Getting a few comments on the AOA on final in the video, and why is it not in the middle of the bracket? The F-16 is a different animal from the Hornet. The middle of the bracket is 13 degrees AOA and is the proper attitude for touchdown. However you need energy to flare and soften the touchdown at the end. A preferred technique is to fly the approach at 11 degrees AOA (top of the bracket), reduce power, flare and touchdown with the AOA at 13 degrees (middle of the bracket) as I demonstrate. References below! From a 2020 USAF F-16 operations manual. "Final approach normally is flown at 11 degrees AOA. Pilots will compare the computed final approach airspeed with AOA." From the Lockheed Martin Block 50/52 F-16 manual: "One technique is to trim for approximately 11 degrees AOA and to fly that airspeed throughout the final approach. Attitude/glidepath is controlled by the stick, and airspeed/AOA is controlled by the throttle. This technique allows better pitch control, better over-the-nose visibility, and a more stable HUD presentation. In gusty wind conditions, the aircraft wallows less, and during the flare, the sink rate is easier to control."
I don't agree sorry. Whilst it is a different beast if you trim for 11-13 degrees and maintain the aoa in bracket you will land with less speed and on the correct AOA. You can still flair at the last minute and aerobrake till 130kts and because you are a bit slower on touchdown you wont use up as much runway and can get off sooner. Horses for courses, however don't say in a video that you are on AOA when clearly you are nowhere near it. Yes you can land without trim but with trim is better.
Best Viper landing tutorial I have seen yet! Most people with landing tutorials say put the two and a half degree line at the end of the run way, but don't tell you how to do it. A lot of people never flew before so telling them whether to use stick inputs or throttle inputs helps a bunch. Thank you!
Appreciate that. I am trying to throw in a little Private Pilot level instruction along with tips on how to land your F-16. 😂 based on some of the comments I think it’s helped a lot of DCS pilots which is awesome. I was a CFI (flight instructor) for a few years (still am, technically).
I've watched so many landing videos on the F16 and I just couldn't get this thing on the ground gracefully. Something about your video, and how you taught it just made everything click for me. My landings have improved drastically, and I keep getting better at them.
Gaffer is wrecking fools in the comments. This is the best video I’ve seen on landing in the F-16 and F-16 content in general. Your SEAD/DEAD videos are epic too. Keep up the content, people will trust what you say the longer you put out quality vids. Excellent work man.
***** Thanks, Man!!!***** I'm new to DCS. I bought the F16 about 2 weeks ago. I have been doing pretty well reading the manual and doing the training tabs. But I quickly hit a wall with landing. I would land, but the gear would be destroyed, and about half the time, I would slide off, flip, and blow up. I'm not sure why, but it just all made sense after watching this video. In the last 24 hours, I have 7 good landings. Each one gets smoother and more natural.
I just started flying the viper and have been having a hell of a time getting clean landings. This and your fly-by-wire explainer have helped me so much. Thank you!
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Oh nice!!! I needed this so bad!!! I've been struggling to land the F-16 for weeks now, this is going to help with that for sure!!! Thanks bud!!!
Just to chime in, been flying the free trial of this plane to work out if I want to take the plunge from warbirds to jets in the summer sale, and this video was BY FAR the clearest, easiest to follow landing tutorial I've seen! So much better than the in-game training! I love that you have examples of how to bring the 2.5deg line up/down to the threshold, so good to see 'how to fix this mistake' rather than just 'here's a perfect landing'. Thank you!
Definitely the best landing tutorial for the f-16. A big thank you to you. I can finally land this plane with ease. Your other videos on speed and AoA have been great in getting me to understand this plane. Bonnie Scotland salutes you, Sir.
Yet another great tutorial. You have the best no-nonsense DCS F-16 tutorials. Still after flying the module for over a 1 1/2 year, I still learn many things from your vids.
I've done hundreds of F-16 landings in DCS and never knew I was doing it wrong. I've never gone hands off. Now I can put that thing down smooth as ice, but this way will give more consistency!
Thanks for these tutorials GafferDCS 👍! Very helpful refreshment for those like me that have to relearn everything after not flying the Viper for over a year 🙈
Thank you!!! Just got into learning DCS and your right, all the other videos just use acronyms or assume you know what they are talking about in the HUD. You made it much easier to understand the basic principle.
Landing is so far the only use I've found for nose trim in the Viper, auto-trim by the FBW system being good enough the rest of the time. It's possible to land without it, but much easier if you use it. Thanks for spreading the word about this lesser-used feature.
I can say for sure my landing have improved quite a lot now after this video. Very smooth touchdowns routinely now. I imagine it will only improve as I get better at making even more minute changes in throttle.
If you take video requests I'd love to see you go over ILS landings in zero visibility. There are others out there but I like the way you explain things and think it would be a very informative tutorial!
