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A Brief DCS Su-27 Review by Eric J


By Skyviper, November 16, 2014
DCS Su-27 Flanker Mini Beta Review By Eric J       The DCS Series began with the Su-27 Flanker back in 1995, and has always been the best high-fidelity flight –sims on the market today.  Now in 2014 Eagle Dynamics has actually improved the flight handling and characteristics of the one of the most popular Russian combat aircraft today.     Flight Model Overall the new Professional Flight Model changes the whole dynamics of flying the aircraft.  Roll is sharp (at the default settings) and once you takeoff you have to trim the aircraft heavily in pitch to make It flyable.  It should be noted that this causes Sticky Keys to be activated if you use a keyboard modifier for trimming your aircraft.  Once you get the aircraft trimmed to your liking however the aircraft handles very well but sometimes there is noticeable downward pitch that needs to be noted.  To get a feel for its handling I usually any aircraft out into the Caucasus Mountains to get a better read on how it handles as opposed to air combat or any related activity.  With the sharp valleys and turns that helps me understand how the aircraft handles, and the Su-27 again once trimmed handles it very well.  A lot of buffeting is modeled (which is a nice touch) and the aircraft bounces around more with the new PFM than the stock flight model that most pilots of the series has been known for.  The aircraft is heavier and you can feel that in the stick when landing, which is a great sensation as now you have to counteract its mass more than you are used to doing prior to the current build.  It should be noted that you now need to retract the landing gear before reaching 450 km/h or the gear will not retract properly when taking off.  Another issue is the Stabilization system control.  This is mapped to the S key by default and should only be used with zero trim.  Remember to pull the stick once you press that key/button mapping as it enables you to perform the Cobra maneuver or you will crash, as the aircraft will pitch down violently and enter an unrecoverable spin.  However since I’m more of a combat pilot than an aerobatic one, I simply remove the mapping and don’t use it.  Needless to say there’s plenty of discussion on the usefulness of the Cobra on various forums so I don’t need to discuss it here.     3D Model/Textures                 The reshaped Su-27 looks like it should, with the aircraft drastically updated to look (in my opinion) like the real thing.  Upon returning to DCS I took a flight in the aircraft before the update (1.2.10) and when I was taxiing in F2 view I noticed the shaping and it was beautiful.  The aircraft comes of course with well-done camouflage patterns as stock and layered PSDs are available on the DCS Site if you need to create your own custom Livery for the aircraft. Naturally the cockpit and other essential areas are always the hallmark of Eagle Dynamics and therefore I don’t need to go too much into detail about that as they’re also well done and deserve a mention.   Functionality                 The new interior has some changes as well, such as the MFD.  Using real data it’s modeled accurately and hasn’t changed much to me, who’s seen the same MFD for years, doesn’t get lost.  The same functions are present, so the transition takes one flight.  Needless to say the radar display is the same, and overall other than graphics changes, functions as normal.  Given that the Su-27 and most Flaming Cliffs Aircraft do not feature the 6DOF system that some other aircraft (notably the A-10C) there’s not much more I can go on this subject.       Major issues so far                 The current build does have some major issues of course.  Again I think the S system isn’t mature enough and needs to be adjusted but that’s my personal viewpoint on the whole thing as it shouldn’t pull you down like that.  Another issue is the fuel use is excessive, which to my knowledge isn’t and shouldn’t be equivalent to a Mig-29 Fulcrum.  Using the weapon load of the images here with a full 100% fuel load the aircraft on a lo-lo-lo profile can fly from Tblisi to Beslan and prior to reaching there I got the “Fuel 1500” warning.  And it has been recorded that a real world Su-27 has flown from Moscow to Paris on one trip (with no aerial refueling) but given the flight profile it was probably a very high altitude.  Nonetheless it is a major bug and should eventually be fixed, sometime.  Regardless the aircraft is fully functional and flyable and those are the only major bugs that I have noticed while flying the aircraft.   Final Thoughts                 The Su-27 is one of the best aircraft to fly.  Even though currently I focus on the A-10A and the Su-33, the new PFM is a welcome addition to the DCS family.  
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A Long Day Comic Strip


By MigBuster, November 16, 2014
By Damian Teo     Join the 354th Bulldogs on a difficult mission over North Vietnam portrayed in this comic strip adventure!   
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Happy Birthday Herky Bird!


