Hey guys,
I Just have to share this flight cause it was so damn amazing! Also possibly because I haven't flow Falcon online in about 12 years and getting back into online flying has really got me pumped up!!
So this was my fourth online flight in the last couple weeks so slowly getting back into it and flying with an old time Falcon mate "Vexx". We were original beta testers for MPS back in the day and actually if I may toot my own horn the first two virtual pilots to successfully do an online A-A refueling over modems. This was pretty much impossible in the early days before the SP team decided to hand the tanker over to the clients rather than always on the host. So what we did as silly as it sounds we had the host call out our position and somehow we got VERY lucky and connected even though from my POV the tanker was about 500 yards in front of me but the host watching me guided me in. lol Either way was a total fluke and according to MPS it was impossible. lol
Anyway so after a few hops relearning some tips (mostly just establishing a solid connection and procedures for a flawless flight) we decided to get into some serious action with a campaign.
So as I was already committed into OP Desert Rat with the fabulous EMF theater we decided to use that. So we were 347th Operating Block 50s out of Nea Anchialos AB. Our avionics are all set to the current Block 50s (as far as I could research it is accurate) so a little on the old school side with no data link, monochrome MFDs etc.. I mean hell we are seasoned Falcon pilots no big deal.. Both of us have close to 3000 hours now so no big deal. lol And to make it even more dreadful as I am still waiting for my 270 degree screen to get setup I am still flying with one 50" monitor and no head tracking. Who needs it I have my instruments, my charts, and Red Dog's tutorial.
So anyway.. OK, so we are departing Nea Anchialos AB at 13:50 hrs and our TOT is 15:30. We are loaded with PODs, two external wing tanks, 2X GBU 12s, and heaters and slammers. We both ramp up and head to a simulated arming area.... Hey why not??? I am already in full flight gear and sitting in a $60,000 ridiculous cockpit, so why not geek it out to the max! Now here is the cool part. I had no idea you could use voice attack in unison with IVC??? So that almost made me fall out of the cockpit when I used my UHF button on my throttle, spoke my Voice attack phrase "
Ground, Viper 7, 2 F-16s ready to taxi with Gulf" and not only did Vexx hear that but the AI ATC responded. It was beautiful! Sorry guys, I just didn't think I could use the same switch to control two apps per say.
So we departed the area, got to altitude and as we needed to hit the tanker first and make the TOT (thanks to Dee-jay for the useful tips on calculating tanker track time before TOT) we went buster and went straight for the tanker. Sure we burned more fuel, but the target area is so far away you don't get a lot of time to work the area before you have to depart for the tanker, and as it was a S&D I wanted to work the area for at least 30 minutes. So while pressing the tanker that was still 250 nm this gave us plenty of time to setup and confirm our weapons. Yes take note of that one CONFIRM my weapons setup. We will get to that later.
So we made a few tactical calls etc to make up the 35 minute leg to the tanker. While en route I started to reference my data cards and entered our tanker tacan 62Y and UHF 365.35. Odd?? For some reason I wasn't receiving any data from the TACAN channel I selected?? Checked the list again, yup.. Confirmed Copper 4, 62Y on UHF 365.35? Where is it? It should be on station till 19:23 hrs? Oh wait it starts at 15:15 perhaps it is a little late? But that shouldn't affect the Tacan?? About 20 minutes later while my radar was in ULS mode I was getting some returns at about 75 miles on the nose and dead center in the track box? Angels 24, that has to be it? What am I missing here?? "
Two stand by I am just going on Tactical and checking in with Magic for our Tanker data"... "
2"... "
Magic Viper 7, Texaco"........ "
Viper 7 Magic 4, Tanker, Copper 4, Bullseye 09 for 224, Tacan channel 61Y"
61Y!!! There go WDP lied to me!!! lol OK, good dial that in and bingo! There we are.
So as two veteran virtual pilots getting in an off the boom was quick and fast and like the real pros I have to add.
[See video below] (actually I now realize that was our egress tanking but whatever)
After topping up our tanks we were a head of schedule by about 6 minutes, so this really helped to keep our tanks full giving us tons of fuel to go to work. "
2 Fence In"...
"2". Everything looks good, TGP data is correct (pay attention to that one
, lights off, Jammer armed, master arm on and laser armed.. So we drop down to angels 16 and push into the Lybian coast. Are target area is just South East of Benghazi and recon indicates there is a battalion of Technicals defending that quadrant of Benghazi. Yes you heard me Technicals!!! EMF is so cool that they gave us those practical and modern realistic targets. I've had many of those in my sites in Afghanistan and other areas I won't name in real life so seeing those in the sim was so rewarding. Can't wait to see them in the POD.
