Focke Wulf Fw-190 A8 DCS and More 

Please don’t be shy about posting your adventures in DCS. It’s a different kind of video for you, to be sure, but it’s a fun one. Thanks!

Nice thing about sims, is they can give you an appreciation of things that will just get left out of the history books. A good sim can have a level of immersion where it's possible to get scared, or even better can make you panic. My favorite moments have been near midair collisions where it makes me *duck*. Books like Robert S Johnson's or Saburo Sakai's are great to read (highly recommended), but even the best book won't make you angry like when someone gets your wingman. If you feel like that in a game, you can get some sense of how powerful those sensations would be with real-world pucker factor and fear.

I'm generally not a fan of watching much of any simulation or game play footage, however with Greg's commentary during his flights that is completely the opposite! I enjoy this style of Greg DCS video nearly as much as the unparalleled in depth topic videos 👍 Looking forward to Greg dropping a mixed loadoat of more DCS ordnance mixed with historical aviation knowledge bombs 😉👍

Going back in time, FW190A8 was also one of planes in Chuck Yeager's Air Combat simulator/game from 1991 and I spent huge amount of time playing that game back in i286 times :D

Very interesting. As is often the case, there's a lot more going on than the casual viewer expects - a mission is not only physically taxing (in real life, at least), it's mentally taxing, trying to remember all the relevant details. Heading, ammo supply, fuel situation, damage assessment, what works against your opponent in a dogfight, or even a bomber attack, etc., plus fly the damn plane.

21:53

Loved listening to your commentary as you flew and fought. It made your deep knowledge of WW2 aircraft come alive. I’d like to see more of these.

Im 44 and remember spending a bunch of time playing air warrior in the mustang. Ive been playing sims since i was 8, really my favorite and pretty much first was f19 stealth fighter, by sid meyer and microprose. Id have lights low and pretend i was sneaking into pvo fortified north cape to take photos of subpens in murmanks..just a game smarter than blowing stuff up. Loved it so much that id like to remake it just for myself. Not a game that kids today may be interested in.

Basically my only critism of DCS is the lack of planeset consistency. Like you said the modelling of the planes is nice but then you have planes from variants from a too great time span. A very late stang, a K-4, a early A-8. and all that. I just wish that DCS would be time frame specific. A G-6 with optional MW50 would have been great and earlier P-51D and such. DCS could fill such a nice niche (or could fill it way better) (This comment was written as i reached 22mins)

Ohhh DCS. What a love hate relationship I have with you. Always so near, yet so far away! The one thing I always find amazing is because of how realistic these aircraft are in DCS that they become even better, or should I say understandable in VR vs flat screen. Just last night I was flying with my squad mates in P 47's. One was talking to the other (both flat screeners) about how they couldn't understand why a certain temp gauge was not centred at the 12 O'clock position but rather it is off set to the 1-2 O'clock position. When I looked at it in VR the reason was staring me in the face, due to my head position within the cockpit the outer part of the instrument bezel created a blind spot at the 12 position. VR does need to improve, but it does really help one understand the cockpits a little more. Cheers for another great Vid.

Started flying the 190 this week in DCS and enjoying your video with a cup of coffee this morning! Thanks for putting the time in, I really enjoy these!

Evening Greg Thanks For This Episode 😊😀😎 I Appreciate All The Effort You Put Into Every Video 😊👍🏼

The FW190 may not be a good match for the US fighters, but it's pretty good for the Spit IX which is a Merlin 66 version from Mar 1943 onwards. However, your broader point about DCS needing a wider range of planes for better matching is definitely true.

Thank you for sharing your DCS missions with us your aircraft systems knowledge and explanation are especially appreciated. Those are the things I believe make this unique and entertaining.

Very enjoyable! Thank you! Great type of SIM videos! Your comments while flying are great.

Watching the level of detail that Greg goes into in eking out the best performance from his aircraft, I now realise why I ended up getting shot down so routinely by supposedly ‘inferior’ aircraft. That said, I always enjoyed the FW190A in IL-2 for boom and zooming.

To be honest, when I clicked this I expected somewhat stale gameplay without a lecture, but I ended up getting a pretty good lecture along with unexpectedly interesting gameplay

Thanks for the information about the window cleaning mechanism. I fly a BF-109G in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020, and I was baffled by the similar system they have in that aircraft. The labelling said something about fuel, and I thought it was my poor German which was at fault. I guess not! Danke!

