Manual

FLYING THE F-14 TOMCATYour success in FLEET DEFENDERdepends almost entirely upon your abilityto fly the F-14 Tomcat. All the high techgadgetry in the world can’t save you ifyou can’t fly the plane. In fact, it’s the skillyou display at manoeuvring your aircraftthat ultimately decides the majority ofyour battles.This section covers some of the finerpoints of becoming a Tomcat driver.Obviously, this manual can’t covereverything. There are certain things youmust find out for yourself.FUEL MANAGEMENTFuel LoadIn addition to enemy action or inadvertentcontact with the ground, the only thingthat can force an early end to a mission isrunning out of fuel. An empty fuel tank willstop your mission with the same finalityas an enemy missile. Therefore, it isimportant that you remain cognisant ofyour fuel state at all times.Rather than being measured in gallons,aviation fuel is measured in thousands ofpounds (lbs.). One gallon of JP 4 (fuel)weighs approximately 6.5 lbs. Fullyfuelled, your F-14 carries almost 20,000lbs. of fuel. This figure reflects internaltanks containing 16,200 lbs. plus twoexternal tanks with an additional 3,600lbs.The F-14 fuel gauge, located to the rightof the HSD (Horizontal Situation Display)states the total amount of fuel remainingonboard. Your total fuel load, indicated atthe top of the gauge, is divided into equalportions, signifying the fuel available toeach engine. A reading of 5600 wouldindicate that five thousand six hundredpounds of fuel remain onboard.Dry Thrust(Normal, non-afterburning operation)Dry Thrust is the nickname given topower produced by the engines withoutengaging the afterburner. The highestthrottle setting (100%) using Dry Thrust isknown as Full Military Power. At lowerpower settings you consume less fuel.You fly slower but your endurance time israised significantly.Practising fuel economy while in-flight is animportant part of your mission. Fuel ispower, but it is also weight. The heavier anaircraft is, the more fuel is burned uppushing it around. You arrive at the breakevenpoint very quickly. During the courseof normal patrol operations, use Dry Thrustexcept in case of emergencies. It savesgas.Wet Thrust (The Afterburner)Afterburning engines give the pilot accessto enormous additional power. This poweris known as wet thrust because raw liquidfuel is literally dumped directly into theengine’s flaming exhaust. When you’refeeling the need for speed, kicking in theafterburner will do the trick but all thisextra power comes at a heavy price infuel.There are really only two times that youshould engage the afterburner, on takeoffand when conducting BFM.The need to use the afterburner whentaking-off is obvious. Getting safely off thedeck takes precedence over fuelconservation.BFM engagements put your aircraftthrough its paces. They often require youto fight with the afterburner engaged justto sustain the rapid energy consumptionthat occurs. A few minutes of afterburneris all it takes to drain a tank, so watch it.