rlwicker1967

I seldom venture into flying the early Century Fighters but, I decided to get into the F-104G for a challenge. I remember the folklore of the performance of some of the jets but, I've always been disappointed with the results in these sims. So, I'm flying the 1v1 against the MiG-21 which would normally have me in the F-4J. But, I changed to the F-104G. What the heck is going on here? Can I really pull G and have the Mach numbers increase in a turn? Is that realistic? I really expected the speed to bleed off when pulling high Gs but, I was able to increase Mach speeds in a turn and when climbing at a 30 deg angle above 25K feet. Is that accurate? That is the kind of performance I would expect from the F-4s after listening to the accounts of flyers of the F-4 in the videos I've watched. I wish it could carry more missiles! I actually got a "SLOW" alert above 35K in a mission.

Yes, I use the Hard Flight Model settings.I got the slow alert after about Mach 2.22 at 45K.

This is almost like what we are experiencing with SF2! We are still waiting for the WIN 10 version.

After observing the near super maneuverability of the F-15 EX, I began to wonder what would've happened if they applied the same technology to the F-4. Would it have been a game changer? And, what about the F/A-18s?

That's cool! I've never seen that one before. I've seen the AFTI F-16 and F-111.

One time, I hit the wrong button three times and launched three HARMs. I had loaded four so, I figured I could at least get one target. I sat and watched as the three HARMs gained altitude in formation for something like 60 miles. Well, wouldn't you know it, some idiot on the other side decided to turn on the radar just as those three were entering the area? All three slammed into that single site. The funny thing is, I don't think I'd ever killed a radar site before that. So, I guess it might be best to launch the missiles first and then get the site to paint you.

So, an object was shot down over Lake Huron with one sidewinder missing and the second one hitting its mark which is a 50% success. Those of us flying WoV are like, "Really? WOW!" 🤣

Much cheaper than live fire tests. Those target drones cost more than $12.😂

I have been flying this sim series since the original Wings over Vietnam. I struggled with the F-4 FM because I was using the published performance numbers as a reference. Those performance numbers are for a clean aircraft. So, I never realized the so often reported Mach 2.23 top speed with stores. From what I've read, that can't happen. But, Mach 1.4 to Mach 1.6 can be achieved under certain conditions. However, that is with burning a lot of fuel! I also struggled to achieve the published range with the fuel settings at normal. I've found using easy fuel usage actually makes it more difficult to achieve the performance reported by actual flyers because you will always be heavy with fuel. I've also found that taking off, it's best to keep the thrust setting low after wheels up until your flight catches up with you. Otherwise, your flight will be burning all of their fuel to catch up. After that, you need to find a thrust setting that will maintain Mach 0.96 which seems to be the limit at 100% military thrust. Anything above that is just wasting fuel. I've been able to use as little as 40% to achieve the waypoint speeds. One thing I've learned that really matters is to not try to be a hero or an ace in a day. Get your one kill and be ready to GTFO. Delegate task to your wingmen. I've had many sorties with no kills. No big deal.

Welcome! I have just started flying this simulator again after almost one and a half years, because of heart failure. I started with the series Strike Fighters: Project 1. That didn't work too well back then. Then, I got into the original Wings over Vietnam. I will tell you this to save you some frustration. Find a good Mod that deals with the inaccurate flight dynamics of the MiG-17. I just installed a Mod yesterday and for me, it's changed the game. After all the time I've flown this sim, finally found a fix for those Super MiG-17s. I used Aerodynamically Limited MiG-17s v1.1. There may be better ones but, this has made it possible for me to fight them with the F-4. This will save you some frustration also because the missiles are more successful. Good Luck, and Have Fun! https://combatace.com/forums/topic/90358-aerodynamically-limited-mig-17s-v11/

That's why Naval birds have two tires on the nose gear.

