compliance with this instruction is …firstvirtualfighterwing.com/lift/1stvfw sops -draft-...

1 1st Virtual Fighter Wing -Restricted

BY ORDER OF THE COMMANDER 294th VFS INSTRUCTION 11-F-16 1st VIRTUAL FIGHTER WING 15 OCTOBER 2011

Flying Operations 1st VIRTUAL FIGHTER WING

MULTIPLAYER FLYING OPERATIONS

COMPLIANCE WITH THIS INSTRUCTION IS MANDATORY OPR: 294th (CO Demo) Certified by: 1st VFW (CO Raven6)

Pages: 70

Distribution: 294thVFS

*This document provides an overview of the 1st Virtual Fighter Wing Multiplayer Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). It is not prescribed to supplement other official training documents, such as the Initial Qualification Training documents; instead it is a complement to said material and provides the basics for online flights at the 1st VFW. Use this document in conjunction with all of the training material that we offer our members. If you have any questions about the material covered in this document, please post your questions in the 1st VFW forum. This instruction is affected by the Privacy Act (PA) of 2008. Authority to attain this information is 10 U.S.C. 8112 and E.0. 3397. *SUMMARY OF REVISIONS *This edition of the 1st VFW Multiplayer SOPs lay is version 2.0, updated on October 15th 2008. The information contained in this document incorporates elements of the 1st VFW Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), the IQT and MQT Training Material, and miscellaneous resources. Therefore, when those documents are updated, this document will also be updated. To verify that you have the current version, please refer to the following information or visit the Private Downloads section of the 1st VFW website. Updated: 10/15/2011 Changes: SOPs Added – Training Curriculum & Standard Install TBA Author: “Demo” – CO 294th VFW Assisted by: Lt Col Jammer – XO 1st VFW / 401st VAS Flying Operations, F-16 Combat Aircraft Fundamentals 11-F16 Vol. 5 F-16 A/B Mid-Life Update Production Tape M1/M2 - The Pilot’s Guide (Mar 2000) Multi-Command Handbook 11-F-16 Volume 5-F-16 – Combat Aircraft Fundamentals Air Force Instruction 11-202, Vol. 1, 23 November 2005 – Flying Operations – Aircrew Training Air Force Instruction 11-202, Vol. 3, 5 April 2006 – Flying Operations – General Flight Rules Air Force Manual 11-249, 2 March 2007 – Flying Operations – T-37 Primary Flying Naval Air Training Command – T-34 Instruction – P-357 (rev. 09-06) USAF - F-16C AN/APG – 68 (V5) - Operations Guide Multiservice Air-Air, Air-Surface, Surface-Brevity Codes – FM90-38 – MCRP – NWP 6-02.1 USAF Instruction 11-2F-16, Vol. 2, 20 June 2006 – Flying Operations – F-16 Pilot Training F-16C Flight Manual, General Dynamics AF11-205 Cockpit & Formation Flight Signals AFI 11-2F-16 Vol. 3, F-16 Operations Procedures


REFERENCE

TABLE OF CONTENTS

TABLE OF CONTENTS WILL BE UPDATED WITH FINAL DRAFT


CHAPTER 1

MULTIPLAYER SOPs

1.1 F4-BMS Multiplayer Standard Operating Procedures Before You Can Fly: Before you can fly online with us in BMS, you MUST do the following (we will check):

1. Ports Forward port UDP 2934-2937 and ports 9987-9989

2. Anti-Virus / Windows Firewall Disable your anti-virus and turn off Windows Firewall

3. BMS Config File In your Falcon BMS folder -> User folder -> Config Folder -> Open the file Falcon BMS.cfg with Notepad Add these lines to the top of the config file (copy and paste) then save the file:

set g_bShareMpClouds 0 set g_bMessageStatistics 0 set g_bEnableRakNetPacketLogger 0 The “set g_bShareMpClouds” is required for all pilots because of that feature causing connection issues. The other two are optional but recommended because they result in saving very large text files and take up hard drive space. Do not edit anything else in your config file. After adding the lines above, save and close the file. Notes: You can use this tool to check if ports are ok: PORT CHECKER UTILITY To use that application to test your ports:

• Be sure BMS is not running • You need to have at least one other user to test your ports with you • Both of you launch F4PortTest.exe • Exchange your IP and enter it in the label "To IP" (for example, I would enter another

pilot's IP here if he was checking his ports with me) • Enter your callsign in the *Message* section • Push to "Send" • If your ports are ok the other user will get a message with your callsign in it. Both users

should do it. The host of missions will require you to send him a message to check ports before we fly.

http://cellules-rapaces.sytes.net/fichiers/utilitaires/F4PortTest.exe


Teamspeak/IVC/Communications

• Make sure you are not using voice activation for Teamspeak, and make sure your Teampseak push –to-talk is not the same as your IVC Comm1 or Comm2

• Make sure you have a key binding to mute your Teamspeak mic to ensure you don’t transmit on both TS and IVC.

Multiplayer Connection SOPS

1. Prior to beginning the connection process, the Host will direct the rest of the pilots to the TS channel he/she has reserved in the ATO.

2. Prepare to Fly - Before you fly online in any simulator, make sure you sure all of your hardware is ready to go and you have done a quick test flight in the game. For example, you make sure your flight stick profile is loaded (the push-to-talk is setup for IVC or Teamspeak depending on the flight), your Track IR is loaded, etc... Then go into BMS, click on Setup => Controllers and make sure they are set up and function properly. Then go launch one of the training Tactical Engagements (i.e. Basic Flight) and make sure everything is working. Once you confirm everything is operational, you can back out and you are ready to fly.

3. Be on Time - If you sign up for a flight, be on time and be ready to fly (you've already done the required step above before the scheduled flight time). Please remember to respect other member's time. They may only have a few hours to get their flight in, and if someone holds up the flight, they may have to drop out. This applies to the Host of the mission as well.

