Flycos's Meanderings about Missions and the Meaning of Life,

The 'Why, Where and How To' about mission planning in DCS
Flyco
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Flycos's Meanderings about Missions and the Meaning of Life,

Post by Flyco »

Why Do I Fly with RAF Air UK?

A good question: it can be a hassle, frustrating, embarrassing, infuriating, even, at times, boring. Ah! that’s it – that last bit. Flying alone can be satisfying (when it goes well) but just like a pint of beer, it’s far better with good company.

I am going to be celebrating the 60th anniversary of my first solo next year (albeit in a Kirby Cadet glider), and I still enjoy flying, both of itself and because of the camaraderie that infects fliers. Thus the main reason that I fly with RAF Air UK is that I can fly with others of a relatively like mind. It would be better if we could fly dual, my natural bent has always been to instructing, but DCS have not yet mastered true dual training aircraft, and probably won’t without FFB controls.

The next good question is – Why am I bending your ears (well technically - eyes), wasting your time, and trying your patience? Now comes the sales patter I’m afraid. I truly believe that RAF Air UK is drifting away from its origins. When I joined over 5 years ago, there really was only one aircraft worth flying – the A-10C. We all flew it and we flew it together against a common AI foe. We put all our effort into learning the aircraft, and got great satisfaction from that. And then came the others (aircraft, not people), and we began to drift apart. The ever increasing different aircraft are inevitable (like old age and dribbling senility), But to hold RAF Air UK together we must continue to fly as a team - different aircraft - even different sides on occasions - but in the same bit of air-space and involved in the same co-ordinated (well, relatively co-ordinated) task.

Thus, let me say in bold text

We must not lose Multi-Aircraft-Type Missions.

I see this as the Holy Grail of DCS (and other lesser simulators of course).

With my philosophy as outlined above, I will explain what (in my view) we should be concentrating on improving in RAF Air UK.

Squadron Organisation. Each Sqn needs a ‘BOSS’ - Not quite a God but very close to it. He must direct the Sqn, fairly but firmly. He should appoint a Training Officer, and an Operations Officer; the former to oversee training and standards, and the latter to oversee operation and missions. He can, if he wishes, also appoint an introverted chap to look after Skins (That’s all I will say about skins – don’t make me go any further!). There should not be any crap about voting for as boss – he should be appointed. It will soon be apparent if he (or she) has feet of clay, and while none of us has a ‘Service Revolver (and a glass of whisky to go with it)’ anymore, I’m sure that that word will get around, and he (or she) will take the gentleman’s way out.

Missions. To allow each Sqn to shine in public, we need missions. I will not say that missions are more important than training (I am an ex RAF Cranwell CFI after all), but it most certainly is what the training is for, and we should not forget it. I have built several missions (and I know that most of you are fed up with them by now), as have others – but there are still not enough and quickly go out of date. As soon as the number of flyable ac went beyond 3 or 4, I began to find it very difficult to include them all in relevant up-to-date mission with any fairness (that is why they are largely centred around the A-10 – my primary aircraft). To cut to the chase, I very firmly believe that we must have more varied missions, and unless there is a playwright of Shakespearean quality among us we need a mission writing team This team should consist of at least a ‘ground attacker’ an ‘air defender’, an ‘in-betweener’ (DF/GA) and (quite recently) a ‘rotary-winger’. They need to come up with an outline scenario (ideally no more than 2-300 words) – agree it between themselves – go away and write their bits – come back again and see if it all fits – fly any area where there is any uncertainty. And then, most importantly write a clear brief. This is as close as it comes to a committee – how many committees have written a good play?

Conclusion. So other than sounding off, and relieving some of my tensions, what was the above diatribe for. Well, I hope that I might interest others of a like mind to contact me and see what comes of it. It may be that this is how the newly proposed Working Group will develop – I hope so. But even then, there can be no objection to members combining independently to script a plot, and turn it into a mission. More missions with greater variation can only be good news. I am not a natural rebel and will of course go along with the majority in the setting up of the proposed working group.


A Reminiscence
Finally, let me say that I have spent too many days of life in committees – notably three years going every 3 months to a certain Simulator Manufacturer’s meetings to hear that it still wasn’t quite working yet. I believe that the aircraft eventually went out of service before the sim ever did ‘quite’ work – by which time I had long moved on. It is sobering to reflect that during my 3 years as the RAF’s simulator requirements officer, I never started a project that I finished, nor finished a project that I started – maybe DCS aren’t all that slow. (Wait a moment – while I wipe away my tears of frustration and regret, before trying to move on to pastures new)
Wing Commander Alan Johnson - RAFAir UK
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0405 Andrew
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Re: Flycos's Meanderings about Missions and the Meaning of Life,

Post by 0405 Andrew »

Great post, mission nights are what brings RAF Air alive.

Lets face it, would it be as fun to fly a mission without waiting in the TS ready room with the rest of RAF Air, it is so enlightening to hear what's going on in the mind of an F-14 pilot. Would the regrettable blue on blue's be as entertaining in the forums the following day if one was an AI? A good quality varied Tuesday mission is must to keep RAF Air together.

Please put me down to help. Surely I've read enough aviation books to help cobble a good mission story.

I haven't really used the mission editor much, and I only have a small understanding of triggers etc. But I do have an imagination.

