FMB Shenanigans

[Badger]

Hey y'all

so, I was going through the FMB tutorial over at M4T.  And wouldn't you know it, by the second tutorial, I already had my imagination spinning, and I'm making my own mission set over Oahu in 1944.

basically I'm making it a training mission, for me, and I'll share it because "why not?" It's going to be kind of a "wrap it all up" type of training mission, where takeoff, trimming, multiple waypoint headings, a tight "ceiling" and "hard-deck," all help keep the pilot focused on the job at hand.  It's basically going to be something fun for me to do, to practice working with the compasses within the cockpits, and the "happy" engine settings and speeds for different planes (which makes the waypoints "time" interesting...)

I have a couple questions for everyone, see if you can help me make it "plausibly accurate" 

1) would pilots fly low, like during land navigation training?  Nothing crazy low, but having a hard-deck of 1,000 feet and a ceiling of 2,000 feet over an island in the Pacific be okay? 
     1a) if that island had a small mountain range, would the pilots fly at a set altitude that would fly them safely over that mountain?  say for example - hard-deck of 3,500 feet, but a ceiling of 5,000 feet, but then go back down to a lower altitude when they passed over the mountain range and stay close to the ground?

basically think about Oahu, and could there be a short landnav patrol around the southern half of the island, crossing over the Koolau Mountain Range from Kahana Bay to Wheeler Field, or thereabouts where the mountain range sort of "splits" with a low spot?

2) what would be a good cruising speed for a multitude of aircraft in service by late 1943?
I'm thinking about literally the speed differences and quirks of say the Corsair vs the Dauntless 

3) if anyone can help me out with the "jargon" for the mission brief, along with making it look legit as far as the headings and such that may be on it, like
"MARFORPAC - 5, January, 1944 - CLASSIFIED" or whatever it would be lol 

basically, this all evolved out of the "I think tonight I'm going to try my hand with that FMB Tutorial since the guys taught me the 'alt-tab' trick."  Honestly I blame Johnny Cash for all of this since I'm listening to him as I make this mission up.

anyway, let me know what you guys think please.

and as a teaser, this is my favorite flygirl:

... I mean the plane, not the model lol

oh! also, forgot to mention this, I found a sweet map of Oahu online via the Library of Congress: http://www.loc.gov/resource/g4382o.ct000609/

[Badger]

sorry, pulled an all-nighter last night, and I wasn't all here lol.  Had a nap, so I'm doing a wee-bit better.  I guess it would help if I showed everyone what I have so far:

Mission Name:
Oahu Short Patrol

Mission Short Description:
Oahu short patrol hop - S half of isl

Mission Description:
Listen up MARINE!

For some reason, you have been called upon as having "potential."  The butter bars on your collars say otherwise, and ya don't wanna stay a BUTTERS now do ya?

We're going to see if you've earned the right to wear an EGA.

This should be a simple one to get yer feet wet. 

It's a simple LandNAV test basically, just for us flyboys.  We have WAYPOINTS selected throughout the Southern half of Oahu Island. 

DETAILS OF THE MISSION

CEILING for this OP:
2,000 feet (609m)
HARDDECK for this OP:
1,000 feet (304m)

EXCEPT over the Koolau Mountain Range
KMR
CEILING:
5,000 feet
HARD DECK
4,000 feet

AIRSPEED - cruising speed at

THERE ARE CATCHES TO THIS OP

1) YOU are in charge as FLIGHT LEAD

2) YOUR WEAPONS are HOT!

and lastly

3) AT each WAYPOINT is a MARINE, sitting there WAITING ON YOU to go on LIBERTY. 

He can't go on LIBERTY until you FLY OVER his WAYPOINT STATION. 

This is going to help him too -
He'll jot down HOPEFULLY:
your heading
your altitude
your aircraft type (we haven't told them)
most importantly for your evaluation -
YOUR TIME ON ARRIVAL

basically, we know how fast you are SUPPOSED to be going and WHAT TIME you should GET THERE. 

Remember the difference between INDICATED AIR SPEED, TRUE AIRSPEED, SET, DRIFT, ETC? I hope so, because you're being graded on it today, and those GRUNTS are counting on you getting there ON TIME so they can make MUSTER at 0900hrs for LIBERTY.

You'll be leading a flight of you and your wingman in the new FM-2 WILDCATS.  They have a bit more power, and bit less weight, making them excellent scouting and patrol fighters. 

This is just a basic op to help you learn LAND NAVIGATION.

It's a standard patrol around the south half of Oahu Island.  There are numerous waypoints based on easy to set land-navigation points.  If you don't know where Diamondhead is now, ya don't belong here Marine.

REMEMBER, GOD FORBID YOU NEED THEM -
The FM-2 only has four Ma-Deuces in her, so HEAVEN ALMIGHTY FORBID you need them, STAY OFF THE TRIGGER!!  NO SPRAYING!!

It's a simple patrol, to help the citizens feel at ease that we're watching their skies.  We're not going to let another incident like Pearl happen... EVER AGAIN.

SEMPER FI!!

DisMISSED!


*this is all a very rough version of it, basically just following along with the FMB tutorial.  My plan is to "fill" Oahu with stuff going on.  Like, I'll place a Jeep and a Marine at each Waypoint  , over where the modern MCAS Kaneohe Bay is, I'll fill it with PBYs and such going about their routine, make "mast field" what it should be by this time in 1944 - MCAS EWA with hangars, buildings, planes, etc.  Then I'll go in and change things again, so that we can have this mission for whatever planes we want - Hellcats, Corsairs, Avengers, Dauntlesses, the works.  I'm even thinking about making it actually a full campaign trainer eventually, where "you" start in the Texan and do some touch-and-goes and go from there.

the mission I put into a "my" folder, just like the FMB tutorial, inside the "UN" folder, in the "single" section.

please let me know what y'all think of it so far.  Like I said, I'm only through tutorial 2 of the FMB tutorial at M4T, so I'm just starting out lol

[AG-51_Razor]

Nice job Badger. I like the way you think 

[Badger]

Nice job Badger. I like the way you think 

Razor, coming from you, thanks so much!    what do you think of it?  Did you play it?

yeah, it's a WIP.  But it'll get there.  I'm hoping long term we can even use it as a "nuggets guide to AG51" type of thing.  Last night, I got my T-6 Texan up, with the flight lead in front, where I have to follow him.  I know that's not really a big deal, but for me it is.  It's the same "patrol" just in Texans, with lead in front, as AI.

I know it's Marines... and I can't help it! I spent 10 of my formative years, from 8 years old to 18 years old at MCAS El Toro.  I heard all about Cactus and everything at such an early age.  BUT they don't do as much carrier ops, so I'm glad my online squadron is NAVY... just don't tell my old Gunnie that 

[AG-51_Razor]

Stick with it Badger. We often fly Marine Corsairs off the little Jeeps as they did in Korea 

[AG-51_Razor]

A good start Badger. One comment is the time of day chosen. Unfortunately, this game will not allow the mission builder to do anything about the "early morning haze" or fog that is present throughout the map depending on the time of day chosen. Start early enough and it is not there but will appear as the sun begins to come up. Aside from being a real pain in the ass as far as being able to see anything on the ground or water, it can be a real frame rate killer. With the latest addition of Triggers, you can have that Ki-46 appear based on a particular location you pass into or out of and not depend on the timing. Go to M4T and pick up one of their utilities for the Object list so you can really populate your map with some interesting scenery. I recommend this one: http://www.mission4today.com/index.php?name=Downloads&file=details&id=4425

Put the mission below in one of your DF folders and open it up to see some of the possibilities.