Operational Conversion Unit

[Neil Willis]

I have been working on the OCU missions, and having released Op Stepping Stone - the first example - which is really a test bed at this stage. It is clear that a lot of documentation will be needed to back up the mission.

So far I have implemented the following skills:

1. Waypoint inputting - MGRS for this mission.
2. Mission planning - Entering data into the mission planning software in order to obtain fuel requirements, aircraft weights, take off roll, landing roll data,load out entry and the resultant parasitic drag data.
3. Time on target entry and following.
4. Air traffic control, en-route control and range control voice procedures (assuming it is run with a live controller available).
5. Bombing using GBU-12s on a range target.

I have also included airfield equipment on the home air base, which will require downloading and installing a mod and RAF texture replacements. I hope we can include this file, mission planner, the necessary skins, PDF documents and everything else needed to provide the complete mission package on the RAF Air website as a singe download.

It is my intention to address all OCU missions this way, so you get multi-discipline training, in a progressively more difficult series of steps. I also intend to make it possible to fly any and all of the missions from the same mission file by using self-entry of waypoints, and random, but frequent failures so practice of emergency procedures is encapsulated too.

Finally, there will be an optional check-ride mission, which will enable pilots to demonstrate their skills under exam conditions in order to obtain a rating. This could take the form of milestone check-rides in between missions giving a graded qualification scheme.

The difficult thing now will be designing missions that are pitched at the right level of difficulty, and are enjoyable to fly.

Feedback will be appreciated, and of course taken on-board for future changes.

[Paul Hill]

Really excited to see this appear. Thanks for the work, Neil!

Looking at the mission planner, I'm not quite sure how best to setup the mission. I'm struggling to get the mission actions to match the WP in the briefing. Am I trying to be too granular with the mission actions?

Any chance we can get some example mission planner screengrabs showing how it should be done?

[Flyco]

Paul, probably the easiest way, is to do it on line using teamspeak. Fix up a time with me, Neil, or someone else who knows how it is used and you can step through it together. That way, if there is anything that is not clear it can be explained there and then.

It is a good piece of kit, but there are a couple of areas where it is not entirely clear how it is used.

I am around, fairly frequently, so just suggest some dates and times, using this thread and we'll work through it.

[Paul Hill]

Cheers Alan, appreciate the offer! I'm about this evening if you are? I'll hang about TS in case you jump on.

Failing that, Thursday night looks possible.

[Paul Hill]

Just want to say thanks again for taking me through it tonight Alan, very useful!

[Flyco]

Your very welcome. I learned a few new things too. I must write a script for all that.