The fw 190 is such a beast... So smooth and well engineered. I love it

I bet the delegates were discussing why the Wright brothers weren't the first ppl to invent flight. 🤣🤣

You're right about the horrido campaign, having a blast completing it ATM! I think I saw some of his videos, which are great, and it seems it's a one man operation! This guy really do us WW2 dcs users a favor with his campaigns! Especially when, like me, your ping often prevents from flying mp!

In the actual A8 you could not see any of the "interior" black around the armoured glass. The refraction of the thick glass made it so the front wind screen supports were all you could see. So the front view should be much better.

Hi Greg, thanks for the shoutout as well as for this informative video. Big fan of your channel!

as a frenchman, don't worry about mangling the language, you'd be surprised how badly many of my compatriots speak our language lol even amongst those of us a little more erudite, it is acknowledged that french is difficult to master!

Excellent video, comprehensive and entertaining. Thanks!

Hello Greg! Just wanted to thank you for the content you are putting up, hidden gem of a channel as many others have already said, probably the best ww2 airplane content one could find! Also much enjoy the DCS content,I believe your knowledge and experience as an actual pilot, turns this type of content into semi documentaries,where we can get to better understand the finer details of the aircraft,and what pilots actually had to do and understand to overcome their opponents. I dont think the enemy respected each other as much in other armed branches as pilots did. I hope you will make more DCS flight videos when you get the chance to!

Love the video! Finally put all those technical manual explanations to use!

Thanks Greg for another good video and the info on DCS. I've flown IL2 a lot and enjoyed it. Now downloading DCS for the first time.. Might catch you up there..

Interesting talk on the Fw 190 simulation. The 190A came as a shock to the RAF in 1941 because of its 30mph speed advantage over the Spitfire MkV at 20,000ft. Note that 190A was best at low altitude, pilots rarely flew above 20,000 ft. But by June 42 the Spitfire MkIX had entered service with a performance at least as good. The MkIX had a 'happy time' as they were mistaken for MkVs and by this time many 190As had been converted to fighter-bombers, 190F, which degraded performance. By 1943 the 190A was given extra armour and armament for use as bomber destroyers. The extra weight again degrading performance and agility making them easy meat for escort fighters.

Interesting stuff about the takeoff. My 1/5 scale RC 190A8 is awkward on takeoff. Has the usual taildragger warbird tendency to swing left so have to be quick and generous on the right rudder. Additionally though, my 190 has a distressing tenancy to pitch over, trip over its own gear doors and stick the prop into the ground. Gentle back pressure on the stick from the get go helps a lot but it's still tricky. I have to neutralise the elevator within a few metres to avoid lurching into the air without sufficient control. Great content Greg 😀

I noticed you draining from both tanks. I usually empty the rear tank first which in theory should make the plane more stable in Dogfights without the extra weight behind the center of gravity. Entertaining video really! And I agree the Anton needs its WEP boost

Thanks for the interesting vid, Greg. I enjoyed it immensely

Thank you for the video, Greg. Would love to see more F.I.A.T. videos.

I know its probably way more work, but I really like having the sim footage in the background while you talk about the history of the plane.

Great mission! The A8 is my favourite German module to fly, it’s just so well done. I agree that the modern jets just feel like fighting pixels. I’d encourage you to play on enigmas Cold War for some earlier action in jets with only rear aspect heaters. You end up getting close and personal a lot more often.

Thank you! Happy Sunday!!!

Great video. I’ve just started DCS with the A8 module so I found this helpful as it’s quiet the step up from the IL2 version I was used to.

Another great video on a truly beautiful game. It looks amazing! Decades ago I had the Jane's WW II Airplane Simulator that was also beautiful, accurate and cutting edge for it's time ! Too bad they did not do more but now we have the even more detailed DCS, which is awesome as well. Thanks again Greg!

I can't compliment you enough. I learned more about flight, tactics and planes watching your content than ever. Being ex-Airborne I know a lot more about jumping than Flying. LMAO. Seriously, thank you so much this is the best content I have ever seen. I have always appreciated your Plane content. But this content is "Omage" to our History. I understand the Pilot point of view so much better. Reading about a "Scissors'" maneuver, and seeing it in your video is absolutely priceless to me. So thank you very much. Best wishes' for you and your family.

Excellent presentation - and I wholeheartedly agree more people need to give DCS WWII a try! I love the 190, but man flying it is scary. That sinking feeling when a mustang runs you down and you know there's nothing you can really do to escape is the stuff of nightmares.

