A few questions for current and former A10 pilots.

Work has been slow the last few days so I have been browsing You Tube videos. I came across videos of a PC based A-10 combat flight simulator. It is called DCS A-10C produced by a Russian company by the name of Eagle Dynamics. It appears that the player can move every switch and manipulate all the controls. In a few of the videos it shows how you can change the profiles on the different weapons that are being carried on the aircraft, change the programs on the countermeasure panel, and change the layout of the HUD. There are other videos that show what I am led to believe are the full start up procedure and look very detailed. Here are a few videos showing the depth of the simulator.

DCS A-10C Warthog - GAU-8/A Avenger Cannon - YouTube

DCS: A-10C Warthog. Mk-82AIR High Drag to Low Drag - YouTube

DCS A-10C - CR Example - YouTube

After watching the videos, does the aircraft seem pretty accurate to real life and if accurate enough, do you see this program being a benefit and cost saving measure for real world A10 training.

Just curious what a real Thunderbolt pilot thinks of this $50 sim.

I won't answer specifically for A-10 pilots but in general the services have all experimented with low cost trainers/simulations that are PC based. The Navy used Microsoft Flight Simulator and T-34 profiles that were developed by a flight student. I dont know if those low cost trainers are still in place in the training command, but they were somewhat useful at that stage. For the most part they replicate procedural based training and do not have the fidelity in terms of mission computers/flight characteristics to properly emulate the aircraft. Even the high cost/fidelity simulators that we use in our training and workups are only good to a point.

Some years ago when fatigue/life expectancy really became an issue for many of our air frames, senior leadership (Navy and I would assume USAF as well) set out on a course to replace actual flight hours with simulator hours and to some extent in some areas brought a return on investment (smart weapon training/EP proficiency). But, at the end of the day, and I'm sure many of my brethren here will agree, we can all count the number of times we've been scared or under stress in the sim on one hand, for me that's when the power went out. I say that in jest, but its true. While simulators can aid in procedures and in some case tactics instruction, no simulator time can truly replicate flying the jet and the decision making process that goes into each portion of each sortie flown.

Having to click on switches and buttons with a mouse sounds pretty tedious. I'll put my $50 elsewhere...

Now, if you managed to build/obtain an A-10 cockpit from the bone yard and get it up and running with the sim, that may be more enjoyable.


Yeah, but is it realistic?

Waiting for a Hog pilot to object to being called a Thunderbolt.........

I watched on of the videos and its very accurate. Im curious to know how a Russian company got this info. As for a game, this looks fun. As for training, not so much. Even the full cockpit sims we have on base with almost 360 views haves lot of limitations. They are good for switchology practice and forming habit patterns without burning JP8. But I will tell you that nothing can replace strapping on a jet doing the JOB for real.

They got it from DoD. YOUR desktop trainers (purchased to enable original c model transition) had the software developed in Russia. Sounds like they just made this commercially available now?