Basic Training - Navigation & Bullseye - Bullseye Trainer

Written by
Dean "Bunch" Wright

[ Part 1: Navigation & Bullseye | Part 2: TACAN navigation ]

How To Use The Bullseye Trainer.

Why should we use the bullseye trainer program? This is a question often asked. It is difficult to understand how to use it to begin with, but once you understand how it operates, it becomes a very effective and quick method of learning bullseye. The main reason for using this program is that if you are flying an online mission, you may only get 3 or 4 occasions where you will have to use/ find a bullseye location. You will also have to concentrate on all the other aspects of the mission as well, like controlling your plane. This would make online practice very time consuming and ineffective. By using the bullseye trainer, you will be able to practice your skills 3 to 4 times a minute. I would suggest that you set aside half an hour per day for a week to practice with this program. By the end of the week I am sure you will be more than competent with bullseye calls.

Once you have started the program, click on the view tab at the top of the screen and then options. From this screen you can select the easy mode. Some other features are also available in this screen like a high score record which you may wish to familiarize yourself with although they are not really necessary. Once you have finished in this screen, click on the return button to take you back to the main screen.

Once you have clicked on the start button, you will see in the top right hand corner that you will be given your bullseye position using the same visual information that you see on the lower left of your MFD whilst playing F4. You will have your bearing and range from bullseye along with the little tick mark pointing in the direction of bullseye. As well as your bullseye position on the MFD, your heading will be given on the aircraft's nose. You will need to take this into consideration when deciding which way to look for the bandit. You may wish to mark your position and heading on a bullseye map at first, but as you become more proficient, you will be able to make this calculation in your head.

You will receive verbal information regarding the bullseye position of the bandits at the same time as you press the start button. Again this will help if you mark the position on the bullseye map to begin with.

You should now have the position of the bandits and your own position and heading clearly marked on your bullseye map. It is quite simple now to see what direction and distance the threat is coming from.

Select the correct distance from the range selector at the side of the screen, most of the time this will be BFM (basic fighter manoeuvre) in easy mode. If you think the bandit is 20 miles away, select AIM 120 etc.

You will notice that the main screen is divided into 4 ‘quarters’, by faint green lines.

If you have decided that the threat is behind you simply click in the ‘quarter’ of the screen behind the picture of the F16 (the direction of the threat).

You will have a limited amount of time to make all these calculations, but again this will become easier with practice.

If you are correct, then you will receive verbal confirmation and 10pts will be added to your score. If you made the correct decision regarding the direction of the threat, but made the wrong distance calculation, you will only receive 5pts.

When you make a wrong decision, the program will take you to a solution screen. This will give you a picture of your position and direction and the location of the bandit. It is important to study this as, like all humans, you will learn from your mistakes. If your decision was correct but you want to see the solution screen anyway, click on Solution in the drop down View menu.

Click the Return button to go back to the test screen. If you want to go back to the solution screen again before starting the next test, click on Solution in the drop down View menu. With this information and a little practice, you will find this program really helpful.

Sometimes the correct solution is on the borderline between 2 quarters and although you understood where the threat was coming from, the program tells you that your decision was incorrect. This is just a limitation of the program.