Thanks for another amazing video Greg. One thing I found interesting that wasn't mentioned in the video is if you look closely at 39:58 as you are passing under the P-47, you can just make out that his propeller is windmilling. I'm not certain if that was caused from him breaking his engine or if the fuel leak you gave him earlier on in the fight drained him of fuel, but either way it was a great kill. Hope to see more DCS content from you in the future.

yes totally get it ,you make great points,one guy was trying to keep flying into the sun whilst trying to make his escape ,look forward to more Greg as i am sure many do too,flying the old planes for me like you said so much fun just than just seeing Pixels more close up action is more fun

Just a random guy who's subscribed and watches all the time, especially whilst painting models for 40k, etc. It's pretty cool to see some gameplay footage from ya. With how busy your professional life and video research and editing must keep you it's neat to see ya chillin 😎👉

Very informative and very enticing; I've thought of flight sims as a 'retirement' activity and your forays have locked me in. Of course saving enough to provide a flight sim rig AND food during actual retirement is whole new landscape.

Finally got the dcs a8 after salivating over it for some years, what a blast! Eager to try the campaign, then will see you over normandy! Thanks for the videos.

The commentary makes this surprisingly relaxing to have it running on the second monitor, but "too informative" to have it left in the background. Still "requires" some attention. Keep it up :>

Great work Greg, I really enjoy your channel and vids, keep it up!

Greg, I love your content and appreciate all the research and work you put into making it informative and engaging. Have you considered duplicating this work on Rumble, Ultreon or some other platform? I ask because RU-vid frequently and irrationally will decide that content that was previously fine is now grounds for strikes. This has been happening more and more frequently with little to no explanation. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if someone at RU-vid arbitrarily decides that your videos are “glorifying war and murder” or some such nonsense. I encourage yourself and other creators to diversify your platform exposure as much as possible so that you don’t lose your income and your fans don’t lose access to your videos on the whim of someone who gets easily triggered.

that dog fight was bad ass you out skilled him and brought that novice down. bad ass

I'm hopeful/wishful that there will eventually be earlier flavors of the 109, 190, Spitfire, etc. as well as a few other planes in DCS. With the Normandy and Channel maps I don't think it would be too great of a stretch to have some 1940-1942 Battle of France or Battle of Britain content, which has always been a favorite of mine. I sorely miss the Ju87 from games/sims I've played in the past. It's a really incredible technological time frame, where the gap of a year or two completely eclipses performance-- and that only 5 or 6 years separate something like the BF-109 E and the BF-109 K4... Anyway, I'd be game to see earlier P51s, P47's, Spitfire Mk5's, BF-109 F's and G's, and the FW-190 A's in their own corner :)

Love the 190, my favorite plane of all time. All of your videos on it have been pretty enlightening and have helped a lot in my understanding of how to use it effectively. Every variant is fascinating to me and wonderful to fly. Sort of feels like a spaceship compared to most of the other planes of the time. When I was a kid playing IL-2 1946 I would often break the landing gear on other planes when trying to land, so I started flying the 190s purely for the sturdy landing gear, but then I just fell in love with it. The way it looks, the wide array of weapons, the roll rate, and of course the incredible speed. Unlocked pretty much every variant in War Thunder, always relaxing to take the TA-152 out for some high altitude shenanigans. Can't really afford to buy the 190 in DCS, I play that for more modern stuff anyway, but I do enjoy seeing the footage and hearing your thought process, as most of it applies to any other sim.

Would you consider a video comparing the performance of the DB 605-powered Bf109G vs. the Jumo 211F-powered Avia S-199? (My understanding is that while the Jumo made less power, it nevertheless made more torque… had a different prop… bit nose-heavy… a menace on the ground… that’s all I know.)

Brings me back to the days of AcesHigh II. HUNDREDS of hours played! Udets Jg3 Black21

I've been convinced! I haven't built a computer in over 10 years now.. just too much work and no time for anything else, but I've started doing the research. Everything is crazy now. Solid state drives measured in terabytes, watercooling, overclocking, ect. My ocd won't allow me to build anything mid grade or lower so I need to figure out how to go about this without my wife castrating me for spending so much on a fancy rgb game machine.

25:00 I concur, the Anton is most likely the easiest warbird in DCS. I started out with the P-47 and just this past weekend started flying the Anton. I looked at the keybindings in Chuck's guide, skimmed the checklists and I was airborne in less than 10 minutes. Got my first two kills within 20 minutes and was headed to the pub within 40. In the same amount of time in the P-47, I might have got it started.

Yay ! I live on the Channel Island of Jersey so nice to see us on the map Greg. I waved but I dont think you saw me 🤣

Nice my favorite engineering nerd channel also plays DCS! Haven’t tried any WW2 modules in DCS but I definitely love to fly the mig-21 and f-86 on the ECW server

Excellent, thanks Greg!

