Takeoff for dummies

A quick noob guide on how to get off... the ground with your plane + cockpit overview.

TL:DR

Not sure if anyone even needs this... but here's a better and easier guide for getting the plane off the ground before running out of runway:

use Q and E to give the plane some nozzle. Done.

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Detailed guide

This works for the Harrier AV8B, the default plane. Any weight/loadout, any runway, current build v0.13.2.1 For details on where to find the numbers in the cockpit, scroll down to the BONUS section. I use mouse and keyboard, but the basics are the same.

1. Make sure flaps (F) are on, brakes (B) off. Nozzle (Q and E) at 0. This is how you spawn.
2. Full throttle
3. When you hit 100kts speed, hold Q to give it around 30 nozzle.
4. Pull up gently. Use common sense. Hint: it's between 5-15 degrees.
5. As you lift off, hit G to retract gear, F to retract flaps
6. Wait until you have 150kts speed. Hold E to get nozzle to 0.

The end.

VTOL

1. make sure your TWR is over 1.00 (actually if it's under like 1.05 just don't bother), this depends on your loadout. The dogfight loadout is fine.
2. DO NOT MOVE. Just stand still and move nozzle to 90 degrees with Q and E.
3. full throttle. You will lift off.
4. BE GENTLE with the mouse/joystick/whatever and just hold it steady. You can use rudder with A or D if you want to slightly rotate.
5. once you have 250+ ft of altitude, slowly take out the nozzle, STEP BY STEP and gain speed. You will have to move the mouse to hold it level. This may need some practice if you're a noob.
6. Again, at 150kts speed, the nozzle can go to zero.
Retract flaps and gear anytime you feel like it.

Done.

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Extra stuff

What, you want MORE?

• TWR means thrust to weight ratio. Basically the lower the number, the heavier you are. You can see it in the loadout screen, you can use freelook (hold ALT by default, numpad 5 to reset, rebind that ♥♥♥♥ to left ctrl, thank me later) to look around the cockpit, bottom left panel has TWR, as you fly and use weapons and fuel, you will get lighter.
  
• Lighter weight is good, makes you fast and agile, heavy makes you slow.
  
• If you can't hold it steady on the runway, you suck, use rudder A and D.
  
• You can make takeoff even easier, by setting nozzle to like 20 from the beginning. It works but it's kinda dumb imo.
  
• Nozzle is part of a feature called "thrust vectoring", look it up. Some planes like the Harrier and the new F35 and F22 have it, most planes, including all the other ones in this game, don't have it. Basically it means you can use hydraulics to move the engine outlet in order to push thrust in different directions. SOME planes, like the AV8B harrier, can use this for vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL), it also makes you turn wayyyy faster. This is OP in dogfighting.

DON'TS:

• don't set nozzle to a lot from the start. This will only make you go out of control.
  
• don't wait too long to retract gear/flaps/nozzle.
  
• don't crash like an idiot.

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BONUS!

since you're reading a guide about how to take off, here's a free quick overview of the cockpit. (AV8B)
1 - THR is percentage of throttle, NOZ is angle of nozzle. 90° is straight down.
2 - IAS KT is speed in knots.
3 - your angle of pitch(the horizontal lines). - - - - lines mean downward, straight lines upwards. The number is degrees of angle. 0 is the horizon. The crosshair thing is where your plane is going currently. This tells you your pitch angle and attitude and helps you level and maneuver in 3d space. So we can see here that I'm going down at like 13 degrees of angle.
4 - your altitude in feet.
5 - the indicators for FLAPS, GEAR, BRAKES. If it shows, it's turned ON. Here we can see I need to disable brakes before taking off.

Enjoy.

[Fopsky; Resident Nerd 🎀]

i crashed like a complete idiot about 8 times before finding this guide, and even before finding this i already have figured it out, all it did was clear some things out

[German Tax Evader]

honestly now it makes sense, but damn no just holding w brings the plane up, nice