Directional Indicator

[T6-ADStukadriver]

I have only been flying the 109 F version, but it seems that the radio beacon or Directional Indicator, is only mirroring the wind direction arrow on the left of the screen...shouldn't it be turning to indicate the next waypoint?

 

 

[Yakdriver]

that would imply some kind of beacon is placed on the next waypoint.
and one of the waypoints is the target so... nobody will place a beacon there for you if you escort some stukas who will bomb that thing.

probably not the kind of feature you are looking for.

[LukeFF]

The 109s we currently have don't have RDF instruments, and if they did, they would only be pointing to a radio signal radiating from your home airfield.

Edited November 3, 2014 by LukeFF

[Chuck_Owl]

That is correct, Luke. The 109 we have in BoS does not have RDF instruments. The He-111, however, has it.

 

Its use is explained in my He-111 guide on pages 46 to 48.

 

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/20586543/BoS%20He-111%20High-Altitude%20Bombing%20Guide.pdf

[TG-55Panthercules]

What is the purpose of the "repeater compass" that is found in the Stuka cockpit?  Is it just repeating the compass heading from the other compass over on the lower left side of the panel?  (and if so, why not just have the real compass in the space in the middle - is it just a back-up in case one of them goes on the fritz?)

 

Did any of these compasses have any sort of waypoint indicator that could be set manually (sort of like on some Boy Scout compasses) to remind you of the heading to the next waypoint, which you would then manually adjust and set for the next waypoint once you had reached one, based on your flight plan?  Or did they just figure you would keep all that in your head or on your map?  I seem to remember something about waypoint-indicating compasses in the original IL-2, but that was a long time ago and I don't really remember that very well, and I'm not sure I knew how they worked back then anyway.

[T6-ADStukadriver]

I understand how an RDF works in "real life"...yes, you need a beacon or a way to input coordinates for the equipment to home in on. I seem to recall these things working in the original iL2 series...and I don't really care if that function did not get carried through to this version as I understand there is more of a stress on the way things really were in the Ostfront...but...what is the use of the directional indicator if it is just pointing in the direction of the wind? And it does not seem to be pointing at the home base or final landing point when you are on that last leg of the mission.

TG-55 is asking a similar question. Thank you.

[LukeFF]

What is the purpose of the "repeater compass" that is found in the Stuka cockpit?  Is it just repeating the compass heading from the other compass over on the lower left side of the panel?  (and if so, why not just have the real compass in the space in the middle - is it just a back-up in case one of them goes on the fritz?)

 

 

The repeater compass is "repeating" the gyrocompass's reading, which is found in the fuselage of the plane. Gyrocompasses are useful in aircraft, because they are more "stable" than magnetic compasses - magnetic compasses are only really useful when a plane is flying straight and level. However, repeater compasses (aka "heading indicators" or "directional gyros") will accumulate errors over time, so they have to be reset periodically, from the magnetic compass. That's why planes like the Stuka have both a magnetic compass and repeater compass and why the repeater is in the middle - it's the main navigation instrument the pilot would use.

 

More info here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heading_indicator

 

 

Did any of these compasses have any sort of waypoint indicator that could be set manually (sort of like on some Boy Scout compasses) to remind you of the heading to the next waypoint, which you would then manually adjust and set for the next waypoint once you had reached one, based on your flight plan?

 

 

Yes, the pilot could input a desired heading on the heading indicator on the German repeater compass with the outer bezel. American heading indicators also had this function.

Edited November 3, 2014 by LukeFF

[TG-55Panthercules]

Cool - thanks Luke.

[Bussard_x]

The original IL-2 game from 2001 had RDF instrument in the 109. Always found the way back with this help.  

Edited November 3, 2014 by Benz

[Potenz]

The original IL-2 game from 2001 had RDF instrument in the 109. Always found the way back with this help.  

yes it has it, but that is just unhistorical, now we have a better modeling of the planes and it systems

[Sokol1]

What il-2 (2001) do is automatic turn the RC dial (the knurled part) setting the "waypoint indicator" (the  360 degress scale) for the next mission waypoint, (what in RL the pilot need do manually) - so is not properly "unhistorical", just gamey. Then the pilot steer the plane until the instrument needle (the "plane") point for desired course. Since lack abilitty for the "virpilot" set the waypoint... work only for SP missions. In BoS this - set the next waypoint - is done in similar way in "Digital Compass" - in HUD Instrument Panel - by the small orange mark, at least in SP missions - CUSTOM. 

[Potenz]

What il-2 (2001) do is automatic turn the RC dial (the knurled part) setting the "waypoint indicator" (the  360 degress scale) for the next mission waypoint, (what in RL the pilot need do manually) - so is not properly "unhistorical", just gamey. Then the pilot steer the plane until the instrument needle (the "plane") point for desired course. Since lack abilitty for the "virpilot" set the waypoint... work only for SP missions. In BoS this - set the next waypoint - is done in similar way in "Digital Compass" - in HUD Instrument Panel - by the small orange mark, at least in SP missions - CUSTOM. 

well the automatic gpsish vectoring in original Il-2 wasn't quite realistic, yes it was done by the pilot, but

not automaticly by a computer.