4. Connection Information - The Host will provide the mission IP, the IVC IP (if you are using IVC), the theater, and the connection bandwidth. At the 1st VFW we use a minimum of 200 and a maximum of 512 for client bandwidth with 256 being ideal. We will use 256 for all our standard flights. In our tests, exceeding 512 or using a bandwidth below 200 caused connection issues. The Host will set his connection bandwidth to 80% of his upload speed (you can test your connection at speedtest.net). The sum of the client's bandwidth cannot exceed the Host's bandwidth setting. For example, if the Host sets his bandwidth to 1,000, he can only host 5 clients maximum at 200 bandwidth (5x200 = 1,000). The Host enters 0.0.0.0 for the "Connect to IP" address section and 127.0.0.1 in the "Dedicated IVC Server" if he is also hosting the IVC. If he's not hosting IVC, he would enter the IVC host's IP under "Dedicated IVC Server". Clients enter the mission IP in the "Connect to IP" section in BMS and the IVC IP under "Dedicated IVC Server". It is important the clients enter the bandwidth in the "Bandwidth" section and press enter to make sure it was entered. If you aren't using IVC, uncheck the IVC green boxes and only enter the Host's mission IP and bandwidth.

5. Connection Procedure: Host - If IVC is going to be used, the Host launches the BMS launcher, then clicks on IVC Server. This will open a black window. The Host then


launches BMS by clicking on "Launch". Once in the game User Interface (UI), the Host enters 0.0.0.0 in "Connect to IP Address", enters his bandwidth, and then enters 127.0.0.1 in the "Dedicated IVC Server" section. The host reviews the information is correct and then clicks Connect. BMS will minimize to the task bar while it launches the IVC client, then he clicks back on BMS in the task bar to get back into the User Interface. The Host then says "Comms are Up" and that lets the clients know it's time to connect.

6. Connection Procedure: Client - If IVC is being used, the clients launch BMS by clicking on "Launch" and enter the mission IP address in the “Connect to IP Address” section and enter the same IP (if the mission host is all the IVC host) into the “Dedicated IVC Server” field. Clients do not need to connect to IVC before launching BMS. When you click connect, BMS will minimize while it launches the IVC client and you simply click back on BMS in the task bar to re-enter the BMS UI.

7. Text Check In - Once in the Comms window, pilots must perform a text check in. This is simply entering a number for how many clients you see in the Chat Lobby/Comms window after connecting. For example, if you see 5 callsigns in the Chat Lobby, you enter "5" to let the other clients know you see them. This is a legacy Falcon procedure that is used to confirm all pilots see each other.

8. IVC Mic Check - Once a pilot enters the Chat Lobby, he should perform an IVC mic check. This is done by pressing and holding F1 or F2 to transmit. For example, “Demo mic check on IVC, how copy?”. The Host will reply if he hears you “Solid copy Demo 5 by 5” or “Lima Charlie” (meaning loud and clear). If a pilot has issues with communicating on IVC in the chat lobby, he will have a limited time to try and resolve the issue, so be sure to test your IVC before flying online!

9. Entering the Mission Screen - Once everyone has entered the Chat Lobby and a text check-in has been performed, the Host will bring up the mission. The Host will make sure all the settings are set to realistic and allow external views. Once the mission is up and the Host has stopped the clock, he will say "Campaign/TE is up" which means the clients can enter the mission screen. If there are more than 10 people in the Chat Lobby, it's required to enter in Chat Lobby order. This is done by looking at the list of callsigns in the Chat Lobby and going in that order. The first pilot on the list says "[Callsign] is committing" then once in the Mission Screen and the client has stopped the clock he would say "[Callsign is in, clock stopped]". Then the next pilot in the list would do the same until all pilots are in the mission screen. No changes should be made while clients are entering the mission screen. It is very important to note that only the Host should edit steerpoints and flights, and only Flight Leads are allowed to enter the Loadout/Munitions screen.

10. Assigning Comms/Radios – If using IVC (which is the standard at the 1st VFW), the Mission Commander must assign VHF (Tac or Victor) and UHF (Uniform, Area, Broadcast) channels for the flights. VHF or your Tac frequency will be for your flight. Meaning each flight will have their own VHF channel to communicate with each other on. Then all flights will share the same UHF frequency so you can communicate with


other flights. The only exception is that during the ramp start, each flight will have their own back up UHF channel. This process will be described in greater detail below. But basically the Mission Commander will say something like the following: Let’s say there are 3 flights (Cowboy, Falcon, and Lobo) – (I’m using fake frequencies): -If I was the Mission Commander, I would say Cowboy ‘s Tac will be VHF preset 1 or 138.05, Falcon’s Tac will be VHF preset 2 or 138.40, and Lobo will be on VHF 3 or 140.50. -Then I assign the UHF channel that we will share… “All flights will be on their assigned Tower frequency (UHF 15) and UHF preset 3 or 297.50 once airborne -Then I need to assign back UHF channels for the ramp start – “For the ramp start - Cowboy will be on back up UHF 6, Falcon will be on back up UHF 7, and Cowboy will be on back up UHF 8” It’s very handy to write all this down so be sure to have a pen and paper ready.

11. Briefing(s) - The Mission Commander will give a mission overview, assign flight channels (IVC and Teamspeak) and then the pilots will switch Teamspeak channels and discuss their individual flight strategies. Each flight will conduct a flight briefing on their own channel in Teamspeak and plan the flight. Once your flight is ready, your Flight Lead will say "[Flight Callsign] is ready to brief" over IVC using F1 or F2. Once all flights have said they are "Ready to Brief", the flights will then give a concise briefing in takeoff order (the first flight to take-off gives their briefing first) using IVC. So, this means flight briefings and planning will take place over Teamspeak, and the entire mission briefings/broadcast briefings will be done over IVC. The only information you need to pass on to the other flights during the briefing is what altitude your flight will transit out at, your overall strategy, and any other important information the other flights need to know. Briefings have the word “brief” in them because they are supposed to be concise, so don’t waste time telling the other flights what type of munitions your flight is carrying or any other information they do not absolutely need to know. If you are not in the mission screen before the briefing, you are not permitted to fly. So don’t be late and don’t waste time asking if there’s an extra seat.

