Brains suiting up, strappin in

Hi Brain!

Yes it was a fun escort mission! Ka-50's and Mi-8's  I started off line with Flanker 2.0 as well. I still do fly the SU-27 in my down time (don't tell the others :P ) 

Being a fixed wing convert I've owned the Ka-50 since 2011 but only just in the last 5 months started really flying it and the other choppers so I tend to crash a lot.

You'll find a mixed type here, sim pilots and real pilots, and a developer from Polychop. Its very laid back but we get serious when we have to. As a newer group we still are working out things like formation flying, proper brevity (I am the worst with that)! Pick a night when you are free and we can have an introduction flight. Nothing too hard just a flight around the airfield and some targets to kill.

Mission making is what keeps us going. Right now a few of us are making missions to help BadCrC out. We try to fly one "fun night" and one mission night a week, and any other night a few of us may be on.

Let us know when you want to fly and we will send you the Teamspeak info.

BK

Hi Brain. Great presentation! From what I can read, you are a very good fit for BSD. Good to know you are ready to take flight lead from time to time. Our fellow pilots here are not always keen to take lead. We have a ranking system in place here, but it's not really about leading capability, but more about involvement into the BSD community. What is important for us too is to get some members capable of proposing MP missions in order to get some good stuff going at least once a week.

BK told you already, but we are trying to get two flights a week. One fun and laid back where we are going through different trainings (navigation, precision landings, formation flight, radio coms, brevity, whatever you can think of,...) and one with a more serious mission in order to apply what we saw during the laid back ones.

Fun flights are also an opportunity to meet the new registrants, get an idea of their sim knowledge (min req TS fluency/cold-start/good handling of the aircraft/datalink/weapons) and make sure we all agree on what we can bring to each others. 

Next fun flight is most likely Tuesday 0900PM EST. I still don't have a theme in mind but I'll think about it this weekend, unless someone got a suggestion? You can join if you are free this night. BK will send you the connection details for TS.

Welcome!  I would recommend the Gazelle...but then again I'd be fired if I didn't say that. 

Thanks for the warm welcome!

I feel like I can come up with good ideas, not necessarily good plans just yet. I did have some good flights (incl. TS, PVI, DLink) on servers like Open Conflict, but it was still pretty casual and more of a mini campaign rather than a focused MP mission. To be able to lead or create quality content I would need some flight hours in a more professional environment and that's what I'm here for in the first place. Basically train my situational awareness in the KA-50, take note of what is going on and get creative from there.

Speaking of which, it's weekend and I'd love some quality flight time. Calendar looks clear for tonight so maybe somebody has time for a introduction flight? I'd like to use that opportunity to learn about proper patterns around the FARP and maybe navigation without PVI/ABRIS (ADF?)...just if you don't mind. I'm not very good at the 'boring' stuff but I feel it's time to get into it.
I'd just hang out on TS and see who comes alone but I don't have the details just yet.

@BK: I'd marry that plane when I could. Mainly bought it to look at it, I'm so bad at BVR in it.
@Spiderpig: Sorry, not interested in anything less than an AH-1 or Mi-24 ;)

I think you would suprise yourself with the gazelle it really is a fun aircraft

I might be on tonight I haven't done much with ka-50 lately but I can take you through some paternity work and other basic procedures 

Also the Apache has nothing on the MH-60 DAPs 

Brain,

Nice to meet you.  Sounds like you can bring some good ideas for missions.  Many of the membership are ex or current military.  So we are getting a healthy dose of tactics and methods.  This is much of why I joined the group.  

Don't discount the other helicopters.  The Mi-8 offers as much or more challenge than the Ka-50, yet it is not considered an attack helicopter.  Trying to tune an ADF beacon for a downed pilot while in flight, checking a knee board map and avoiding getting shot down is half the challenge and many of our missions will include stuff like that.  The Ka-50 is easy to fly once you understand it's systems, which takes away one of the biggest factors about combat operations - not crashing just because you weren't paying attention.  I mean the Ka-50's autopilot modes make this much less likely at least.  In the Mi-8, though, I had a VRS incident this week because I was too focused on finding targets and not paying attention to my flight speed.  I never felt such life critical factors flying the Ka-50 both because it's auto pilot features, but also because I've always felt the Ka-50 was not as realistic of a flight model as the other DCS helicopters.  Not a detriment - the Ka-50 is cool in so many ways.  But the Mi-8 and Huey make you feel a lot more like you are flying a real helicopter.  It's kind of a technology vs. visceral feel thing.

