If this was a real F/A-18 you'd never follow this advice. You never want to pressurize your drop tanks on deck which is what you are doing when you go to overide. This is how fuel transfers out of the drop tanks. Furthermore, you don't want to deplete your drop tanks on deck because then the fuel sloshes around if you drain them on deck which causes wonky CG issues on take off. There's a reason they stay in Norm on the deck and the aircraft draws fuel from tanks 1, 4 and the wings to the feed tanks 2 and 3. It all has to do with CG. But I get it, the SIM can't calculate how a fuel system works if it doesn't know how it works. Just wanted to clarify.
You're right, I should have added no way in a real F18 follow this advice just in case. might seem daft, but i see a few doing this disclaimer on every vid. DCS doesn't (yet) simulate these factors, but one day, who knows
@@DCSDigitalCombatSimulator I see those disclaimers on the videos and always get a bit of a chuckle out of them. If a real FA-18 pilot is watching TH-cam to learn how to fly the plane, we are all in a hell of a lot of trouble! :)
I would say he isn't on the deck but on the ground. So there is some merit to deplete fuel from external tanks on the GROUND if you can get jumped upon any time after take off and may have to punch out external tanks. 😉
The FPAS page is such a wondeful thing. It's one of the many reasons why I don't feel like flying the viper again until they finally implement CRUS. Fuel management is such a crucial aspect of a flight plan when it comes to anything more complex than a training mission or (god forbid) an air quake server.
In the Viper I've found one of the best things to do manage fuel, is to not over load the jet. Near max weight in the viper you lose so much performance, its very hard to get up to like 30k feet on mil power. (where its very easy on the hornet thanks to its larger wings)
Ive only been doing DCS jets for a short time and when I began id see a video like this and think how far away it is with all the other systems and basics to learn. I can't believe I've finally got to this point after 6 years of owning DCS, lol. Thanks for this very informative video.
if you absolutely must get as much distance as possible out of a jet, I recommend a "cruise climb," from a cruising profile you basically set the nose ~5-6 degrees above the horizon and leave it there at mil thrust. the jet will sort itself out over time, drifting upward as it gets lighter. you'll find at 45000+ feet you go very fast and burn very little fuel
Autothrottle is your friend the the F/A-18c. Quite easy to hold 400 knots or what ever optimal speed is without wasting more fuel accelerating / decelerating.
Great content here. Tight. Efficient. Deep. I use the FPAS all the time, but have never noticed the CLIMB switch. That’s a game changer! Thanks for the tip.
Great video. Only critique is I think its better (and always do) to pull fuel from the wing tanks first, then drop them as soon as empty, if range will be tight. That way I can keep the center tank on in a fight. If need be I can drop it for ACM, but it's less wasted fuel then if I dropped both wing tanks.
Nice vid. Even though I don’t like the ext. tanks considered disposable this much. Planing your loadout properly, hit the tanker enroute if required, deliver your ordnance, bring that tanks back to the boat. Drop them not before locked by a pitbull. That’s at least how we manage deep strikes in our virtual CVW.
Very nice tutorial. your channel has got some potential. keep uploading and someday you'll have enough subscribers. you already deserve more. keep up the great work!
One more thing for the FPAS page, if at the end of a mission the Home Fuel master caution keeps triggering, set the home fuel bottom right of fpas page to wpt 58 or another unused waypoijt, and it won't go off anymore
Don't use 59, it is the bullseye... Ideally use a waypoint where you can land or refuel (AAR) that is nearby. Using an empty waypoint will give an FPAS caution, and thereafter you can't select a new waypoint.. Extending the fuel probe will also inhibit the warning for a while.
@@Alain_Escher well, it's been a long time for me to not realize until now that I put 59 as a typo and meant 58. Whoops, edited so people don't get confused, thanks.
In my experience its worth to climb to the FPAS alt with burners on. Yes the FF numbers look high, but you are a lot quicker on altitude where you burn much less.
according to the Natops manual it is more efficient to climb in MIL than burner. but because of the reason you stated, more time at higher alt and lower fuel burn, the difference isn't that great, only a couple hundred pounds.
Wouldn't it be more efficient to draw fuel from wing tanks first? That way you can keep your centerline for combat and give you more space until bingo?