I personally have enjoyed the Portcullis missions and the fresh approach that has been delivered.
0405 ANDREW

Tuesday Mission group lead
"Andrew, you are right"
Flyco: 28 Jul 2021, 12:50
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Shaggy
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Re: Flycos's Meanderings about Missions and the Meaning of Life,

Post by Shaggy »

110% agree with this post. I was saying to the 11F chaps only on Wassap only last week, that I felt it almost needs each squadron to write its own mission focused around that squadron with other AC in support roles, these missions can be rotated and with 5-6 squadrons, thats a long month of missions covered and can be tweaked between its next replay on the feedback it recieves.

Mission creators and Squadron commanders need to be talking more and highlighting what the capabilities of each AC is capapble of to create the most varied missions! When was the last time the Hornets utilised the Harpoon in a mission? When did any squadron have escort and defending duties towards the AWAC'S?
Captain Simon "SHAGGY" Jones
RAF AIR UK - 664 Sqn 2ND IC and Instructor
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Flyco
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Re: Flycos's Meanderings about Missions and the Meaning of Life,

Post by Flyco »

Exactly Shaggy. Except that I have used Harpoons in a mission - they were bloody useless against capital ships and got knocked down well short of the target. I had forgotten all about that - I must look that mission up.

At the moment I generally rely on F-18s to provide SEAD. I like that because it does emphasise that we are flying integrated missions and not just 4 or 5 flights each flying a different aircraft on separate mission in the same general area.
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Neil Willis
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Re: Flycos's Meanderings about Missions and the Meaning of Life,

Post by Neil Willis »

It is great that a good dialogue has started.

What we need is for people to get together, pool ideas, and come up with some original scripts for missions. Then the mission planning can be carried out in co-operation with Sqn leaders and mission planning gurus.

Has there been too much emphasis on training? Have we got too many aircraft?

What we can say with certainty is that we all enjoy flying, and most of us gain far more from multi player activities or we wouldn’t be here.

What I think we lack is close co-operation between Squadrons to plan joint ops and to work closely together in all our activities.

We have had to rely on the same old missions because we don’t have enough new missions in the pipeline. I have No doubt we can get there, but we have to pull together to achieve our aims.
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Re: Flycos's Meanderings about Missions and the Meaning of Life,

Post by Father Cool »

I would completely agree with all thats been said. Its difficult for one mission planner to know the capabilities of all of tue aircraft involved however I do have a few missions that could be adapted with some input from other squadrons. I don't have oodles of time to make missions but I would be perfectly happy discuss any ideas with other squadron members to make missions an overall more rounded experience for all, and maybe get the tomcats on something other than CAP on occation! :D
Cavan Millward callsign: 'FC' - RAF Air UK
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Neil Willis
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Re: Flycos's Meanderings about Missions and the Meaning of Life,

Post by Neil Willis »

Hence the working group.

If there were easy solutions, we'd not be in this pickle right now.
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Re: Flycos's Meanderings about Missions and the Meaning of Life,

Post by Shaggy »

Neil/Alan, giving this some more thought this morning and also liking what i read in a post about setting up standard squad coms and comms in general. I feel its really important that we establish first of all each squadrons com's freq's. This way all mission creators can set up comms within the mission structure for each flight group in the same format, thus avoiding any more confusion.

Knowing that DCS has its limtations with regards to Comms we need to make the process simple to follow even though it may not be the most accurate way of doing it.

I propose the following food for thought:

* All flights keep to starting Airbase/carrier freq's until full flight is airborne. Make this Preset channel 1

* Once flight group is airborne and heading to WPT 1. When 10 miles out of Airbase/carrier, Flight lead commands flight to switch to Squadron Freq's. Make this channel preset 2

*Keep AWACs and Guard to 251.000 and make this preset 1 on the UHF

*Tankers depenmding on Boom/drogue requirements should be on 251.200 and 251.400 and make these preset channel 2 and 3 respectively on the UHF

*Flight Leads or pilots only in need of assistance should be talking on the 251.000

*All pilots need to ensure that SRS and Teamspeack PTT keybinds are different to avoid cross communication within DCS settings and app settings

*Once you have been eliminated from the mission, each pilot to move themselves to the squadron briefing room or we create a new Room where people can go to talk on TS about the mission but it does not interfere with the pilots still in mission.
Captain Simon "SHAGGY" Jones
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Mutley

Re: Flycos's Meanderings about Missions and the Meaning of Life,

Post by Mutley »

Abolsutle bang on posts shaggy Do , the comms post is something that 11 Squad have been doing for a while even if some of us forget lol .

Very impressed old boy keep it up :D


Off course not every one knows that Us F14s only have 2 radios and one of those is on permante AWACs / call for help channel
Last edited by Mutley on 05 Sep 2020, 11:02, edited 1 time in total.

Flyco
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Re: Flycos's Meanderings about Missions and the Meaning of Life,

Post by Flyco »

I agree with your proposals in principle, they are for the most part standard and I would have hoped everyone would already be utilising them. Incidentally Guard is 243.0 or 121.5, and should not be used for AWACs etc.

Your proposal to assign standard frequencies to units makes sense, but earlier suggestions foundered in a morass of individual units preferences for different stud allocations and frequencies. If you can get agreement from all Sqn Cdrs that we should adopt standard frequencies, I will happily set up a frequency matrix.

The only (very parochial) reservation I have is the pre-studding of some of the frequencies, including the allocation of some of the studs. As a mission builder, I do not relish having to pre-stud 20 or 30 aircraft in each mission I build, some with up to 3 radios, on every mission I write. So far as I am aware DCS have not provided a quick or easy way to do this.
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