The Huey is similar to the Mi-8, but not as complex on weapon systems and load outs.  You still have to choose the compromise of more weapons and fuel vs. maneuverability or just being able to take off without forward airspeed.  So some of our missions may involve a Huey with minimal or no weapons flying recon, or troop pickup/drop off.  A mission idea I'm looking at requires a constant stream of Huey's or Mi-8's delivering troops to an escalating conflict with other helicopters (Ka-50s or Gazelles) flying interference.  If the Huey has weapons, then it will be too heavy, yet the mostly unarmed flying buses will be the most important part of the mission - success will depend on reaching critical mass of troops in the area.  So the Huey and Mi-8 offer the most realistic model of what is like to fly a real helicopter, and also offer the most realistic regarding avionics compared to general aviation (no glass cockpits, steam gauges only, more primitive navigation and the need to understand how to use it all). 

The Gazelle is also really neat.  It is probably the easiest to learn due to ease of flight, and simple to understand weapons.  And, it is the sports car of DCS helicopters - very nimble.  The Bo-105 will likely be the same when it comes out.  I like to fly aerobatics as much as combat, so I'm looking forward to the Bo-105.  The Gazelle is a little easier to fly with it's SAS (stability control) once you have it figured out.  Easier to understand it's weapons, but still offers attack helicopter features such as TV wire guided missiles, as well  as rockets and guns for a more personal in your face combat.  And with only a 4300m range on it's HOT3 missiles, you have to use terrain blocking and working with the other pilots as a team to survive as that is well within most other AAA weapon system's range.  

Many of our missions, if they were only Ka-50 based, would allow us to just sit back at 8K distance and pick off targets practically at will.  But the other helicopters require getting down and dirty with the enemy, often in close quarters.  A couple weeks ago, Eagle_Rising was actually pinned down in a Gazelle (or was it a Huey) in an area due to enemy fire just over the hill, not 200m away.  Seeing the bullets fly and series of explosions as the enemy was trying to take him out was an amazing display of fire power.  Mean while, the rest of us were trying to maneuver to take out his attackers.  Alas, we were too slow, so he rose up and took them out on his own after a bit - and survived. 

Just giving you some food for thought regarding the other helicopters.  We all have our favorites, so even if you feel differently, well, that's part of the fun, and a good reason why BaDCrC requires, as part of membership, that all members contribute to creating missions. 

I look forward to flying with you.

Regards,
Michael

I'm up for some flying tonight. I'll send you the ts info if Eagle hasn't yet.

Thanks for the write up but I think I got a good picture of what those helis are going to be like. I started with Janes LB Gold and have since been addicted to helis just like I was addicted to planes already. I just want an attack helicopter. Not because I can 'snipe' from 8km, but because I can charge in with 40mm rockets. I'm fast, maneuverable and can take a few hits. There are also a lot of buttons to push and I really enjoy that ;)

In terms of flight model, remember the KA-50 is coax helicopter. The manual states it has quiet different flight characteristics compared to a classic layout. I'm no expert but I can believe that, so I'm buying the flight model. If it get's more accurate over time that's cool, it's still a bit of a challenge and once 'mastered' a fun to fly machine IMHO.

Currently doing some more practice with S-8 on Dragon's weapon training I believe but will be on for a bit longer I think. So, depending on when you come on I might hop on and do a little sunday drive with somebody.
And no, haven't received TS details yet.

Eagle just sent them for you. I'll be on TS in just a few.

I agree with you on the flight model it is going to be a very different aircraft then any other helicopter but I don't think it is inaccurate.

no one is going to force you to get any other helicopters it's just that others are passionate about their helicopters myself included.

I sent you the TS info if you still want to fly tonight