Flight School [PC]

[Jericho]

Archived from groups: alt.games.grand-theft-auto (More info?)

As I suspected, my hopeless ineptitude with aeroplanes has followed me
through from GTA 3 and Vice City - I can only get to circling the
airfield on Flight School because I can't get the hang of the controls.

After the first ring (I can manage that) I can't get the balance between
banking and using the rudder right. I suspect that if I had a decent
arrangement of keys than I might be okay, but using a combination of
WASD and the arrow keys isn't helping.

I passed Zero's RC missions pretty much by just landing the plane near
the targets and shooting them - that won't get me through flight school.

So, does anyone have any non-confusing key layouts? Or tips?

Or should I just give up and get a USB adaptor for a PS2 joypad?

I notice that once I get past this mission it's all helicopters and
parachutes, so if I can just beat this I should be fine...

Maybe.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.games.grand-theft-auto (More info?)

Jericho wrote:
>
> As I suspected, my hopeless ineptitude with aeroplanes has followed me
> through from GTA 3 and Vice City - I can only get to circling the
> airfield on Flight School because I can't get the hang of the controls.
>
> After the first ring (I can manage that) I can't get the balance between
> banking and using the rudder right. I suspect that if I had a decent
> arrangement of keys than I might be okay, but using a combination of
> WASD and the arrow keys isn't helping.
>
> I passed Zero's RC missions pretty much by just landing the plane near
> the targets and shooting them - that won't get me through flight school.
>
> So, does anyone have any non-confusing key layouts? Or tips?
>
> Or should I just give up and get a USB adaptor for a PS2 joypad?
>
> I notice that once I get past this mission it's all helicopters and
> parachutes, so if I can just beat this I should be fine...
>
> Maybe.

I would certainly prefer a pad to keys for this sort of thing but I
haven't tried it on the pc. There are a few more plane trials before
the helicopter and parachute trials

--
Paul (And I'm, like, "yeah, whatever!")
-------------------------------------------------------
Stop and Look
http://www.geocities.com/dreamst8me/

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.games.grand-theft-auto (More info?)

Jericho wrote:
> As I suspected, my hopeless ineptitude with aeroplanes has followed me
> through from GTA 3 and Vice City - I can only get to circling the
> airfield on Flight School because I can't get the hang of the controls.
>
> After the first ring (I can manage that) I can't get the balance between
> banking and using the rudder right. I suspect that if I had a decent
> arrangement of keys than I might be okay, but using a combination of
> WASD and the arrow keys isn't helping.
>
> I passed Zero's RC missions pretty much by just landing the plane near
> the targets and shooting them - that won't get me through flight school.
>
> So, does anyone have any non-confusing key layouts? Or tips?
>
> Or should I just give up and get a USB adaptor for a PS2 joypad?
>
> I notice that once I get past this mission it's all helicopters and
> parachutes, so if I can just beat this I should be fine...
>
> Maybe.

The only thing I can suggest, as it's what I do, is to not use the
rudder at all during the plane portion of the school. To navigate
through the coronas, use bank and pitch. Adding rudder will point you
at things you can not see. Good for free flight, but not for flying
through coronas, imo.
Hold W until you're at altitude, then you can let go. After that, your
left hand only needs to deploy the gear and slow you down (S). Your
right hand controls bank and pitch. As you pass through one corona,
start lining yourself up for the next one. Turn early and subtly with
only bank and pitch (right hand).
I was able to achieve gold in Circle & Land with this method.

If you're left handed, re-map accordingly.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.games.grand-theft-auto (More info?)

>
> After the first ring (I can manage that) I can't get the balance between
> banking and using the rudder right. I suspect that if I had a decent
> arrangement of keys than I might be okay, but using a combination of
> WASD and the arrow keys isn't helping.
>

I am using W button (for throttle)and the arrow keys only for circle
airstrip.I never use rudder turns in flight school. The first run that
I got gold in circle airstrip I am using 1st person view as it gives a
more precise view of whether you have lined up with the corona and thus
avoid last second adjustment. I found that most of the problems lie
with over-compensation for a turn....if you allow time for a turn, the
plane usually auto-balance itself to fly straight.

I am replaying the game now and I got a beter hang of flying, so I can
get gold on circle airstrip with 3rd person view. I have never been
able to get gold for circle and land as the landing bit always got
me....either I stopped short of the marker, or overshoot, or I damaged
my plane. I can't land properly with 1st person view (and don't like to
switch views just before landing) so I start this one with 3rd person
view....but yet the best I can get is silver.


>
> I notice that once I get past this mission it's all helicopters and
> parachutes, so if I can just beat this I should be fine...
>

Destroy targets is a hard one though ....I only got gold a couple of
times (out of 30-40 tries!) Good luck!

