Been doing the DCS thing for a good while. I am one of those that takes the sim seriously and push towards proficiency. I’ve watched and made many videos, but have to say this is an impressive, very well constructed and explained, tutorial. Easy to follow, steps not missed, and great explanation of the finer details. Well done, brother. There are several really really great tutorials on this, but this one is by far the Best ILS video I have seen yet.
It should be noted if it has not yet, that the DCS F10 map has been updated to show Magnetic and True headings at the same time now. They are shown on the new Compass Rose as well as when you manually draw a line. They are both updated dynamically as you move, the compass rose or draw on the F10 map!
Great video. One of the most satisfying things in general aviation is hand flying an ILS to minimums and having the runway be right where it should be!
One thing I found out (I think this is still the case), If you want the beeping to go away you can turn the TACAN volume all the way down. However, if you turn the ILS volume all the way down it does turn the ILS off entirely so I usually leave the ILS volume one tick above 0. Good content though, didn't even know the command steering circle was a thing.
Tip: Hit your uncage button when you have the runway visible.;) 2nd tip: The moment you touch the ground, the angle bracket ain't..! reliable any more. At point of touch, you switch only to your pitch ladder. (Cause..!! at moment of touch) you physically have only the max horizontal angle's that counts.! 15deg. (Air-brakes 'retracted.!) or 13deg. (Air-brakes full.! extended). When the air-brakes are set to there auto landing config, (just extend them full, and release the button. They set themselves!) its around 14 deg. (MAX values.) at touch. Hint: Look at the hud.. when he is perfectly (that i say rarely.!) aligned.! .... its 3deg..! Not the dashed lines, that says 2.5deg.😉 2nd hint: The top point of the vertical line of the FPM just/just-not hits the 2.5 deg lines, makes you have a god reference of a 3deg glideslope..
I don't know if you're aware but if you ever forget what the magnetic deviation is on whatever map you're on the Viper will tell you. If you list LIST on the ICP then hit M-SEL 0 there is an option called MAG, or MAGV I forget which. It will tell you what the current magnetic deviation is in the computer for where you currently are. Great video as usual Gaffer, I've taken quite a liking to your tutorials. Keep it up.
Oh wow, your comment just made it into my coveted DCS F-16 Navigation Screenshots photos folder. Congratulations lol. As @The Rocinante posted, that’s one of the most helpful comments I’ve seen in a very long time. Thank you for sharing!
@@therocinante3443 If you found that comment useful, I have one for you that's even better. When landing, don't splatter yourself on the runway. Don't thank me, it was my pleasure.
Even after doing things yourself quite a couple of times there's always a neat little detail you can learn and take back home from your vids or the comments. Truly love this channel. And who knows... maybe you'll do a video on aerial refueling one day and even stupid me might be able to connect to the boom ...one day.... Sorry! Got carried away...dreaming. Anyway ... great tutorial! The place to go for every DCS F-16 driver! 🤘
Agree. I felt AAR was impossible and very frustrating. If you start practicing, you will notice you can finally connect for a few seconds. Keep practicing and a few seconds become 10 and then 30 secs. Now I can fill three empty bags. Still keeps you on your toes. For me the key was to learn to feel the thottle and delay in the movement in the plane. When that clicked, the height was less of a problem. Also some more speed on the tanker may help. I shoot for around 340 knots.
A technique for the 45 Degree intercept is to put the head of the course (as selected for the ILS) on the 45 degree dash that is under the distance (for this particular dogleg) instead of trying to line up the CDI. If you look at 4:59 you can see the head of the course pointing at the 45 degree mark on the HSI. Cheers.
Excellent Tutorial. I can hardly wait to get back into the cockpit. I just started learning the F-16 a while ago but haven't been flying for a while since due to issues in life and issues with my PTT in Discord. The latter issue is a head scratcher considering I never had any issues before. I have a button on my Warthog Throttle for Discord PTT but all of a sudden and without ANY changes on my part, my VKB Gunfighter's TRIGGER is Also a PTT for Discord which makes NO SENSE ! And of course, Discord doesn't even have their own Discord Tech Support Channel !! Go Figure ~!
