F-16C Viper Syllabus

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Intro Flight

The Intro Flight is a newcomer's first familiarization flight. Its purpose is mainly to make sure all technical things work, make the newcomer feel welcome, go through some radio stuff and have some fun. It's not that important to learn any particular skills during the flight. That can come later. However, during this flight, the following topics are briefly covered.

• Cold start
• Changing radio presets
• Checking in
• Joker/Bingo Settings
• Dumb Bomb Configuration
• Formation Takeoff (2-ship)
• Fence In / Fence Out procedures
• Raygun / Buddyspike procedures
• Basic Radar Usage and Fox 3 Launch
• "Fox" and "Splash" Calls
• Dropping Dumb Bombs
• Straight-in Landing or Overhead Break depending on newcomer's preference

Basic Flying

Starting Up

• Cold Start using Quickstart Checklist

Basic Navigation

• Navigate visually between two points using the compass and an empty F10 map
• Waypoint Navigation
• TACAN Navigation
• Using HSD with data-link to find wingman
• Course Line
• Autopilot usage
• Standard Climb (Military Power, use pitch to maintain 350-400 kts IAS)

Takeoff

• Takeoff with proper procedure. Correctly choosing between mil power or max AB, rotate 10 degrees at correct rotation speed calculated beforehand.

Landing

• Managing AoA
  • Level Flight: Pick an altitude, gear down and place flight vector in top of AoA bracket, maintaining altitude
  • Turning: Perform ~30 degree bank turns maintaining altitude
  • Careful climbing and descending (around 500 feet/minute)
• Landing
  • Be "on-speed" (=flight vector in top of AoA bracket (10.5 degrees))
  • Extend speed brake
  • 2.5 degree glideslope
  • Idle and flare at runway threshold
  • Maintain 12 degree nose up (over horizon), aerobrake until 100 kts
• Overhead break Tacview
  • Approach in runway direction, course line set to runway magnetic heading
  • 300 knots, 1500'
  • Break over runway, 2-2.5 G, keep same throttle as on 300 knots approach
  • After break turn, on downwind at 230-250 kts: Gear down, extend airbrake
  • When you see runway threshold 45 degrees over your shoulder, turn final and descend
  • Land as explained above

Download a Tacview file with explaining bookmarks showing overhead break and landing.

Basic Combat

Basic Air-To-Air

• RWS Radar Mode
  • Setting Range, Width, Bars and Elevation
  • TMS up for SAM soft lock, TMS up again for STT hard lock
• Boresight acquisition (Dogfight mode, TMS up)
• Fire AIM-120C Amraam (~10-20 NM)
• Fire AIM-9X Sidewinder (~2-4 NM)

Basic Air-To-Ground

• General Purpose Dumb Bombs (Mk 82, Mk 84)
  • Configuration (ripple, single/pair and interval settings)
  • Standard CCIP drop (Start from 8000', roll in, ~30 degree dive angle, 400-500 kts, drop at ~4000' and pull up) Examples: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVuLCGKKqvI
  • (Over-ambitious extra: Read up on "Z Diagrams" and "The Bomb Triangle" https://www.cnatra.navy.mil/local/docs/pat-pubs/P-1209.pdf)
• Gun strafing (Start from 8000', roll in, ~30 degree dive angle, 400-500 kts, fire short burst at ~3000' and pull up) Example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdaBRMG5yN4

Basic Defense

• Basic setup countermeasures panel
• Drop Flares and Chaff in countermeasures BYP mode
• Basic RWR usage (On/Off, Open/Priority mode)
• Evade enemy missile by putting it on your 3 o'clock or 9 o'clock (Evaluate in TacView)

Aerial Refueling

• Use radio menu to contact correct tanker
• Locate and form up on tanker's left wing (echelon left formation)
• Positioning and receiving fuel, straight and through turns
• Moving to right side after refueling (echelon right formation)

Intermediate Navigation

• Steerpoint (waypoint) Handling
  • Changing steerpoint coordinates and elevation
  • Creating steerpoints
• BRA calls
• Understanding Radials and determine what radial you are on relative to steerpoints and TACAN stations
• Bullseye usage
  • Configuring bullseye
  • Reading own bullseye position in FCR/HSD/HUD
  • Reading cursor bullseye location in FCR/HSD (when released)

Intermediate Combat

Intermediate Air-To-Air

• Fire AIM-120C Amraam in TWS mode against multiple targets
• Fire AIM-9X using JHMCS with Enable button for off-boresight shots
• Dogfight Mode radar acquisition modes
• Crank and Short skate maneuver

Intermediate Air-To-Ground

• Targeting Pod Usage (Designation and Laser)
• Drop GBU-12 LGB in CCRP mode (self lasing using T-pod)
• JDAM/JSOW/CBU-105 employment
• HARM employment using HAS and POS-RUK mode

Advanced Navigation & Flying

Advanced doesn't necessarily mean difficult or complicated. It just means that these items can be learned after the basic and intermediate items, for the purpose of flying as wingman in Master Arms events.

• How to read airfield charts and proper airfield departure
• Receive, write down and understand clearances, both for startup, departure and approach
• Fly the full approach as a lead, including communicating with and Control/Traffic/Tower/Ground
• Takeoff and landing in high crosswinds
  • Wing level crab through touchdown
  • Maintain two-point (main gear only) aerobrake and ground track until 100 kts using rudder and stick
  • Maintain ground track using rudder and differential braking after nose-wheel touchdown
  • Prevent wing-rise using stick roll input into wind
• Touch-and-go landing
  • Maintain landing attitude after touchdown, advance throttle, close speed-brakes and take off without touching down with the nose-wheel

Advanced Combat

• ECM jammer
  • Self-protect
  • Noise barrage

Advanced Air-To-Air

• Engaging multiple bandits as a 2-ship, communicating and coordinating positioning, shots and maneuvers
• Effectively performing CAP duty as a 2-ship

Advanced Air-To-Ground

• Markpoint usage
• Using radar in ground modes to locate AO and targets
• Arriving at Time On Steerpoint (TOS/"TOT") (when released)
• Engaging ground-targets as a 2-ship, communicating and coordinating positioning, attacks and maneuvers
• HARM employment using HTS pod
• AGM-65 Maverick electro-optical employment
• CBU-87/97 employment, considering wind and burst altitude
• Target/markpoint sharing over data-link (when released)
• Towed decoy employment (when released)