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.games.grand-theft-auto (More info?)

"Jericho" <pushthelionheart@y2j.com> wrote in message
news:deie1e$5ou$1@newsg4.svr.pol.co.uk...

<snip>

> After the first ring (I can manage that) I can't get the balance between
> banking and using the rudder right. I suspect that if I had a decent
> arrangement of keys than I might be okay, but using a combination of
> WASD and the arrow keys isn't helping.

Reconfiguring the keys helps, but I found the biggest help to be using the
first person view (no plane) instead of third (behind the plane). I also
note that many people recommend that you shouldn't bother with the rudder,
but I found it to be most helpful. I suppose it depends on whether you're
used to flight simulators.


> I notice that once I get past this mission it's all helicopters and
> parachutes, so if I can just beat this I should be fine...

Probably - depends if you're going for gold. The last one I was able to pass
with gold was the "parachute onto a dartboard" thing. Took at least 20
attempts.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.games.grand-theft-auto (More info?)

In article <deie1e$5ou$1@newsg4.svr.pol.co.uk>, pushthelionheart@y2j.com
says...
> As I suspected, my hopeless ineptitude with aeroplanes has followed me
> through from GTA 3 and Vice City - I can only get to circling the
> airfield on Flight School because I can't get the hang of the controls.
>
> After the first ring (I can manage that) I can't get the balance between
> banking and using the rudder right. I suspect that if I had a decent
> arrangement of keys than I might be okay, but using a combination of
> WASD and the arrow keys isn't helping.
>
> I passed Zero's RC missions pretty much by just landing the plane near
> the targets and shooting them - that won't get me through flight school.
>
> So, does anyone have any non-confusing key layouts? Or tips?

I used the default keys... and JUST the keys. The mouse was screwing me
over. It took a lot of tries but I made it "around the base" and
"around and land" by:

-take off, landing gear up, and go into 1st person mode
-just before the first ring... use W key very little... almost none
-Banked my freaking head around like a lunatic with A, D, Up Arrow and
Down Arrow

Or, if yer really sick of it, ask someone to take your save game and do
it for you. But there's a couple of real missions that may make you
wish you stuck to it.

g'luck.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.games.grand-theft-auto (More info?)

"Jericho" <pushthelionheart@y2j.com> wrote in message
news:deie1e$5ou$1@newsg4.svr.pol.co.uk...
> As I suspected, my hopeless ineptitude with aeroplanes has followed me
> through from GTA 3 and Vice City - I can only get to circling the airfield
> on Flight School because I can't get the hang of the controls.
>
> After the first ring (I can manage that) I can't get the balance between
> banking and using the rudder right. I suspect that if I had a decent
> arrangement of keys than I might be okay, but using a combination of WASD
> and the arrow keys isn't helping.
>
> I passed Zero's RC missions pretty much by just landing the plane near the
> targets and shooting them - that won't get me through flight school.
>
> So, does anyone have any non-confusing key layouts? Or tips?
>
> Or should I just give up and get a USB adaptor for a PS2 joypad?
>
> I notice that once I get past this mission it's all helicopters and
> parachutes, so if I can just beat this I should be fine...
>
> Maybe.

There's "circle airstrip" and then "circle airstrip and land"

Forget the rudder. I used WASD and UP and DOWN, and flew clockwise.

W and DOWN (relasing once airborne) to reach the first corona, then press A
until the plan banks. Once you are at the right angle, press DOWN. When you
are facing corona number 2, release DOWN and straighten up with D. It is
much easier to control the plane if you don't bank and pull back at the same
time. Once you get the hang of it, you can do two at once but it's not
necessary to pass. After the second corona, press D until you bank the other
way, and then DOWN until you're facing corona number 3. After that, it's all
minor adjustments of D and DOWN (or A and DOWN if you're going the other
way)

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.games.grand-theft-auto (More info?)

I had massive problems with this simply because GTA does not fly like
any other flight sim on the planet.

Admittedly the helicopter does tend to be quite reasonable to learn but
as someone who has played heaps of flight sims, I had to learn to fly
AGAIN the 'Rockstar way'.

Anyway, I ended up all silver with 3 or 4 gold.

T.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.games.grand-theft-auto (More info?)

> > After the first ring (I can manage that) I can't get the balance between
> > banking and using the rudder right. I suspect that if I had a decent
> > arrangement of keys than I might be okay, but using a combination of
> > WASD and the arrow keys isn't helping.

Sorry for replying to my own post - I forgot to say: Use "W" (throttle) when
you're lined up and ready for the next corona. While you're turning and
getting yourself level, ignore it.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.games.grand-theft-auto (More info?)

You're gonna love "World War Aces" and "Barnstorming"!

Phil Hibbs.