Interested in enlisting with Virtual Carrier Air Wing One?

Before you take the plunge, please read through all the information on our site to be certain you're familiar with who we are, what we do, and the kind of online flight combat simulation group that we are. Just like any online simulation group, what we do might not appeal to everyone, but if you feel that we'd be a good fit for you, and you can fly a minimum of two flights per week, Wednesday and Saturday at 8pm eastern, we'd like to invite you to join us! The first thing to be aware of is that all pilots must go through our Training Program. We only have so many Instructor Pilots, however, so we only open recruiting when we have available positions for training - as such we routinely open and close recruitment as our recruits graduation and positions open or remaining slots are filled. If our recruitment is closed, you can be placed on a waiting list for the next available recruit position.

You can see the current recruitment status for Virtual Carrier Air Wing 1 below:




Virtual Carrier Air Wing One is not just a flight combat simulation group - we consider ourselves to also be a milsim - or, military simulation - group as well. This means that we take what we do seriously, and follow real world NATOP and Naval procedures as much as possible. As a result there are a few requirements that we have for any prospective recruit to ensure that the experience they will have with us not only enhances their enjoyment of flying with us, but also that the Wing as a whole benefits from their membership as part of the group. These requirements include the following:


     • A full HOTAS flight controls setup (i.e., flight stick, throttle, and rudder pedals)

     • Head tracking hardware - TrackIR, VR, etc.


In addition, the following Eagle Dynamics Digital Combat Simulation modules are required:


Obviously the first thing you'll need is a legitimate copy of Eagle Dynamics Digital Combat Simulator. The version we use is 2.5. Since we're a carrier based group, we also fly predominantly with the open beta version of the game, as many of the features we use in our flights and campaign missions are not yet available in the stable version. As a group, we typically strive to keep our servers updated to the latest open beta version to be sure bugs have been worked out and new features are available.


Per the Digital Combat Simulator website: "The Open Beta version of Digital Combat Simulator World (DCS World) 2.5 is a free-to-play digital battlefield game and simulation environment."

The next thing you'll need is a legitimate copy of Digital Combat Simulator's F/A-18C module. This is the aircraft we use for all our operations - training, standard flights, and particularly campaigns. Most of us have other modules of course, but as we're a carrier wing, the F/A-18C is our aircraft of choice.


Per the Digital Combat Simulator website: "Our Hornet is the culmination of more than 40 man years of intense research, technology development, art creation, and ground-breaking coding. The Hornet brings the first, true, multi-role fighter to the skies of DCS World with equally impressive air-to-surface and air-to-air capabilities."

The third requirement is a legitimate copy of Digital Combat Simulator's Supercarrier module. Naturally, as a carrier based wing, nearly one hundred percent of our operations, be they training, standard or pick-up flights, or campaigns, will all start and usually end on the deck of the carrier. The enhanced and advanced procedures and capabilities of the Supercarrier module make it a necessity to truly get as realistic an experience as possible for carrier operations.


Per the Digital Combat Simulator website: "[The] DCS: Supercarrier is the most detailed and realistic simulation of a Nimitz-class aircraft carrier ever created. A Nimitz-class aircraft carrier is a nuclear-powered fortress at sea with a crew of over 6,000 sailors and airmen. The angled flight deck with arrestor wires and four steam-powered catapults support air wing operations of up to 90 aircraft."

The fourth requirement is a legitimate copy of Digital Combat Simulator's Persian Gulf map. Most of our campaigns take place currently on this map, and as such it is essential for any potential recruit to have a copy of it. We also do some advanced training on the Persian Gulf map for advanced and smart weapons, air to air training, and any other training relevant to the Persian Gulf area of operations.


Per the Digital Combat Simulator website: "The Persian Gulf Map for DCS World focuses on the Strait of Hormuz, which is the strategic choke point between the oil-rich Persian Gulf and the rest of the world. Flanked by Iran to the North and western-supported UAE and Oman to the south, this has been one of the world’s most dangerous flash points for decades. It was the location of Operation Praying Mantis in 1988 in which the US Navy sank several Iranian naval vessels."

The last requirement is a legitimate copy of Digital Combat Simulator's Nevada Test and Training Range map. This is a requirement due to the fact that we utilize this module in between campaign operations for continued training and procedure practice. Keep in mind we also use the Caucasus (and will use other maps upcoming as well, such as the Marianas map), but the primary maps that we use are the Persian Gulf and Nevada maps at this time.


Per the Digital Combat Simulator website: "The Nevada Test and Training Range (NTTR) has the largest contiguous air and ground space available for peacetime military operations in the free world. The NTTR land area includes simulated air defense systems, mock airbases, and several target ranges. The NTTR was also used for nuclear testing. Today, it is home to RED FLAG and other military exercises that include countries from around the world."

If you have, or intend to purchase, these required modules, and our recruitment status is currently open, then you are ready to join us and get started! To do so, create an account on our Forum - making sure to use your preferred callsign as your Forum username - and let us know the following information so we can get a better idea of who you are, your experience, and what you're looking for:


     • Your location and / or Time Zone

     • Your flight simualtion equipment (HOTAS or stick / throttle type)

     • Your head tracking equipment (TrackIR, VR, etc.)

     • Your flight simulation experience

     • A little bit about yourself and what you're looking for in a flight combat simulation group


Once that's complete, one of our Administration team will get back to you as soon as we can with further information. If you have any questions about our process or about joining us, you can also contact us on our DCS Forum Squadron page for any additional information you require or need.


We look forward to flying with you!


 
 
 
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© 2018 - 2023 Virtual Carrier Air Wing 1.  Virtual Carrier Air Wing 1 and it's virtual squadrons VMFAT-101 and VFMA-115 are not affiliated in any way with the United States Navy, United States Marines, or the United States Department of Defense.