Diamond Practice Screenshots

[shylock]

Hey virtuali thanks alot man.Boy i'll tell ya every week you guys suprise me.Its awesome to have a forum where you can just post your pics right up and not have to use a outside source.Thanks alot.

[micro]

Will do. I didn't want to take up your space, but if you're cool with it... Thanks!

[shylock]

Oh and great job flying that formation and awesome video microb

[micro]

Thanks, Shylock. It sure is fun aint it?! I think some people would call us obsessed. And, I'm finally starting to get that pesky buner loop!

[attachment deleted by admin]

[Razgriz]

Dude!  That is blue angels level formation. Good Job!

Slot may be falling a bit back though.

[micro]

Yeah, the slot is SCARY! I tend to get nervous when I'm sitting back there enclosed by the other 3 jets. I'll get used to it though, and then I'll be able to tighten it up.

That's a sweet angle on that video, it really shows the slot using the rudder to get into position.

[edbob]

Yep, it's very difficult to fly a 4-ship formation in FSX in the Hornet.  Here are some of my screenshots.  I just recently worked up to flying all 4 positions.  I used FS Recorder, so I'm flying all positions in the pics.

Not yet as tight as the real Angels, but I'll get there.

Ed (Ballisticv) Dewey   a.k.a Edbob

[attachment deleted by admin]

[BlakTiger47]

well i found my new backgrounds for the rest of my life. these are some amazing shots guys. im very impressed with how tight the formation is and how close to the real thing they look. i wish i could fly my accel F-18 like that but im not quite that patient. i'm better at the soloing.

[edbob]

Just download FS Recorder (if you haven't yet) from fs-recorder.net.  Get in your Hornet, brakes on, start recording, press F8 for flaps (the Hornet will auto-adjust your flaps from then on), wait about 30 - 40 seconds, raise and then immediately lower your airbrake to signal you're going to run up your engines, run up your engines to about 95% and then release the brakes.  Lift off around 140 knots and then fly straight and level for 20 minutes.  You can do this with autopilot if you want.  Save the recording, then start the flight again.  Move your plane to the right and back a bit with slew and then play the recording you just made as traffic and practice flying with yourself.  You may want to play with your control settings a bit.  I use full sensitivity, no null zone.  (null zone in elevator gave me too many pilot-induced oscillations.)  Once you get the straight and level down, record some flights with gentle turns and just keep working into more difficult stuff.  I also flash my nav lights when I'm going to begin a turn or other maneuvers.

[edbob]

Microbrewst,

How did you get the numbers to show up on the Hornet?  When I record, for instance, Blue Angel no. 3, the recording will show as No. 1 when played back.  Same with all positions.

Ed (Ballisticv) Dewey

[edbob]

BlackTiger,

Try flying with yourself straight and level a couple of times.  Soon you'll be addicted like the rest of us.  Ha!

Ed

[Intrepid]

Microbrewst,Edbob
My hats off to the both of you
I have enough trouble just flying in formation with the AI
Beautiful pics guys
Randy

[edbob]

Intrepid,

Thank you.  I had a heck of a time for a while, but some advice really helped. 

Be sure aircraft collisions is set to off. 

It is much easier if you use FS recorder to start with and do a straight a level recording at a constant speed.  If you're not good at that, use auto pilot (select AP on the Hornet panel and then press BALT) and then Ctrl_R for the speed.  For the Hornet, I often use 350 kts. 

When you get close to the lead plane, use gentle, tiny changes on your speed.  You will have to adjust your speed almost constantly, but in very tiny amounts.  Start out by just trying to maintain an easy distance.  The closer you get, the harder it is until you get used to it. 

Don't refer to your speed in order to maintain formation.  Only look at the lead plane and watch the relative motion.  For me at first, speed control was the hardest.  Then when I got closer, vertical oscillations. 

It helped when I purchased a Saitek X52.  I had been using the Saitek ST290.  Throttle control is not as precise on the ST290.

I have to say that for quite a while I just couldn't get it.  Couldn't fly in formation.  But I got it in my head if others could do it, then so could I.  At a certain point you'll get it.  Don't give up.  The Hornet is also a difficult plane to fly in formation.  It's sensitive in controls and you can accelerate very quickly.  For rejoins, the airbrake can help a lot if you're coming up a bit too fast, but in general you shouldn't use it to maintain formation.  It's easier to learn to maintain position without it.  The pitch-up issue in the Hornet has a very nice fix available here:    http://fsxblueangels.com/downloads.html

It's called the "Airbrake/spoiler fix"   Once you put that in, the Hornet won't pitch up when you pop the airbrake.

Ed

[JamesChams]

Your looking really good guys!

I'll talk to your lead to see about doing an airshow/contest again sometime after Mid-Oct...

Keep Practising! 

[BlakTiger47]

hey ed,
yeah i've tried formation with my bro on multiplayer and we both decided "dogfighting" and soloing are our specialities. its more of a patience thing. were not exactly pros at flyin the 18 so even gettin within 100 feet of each other is a job well done. we've gotten pretty good at doin inverted flat spins simulataniously and thats about as formation flying as we get. its more of a patience thing i dont have enough patience to wait for him to form up on me and he doesnt have the patience to fly in a straight line long enough to get in formation. we love the Blues formation flying we just dont have the patience to do it ourselves. but that fsrecorder thing sounds like an interesting fly. i'll try it out.