F-14 Tomcat Syllabus

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Pilot

Basic Section

Basic Flying

Starting Up

• Cold Start using Quickstart Checklist

Radio/SRS

• Setting IFF code from pilot seat
• Setting intraflight to correct UHF frequency on AN/ARC-182.

Basic Navigation

• Navigate visually between two points using the compass and an empty F10 map
• Waypoint Navigation
• TACAN Navigation
• Using yardstick
• Course Line
• Autopilot altitude hold
• Standard Climb (Military Power, use pitch to maintain 5 units of AoA)
• Economy Cruise (adjust throttle for 8.5 units of AoA)
• Read external fuel quantity

Landing

• On-speed Flying
  • Level Flight (Pick an altitude, dirty up and go on-speed maintaining altitude)
  • Turning (Perform ~30 degree bank turns maintaining altitude)
  • Careful climbing and descending (around 500 feet/minute)
  • Quickly going from ordinary flight (around 350 kts IAS) to on-speed flying.
• Landing (~500-700 feet/minute, no flare)
  • After touchdown apply back stick for aerobraking and steer the aircraft with stick instead of rudder
• Traffic Pattern Touch'n'Go Practice (maintain on-speed, climb to 1500', turn downwind to end up ~1.5 NM from course line, turn final and descend when wingtip passes runway threshold)
• Overhead break (Approach in runway direction, 300 kts IAS, 1500'. Break over runway (Throttle -> IDLE, Airbrake -> OUT, G=1% of IAS), enter downwind, get "on speed" and land as explained above) http://wiki.masterarms.se/index.php/Fil:OverheadBreak.png

Basic Mission Procedures

• Checking in
• Fence In / Fence Out procedures
• Changing radio presets
• Jettison Settings
• Joker/Bingo Settings
• Formation Takeoff (2-ship)

Basic Combat

Basic Air-To-Air

• Radar
  • Pulse doppler "PD"
    • Understand the doppler filters MLC/ZDF
    • RWS
    • TWS
    • PD-STT
  • Pulse "Pulse"
    • ACM-modes
    • P-STT
• AIM-54 Phoenix when fired in different states
  • TWS
  • PD-STT
  • P-STT
  • ACM cover up
• Fire AIM-7 Sparrow
• Fire AIM-9 Sidewinder
• Crank and Short skate maneuver

Basic Air-To-Ground

• General Purpose Dumb Bombs (Mk 82, Mk 83, Mk 84)
  • Configuration (Weapon selection, release mode, ripple quantity, pair/single and interval settings through Jester menu)
  • 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
• High angle 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
• Targeting Pod Usage (Designation and Laser)

Basic Defence

• Reading the RWR (Further from center means more danger)
• Deploy flares
• Evade enemy missile by putting it on your 3 o'clock or 9 o'clock (Evaluate in TacView)

Advanced Section

Aerial Refueling

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

Carrier Ops

• Learn CASE 1 Recovery
  • Jabbers Youtube Video, explaining how to fly a CASE 1 Recovery.
  • Aim for 40+ score, no 1-wires and no settle in Bankler's CASE 1 Recovery Trainer, a DCS mission giving you feedback on how well you're flying the pattern.
  • Perform ball call
• Learn CASE 1 Departure (fly BRC at 300 kts IAS 500' until 7 NM before climbing and forming up)
• Learn to fly the full CASE 1 approach as a wingman, holding formation through approach, port-hold, commencing and initial
• Learn to fly the full CASE 1 approach as a lead, including communicating with Marshal and Tower
• Learn CASE 3 Departure
• Learn CASE 3 Recovery

Flat Spin Recovery

• Full rudder in the direction of the spin
• Full MIL on the engine in the direction of the spin, idle on the opposite engine. If able, unlock symmetrical engine thrust limiter
• Stick fully forward. If aircraft is oscillating in pitch, rock with the aircraft to get the nose down