My current issue with DCS is the lack of a convincing touchdown effect. I'm referring to a subtle camera shake or something similar. In MSFS, there's an addon called FS-Realistic that provides a very authentic touchdown experience. In DCS, it still feels like I'm in the flare even after touchdown, making it visually challenging to discern whether I've already landed or am still in the flare.
Really wish I had seen this video before I caveman smashed a dozen runs learning it myself. I burned a lot of fuel getting the hang of it. Really appreciate the simplicity of this demonstration.
Great video. Any plans to do one for the overhead break? I've transitioned to flying the Hornet now because of the number of campaigns it has, but when I first started DCS a few months ago I flew the Viper. The overhead break was something I just couldn't do properly regardless of how many video tutorials I watch. I remember always overshooting during the final turn into the runway. Either that or I roll out too high/too low so I crash short of the runway or I break my landing gear on touchdown.
Very good tutorial. Much appreciated. Just a minor detail: I think you meant to say magnetic declination (not deviation) when talking about the difference between the former and true heading indicated on the F10 map. Looking forward to new tutorials, keep the good work up!
You make Tacan and ILS landing look precise and clean on the F-16....great job. I have two questions I'm curious about. Can I save the original Tacan/ILS settings to reuse in the event that I crash? Can I load and recall more than 1 preset Tacan/ILS parameter into the system for landing at different locations? Thank you Regards Roy
Just a non-important detail…and I’m not sure if DCS models this correctly or not, but in real life, an ILS will only broadcast a single radial. If you somehow miss the magnetic course by a few degrees, it should still give you accurate tracking to the runway, and the HSI needle will still be in the middle if you’re centered up but it will be pointing left or right depending on the magnetic variation.
If you list LIST on the ICP then hit M-SEL 0 there is an option called MAG, or MAGV I forget which. It will tell you what the current magnetic deviation is in the computer for where you currently are.
Gear down, speed brakes closed, level and 11deg AOA while intercepting the Glide Slope from below. Once the GS is nearly intercepted and the CMD steering doughnut indicates a descent, open the speed brakes 100% and the aircraft will initiate a descent on its own. Fine tune the thrust and stick to maintain 11 deg AOA and flight path marker on the doughnut. Leave the speed brakes out. RE the 30 degrees bank and speed under 250kts when intercepting, I found this in an F-16 manual and it works in-game. Not sure if the AP is supposed to be able to steer for you. It is either not implemented in DCS yet or is not a feature in the real aircraft.
@@FLYGaffer I was stupid, cmd Strg is the donut basically, just went to chucks guides to reread. It cues you in but you can’t latch on to it. Flown too much f18.
can you explain what weather settings did you use in the mission editor to make it low visibility like this? It wont let me set clouds lower than about 1378 feet
Does the ILS not provide DME? Also, not sure if the error is modeled but the needles on the HUD are advisory only. The HUD on the F-16 is not a PFD and the AI is the only thing rated for an ILS approach.
I'm having trouble getting the command steering to work. I follow your steps: set his to pls TACAN, input frequency (senaki kolhki 108.90), input course (088), and TACAN(31X), and the command steering does not turn on. I also do not get my localizer or glide slope to align anywhere near the runway. Please help.
Afaik the ILS should provide DME, if not, you still have the approach marker beacons, looks like this one has a MM. If you have TACAN, you can do a non-precision approach. This one is a 13 DME arc starting from a hold on the R-180. Follow arc to inbound course of 261° At 3 DME turn right 23° and look for runway.
What do I do if command steering never highlights when you input the ILS frequency? This is where I'm stuck with this. I can put all of the information in exactly the way you do, but command steering never highlights, and never turns on. It's a little frustrating because ALL of the tutorials blow right past this part. I can't do the rest of the steps when the first one doesn't work, but no one says what to do when you put a frequency in and get no command steering. It would be SO helpfull right now for one person to add "and if it DOESN'T turn on, then that means... (fill in the blank)" But nope; on to the next step lol
@@queglolg. nope, i had given up on DCS due to hardware limitations and till i moved to my new house and get a new upgrade on my PC.. im running on 24GB Ram, which is not enough to make DCS smooth. Will update some months later...
