Auto-Heading Command

[Coogan]

   With all of these auto-pilot commands, such as, auto-climb/auto angle/auto-level, why don't we have an auto-heading command.  This would be very useful, IMO, for formation flying.  It could be applied for all, fighters, bombers and gv's.
   Maybe have a dot command like the .speed xxx command.  So if you type something like '.course 180' you would head south.

Just throwing it out there.

Coogan



   

[AWwrgwy]

Sounds like your modern auto pilot.  Dial in your altitude and heading and sit back and watch the plane fly....



wrongway

[Steel]

You ever fly a tempest much?

They will do circles if you dont keep correcting the heading while in auto pilot.

[Lusche]

You ever fly a tempest much?

They will do circles if you dont keep correcting the heading while in auto pilot.

That's a bug with the Tempest's autoclimb. But it can be minimzed by getting to speed, then hitting autoclimb. It's most notable when using autotakeoff.

[BaldEagl]

You ever fly a tempest much?

They will do circles if you dont keep correcting the heading while in auto pilot.

That's only true if it is under 175 mph ias.  Get it to speed and that problem goes away.

[Yossarian]

   With all of these auto-pilot commands, such as, auto-climb/auto angle/auto-level, why don't we have an auto-heading command.  This would be very useful, IMO, for formation flying.  It could be applied for all, fighters, bombers and gv's.
   Maybe have a dot command like the .speed xxx command.  So if you type something like '.course 180' you would head south.

Just throwing it out there.

Coogan

I like this idea because it can be very difficult to get your plane lined up on the exact direction you want to go in, especially if you're on a long climb to altitude, such as in a P-47N or a bomber.  +1

[Coogan]

   I wasn't real sure if they had this feature during WWII or not.  All I could find out about it on Google, was some information of the Norden bombsight, for the B-17.  This thing had features very simular to AHII bombsight, however I could not find anything about planes having auto-heading abilities. 
   
Coogan

[SmokinLoon]

We already have it too easy with this autoclimb and auto pilot stuff.   No more handouts.  This inst the DNC her, ya know.   

[Dawger]

No fighters had any autopilot capabilities in WWII because of the weight issues (and maintenance)

Maybe a few night fighters here and there in some experiment but nothing widespread in the field.

The current autopilot features are extremely unrealistic as it is, even for modern autoflight.

[Beefcake]

I would say this is a very good idea, especially for bombers when they need to fly in formation. Now on the argument of is it realistic or not, it's a video game. I have a very hard time reading the compass in game so normally when I lead a bomber formation I just say "I'm flying between 276 & 218 degrees" or something like that. This would help me out a great deal and would make it easier for guys to stay in formation.

[SectorNine50]

The current autopilot features are extremely unrealistic as it is, even for modern autoflight.

Well... no... it's just simplified in-game.

Autopilot in modern aircraft would technically react the same way as it does here in-game.  Only difference is that in-game, we don't put in an altitude or course, we just go to level flight when we hit the alt we wanna be at (which modern autopilot would do automatically).  You can even manually change the rate of climb or decent on modern systems.  Hell jet liners have auto-throttle and some also have the ability to land themselves.

But yes, I think our current system is just fine.