The FA-18F

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Special thanks to my family and friends who supported me on this long journey.

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INTRODUCTION

What's in the package............ 5

Sound volume......................... 8

Installation............................... 9

Quick start............................... 10

SETUP

Rendering Setup..................... 11

Get more fps........................... 12

Set AI aircraft.......................... 13

Joystick setup......................... 14

AIRCRAFT FAMILIARIZATION

Know your Hornet................... 16

Fly by wire & trim.................... 18

3D FRONT Cockpit.................. 19

3D REAR Cockpit.................... 20

INDEX

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SWITCHES AND GAUGES

Fuel gauge / engine gauge..... 53

Right console.......................... 55

Night lighting........................... 56

Left console – front................. 57

Left console – rear.................. 58

PROCEDURES:

Engine / aircraft startup......... 59

Engine /aircraft shutdown...... 60

FLY THE FA-18F....................... 61

AIR TO AIR refueling............... 64

CARRIER operations.............. 65

Copyright................................. 71

DISPLAYS AND INDICATORS

Head Up Display...................... 21

Digital Displ. Indicator DDI..... 23

Attitude Direction Indicator.... 25

Engine indicator...................... 26

DDI – Fuel indicator................ 28

Horizontal Situation Indicator 30

GPS.......................................... 33

Flight Data indicator............... 35

RADAR..................................... 37

Weapons indicator.................. 39

UFCD Up Front Control Displ. 41

UFCD – COM Menu................. 43

UFCD – Autopilot menu.......... 45

UFCD – Settings menu........... 47

UFCD – NAV Menu.................. 49

UFCD – GPS............................ 51

Thank you very much for purchasing the “FA-18F add-on by COLIMATA” and therefore supporting my development work.I invested more than 2.000 working hours in this aircraft and all the experiences from the MiG-29 project. The goal was to create a great fighter jet for X-Plane, with very good graphics, plugin driven custom systems, good aerodynamics and a system depth that matches the requirements for semi professional and beginner, flight simulation fighter pilots.With v1.5 many new features are introduced like air to air refueling, rear cockpit view, even more HUD features but foremost the brand new custom made 3D sound. It really brings the FA-18F to a whole new level.

I'm really satisfied with the result and I'm confident you will be too.

The FA-18F:The FA-18F is more than just the 2-seat version of the FA-18E. It's two seat layout enables the crew to use the equipment, aerodynamics and power to the full potential. The FA-18F (together with E, G, C and D) are the back bone of today's American Naval flying forces. The impressive capabilities of the “Super Hornet – Rhino” where developed in decades. In fact today's FA-18's have there roots in the legendary F-5 Tiger. This reliable machine was the basis for the YF-17 Cobra that in further evolution became the FA-18A. Passing further years of evolution, improvement and optimization (C,D models) the FA-18 platform reached it's actual stage. The FA-18E “Super Hornet”, the FA-18F “Rhino” and the FA-18G “Growler” for electronic warfare.The FA-18F is now a real multirole aircraft, performing excellently in air-to-air, air-to-ground and reconnaissance missions. Having it's home base on aircraft carriers, flying the “Super Hornet” in day and night missions can be considered one of the biggest challenges for an aviator.

Manuals / Support:There is no need to know all systems described in this manual. This add-on can be used with different knowledge levels.In addition to this FULL manual, there is the quickstart manual that ships with the aircraft.

Video tutorials on www.youtube.com/colimatavideos

Technical questions can be discussed on: forums.x-plane.orgx-plane.org forum → Payware Support → Designers → COLIMATA → FA-18F

My email is: [email protected].

I'm sure that some of you are FA-18 experts. Feel free to correct me and send some creative critique. But foremost send me an encouragement if you like the FA-18F add-on.

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INTRODUCTION

http://www.youtube.com/colimatavideos

Highly accurate interactive 3D cockpit, with projected, collimated, focused to infinity 3D HUD.

Precisely modeled, animated external aircraft with beautiful textures in 4k (2k option).

Refined flight model with correct landing speeds and AoA, max. turn rate, fuselage/wing root extensions lift simulation, etc

Reasonable system depth, ideal for semi professional and beginner, flight simulation fighter pilots.

Many high quality 4k liveries (2k option to save VRAM)

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What's in the package?


17+ high quality 4k liveries (2k option to save VRAM)

Default

USA NAVY VFA-103 Jolly Rogers

USA NAVY VFA-147 Argonauts

USA NAVY Flighttest USA NAVY VFA-32 Swordsmen

USA NAVY VFA-102 Diamondbacks

Switzerland Malaysia Royal Australian Airforce Royal Canadian Airforce Kuwait

Finland USA NAVY VFA-41 Black Aces

USA NAVY VFA-213 Black Lions

USA Factory rolloutSpain

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To reduce the download size of the package, many liveries, plus additional ones, can be downloaded for free from the x-plane.org server.X-plane.org → Downloads → Aircraft Skins – Liveries → FA-18F by COLIMATA

This is the direct link:http://forums.x-plane.org/index.php?/files/category/166-fa-18f-by-colimata/

http://forums.x-plane.org/

One of the most exciting new features is the brand new dynamic custom made 3D sound. It really brings the FA-18F to a whole new level. More than 50 custom made sounds have been implemented, many of them recorded on the real aircraft. To mention a few:

+The atmosphere in the cockpit is now fully alive. The fans are spinning on various rpm depending on AC setting, dynamic engine sound is present, there are different cockpit sounds on various flight levels and g-loads. Turns, especially at high AoA, got dynamic vortex sound, that let’s you feel the strong aerodynamic forces acting on the fuselage. The breathing sound of the oxygen mask can be adjusted. The g-suit pressurization and release is implemented. Even the effects of the hydraulic actuated brakes can be heard. The volume of all major sounds in the cockpit can be adjusted manually.

+ The computer voice of “BETTY” warns in potentially dangerous situations.Especially below 1.000ft above the ground she warns you early enough whenthe aircraft enters potentially critical flight envelopes.

+ A lot of work has been invested in complex engine sounds, in and outside the cockpit. Engines now feel extremely more realistic in all rpm ranges. Engine sound not only reacts to different rpm but includes also special effectsthat have been recorded on the real aircraft. A set of real-world startup and shutdown engine sounds is also included.

+ Dozens of more dynamic effects are present like different sound levels for different canopy open/close levels, many different switches, weapon launching, rain on the windshield, flyby sounds, supersonic bang, ejection sound, etc….

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SOUND VOLUME

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Volume - Cockpit fans

In cockpit engine sound

Betty's warning voice

“Headshaker” on/off

G-Suite sound on/off

Oxygen/breathing sound

In addition to the sound volume setting possibilities of X-Plane, all major sounds For the FA-18F can be adjusted and set to your own preference on the left console.