Greg i have been watching your videos for long time. I fly dcs ww2 and have learned a lot. This is truely excellent perhaps you could start a series with the more anton flying tips to defeat the enemy and perhaps the anton up against the spit , p51 etc demonstrating the better tactics to use. Then perhaps work in each aircraft fighting the others explaining the advantages they have and when / how to use it to defeat them. I do fly the 109 and dora but get shot down a lot. Im not good at knowing the strength of those aircraft and how to best turn the tables

Always loved the 190s, I can't really decide if I love the short nose or the long nose variant more, they're both quite good looking planes.

I got the same feeling you did when I swtched from IL 2 to DCS.Unfortunately, this sim cannot run in VR, even with the best gear there is, it slows and it needs special tricks to lower the number of FPS you can get... Campaigns are great, amazing, but they can't run in VR either... Conclusion, the sim that wants to be the most immersive is the least one in VR because it keeps freezing and crashing under the load of computing it demands... This year a big performance update is announced. Either they managed it or the WWII sim of DCS won't grow for another while... Great video and thanks for showing uf the A8 that I don't own yet. HAve a good day.

Would be great to see you in the 4YA Overlord server sometime too. Typically 50 plus people in there.

Outstanding Greg! 👍

DCS WWII modules remind me of the Il-2 series that I used to play at the turn of the century. In the end (after about 10 years, 2009 2010) there were so many expansion packs and community add-ons, it was a huge game. I "invested" a lot of time into it back in the day, but work and women eventually tool their toll.

Great video mate - cheers

Nice video, again. As I said before, fun.

Such fun, thanks again.

Wow, I've wondered for ages what those little tubes were for. Now I know. Tbh, it's another example of the German habit of adding unnecessary stuff, but pretty cool all the same.

Run, and hide? Never! : )

This is interesting information. I own DCS P-51D and appreciate what they are doing. To be quite frank I gave up on the most popular simulator after the number of things that were theoretically done for “realism” but in practice were just crazy stacked up too high: Western Allies plane engines including injected types like the P-47 breaking after 6 minutes on WEP, .50s changed to be borderline useless. Final straw was the choice to overcomplicate Gloc modeling to the point you could not at any given movement in a fight know how many G you could pull. Of all things, War Thunder air sim turned out to be surprisingly decent, with a reasonable approach to engine limitations (based on temp, you have an advantage if you manually manage RPM, flaps, rads etc), a reasonable spotting model (small moving dots, zoom in to ident) and good enough flight modeling (Shaw works). Highly recommend to anyone for an experience that is more casual than DCS yet considerably more realistic than old Aces High was.

Thanks Greg. I'm really surprised that ED has not yet done what you proposed. Delivering to us a "newer" A8 and "older" Mustangs Thunderbolts would better round out the relatively small number of WWII aircraft that are available to us without having to develop another completely new aircraft. First however should be the newer A8 I think because older versions of the other aircraft don't lose so much as the A8 would gain.

Leave it to you Greg, to find some obscure yet relevant items omitted from the performance numbers for the Anton. Though you’re flying a FW, I’m glad you are on our side. Right?

I love the comment about "looking for something easy not for a dogfight"? After seven years in two tours in Germany and talking to dozens of old fighter pilots, every single one of whom told me they never wanted to "Dogfight" but preferred to be aerial assassins! Paraphrasing! Also, after all that bit about "P" Factor, I wish you would do a serries on the P-38! PS, does DCS do a good job modeling wing guns, harmonization and huge variances in MV/BC?

Amazing, thanks!

Thank- you Greg

I enjoy the mix of technical data while in the DCS model. I just say "Chevey".

Always been interested in DCS but can't justify the price. I'll probably be playing il2-1946 till he day I die lol

Oooooh gameplay!

While I always loved your aircraft history, car, and engine technicalities related videos, also really loving your DCS warbird content! I personally would say P-51 is a lot easier a warbird for people to start with though. Sure, it has just a bit more in the way of managing the engine compared to Anton, but in turn I'd say its ground handling, takeoffs and landings are a lot easier, and it is a lot easier to handle in the air, and has a lot more ground attack potential too imo. But for an Axis side bird, I guess I have to agree that the Anton is the easiest in ground handling and takeoffs. Just my opinion anyway :)

I love how the planes don’t explode into a couple of pieces every time you hit them with cannons, unlike WT. I like my casual WT experience but I hate how easy every plane falls apart, including bombers. It’s kinda the result of the the main game modes being so short term action focused 😄 I actually have a joystick that I never really used but I feel like sims are too much work and too little game for me to enjoy. Hard to learn, hard to master 😄

Excellent work. You are hereby authorized to paint a red bomb silhouette going through a basketball hoop below your cockpit.