So our ingress route had as flying through a known SA-6 area but my intel resources indicated the search and acquisition radars are gone, so as long as we stay up high this shouldn't be a factor. BEEEEEEP.. "
1 Spotted Flat Face, 12 O,clock". Shit! I mean YAY got to love this dynamic campaign??? I guess they replaced it.. "
Coming right, let's go around it".... 2 zippers his mic.. Minor detail but we are only 40 miles from the box and I started searching GMT. Hmm nothing?? Damn... "
2 Let's head East and come back West to give us a longer search area and stay South of that SA-19 battalion" 2 zippers his mic.. We come back West and both over lap our searches and nothing?? I go to GM maybe they are stationary.. Nothing.. Shit.. I mean I love this dynamic campaign, but maybe not that dynamic. lol
"2 go to a 2 mile trail, and I am going to drop below the clouds at 10,000 this way you can look for Sam launches"...
"2"...
"K, descending and lets head North". Bingo!!! There go..
"1 has three groups on the nose about 35 miles.. I'm searching the center group"...
"2"... Nice column of maybe 10 vehicles... OH YES!!!
"1 has technicals". Wow, these things look so awesome! Can see a dude riding in the back with what looks like a 12.7mm that will make a worthy target. Wow and they are screaming too!
"1 has the column heading East". Ok lets switch to BOH, there we go better contrast.. TMS UP got him locked. 4 seconds for weapon release.
"Pickle, 1 is tracking off East". 3 seconds to impact...3....2....1....
....1...
What the hell???
"1 is off negative impact coming around". What the hell??? I can't look over my shoulder but slewing the pod around led me to believe my bomb was ballistic??? AH SHIT!!! Suddenly.. I can see my code was set to 1678!!! Not 1679... Damn it.. So much for my tertiary check on my weapon systems.. Damn rookie mistake! Or in my case just getting old! lol Ok, well lets change our code to 1679. By this time Vexx was in hot while in trail on me and tracking technicals in the same group. I heard him call good hits?? While slewing my POD I could definitely see secondary hits, talk about blind luck. My bomb falls unguided and luckily hits close enough to take out two technicals. Then again using 500 lbs bombs this shouldn't be that much of surprise.
"SHACK" I hear Vexx call over Uniform and at the same time I can see the massive explosion
"Good hit!". I turn back in West torwards the smoke and start looking for targets. I heard Vexx call his outbound reference and I even acknowledged but I guess I wasn't really listening to what I was hearing. Foolishly I still committed and luckily Vexx had a visual on me and I was passing over him. Stupid stupid stupid!! Oh well moving on, tracking another techincal I could see there was a 12.7mm manned in the back. Worthy target.. I noted the vehicles were moving insanely fast. Don't blame them, but I better get on the manual lasing and early considering our altitude.. I feel my Jet Seat "THUMP" and I jump on the trigger and see the "L" flashing. And yes this time I take careful note of "1679".. OK proper code this time. 3...2...1... SHACK!!!! Good hits, looks like I got three with that one. I call Winchester as I am out of bombs and clear off when I hear Vexx call he is targeting the lead vehicle. As I circle and head back in I hear Vexx call off dry.. So I continue in and decided to do a strafing run.
"In hot Guns reference 080". As I am heading in I start searching with the POD but unfortunately I cannot see anything? And trying to find them visually is next to impossible as they are blending in with this terrain too well.
"1 is off dry". I climb and head back West and heard Vexx advise he had an avionics fault and was working the problem.. So I make another run in with guns.
"1 is off dry" damn it can't find the little pricks.. I hear Vexx call on Tactical that he was in again and tracking a mover on the road. I check my fuel
"1 totalizer 6400 we are going to play here till 5000" .... Vexx makes that embarrassing call that I am passing right over him again. Damn it.. I really need to pay more attention.
"Bombs off" I hear Vexx call over the air.
"SHACK" and again I can see his explosion..
"Good hits" . I than realize these vehicles are moving so fast there is currently two smoke trails spread almost a mile or two apart. We do a quick reference check to make sure we are working the same group. We both confirm we are reference the smoke just East of the complex and following the East road.