12. Entering the 3D World - The Host should always set up the mission to be within 5mins of the first flight's take-off time to ensure they clock doesn't have to run at x64 for extended periods of time. But once all the briefings are completed, the Mission Commander will perform a Ready Check and Systems Check, and all the Flight Leads will check with their flights to confirm they are ready (over their own private TS channels) and broadcast "[Flight Callsign] is ready" when they are ready. The Systems Check is making sure all pilots have entered the Setup page of the UI and tested their flight sticks, throttle, etc… to ensure they are working properly. Once everyone is ready, the Host will say "The Host is committing to RAMP/TAXI/Takeoff" and that lets all the clients know it's time to click commit and select Ramp, Taxi, or Takeoff depending on what the Host said. For this point on it's a good idea to keep comms to a minimum.


13. In the Jet Cold Jet Radio Check In – Once in the cockpit in the 3D world, you will do the following. -Turn the Power on in the jet -Turn the volume knob of Comm1 all the way up -Turn the UHF radio on by setting it to Both & Preset -Ensure you are on the correct back up channel -Check in using Comm1 (ALT+1) -For example “Falcon 1-2, checking in” Then once all pilots have checked in on the assigned back up channel in your flight, then Flight lead will have you start up your jet and continue the ramp start. At some point during the ramp start, flight lead will direct you to switch to Up Front Controls/assigned VHF channel.

14. Fly the Mission as Fragged - From this point on the mission should go on as planned. If

a pilot gets shot down or crashes, he/she is not allowed to re-enter the game. Do not ask if you can re-enter the game even if there’s an extra A.I. jet. We strive for realism in the 1st, and therefore, when a pilot is down, he is down. After a pilot is shot down, he/she


must exit the game and wait until the mission is over for the debriefing. With the exception of the Mission/IVC Host, a pilot is not allowed to stay in the 3D world switching views. If you a pilot has a CTD or controls issue, he will be allowed one opportunity to re-enter after letting the Host and/or Mission Commander know about the CTD. Multiple exits and re-entrances into the 3D world can also cause problems so under no circumstances are pilots allowed to re-enter the 3D world more than once. We understand things happen, but we have to maintain online stability for the other pilots and therefore you must respectfully back out if you have a second CTD or issue.

15. Debrief – After the flight, we will conduct a debrief. We do not hold back on our debriefings. Debriefings are used so we can be better virtual pilots. Therefore, if you made a mistake and you know it, call yourself out on the mistake. If you saw a mistake another pilot made or something he/she could’ve done better, bring that up as well. Just make sure you are respectful in the way you suggest areas for improvements. Pilots should not take offense to constructive criticism. You may be doing something you didn’t know you were doing. If you disagree with a statement, wait for the pilot to finish speaking then you can explain why you did what you did. But again, always be respectful. Our briefings are always a "what we could have done better" debrief. The debriefing will not be each pilot telling us each step of their mission over and over again. You can give us a brief overview of what happened during the flight, but only cover the important events and lessons learned. Please do not give a debriefing like “We took off, headed towards steerpoint 2, climbed to 25,000, etc…”. Only cover the important stuff. The debriefing is used to discuss how you thought the flight went, tactics that were successful/unsuccessful, brevity, etc... See the Classroom section of the forum for more details.

16. MOST IMPORTANTLY… HAVE FUN! – We try to strive for realism and we do enforce SOPs, but at the end of the day, this is all for fun. So if you’re not having fun, let us know so we can help. And if you have a suggestion to improve our SOPs, please let us know. We are always looking for ways to get better and do things better at the 1st.

GUIDE CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE


CHAPTER 2

IN-FLIGHT SOPs From the US Navy Air Combat Training Command Communication must be:

1. Clear 2. Concise 3. Accurate

Cadence:

1. Practice good cadence by transmitting, then pause for reply . . . . If no reply after a few seconds, transmit, then pause again

2. Do not step on each other . . . . 3. Listen to what your lead/wingman is saying; think, then talk

2.1. Introduction The following is part of the 1st VFW Fighter Pilot Handbook. It is a description of some basic In-Game SOPs for our new pilots, and general tips about flying online in F4. If anything it can be used as a guide on how flights should go. I’ll try to cover each of the basic steps of a flight, starting from the time you get into the cockpit. Please keep in mind it’s a basic overview, and just reading it won’t be enough. A lot of it has to do with basic brevity, and using brevity correctly takes a lot of practice. What I suggest doing is looking through some of the brevity codes given in this post, and try to use one new code in each flight… That’s what I used to do… For example, I saw that “Stripped” was a term I should be using when I’m out of formation, and “Sniper” can be used when I’m firing a HARM at a specific target. Over time trying to use one or two new codes each time you fly, you will start using them without even thinking about it. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me via this thread or a PM. 2.2. Basic Brevity/Flight Comms Rules Before we talk about anything related to brevity or comms, I need to explain the basics of brevity. Whenever you are transmitting on the radio, you will want to follow the 3-1 rule. The 3-1 rule basically stands for Call Sign, Directive, Descriptive. In other words, whenever you are transmitting you will give the following info:

• Who you are talking to • What do you want them to do • Why you want them to do that