Good flying, although I could almost hear my instructor's voice demanding more right rudder throughout the flight 😉

Fun fact is that second supercharger speed does not provide any additional power. It allow engine to maintain power during climb. So supercharger gap does not mean that there is some kind of power deep and when second supercharger speed engages power comes back up.

Great video.

Great video!

I fly the D9 on the same server. Unfortunately I am severely limited by not having headtracking or a powerful enough video card to use my quest 2. I am hopeful to upgrade at some point because using the numpad and joystick hat for free look is cumbersome along with non intuitive zooming…a real handicap. I also need to add rudder pedals instead of the twist stick rudder I have now. It is a lot of fun regardless, I really enjoy starting with a cold airplane while the base is under attack…gives you a sense of urgency and appreciation for the realism… On take off I was really struggling until I realized I was being too gingerly with the throttle…something to consider if you are having trouble. I was sitting too long in the most unstable parts of takeoff slowly advancing the throttle.

I'm french and I admit I did not understand the name of the Town you said when you add your take on french pronunciation but I certainly won't hold it against you good sir! 😁

My favorites 190..the A8. Thanks Greg!

In regards to the Window cleaning/window washers in DCS basically every module doesn't have any window washing functionality, there are a couple helicopters for example that have working window wipers, but from what I know they are effectively animated but non-functional, the F14 for example is meant to have bleed air window wiper/deice but isn't animated or usable.

Okay, there's one thing I think everyone can agree on. We need some sort of Japanese aircraft from WW2 in DCS. Soon. Ki-84, Ki-61, A6M, I don't care and I don't think many would either. With the Corsair and Hellcat both on the way though we GOTTA get at least a G4M to shoot at. Despite the combat flight sim history of quite happily using standins (DCS videos using 190As as Zeros is not a new concept. In DOS Air Warriors manual they talk about using A6Ms with their cannon ammo all fired out to pretend to be Ki-43s) I'd be a LOT happier having a G4M or something to shoot at.

Great video Greg! Your narrative on the flight planning process made this much more interesting. A good illustration of the video you did recently made on navigation. I’m curious if you make any use of your watch in the navigation process? I don’t know anything about programs or servers but it was great to start the day with a video staring my favorite aviation presenter and favorite WW II fighter. Thanks and more please!

12:30 So, the A8 in DCS does have a cockpit control that would spray fuel onto the windscreen. It's the yellow tab just forward of the throttle. Unfortunately in DCS, it has no actual function. Turnign the tab one direction would help with especially cold starts of the engine, and the other would be windshield de-icing. This yellow tab can briefly be seen at 11:47 in the bottom of the screen.

Have a great day? Will do!

Greg's gameplay channel soon?

Thank you

I love DCS warbirds, despite their limitations I do like the German birds. Interesting about the A8 though, did it use mw50 or any other additive?

entertaining already, 2 minutes in

Hey greg, me again. So I rewatched your video on the sea fury, and I think I have your answer on why the Sea Fury FB X performs so much better than the FB 11. It did run 14 pounds of boost, as it was an interceptor similar to the bearcat. Sources: 1. Pilots’ Notes for Sea Fury 10 & 11, 2nd Edition, A.P.4018 A & B-P.N., May 1950 2. Pilots’ Notes Bristol Centaurus XVIII Engines in Sea Fury Mk.X Aircraft, Issue No.1, March 1947 3. Sea Fury F Mk.10 , FB Mk.11, and T Mk.20 Power Plants (A), Air Publication 4158A, Volume 1 4. “Goodly Heritage - The Hawker Fury and Sea Fury: Last of a Great Line of Airscrew-driven Fighters”, Flight Magazine, Pages 392-394, October 10th, 1946. 5. “Sea Fury X - Latest Single-seat Hawker Fighter : Ingenious Hydraulic Wing Folding : Outstanding Rate of Climb”, Flight Magazine, Pages 111-116, January 31st, 1946. 6. “Hawker Sea Fury” Warpaint Series No.16, by W.A. Harrison, Reference Book #WPT016

Great video Greg

Nice mission. The Anton is currently one of the best WW2 ground attack planes in DCS. The Mosquito has the better armament but its pitch is a bit sensitive and the Anton has the way better roll-rate. The Mustang has more accurate guns but not as much punch. One info to add, maybe: You can test most planes in DCS for 2 weeks every 6 months. So take a look at them and choose the one you like most.