"1 is in hot" I make another run in and this time I can see the vehicles in the POD. I start tracking the box on the HUD symbology until I can see a tiny dark pixel that represents a vehicle. Visual, I press and hold the UNCAGE button and my ground pipper appears. Now this is where stupidity and lazyness come into play. I realize I am so far committed and the vehicles are running perpendicular that it is a terrible run in. I should have broke off and tried another approach but nope I just keep going. I try leading the target a little as they are moving so quick. I get so fixated on my lead timing that I realize I am almost reading the tire sizes on the wheels (not really but you get the point)..
"FUCK!" I swear my exhaust burnt the vehicle as I was so close to the ground when I pulled up. Damn it!!! So stupid.. I wasn't so mad that I almost hit the ground. I was upset that I made such a stupid decision. We've already invested two hours into this flight at this point it would have been such a waste to hit the ground based off stupidity! I at least saw the vehicles on the roadish still moving East, so I make that call and really want to redeem that stupid mistake and make another run in as Vexx advised that he was still in a higher orbit cover.
"I'm off"... Spoken in a tone like a Kid on Christmas when they open up gift wrapped socks.. Damn it, lost them again.
"2 is rolling in East of the complex, looking" . This last run I realized I couldn't get my TGP to slew from SP mode? Damn it forgot the TMS up.. This what I love about this sim. It is so complex and working these avionic systems is such a perishable skill not forgetting how easy it is to have a brain fart with all the task saturation. OK, now I got it this time..
"1 is 5800"..."2 is 59 and I don't see any targets". At this point we are well below our Joker, but I do know there is a tanker about 150 miles north of us.
"We probably have enough for one more each, so I am going to try again". I heard Vexx call off dry and then later confirms we are looking East of the smoke. At this point I think we were both starting to doubt each other. I start my run in but realize I am WAY too close to work the buttons and see anything (missing track IR right now). So I head back West for a nice long run in East to search the area. I start working the POD again.. TMS UP, there go I get the SOI gates and start searching.. There we go.. They are parked, that's why we couldn't find them. I note there are four just in the bend South on the road just East of the smoke. As soon as I see the aggregate of pixels making up this techincal I press the UNCAGE for a second and pipper appears right over the target, winds are minimal and this vehicle is not moving. Beauty!!!! Brrrrrrrrrpppp The Jet seat vibrates also circulating the blood flow in my butt as my butt is pretty numb from sitting in this position for over two hours now.
"1 is off" another sad and disappointed tone in my voice. Saw lots of sparks and dirt and debris and saw some "ALAH AHKBAR" gesturing but certainly no secondary explosions. As Vexx was in trail a few seconds later he called off and advised no hits.
"Alright let's knock it off"....
"Knock it off". Later debrief would indicate I did clip one of the technicals with my last strafe run but certainly didn't bring the Prom Queen home.
We climbed up to angels 21 and followed the proper Egress channels so no orbiting Rafaels take shots at us. We had to manage or fuel a little more wisley on egress as we were starting to get a little low but still had plenty enough to take on some fuel. We located Copper 4 still in the track and yes on 61Y. lol As we got into the track we switched to the appropriate Uniform freq and heard a four-ship was currently on the boom. Man I love this sim.. This is the stuff I am talking about that makes this sim so fun. Simply because you cannot predict anything. Unfortunately though we were getting close to fumes enjoying the show but luckily they cleared off and we were cleared in. According to my calculations 8000 lbs would be more than enough to get home and be good for the alternate if needed. So I made the call and again it was another beautiful and quick on and off the boom and heading for a last LOOOONNNNGGG leg home.
As we started our decent I checked in with ATIS and weather was pretty much the same as we departed and could expect a visual landing.
"Nea Anchialos Approach, Viper 7 inbound for over head landing". ATC cleared us in and we conducted a very smooth brake landing. We hit the de-arming area for another simulated de-arm of our slammers and heaters, 60 seconds should do. Parking brake on and put my hands on the forward glareshield so the ground crew felt warm and fuzzy that I wasn't going to swing any surfaces around.
"Ground Viper 7, clear the active request taxi back".Conclusion.. I'm certainly not the first to do an AAR on a flight nor share videos. There are fantastic groups on the BMS forums and Youtube that do this daily. I'm just stoked about flying online after 12 years and can't believe how much better and smoother online play is now. EMF is a fantastic theater with realistic and current missions and of course flying from the 347th Persues squadron that my cockpit is modelled after from Nea Anchialos.. well.. I just can't ask for better right now. It still amazes me that 23 years later I am still flying Falcon 4 and flying with Vexx whom we actually met online by flying Falcon 4.
Falcon 4 for life!
https://youtu.be/eGZZk4q4RX8https://youtu.be/h-eDFM6NUXk
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