Radar Intercept Officer

Topics covered: Cold start [Boat|Field] Changing radio presets Dumb Bomb Configuration (PLT/Pair/Unsafe) Fence In / Fence Out procedures (Fuel, EmergField/EW, Nav, Comms) Raygun / Buddyspike procedures Basic Radar Usage and Fox 3 Launch "Fox" and "Splash" Calls Dropping Dumb Bombs Switch between PD-Search,RWS,TWS DDD vs TID Computer Address Panel

Basic Flying

Starting Up

Cold Start using Quickstart Checklist Cross checklist with Pilot Alignment

• Ship
• Land

Set up way & nav points and

• 1,2,3
• FP, IP, HA,ST

Setting up communications:

• ICS
• Radio 1/2/Both

Basic Navigation

Way/Nav-point Navigation TACAN Navigation

• Set up Tacan Channels
• Switch between plt/nfo

Using TID page to find wingman Setting up Datalink with Boat and AWACS

Landing

RIO makes all the comms Control/Marshal/Tower/Ground Make sure RIO knows the landing procedures to be able to help out during landings.

Basic Radar

Radar modes:

Basic use of:

• PD-Search
• RWS
• TWS

and when to use the different modes.

TID

• DataLink
• RWS
• TWS
• STT Lock

DDD

• PD-Search
• STT Lock

Ground stabilized and how to manipulate the TID view. TWS Radar mode in TID STT Setting Range, Azimuth (i.e Width), Bars and Elevation

Interpret TID contacts Switching priorities on contacts

IR/TV

Basic usage

• Slew
• FOV
• ACQ
• Slave

Basic Combat

Fence in:

Countermeasures - SET RWR - SET EW - OFF/SET/RECV/As Fragged Radar - SET Weapons - SET

Basic Air-To-Air

Fire AIM-54 Fire AIM-7 VSL HI/LO Crew comms Within Visual Range (calling out bandit location, calling out speed of ownship, knowing the F14's corner speed (360 kts, .6 mach), directing pilot how to fly until they have visual on bandit)

Basic Air-To-Ground

Armament Panel

Understand how to:

• (Un)safe weapon stations
• Select weapon type
• Attack mode
  • TGT (ground target designated by pilot with PAL, CCRP type of mode - also for lofting)
  • PLT (CCIP equivalent)
  • MAN
• Fusing
  • Mech & Elec
  • Quantity
  • Interval
  • A/A Launch
  • Next Launch
  • Jettison Tanks and Weapons

Example: Configure a bomb drop PLT/PAIR/4Bomb/Interval

Basic Defence

Drop Chaffs and Flares Reload countermeasure

Crew comms. (standardize call outs)

Aerial Refueling

As a RIO - do all the comms with Tanker Calling out fuel level during refuelling. Performing quick and dirty fuel calculations (estimating playtime based on remaining fuel and fuel flow).

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Intermediate Navigation

Navpoint Handling Creating Navpoints Give BRA(A) calls Bullseye usage Reading own and cursor bullseye position in Radar Rudimentary Navgrid usage

Nav fix

• Visual
• Radar
• D/L

Intermediate Carrier Ops

Understanding your role and what you can do as a RIO to help the pilot when performing CASE 3 Departure & CASE 3 Recovery.

Intermediate Combat

Intermediate Air-To-Air

BVR Timelines [Advanced]

• COMMIT
• Correlation
• Tactical Call
• Meld
• Crank
• Skate / Short Skate
• Banzai
• Abort
• Recommit
• Leave

For detailed explanation of the BVR timeline, see this page.

How to handle Radar in BVR and WVR

• Positioning of the aircraft depending on
  • Enemy Alt/Speed
  • Weapon system to use

Intermediate/Advanced Air-To-Ground

Lantirn

• Joystick mapping the essentials
• Manual/Auto Lasing & Laser codes
• Switch between
  • Waypoints
  • Target point
• Area/Point
• A/A & A/G modes

Bomb

• IP Bombing (pre-planned waypoint)

Resources for further studying

F14 CheatSheet BVR Timeline