Next, there are two types of radio transmissions: directive and informative. Most comms in an air-to-air engagement are of the latter variety, where we discuss what is going on in the environment around us. But when things start to get exciting, the important traffic will be directive, such as “Falcon1 break right, missile 3 o’clock!” When using IVC, always wait until you hear the mic click after someone transmits before responding. If you hear the “block” sound it means you are stepping on someone else. 2.2.1. Basic Definitions Directive Call: Telling your flight/wingmen what to do - (ie “Falcon1, check 30, new heading 090”) Informative Call: Telling your flight/wingmen what you are doing, what you see, or an acknowledgement of someone else’s transmission informing them that you heard them - (ie “Falcon1 is defensive, one time, right hand turn at angels 2”) 1st Virtual Fighter Wing 11 (ie “Falcon1 see’s a column of enemy vehicles running North to South”) (ie “Falcon 1, wilco”) Usually directive calls (except for ‘break’ calls) are made by flight lead, or element lead in a four ship formation, but it’s almost always by the flight lead because they are telling the flight what to do. For example, the simple call “Falcon1 push steerpoint 2” is a directive call because it’s telling the flight/wingman what to do. More examples of directive calls: -“Falcon 1 climb to angels 2-5” -“Falcon flight, action right” -“Falcon1 engage bandit at bull 124 (pause) 33, angels 2-5, 25 miles, nose hot” -“Falcon lead, break left, break left, bandit your six, shooting” Informative calls are always as brief as possible so that other calls are not stepped on, such as AWACs warnings of the ever changing tactical situation. Moreover, when radio calls are made in the heat of battle it is not always possible to recognize a muffled and strained voice, so the callsign becomes VERY important. Using a callsign also allows other fighters in the area to either "tune out" or "tune in" calls that are unimportant or critical. When there are eight flights in the air on the same frequency it becomes essential so each pilot knows who is transmitting, and who needs to tune in and listen. An example of an informative call is: “Falcon1, fuel state is 052” or “Falcon1 is RTB”. Both are informative calls because they aren’t telling anyone what to do, they are just giving information. More examples of informative calls: -“Falcon 11 is passing thru angles 5 for 2-5, heading 0-9-0, 3-5-0 knots”


-“Falcon 1 is engaged offensive, shot in five” -“Falcon flight is GO” -“Falcon 1, magnum, SA-6 at target” Understanding the difference between directive and informative calls will make a lot of the following a lot easier to understand. See an IP for more information or questions. 2.2.2. Acknowledging Calls The single most important thing to remember when you are in any flight is to acknowledge every single call made by your flight lead. This means whenever flight lead makes a call, you respond with your flight number in order. For example, if Reaper flight lead says “Reaper flight, new heading 090”, each flight member would immediately respond “2”, “3”, “4” in order. It’s always good practice for flight lead to call out any pilot who forgets to acknowledge his call. For example, if my #3 didn’t respond, I would say “3, did you copy my last?” just to make he heard my call and to remind him to acknowledge the call. Or if you are #4 and #3 forgot to acknowledge leads call, you can say “4 did you copy lead’s last?”, since you can’t respond until #3 does, but it’s mostly flight lead’s responsibility to make sure each pilot is acknowledging calls. The main reason it is important you acknowledge his calls is because he needs to know you heard him, however, a good flight lead won’t take any action until each member has acknowledged the call. For example, if I tell my flight to turn to a new heading, I have to wait for each pilot to respond before I start my turn. If we are in a tight formation and I start my turn before each pilot in flight acknowledged, I risk running into a pilot because he didn’t know I was going to turn. So really make an effort to acknowledge lead’s calls immediately after he transmits. If there was one thing I want you to takeaway reading this document, it’s to acknowledge flight lead’s calls in flight order immediately after he transmits. It’s also important for flight leads to acknowledge calls by other flight leads. For example lets say I’m the lead in Cowboy flight and Jammer is the lead in Falcon flight and Jammer says “Falcon is pushing the target”, I need to acknowledge his call by broadcasting “Cowboy, copy” so he knows I heard the call. Only the lead of each flight should communicate with other flights to avoid too much chatter over the radio. The exception to this rule is if flight lead gets shot down. If you don’t already know, element lead (#3 in a flight of 4) takes the lead if flight lead gets shot down, so #3 would take broadcast responsibilities if flight lead goes down. Another valuable tip regarding brevity (comms) is to think before you speak. It sounds simple, but you’d be surprise how often pilots forget. It can be very frustrating if you are trying to direct your flight to do something but there is someone broadcasting “Falcon….Uh… are you engaging…. Uh the …. Let me see here… the western most target?”. The pilot who broadcasted that long drawn-out transmission should’ve have thought about what he needs to transmit, and said it quickly: “Falcon, confirm you have the western most target”. And this doesn’t just apply to broadcasting to other flights. Even within your own flight, think before you speak. It’s called brevity because it’s supposed to be brief and to the point. The next tip about basic brevity pertains to broadcasting information to other flights (when you are using ALT+1 to talk to another human flight). Whenever you need to ask another flight a


question, you will always want to call them first and let them know you need to talk to them. We do that so you don’t start broadcasting when the other flight isn’t ready to listen or is talking themselves. You do this simply by saying the callsign of the flight you are trying to reach, then your own callsign, for example: (I’m in Falcon flight, and I want to talk to Cowboy flight) Falcon: “Cowboy1, Falcon1.” (That’s all I need to transmit to call Falcon) 1st Virtual Fighter Wing 13 When Cowboy is ready to listen, Cowboy lead will respond: Cowboy: “Falcon1, Go” or “Go for Cowboy” (both of which mean Cowboy is ready to copy (listen) to what Falcon has to say.) You should always use the info above whenever you are trying to communicate with another flight. The only exception is when you are making a global informative call, such as “Falcon is GO”. “Falcon is Go” is a informative call to all flights letting them know Falcon is airborne, and since it’s directed to all flights, there’s no need to call the other flights before broadcasting. Another example of this would be when Falcon is “In Hot” on the target or “RTB”, both of which are global informative calls. And finally, the last SOP/tip about basic brevity is about flight discipline. Flight discipline means doing what you are told to do (and nothing else), and following flight SOPs like the procedures described in this post/document. For example, you should never fire a weapon without permission from your flight lead, and if you are on the six of a bandit and flight lead calls you off him, you do exactly what lead said even if you have the perfect shot and you’re dying to get that last kill. Flight discipline is critical for an effective deployment. Without it, pilots will get shot down. There’s an old adage that says if flight lead made a big hole in the ground, his wingman better follow him into the same hole. Although you shouldn’t take that literally, it makes the point that you have to trust and follow your flight lead for better or worse. That is what the chain of command is all about. If you disagree with a directive that lead gave you, suck it up and do what he says. There will be time during the debrief to give flight lead constructive criticism about why you disagreed with his/her tactics or decisions. But if you want to be a good wingman and make your flight lead happy, do exactly what he says immediately after he says it. Flight lead may not have enough time to explain why he directing you to do something, so it may not make sense at the time, but it’s your job to trust him. 2.3. Ramp Start Procedure*