By Skyviper, August 23, 2014
Happy Birthday Herky Bird! by 33Lima       'They also serve who only stand and wait'... Or carry cargo, from tanks to emergency relief. Or fight fires from the skies. Or fly around in circles, day or night, drenching the Bad Guys in torrents of tracers. Or any of a number of other useful things. Especially if they have been doing all of these things, and more besides, for, like, sixty years.   The famous Lockeed Martin C-130 Hercules certainly qualifies for that T-shirt. An extra-extra-extra large one, to be sure. Not just to accommodate the elegant but somewhat portly lines of 'Fat Albert', as the US Navy's 'Blue Angels' display team somewhat disrespectfully called their C-130 support plane. A very large T-shirt is definitely needed to list all the many, many roles in which the C-130 has served with distinction, over the sixty years since it first flew, way back on August 23rd, 1954. It's an achievement of which any T-shirt-wearing sixty-year-old can feel justly proud, especially in the fast-moving aviation industry. It's the mark of a true aviation classic and a record few others can rival, let alone surpass.   Yet the Hercules might never have made to the drawing board, let alone the flight line. 'Kelly' Johnston, leading Lokckeed engineer on projects like the P-38, P-80 and F-104 (and later, via the famous 'Skunk Works' on the same company's U-2 and sR-71 spyplanes) was reportedly less than impressed with the initial design proposal: 'Sign that letter and you will destroy the Lockheed Company'. Fortunately for Lockheed, vice president and chief engineer Hall Hibbard seems to have talked Johnston around, for they both signed it off...and the rest, like they say, is history.   CombatACE Members Salute the C-130     CombatACE Flight Line: C-130   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-F2eNtxbqg     Chatting About the Herc with Dels     #Herc60
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The C-130: Celebrating 60 Years of Active Service.


By Skyviper, August 23, 2014
The C-130: Celebrating 60 Years of Active Service   60 years ago, on the 23rd of August in 1954, a legend was born when the second experimental C-130 (designated then as YC-130) took to the skies over the Lockheed plant in Burbank California and made a 61 minute flight to Edwards Air Force Base. Stanley Beltz and Roy Wimmer piloted the aircraft while Jack Real and Dick Stanton took on their roles as flight engineers. Watching from the cockpit of a P-2 Neptune was the legendary designer Kelly Johnson- the man having originally stated developing the C-130 would kill the Lockheed Company!   Though the C-130 took flight in 1954 its conception occurred three years earlier after the United States Air Force realized that World War 2 era transports that were modified civilian airliners could not handle the rigors of modern warfare. Thus a new plane needed to be designed from scratch as a combat transport that could carry 92 passengers or 72 soldiers or 64 paratroopers. In addition to having a 41 foot long and ten foot high cargo compartment, the aircraft would need a loading ramp; something that was first pioneered on the German Junkers JU 252. Only a handful of companies accepted the challenge to design such a plane and Lockheed was awarded the contract.   The C-130 became a huge success for the United States military and various militaries around the world. It was just the plane the United States Air Force was looking for and it can land on short, unprepared runways which allows it operate in most places around the world making it a true workhorse that can execute a list of various roles. For instance, in addition to being a transport aircraft, the C-130 can be easily modified to serve as a tanker and carry out air to air refueling operations. It can also be equipped to carry out scientific research, perform search and rescue operations, maritime patrol, and it can equipped to execute one of its more popular roles as an AC-130 Spectre gunship.   When armed with a 25 mm GAU 12/U Equalizer Gatling Cannon, a 40mm Bofors Cannon, and 105 mm Howitzer the humble C-130 becomes the harbinger of death. Faster than helicopter and slower than a fighter the AC-130 can provide close air support for ground units, provide convoy protection, or conduct operations on high value targets. This deadly aircraft has seen action in just about every major conflict the United States has been involved in sense Vietnam.   Here’s a little known fact about the C-130. For the last 51 years it holds the record as being the largest and heaviest aircraft to land on an aircraft carrier.  A KC-130 piloted by Lt. James H. Flatley lll made 21 unassisted, full stop landings and 21 takeoffs from the aircraft carrier Forrestal. That means that for twenty one times the C-130 landed on aircraft without using an arrestor hook to stop it; something that all aircraft expected to operate from carriers use. It also means that for 21 times the aircraft took off from the carrier without using the catapult system.   Though the test were successful the idea in and of itself was too risky for everyday operations.   The C-130 works hard but it also plays hard too as it takes on another more entertaining role for the United States Naval Flight demonstration team the Blue Angles. Before the brilliantly painted F-18s take to the skies and awe spectators, a specially modified C-130, called Fat Albert, gets the show started. Until 2009 it performed a high speed takeoff using JATO Rockets but had had to stop due to dwindling supplies. After the takeoff Fat Albert performs various high speed passes and displays a combat landing.   Over the years, potential replacements for the C-130 have come and mostly gone. It seems that the only aircraft which can truly replace the Hercules is another, better Hercules. Cue the C-130J 'Super Hercules', first flown in 1996, and which garnered a new round of orders, with hundreds more deliveries to satisfied Hercules customers, all around the globe.   For 60 years the C-130 has been performing its primary role for the military, working for civilians by fighting fires or conducting research, entertaining crowds or tackling any challenge thrown its way. Without a doubt this wonderful plane is truly one of a kind and today we celebrate its well-earned place in aviation’s Hall of Fame.   #Herc60
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DCS Newsletter