In a space rocket it's more efficient to burn through and drop the bigger fuel tanks first to get rid of dead weight, but I'm guessing it's more nuanced in this type of setup and there may be a benefit to using the centerline first, dumping drag as soon as possible
You raise good points, afaik the tanks are identical, they certainly hold equal amounts of fuel, and so losing a portion of drag sooner rather than later was my thinking also. If you knew when you were to find action, and would still have less than 1/3 fuel in the externals, then I suspect your idea would fair better. Great comment
@@DCSDigitalCombatSimulator Yeah the hornet ext tanks are all the same. The f16 has a setting that automatically pulls fuel from the wing tanks first before pulling from centerline, so I'm assuming there's advantage to doing so.
Mirage 2000-5 also have this kind of logic. But 2000s external wing tanks are way bigger (2000 litres, around 530 Gal. if I'm not mistaken). The aircraft have a special vane called ''EDT'', which will allow tu burn fuel from the big tanks first, and then use the fuel from the 1300L centreline tank. This is done for long range patrol, to be able to drop the wing tanks and go supersonic with centreline tank still full (2000L external tanks are not rated for supersonic speed, even if 2000Ds pilots showed this limit wrong somehow). But IRL, specialy for A/G mission, you will not drop the external tanks once empty. Those things are not unlimited and cost their price (it's not just empty space inside them).
When getting hit by AAA, I sometimes see my fuel leak and basically it's game over for that mission. Is there a way to protect the fuel that I have left? Like if I put the wing tanks to STOP? Assuming I'm hit in the wing and that is where it's leaking?
That's a really good question. I've found in most cases, the answers a definite no. The fuel just leaks out in a matter of a minute or less. There is 1 exception that I sometimes experience, as if there's 2 types of "fuel damage" possible. In this second example, all the fuel leaks out like before, except for the tank immediately prior to being fed into the engine tanks (I can't recall it specifically, but I'm wanting to say about 1000lbs plus the engine tanks - maybe 1,500 in total). As far as I'm aware, there's no fuel switcharoo available to help stop this either, and the only way to go, is dumping stores/ MAX AB. Turn for nearest suitable base, and with burners on - pitch for climb to fly about Mach 0.9 - imo the best way to try survive this. You won't always know which type of damage youve got, but getting away from the AAA and buying height is never a bad thing in such a situation. Seen as fuel is leaking at this point, might as well use the burner... As soon as the fuel has finished leaking out the tanks (watch fuel page carefully) and you're left with the 1.5k or so, immediately cut the power back to about 90-92% power (not mil!) and aim for best range/cruise - I think the stated best range speed in FPAS can seem a little low, and so 300-320 IAS is my minimum. Unlike the f16, which can glide nicely, I see no benefit to try milk any excess power, to gain additional height in the f18, seen as a deadstick is all over anyway. Beyond what you got in the initial burner climb (anything over 20k is good, another over 25 is very good) everything else just needs to be focused on flying as level and smooth as possible, and focus on setting up for a nice tight short approach. I've been amazed several times, just how far 1000lbs can take the hornet at the end.
You need to be very careful when flying a slicked off Hornet! It can exceed the speed of sound at certain altitudes if you park your throttles at MIL. From the Criminal Code of Canada: "Everyone commits an offence who, _without lawful excuse,_ operates an aircraft at a Mach number of one or greater."
If this was a real F/A-18 you'd never follow this advice. You never want to pressurize your drop tanks on deck which is what you are doing when you go to overide. This is how fuel transfers out of the drop tanks. Furthermore, you don't want to deplete your drop tanks on deck because then the fuel sloshes around if you drain them on deck which causes wonky CG issues on take off. There's a reason they stay in Norm on the deck and the aircraft draws fuel from tanks 1, 4 and the wings to the feed tanks 2 and 3. It all has to do with CG. But I get it, the SIM can't calculate how a fuel system works if it doesn't know how it works. Just wanted to clarify.
You're right, I should have added no way in a real F18 follow this advice just in case. might seem daft, but i see a few doing this disclaimer on every vid. DCS doesn't (yet) simulate these factors, but one day, who knows
@@DCSDigitalCombatSimulator I see those disclaimers on the videos and always get a bit of a chuckle out of them. If a real FA-18 pilot is watching TH-cam to learn how to fly the plane, we are all in a hell of a lot of trouble! :)
I would say he isn't on the deck but on the ground.
