How to set afterburners on F/A-18.

I'm trying to complete the "High-Altitude Intercept" mission on the Steam version of FSX, but I just can't fly very fast in the default F/A-18. When I set the throttle to 100% at high altitude (~35000) and straight-and-level, I can't get above about 490 knots. Everything I find on the internet relates to turning on the visual effects of the afterburners or activating them on custom aircraft, but I'm not interested in either of those, just in how to use the afterburners to fly faster.

 

FYI, there is nothing about afterburners in by control options.

When flying at high altitudes you should be flying at MACH. I don't know if the default FA-18 afterburners come on at a certain throttle setting. That can be checked in the aircraft.cfg. Could it be that CTRL+Shift+F4 ( Concorde afterburner) is used?

At worst, the SHFT+F4 key combo is AB on/off, at best, 100% down to about 94% throttle settings are the AB range. I am pretty sure that the default '18 uses the throttle, not the key combo. When I fly the Hornet, I hit F4 for take-off, then just before I rotate, I use SHFT+F4 to drop it out of blower but keep it in full Military power. It accelerates fine once the flaps and gear come up and she is truely aloft...

All of that is at sea level mind. The higher you get, the less power is available (thinner air for the engines). Having said that, I KNOW for use the default '18 will cruise comfortably at 42,000 at Mach 0.84. Those are the specs and it meets them admirably. Make sure the Pitot Heat and Anti Ice are both in AUTO, not ON, altho Pitot Heat On never hurts. It will actually cruise at 42K MSL at M0.95 pretty well, too, but it sucks fuel pretty fast.

If you want to go faster at altitude, get above M1.0 at about 25,000', then climb. it HOLDS above M1.2 or so pretty well, although it won't climb in rocket mode at that speed. About 1100FPM at that speed. Use about 5° nose up to climb above 25,000', 15° below that.

If you want to zoom climb, get it all cleaned up down low, like about 250'AGL flying straight and level, accelerate to 350KIAS or so, go 45° mose up or higher, hit the burners (full throttle, or F4) and up you go, but not to 42,000, maybe 30-35000, something like that. Then you have to nose down or you will stall and fall away. Me, I roll inverted, pull the nose down to the horizon, roll back upright, go to 5° nose up and climb. Keeps positive G on the bird to help prevent fuel starvation of the engines during the nose down push.

The power curve on the default engines isn't very well done. There are a number of 3RD party planes that are a lot better, like my favorite, the FSDT Blue Angels F/A-18C, v15.6. HECK of a plane, really it is, and there's another revision comming from Jimi and the team. They actually helped develop the default bird, back when, and are really improving the heck out of it.

Anyway, does all that help any?

Pat☺

Pat, just happened to catch what you said on the team and the default, interesting, thanks.

I noticed the 18c/d paints fit on the default bird.

Yup!

I've been working on helping with the newest Hornet from FSDT, just in my small ways, suggestions, setting in the .air file and aircraft.cfg, and so on. It was partly my idea to seperate out hte different load-outs.

There are several FSDT Hornet versions, chiefest among them are the v15.6 from "Jimi" Hendricks, the FSDT BA XO, and a really great guy. Another is the one from the guy with amazingly random screen-name: hd764jvgd843 (real name Peter :D ). He can do paints in a few days, and there are a few hundred of them for his version, it seems like.

There are also paints for the default Hornet he's done. Many many many paints.

Actually, if you have painting questions, he might be the one to ask. He really is a great guy, although a tad busy in the summer time with real-world (where ever that is...) stuff. He should be slowing down, now that Fall and Winter are upon us.

He has a thread for his version and the paints for it. Worth a look :D

The FSDT folks are all very nice people, and Orion and Jimi are amazing at design work, both the actual plane it's self and the FCS. Theirs is as close to the real plane's FCS as you can get in the sim, and verified by a few current and former real life Hornet drivers that fly with the FSDT Blue Angels. Again, great bunch, they really are.

Have fun!

Pat☺