Combat Flight Simulator 3

[CaldRail]

I haven't found IL2 difficult, and I have it at 100% realism

Can I ask what aircraft you fly in it? You find that narrow tracked bitch of a Bf109 easy to fly? I end up turning it into a combine harvester above 70%-80% realism.
Keeping it aloft is easy, going to combat and, on the rare occasion I haven't been vanquished, trying to land the thing is asking the impossible.
It bemuses me. I can land Airbus' and Boeings with my left (aka useless for anything but bridging a cue) hand fairly easily .

Welcome to the world of powerful taildraggers. Thats how it was. The germans lost an enormous number of 109's in take-off & landing accidents. During the 50's, a pair of spitfires were due to perform an standing start air-race at an airshow. Both pilots were dead keen to win and rammed the throttles forward fully intent on getting airborne first. Both aircraft immediately swerved off the runway and scattered the top-brass audience!

take-offs - Stick central, lock your tailwheel, add power smoothly, use rudder to stay straight.

Landing isn't impossible, but it does require you concentrate on the task. Use your rudder. Lock your tailwheel. Remember that changes of power and attitude will cause a swing if you let it. Keep above stall speed and bring the aircraft to a nose-high attitude just above the tarmac. Control your descent rate with throttle. If you bounce excessively power up and go around.

[Speedbird083]

I'll stick to the more forgiving F-W's and the IL's.

Found Pacific Fighters for £17.99 (although its out of stock) so that's ordered.
I saw a screenshot which looked like something along the lines of a Brewster and I want to see how hapless that is. Some Seafire vs. Zero Action is appealing too.
I'll probably crash & burn though .

[Fodda]

Errr Couldn't tell you who's stuff I've downloaded for CFS2 to be honest.

And I haven't flown it for over 6 months now either. I got MSFS 2004 instead.

[Redbaron]

I fly all planes, including Me109. As Caldrail says: To fly a 109, lock tailwheel, resist temptaion to ram throttle full on as you would in a modern plane, slowly increase instead, doesn't have to be 100% on a good runway, make very small and careful adjustments to direction as you go down runway, lift off as early as possible, get gear up as early as possible, fly level immediately after takeoff if neccessary to build up speed - better than staying for longer on runway! ;D

Remember:

1. Most (especially single) propeller aeroplanes have a tendency to swing to the left on takeoff with full throttle, be prepared to apply some right rudder.

2. A taildragger is actually easier to land than a tricycle gear plane in many ways - you can land slightly nose down on the main gear, don't have to use a three-point landing unless you have a very small/light aircraft or a weak undercarriage, or you are at low speed and want a very short roll-out. So just point at the runway and fly onto it! A Boeing/Airbus is actually harder to land sometimes, especially at speed - you have to flare for landing to get the main gear (behind the nose wheel) onto the tarmac first, can't just fly it into the runway!

3. If you're unsure about handling, make small and easily correctible movements. Most trouble comes on takeoff when you make too large a correction for an error, and then correct that too much, until you are out of control!

[CaldRail]

2. A taildragger is actually easier to land than a tricycle gear plane in many ways - you can land slightly nose down on the main gear, don't have to use a three-point landing unless you have a very small/light aircraft or a weak undercarriage, or you are at low speed and want a very short roll-out. So just point at the runway and fly onto it! A Boeing/Airbus is actually harder to land sometimes, especially at speed - you have to flare for landing to get the main gear (behind the nose wheel) onto the tarmac first, can't just fly it into the runway!

Thanks for telling me that. I'll fly with someone else thanks! ooops a daisy he's bumped again... makes you weep....

Seriously - Landing nose down on a taildragger is going to see you pointing upward quite quickly afterward. Not recommended.

[Speedbird083]

It (CFS3) has arrived. Its not bad. Not that impressed with it graphically but the "X" craft are fun. Need to find a Meteor for it. Vampires suck (pun intended).

[CaldRail]

Personally speaking, if someone needs to add ten million new aircraft to a sim to get any enjoyment, you have to question whether its any good to begin with. Also military pilots don't choose the planes they fly.

Think I'll change my user id to Sourpuss

[Speedbird083]

Also military pilots don't choose the planes they fly.

I'm not a military pilot.

Pacific Fighters arrived this morning. Love it. The twist stick on my joystick doesn't turn far enough to stop the Corsair IV from flying into the superstructure of the carrier but turn the realism down a little and its both manageable and a hoot.

The AI that drives the autopilot is a little strange though. Perfect visibility and it flies into a hillside.

[Fodda]

Personally speaking, if someone needs to add ten million new aircraft to a sim to get any enjoyment, you have to question whether its any good to begin with. Also military pilots don't choose the planes they fly.

Think I'll change my user id to Sourpuss

Errrr... Exactly the same argument could be used against add-ons for MSTS. And since when was an engine driver allowed to pick what he wanted to drive each and every day?

So you only drive the MSTS default routes and stock then CR?

[Redbaron]

Seriously - Landing nose down on a taildragger is going to see you pointing upward quite quickly afterward. Not recommended.

I'm not talking about flying vertically into the runway here, just slightly nose down if it's easier. I've done loads of landings slightly nose down on IL2 that haven't resulted in disaster (and quite a few that have as well until I got the hang of it ). There are many approaches to landing a taildragger that seem unorthodox and asking for trouble, such as tailwheel first touchdown, if you can believe it, but I'm told they do work, even in real life.

[CaldRail]

Speedbird - The AI isn't so strange. Pilots have been doing things like that since the Wright brothers. Oh poo I dropped my jelly babies...hang on... just stretch a bit further... what did you say?... rubbish, loadsa height.. huh? Oh S**

Fodda - Engine drivers not allowed to pick up and drop what they want? So things HAVE changed since BR-days then?

RedBaron - Try landing nose down on full reality. Bye. I'll send a wreath to your family. Aircraft are not flown in that manner. You risk bouncing/stalling/incipient spin, undercarriage collapse, propellor (& engine) damage, facial re-arrangment, plus the risk of a very severe telling off, not to mention court action and a smiling policeman leading you away. If you survive that is. Fly properly please...

[Redbaron]

A wheel landing in a taildragger is slightly nose down, trust me.

[CaldRail]

A wheel landing in a taildragger is slightly nose down, trust me.

Not with my aeroplane mate

[Speedbird083]

Speedbird - The AI isn't so strange.

I accept individual aircraft but not the whole squadron one after another culminating in me under AI "guidance".

Anyway its damn good and albeit with some of the realism turned down, I've finally encountered a sim I can consistantly land on the deck of a carrier. 1942: Pacific Air War, CFS2 and countless others have all resulted in disaster in this particular area.

[CaldRail]

Carrier landings ain't easy in real lfe. There's a lot of WW2 footage showing accidents that make you wonder how we won the war.