Zephyr Net

Hey all,

I was just fooling around with FA 1.02F this weekend, flying some aircraft, making landings, etc... and in my experimentation, I decided to take out the F-104N Lawn Dart...er...Starfighter...lol

Anyway, I'm well aware that this aircraft is tough to fly at the best of times, but I'm curious. I was not able to launch this thing off the Eisenhower at all. I initially thought it was my joystick, or something, but no, every other carrier capable aircraft can pull it off.

I've tried various configurations, namely various loadouts for weapons and fuel. None seem to be successful.

My question is, did EA change the flight model for this thing since USNF? I remember vividly being able to get this thing off the deck in some capacity....

Any opinions? Ideas? Not a big deal, just curious...lol

Cheers

im pretty sure the same thing happened to me; the catapult launches you and you have no control until you're about 40 feet off the carrier deck right? i was able to gain control only by putting my gear up, burner on, and i think i put my flaps up too.... not sure........... I also don't recall the F-104 being a carrier jet. lol. (same way i dont remember the AC-130 Spectre having a tailhook oh well, all realism and no fun makes for a sucky game

Tried out the F-104 myself yesterday. No joke man, that thing is a cast-iron B@@@H to fly. Even land takeoffs are difficult. But for carrier takeoffs, try this. When you hit the afterburn key to launch from the cat, hold it down, and don't let it go until your speed is well over 200 kts. As soon as you clear the lip of the deck, pull the stick back all the way and keep it there until you start to gain altitude (try to pull the v-vector up well above the ground). Work the stick forward gradually in small amounts, so you can gain a little airspeed, and eventually break into straight forward flight. And remember to hold the burner on until you gain control, or the AI will automatically switch to mil power and you will crash.

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That's pronounced SPY - APPLE, and it stands for Sabre Pilot In A Past Life

Air power rests at the apex of the first triad of victory, for it combines mobility, flexibility, and initiative. -- Colonel Corazon Santiago, Spartan Battle Manual

Well, I gave it a shot and sure enough, holding onto the Afterburner does the trick, but the cost in terms of fuel is unreal lol

Thanks for the input. I don't think I'll be flying this thing in any multiplayer missions anyway! lol

You can go back to mil power once you get above 300 knots. That will save you some fuel. And if you think takeoff is hard, wait till you try a carrier landing

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That's pronounced SPY - APPLE, and it stands for Sabre Pilot In A Past Life

Air power rests at the apex of the first triad of victory, for it combines mobility, flexibility, and initiative. -- Colonel Corazon Santiago, Spartan Battle Manual

Thanks for the tip on decreasing back to MIL. Just unbelievable that you have to go to such lengths...

I've managed the carrier landings. lol

Talk about threading a needle when it comes to decent speed and stall speed.

I've fooled around with it a bit, and I have to say the best way you can pull off the landing is to use the flare approach that was made famous in Falcon 4.0.

Simply make a very slow dive at the carrier and then open the brakes and flare that nose up to about 10-15 degrees. When you decide to flare, you should be pretty much right on top of the deck. If you've calculated your speed right, your Starfighter should pretty much drop onto the wires.

The downside is that chances are the best you can get in terms of a landing grade is "FAIR." If you ever get a "GOOD" rating, well then, you're a better man than I am! lol

i never get a good or fair landing i always get unsafe landing. lol

ima dangerous lil basta'd

lol Either that or you are flying a dangerous little airplane.

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That's pronounced SPY - APPLE, and it stands for Sabre Pilot In A Past Life

Air power rests at the apex of the first triad of victory, for it combines mobility, flexibility, and initiative. -- Colonel Corazon Santiago, Spartan Battle Manual

lol even in a e2 hawkeye, nice n slow, i suck, i always forget the key to call the ball