So there is some merit to deplete fuel from external tanks on the GROUND if you can get jumped upon any time after take off and may have to punch out external tanks.
😉
The FPAS page is such a wondeful thing. It's one of the many reasons why I don't feel like flying the viper again until they finally implement CRUS. Fuel management is such a crucial aspect of a flight plan when it comes to anything more complex than a training mission or (god forbid) an air quake server.
In the Viper I've found one of the best things to do manage fuel, is to not over load the jet. Near max weight in the viper you lose so much performance, its very hard to get up to like 30k feet on mil power. (where its very easy on the hornet thanks to its larger wings)
Great video, thank you for making the Fuel Management tutorial for the F/A-18C. This should get me a great understanding of plan long range strikes.
Glad it was helpful
Never had so much fun managing fuel. Good video, thanks!
Now that a subject I haven’t come across before. As always, great content well presented and relevant. Thanks.
Ive only been doing DCS jets for a short time and when I began id see a video like this and think how far away it is with all the other systems and basics to learn. I can't believe I've finally got to this point after 6 years of owning DCS, lol.
Thanks for this very informative video.
if you absolutely must get as much distance as possible out of a jet, I recommend a "cruise climb," from a cruising profile you basically set the nose ~5-6 degrees above the horizon and leave it there at mil thrust. the jet will sort itself out over time, drifting upward as it gets lighter. you'll find at 45000+ feet you go very fast and burn very little fuel
Glad I finally know what the override switch does now. Great video, cheers!
Autothrottle is your friend the the F/A-18c. Quite easy to hold 400 knots or what ever optimal speed is without wasting more fuel accelerating / decelerating.
your artist skills is AWESOME!
Great content here. Tight. Efficient. Deep.
I use the FPAS all the time, but have never noticed the CLIMB switch. That’s a game changer! Thanks for the tip.
Glad it was helpful!
@@DCSDigitalCombatSimulator Good video.
The missing explanation was the "HOME" button on FPAS 😉
Great video. Only critique is I think its better (and always do) to pull fuel from the wing tanks first, then drop them as soon as empty, if range will be tight. That way I can keep the center tank on in a fight. If need be I can drop it for ACM, but it's less wasted fuel then if I dropped both wing tanks.
Most excellent and useful video good sir.
Nice vid. Even though I don’t like the ext. tanks considered disposable this much. Planing your loadout properly, hit the tanker enroute if required, deliver your ordnance, bring that tanks back to the boat. Drop them not before locked by a pitbull. That’s at least how we manage deep strikes in our virtual CVW.
Man this is exactly what I was looking for.
Thank you!
Big thanks to the author of this video. Tips for wings, tank fuel flow are useful.
Awesome video!!!!
I learned so much in this. Absolutely one of the best F-18 tutorials.
Thankyou! Keep the videos conming. Realy enjoyed this one. Something out of the ordinary.
Quality content, thanks.
Great video thanks 👍
Thank you for making this F/A-18C Fuel Management tutorial for us.
I've been looking for this for quite a while. Thanks a lot for providing this advanced tutorial.
Great stuff. Subscribed!
Grate vid ... Thank you man
Glad you liked it!
Thanks a lot for the great tips and tricks. Great video.
Super vidéo 👍Thank you
Very nice tutorial. your channel has got some potential. keep uploading and someday you'll have enough subscribers. you already deserve more. keep up the great work!
Thank you!
Hehe, prefer Earl Grey meself ;)
Excellent tutorial about Fuel Mgmt. I didn't know what the climb button did :D
One more thing for the FPAS page, if at the end of a mission the Home Fuel master caution keeps triggering, set the home fuel bottom right of fpas page to wpt 58 or another unused waypoijt, and it won't go off anymore
Don't use 59, it is the bullseye... Ideally use a waypoint where you can land or refuel (AAR) that is nearby. Using an empty waypoint will give an FPAS caution, and thereafter you can't select a new waypoint.. Extending the fuel probe will also inhibit the warning for a while.
@@Alain_Escher well, it's been a long time for me to not realize until now that I put 59 as a typo and meant 58. Whoops, edited so people don't get confused, thanks.