@@FLYGaffer Thanks, I actually should have came back and deleted this because in the scenario I set up I think I was just too far from the runway when I set the TACAN up. Once I got closer the command steering came up on its own. I was practicing at Incirlik.
You just blew my mind with the 45 degree intercept...... where have you been my whole life?!?!?!
Been doing the DCS thing for a good while. I am one of those that takes the sim seriously and push towards proficiency. I’ve watched and made many videos, but have to say this is an impressive, very well constructed and explained, tutorial. Easy to follow, steps not missed, and great explanation of the finer details.
Well done, brother. There are several really really great tutorials on this, but this one is by far the Best ILS video I have seen yet.
Appreciate it!
Best DCS F16 tutorials on UA-cam! Short, straight to the point, no-nonsense, and I always learn something new. Thank you :)
THIS ! please keep them coming, great work
True, and we already have a bunch of good ones. But Gaffer takes the cake right now.
It should be noted if it has not yet, that the DCS F10 map has been updated to show Magnetic and True headings at the same time now. They are shown on the new Compass Rose as well as when you manually draw a line. They are both updated dynamically as you move, the compass rose or draw on the F10 map!
Thank you! Finally an example that doesn’t assume you already understand every aspect. Perfect landing.
Great video.
One of the most satisfying things in general aviation is hand flying an ILS to minimums and having the runway be right where it should be!
This is one of my favorite video of yours now. I love the detail you go into with the navigation also. Keep it up!!!!
One thing I found out (I think this is still the case), If you want the beeping to go away you can turn the TACAN volume all the way down. However, if you turn the ILS volume all the way down it does turn the ILS off entirely so I usually leave the ILS volume one tick above 0. Good content though, didn't even know the command steering circle was a thing.
Same lol, i can still heard the beeping in my dreams tho
Wow how I struggle with landing, but this should help. Thank you.
So glad I found someone else out there doing great f16 tutorials.
Great teaching
Tip: Hit your uncage button when you have the runway visible.;)
2nd tip: The moment you touch the ground, the angle bracket ain't..! reliable any more. At point of touch, you switch only to your pitch ladder. (Cause..!! at moment of touch) you physically have only the max horizontal angle's that counts.!
15deg. (Air-brakes 'retracted.!) or 13deg. (Air-brakes full.! extended). When the air-brakes are set to there auto landing config, (just extend them full, and release the button. They set themselves!) its around 14 deg. (MAX values.) at touch.
Hint:
Look at the hud.. when he is perfectly (that i say rarely.!) aligned.! .... its 3deg..!
Not the dashed lines, that says 2.5deg.😉
2nd hint:
The top point of the vertical line of the FPM just/just-not hits the 2.5 deg lines, makes you have a god reference of a 3deg glideslope..
Along with Matt Wagner, by far, the greatest and articulated guys to make such artistic like tutorials.
Wish the F18 had ILS. Great video.
I don't know if you're aware but if you ever forget what the magnetic deviation is on whatever map you're on the Viper will tell you.
If you list LIST on the ICP then hit M-SEL 0 there is an option called MAG, or MAGV I forget which. It will tell you what the current magnetic deviation is in the computer for where you currently are.
Great video as usual Gaffer, I've taken quite a liking to your tutorials. Keep it up.
Thanks!
This was the most useful DCS comment I've encountered in a long time. Thank you!!
Oh wow, your comment just made it into my coveted DCS F-16 Navigation Screenshots photos folder. Congratulations lol. As @The Rocinante posted, that’s one of the most helpful comments I’ve seen in a very long time. Thank you for sharing!
@@therocinante3443 If you found that comment useful, I have one for you that's even better. When landing, don't splatter yourself on the runway. Don't thank me, it was my pleasure.
I thought Grim Reapers videos were good but I like yours way better! Straight and to the point no nonsense. I love it.
Even after doing things yourself quite a couple of times there's always a neat little detail you can learn and take back home from your vids or the comments. Truly love this channel. And who knows... maybe you'll do a video on aerial refueling one day and even stupid me might be able to connect to the boom ...one day....
