F-80C

[Husar]

When I pres drop bomb/smoke key - one of my wing drop tank is dropped , loadout without bombs only drop tanks - should it or a bug?

[LukeFF]

52 minutes ago, Husar said:

When I pres drop bomb/smoke key - one of my wing drop tank is dropped , loadout without bombs only drop tanks - should it or a bug?

No, you've selected a wingtip pylon.

[Jorri]

The F-80 water injection boost doesn't trigger a technochat, wether you (de)activate it from the controls or from the multimenu.

I also didn't notice much effect, but that was probably just me. 

 

Edit: correction, if you are at sufficient altitude you do get a technochat when you engage the water injection boost. Not sure what the altitude is. There's nothing n the manual.

Edited July 19 by Jorri

[Jorri]

The manual instructs you to start the engine with the engine control lever at 0%. This doesn't work: it will result in stalling the engine during startup. In practice, you do need to crack the throttle before you start it. Either the manual or the system modeling is off. 

[Cahokia]

We should definitely have the Fletcher tip tanks as a modification for the F-80C-10.

As the Korean War progressed, attrition took its toll on the original Lockheed tip tanks, so another company, Fletcher, began mass-producing replacement tanks.

The good news is that we almost already have them! The 265-gallon Misawa tanks are simply modified Fletcher tanks. They were created by adding two cylindrical sections to a standard Fletcher tank, increasing the capacity by 100 gallons.

Since the standard Fletcher and Lockheed tip tanks have the same fuel capacity, there would be no impact on the flight model.

The only thing that would need to be done is to remove the Misawa extension. Even the textures are already there!

 

More details here :

https://tailhooktopics.blogspot.com/2017/06/lockheed-pf-80-shooting-star-tip-tanks.html

[FuriousMeow]

Not sure if this belongs here, but makes the most sense.

F-80 gets shot up starts leaking fuel and great smoke from the engine. Avatar says I'm on fire, bailing out. I dive, reduce throttle, etc. Fire goes out it seems. No more external smoke, but there's still smoke and fire effects in the cockpit view.

[Tuna_Lead]

@Jorri For every jet I am virtually familiar with, opening fuel to the engine before it is being turned results in some kind of disaster like a hung start or engine fire. The starter needs to bring the blades up to enough speed to have airflow sufficient for fuel introduction. With some aircraft, this is around 3 to 5 percent of rated RPMs, depending on the fuel system some aircraft can be as high as 25%. The F-80 manual (AN 01-75FJB-1) details the following procedure:


I have found that in game, waiting for maximum obtainable RPM from the starter results in a hung start. I personally wait until 15%, and then move throttle immediately to idle. 

Edited July 27 by Tuna_Lead

[kodamcity]

 

When I launched the game after the update, I saw that the F-80's outer skin had completely disappeared.

For a moment, I thought a new feature had been added.

The outer skin of all the other aircraft were intact, but only the F-80 was like this; now it has returned to normal.

 

Personally, I think it's a fun bug. I think it could be added as an official feature.

 

 

[BlitzPig_EL]

Cool!!

The National Museum of the USAF has a late F86 on display with the skin removed, it's fascinating.

[KillerBee]

Well, I like the x-ray view and knowing what’s under the skin.  I vote this for all aircraft!

[MajorMagee]

7 hours ago, BlitzPig_EL said:

Cool!!

The National Museum of the USAF has a late F86 on display with the skin removed, it's fascinating.

I was there this morning. What is really striking is that anywhere on the aircraft, if you poke your finger in past where the skin was you will touch a major system component or key structural member. It uses just about every cubic inch for something important!

Edited July 30 by MajorMagee

[Elf]

don't sure whether it is a glitch or feature... I'm getting 'battery damaged' tech-message every time while staying at the airfield with engine on and throttle in idle. After getting that message, all lamps in the cockpit switch off within few minutes.

Does F-80C require some additional settings of electrical equipment (or engine mode) when on ground in idle ?