TO BE UPDATED FOR BMS


2.4. Taxi Procedures* *Reference the GT-1.2 Ground Operations IQT training presentation for more detailed information about taxiing your aircraft. During taxi, you should never exceed 25kts ground speed (which you can access using the ICP). If you are in a trail taxi, you should be 300ft (or 4 aircraft lengths) behind the aircraft in front of you. If you are in a staggered taxi formation, you should be 150ft (2 aircraft lengths) behind the aircraft in front of you. In either taxi formation, you can use the ~ button to get a satellite picture to see how far behind you are until you find a visual cue of where you should be. Also, using the satellite view can be useful to see where you are located at the airbase in relation to the active runway before taxing. Always look around your aircraft before moving it to ensure its safe to move the aircraft. Be careful looking down when taxi’ing because the aircraft in front of you may slow down, or stop and you could run into it. It’s very important that you taxi in formation, in the correct order. Do not move the aircraft until you know it’s your turn. It’s especially important when there’s more than one flight taxing. There’s nothing more frustrating than not knowing who is who and having to taxi around an aircraft that didn’t follow instructions. In F4, ground operations provide some serious safety concerns, so be careful. 2.4. Takeoff/Formation Takeoff Procedures *Reference the GT-1.3 Normal & Emergency Operations IQT training presentation for more detailed information about taxiing your aircraft. Before taking the active, flight lead should do an informative call reminding the flight of the briefed takeoff. For example “Falcon, two ship departure, 3 second interval to 3-5-0 knots runway heading to angles 5”. Then each aircraft will call “[Callsign] taking the active”. Lead should have already giving the takeoff parameters during the brief (including rejoin procedures, altitude, and formations). In any case, flight lead will maintain runway heading at 350kts once airborne, and won’t push steerpoint 2 until the second element calls rolling to assist the rejoin. 1 and 2 in the flight should keep comms to an absolute minimum until the second element is airborne. Therefore, there’s no need for #2 or 1 to call “airborne” or “say speed” once airborne because both are already known. You want to keep comms clear because the second element needs to radio for takeoff and can’t have you tying up comms. Formation Takeoff See my post in this section of the forum (Classroom) for more details about formation takeoff procedures. Remember, if you are lead, you should line up on the downwind side of the runway. This means lead lines up on the opposite side of the incoming wind so that he doesn’t get blown into #2 when he gets airborne. So just to give you an example, if you are taking off on runway 36, and winds are coming from 090, lead would line up on the left side of the runway. Also, there are certain situations when you shouldn’t do formation takeoff, such as when carrying air-to-surface stores (except for AGMs like HARMs or Mavericks), the winds are over 15kts, and/or the runway width is less then 125ft. You are allowed to do a formation takeoff when carrying any air-to-groundmissile (AGM), which includes Mavericks, HARMs, JSOWs, etc… However, when carrying heavy AGMs like the JASSM, I would advise doing a single ship departure (but it’s not against the rules). The following is the comms for a formation takeoff, starting from where the wingman (#2) takes the active and is in position ready for takeoff:


Take-Off Procedures:

Prior to taking the active and after the flight has received takeoff clearance, Flight Lead will direct the flight to switch to the briefed UHF Area/Departure frequency. All pilots should switch channels and quickly check in and confirm lights are set to steady. Then the aircraft will take the active runway and set the parking brake. Wingman (#2) - "2, in position" (This means two is in position ready for takeoff) Flight Lead (#1) - "Roger, Brakes Set. Run 'em up" (This means step on the brakes and run your engine up to 80% if PW engine (block ending in a 2) or 90% for a GE engine (block ending in a 0). Do not exceed 80%/90% because your thrust could overpower your brakes. Once you get to 80%/90, check your gauges to make sure everything looks ok (i.e. 80% power and FTIT below 700°C for PW)). When #2 has a confirmed good engine and is ready for takeoff he’ll make the call: Wingman (#2) - "2 in the green” And flight lead will respond:


