A-10A Warthog

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Originally a part of the aircraft selection in LOMAC, the A-10A was ported over to DCS through the FC3 package.

The A-10A is not nearly as complex an aircraft as the upgraded C model, and by virtue of being a simplified “Flaming Cliffs”-style simulation, the A-10A module is also much less complex and complicated than the full-sim A-10C. Just like the other FC3 planes, the A-10A is more designed to be controlled through a standardised set of keyboard shortcuts than through any kind of advanced set of peripherals, nor does it feature an interactive “clicky” cockpit.

Features

Compared to the flagship A-10C module, the A-10A is perhaps better characterised by what it does not feature:

• No mouse interaction — only keyboard shortcuts (but still 6dof head movement).
• No smart weapons, with the exception of the AGM-64 Maverick — only free-fall dumb bombs and rockets.
• No MFD-based glass cockpit — only analogue instruments and switches, except for a bolted-on TV screen to show grainy Maverick pictures.
• No real night capabilities other than, again, the IR Maverick.

Flying the A-10A

Cockpit overview

Getting into the air

The process of getting the A-10A into the air is the same as with all FC3 aircraft:

• Make sure you have loaded the correct weapons.
  (This can only be done with the canopy open and engines off, press LAlt-' to open the outfitting menu.)
• RShift-L to turn the power on.
• RCtrol-C to open or close the canopy, as needed.
• RShift-Home to start both engine at the same time.
  (RShift-End stops both engines; RAlt/RCtrl-Home/End starts and stops the left and right engines individually.)
• Wait for the engines to spool up and stabilise.
• Num+/- controls the throttle; increase it carefully to get going and do not go too fast.
  (W controls wheel brakes; be particularly careful when turning since doing it at high speed will make you tip over, scrape your wings, catch fire, explode and — worst of all — become the subject of innumerable screen shots.)
• Use Z and X to control nosewheel steering (and also rudder) to make your way to the runway and line up.
• LShift-F lowers the flaps — they should be in the middle position for takeoff.
• Throttle up to max and try to stay in a straight line as you barrel down the runway.
• Pull back gently to take off.
• Raise landing gears with LCtrl-G; raise flaps with LCtrol-F.

More information

• Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II on wikpedia.
• A-10/OA-10 Thunderbolt II on globalsecurity.org
• Bunyap's ‘On the Range’ tutorial series (for A-10A and A-10C).