By Dave, July 28, 2014
Introducing “DCS: F-86F Sabre”
Belsimtek is preparing the upcoming launch its next flight simulation title: DCS: F-86F Sabre. Current plans are for a pre-order release with access to open beta versions in July, 2014.
Focusing on another aviation legend, Belsimtek is excited to offer an opportunity to pilot a pioneering jet fighter spawned in the dawn of the jet age – the F-86 Sabre. Built by North American Aviation, the Sabre is one of the most well known American fighters of the 20th Century.
The Sabre demonstrated its combat potential in the Korean War, with which this fighter is largely associated. The silver fuselage marked with thick yellow stripes in black outline became a symbol of the air war over Korea. In addition to air combat, the Sabre undertook countless bombing and ground attack missions. Reflecting its combat reputation, the F-86 was built in great numbers – over 7,000 airframes (9,860 according to some sources). The last flying F-86 was not retired from service until 1993, having established a service life record. Some continue to be flown by private owners to this day.   DCS: F-86F Sabre offers an opportunity to learn how to fly and operate this historic fighter as well as employ all of its weapon systems in the full combat environment of DCS World. The aircraft’s multiple capabilities are fully represented in the simulation. As a fighter, it is armed with six Colt-Browning M3 .50-caliber machine guns. In the ground attack role, it can drop free-falling bombs or fire unguided rockets.   Combat effectiveness is enhanced by the computing gun sight and the target ranging radar. Up to four fuel drop tanks can be carried for long-haul missions such as air combat patrols or escort. All of the external stores, as well as the airplane itself, are faithfully and beautifully reproduced.
The flight model is created using original data sources, including wind tunnel tests of the actual airplane. The flight model correctly represents the Sabre’s specific characteristics throughout the flight envelope from takeoff to landing. All of the aircraft’s systems are modeled in great detail based on its technical documentation, allowing the player to learn how to operate all of the aircraft’s systems and the functions of each switch, knob, and button in the cockpit. The cockpit itself is fully 3D, interactive and functional.   The knowledge and experience gained as a virtual pilot of DCS: F-86 Sabre will provide unique insights to this historic aircraft and flying in general. You will feel the difference between taking off light with a minimal fuel load and fully laden with internal fuel and four drop tanks, or what happens as an airplane stalls and how a spin develops in a first generation jet. The F-86 is known as a pioneer in the jet age for its ability to break the sound barrier in a high speed dive. Now you can experience this feat first hand, as well as the complex dynamic effects which made achieving it so difficult! Keeping with the best DCS traditions, the dynamic flight and deep systems modeling recreate a real “living” machine that is a joy to fly and awesome to take into the fight.   Now is the time to make the switch from advanced modern jets like the F-15 and Su-27, with their automated control systems, powerful engines, and sophisticated targeting and weapons systems and put flight and fight back into the hands of the pilot in the cockpit and his workhorse fighter. Aim for the vulnerable engines when targeting bombers using guns only and master the maneuvering fight against the MiG-15 (now in development!).   An easy mode is provided for beginners, which eases flight control and reduces the tendency to stall and spin. Auto engine start and cockpit hints are provided as well. A complete flight manual, including the airplane’s history, construction and systems descriptions, aerodynamic characteristics, flight and combat employment procedures is included. Whether you are a beginner or a seasoned veteran, aviation enthusiast or gamer, this flight simulation has something to offer.
We hope this new title provides our existing fans and newcomers an exciting and enjoyable experience in mastering the F-86 - another pinnacle aircraft in aviation history.
The Belsimtek Team              
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DCS: F-86F Beta Released


By Dave, July 25, 2014
"DCS: F-86F Sabre"
Friday, 25 July 2014
DUXFORD, UK, July 26th, 2014 –The Fighter Collection and Eagle Dynamics in cooperation with Belsimtek are pleased to announce that DCS: F-86F Sabre is available for Pre Purchase - $49.99. Pre Purchase provides access now to the open beta.   http://www.digitalcombatsimulator.com/en/news/      
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