I’m going to try and write something about all of the free trials coming out for DCS World as they emerge. I wasn’t quite prepared for the F-16 or the F/A-18 although I am going to do some write-ups about those over the next little while but in the meantime… The Tomcat! DCS: F-14 is free today and tomorrow to do a trial run and here’s some information and guides that might help you get the most of your experience.

Fun, complex, challenging

The first thing you need to know about the F-14 in DCS World is that it’s a complex beast. A two-seat, variable geometry, carrier interceptor requires a lot of knowhow to make the most out of it. You won’t scratch the surface over the next 24-48 hours but you will get a chance to feel the incredible flight modeling and appreciate the cockpit texturing and detail up close.

I’ve written a lot about the F-14 including my initial experiences when it came out about a year ago. Suffice to say, the module has done well for itself over the year with a few small features and bug fixes implemented while Heatblur, the third party developer responsible for this masterpiece, work on bringing us the F-14A, the Forrestal-class aircraft carrier, and an AI A-6 Intruder.

Great tutorials

Although learning and mastering the F-14 is going to be a real challenge in a short period of time, you can get started. The DCS community is great at pumping out some great tutorials. Here are just a few that you might want to have a look at (and inspire you to find some more).

Here’s a quick cold and dark start-up guide:

Learning how to use the automatic carrier landing system:

How to use Jester AI to help you fly your F-14:

There are so many more out there so be sure to hop on YouTube and have a look for what you need to know.