I actually got the 'Rona just a few weeks ago. I had a cough, a little fever, and a loss of appetite. I had no problem with breathing. It caused me to miss my dad's funeral. He was 80 and had been suffering from Alzheimer's. I can see how some people are hit really hard with it. I can also see how some people are barely affected by it. I had a fever of 101.8 deg one night. That was the first time I had a fever since March 2010. I'm not going to say these people were lying. I will just say they didn't know what they were talking about. They thought they did. I have Asthma, severe allergies, Diabetes, and Multiple Sclerosis. The fact that I have MS and severe allergies actually means I'm less likely to get a bad case of the virus. I was just getting over symptoms of severe allergies when I got the darn thing. Two weeks prior, I had a really bad post-nasal drip and lost my voice. I started getting my voice back and the bad coughing had pretty much gone away. Well, due to MS, I have to have infusions of Ocrevus, which suppresses the immune system. I got my infusion on Thursday, went back to work, and tested positive on Saturday. The next time I get my infusion therapy, I will take a week off. 🤣 Oh, BTW, I have been in Heart Failure for the last 2 years and now, I have an ICD. I feel so much better now. Now, I am flying SF2 again. During the time I was recovering from Heart Failure, I watched a lot of videos about the F-4 and I'm happy to say, I now know how to get that beast to Mach 2 and know why I wasn't able to reach that speed before. I actually got the F-4E to Mach 2.07 with missiles aboard.

Okay, I was a real pilot. We learned in Flight School that the tires were always underinflated so they wouldn't burst at the higher altitudes with lower atmospheric pressure.

The Auto flap thing got me too but, I had to remember the boat has turned into the wind and we're getting 30-35 knots headwind on approach. With the F-14, I come in at about 140-160 knots and nail it every time. I know with the F-14, you come in with the airbrakes deployed to help regulate the airspeed. I don't worry about the 3rd wire. I just want to get A wire.

Hey Airmen, I was tinkering with the Data.ini and saw MachLimitDry=0.98 for the F-104C. I don't think that should be in there as a limit. The limit for dry thrust should be controlled by Aerodynamics. I tried setting it to 0.58 and, with max Military Thrust, it was held back to 320kts. IMHO, I would think it more realistic to have that setting excluded. I was a real-life pilot and every plane I've flown had the equivalent of a Barber Pole to indicate Vne. I will have to check the stock aircraft for that as I suspect that could be the source of some of the speed problems. I tried \\ to take it out and the difference is amazing. That removes the aerodynamic brick wall phenomena for sure.

I get this but, that parameter is for the straight and level max speed with dry thrust. What I'm talking about is when you start going downhill. If you're at FL400 and Mach 0.96, you should be able to get supersonic without afterburners until the air gets too thick and the drag becomes significant. I remember in WoV, going nose-down in an F-4 at full AB, getting supersonic, and the speed reducing dramatically when going to dry thrust. What I'm saying is, the limit should be based on aero and not some system controlled parameter. I get the terminal velocity issue. That MachDryLimit has nothing to do with that.

Thank you, everyone. I just tried it out and it works. I don't know why I didn't see that in the instructions. Now, I've also changed the annoying cockpit sound to something I like better. It's very fun to fly now.

I can't see any radar info on the lower display. If I have the corner box, it's there but, I don't fly with the boxes.

So, I've learned how to fly successful missions using hard fuel settings. I guess the sim models fuel load effects. I've started waiting until the entire wing is up before going to cruising speed. It takes minutes for number four to lift off but, if I pull up on the runway, I can get them all in position so it doesn't take so long. Now, I have to figure out what to use to attack enemy battle groups at sea. I don't think using GBUs to sink ships is going to be productive. I can't believe this oversight. No Harpoons? Really?

No! No! I had to wait 6 months to save up enough to get the package. Add to that, me buying SF2 Europe to determine if it would run on my system. I think you should do the same.

Well, I did it! I spent the money on the whole package. I'm so glad I didn't spend almost $40 on SF2 NA. It only has one Tomcat and a Corsair II. I think it's well worth it to get SF2 in all versions. I really miss playing WOV. Now, what's up with that non-steering nose wheel thing? I can't believe I actually got the Tomcat back on the deck on the first try! I got a lot of practice with US Navy Fighters back in the day. I forgot to check if the glove vanes work. I will have to check if DLC is modeled. I got up to Mach 1.74 @ FL270 while intercepting a MiG-23 with a big ASM on board. I had to get close because I didn't think to load the Phoenix. There is still that bingo Fuel problem but, I have a theory on that. I'm thinking I need to wait for the pack to catch up because they burn all of their fuel trying to gather up. I'm having bingo calls while I still have external fuel.

Man, I'm really wanting to pull the trigger on this. The only problem is, I now have Stage 3 Heart Failure and I'd hate to have someone find me dead with my stick in my hand.