A solid video with a nice presentation pace and detail. I think there is enough room and need in the DCS F-16 community for an A/A refuel tutorial that I believe you could deliver. Well, done an I hope to see you continue making great content. 👍
thanks a lot my man, getting back into the viper and realizing my landings suck, i was too tomcat and hornet brained and kept smacking down a little too hard XD great tutorial and explaining the 2.5deg GP marker and how it all tied together was golden! I appreciate it
Excellent. I’ve been doing most of this but I didn’t have the full picture before so it’s really great to have it pulled together. Mostly, I’d mistaken the angle of attack bracket for the 2.5 degree glide marker in descriptions, the bracket is about 2.5 degrees so I assumed that’s what people were talking about. It wasn’t a showstopper, I was hitting a glide slope of between 2 and 4 degrees anyway, but now I know there was a dotted line to use right in front of my face the whole damn time! As an aside, I’ve been given a fright a couple of times by an AI wingman deciding to land right next to me with no warning. It’s particularly dangerous in a warbird as those things can lurch all over the place if you are a knot or two low or high, even if the approach is otherwise textbook. It annoyed me so much when I was learning to fly the Anton I now tell any flight members to hold in place before I hit final, just to get them to eff off. And if they are low on fuel? Tough. Those buggers have left me high and dry plenty of times right in the middle of a fight so when it comes to AI they will have to look after themselves :D.
This is the first time I’ve really understood the angle of attack thing on landing! I manage to land most time but there extremely hairy to say the least! Will be trying this out later. Thank you!
That wingman showing up out of nowhere 😂😂😂 That was hilarious! Nice tutorial man, good explanation and the visual cues def is something that other RU-vidrs don't show/talk about!
Awesome explanation. Best one I've seen yet. I am transitioning from the Hornet to learning the Viper. Your series is great. Those landings are butter and make sense now. Sub'd.
love that tutorial! one of my favorite things about the hornet is controlling pitch with power once you get her trimmed up, and looks like you can do the same with the Viper which is awesome! Freaking funny that wingman coming down like that, haha! Ever since hearing those rumors about F-16s entering Ukraine, been itching to learn the Falcon and just picked it up! Thanks for the awesome tutorials! After learning how to land, going to work through the rest!
Just found your channel, and your vids are by far the best tutorials for the viper. Really practical and enjoyable. Would be great if you'd consider making an overhead break tutorial, been really struggling with energy management specially on the base leg turning final, I just can't figure out how to not completely lose energy and exceed 13 AOA while looking for that correct glidepath. Thanks and keep it up!
Awesome stuff! If you want a suggestion for the next video, alignment would be good. How to align after repair etc I end up just doing in flight alignment and it's quicker than waiting when stored heading is unavailable
These videos are incredibly helpful. I hope you start making videos again. I prefer the way you lay it out as opposed to the other tutorials out there. I don't leave these videos scratching my head like the other tubers videos.
moving from the hawg to the viper is proving to be a challenge for me, ill practice this landing . i posted some crazy sideways drift landings. this should make it more easy
Best explanation yet. Now, can I put it to practice . Thanks for the vid. It will be nice if they had an option to show your throttle inputs during the final to put it all together for me. Yes I know I’m a dummy 😅
There’s a speed brake checker indicator on the lower left console, it does not give you an indication of how much brake you out, it simply tells you the speed break is deployed
Nice... I thought I was always good, but every now and then I blow it with a bad landing, I realize the mistake I was making by not getting that 2.5° lined up. Cheers.
I had the old F/A 18 Super Hornet Simulator, and the only thing I did was take off, fly around, and eject when I ran out of gas because I couldn't figure out landing.
Awesome videos! Great work and it is explained so good for me personaly. I have one question left, if i am still loaded with external wingtanks and maybe the 3 Fox3 and an Fox2, i often have an light tailstrike if i set the aoa to 13 or 14 while slowing down on the runway. So whats for real the max aoa i should go? Makes that question sense? i hope . Cheers from germany
Coming from the Hornet this helped me greatly in getting the different process down for the viper! What I was confused about, what is the AoA indicator left of the HUD for? I thougt on the desired 11 degress of AoA it should show a green circle or is this information for a different situation?
I truly enjoy your vids and in particular like your way of explaining. Can't wait for the next one and hope you'll keep it coming. (Still I believe pitch trimming the Viper in final is for little girls only. 😜*joking*)
When you are close to the runway (time stamp ~8:00min, do you need to make micro adjustment to the roll to keep the plane straight ( I see a slow drift when I try it, even not touching the flight stick)?
im in the f16CM bl.50, i think this was the only f16 available for purchase on steam but i cant seem to find where the air brake key is. does the f16cm bl.50 not have an air break? is this the updated version of the plane or are there multiple f16s that can be bought?
When you are wings level on final you only look at your AOA, green circle left, FPM in the bracket, FPM on threshold. On final and wings level: AOA green. Runway clear? Check your gear!
Does it tell you how far they’re extended? Far as I can tell it’ll only show that they’re out but you could tap them and only have them extended a tiny bit. I don’t know if you can tell if they’re fully or partially extended from that instrument.
I am surprised aerodynamic braking slows the plane that fast. In BMS falcon from the point aerodynamic braking to nose down it takes I'd say two thirds of the runway