Flying Eagle

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Bank
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Joined: Sun Jan 17, 2016 9:23 pm
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Flying Eagle

Post by Bank »

After years playing the Arma series and my last bit of time playing with the Zeus community on both server 1 and server 2 I have seen all manner of pilots, and thought it might be a good idea to formulate a bit of a write up on what I've found makes a successful Eagle Pilot.

Please note that this is not meant to be anything other than what I have found to work while flying.


First Steps: Getting to know your ride


The A-164 "Wipeout" is a NATO attack and close air support aircraft armed with various weapons: guided missiles, dumbfire rockets, GBUs (Guided Bomb Units) and a powerful minigun. The Wipeout has a top speed of around 700 km/h and a stall speed of around 130 km/h. It has enough fuel to loiter on station at 1500 meters for around 30 minutes, but can stay for longer. It has flares that can be used to decoy SAMs, and can usually survive a single close SAM miss, but it’s best defense is altitude.

This aircraft has a whole lot of BOOM! and it goes without saying that it can be absolutely devastating when used by a skilled pilot. However, a good pilot should not have the attitude of "kill ALL the things". One needs to remember that while you pretty much have the power of a small god at your fingertips there are many other people playing on the server, looking for fun.
There are three attitudes i have noticed Eagle pilots tend to take. The first, and cringiest, is the guys looking for Max Kills. The worst thing I've ever heard from an Eagle pilot was "how do I check my kills?". The reason this is a pain is because you literally have the power to eradicate ALL the enemy in the AO which is something that is very rude to everyone else on the server looking for fun.
The second attitude is one usually exhibited in the more "milsim" types. They also love to MAXIMIZE KILLS but their argument is that "If this was real this is exactly what would happen, the A-10 gods would just destroy everything so its fine if i do it cause my milsim" I am closer to understanding this mindset, but it still bothers me a whole lot. Once again, this is a game and while a single Eagle could take out all the targets and accomplish most of the mission (bar cleaning up) there is a whole platoon of troopers looking for some action too.
The third attitude is the one I like. These pilots are content to fly high above the AO, hidden and quiet until someone is in need, then they unleash their wrath from beyond the clouds and the enemy find themselves meeting their ancestors with no idea what happened.

Something that I've noticed the best appreciated pilots do is even when given "green on all targets" by command they understand that if they just kill everything there is nothing for anyone else to do. These pilots then engage threats that the ground troops cannot handle, but hold off on just blasting everything that moves.


Your Killing Tools

The Macer
This should be your primary weapon for engaging hard targets such as tanks, and vehicles that are a strong threat like AA vehicles and APCs armed with chainguns. The Macer AGM can lock on and destroy any hard targets with a radar signature. The missile is fire and forget, so as soon as it’s launched you can return to your holding pattern. You are armed with 6 of these powerful missiles, and are the most important weapons to conserve for high threats.

GBUs
Despite what many would say, the GBU is actually a Guided Bomb Unit, not a dumb ol’ normal bomb. This means that although it can be dropped old school without any targeting it can also be guided onto target with a laser designator from a FAC. It has a huge explosion radius, and can damage heavy vehicles and destroy light vehicles with a close miss, and will kill infantry not in cover in a large area. (I've seen a GBU take out a whole squad in a single good hit)

GAU
This is the weapon that people tend to either over or underestimate to their detriment. It fires 30mm rounds at and has 1000 rounds. It is worth noting that the GAU can only fire in 10 round bursts. This will be one of the factors that dictate your use of the weapon. The other, and most important is that it's effective range is well within that of SAMs. While excellent against light vehicles and ok vs infantry, it is less suited to engaging heavy vehicles, although with a good burst you can damage a tank if desperate. One underutilized aspect of the GAU is its ability to devastate squads that are taking cover in buildings.

Shrieker AP/HE
The Shrieker is an unguided (dumbfire) rocket capable of damaging heavy tracked vehicles and destroying light vehicles. The AP version is armour piercing, and as such useful against heavier vehicles, while the HE is good for anti-infantry and light vehicles. One big issue of the Shrieker is that the HE fires from the right wing and the AP from the left, and the convergences is around 500m so take this into account when engaging.