Flight Lead (#1) - “Standby brakes, brakes, ready, now” At the command “now” both aircraft will release brakes, lead slowly transitions to full gate (full afterburner) and #2 does whatever it takes to stay in position. There is no need for 1 or 2 to say "rotate", "gear-up", or "airborne" because it’s obvious and comms should be clear for emergencies during takeoff and the second element preparing for takeoff. Once Lead and 2 are rolling, the second element will take the active and repeat the same process: Element Lead (#3) - "3, taking the active 32 right" Element Wing (#4) - "4, taking the active" Element Wing (#4) - "4, in position" Element Lead - "Roger, Brakes Set. Run 'em up" Element Wing (#4) - "4 in the green" Element Lead (#3) - “Standby brakes, brakes, ready, NOW!” As the second element repeats the same process as the first element, it is important that 1 and 2 keep comms clear unless of an emergency. Flight Lead and 2 will maintain runway heading and 350 KCAS until Flight Lead hears “Standby brakes, brakes, ready, NOW!” from element lead (#3). Once he knows the second element is rolling he will advise 2 to push steerpoint two by saying: Flight Lead (#1) - "Falcon flight, push 2" Wingman (#2) -"2" The reason 1 and 2 maintain runway heading until 3 and 4 are rolling is to make the rejoin much easier. It will save fuel for 3 and 4 because they won't have to be in burner for a long time to catch up. Once the second element is airborne, Element Lead (3) and Element Wing will make the calls: Element Lead (#3) - "3 airborne" Element Wing (#4) -"4 airborne" 3 and 4 say airborne so Flight Lead will know everyone is airborne and broadcast: Flight Lead (#1) - "Falcon is GO" “Falcon is GO” is an informative call letting the other flights know all of Falcon flight is airborne. Note: if you are doing singleship takeoffs carrying live A-G ordnance, spacing between aircraft should 20 second intervals (per the USAF 11-F16 manuals) unless briefed otherwise. It’s also important that the second element rejoins ASAP and calls when they are in position so lead can anchor the flight and perform an Ops Check, etc… The standard formation (if one is not given) for the rejoin is Finger Four (2 on the left wing of lead, 3 on the right wing of lead, and 4 on the right wing of 3). Do not get out of formation. As a wingman, it is your job to stay in formation. There is absolutely no excuse for you to fall out of formation. Also, a quick note about the “Say Speed” calls. If you are not in a combat formation, there really isn’t much of a reason to ask for leads speed (unless you are doing an air show tight formation). If you are falling behind, speed up. If you are over-taking lead, slow down. A good flight lead will let you know what his speed


is. The only time you should be making the “Say Speed” call is when you are in a combat formation, or if you are in hostile airspace, because you have more important things to do then worrying about staying in formation. In those circumstances you are operating weapons systems, looking for threats, etc… Therefore, making the “Say Speed” call is justified so you can focus on the task at hand. If you are doing single ship takeoffs or you are in the element of a four-ship flight, once you are airborne you will want to advise lead of whether or not you can see him visually or on radar so he knows you are able to rejoin quickly. The two calls for that situation are “Tied” and “Visual”. “Tied” means you have a soft lock on flight lead (or his wingman) on radar and you are using that to aid you in the rejoin with flight lead. “Visual” means you can visually see flight lead (see the brevity codes at the end of this document for more details on “Visual” as it means more then just being able to see lead). Once the flight has rejoined, flight lead will ask for Ops Check. 2.5. Ops Check Procedure If you are new to the 1st VFW, you may not be familiar with Ops Checks. According to the USAF manuals, Ops Checks should be done when:

• During climb or at level-off after takeoff. • When external fuel tanks (if carried) are empty. • Prior to each A-A engagement or intercept. • Prior to entering an air-to-surface range, once while on the range if multiple passes are

made, and after departing the range, or air-to-surface engagement. An Ops Check in real life includes checking for fuel imbalances, but since that is nearly impossible in OF we don’t require that check during our Ops Checks. This means we don’t require our pilots to give us their fuel in each external fuel tank individually and then their total fuel. Instead we do the total fuel in either external tanks combined (or centerline), then the total fuel in the aircraft. How-to do an Ops Check: The way you do an Ops Check is to give the fuel state of your external tanks (if carried), then total fuel, and “Tanks Feeding” or “Tanks Dry” (depending if you still have fuel in your external tanks or not). For example, let’s say I am #2 in a flight and I have 1,500lbs in my external tanks, and 8,600lbs total fuel. I would say “2, Ops Check, 015, 086, tanks feeding”. If I had 0lbs fuel in my external tanks, and 5600lbs total fuel, I would say “2, Ops Check, 056 tanks dry”. There is no need to say your external tanks fuel state if they are empty, because the “tanks dry” implies that. And if you are not carrying external fuel tanks, then lead will most likely just ask for your fuel state, in which you just reply with your total fuel. Also, two other things I should point out. In order to do an Ops Check, you should have your Fuel Quantity Selector (to the right of the HSI), set to Ext Wing (when carrying wing tanks), meaning External Wing, and Ext Cent (when carrying a centerline). When you have the Fuel Quantity Selector set to Ext Wing or Ext Cent, the needles on the fuel gauge will give you your external fuel tanks fuel state, and the number on the gauge will still give you your total fuel state.


So you should have it set to Ext Wing when you are carrying wing tanks. The last thing about Ops Checks is that whenever you give your fuel state (even when you’re not doing an Ops Check), you should always give your fuel state by giving the first three numbers. For example, 11,500lbs = 115, 5600lbs = 056, 900lbs = 009. 2.6. Basic Brevity for A-A Engagements 2.6.1. Basic Air-to-Air Brevity/Procedures Here are some basic SOPs for air-to-air engagements. We’ll start with a BVR engagement. Let’s say I am #2 in a flight, and I have a radar contact 38 miles out. I will inform the flight I have a contact by doing the following: “Contact, Bull 0-8-5 (pause) 1-1-3, angels 2-0, 38 miles, heading 0-9-0, nose hot” In the statement above I’m giving all the information necessary for everyone in my flight to find the contact on radar. Remember BRAA for calling out threats. BRAA stands for Bearing, Range, Aspect, Altitude. If you only give those 4 things, you are doing your job, however you should always include a Bullseye for the radar hit you’re referencing so other pilots can find it on their radar. In the radio call above, I’m giving the Bullseye, altitude, range, contact’s heading, and whether he is coming at us or going away from us. It’s important to point out that when you are making Bullseye calls, you don’t want to say “Bullseye 114 for 085” because some might confuse the “for” for “4”. Whenever you are calling out numbers, say then individually. For example, airspeed 350kts should be called “3-5-0 knots”, and not “three hundred and fifty knots”. So when you call out bullseyes, say the first set of numbers, make a short pause, then say the last set of numbers. If you are not the flight lead in the flight, you need to wait for lead to tell you it's OK to declare the hostile target. Only flight lead should be declaring targets unless you are already in an engagement and lead is busy. Too many people declaring targets at once can cause more problems than help. Coming back to my example above, if someone else in my flight above made that call (and I’m #3 in the flight now), I would look at my radar and try to find that radar contact. I would use the information he provided, and then inform the flight if I found it by saying one of the following: “3, has hits there” “3, Tally” “3, No Joy” I would say “3 has hits there” if it is a bogey (meaning we don’t know if it is hostile or not). “Has hits there” means I found the radar contact on my screen where you said it would be. I would say “3, Tally”, if the bogey was declared hostile (which thus makes the bogey called a bandit. Bandit implies hostile). Note: See brevity codes at the bottom of this post about the difference between “Tally, Visual, Blind, Naked, No Joy”. And I would say “No Joy” if I can’t find the target on radar. It seems like a small difference between the three, but as you get more experience with A-A engagements, the small things make a huge difference. If I haven’t already,