This includes:

+ The volume of the cockpit fans

+ The volume of the in cockpit engine sound

+ The volume of “Betty's” warning voice

+ The intensity of the breathing sound

+ The G-suite pumping up and release sound can be toggled on or off

+ The “head shaker” effect can be toggled on or off

In general fighter jet cockpits are pretty quite duringnormal flight. The default setting should be a goodcompromise but with this setting possibilities everybody should find it's optimal set.

INSTALLATION

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1. Unzip the downloaded zip file (Please use the unzip-software of the operating system)

2. Move the resulting folder “FA-18F v1.5” inside “...\X-Plane 11\Aircraft\”

CORRECT: WRONG:

Do NOT move the CONTENTS of the “FA-18F v1.5” folder ALONE.

QUICK START

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Takeoff:- When standing on the runway move throttle to full military thrust- Check engine values are OK- Release wheels brakes- Ignite afterburners by moving the throttle fully forward- ~130KIAS (depending on weight) pull the nose up gently

Climb:- After takeoff raise gear and flaps immediately- Lower thrust to full military (no afterburners)- Maintain reasonable pitch, speed- Turn slightly to leave space for the following aircraft

Flight / Maneuver:- Start turns at 250-400KIAS (Knots indicated airspeed)- Watch Angles of attack AoA, g's, and decreasing speed- Ignite afterburners for short accelerations- Keep an eye on the Fuel gauge frequently- Gently with the stick on the beginnings

Weapon usage (armed version):- Switch one DDI display to Radar- Switch second DDI display to Weapons console (WPN)- Set master ARM switch to ARM (left to the top left Display)- Select a weapon on the WPN console by cycling through the

available weapons ← WPN → - Select a target on the Radar with the TGT arrows (check no

friendly fire – see chapter RADAR or weapons console)- FIRE (spacebar)

Landing:- Lower the airspeed to 230KIAS a continue slowing down- At ~160-180KIAS (weight dependent) lower FLAPS step by step- Lower tailhook in case of carrier landing- Correct landing speed is weight dependent and shown in the

FDATA menu or on the chart in the folder “MANUALS” - Correct AoA between 7.4° and 8.8° see AoA indexer instrument

RENDERING SETUP

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Keep the rendering settings on a reasonable level, that matches the computer hardware. Be aware that the aircraft needs real time computing power in addition to X-Plane itself. Lower the settings in case to maintain good fps.

Rendering settings

An asymmetric field of view, 80/50° might look better

GET MORE FPS

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In addition to the rendering settings, more procedures can be applied, in order to get more frames per second.

1. Reduce the number of AI aircraft:This can be done in the main menu in AI settings (next page).

2. Use the higher FPS aircraft variant:Inside the main FA-18F folder, there is the folder: “CUSTOMIZE->Higher FPS ACF”. It includes a zip file with 4 files inside. Unzip and copy the files to the main aircraft folder “FA-18F v1.5”. Overwrite the existing ones. They become the default aircraft. A restart of X-Plane is necessary.In these special files a few details have been removed or reduced in order to achieve more fps. Most prominent are the missing mirrors that need some GPU power for the scenery behind the aircraft. The rear cockpit view is available but the displays are not interactive, in order to reduce the necessary calculations.

3. Use the 2k cockpit textures and aircraft liveries:Reducing the “texture quality” in the render settings should already help a lot. In case a lighter, 2k version of the cockpit textures can be used. The 2k cockpit texture files are included in the folder “CUSTOMIZE->2k cockpit textures”. Copy the 13 *.png files into: “/FA-18F v1.5/objects”. A restart of X-Plane is necessary.

4. Delete not absolutely needed textures. They are in the folder “...\FA-18F v1.5\objects”. All textures that end with “_normal.png” can be deleted. Textures quality inside X-Plane will be much lower but more fps can be achieved.

Furthermore most external aircraft liveries are available in 4k and 2k. Some come in the package, many more can be downloaded online, for free :http://forums.x-plane.org/index.php?/files/category/166-fa-18f-by-colimata/orX-plane.org → Downloads → Aircraft Skins – Liveries → FA-18F by COLIMATA

http://forums.x-plane.org/

SET AI AIRCARFT

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The default FA-18F versions are NOT meant to be used as AI aircraft. They would show unnecessary artifacts and consume to much computing power. Therefore a set of AI Hornets (plain and armed) is available.

The folder “CUSTOMIZE->FA-18F AI versions” contains a zip file that includes the two versions. Unzip and copy the two acf files to the main aircraft folder “.../FA-18F v1.5/”. A restart of X-Plane is necessary.

AI aircraft settings are available on the main menu in the user interface. AI aircraft can be a precious part of the X-Plane world.

Add an aircraft:Most available aircraft can be added as AI aircraft via the “Add aircraft” button in the AI aircraft menu. Be aware that additional aircraft need additional comping power.

Combat:Since the FA-18F is a fighter it's important to know that in this menu the combat properity can be set for every AI aircraft individually. Enable combat on the top right edge. Then, at the right side of the aircraft name, choose it's status (friend, enemy etc.).It is also possible to choose a general combat skill level of the AI enemies. The dropdown is on the levt side of the “enable AI” checkbox.

JOYSTICK SETUP

If you have a multibutton – multiaxes joystick/throttle, or even rudder pedals, those can be set under:“Settings → Joystick”. It's possible to assign axes and commands to buttons, for example:In the section: “Buttons”, First hit the joystick button, then assign a command

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JOYSTICK SETUP

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Here a list of commands that might be useful:

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KNOW YOUR HORNET

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Leading edge flaps

Folding wings

Flaps(Flaperons)

Vertical fin

Engines2x GE F414-GE-400

Up to 11 weapon stations plus gun

Gun

AESA RADARActive Electronically ScannedArrayRADAR

Tailhook

Stabilator(Stabilzer elevator)

Leading edge (wing root)extensions

High performance Landing gear

rudder

Twin seat layout

Air to air refueling probe

L Pitot tubeAirbrake doors(LEX spoilers in addition to combined surfaces)

Aileronalso operates as flap and as airbrake

Boeing Fighter Attacker - 18 F “Super Hornet – Rhino”Multirole combat aircraft, capable of all tasks in today's military air operations, like: air to air intercept, air to ground attack, reconnaissance etc. Capable to carry nearly all different types of weapons in the arsenal on 11 weapon stations plus gun.Optimized for naval carrier operations, radar cross section, range, endurance, reduced maintenance effort.Extremely sophisticated electronic equipment for communications, autodefence and attack. Among others: Passive sensors for RADAR and laser detection. Low emission, jamming resistant AESA RADAR, with nearly no mechanical parts, for long range multi-target intercept while ground scanning at the same time.