Falchion-22 AA Missile
This is useful for engaging choppers, but I find that it can be tricky to use, and so I tend to use the GAU when engaging air targets. It can lock on, but is easily fooled by the targets releasing flares. You only have 2 of them, and I recommend the are fired only at enemy gunships.


The HUD

Understanding the HUD and how to use it is the first thing that separates ok pilots with great pilots.
Some of the labeled aspects are relatively straightforward, such as the Heading Indicator and the Weapon Selected Indicator. Others might take a bit of explaining.

The first thing to notice that is very important but not often observed is that you have two differing indicators of altitude: Altitude above Sea Level (ASL) and Altitude above Terrain Level (ATL). Once you understand this you can clearly see that the indicator on the right of your HUD indicates ASL (and ATL when you are close to the ground), while the indicator at the top left of the screen shows ATL.

The next indicators to observe are the Direction of Travel (DOT), The Artificial Horizon Indicator (AHI), and the Aircraft Facing Indicator (AFI).

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These are key in gaining mastery over your aircraft.

The Direction of Travel (DOT) shows where your aircraft is going to go if you do not adjust your controls. This is very useful in many areas of flying. The most common use is when flying Nap of the Earth (very low and fast). You can maneuver your DOT so that it shows just clear of the ground. This is very useful for ensuring that you will manage to clear that pesky tree on the ridgeline- just use your controls to move the DOT to point where you need to go to get clearance.

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The Artificial Horizon Indicator (AHI) is a digital version of the classic indicator. This is usually used in Low Visibility flying, but that is not usually an issue on the Zeus servers. It is a very useful tool when combined with the DOT indicator, as will be explained later.

Aircraft Facing Indicator (AFI) is what most people focus on when flying and trying to figure out where they are heading. While useful, it is best used in conjunction with the DOT. Where the AFI points is where the DOT slowly moves (faster if you are accelerating)

The final aspect of the HUD I will talk about is the Continually Calculated Impact Point (CCIP). This is a great new feature from the last update. Think of it as your crosshairs- where it points is where your bullets/ rockets/ bombs land.
There are various CCIP icons for the various weapon systems, and they will be covered in a later section.


Flying the Damn Thing

Flying the Wipeout can be fun and rewarding or really annoying, and it all depends on your understanding of the aircraft and its abilities.

Taxing

The Wipeout has an unpowered, steerable front landing gear. This means that you need to use the main engines to get up to taxi speed, which is around 45km/h. The trick to taxiing without crashing into everything is to keep your speed constant at around 45- any faster or slower and you will lose steering.
Once you have managed to taxi to the take off runway without major property damage you can begin your takeoff. As you enter the start of the runway ensure you are correctly lined up- as you speed up you lose steering and so a proper heading at the start is vital.

Taking off

Increase to full throttle, and once you reach around 210 km/h pull back fully on the stick. Although the Wipeout can take off at around 170, I recommend staying on the ground as long as possible, as this lets you build up speed you will need later. As soon as you take off raise your landing gear and get into around a 35 degree climb. The angle of the climb should be such that you slowly increasing speed until you reach 330 km/h. When you are travelling at 330 turn towards the AO and increase the angle of your climb until your speed stays constant and you climb to 1500m ATL. This will be your cruising altitude.

Hanging Around on Station

Once you have reached a holding station over the AO inform command that you are on station and awaiting orders. Depending on the commander they might tell you you are weapons green on all targets, but before you get all bomb happy there are a few things to take care of first.

Holding Pattern

Once you are at 1500m flying over the AO it's best to aim to set up your approach so you cross the AO flying north - south. This isn't necessary but helps if the sun is close the the horizon. The trick is to fly over the AO at 1500m and 340km/h. Once you fly over the AO continue until you are around 2.5km past it. At this point pull straight back on the stick and apply full throttle. Keep the stick back until you have rotated back towards horizon and are now facing the AO but flying upside down. Roll until you are level. Make sure you keep full throttle until you have pulled right through. (Attempting this at an entry speed less than 340 is possible but not recommended.) Get to 1500m and 340km/h again. This maneuver is know as an Immelman, and is very useful for reversing direction by exactly 180 degrees. Once you have again flown 2.5km past the AO repeat the maneuver. This will be your holding pattern. The resason you have a holding pattern crossing back and forth along the same axis is so you gain familarity with the AO, and gain an idea of attack routes.


