I have a question about the flight characteristics of some of the jets, most specifically the Sabres and F4. It seems whenever I try to fly any of these jets they are extremely sluggish even with full throttle and flaps adjusted for combat. Both aircraft have trouble climbing let alone performing combat maneuvers. I cannot speak for the top speed of the Sabre, but I can't even get the F4 to accelerate past 450mph in a straight line. Am I missing something as far as controlling the aircraft goes, or is this an error?
Let me preface my remarks with praise for the guys that share their talents and interest air combat history and a love of flight simming. And…to emphasize how tough it is to accurately model the FM and handling characteristics of the Phantom. And I'm giving you waaaay more of an answer than you were looking for.
I have about 1200 hrs in the RF-4C including 3 years as an IP in the RTU at Bergstrom AFB 30 years ago. The RF-4C flies like the USAF’s C and D models as well as the USN/USMC’s B and J models. All of those models are commonly referred to as “hard wing” Phantoms. The F-4E model flies differently or more correctly is flown differently (is much more forgiving).
Any “hard wing” Phantom has Leading Edge Flaps (LEF) and Trailing Edge Flaps (TEF). Leading Edge Flaps only have two positions, extended or retracted. They DO NOT cycle between extended and retracted the way the game models the “Combat” flap setting.
The modified E model has Leading Edge Slats and Trailing Edge Flaps. On the E, in normal operations the LES operate as a function of AOA when the landing gear is up. When the gear is down the LES operate in sync with the Trailing Edge Flaps. The pilot could lock the LES in the deployed OUT position or retracted IN.
Prior to 1980, all F-4s had three positions on the Flap Switch, UP-1/2-DN. The 1/2 position was used for takeoff. So for takeoff the LEF were extended and the TEF were extended at ½. The DN position was used for landing. The LEF and TEF were both extended. The real significance was something called Boundary Layer Control (BLC) which ported hot air extracted from the engines from ducting that ran along the wing where the LEF and TEF hinged. BLC ported this hot laminar airflow when the LEF were down and the TEF ONLY when they were fully down (not in the ½ position). BLC allowed the jet to fly slower and therefore a higher AOA for landing. On the USN’s B and J model their ailerons actually drooped a little bit with the Flap Switch DN. Of note is that E models with LES do not have BLC, they don’t need it since they have LES.
By 1980 the USAF had disconnected the Trailing Edge BLC due to numerous mishaps (accidents) caused by faulty BLC. As a result, the Flap Switch became a two position switch, UP-DN. But now the TEF only went to 1/2 with the switch in DN. A BLC malfunction was a, “No Sh*t, get this jet on the ground NOW before the wings catch fire!”
Another significant error in the game is how the models show the LEF are retracted in the “Takeoff” or “Landing” flap setting. In both cases the LEF should be extended.
You reference 450mph…do you mean mph? I flew a couple QMB flights with different external stores and with the jet clean (no bombs, missiles, tanks). In RL it was fairly easy to get a clean F-4 over 600 KIAS (not mph) at low altitude without using afterburner. That’s over 1100 km/hr. It got loud as hell in the cockpit because of all the noise from the air rushing by the canopy frame.
In the game I got a clean D model over 1000 km/hr (540 KIAS). The Airspeed Indicator is messed up in game because it only shows mach, it’s missing KIAS. The tests with 6 x Mk-83s and AIM-9s showed me getting above 900 km/hr (480 KIAS) with afterburner, which it shouldn’t require. The game shows an Engine Overheat if you use afterburner for xx seconds. That’s totally inaccurate. I had one or two Engine Overheats and a Fire light in my six years flying the RF-4.
The Phantom in the game is very difficult to fly IMO. In RL it’s fairly straight forward to prevent and recover from an out of control situation. At the first sign of departing controlled flight, you’d relax back pressure up to full forward stick and hold that, ailerons and rudder neutral. It may swap ends as it pitches initially, but quickly transitions to a nose low gyration. If not recovered…deploy drag chute. If the spin transitions to a flat spin…eject at 10,000’ AGL. If the jet transitions to negative G it is recovering. IMO the game modeling of departures and recovery are nothing like I’ve experienced.
Having written all this, I’m not trying to make anybody feel bad. It’s tough to get the F-4 modeled correctly. The RF-4 was a lot harder to fly well than the F-16.
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Topic: Community Universal Patch C.U.P. (Read 519393 times)