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KNOW YOUR HORNET

Length: …...................60ft 2in ( 18,33m )Wingspan:................. 42ft 10in ( 13,05m )Height: …...................16ft ( 4,88m )Empty weight:............ 32,800 lb ( 14.875kg )Max. takeoff weight:... 66,000 lb ( 29.931kg )

Engines: 2x General Electric F414-GE-400Dry thrust:.................. 14,290 lb ( 63 kN ) eachThrust w. afterburner:. 22,000 lb ( 98 kN ) each

Internal fuel:............... 14,700 lb ( 6.660 kg)Equipped with extendable air refueling probe

Top speed:................. Mach 1.8 at 40.000 ftCombat radius:.......... 500 nm + in air refueling

Design load factor:..... +7.5g / -3.0g

11 hardpoints for weapon attachment A/A, A/G, pods, etc.

Unit cost ~60million US $

Fly by wire system:The FA-18F is an incredibly powerful fighter that can fly in speed, acceleration, AoA or g envelopes most conventional aircraft would not survive. It must be able to fly at maximum possible performance in order to beat every potential enemy. All of this must occur in a manner that does not harm the crew, the aircraft and the mission.In order to achieve maximum performance and maximum safety there was is the need for a system between pilot and machine. A system that takes into consideration potentially harmful outcomes of a maneuver and prevents it from the beginning or by correcting via the control surfaces. This system is the fly-by-wire computer. It enables the crew much more to focus on the mission and much less on the limits of the aircraft.Quite some work has been invested in recreating some characteristics of the FA-18F's fly by wire. The aircraft comes with AoA limiter, roll limiter, g-protection and auto trim. Contrary to the real aircraft though, my fly-by-wire inside X-Plane has it's limit.

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FLY BY WIRE & TRIM

IN FLIGHT AUTO TRIM / MANUAL TRIM+ Pitch trimming of the aircraft is automatic. This can take a few moments and requires a joystick input. Example: After a significant speed change, nose pitches up. Pull the Joystick slightly forward for a few seconds. Done.

+ During hard maneuvers auto-trim helps with ideal trim values. After the hard maneuver trim values are reset to the state before the maneuver began. This is done automatically as soon as the joystick has less then 50% pitch.

+ Manual trim is still possible, when the joystick is below 50% pitch.

+ A full IN FLIGHT RESET of the elevator trim can be done by: 1. Moving the joystick fully forward for a moment 2. Click the flight controls reset button

Example A: The aircraft accelerates from 200 to 400 knots. Nose pitches up. You push the stick forward slightly, the auto trim kicks in and after a few seconds, the aircraft is trimmed. Manual trim can be used in conjunction but it's not necessary.

Example B: The aircraft flies leveled and then begins a hard turn. During the turn the auto-trim adapts the surfaces (trim) for that situation. When the hard turn is done, overshooting is prevented by the fly-by-wire by resetting the trim to the value it had before the turn was initiated. After a session of long time, complex, combined, hard maneuvers the trim value could be in an unwanted state. Here a trim reset can be done by one short fully forward push of the stick.

UFCDUpfront control

displayRight DDIDigital Display

Indicator

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Left DDILeft DDIDigital Display Digital Display

IndicatorIndicator

MPCDMulti Purpose Color Display

Standbyinstruments

Tailhookleaver

Gearhandle

MasterMasterARMARM

Fuel gauge

Emergency ejection handle

Right Console

Left Console

HUD settings

Standbycompass

Clock

Cabinpress.

The 3D FRONT COCKPIT (shift-9)

JettisonJettisonexternal external

tankstanks

The 3D REAR COCKPIT

UFCDUpfront control

display

Switch to front cockpit

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Left DDILeft DDIDigital Display Digital Display

IndicatorIndicator

MPCDMulti Purpose Color Display

StandbyinstrumentsFuel gauge

Both cockpits are accessible in the FA-18F. The rear cockpit has interactive displays.To switch between front and rear click in the area of the front pilots head rest.

Switch to front cockpit

Right DDIRight DDIDigital Display Digital Display

IndicatorIndicator

Show/hide

mirrors

Show/hide

mirrors

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HEAD UP DISPLAYTo see projection / collimation effect, move forward or back in the cockpit

( Switch to 3D view with Shift+9, use arrow keys and . and , key )Heading bar

Vertical speed indicator(ft/min * 100)

Altitude in ft

Barometric setting in/hg

Pitch ladder

Nose/wing symbol

ILS localizer line

ILS glideslope line

Horizon line

Velocity vectorActual flight direction of the aircraft

Toggle Baro/RADAR Altitude

HUD colorReject/Hide HUD info

1. Bank scale2. Pitch ladder

Bank scale with indicatorAngle of attack bracket

Angle of attack indexer

Flap symbolGear/hook symbol

Speedbrakes symbol

G-meter

Mach indicator

Angle of attack indicator

Airspeed indicator in kts

Squawk ident

HUD brightness

HUD line thickness

The Head up Display is one of the most important instruments in the cockpit. During flight most of the time the pilot get's vital data through this system. That's why so much time and resources have been invested to recreate the reallife HUD effects.

The FA-18F has a ultra realistic projected, collimated, fucused to infinity 3D HUD.

Projected: The HUD is only visible from realistic angles, and moves realistically with the pilots head positions (Use arrow keys for example).Focused to infinity: The symbols stay on the same focused point, even if the pilot head moves.Collimated: The size of the HUD stays the same relative to the pilots eye, no mater if he's near or far the HUD. This effect becomes evident when you move nearer to the HUD (. and , key). The effect is not visible when you only zoom with the mousewheel.

The HUD symbology is partially rejectable/hideable (pitch ladder, bank scale).Line thickness, brightness and color can be adjusted dynamically.Info about gear, flaps, tailhook, ILS, AoA (plus AoA bracket) and more is displayed directly in the HUD.

The indicated airspeed is in knots. Information about true airspeed and groundspeed is shown in the Flight Data indicator menu.

For correct altitude values it is necessary to insert the barometic setting on the UFCD. For safety reasons the current barometric setting is always displayed in the HUD below the altitude.Caution: Be aware that the standby altimeter has it's own, independent barometric setting directly on the instrument. If it's not set properly it could show wrong values!To switch the altitude indicator to radar altitude use the appropriate switch (see previous page).

Keep also an eye on the AoA ( α ), Mach number ( M ) and g's ( G ).Gear down, flaps down, hook down symbols are displayed below these values. Check them after takeoff and before landing.