I’d highly recommend that you read the manuals provided in your BMS install in the Docs folder and learn about special features that will help you in air-to-air engagements. For example, in you can assign radar targets to your wingmen by pushing a button, or even show them what target you are engaging. Knowing how to things like that will really help you sort targets. Always wait for flight lead to give you instructions about which target to engage when sorting. If you aren’t sure which target lead wants you to engage, ask him by giving the Bullseye of the target you think you are supposed to engage, and give other descriptions, such as altitude or position on your radar scope (ie Confirm you want me to engage the trail target? or I have the western target on the left). Next, let’s talk about BFM (Basic Flight Maneuvers) / Within Visual Range Engagements. Whether you are close up in a knife fight, or just got jumped by some MIGs, it’s very important to stay cool and provide critical information to the others in your flight if you want to survive. Things happen so fast that if you don’t react quick enough, you or your wingman are dead. And the most important thing you can do to help your wingman (or others in your flight) is to communicate as clear and concise as possible. So let’s say we just got jumped by some MIGs that just took off below us, and you see the MIG’s but your wingmen don’t. Whether you are the engaged fighter or supporting fighter, you should continue to transmit descriptive calls, especially at the beginning of the fight. Whoever ID’s the threat first must continue to transmit descriptive calls until everyone tally’s the threat. The use of the clock (ie “Bandit 7 o’clock low”) is especially important because it tells you where to snap your head. However, merely giving a clock position isn’t enough in the heat. You need to say whether the bandit is high, low, or medium and range from you or your wingman. A very helpful tool is to say whether you are engaged offensive (you are on the six of the bandit), engaged neutral (neither you nor the bandit are on each others six or have the advantage), and engaged defensive (you are in a defensive posture with the bandit on your six/or having an advantage on you). This simple call helps your wingmen to identify the aircraft, and/or come help you if you are in trouble because it tells him which aircraft is you when he visually ID’s the two aircraft in a dogfight. Another useful call is to add a “right turn/left turn’ and a “One/Two/Three Time” call to your “Engaged Offensive/Neutral/Defensive” call. For example: “Reaper1, engaged defensive, one time, right hand turn, angels 2” That quick and concise call says a lot. It says you are in trouble. You have one bandit on your six. You are in a right hand turn (with the bandit on your six), and you are at angels 2. The “One time” call is letting your wingmen know how many aircraft you are engaged with. For example if I had two aircraft on my six in the above example, I would say: “Reaper1, engaged defensive, two times, right hand turn, angels 2” The “two times” lets the flight know there are two aircraft on my six. And the other information says I’m turning right at 2,000ft. So, just saying that will help your wingmen to sort the aircraft to find the hostile aircraft and you, because all they have to do is find the aircraft turning right with two aircraft behind him at 2,000ft. The 1,2,3 times call also applies to offensive calls. You


would just say “Engaged Offensive” instead of “Defensive”. Now let’s say I’m the wingman and I just got the call above that my wingman is in trouble. Once I see my wingman and the bandit, I would say: “Tally, Visual, Supporting” (If I didn’t have clearance to engage). “Tally” means I can see the bandit, and “Visual”, means I can see my wingman too. “Supporting” means I’m maneuvering to engage the fight once I’m cleared to engage and/or sanitize the area looking out for other threats and providing my wingman with any additional information. “Tally, Visual, Engaging” (If I have clearance to engage and I’m entering the flight. And if your wingy is engaged defensive with two aircraft on his six, you better be engaging.) If I don’t see the bandit or my wingman, I would say: “No joy, blind” (No Joy means I can’t see the bandit, and Blind means I can’t see my wingman) If I see the bandits, but I don’t see my wingman, I would say: “Tally, Blind, Say Status” (the “Tally” means I see the bandit, but I don’t see you or I don’t know who you are, and the “Say Status” means tell me who you are) If I see my wingman but no the bandit, I would say: “No Joy, Visual” In a knife fight, it’s really important to keep comms clear and concise, especially when my wingman is engaged defensive because I need him to tell me where he is, so I can help and tell him when I have a window open to enter the fight. There’s A LOT more info about BFM/ACM and Mutual Support, but if you remember just to use the few calls listed above, you already are helping your flight survive the engagement. Just remember to continue informative calls until everyone see’s the threat. I can’t stress enough how important it is to make sure everyone sees the threat. =Advanced A-A Brevity= Aside from the informative calls listed above, there are a few more important brevity terms that you can use. They are a little more advanced, so you don’t have to use them. I’m just including them because they are very useful. The first is the use of “Continue” and “Press”. You will learn more about those two terms in my power point presentation about Mutual Support. But here’s what they mean. “Continue” “Continue” is sometimes added to the end of the call to tell your wingman know that he can continue the current maneuver he is doing since it ‘looks good to you’. So if your #2 is already breaking right and that seems correct, tag on the word “continue”.

