Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!bonnie.concordia.ca!ccu.umanitoba.ca!jcoper
From: jcoper@ccu.umanitoba.ca (D. Joseph Creighton)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.games
Subject: Re: Falcon Landing (more like crashing)
Keywords: F-16, landing, crash
Message-ID: <1991Jan28.043555.22800@ccu.umanitoba.ca>
Date: 28 Jan 91 04:35:55 GMT
References: <28389@cs.yale.edu>
Organization: University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada
Lines: 61

In article <28389@cs.yale.edu> naiman-jeffrey@cs.yale.edu (Jeffrey Naiman) writes:
>I've had Falcon for a while now, and I recently upgraded to V2.2 (I think,
>not sure about number, but the most recent version in any case). 
>The problem: I cannot land anymore!
>Can someone who can land tell me the secret? Here's what I try to do (what the
>manual says):
> [ manual perfect info deleted ]
>What am I missing? DO I have to land on a specific part of the runway? Does
>my engine have to be below a certain level? Do I have to jettison all my
>weapons? Does my plane have to have no damage?

Things sound fine to me.  Here are some specifics which may help in any case:

You must land very near the center of the runway (along its width, not length).
If you taxi on the runway and let the center line stray out of the bottom
edge of your HUD, you will most likely crash.

Your throttle should be set to about 72 percent for the Super Engine at
lower ranks, and about 80 percent for the Normal Engine at Major or higher.
It helps if you are using your flaps and speed breaks intermittently to
control your rate of decent (I pitch the nose of my plane down so that I
can see the runway better, as I usually never land on the ILS supprted
runway).  It helps if you flare the plane just before touching down, but
if you cannot handle this, don't worry about it - just be sure your rate
of decent is no more that 5-6 ft/update.  When you do touch down, throttle
down immediately and engage the wheel brakes when your speed reaches 100 knots.

I've landed quite heavy many times - I don't believe that weight has any sort
of influence on your landing ability, other than timing it properly (ie:
more thrust may be required to keep you airborne and at the right airspeed).

Your plane cannot have any damage which would affect the landing performance
of your plane, but non-hindering damage (such as a Gun Jam) will not matter.

>While on the subject, the AOA indexer (the arrows on the left of the HUD)
>doesn't seem to agree with the AOA indicator. I'll often be at 10 degrees but
>the indexer says I'm coming in too slowly. Should I watch the indexer or the
>indicator?

I seem to ignore the indexer and go entirely with the true gauges (the air-
speed indicator, and rate of decent measured through the altimeter).  I've
landed many times without any problems when this indexer says "too low and
fast" or "too high and slow".

>BTW, anyone who doesn't own this game should get it. It is incredible. It
>is complicated, but not overly so.

I think it's about the best keyboard flying simulation around.  Or, to use
an appropriate slang, it's Sierra Hotel!!  :)

>Thanks!
>- Jeff Naiman (naiman@cuhhca.hhmi.columbia.edu)

No problem.  I hope this helps.

Major D.J."Sky Fox" Creighton wishes you good hunting!
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|    D. Joseph Creighton    |        Department of Computer Services        |
| <jcoper@ccu.umanitoba.ca> |  University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada |
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