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Targeting Pod

Along with the CCIP indicator, another addition to flying in Arma are the Targeting Pods. These are amazingly versatile and can be a great tool in your arsenal.
The Pod is a aim-able camera with a 2 and 4 times zoom, white and black hot thermals, and a host of information displays.
Components of the Targeting Pod Display are pretty self explanatory, there is a grid reference where you are pointing, you can select targets you point at using “r”, you have basic aircraft info like altitude etc.

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Once you are in your holding pattern you can use the Targeting Pod. Access it using your alternate sighting keys, usually ctrl+right mouse.
Once you are in the Pod view you still have control of the aircraft, so you need to be careful. To line up a good recon run using the Pod takes a bit of understanding the basic aircraft HUD as mentioned earlier. Before you switch to your Pod you need to ensure you are flying straight and level. This is one of the reasons you are in a holding pattern 5 km across, to give yourself time to align a good recon angle and time to use it. The trick to steady constant flight is to align the aircraft heading indicator onto the artificial horizon, and then to hold it there until the Direction of Travel Indicator aligns with the horizon. Keep constant throttle, and once you are aligned you can switch to the Pod view and begin spotting targets. In my picture you can see that my aircraft heading indicator and my direction of travel are both aligned on the center of my artificial horizon. Now would be a good time to switch to the Pod.

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OK OK Time to KILL!!!

Alright, so you are cruising over the AO at 1.5km scanning for targets and marking them up and you FINALLY get the call for CAS.

First thing is to decide the weapons system you will be using. This will depend on the target and the CAS request from the ground, along with your discretion. If you are using unguided munitions you will use the CCIP to engage, and if you are using the guided munitions you will be using the Lock on capabilities.


Engaging using the CCIP (unguided)

The CCIP display consists of two elements: The Point of Impact (PIC) and the Targeting Point (TP).

The PIC is where your munitions will impact when you fire, and will vary depending on your flight profile and the flight characteristics of the weapons you are using. The indicator will also change depending on which weapon system you have selected.

The TP is where you should line up the PIC to destroy your selected target. If the target is stationary the TP will be directly on the target. If your target is moving this will be a distance from your target in its direction of travel, so your munitions will impact as the target drives forward.

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The GAU/ Shrieker and CCIP targeting
Although the ranges of the GAU and Shrieker are dangerously low, the CCIP indicator is useful in providing some extra accuracy at range. Using the CCIP you should be able to hit targets at around 700m.
When a gun or rocket run is called in ideally you should be informed of the heading the attack should come from.
Once you have the request and have seen the mark perform one final Immelman turn at 2.5km out but this time adjust after you exit the turn so you are lined up with the CAS run angle. Use the Targeting Pod one final time to spot your targets. Decrease altitude as you approach the targets so you are at 1000m when 1.5 km out.
If you are engaging a hard target you can select it as your target now. If you are engaging ground troops then you will just use the PIC indicator. Line up your PIC indicator on your target (either where you have seen the infantry, or on your target’s TP) and start your first burst at 800m. Be aware that you fire in 10 round bursts, so once you fire try not to make sudden movements of the stick as this can lead to wild spraying of your 30mm rounds (A Bad Thing). Keep firing at your CCIP and once you reach 600m pull up and away with full throttle until back in holding pattern. Don't be reckless and stay too long in the run- remember that altitude is life. Once in holding pattern use the Targeting Pod to spot any targets you missed and repeat as needed.
When you enter your attack run you should be prepared for SAMs and AA. The best method of avoiding SAMs is to be ready to dump flares and pull evasive maneuvers. If you have SAMs incoming you should either try to hit the deck and fly between hills to break line of sight, or if you still have speed and some altitude you can try climb to 1500, although you will have to dodge missiles for longer with this method. Which strategy you use depends on where you are in your attack run and how committed you are.

