With the sale, thinking of getting a DC Designs F-14, F-15, or both? How do they compare to the new default MSFS fighter jet?
Want to have fun in these, but also want to be able to use as SST (super-sonic transport) with autopilot for overseas crossings. I cannot seem to find a usable autopilot in the default MSFS fighter jet.
Will either DC designs F-14, F-15 or both be good for both high speed jet maneuvering fun and high speed overseas crossings? Want to buy before the sale ends.
I can get autopilot working as long as it has a vertical speed adjuster (V/S), and “NAV” to track the flightplan.
The F-15 can travel at 1,000 kts with an altitude of 42,000 feet. The aircraft feels premium when compared to freeware F/A 18, I think so. However, the F/A 18’s afterburner animation looks a little better. It s kinda transparent and good looking.
The Eurofghter Typhoon is the worst among all, according to people who know about aircrafts.
Also Black Friday deals are live in the marketplace currently, it is the best time to buy all kind of upgrades and enhancements.
I bought the Eurofighter typhoon months ago because it was cheap. Well, you get what you pay for. However, it does have autopilot for SST, but it is “really” difficult to steer and land.
The Black Friday Deals are indeed why I’m asking this question.
What is better the DC designs F-15 or F-14? Do both have autopilot capability to fly as a SST, or just the F-15?
The F-14 comes in two variants and the F-15 in four. F-15 C/D/E and i. The F-14 Tombact is popular because it is featured in movies. The F-15 has better acceleration than the F-14. According to YouTube reviews. Both are nice.
The F-18 has nicer afterburner visuals and it’s free. The F-15 is quite good; the F-14 is awesome. Just my two cents. I haven’t flown the Hawk, though it gets universal praise.
You’re talking about the default MSFS one? I cannot figure out how to autopilot that, or a separate freeware? I don’t mind paying for one of the DC designs with black Friday deal. Regular price, too expensive.
Yes, that’s the only F-18 in the sim that I’m aware of.
That said, the F-18 has a heading hold/altitude hold autopilot, controlled through the center display panel. You can set the heading bug to follow with a control on the left part of the front panel somewhere (don’t have the sim open at the moment). I saw a YouTube video yesterday demonstrating it, though I’ve never used it myself. I don’t fly miljets in the sim for long-distance cross-country flights typically.
I see that it holds a HDG Unfortunately I cannot find how to hold “NAV” on F-18. That is needed for great circle transcontinental routes where the heading changes. Before I spend any $$ on DC designs, want to make sure that option is available on those A/P.
I already own the Eurofighter Typhoon. Not great, but it at least does have autopilot that can set vertical speed and follow a flight plan “LNAV”. Does the F-15 allow that? I cannot see that the default F-18 permits that? I can set a HDG, which is fine, but I have to manually sit there and adjust it. I cannot plan something like New York to Cape Town and have it fly mach 2+ autopilot while I’m doing something else.
The F18 isn’t designed for transatlantic crossings and even the real aircraft doesn’t have a “route & named waypoint” nav system. You get basic steering capabilities like. Heading hold/select and TACAN navigation which is based off traditional VORs but the frequencies or “channels” are different. For vertical profile, you have altitude hold or attitude hold. You have to fly it to the altitude you want it to hold.
The actual waypoints would need to be loaded by hand into the Hornet via the UFC which isn’t implemented. This is at best a manually flown machine with some basic tools to ease pilot workload. If the MSFS flight planner enables you to load a route, it is purely for amusement and ease of use as this isn’t the way the Hornet functions.
Thanks. That’s what I thought. I have been able to hold heading and hold actual altitude on the default F-18. It is quite fun to fly manually.
The Eurofighter Typhoon indeed does allow supersonic trans-oceanic crossings, since the developer included LNAV in the autopilot. However, it is not very fun to fly manually unless you want to “go to space”.
If either the DC designs F-14 or F-15 also offer LNAV autopilot capability and if they’re close to as “fun” to maneuver manually as the F-18, then I’ll buy one or both while the sale lasts. I haven’t been able to get a direct answer from the community if the DC Designs payware offers LNAV autopilot capability? I’ve heard it does have autopilot, which I’m assuming means at least what the F-18 has, but need to know if either or both DC Designs F-14 and/or F-15 has NAV or LNAV for supersonic global travel. If so, I’ll pull the trigger on one or both and retire the Typhoon.
Indeed I know that isn’t the way the hornet functions or the way any of these function. I’d fly a Concorde or even a futuristic “boom” SST if Marketplace offered something actually designed for supersonic travel, but since the fighter jets are supersonic capable, will use it for “amusement” purposes - like traveling long distances 2-3x faster than B777 or Cessna Longitude.
Best way to do that is use a moving map tool and set the Hornet to Heading hold. The actual Hornet has a pretty “rudimentary” system by our modern commercial aviation standards. It has a database that can store up to 60 waypoints - which you have to manually create and store or have loaded. Of these 60, you can create three “sequences” which contain those waypoints - like a route in our civilian nav world. Those sequences can be made up of waypoints in any order.
So, technically, if the MSFS Hornet or a payware version enabled waypoint navigation, you could manually type in Lat/Lon waypoints to take you where you want to go and in auto mode, the Hornet would fly the sequence.
I would imagine the F15 and F14 would have similar functionality. Modern LNAV doesn’t exist as we know it in these fighters.
Honestly, I’d be concerned too about the flight models supporting that fighter pilot maneuver stuff. I tried several times to perform two basic fighter maneuvers in the Hornet - the Split S and Immelmann, only to have the Hornet go berserk and lose tons of energy in the process. Not at all realistic, or fun. This is what a fighter is supposed to do. I can perform these all day in the freeware Got Gravel Vertigo Racer no issue.
Thanks. Specifically, does either the DC Payware F-15 or F-14 allow the use of “NAV” or “LNAV” autopilot to follow a transcontinental route in the MSFS 2020 Payware version?
The MSFS’s F18 does follow waypoints in a loaded flight plane route.
On the right MFD:
TAC menu
HSI
WYPT
SEQ1
Use SCL button to zoom in/out through waypoints
Use DATA button to get information about waypoints (altitude constraints etc…)
Scroll through waypoints with the + and - buttons located below the WYPT button (This is very important to do throughout the flight, read below)
Takeoff and attain an altitude you’re happy with.
Now on center MFD:
AP
FPAH
CPL WYPT
This will tell the aircraft to start following the waypoint you incremented on the right MFD. Make sure you scrolled to the correct waypoint. For example, if after takeoff, obviously you need to be on waypoint 1.
When the aircraft is 0.5 nm from reaching the waypoint, the CPL WYPT will turn off and the aircraft will switch to heading mode. Don’t panic. Scroll to the next waypoint on the right MFD and click the CPL WYPT again on center MFD. It will now go to waypoint 2 (or whatever waypoint you set ).
You need to manually keep scrolling to next waypoints and click CPL WYPT again every time the aircraft reaches one.
Repeat for remaining waypoints until you reach final.
Whats the use of a passenger plane that can’t carry passengers? Whats the use of a cargo plane that can’t carry cargo? Answer me either of those questions and you will find the answer to your own.