Flaming Cliffs 3

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Main article: Lock On: Modern Air Combat

In the beginning, there was Lock On: Modern Air Combat (LOMAC), and it was… well, it was decent enough. Already back then, Eagle Dynamics had chosen the Black Sea as their primary campaign area and they included a reasonably wide variety of aircraft in different roles.

When a planned LOMAC expansion eventually became the basis for a complete revamp and re-release of the simulator in the form of DCS World, the work done on those original aircraft was not to be wasted. Instead, they were transformed into simplified, lower-fidelity playable aircraft models for DCS and were released as a package under the moniker Flaming Cliffs 3.

Included aircraft

The following aircraft are part of the FC3 collection:

• A-10A Warthog — for all your simplified BRRRRRT needs.
• F-15C Eagle — everyone loves the SPAMRAAM and now you can too.
• Shenyang J-11 “Flanker B+” — a Chinese licensed and version of the Su-27.
• MiG-29A “Fulcrum A” and S “Fulcrum C” — a Russian classic. Remember to check your fuel level.
• Su-25 “Frogfoot” — another classic, built on the principle of, why fire one rocket, when you can fire a bajillion rockets?
• Su-27 “Flanker B” — get back at the SPAMRAAMers by doing the same, only without being detected.
• Su-33 “Flanker D” — dito, but now do it from a carrier.

Note that, while technically not a part of the FC3 package since it comes included with the free DCS World client, the Su-25T should also be considered an “FC3-style” aircraft in terms of flight and systems modelling. Also note that the J-11 can only be obtained as part of the FC3 package, not as an separate module (not that anyone should ever buy these aircraft separately).

Aircraft modelling

Flight models

Whereas the regular aircraft in DCS use a professional flight model and advanced systems modelling, the FC3 aircraft are modelled at varying lower degrees of detail and fidelity. Three (and a half) different flight models are available:

• Standard Flight Model (SFM). A data- and scripting-driven flight model that was used in the Lock On series and is still used in the MiG-29.
• Advanced Flight Model (AFM) and AFM+. A flight model that uses force application and calculation on the relevant flight surfaces. This simulates edge of envelope conditions well and avoids scripted behaviors as used in an SFM. AFM+ adds limited modelling of hydraulic and fuel systems.
• Professional Flight Model (PFM). This flight model uses wind tunnel data, moving part kinematics, and simulations of airflow as well as the influence of, for instance, hydraulic, electric, and fuel systems on flight dynamics.

A-10A	Advanced Flight Model (AFM+)
F-15C	Professional Flight Model (PFM)
J-11	Professional Flight Model (PFM)
MiG-29	Standard Flight Model (SFM)
Su-25	Advanced Flight Model (AFM+)
Su-25T	Advanced Flight Model (AFM)
Su-27	Professional Flight Model (PFM)
Su-33	Professional Flight Model (PFM)

Systems modelling

In addition to the various flight models, the FC3 aircraft use Standard Systems Modeling (SSM) as opposed to the Advanced Systems Modeling (ASM) of the more complex modules. This means that only cockpit systems essential for flight, navigation, and combat are directly simulated. These systems are controlled through direct keyboard or button binds, rather than through mouse interactions with simulated switches in the cockpit.

Among other things, this means that the FC3 aircraft do not offer any kind of emergency or recovery procedures. Fires or loss of control surfaces cannot be addressed — rather, the pilot can only hope to be able to return to base and land with degraded controls before the aircraft crashes or blows up. For an more critical faults, ejecting is really the only option.

Interactivity

The upshot of the simplified systems modelling is that the FC3 aircraft offer a very uniform learning experience. The same set of procedures and shortcuts can be used, with only slight variations, for any aircraft in the package. Some carry special equipment — for instance the IRST on Fulcrums and Flankers or the targeting pods on the Su-25T — that need a handful of additional key binds, but the essentials of getting the aircraft started and off the ground are universally the same, as are the default binds.

This also means that the use of any kind of more advanced HOTAS or other controller setup is made much simpler. Once the pilot has figured out a good set of binds for one aircraft, being familiar with the rest is just a matter of copying over those same binds to the new plane. Similarly, the limited set of interactions that are even available are conveniently suited for special gaming button peripherals, such as the additional keys on Logitech gaming keyboards or the button arrays on the Thrustmaster MFDs.

Finally, over time, all FC3 cockpits have been given full 6dof control, so even if some older reviews or descriptions may mention that only rudimentary keyboard or mouse controls can be used to look around, all airplanes are now fully compatible with TrackIR and VR setups.

Links and files

• Tippis' FC3 Template for Thrustmaster MFD Cougar.