View Full Version : To any fighter pilot
-Apples-
08-26-2005, 18:13
Im just wondering when you are flying missions or even just flying to a certian location how much do you use auto pilot if any.. For example while going from point a to point b say flying at 25,000 feet do you have a toggle in your jet to set to 25,000 feet and hit a button so you stay at that alltitude? Same question for speed..
Thanx....
Great question Apples. I've only flown commercial aircraft but i guess the main theroy is the same for all aircraft. Autopilots and there to reduce the workload so if you are just cruising at FL250 with no other reasons why you couldn't plug an autopilot in, i'd say you would be crazy not to.
I'd also like to hear the thoughts of a fighter pilot on this but also a bit more depth on what kind of modes fighter aircraft have. Are they just you basic altitude/heading hold or can they fly to INS waypoints etc?
From memory talking with a RAAF F18 pilot he mentioned that our Hornets didnt even have an autothrottle, which suprised me.
Yes...yes to all of the above.
Do I use autopilot during a combat mission? At some points, yes. In OIF it was a 45 minute flight from home plate to the tanker tracks, so yes I would use autopilot altitude hold during that portion. Once I FENCEd in, I would not use the autoilot, since I was generally changing altitudes and headings pretty regularly, increasing in frequency the closer I got to the target or threat area. Being predictable is a sure-fire way to get shot down.
Yes, the F-15E autopilot has all of the modes you guys mentioned:
- Altitude hold: Either holds the altitude you're at when you punch the button, or you can 'command' an altitude to hold by punching it digitally into the UFC. There is also a "blended" mode, in which you can command the system to hold a specific barometric altitide while the TF radar is on. If terrain approaches that is higher than the selected baro altitude (a mountain, etc), the TFR will take over and fly over that obstacle at the set clearance plane.
- Attittude hold: Push the autopilot button at a pitch angle more than +/- 5 degrees of level and the airplane will hold that pitch angle as long as it has the airspeed to do so.
- Navigation Modes: Heading hold, where you can command a digital course for the airplane to keep by punching it into the UFC. Nav mode, which is coupled to the EGI, will automatically fly you from steerpoint to steerpoint until the INS runs out of points.
The F-15E has no speed control or auto throttle *except* for one situation -- when you command select a barometric altitude for the airplane to fly to (ergo, you're at 15K and you tell the system you want to fly at 25K), the jet will vary climb angle to try and maintain the speed at which you selected autopilot. If you push the power up a lot, it will climb steeper. If you push it up only a little, it will only climb a little.
Thats interesting that someone mentioned the Hornet doesn't have auto throttle because I know it has an ILS autoland mode for carrier landings. Surely that might feature auto throttle? BTW the Russian birds feature some interesting auto pilot modes. One of them on the SU25T features an auto lineup mode while the shivkal optical sytem locks onto a ground target. Probably the most handy for CCRP using bombs and also gunpods.(since the gunpods feature the ability to depress so the pilot doesn't have to dive)
Buckshot
08-26-2005, 23:57
Thats interesting that someone mentioned the Hornet doesn't have auto throttle because I know it has an ILS autoland mode for carrier landings.
Autoland on a carrier??
I highly doubt it
Yes, it does. Them Fighter Attack Guys have things too easy.
Buckshot
08-27-2005, 00:38
wow, ok, learn something new every day.
Subs17 - i specifically made mention that he was talking about the RAAF Hornets as i am sure all air forces would have them spec'd up differently. (Australia doesn't have much need for an autoland function on a carrier lol.)
fatb0y60
08-27-2005, 04:58
Subs17 - i specifically made mention that he was talking about the RAAF Hornets as i am sure all air forces would have them spec'd up differently. (Australia doesn't have much need for an autoland function on a carrier lol.)
A while ago i got to have about 45 mns in an F/A-18 sim at williamtown RAAF base.
on landings the pilot who was showing me around would turn on auto throttle to make it easy for me ( as about 12-13 yrs old) so yes the RAAF hornets do have auto throttle.
