DCS F-14A is becoming my main ride

[+streakeagle]

In the absence of my preferred ride, the F-4, I have been mainly flying the F-86, MiG-15, F-5, MiG-19, and MiG-21. I also have some time in the F-14B, F-15C, F/A-18C, MiG-29, Su-27, and Su-33. But the arrival of the F-14A has provided a great stand-in for the F-4: its power to weight is comparable to the F-4, it can be carrier based, it has two seats, its intended mission was fleet air defense, and it can carry 4xAIM-7 + 4xAIM-9. While its performance is still a bit better than the F-4 (around 20% better), its relatively low power to weight gives it performance is about halfway between the F-4 and the other teen fighters. So if you don't use the AIM-54, the F-14A provides the closest experience to an F-4 in DCS World. Of course the swing wing and overall better aerodynamic design is what makes the F-14 a better aircraft than the F-4 with much superior high AoA behavior and low speed agility, so it isn't a perfect fit.

The next closest DCS aircraft are the F-15 and F-5, neither of which are two-seat or carrier based. I would still prefer to fly the F-15 over the F-14, but despite finally getting a great flight model, the lack of full systems fidelity and a clickable cockpit limits how much I can enjoy flying it. The F-5 has performance that is very close to the MiG-21 (which means it is very close to an F-4) and its avionics/cockpit are very similar to an F-4. But it doesn't have AIM-7s and the F-4s strength in dogfighting was normally power-to-weight rather than agility, whereas the F-5 is more underpowered so it leverages its flaps to be more agile in the horizontal than its opponents. So the F-5 is not very good for simulating F-4 operation and air-to-air tactics. The F-14B is easily the most capable dogfighter in the game if you can handle not having fly-by-wire to keep you from getting into trouble, which is quite far from an F-4. It was the arrival of the F-14A that has finally given me something to enjoy until DCS gets a high-fidelity F-4.

So, I have been almost exclusively flying the F-14A for about 3 or 4 weeks. I love carrier operations with the Supercarrier module. I have finally mastered air-to-air refueling. I got some online multiplayer guns only dogfighting in last weekend and found I really enjoyed struggling with the lower power to weight and poor roll rate, but still be able to get the win. I am having so much fun flying it, that I suspect it will remain my primary ride until something new comes along... like the F-8J Crusader, F4U-1D Corsair, or MiG-23MLA. Until some third party steps up to deliver an F-4, the F-14A is probably going to keep my attention for quite a long time.