• Many times these calls (directive and descriptive) are combined:


-For example, "Cowboy 1, break right NOW <pause to see if he does it> “Bandit right 3, 1 mile high, shooting, continue" This transmission info is vital to allow the other fighter to start the right BFM to engage the bandit, or start his best defensive BFM, depending on what the situation calls for. “Press” “Press” is a directive to start or continue a attack; mutual support will be maintained, and the supportive role will be assumed. It basically means, you are now the engaged fighter, or shooter, and you are cleared to engage. For example, let’s say I’m in a dogfight and I’m starting to lose the fight, and I want my #2 to help by engaging the bandit. During the fight, my number 2 should be maneuvering for an entry into the fight once I tell him to, and “Press” is how I would let him know he is cleared to engaged, and I will now switch roles with him by becoming the supporting fighter and not the engaged fighter. For instance: “1, Blind, Off Left, Press" (In this example 1 clears 2 to engage, and 1 disengages from the fight by coming off to the left per 2’s deconfliction instructions. Now roles will reverse by 1 becoming the Supporting Fighter and 2 the Engaged Fighter) Both the use of “Continue” and “Press” are advanced comms for new pilots, but they are fairly easy to use and they say a lot without saying a lot. So try to get comfortable using them when you’re ready. 2.8. Air-to-Ground Engagements There is so much to talk about in an air-to-surface engagement, so I won’t bore you with everything (plus I’m getting tired of typing). But here are a few things to remember:

• Ask any question about your attack profile during the briefing. Don’t wait until you are 20 mile out from target to ask how many passes can you make, or what’s your attack heading. Both you and your lead should focus on getting bombs on target.

• Set up weapons during the ramp start, and not during the ingress to target. You should be focused on the task at hand when flying a combat mission, not setting up weapons on the way to target.

• If flight lead or the Forward Air Controller (FAC) gave you a hard deck, don’t go below the given altitude. The hard deck is given to keep you alive. If you make a mistake and have to break the hard deck (for whatever reason), let your flight lead or the FAC know by saying “[Callsign] is breaking the deck” so they know to look for SAMs or enemy ground fire until you are back above the hard deck.

• Don’t always fall into a trail formation when attacking a target. By the time #3 and #4 reach target the enemy you have lost the element of surprise and sufficiently pissed them off (which means the second element is more likely to get hit or shot down). Use the briefing to develop a plan, such as starting the attack from different headings and altitude simultaneously so enemy doesn’t know where it’s coming from. (See my Tip #1 about the Danger Zone in the Classrom – Training section of our forum for more info about altitudes).


• If you are below 15,000ft over target, drop flares as a precaution even if you don’t see any SAM launches. MANPAD shoulder launched SAMs won’t give you a warning, so take preventative measures in case they shoot at you.

• Be very fast over target (450+) so you give the enemy less of a chance of shooting at you. And once the bombs come off, don’t fly straight and level. Make it difficult for the enemy to engage you.

• MOST IMPORTANT: Never drop a bomb or fire a missile without clearance from flight lead. I don’t care if you have the perfect shot, you should never fire without lead saying you have release authority, such as “Weapons Free” or “Cleared Hot”. If you aren’t sure if you are free to start dropping bombs, ask lead by saying “permission to fire?”, and wait for leads response. Flight lead will describe the plan of attack for a air-to-surface attack during the briefing, so everything should be crystal clear before you are airborne.

If flight lead has briefed you on the attack profile for a air-to-surface attack, he may use the brevity “Action” to direct you to start the briefed attack. “Action [DIRECTION]” The “Action” call is used to inform the flight to begin their attack without saying it over the radio. “Action” includes all the information described in the briefing. For example, if lead said during the briefing that he wants you to rolling in from the right of the IP steerpoint, he would simply say “[Callsign] Action Right”, and that would be all you need to make your attack run. If you see a surface target on radar, or visually, you still use the brevity code ”Tally”. However, there are some other brevity codes you will need to know for air-to-ground engagements: “Naked” – You don’t see the SAM or surface-to-air threat “Mud [Direction]” – You have an A-G spike on your RWR. You should include a direction using the clock following this call. e.g. “Mud, 2 o’clock” “Clean” - 1. No radar contacts (air to air as well). 2. No visible battle damage. 3. Aircraft not carrying external stores. “Clear” – Your RWR scope is clear (no symbols on it)* -“Clear” has other meanings, see brevity codes below for more info. “Nails” - RWR indication of AI radar in search. Add clock position/azimuth, if known. "SA-[SAM #], [Clock Position]" - When you have a SAM spike on your RWR, you should give the location of the SAM spike on your RWR, and the SAM number. e.g. "SA-2 Spike, 3 o'clock" Aside from the brevity codes above, there are only a few other basic brevity terms you should know for A-G engagements. The first two are informative calls letting the flight know you are making your pass:


“In hot, from the north” (which means you are making your run, weapons release authority has been granted, and you’re going to drop your bombs) The other call is what you say after you make your pass: “Off target to the south, dry” (which means you made your pass but not bombs came off. Usually after that call you will give a reason why that happend) "Off target to the south, hot" (same thing, except you did release your bombs) In air-to-ground engagements or when you are ingressing on a surface target, the best thing you can do is build a picture of the threats and target(s). You do that by making informative calls to your wingmen and other flights in your package, such as the SEAD flight. By doing that, you will be a clear picture of the situation, and that will really help you because you will know what to expect before you get to target. You want to spend as little time over target as possible because you want to limit your exposure to threats. Also, the F-16 doesn’t carry as much ordnance as other aircraft, so you need to make each bomb count. You can do that by making sure you are attacking the right target, and you and another pilot are not doubling up on a target.

GUIDE CONTINUED NEXT PAGE


CHAPTER X

RESOURCES & REFERENCES

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