Very interesting and informative, thank you :-)
Impressive! 😃
Thanks! 😄
In my experience its worth to climb to the FPAS alt with burners on. Yes the FF numbers look high, but you are a lot quicker on altitude where you burn much less.
according to the Natops manual it is more efficient to climb in MIL than burner. but because of the reason you stated, more time at higher alt and lower fuel burn, the difference isn't that great, only a couple hundred pounds.
@@launchsquid thanks for info. Will try it out
Nice, I named this as a deep penetration loadout
f18 - what to do, when after refuel order, NO copy answer follows?
Nice job very educational !
Wouldn't it be more efficient to draw fuel from wing tanks first? That way you can keep your centerline for combat and give you more space until bingo?
In a space rocket it's more efficient to burn through and drop the bigger fuel tanks first to get rid of dead weight, but I'm guessing it's more nuanced in this type of setup and there may be a benefit to using the centerline first, dumping drag as soon as possible
You raise good points, afaik the tanks are identical, they certainly hold equal amounts of fuel, and so losing a portion of drag sooner rather than later was my thinking also. If you knew when you were to find action, and would still have less than 1/3 fuel in the externals, then I suspect your idea would fair better. Great comment
@@DCSDigitalCombatSimulator Yeah the hornet ext tanks are all the same. The f16 has a setting that automatically pulls fuel from the wing tanks first before pulling from centerline, so I'm assuming there's advantage to doing so.
Mirage 2000-5 also have this kind of logic. But 2000s external wing tanks are way bigger (2000 litres, around 530 Gal. if I'm not mistaken). The aircraft have a special vane called ''EDT'', which will allow tu burn fuel from the big tanks first, and then use the fuel from the 1300L centreline tank. This is done for long range patrol, to be able to drop the wing tanks and go supersonic with centreline tank still full (2000L external tanks are not rated for supersonic speed, even if 2000Ds pilots showed this limit wrong somehow). But IRL, specialy for A/G mission, you will not drop the external tanks once empty. Those things are not unlimited and cost their price (it's not just empty space inside them).
good vid
When getting hit by AAA, I sometimes see my fuel leak and basically it's game over for that mission. Is there a way to protect the fuel that I have left? Like if I put the wing tanks to STOP? Assuming I'm hit in the wing and that is where it's leaking?
That's a really good question. I've found in most cases, the answers a definite no. The fuel just leaks out in a matter of a minute or less. There is 1 exception that I sometimes experience, as if there's 2 types of "fuel damage" possible. In this second example, all the fuel leaks out like before, except for the tank immediately prior to being fed into the engine tanks (I can't recall it specifically, but I'm wanting to say about 1000lbs plus the engine tanks - maybe 1,500 in total). As far as I'm aware, there's no fuel switcharoo available to help stop this either, and the only way to go, is dumping stores/ MAX AB. Turn for nearest suitable base, and with burners on - pitch for climb to fly about Mach 0.9 - imo the best way to try survive this. You won't always know which type of damage youve got, but getting away from the AAA and buying height is never a bad thing in such a situation. Seen as fuel is leaking at this point, might as well use the burner... As soon as the fuel has finished leaking out the tanks (watch fuel page carefully) and you're left with the 1.5k or so, immediately cut the power back to about 90-92% power (not mil!) and aim for best range/cruise - I think the stated best range speed in FPAS can seem a little low, and so 300-320 IAS is my minimum. Unlike the f16, which can glide nicely, I see no benefit to try milk any excess power, to gain additional height in the f18, seen as a deadstick is all over anyway. Beyond what you got in the initial burner climb (anything over 20k is good, another over 25 is very good) everything else just needs to be focused on flying as level and smooth as possible, and focus on setting up for a nice tight short approach. I've been amazed several times, just how far 1000lbs can take the hornet at the end.
You need to be very careful when flying a slicked off Hornet! It can exceed the speed of sound at certain altitudes if you park your throttles at MIL. From the Criminal Code of Canada:
"Everyone commits an offence who, _without lawful excuse,_ operates an aircraft at a Mach number of one or greater."
Why is it important to drain the center tank first,
It's NOT
Do not listen to this.
Drain the wing tanks first if anything.