Mission Details
Before starting the mission, set you throttle to idle and don't move the controls until the introduction has completed. (If you are using the Short Version, you will be starting in-flight just before WP 2. Set your throttle to 3/4.)
The Pathfinder teams will leave less then an hour before the main force. The Pathfinders will be locating the drop zones to set up navigation equipment to guide the following main force aircraft to the Drop Zones. Pathfinder aircraft will depart at 2130 (Mission Time 0:00:00). Troops must be dropped before 0030 (Mission Time 2:00:00) to allow them time to locate the Drop Zone and set up their equipment.
Your mission is to fly to the designated Drop Zone (DZ) and drop your paratroopers as close to the center of the DZ as possible, and return. You will be flying as one of a three plane flight. Your call sign is P1. The other two aircraft are P2 and P3. Your mission will begin at Cottesmore Airfield in England, and return to the same airfield. Follow the waypoints at an altitude of 1500 feet. You can follow or lead your flight. P2 and P3 will be flying at 1500 feet at 155 knots. If weather conditions change, they may fly lower for better visibility of the ground. Flight Plan, map and briefing notes will be available on your kneeboard. All navigation lights will be turned off as you near waypoint PB, and will remain blacked out until return to this waypoint. It may not be possible to see the other aircraft in the flight so be careful to avoid collisions when blacked out.
Although you will have all the navigation aids available in FSX, the challenge in the mission is to use navigation aids available at the time. You will have the radio NDBs available listed in the briefing over friendly territory. Once you leave friendly territory, you will use Dead Reckoning and visual ground references. You will have a Navigator on-board for this mission to assist in navigation. The navigator will communicate to you through the Mission Compass, and verbal/text dialog. If you loose sight of the ground as you near the Normandy coast, or as you near the Drop Zone, your navigator will loose his bearings. If this happens, the Mission Compass will point to home base (Cottesmore). Maintain the last known course and adjust you altitude for better visibility of the ground so your navigator can re-aquire your position.
As you near the DZ, you will see a Paratrooper box in the upper right corner of the screen. To signal the paratroopers to jump, press Shift D. You troops must land within a mile square around the center of the DZ. You must be flying at the proper parameters for a successful jump. You must be 500 feet or more above the ground. You must be at a speed under 90 knots.
Tips: Mission Time box centered in the top of the screen can be dragged to another location on your screen. P2 and P3 can be located with the Mission Compass.
Recomended Learning Center Reading: Navigation, Old-Fashioned Navigation ; Aircraft Information, Douglas DC-3 ;