Another method of attacking using is once you have the target to perform the Immelman but instead of returning to 1000m and engaging from a distance you can transition to flying Nape of the Earth, using hills for cover as you approach the target. This is less advised for a number of reasons. The first is you lose the opportunity to use your Targeting Pod one last time before the attack. Another is you have much less time on target as you fly between the hills. A third issue is you are under more of a threat from SAMs as you fly low.
An advantage is that as you are lower you can engage the targets from closer which might ensure more kills. Another is that once you have passed the target it should be easy to get back into the cover of hills to break line of sight of any SAMs.


The GBU and CCIP targeting
Although the GBU is guided it can also be used as an unguided munition using the CCIP. Because it is unguided once it is released you can return to a safe flight pattern, so this can be quite useful. The GBU can be dropped from a much higher altitude than the effective range of SAMs and AA, so it is much safer for you to use than the GAUs or Shriekers.
Target engagement with GBUs is very simple. Once you have the CAS request, have spotted the markers and have an engagement line stay at 1500m and move to a good line of attack. As you fly level you will notice the CCIP of the GBU might be below your line of sight. If so as you approach the target you can push forward slightly on the stick to bring the CCIP indicator forward. Once your CCIP indicator is where you want things to explode release your load and return to the normal holding pattern. It takes a bit of mastery, but with practice you should be able to hit targets from around 1000m altitude and 1km away.


Engaging with Guidance- Missiles and Bombs!

A second method of attack is to use Guided Munitions (aka Kamakazi Robots). The three guided munitions you have access to are the Macer AGMs, the Falchion AA missiles, and the GBUs. As each weapon is very different in its function and use I will talk about each individually.

Macer AGM
Because of the range of the Macer it makes a very good stand off weapon, allowing you to engage targets before they are a threat to you. To use the system is very simple, all that needs to be done is to line up with your target and select it with “r”. Once it is selected and you are heading towards it your target indicator will change until it stabilizes and you hear a tone. Fire the missile and return to your holding pattern. I usually engage from around 1000m altitude and 1 km away with the Macer, but one thing to remember is to get a visual on your target to see that the path of the missile is not going to be blocked by trees in front of the target.

GBU
The locking and guidance of the GBUs is slightly different in that you cannot lock onto radar targets, and can only lock onto laser target designators. This means that you will have to work closely with the recon FAC to use the GBUs to their full potential. There is a limit to the visibility of the laser- remember that it’s a dot shined on the target, and as such can be obscured by trees, buildings or hills. This means that the ideal angle to attack a laser target would be flying over the FAC towards the target. If the laser is visible to your aircraft it will appear on the radar as a laser icon.
Once you have the CAS request, have spotted the marker on your radar and have an engagement line stay at 1500m and move to a good line of attack.
You will see the laser marker on your HUD. Select it using the “r” key and align the CCIP indicator onto it. You will not be able to select it if it is hidden behind a wall or trees, so you need to have a good idea of where you will attack from. When you are close to the laser marker and at a good angle of attack the target will indicate its locked, at which time you inform the FAC and release the bomb. Once the bomb is in flight FAC needs to keep the laser steady, but if the target is moving he can correct in small amounts and the GBU should still hit.
The GBS can be released at over 1000m and are devastating against armour and infantry, especially when coupled with a good FAC.

Falchion AA
This is used in Air to Air combat, but I will cover that in a separate section.

That’s the ‘basics’ of flying from what I’ve found and a lot of trial and error. There is lots more that I could add, but at 7 pages i'm beginning to flag, and I think my wife is starting to think I'm crazy. Still to come: Comms procedures, AA actions, and landing and rearming.

Thanks for reading so far, and if anyone has anything they would like to add or criticisms please comment!
lucius
Posts: 93
Joined: Sun Jan 17, 2016 4:18 pm
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Re: Flying Eagle

Post by lucius »

I don't do fixed wing but perhaps this will encourage me to do so :) thank you for the awesome guide Bank!
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