Sorry! Got carried away...dreaming. Anyway ... great tutorial! The place to go for every DCS F-16 driver! 🤘
Agree. I felt AAR was impossible and very frustrating. If you start practicing, you will notice you can finally connect for a few seconds. Keep practicing and a few seconds become 10 and then 30 secs. Now I can fill three empty bags. Still keeps you on your toes. For me the key was to learn to feel the thottle and delay in the movement in the plane. When that clicked, the height was less of a problem. Also some more speed on the tanker may help. I shoot for around 340 knots.
Watching this feels like practicing mindfulness
A technique for the 45 Degree intercept is to put the head of the course (as selected for the ILS) on the 45 degree dash that is under the distance (for this particular dogleg) instead of trying to line up the CDI. If you look at 4:59 you can see the head of the course pointing at the 45 degree mark on the HSI. Cheers.
this was a really good tutorial. thanks!
BRO! Thank you for the video, best ILS tutorial out there by far!
Excellent Tutorial. I can hardly wait to get back into the cockpit. I just started learning the F-16 a while ago but haven't been flying for a while since due to issues in life and issues with my PTT in Discord. The latter issue is a head scratcher considering I never had any issues before. I have a button on my Warthog Throttle for Discord PTT but all of a sudden and without ANY changes on my part, my VKB Gunfighter's TRIGGER is Also a PTT for Discord which makes NO SENSE ! And of course, Discord doesn't even have their own Discord Tech Support Channel !! Go Figure ~!
Great tutorial, it all makes sense now!
Appreciate this video. Just what I was searching for. Sub'd!
My current issue with DCS is the lack of a convincing touchdown effect. I'm referring to a subtle camera shake or something similar. In MSFS, there's an addon called FS-Realistic that provides a very authentic touchdown experience. In DCS, it still feels like I'm in the flare even after touchdown, making it visually challenging to discern whether I've already landed or am still in the flare.
Well done, thank you man!
Absolutely bloody brilliant! Thanks mate
That was incredible!
Fantastic tutorial Gaffer. Thank you for continuing to create these!
Very nice! Cool to watch!
This is amazing! So simple and to the point explanation! Keep making those!
Solid videos man! I am about to start learning the F16 and will be watching more as I go through it.
Extremely helpful and thanks for your explanations and patience.
Great video!
Very helpful. Thank you!
Awesome vids on the 16, dude - love your content!
Very well made tutorial
Nice video great landing. Thanks
Very clear and helpful!! Teaching myself ILS in the Viper right now. This is huge! Thank you!
Thank you, big help!
Another Great video!
this is awesome!
Watched them all at this point, be great to see a refueling tutorial at some point. For myself this is a real challenge. Great content.
Thank you!
This is arguably the hardest part of flying an f16
Great vid
Really wish I had seen this video before I caveman smashed a dozen runs learning it myself. I burned a lot of fuel getting the hang of it. Really appreciate the simplicity of this demonstration.
Good content and no bullshit! Thumbs up.
yesss nice, thanks mr Gaffer
great vid. sub'd. learning the f16 and this is a very good tutorial.
Good video and thx :)
Great video. Any plans to do one for the overhead break? I've transitioned to flying the Hornet now because of the number of campaigns it has, but when I first started DCS a few months ago I flew the Viper. The overhead break was something I just couldn't do properly regardless of how many video tutorials I watch. I remember always overshooting during the final turn into the runway. Either that or I roll out too high/too low so I crash short of the runway or I break my landing gear on touchdown.
would be nice if you could do a AA refueling tutorial. Love your small hints and tips.
Very good tutorial. Much appreciated.
Just a minor detail: I think you meant to say magnetic declination (not deviation) when talking about the difference between the former and true heading indicated on the F10 map. Looking forward to new tutorials, keep the good work up!
You make Tacan and ILS landing look precise and clean on the F-16....great job.
I have two questions I'm curious about. Can I save the original Tacan/ILS settings to reuse in the event that I crash?
Can I load and recall more than 1 preset Tacan/ILS parameter into the system for landing at different locations?
Thank you
Regards Roy
Yo gaffer great vid! Can you do a video on AAR? Thanks for the viper content!
Just a non-important detail…and I’m not sure if DCS models this correctly or not, but in real life, an ILS will only broadcast a single radial. If you somehow miss the magnetic course by a few degrees, it should still give you accurate tracking to the runway, and the HSI needle will still be in the middle if you’re centered up but it will be pointing left or right depending on the magnetic variation.