If you insert a ILS frequency on the active NAV via the UFCD panel, on landing gear down, the HUD will show ILS glideslope, localizer bars and the AoA bracket. Keep them centered on the velocity vector symbol, not on the nose/wing symbol. Correct landing speed is shown in the FDATA menu or on the chart in the “MANUALS” folder.

HEAD UP DISPLAY

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DIGITAL DISPLAY INDICATORDDI (main menu)

Brightness (Hold left mouse button and drag left or right)

Weapons indicator

Horizontal situation indicator - circle format

GPS indicator(click inside the map to open the GPS window)

Flight data indicator

RADAR indicator

Engines indicator

Fuel indicator

Attitude direction indicator (artificial horizon)

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The main menu:Is displayed on request on the left or right DDI or on the MPCD. Via this menu it is possible to access many different indicators. By clicking the “menu” button (at the bottom of a display), while one of those indicators is on, the active Indicator is turned off and the main menu becomes available again. This way different indicator layouts can be chosen and changed easily, depending on the situation.

Brightness:Furthermore it is possible to change the brightness of the displays, the UFCD and the fuel gauge with the appropriate brightness knobs. When you hover with the mouse over this knob you need to hold the left mouse button and drag the mouse left or right to change the brightness.

Touch and non-touch displays:Neither DDI nor MPCD are touch displays. Interaction with these displays must occur via the buttons around the screens. The UFCD is touch sensitive however. A completely touch sensitive displays cockpit has been implemented on a proposed future version of the FA-18, the so called “silent Hornet”.

DIGITAL DISPLAY INDICATOR

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DDI- Attitude direction indicator(artificial horizon)

Altitude in ft

Vertical speed indicator( ft/min)

Current heading

Airspeed indicator in kts

Barometric setting in/hg

Pitch ladder

Nose/wing

Return to main menu

Pitch in degrees

Horizon line

Bank scale

Turn indicator

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DDI- Engine indicator

RIGHT engineLEFT engine

Left air intake temperature

Low pressure compressor rpm

High pressure compressor rpm

Exhaust gas temperature

Nozzle position (turkey fedders)

Fuel pump on/off

Flue flow in pounds/h

Fuel pressure in psi

Oil pressure in psi

Oil temperature in °C

Interstage turbine temp. °C

Engine pressure ratio

Full autonomy digital engine control systemThrust in kN

Afterburner ratio 0-100%

Return to main menu

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The FA-18F's powerful engines:The two General Electric F414-GE-400 are extremely powerful and efficient engines. Fighter jets must cover a large spread of low and high speeds, rapidly changing or extremely high AoA and altitudes, sustained turns and extreme +/- g values. The F414-GE-400 has proven to be a reliable powerplant for the Super Hornet and for other fighter jets, like the Swedish single engine “Gripen”. It was the predecessor of the F414 engine, who unleashed the full potential of the legendary F-14 “Tomcat” after many years of problems and accidents with other engines.The Full Authority Digital Engine Control System “FADEC” assures that the pilot, contrary to many decades before, has to care much less on the restrictions of the engine. This high evolved FADEC allows the pilot to just demand as much as he wants, when he wants, with changes as fast as he wants, without worrying about compressor stalls ( IGV failures ), flameouts, open nozzles problems, etc.

FUEL consumption:However delivering 22.000 lb of thrust (each!) comes to a cost. Fuel consumption, high thermal signature and noise. So keep an eye on fuel flow and the fuel gauge and make sure to not form a nice big target on enemy's infrared sensors with the burner bloom.

RANGE:Even with low use of afterburners, the range values of fighter jets can not be compared to those of civil airliners or private jets, witch most of the time try to fly in there ideal flight envelope. Real life, in combat ranges of fighterjets like the FA-18F are much lower. However there are 11 hardpoints to attach not only weapons and pods but also up to 5 droptanks. Furthermore long range capability is provided by mid air refueling. Every “Super Hornet” has a extendable refueling probe at the starboard side behind the nose random.

DDI- Engine indicator

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DDI – Fuel indicator

Tank 1 in pounds

Available internal fuel(without external tanks)

Level brackets high is full, low is empty

Bingo fuel warning setting

Left feed tank

Right wing tank

Tank 4 in pounds

External drop tanks2x Left, Centerline, 2x Right

Return to main menu

Left wing tank in pounds

Right feed tank in pounds

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DDI fuel indicator:In addition to the fixed installed fuel gauge, this fuel indicator provides up to date graphical and numeric info about the fuel on board.

The TOTAL INTERNAL sections is the most important one, since it adds the fuel amount of all tanks. External tanks are not included. Values are in pounds lb.

Handy arrows on the right side of every “tankbox” show the fill state of the tank in a graphical way. If the arrow is on the top right of the box the tank is full, if it is on the bottom right the tank is empty.

Information about external tanks is shown at the bottom of the display. CL is the center line tank, LI EXT is the Left external tank, LM EXT is the left midwing tank. Same for the right external tanks.

DDI – Fuel indicator

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DDI / MPCD - Horizontal situation indicator

Aircraft heading

AP HDG H selection

Map range

Airport symbol on map

Show/hide VOR's

Show/hide NDB's

Show/hide airports

Return to main menu

HSI display circle map option (not available for all modes)

HSI MODE selector

OBS course selectors(Increase / decrease)

Show/hide waypoints

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Aircraft position and HDG

See also next page


NAV1 bearing

Return to main menu

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Bearing to NAV2 navaid

Distance to NAV2 navaid

Bearing to NAV1 navaid

Distance to NAV1 navaid

NAV2 bearing

Compass rose:The HSI is dominated by a big compass rose. Depending of CIRLCE mode option on or off, it displays the full 360° rose or only a forward looking segment of it. Circle mode is available for some HSI modes but not for all.For complex navigation requests a full X-Plane Garmin GNS530 GPS is on board. It's accessible via the DDI and the UFCD. See dedicated sections of this manual.

The navaid infoIn the top left corner of the HSI there is information about the currently active navaid of NAV1 and in the right corner about the NAV2 navaid. The active NAV frequencies are shown in the UFCD directly in the NAV1 or the NAV2 button. If the navaid is DME equipped the distance is displayed in nm (nautical miles). BRG indicates the bearing.Changing the active navaid needs to be done in the UFCD. Please see the UFCD NAV section of this manual, or the quick start manual.

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DDI - GPS

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GPS mapAccess full X-Plane

Garmin GNS530 GPS system by clicking on

the map. Close GPS window by

clicking on the map again.

