Greetings: Here is a post from Sid Maurer of CompuServe's FLIGHT FORUM on how he handles flying in extreme mode. Posted with permission. Enjoy! Quentin/MicroProse = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = F-15 III Help file This file can be used for all modes but it is specifically my routine for flying in EXTREME mode, i.e. all settings authentic, difficulty at extreme, and training and no crash disabled. After I takeoff or tank I do the following- Ingress Altitude : 300'-500' Throttle setting at 60% Use EMCON (Emission Control, i.e. Radar in Standby) Situational Awareness, AIR: Every 25 miles or so energize your radar and do a 360x sweep. I tend to fly a box route, staggering my heading by 90x so I can set the radar correctly and make sure that sector is clear. I tend to break 90x to either side and then energize so I finish my sweep on my base course to the target. I use an engagement envelope of 40 miles. If any bogies are inside this envelope, I climb to 1000-1500 AGL, go to full MIL and begin maneuvering for the shot ( Make sure you complete the sweep before engaging, I was reamed by an AA-10B from a plane that was closer than the one I tried to engage, but where I hadn't swept yet! ). If there are some outside of 40 miles, I shutdown ( go EMCON ), eatweeds ( 350' AGL), and beat feet ( full MIL ) along a bearing that is 60x to either side of my target bearing. Situational Awareness, LAND: While ingressing, every 40 miles, climb to over 2000' and make a RBM along your bearing to target. The HRM setting here is unimportant but I set it at 10 miles for later. The RBM will give you an adequate picture what's ahead to let you avoid possible hot spots. I find a knee pad works well in this reguard to jot down either approximate bearings to clear lanes or trouble areas. Switching to the Attack, Close to 80 miles popping and painting ( radar mapping ) every 40. At 80 miles turn to 50x to either side of your target bearing and climb to over 2000' ( the Pop ). Here I make a 10 mile HRM of the target ( the Paint ), shutdown ( go EMCON ), and go back to target course and 500' AGL ( the Hide). Put the plane on Autopilot ( key 'P' , which BTW serves as a terrain following mode) and switch to the backseat to examine the HRM. Put the HRM in command ( alt F5 ) and use the target designate switch ( Backspace ) to designate your tasked target. Change the HRM resolution to 4.7 and Pop, Paint, Hide, and then look over your HRM. At 40 miles I change my Pop altitude to just over 1000' and set my HRM resolution to 3.3 and Pop, Paint, Hide. Look at your HRM and 'tighten-up' your solution using the backspace or mouse. Go to 1.3 HRM resolution and Pop, Paint, Hide. At 20 miles change your pop altitude to just over 500', change your HRM resolution to .67 and Pop, Paint, and STAY just above 500' for your final run into the target. Here I go to full MIL and using the HUD cue from the HRM ( the small diamond ) as a steering cue, make my bombing run. I should point out that BEFORE you start, at the arming screen, you need to select retarded bombs or CBU's. Watch your TREL in your HUD's lower right corner and at 0:00 mash the pickle, go to burners, climb SLIGHTLY ( to around 1000' ), turn to your next waypoint heading, and get back down in the weeds. After you're relatively safe, throttle down to 60%, and raise yor Pop altitude back to 2000'. If there are more targets start the above routine from the beginning. If you're on your egress, Pop, Paint, Hide every 40 miles with the RBM and do an AA radar scan every 25 or so. The reason I've chosen 25 for the AA scan is from experience, I was doing it every 40 miles, but was unpleasantly surprised to often to keep it there. Don't forget to do an AA scan during your target run, I do one at 100, 75 and 50 miles from target. It most of the time is just a formality but it has saved me a few times and as the saying goes: an ounce of prevention... . Using the above I've completed a Desert Storm campaign twice. North Korea beware. I hope this helps, questions or comments can be addressed to me with the info below. If anyone can tell me how to navigate with your HUD and all the displays damaged let me know also. There doesn't appear to be any mechanical backups like in Falcon 3.0 for this sim. I've been hit by an SA-2 during an Air-to-Air engagement and have everything go down except for the right engine. At that point I was able to regain control, extend, escape, and then didn't have a clue which way I was heading or my altitude. I eventually found the Persian Gulf but by then I was on fumes and had to eject over water. Check Six! Sid Maurer CIS ID# [70004,1305]