling
Chapter > EGI ALIGNMENT MODES
Chapter > DTC/MDL
Chapter > CDNU
Chapter > IR/TV Switch
Chapter > NAVIGATION CONTROLS AND DISPLAYS
Chapter > AN/ALR-67 RWR
Chapter > DECM Controls and Indicators
Chapter > AN/APX-76 IFF Interrogator
Chapter > Detail Data Display (DDD) and Panel
Chapter > ALE-47
Chapter > BDHI
Chapter > Standby Attitude Indicator
Lesson 03: Keybindings
Before flying the lesson, check & assign all necessary actions and keybindings for the F-14B(U) RIO! Take special care for bindings that have no clickable control elements in the cockpit!
F-14B(U) RIO → Category → Communications
| Command | Suggested Assignment |
|---|---|
| Communication Menu | \ |
F-14B(U) RIO → Category → Systems
| Command | Suggested Assignment |
|---|---|
| Seat Adjustment Up | Left Shift + S |
| Seat Adjustment Down | Left Alt + Left Shift + S |
F-14B(U) RIO → Category → Cockpit Mechanics
| Command | Suggested Assignment |
|---|---|
| Toggle Canopy | Left Ctrl + C |
| Canopy - CLOSE | To be assigned (alternative to Toggle Canopy) |
| Canopy - OPEN | To be assigned (alternative to Toggle Canopy) |
F-14B(U) RIO → Category → Axis Commands
| Command | Suggested Assignment |
|---|---|
| HCU Left/Right | To be assigned |
| HCU Up/Down | To be assigned |
F-14B(U) RIO → Category → Hand Control Unit
| Command | Suggested Assignment |
|---|---|
| HCU Half Action | Home |
| HCU Full Action | Page Up |
| HCU Offset | To be assigned |
Lesson 03: 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 03: Tips & tricks
To be filled in once fellow pilots send some feedback ...