For detailed explanation about the GARMIN GNS530. See “X-Plane11/Instructions/ X-Plane G530 Manual.pdf”

Back to main menu

GPS MENU:Shows part of the map of the X-Plane Garmin GNS530 GPS system. The full system is accessible by clicking on the GPS map in the UFCD. The GPS opens in a dragable window.The XP Garmin GNS530 window is closed by clicking again on the UFCD map.


DDI – GPS Menu

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DDI - Flight Data indicator

Total INTERNAL fuel without external tanks

Current fuel flow

Remaining flight time (only if in optimum envelope) with 2000pounds remaining

in the tanks afterwards

Remaining range (at current power setting)

with 2000pounds remaining in the tanks afterwards

Current speed in Mach

Current Knots indicated airspeed

Current true airspeed

Current ground speed

Current baro altitude in ft

Current RADAR ALT

Realtime calculated landing speed ( For carrier landing)

Current thrust in kN

Return to main menu

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The Flight Data Indicator:The flight data indicator, has three sections:

CURRENT FUEL:This section displays the current amount of INTERNAL fuel on board. Below there is the FF fuel flow in lb/hour for both engines together.

CURRENT RANGE:The range and endurance values, indicated in this section are calculated using the recent fuel flow of the engines. An average of the fuel flow of the last 30sec is used so that short changes have no extreme effects on the calculation. The calculation considers internal and external tanks. For safety reasons the computer calculates only with an amount of fuel that corresponds to the full amount of fuel MINUS a 2000lb reserve.

Other flight data:The third section, at the bottom of the indicator shows a variety of important data like: Current Mach number, KIAS knots indicated airspeed, TAS true airspeed, GS groundspeed, ALT altitude, RADAR ALT, heading and thrust in kN. An important value is the LAND speed. This constantly updated value indicates the ideal landing speed for the current weight.

DDI - Flight Data indicator

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DDI - RADAR

Increase RADAR range

Select next targetMaster arm must be ARM

and a weapon selected

Current RADAR range

Decrease RADAR range

Target speed

Target altitude difference

Select previous targetMaster arm must be ARM

and a weapon selected

Target heading arrow

Return to main menu

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The Radar:The FA-18F's radar is one of the most sophisticated airborne RADAR system in the world. The AN/APG79 is a so called AESA Radar. This stands for Active Electronically Scanned Array. Contrary to previous RADAR systems the antenna is immovable, no mechanical parts that can have malfunctions. The beam sweeping is achieved electronically and is therefore incredible quick. It is so quick that air to air scan and air to ground scan can happen simultaneously. This is also possible because signal processing is completely digital and computerized.The APG79 has been designed to be as “silent” as possible since RADAR signals are one of the few active signal emissions that can be detected from long distances. The RADAR is jamming resistant up to a very high degree and it’s one of the key elements of the FA-18F weapons platform. Especially the two seat layout of the F version enables the crew to use it to it’s full potential.

The Radar screen:What you see is a “birds eye” view of the area in front of the aircraft. You can increase and decrease the range of this area on the right side of the display with the RNG buttons. The own aircraft is always located a the lower center of the screen.Aircraft are shown green with master ARM in Safe position.

“Engage a target”:To “lock on” an aircraft two conditions must be meet. First the Master ARM switch must be in the ARM position, and second: The aircraft can not be a friendly aircraft (friendly fire). You can check the team/combat settings in: “AI Aircraft”.If these conditions are meet you can lock on the enemy with the two target TGT buttons. The active target will be shown in red. You can also cycle through the targets with these two buttons.Select a weapon on the WPN weapons console and FIRE (spacebar).

DDI - RADAR

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DDI – weapons indicator

Mk 83 free fall bomb

Cycle through weapons

MASTER ARM switch

MASTER ARM indicator

Gun with rounds remaining indicator

Drop tank

AIM-120 Advanced medium range air to air missle AMRAAM

AIM-9L „Sidewinder“ air to air missle – infrared guided (heat seeker)

Remaining jamming decoys, chaff and flare

Return to main menu

Currently selected weapon

Page 39

Jettison external tanks

Weapons indicator:Gives you a quick overview of the weapons and the countermeasures (chaff and flares) currently on board.

“Engage a target”:To “lock on” a target two conditions must be meet. First the Master ARM switch must be in the ARM position, and second: The aircraft can not be a friendly aircraft (friendly fire). You can check the team/combat settings in: “AI Aircraft”.

If these conditions are meet, you can lock on the enemy with one of the two target TGT buttons on the RADAR screen.The active target will be shown in red. You can also cycle through the targets with these two buttons.Now select a weapon by cycling through them with the WPN buttons on top of the screen.

FIRE with spacebar.

Short:1. Master Arm to ARM2. Check no friendly fire3. Lock with TGT button on RADAR4. Select weapon with ← WPN → on Weapons indicator5. FIRE

DDI – weapons indicator

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UFCD – Up Front Control Display

Square means ACTIVE

COM1 menu(double click to change COM)

COM2 menu(double click to change COM)

Settings menu

Autopilot menu

NAV1 menu

NAV2 menu

Software info menu


Squawk ident

COM volume

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GPS map

UFCD Up Front Control Display:Is the main interface for data input. It gives you access to the two redundant COM systems, two NAV systems, Autopilot, a GPS map and settings.

COM 1 & 2:This button give you access to the COM menu that is described in this manual a bit further down. The active COM has a green square on it's top left corner. The numbers on the COM buttons indicate the active frequency. Only one COM can be active at a time.

AP Autopilot:This button gives you access to the AP menu that is described a bit later in this manual. If one autopilot function is active a green square is shown in the top left corner of the button.

SET Settings:This button gives you access to the settings menu (transponder, barometric settings etc.)

NAV 1 & 2:This button give you access to the NAV frequencies menu of both NAV systems. It's is described in this manual a bit later. The numbers on the NAV buttons indicate the active frequency.

UFCD – Up Front Control Display

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UFCD – COM Menu

Square means active(double click to change COM)

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COM1 - STANDBY frequency

COM1 active frequency

COM2 active frequencyCOM1 - frequency flip

STBY to ACTIVE


Increase / decrease kHzCOM1 standby frequency

Increase / decrease MHzCOM1 standby frequency

Increase / decrease MHzCOM2 standby frequency

Increase / decrease kHzCOM2 standby frequency

COM2 - STANDBY frequency

COM2 - frequency flip STBY to ACTIVE


COM MENU:The COM menu allows you to quickly change the active frequency and to store a standby frequency for both COM1 and COM2.

Change active frequency:If you want to set a certain COM frequency, first change the standby frequency and then click the FLIP FREQUENCY button. The right +/- buttons change the kHz, the left +/- buttons change the MHz f the frequency.The active frequency is shown in the ACTIVE box, while in the COM menu but is also displayed at all time on the right on the UFCD in the COM boxes.

