F/A-18C Hornet 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
• Jettison Settings
• Joker/Bingo Settings
• Dumb Bomb Configuration (QTY/MULT)
• 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
• On-Speed Flying
• Straight-in Landing

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 SA page to find wingman
• Course Line
• Autopilot BARO hold
• Standard Climb (Military Power, use pitch to maintain 300 kts IAS)

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, extend speed brake if full stop)
• 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, enter downwind and land as explained above) http://wiki.masterarms.se/index.php/Fil:OverheadBreak.png

Basic Combat

Basic Air-To-Air

• RWS Radar Mode
  • Setting Range, Azimuth (i.e Width), Bars and Elevation
  • One TDC depress for LTWS soft lock, two presses for STT hard lock
• Boresight Acquisition Mode (Sensor Switch 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 83, Mk 84)
  • Configuration (MFUZE (Nose), QTY, MULT 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)
• 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

Basic Defence

• Drop Flares and Chaff in Dispenser Bypass mode
• Putting EW symbology in HUD
• 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)
• Hooking up and receiving fuel, straight and through turns
• Moving to right side after refueling (echelon right formation)

Basic 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

Intermediate Navigation

• Waypoint Handling
  • Setting coordinate system (MM:DEC vs MM:SEC) and PRECISION
  • Creating waypoints (HSI, UFC, POSITION/ELEVATION)
  • Inserting waypoints into sequences (HSI, SEQUFC, INS)
• BRA calls
• Understanding Radials and determine what radial you are on relative to steerpoints and TACAN stations
• Bullseye usage
  • Setting a WP as Bullseye (HSI, DATA, A/A WP)
  • Reading own and cursor bullseye position in Radar

Intermediate Carrier Ops

• 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

Intermediate Combat

Intermediate Air-To-Air

• Fire AIM-120C Amraam in TWS mode against multiple targets
• Fire AIM-9X using JHMCS with uncage button for off-boresight shots
• Vertical Acquisition mode
• Crank and Short skate maneuver

Intermediate Air-To-Ground

• Fire HARM in SP and TOO modes
• Drop JDAM in TOO mode
• Targeting Pod Usage (Designation and Laser)
• Drop GBU-12 LGB in AUTO mode (self lasing using T-pod)
• Fire AGM-65E Laser Maverick (self lasing using T-pod)