AMVI_Surgeon
08-27-2005, 06:43
Yes, it does. Them Fighter Attack Guys have things too easy.
cool! I remeber in a past f/a-18 simulator (maybe jane's) there were two training missions: automatic carrier landing and manual carrier landing.... I never thought it could be possible....
so as said by buckshot, there's always something to learn! :bigeyes:
It's really simple if you think about it. Glide slope is really just a function of angles to arrive at a given point and maintain a certain sink rate. Everyone thinks a moving base would be impossible to make an auto land for. No one realizes that moving or not moving doesn't matter because there will always be variables to be factored in like the wind. The computer onboard donsn't have to even worry about flairing when crossing the rounddown because the jet can take higher landing impacts than most other aircraft can take. Besides, flairing is like squatting to pee!
It features auto take off as well, auto land featured in Falcon3s hornet addon as well I recall. It is definately a feature of the real aircraft, I remember hearing F-14 pilots mention it on TV."man those hornet drivers get it easy, especially at night".
Subs17 - i specifically made mention that he was talking about the RAAF Hornets as i am sure all air forces would have them spec'd up differently. (Australia doesn't have much need for an autoland function on a carrier lol.)
Theres not much difference between Aussie F/A-18Cs and US ones, maybe its a software thing but I'm sure they can all do it.
Hmm... I thought the Aussies used upgraded F/A-18A's.
Buckshot
08-28-2005, 02:02
Yes, that is correct, they are based on A model hornets, they are roughly on-par with the C model now, with a few goodies the C's don't have a few that we don't. I'm sure Goon or Wipsnake will be able to clarify that a little further, (within classification limits as some of the mods are classified).
fatb0y60
08-28-2005, 02:09
wasnt there rumours going around a while ago that our hornets are nuclear capable? my uncle kept saying it and he knows a few people...(the wonderful world of aviation is extreamly small!). I remember not being able to take any photo's of the real hornets in the hangars at williamtown because there were two in for engine changes and they had all pannels open etc. (just incase i was a 13 yr old russian spy! LOL)
Yeah well an F-16 can drop nukes so it wouldn't surprise me if it could carry them.
God Of Thunder
09-02-2005, 02:30
cool! I remeber in a past f/a-18 simulator (maybe jane's) there were two training missions: automatic carrier landing and manual carrier landing.... I never thought it could be possible....
so as said by buckshot, there's always something to learn! :bigeyes:
Sure is after having spent hours playing that sim, when ATC tells you to "call your needles" or something like that you engage the ACLS....havent' played it for a while not sure of the lingo
Luis Javier
09-02-2005, 06:27
...automatic carrier landing system..... automatic launch system....autopilot....
....someday fighter jest will come with playstation game pads.... :mad:
Bests!
They already do...
http://www.eatthepudding.net/misc/bscap002.jpg
Luis Javier
09-02-2005, 07:19
They already do...
http://www.eatthepudding.net/misc/bscap002.jpg
haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahahahahahahahahahhh hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhaaaaaaaaaaaaahahahahahahah aaa :clown: :clown: :bigsmile: :bigsmile:
Good one!
Love that video BTW.
Bests!
lol, that looks like the JSF hotas
fatb0y60
09-02-2005, 09:22
LOL GI....is that from that F-14 video with that song 'wazzup' playing in the background?
I cant remember what its called but that looks familiar, i remember there was a part where the rio of one tomcat had a burger and can of coke in the back while doing barrel rolls.... funny stuff, it's a good vid if anyone knows where to find it
Luis Javier
09-02-2005, 11:01
LOL GI....is that from that F-14 video with that song 'wazzup' playing in the background?
I cant remember what its called but that looks familiar, i remember there was a part where the rio of one tomcat had a burger and can of coke in the back while doing barrel rolls.... funny stuff, it's a good vid if anyone knows where to find it
Hi there!
It is the Tomcat Fling 04.
You can find that video and lots of others at www.patricksaviation.com.
Have fun!
Bests!
Yeah its from the 2004 Fighter Fling
I think it might also have been on the 2003 one but im not sure. They did use a lot of the same footage in both.
i remember there was a part where the rio of one tomcat had a burger and can of coke in the back while doing barrel rolls...
Not much else to do back there, since there's no stick and throttles, and the D models with the APG-71 can have it operated from the front cockpit.
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