Two independent COM systems are available (COM1 and COM2). Make sure that the desired COM is active by checking that there is the green square on it's top left corner. If there is no green square there, the other COM is currently active. Just click the desired COM button and it becomes the active one.

UFCD – COM Menu

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UFCD – Autopilot menu

Increase / decrease target airspeed (KIAS)for AUTO THROTTLE

AP HEADING HOLDReaches and maintains set heading

(AUTO STEER must be on)

ATTITUDE HOLDReaches and maintaines the set PITCH and ROLL angles(AUTO STEER must be on)

Increase / reset /decrease target ROLL angle

AUTO THROTTLEReaches and maintaines the

set indicated airspeed(AP MAIN must be ON)

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AP main switch

Autopilot menu switch

Autopilot active

Increase / reset /decrease target PITCH angle

Increase / decrease target HEADINGfor HEADING HOLD

AUTO STEERADDS STEERING GUIDANCE

HDG H or ATTITUDE HOLD

AP Autopilot Menu:In this menu you can not only engage and disengage all AP functions but also set it's target values or hit the emergency AP OFF button.It includes all handy basic functions needed especially on long range flights. Altitude HOLD can be achieved with the ATTIDUDE HOLD function (avoiding the irritating altitude oscillations of a normal ALT HOLD function)

AP MAIN:If one of the autopilot functions is active a green square is displayed on the top left of this button (As it is on every AP function button that is active). In that case if you hit AP MAIN all AP functions are switched off and the aircraft turns back to full manual control.

A THR → Auto Throttle:This AP function sets the thrust of the engines to reach and hold the set speed value. This speed value is displayed on the A THR button and is indicated in knots indicated airspeed. In order to take effect the MAIN AP switch must be ON of course.

AUTO STEER:For the HDG HOLD or the ATTITUDE HOLD function to work, in addition to the MAIN AP switch the AUTO STEER switch must be ON.

HDG H → Heading Hold:This AP function induces a slow turn versus the set heading. Then this HDG is held. The currently set heading is displayed on the HDG H button and in the HSI (dashed line). So if you want to reach a certain waypint/airport/navaid, change the HDG DEG until the dashed line on the HSI points to the target.

HOLD → ATTITUDE HOLD:Reaches and maintains the PITCH and ROLL angles indicated on the right of the button. Pitch / ROLL can be increased, decreased or set to 0 quickly. This function also serves as a ALTITUDE HOLD if needed. Bring the aircraft to the desired ALT and set pitch degrees to maintain the level.

UFCD – Autopilot menu

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WARNING Autopilot / Trimming:An engaged autopilot (auto steer) and manual trimming contradict each other.When autopilot is in auto steer mode, no manual trim is allowed, otherwise the autopilot will switch itself off immediatelyIf it's not possible to engage the AP, it could be that either the joystick/yoke or one of it's axes or a third party plugin send small continuous manual trimming signals to the aircraft. This makes it impossible to engage the AP since it gets switched off immediately by the manual trimming signal. Switching this signal off should solve the problem.Try to unplug the joystick or disable the third party plugin to find the root cause of the signal.

UFCD – Settings menu

Increase / decrease the single transponder digits

Increase / decrease barometric setting (QNH)

CAUTION!Standby altimeter has it's own setting. It shows wrong values if not set separately

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Switch altitude transmission (C-mode) by TRANSPONDER

ON / OFF

Current barometric setting for ALT indicator

(standby altimeter has separate one)

Height for RADAR altitude warning flag

Increase / decrease RADAR altitude warning flag


Squawk ident

Active TRANSPONDER code

Switch TRANSPONDER ON / OFF

Settings menu:Here it is possible to set the transponder, the barometric pressure for the main altimeter and the RADAR altitude warning flag.

Set transponder:Each transponder digit is accessible via it's own +/- button below.The transponder can be switched on/off as a whole or sending of altitude information (c-mode) can be switched on / off while the transponder is running.

Set baro:To set the local barometric pressure. For fast change hold mouse button while on the + or – button.The current barometric setting is always displayed in the HUD below the altitude indication.CAUTION: The standby altimeter has it's own independent barometric setting directly on the standby instrument. If not set separately the standby altimeter could show wrong values!

Set RADAR altimeter warning flag:Use +/- buttons. For fast change hold mouse button while on eighter the + or – button.

UFCD – Settings menu

Page 48

UFCD – NAV Menu

Page 49

NAV1 - STANDBY frequency

NAV1 active frequency


NAV1 - frequency flip STBY to ACTIVE


Increase / decrease kHzNAV1 standby frequency

Increase / decrease MHzNAV1 standby frequency

Increase / decrease MHzNAV2 standby frequency

Increase / decrease kHzNAV2 standby frequency

NAV2 - STANDBY frequency

NAV2 - frequency flip STBY to ACTIVE


NAV MENU:The NAV menu allows you to quickly change the active frequency and to store additional frequencies (per NAV) for later use. The active frequencies are used for the HSI map display and for the ILS indications in the HUD. See the appropriate sections of this manual.

Change active frequency:If you want to set a certain NAV frequency, first change the standby frequency and then click the FLIP FREQUENCY button. The right +/- buttons change the kHz, the left +/- buttons change the MHz f the standby frequency.The active frequency is shown in the ACTIVE box and is always displayed on the right on the UFCD in the NAV boxes.The bearing to both NAV1 and NAV2 is displayed on the HSI map.

UFCD – NAV Menu

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UFCD – GPS Menu

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GPS menu

GPS mapAccess full X-Plane

Garmin GNS530 GPS system by clicking on

the map. Close GPS window by

clicking on the map again.

GPS MENU:Shows part of the map of the X-Plane Garmin 530 GPS system. The full system is accessible by clicking on the GPS map in the UFCD. The GPS opens in a dragable window.The XP Garmin GNS530 window is closed by clicking again on the UFCD map.


UFCD – GPS Menu

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Fuel gauge / engine gauge

Total internal tanks – schematic representation

Engines RPM in %

Total internally available fuel

Bingo fuel set lb

External drop tanks – schematic representationExternal drop tanks fuel amount – lb x 1000

Engines temperature in °C

Fuel flow in lb/h/engine

Oil pressure in psi


Nozzle position Converging/diverging(turkey fedders)

Engines RPM in percent

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Bingo line

Left engine values

Right engine values

The fuel gauge:Is a very important gauge especially in a fighter jet. It's important to keep an eye on it since the use of afterburners, high power maneuvers or other energy hungry activities can diminish the fuel very, very rapidly. The fuel gauge is divided in three sections:

Fuel:On the top left there is the indication for the TOTAL INTERNAL fuel. This value excludes the external fuel tanks witch are displayed below.The big green square shows graphically only internal fuel.EXT stands for external and shows the amount of fuel in the single external tanks both graphically and in values lb x 1000.In addition to this fuel gauge there is the DDI Fuel indicator.

