Gaming Digital Combat Simulator Thread

[ex-orbinaut]

Well, my F-15C test flight. My frame rate is fine. Not my best first flight; a bit of unexpected excitement at the end. Anyway, here it is;

From Batumi, as usual, up to the rendezvous with the tanker over Kobuleti...

...sorry, can't get the hang of this boom thing :lol:. More practice required.

However, the performance is way better than the SU-33. Mach 2.4 at 45,000, then the zoomed up...

...about 10 km higher than the SU-33. Then down to check the maximum sustained altitude on full afterburner. Level, it was just a shade short of what I had acheived with the SU-33 at the top of the zoom!

Then something odd happened. Back down cruising at 38,000 ft, I applied afterburner and both engines flamed out, about 10 seconds apart. They would not relight (even the thrust levers jammed closed during the relight attempt, and would henceforth not move). No idea why, I still had 1,000 + lbs of fuel remaining. Sheldon Cooper's quote came to mind;

"I believe the appropriate metaphor here involves a river of excrement and a Native American water vessel without any means of propulsion".

I was close enough to Kobuleti (and high enough, obviously) to plan and maneuver onto an approach, guessed a target VAPP that might work...

...and the result was un--believable. Luck, indeed. Now, I wonder why the engines flamed out?

 

[Urwumpe]

Did you overheat the engines? Not that I think that this could be the case... but it would be possible in such a situation. But my guess is a Bug in the vessel simulation module.

 

[Fabri91]

From the jammed throttles it would appear that you inadvertently pressed the engine shut-off combination, but then again, they did not shut off at the same time...

 

[Quick_Nick]

My first experience with the AFM was failing a mission 45 seconds in by taxiing straight into the grass. Doesn't turn like it used to.
The second experience was the lack of autopilots. Woops. I probably shouldn't be trying to engage autopilots immediately after takeoff anyways...

 

[ex-orbinaut]

Did you overheat the engines? Not that I think that this could be the case... but it would be possible in such a situation. But my guess is a Bug in the vessel simulation module.

Yeah, I was watching the temp gauges throughout the flight. At full afterburner they were giving me 970º, IIRC. I was expecting them to vary during the zoom climb at full AB as the air rarefied, but they stayed pegged at that value throughout. Off AB, they drop to around 650º or so, at 96%. I expect if it is a bug, there will be more reports of it soon.

From the jammed throttles it would appear that you inadvertently pressed the engine shut-off combination, but then again, they did not shut off at the same time...

Thanks. That would answer why the levers "jammed" :lol:. During the relight attempts, I cycled the start "switches" off and on. Apparently they stayed "off" by some default, no doubt as the engines were by this stage already damaged. Compressor stall, thinks I? But I was not doing any violent maneuvers that might have disrupted the airflow and precipitated that (that bit of attention to detail would not surprise me).

The "why" of the initial dual flame out is still an enigma. I had not touched the keyboard when it happened. Could it be so simulated that operating the engines at full AB at the top of that zoom climb, way out of normal operating envelope, caused insidious damage that progressed to the failures some five minutes later?

I will try out the same conditions (38,000 ft, 240 KIAS) and apply full after burner to see if the situation repeats itself the next time I have a DCS play, before and after a zoom climb.

 

[Richy]

Could it be so simulated that operating the engines at full AB at the top of that zoom climb, way out of normal operating envelope, caused insidious damage that progressed to the failures some five minutes later?

Possibly. A friend of mine reported, that he had a hard touch down with the Huey, but lifted off again, just to find out, that some five minutes later or so, his rotorhead separated from the aircraft while hovering steady.
It's also absolutely possible, that DCS simulates deteriorating damage (what would be cool).

---------- Post added at 05:04 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:14 AM ----------

Ok, the server is now open.

Name: Richy's Pirate Flight School
No Password

Same mission as usual. But this time, I included the TF-51 and sling loads for the Huey. Bringing them to a specified location grants additional support (haven't testet that yet).

 

[Fabri91]

I should be able to join after about 1945 if the server is still open!

 

[mojoey]

I have a feeling some of you do this already

 

[Richy]

Due to lack of participation and sudden other priorities, the server has been closed down.

A new date would be next friday at 1900.

 

[Fabri91]

:tiphat:

 

[Urwumpe]

I am sorry.. I am still trying to assemble some new furniture, if you ever wondered what is wrong with China, see predrilled holes that in the best fit are 2 mm away from the goal...

 

[Fabri91]

In the meantime, new personal altitude record!

 

[Quick_Nick]

Due to lack of participation and sudden other priorities, the server has been closed down.

A new date would be next friday at 1900.

I'll be on the road home from university then. (unavailable)

 

[Fabri91]

I'll be on the road home from university then. (unavailable)

EDIT: sorry Richy, I miscalculated my travel time on Friday, I'll also be on the road home from university.
I'll be available from about 1930, barring late trains and such.

 

[ex-orbinaut]

Due to lack of participation....

Well, if it's "the more the merrier" then I will try to drop in for a few moments next time, if I am at home and if that's okay with you, of course. Do a first flight "in public" of either a Mig-29 or the TF-51, for a laugh.

In the meantime, new personal altitude record!

Engines all normal when you came back down?

 

[Fabri91]

Ehm...almost.
I was admiring the Eagle from the outside during descent at about 100000 feet when I might have heard a "bang" sound and the I wasn't able to relight the afterburners, but when reasonably normal flight was established again at more or less 35000 feet everything worked beautifully.

 

[ex-orbinaut]

Well, if it's "the more the merrier" then I will try to drop in for a few moments next time, if I am at home and if that's okay with you, of course. Do a first flight "in public" of either a Mig-29 or the TF-51, for a laugh.

No worries. Friday and Saturday at your usual server times are otherwise occupied for me. Have fun!

Ehm...almost.
I was admiring the Eagle from the outside during descent at about 100000 feet when I might have heard a "bang" sound and the I wasn't able to relight the afterburners, but when reasonably normal flight was established again at more or less 35000 feet everything worked beautifully.

Thanks. I was unable to recreate the dual engine failure again on a second flight, so I am none the wiser as to what may have been the cause, either.

 

[Fabri91]

FRIGGIN YES

Sorry for the commotion, but the Eagle is a bit difficult to refuel: the boom is nowhere in sight and the position "helper" lights on the underbelly of the KC are maybe 2-3 pixels wide. On the other hand, the stabilization system of the Eagle makes things a bit easier/different than in the A-10.

The tanker should probably have been set at a higher speed than 290 TAS at 15000 feet, though (notice the flaps).

 

[Richy]

Server is again up an running.

Richy's Pirate Flight School
No password


I tried to include some AI flights as sling load bonus into the mission, but as expected, the AI is only good in beeing shot down.
There's also a TF-51 as reco plane. Because it's unarmed, the AI won't fire at it.

 

[Fabri91]

I'll join in 10 minutes!