Manual

VERTICAL DISPLAY INDICATOR (VDI)The Vertical Display Indicator (VDI) islocated in the front seat cockpit directlyunderneath the HUD. In its primary role,the VDI acts as a HUD repeater (a backup)in case the real HUD is everdamaged in combat. In addition to actingas a substitute HUD, the VDI monitor canalso be toggled to display imagesproduced by the Television CameraSystem (TCS).Press the VDI/TCS Mode Toggle (V Key)to alternate between the two modes.The Vertical Display Indicator (VDI)in NAV mode showing the CDI.VDI NAVIGATION MODESYMBOLOGYPitch LadderThe pitch ladder on the VDI is a duplicateof the pitch ladder on the HUD. Solid pitchlines indicate your aircraft is pointedabove the horizon (i.e. upward). Dashedpitch lines indicate your aircraft is pointedbelow the horizon (i.e. downward).Aircraft ReticleThe VDI aircraft reticle functions exactlyas the aircraft reticle on the HUD. The twoL shaped characters indicate where thenose of the aircraft is pointing relative tothe horizon. The position of the aircraftreticle on the pitch ladder indicates youraircraft’s relative pitch angle.Ground TextureGround texture appears on the VDI as apair of light tone patches that appear to becontinually revolving. (They look like thedashed lines on a highway as you aredriving past.) These patches remain inmotion even if your aircraft is stopped.They merely aid in making the visualdistinction between above and below thehorizon.Course Deviation IndicatorThe Course Deviation Indicator (CDI) is avertical bar which moves left or rightacross your VDI. The purpose of the CDIis to assist you in getting a more exactbearing on your aircraft carrier. It is notpart of an Instrument Landing Systemand should not be used for precisionapproaches.The CDI functions in the same manner asthe waypoint caret on the HUD’s MagneticHeading Indicator. It is a visual cue that youare heading toward your carrier. Althoughyou are aimed at your carrier, it does notmean that you are properly lined up with theflight deck. You could be flying directly at thecarrier and still be perpendicular to the flightdeck. In this instance, the CDI would still becentred on the VDI.VDI COMBAT MODE SYMBOLOGYAzimuth Range BarThe vertical bar positioned on the left sideof the VDI is known as the AzimuthRange Bar. This bar is used to determinewhether or not a target is within range ofthe weapon system currently in priority. Itdoes not give you the exact range totarget, however. You must estimate targetdistance for yourself.Estimating target distance is done bynoting the scale of the bar and theposition of the Target Range Mark. The