Yes. The F14 will follow a flight plan using either Nav or Heading hold. I really enjoy flying it, whether carving a canyon or making supper sonic transcontinental runs.
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Yes same here the F14 follows the NAV mode really good, altitude is solid too and speed is very good as of now. Yes the afterburner is somewhat okay but not a beauty.
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I mean fighter plane belong to fighter sim like DCS⊠! Dont expect too much in MSFS !
Then stick to DCS. As for this sim, the many happy flyers of miljets like the F-14, F-15, F-22 and Hawk would beg to differ, as would the flyers of WWII warbirds like the P-38L (what a glorious plane!), the Spitfire, the Corsair, etc.
Flight sims are for flying, and some of the planes available for MSFS are wonderful.
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But a fighter plane is just as at home and as welcome in FS as it is in DCS. This debate tends to go round in circles and is always utterly illogical.
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MSFS is about aviation, so every airplane is fair game, and this is an MSFS forum so DCS has as much relevance here as Goat Simulator.
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Great. Thanks. This helps. What is cruising altitude and cruising mach of DC Designs F-14? Can it cruise close to, at, or above Mach 2? Does the F-15 also follow NAV?
I noticed the DC Designs F-14 has gotten excellent reviews, but the F-15 mediocre (just better than Eurofighter). Not sure why?
Look, you seem obsessed with long-distance, high-altitude supersonic cruising. These are tactical air-superiority fighters not âmini-Concordesâ. The F-14B model can hit about Mach 2.4 at FL400, and the F-15C can get to about Mach 2.5 at the same altitudes. But these speeds require afterburner, which uses fuel at a prodigious rate - you wonât hit those speeds with maximum fuel (external tanks), and if you fly them âcleanâ on only internal fuel, youâll still run out in well under an hour, probably closer to half that. You can âcheatâ and add fuel via menus and such without actually slowing down, landing and refueling, but in that case, why not just cue up a time-lapse international flight cockpit video on YouTube instead?
If you want a supersonic airliner capable of trans-Atlantic flights, wait for the DC Designs Concorde, currently targeting February (ish). It was supposed to be this year but SU5-7 have really stuffed up plans for lots of developers.
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No modern fighters, with the exception of the ( real life ) Eurofighter Typhoon, can âcruiseâ at supersonic airspeeds - theyâre capable of them, but as the above reply explains, you wonât last long in terms of fuel etc. Theyâre fighters and are really supposed to be flown by hand.
CodenameJack447 has done awesome work in enabling the autopilot to support higher airspeeds, but even the real F-14 has only a very basic autopilot system like most fighter jets. What youâre asking for isnât really a part of these sorts of aircraft at all.
Regarding the F-15 reviews, the early stuff seemed to focus on appearance which was not as polished as it is now - it took time to learn MSFS and so reviews were harsher as it was considered the first âproperâ attempt at a fighter aircraft in MSFS. Since then reviews have been much better as it has evolved - and will continue to do so with next yearsâ big update for them.
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âObsessedâ is a bit of a harsh word. Itâs that if Iâm going to pay hard earned money for payware, just want to understand what it can and cannot do. In reality, will probably use it more for high speed maneuvers, but if one has added benefit of being able to cruise long distances at high speeds (even if the real life version cannot due to fuel constraints), it is an added benefit of that particular money spent.
So the F-14 has long term NAV capability. Thanks to all who answer the question - appreciate it. Does the DC Design F-15 have this as well, or just the F-14?
Completely understood. And yes, completely understand the reality of the aircraft and that it is primarily meant to be flown by hand.
With that said, do you happen to know if the DC Design Payware also supports autopilot with high speed cruising and âLNAVâ or âNAVâ to follow a long haul route? If so, I will happily purchase at least one of these before the black friday sale ends. Thanks!
The F-22, Rafale, Gripen (barely) and the Su-35 (upgraded Su-27, although this may be for a future variant not actually ones in current service) can also supercruise.
But again, not with external stores and not very long/far. I believe the OP mentioned âNew York to Cape Townâ or something similarly impossible for any tactical fighter. For that matter, I believe routes of that length are impossible for the Concorde too, though I havenât plotted the great circle distance.
Thank you. Yes, this works! For really long haul flights, where I want to run errands or do other things while it crosses the ocean, I can do a âDirect GPSâ option in the pre-flight screen and it seems to hold it.
Unfortunately the default F-18 only cruises at 933 knots (about Mach 1.4), so will have to go to Payware to get closer to my desired Mach 2 cruise. But at least Iâm able to get the autopilot to work.
Thanks for your testaments to realism. I do acknowledge and understand them. That said, want to enjoy the occasional Mach 2ish cruise on âsomethingâ flyable, so before I pay $$, just want to know if either the F-14 or F-15 can handle this (following routes planned in the pre flight loading MSFS interface, whether IFR-low, IFR-high, or GPS, etc). Apparently the F-18 can, it just is a bit slower than Iâd like (Mach 1.4). From some of the reports, it looks like the F-14 may be able to do this. Still havenât heard back on the F-15.
The F-15 can pretty much do the same, autopilot wise, as the F-14. The same team developed both. @DEAN01973 (the âDâ in DC Designs) has already weighed in above. The autopilot stuff is all the work of @CodenameJack447. He can clarify if thereâs any nuanced differences between the two planes in terms of what functions and features may have been implemented in one versus the other.
Apparently the Concords max range is about 4500miles. A NY to Cape Town in one leg is asking way too much I think.
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Yes, of course, I know it is not realistic!
Iâm just trying to have fun when I do that type of flying - unlimited fuel option in MSFS settings when I do that so it doesnât run out of fuel. I donât have 15 hours with my responsibilities, but a Mach 2 - 5 hour-ish â take off, set it into cruise, set the AP to âLNAVâ, âNAVâ, etc. and hold altitude, have fun with friends/family (eat dinner, watch movies, play games, whatever) after everyone goes to bed, watch a quick sunrise, descend, and land. Iâve also done a NYC to NRT. Takeoff in the evening and land late afternoon in NRT (after the family has gone to bed).
Yes, itâs totally an unrealistic âgameâ use case, but before I spend $25-30, I just want to know directly if either of these specific payware will allow me to do that. If so, will happily buy one or the other.
Apparently the MSFS F-18 does allow me to do that, but it only cruises at Mach 1.4. The Eurofighter very much allows this, but itâs handling leaves much to be desired.
I have both the F14 and F15, can definately say youâll never touch the Typhoon again afterwards. I have said this before how theyâre all good in their own unique ways including the Hornet. @DEAN01973 has a long term vision with DCâs products and the aircraft will receive updates over time to make em the best they can be. Either way you go, youâll get insurance and you wonât be disappointed. Letâs not forget that we have F16âs on the way to.
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Thanks. Glad to hear that DC is committed to their products.