Superb video. Most helpful. Also, is there a document which show the magnetic declinations of the maps in current form?
If you list LIST on the ICP then hit M-SEL 0 there is an option called MAG, or MAGV I forget which. It will tell you what the current magnetic deviation is in the computer for where you currently are.
@@therocinante3443 Excellent. Thanks.
How open are the speedbrakes on approach in percent? I always used 100%. Now I learn its wrong, but by how much :)
Best Video on this topic imho.
Gear down, speed brakes closed, level and 11deg AOA while intercepting the Glide Slope from below.
Once the GS is nearly intercepted and the CMD steering doughnut indicates a descent, open the speed brakes 100% and the aircraft will initiate a descent on its own. Fine tune the thrust and stick to maintain 11 deg AOA and flight path marker on the doughnut. Leave the speed brakes out.
RE the 30 degrees bank and speed under 250kts when intercepting, I found this in an F-16 manual and it works in-game. Not sure if the AP is supposed to be able to steer for you. It is either not implemented in DCS yet or is not a feature in the real aircraft.
@@FLYGaffer I was stupid, cmd Strg is the donut basically, just went to chucks guides to reread. It cues you in but you can’t latch on to it. Flown too much f18.
can you explain what weather settings did you use in the mission editor to make it low visibility like this? It wont let me set clouds lower than about 1378 feet
i cant be that precise even in vfr 😂
i’m still trying to figure out now to set the weather bad enough to warrant an instrument approach. I always break out at like 2000agl
Same! Did you figure it out?
Does the ILS not provide DME?
Also, not sure if the error is modeled but the needles on the HUD are advisory only. The HUD on the F-16 is not a PFD and the AI is the only thing rated for an ILS approach.
was waiting on the 1k, then 500 GPWS call outs.
I'm having trouble getting the command steering to work. I follow your steps: set his to pls TACAN, input frequency (senaki kolhki 108.90), input course (088), and TACAN(31X), and the command steering does not turn on. I also do not get my localizer or glide slope to align anywhere near the runway. Please help.
What in case if we don`t have Tacan and ILS available? In Syria only 1 airport has both, and thats Incirlik airport. So its in no use unfortunatelly.
Afaik the ILS should provide DME, if not, you still have the approach marker beacons, looks like this one has a MM.
If you have TACAN, you can do a non-precision approach.
This one is a 13 DME arc starting from a hold on the R-180. Follow arc to inbound course of 261°
At 3 DME turn right 23° and look for runway.
What do I do if command steering never highlights when you input the ILS frequency? This is where I'm stuck with this. I can put all of the information in exactly the way you do, but command steering never highlights, and never turns on. It's a little frustrating because ALL of the tutorials blow right past this part. I can't do the rest of the steps when the first one doesn't work, but no one says what to do when you put a frequency in and get no command steering.
It would be SO helpfull right now for one person to add "and if it DOESN'T turn on, then that means... (fill in the blank)" But nope; on to the next step lol
I have the exact same problem, did you figure it put? If yes, please reply. Thanks buddy
how do you draw the line for crs
I think the ruler might be what you are asking for... turn it on with a button on the left side of the F10 map
@@FLYGaffer on multiplayer? Or mission editor?
my CMD STRG doesnt highlight, what shld i do ? was doing a campaign mission that comes with the F-16
Same in here, have you found any fix? Please post it below if yes. Thanks a lot
@@queglolg. nope, i had given up on DCS due to hardware limitations and till i moved to my new house and get a new upgrade on my PC.. im running on 24GB Ram, which is not enough to make DCS smooth. Will update some months later...
When I enter the frequency the command steering won’t come on. Am I missing something?
You’ll need to set the course as well.
Also just FYI at some of the airfields in Syria the ILS does not work right
@@FLYGaffer Thanks, I actually should have came back and deleted this because in the scenario I set up I think I was just too far from the runway when I set the TACAN up. Once I got closer the command steering came up on its own. I was practicing at Incirlik.
I tried this with 4m/s wind on kutaisi airport it did not catch any ILS signal. I think its a bug. ILS does not work on wind