Engine values:Values for left end right engine are displayed in a compact form. The first line is RPM, second is exhaust gas temperature, third is fuel flow and fourth is the oil pressure in PSI.

Nozzle position:A good quick visual representation of the current state of the engine nozzles is provided. For many years with other, older jet engines, wrong nozzle positions caused problems and accidents. The F414 however is very reliable.

Fuel gauge / engine gauge

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Right console

Open/Close canopy

Toggle wingfold

Deploy/raise tailhook

Hydraulic pressure

Generator right engine

Main battery on/off(off shows covers)

Bleed air switch

Instrument brightness at night (requires HDR on)

Console brightness at night (requires HDR on)

Automatic air conditioning

Pitot heat

Emergency eject handle

Page 55

Flood light (red) at night(requires HDR on)

Windshield defogEngine de-ice

Generator left engine

Night lighting

Console brightness

Page 56

Instrument brightness

Flood light (red)

Left console - front

Landing gear lever

Brake pressure indicator

Combined landing light / taxi light switch

Landing gear indicators

Flaps indicators

Manual flap switch

Wheel brakes/Parkbrake

Page 57

Left console - rear

Generators cross tie

Rudder trim wheel

Start / stop auxiliary power unit

Throttle - click to hide

Emergency fuel dump

Start/stop engine left / right - see next pages

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NAV lights switch

Formation lights dim

Beacon lights switch

Flight controls reset

Toggle refueling probe for air to air refueling

G-Suite sound on/off

Oxygen/breathing sound

Volume - Cockpit fans

Vol - cockpit ENG sound

Vol - Betty's warning voice“Headshaker” on/off

Vol - Outside ENG sound

Engine / aircraft startup

1.

3.

4.11.

5 + 8.Hold until 20%RPM

7.

9.

6.

10.

1. Main battery ON2. Set external lights as needed(click on throttle-base to access switches)3. Bleed air to AUTO4. Start APU (wait until green light)5. Hold R starter switch until 20%RPM6. R generator on

7. RESET flight controls (center stick & let it go, reset takes ~10sec)8. Hold L starter switch until 20%RPM9. L generator on10. Check generators cross tie11. Switch off APU12. Set COM/NAV as needed

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2.

Engine / aircraft - shutdown

9.

1.

5.

6 + 7

3.

4.

2.

1. Switch Bleed air OFF2. Open generator cross tie3. L generator OFF4. R generator OFF5. Assure APU is OFF

6. Click engine crank R7. Click engine crank L8. Switch OFF external lights(click on throttle-base to access switches)9. Main battery OFF

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8.

FLY THE FA-18F

RUNWAY - TAKEOFF

1. Engage FULL WHEEL BRAKES

2. CHECK all instruments and gauges

3. Lower FLAPS one notch (if needed)

4. Move throttle to FULL MILITARY thrust

5. CHECK engine values

6. Release WHEEL BRAKES

7. Ignite AFTERBURNERS if needed (throttle fully forw.)

8. At ~130KIAS (depending on weight) pull the nose up gently

CLIMB:

1. After takeoff raise the landing GEAR immediately

2. Retract FLAPS if extended

2. Lower thrust to FULL MILITARY (no afterburners)

3. Maintain reasonable PITCH AND SPEED

4. TURN slightly to free space for the following aircraft

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FLIGHT / MANEUVER:

1. Start turns at 250-400KIAS (Knots indicated airspeed)

2. Watch Angles of attack AoA, g's, and decreasing speed

3. Ignite afterburners for short accelerations if needed

4. Keep an eye on the Fuel gauge frequently

5. Gently with the stick on the beginnings

FLY THE FA-18F

WEAPON USAGE (armed version):

1. Switch one DDI display to RADAR

2. Switch other DDI display to WEAPONS CONSOLE

3. Set MASTER ARM switch to ARM

4. SELECT A WEAPON on the WPN console by cycling through the available weapons ← AA →

5. Check no FRIENDLY FIRE (see manual sections about weapons console or RADAR display)

6. SELECT A TARGET on the RADAR displays with the TGT target arrows

7. FIRE (spacebar)

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FLY THE FA-18F

LANDING:

1. Check the CORRECT LANDING SPEED for the current weight of the aircraft, in the FDATA menu ( or on the landing speeds chart inside the MANUALS folder )

2. Lower the AIRSPEED TO 230KIAS and continue slowing down slowly

3. Lower the LANDING GEAR and check

4. At 180KIAS lower FLAPS step by step and check, slow down slowly to landing speed

5. Reach GLIDESLOPE, LOCALIZER and maintain AoA between 7.4° and 8.8° (yellow circle in AoA indexer)

6. Maintain LANDING SPEED

7. After touchdown use WHEEL BRAKES

8. Retract FLAPS

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AIR TO AIR REFUELING

Air refueling system:To increase it's range the “Super Hornet” is capable to get fuel from an airborne tanker. Contrary to to the US Air Force, that relies on an operator driven refueling boom, Navy jets are refueled via a refueling basket. The pilot must fly very precisely to insert the refueling probe of his FA-18 into the basket, establish connection and maintain it. A demanding challenge after many mission hours or in windy environments. The jet can be refueled multiple times.

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Refueling the FA-18F in X-Plane:It's definitely to difficult, especially for beginners in this procedure, to perfectly place and maintain the refueling probe inside the basket in the sim. Therefore the air refueling process can easily be done with different levels of difficulty:

As soon as the refueling probe is fully extended, the refueling starts when the FA-18F is at a distance of less than 330ft (100m) to another aircraftand vertical distance less than 100ft (30m).

It's therefore your decision in how realistic you want the refueling process to be. Depending on the point in time you toggle the refueling probe. Air refueling happens in sequence. First the internal fuel tanks then the external ones.

Toggle refueling probe for air to air refueling

AIR TO AIR REFUELING

Page 65

Air refueling:Any AI aircraft can be used as a tanker. Of course an aircraft with similar speed limits like the FA-18F works best. A predefined air-refueling mission can also be chosen. Here's how to set up the scenarios:

Air refueling via any AI aircraft:FLIGHT CONFIGURATION → AI AIRCRAFTChoose and set the tanker. Refueling will not work if enable combat is on and the aircraft is set to enemy.

Position the tanker or your aircraft:Hit the 'm' key to open the map. Click on the aircraft you want to drag. Drag it to the desired position.

