Invade & Annex Piloting Handbook
As there has been much discussion about common topics and a general lack of core piloting concepts, here is a short handbook for newer and less experienced pilots to reference:
Piloting 101:
Primarily, the role of a pilot on the Straya-Gaming I&A server is to support the infantry in a number of ways including but not limited to: providing timely transportation of players and vehicles; logistical support including rearming, resupply, refuel, ammo drops, etc; and providing C.A.S by use of armed helicopters.
To fulfil these roles successfully you must adhere to some rules of piloting first, which can be found on the map screen (under rules > aviation). The most important rule is all pilots must be on the SG Teamspeak server while flying. The Teamspeak IP is: ts.straya.life. Once on the server, you must join the appropriate channel: Invade & Annex > Transport/Air Defence/CAS > Altis or Tanoa (depending on which server). (Side note: you may be in the channel muted, but not deafened)
The purpose of using Teamspeak is to enable clear and proper communication among pilots, appropriate to the game. Pilots have priority in this channel, and chatter in the channel must reflect this (We see far too often the chatter be off topic and piloting communication is handicapped).
Communication:
When piloting on the server, effective communication allows all pilots to have the best experience while playing. Effective communication includes notifications and warnings of: Pad usage, Probable collisions, Runway crossing, and Traffic.
Pad Usage:
There are 3 helipads for infantry transportation purposes. They are numbered as follows: 1-3, SW to NE (alternatively, when looking at the spawn point from the runways, 1-3 left to right). There is also a medical pad marked with a Cross – this is not to be used a helipad and only when transporting wounded, POWs, HVTs, etc. There is also a service pad to the south of the helipads. Pilots must communicate when landing, taking off, or moving to and from the helipads. To prevent collisions and create a uniform system, pilots must (when entering the base) ingress parallel to the runways and cross over the grass area where the crates are. If there are no helipads available, a pilot must land or hover above the grass until a pad is free.
Collisions/Traffic:
To prevent collisions, pilots must communicate when: They are passing another chopper at close proximity, there is a high chance of a collision
Runways:
There are 2 runways (effectively 4) and their naming convention is as follows: The bearing your nose is facing when on the runway, is the name of the runway – left and right is then derived from that. For example when exiting the plane service heading SW, those runways are called 22 left and right (pronounced two two, not twenty two). Helicopters are recommended to enter the base parallel to these and must communicate when crossing the runways.
General Aviation:
Helicopter pilots have the following aircraft available to them: x1 Hummingbird (aka little bird), x2 Ghost Hawks, x1 Mohawk, x1 Huron/Taru, x1 Vehicle Transport Blackfish, x1 Infantry Transport Blackfish/Xian. There is also one pad that has a rotation of a Ghost Hawk, Orca or Hellcat (aka Lynx); Pilots are expected to be able to fly the majority of these - if you do not know how to fly a certain aircraft, DO NOT attempt to (especially the Blackfish as these have a 15 minute respawn timer).
After the completion of an AO, pilots are expected to extract the players from the area and move them to the next AO or back to base. As a courtesy to other pilots, if you are flying a high capacity aircraft let smaller aircraft extract first so as to not hog all the action. Again as a courtesy, if there are already an appropriate number of choppers at an extraction point, do not go there yourself.
When transporting players to the AOs, you gain transport points: these can be viewed by pressing Home > Leaderboards > Transporters. These transport points serve as a score and the top 3 after every week (They reset at 00:00 AEST on Mondays) gain access to the whitelist pilot slot for the next week.
At base, there is one heavy lift chopper available – this helicopter can be used to transport vehicles that can’t be transported by smaller choppers, or the crates that spawn on the grass. These crates have multiple purposes: They can be used to service vehicles in the field, or to be transported to the FOB for logistical support (click on the FOB to see what crates still need to be transported there).