Air refueling mission:

Flight Configuration →

Location →

Special starts (bottom left) →

Refuel Basket

Special starts

CARRIER OPERATION - LANDING

Page 66

Carrier landings are one of the most demanding challenges an aviator can take. Many dynamic factors must be coordinated in a short period of time. That's particularly hard because often they influence each other. Leaving away all complex matters (example potential or kinetic energy) maybe we can simply reduce them to:+ Airspeed+ "Runway" position and orientation+ Pitch angle+ Angle of attack

1. Set up the aircraft (as described on the following pages)Lower the speed below 230KIAS and keep slowing down. Gear down, flaps down, HOOK DOWN!! and checked.

2. Set up Auto-THUST fot the correct landing speed can help:Since we have an Auto-THRUST function we can immediately simplify the challenge to 3 variables, runway, Pitch and Angle of Attack. The correct landing speed for the current weigh is calculated by the computer and displayed in the FDATA menu.Get your speed there and set Auto-Thurst to this speed. The computer will now manage the engines to hold this speed. One variable less to worry. Just keep in mind to switch off Auto-Thrust after touchdown.

3. Am I drunk or is this runway moving?Yes, the ship moves. And it's not always immediately clear where (direction, speed, orientation). As on nearly every landing, especially on carrier landings, it's very important to do the big corrections to the aircraft's flight path EARLY in the process and the small correction AFTERWARDS. Inverting this procedure can be fatal. The carrier is moving, sometimes hard to predict where it will be, when the craft will be nearer and how runway will be oriented then. At least in the sim the deck is not moving up and down. On real landings they have to face that, plus fuel shortage, at night, after hours in the combat zone...

4. Glideslope:With the correct speed and flight path to the deck we can focus on the glideslope to the carrier. With the previous settings you should see the velocity vector ( this symbol: -O-) at the bottom of the HUD. Depending on the aircraft weight, sometimes you need to move the viewpoint a bit up (arrow key up). The velocity vector shows where the aircraft will fly to. For the first landings is probably better to discard the ILS because there are so many other variables to check. When you are near the carrier, on the left side of the touchdown point you will also see the VASI lights (visual approach and slope indicators). Even with them alone you know if you are high or low.


Page 67

4.Pitch and angle of attack:Bring the aircraft in a good start position. Personally I like to be a bit higher than needed to have a safety margin.Then use slight pitch movement to bring the Velocity Vector to point on the carrier deck. Now use slight corrections to keep the VV on the touchdown point and maintain an angle of attack around 8°. This should be on a pitch of 3-5°. The Angle of Attack Indexer instrument (left to the HUD) and the "angle of attack brackets" in the HUD help. When you achieved a good setting keep it with slight corrections.

5. FinalIf during final it becomes obvious that the FA-18F left the good landing path and the correction can not be done with slight inputs, ABORT ! Even if low on fuel, it's better to turn around, refuel in the air and then try the next attempt, than finishing in the water or on the ship below the landing deck.During final do not do some kind of long flareing out or throttleing down the engines. Carrier landings are more controlled crashes then normal landings.

6. Do not finish in the waters now, you came to farLastly it is, of course, important that the hook catches a cable. There are 4 cables on the deck. Getting the third one would be perfect.We can only be sure that we are safe when the aircraft came to a complete stop. However the timeframe to decide if it worked out or not is too small. Therefore after the contact to the "ground" move the throttle to FULL AFTERBURNER immediately after touchdown. That way, if a touch and go is needed the engines are already at full power. In our case the Auto-throttle will neutralize our afterburner command though.If the aircraft came to a safe stop, switch Auto-Throttle off and bring the throttle to idle. Then raise the hook and free the landing zone.Assure safety, you are now on a populated deck. Wings can be folded up now, while taxing to the parking position.

Carrier landings require quite some time and exercise. So don't be frustrated if it doesn't work out on the first attempts ;-)

CARRIER OPERATION

Access a carrier mission:

1. Inside the “flight configuration”, access “Customize” location in the top right corner

2. Click “Special Starts” (includes landings) in the bottom left corner of the menu

3. Select a carrier operation like “Carrier cat shot” or “Carrier approach”

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1.

2.

3.

CARRIER OPERATION - TAKE-OFF

Page 69

CARRIER TAKEOFF:

1. Check Safety for deck personal and aircraft

2. Check all systems up and running

3. Check engine values

4. Check wings fully unfolded

5. Lower FLAPS

6. Move throttle to FULL MILITARY thrust

7. Right hand away from the stick. ( launch is automatic)

8. Release WHEEL BRAKES

---Catapult launch---

8. Ignite AFTERBURNERS (throttle fully forw.)

9. Grab the stick as soon as the aircraft leaves the deck.

10. Pull the nose up and turn to clear launch-path for the next aircraft.

11. Raise FLAPS


Page 70

CARRIER LANDING CHECKLIST:1. Check the CORRECT LANDING SPEED for the current weight of the aircraft, in the FDATA menu ( or on the landing speeds chart inside the MANUALS folder )

2. Lower the airspeed to 230KIAS and continue slowing down slowly

3. Lower the LANDING GEAR and check

4. Lower TAILHOOK and check

5. At 180KIAS lower FLAPS step by step and check, slow down slowly

6. Reach GLIDESLOPE, LOCALIZER and maintain AoA between 7.4° and 8.8° (yellow circle in AoA indexer)

7. CALL THE BALL (fresnel lenses on the carrier in sight ) and communicate your FUEL STATUS

8. Follow instructions of the DECK OFFICER

9. Maintain LANDING SPEED

10. After touchdown apply FULL AFTERBURNER in case the hook did not catch a cable

11. Reduce THROTTLE TO IDLE when aircraft is save

With great respect for all men and women on the ground and in the air, developing and mastering this machines in real life.

Page 71

COPYRIGHT

This add-on aircraft is payware.

You are free to use this software on one computer at a time for personal hobby use. Do not use this plane to simulate real procedures.

By acquiring this product you agree to NOT distribute it in any way.

The real FA-18F is an aircraft of the Boeing (McDonnell Douglas) Company.This add-on plane is not certified by Boeing.

Laminar Research name, Laminar Logo and X-Plane are registered trademarks of Laminar Research.

All rights, including copyright, of the content of the “FA-18F for X-Plane” package belong to COLIMATA. Neither 3D models nor any other files, in part or whole, may be copied, re-distributed, disassembled, or in any

way reused without the express permission of COLIMATA.

COLIMATA is not responsible for any damage that may occur from using this product.

contact: [email protected]

Copyright COLIMATA © 2017 All rights reserved

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The FA-18F

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