[Dash,Polder]

A generator will not produce electrical output below a specific RPM, just push up your throttle until you see your electrical output gauge pick up or the lights brighten.  Generally why there would be a battery or electrical cart hooked up when doing ground operations.  We are already impacting battery reserve just starting, it won't take long to drain it to critical levels running all the electrical from off of the battery.  A drained or weak battery is something you never want to get airborne with in the real world, that's your last few minutes of controlled flight reserve should you lose the engines generator.  The better shape and charge your battery is in the more likely you can make it to an airport.  So if you lose a generator in combat if that's possible turn off any electrical you can, but I think we can only do the lights, maybe fuel pump in the future soon?  Good news is it'll recharge with engine and gen spooled up along with some time. 

[Elf]

16 часов назад, Dash,Polder сказал:

A generator will not produce electrical output below a specific RPM, just push up your throttle until you see your electrical output gauge pick up or the lights brighten.  Generally why there would be a battery or electrical cart hooked up when doing ground operations.  We are already impacting battery reserve just starting, it won't take long to drain it to critical levels running all the electrical from off of the battery.  A drained or weak battery is something you never want to get airborne with in the real world, that's your last few minutes of controlled flight reserve should you lose the engines generator.  The better shape and charge your battery is in the more likely you can make it to an airport.  So if you lose a generator in combat if that's possible turn off any electrical you can, but I think we can only do the lights, maybe fuel pump in the future soon?  Good news is it'll recharge with engine and gen spooled up along with some time. 

thanks! this situation resembles Grumman HU-16 in MSFS24

since we don't have in-game ground power unit yet, I guess throttling up after engine start is the only option. Just didn't find devs' description of what % throttle must be set in order to keep battery alive  🙂

[GregD]

I cannot even take off on this plane, LOL... I kinda enjoy the challenge actually, not complaining!  The mission pre-loaded it for me, fuel tanks, bombs, rockets, the lot. Probably too heavy ?
I patiently wait till 140-150 to pull back, with 70% flaps, and after 3 or 4 attempts finally got it in the air - barely, after which it's not really accelerating and drops to 130+... Gear up as soon as possible, same.. Stall and crash gently.. Pulling flaps up same...stall... I guess I need to really gently raise the flaps to trade lift for speed or something, but man it is a challenge (Sabre, no problem). 
Can this take off loaded like that or am I wasting my time ? 

Edited August 4 by GregD

[Dash,Polder]

Try flaps 50% or less instead, that's a lot of flap with lots of drag to overcome.  It also has boost via injection of go go juice, and there is an option for JATO rockets to assist in take off.

[Stonehouse]

If the mission preset the load out, then it probably should have also selected JATO.

So, if campaign or one of the fly-now combat missions then possibly it could be regarded as a bug and should be reported.

[Elf]

8 часов назад, GregD сказал:

Can this take off loaded like that or am I wasting my time ? 

F-80C can takeoff even without JATO installed, but don't forget to check pitch trim and flaps settings (I'm using ~10-20% flaps during takeoff).

Normal takeoff speed 120-130mph, and ~150mph with tanks/bombs/rockets loadout

[Husar]

3 minutes ago, Elf said:

F-80C can takeoff even without JATO installed, but don't forget to check pitch trim and flaps settings (I'm using ~10-20% flaps during takeoff).

Normal takeoff speed 120-130mph, and ~150mph with tanks/bombs/rockets loadout

You  can use water methanol boost with F-80 also.

Edited August 5 by Husar

[Hanu]

On 7/30/2026 at 4:10 PM, kodamcity said:

 

When I launched the game after the update, I saw that the F-80's outer skin had completely disappeared.

For a moment, I thought a new feature had been added.

The outer skin of all the other aircraft were intact, but only the F-80 was like this; now it has returned to normal.

 

Personally, I think it's a fun bug. I think it could be added as an official feature.

 

 

This happened to me also when I had flown with my own skin. Game uses the last skin, but somehow it looks like the user-made skins are transparent in museum view, although they work in the game.

[MiGCap]

I fly the F-80 usually with a load of two 1000lbs bombs, eight HVARs and two 165gal tip tanks and have no problems taking off with this load. I use JATO - if available in the MP mission - for shorter runways and never used the water/methanol boost (because I forgot where I mapped it 😄). Flaps at 70 percent as the manual says, let the bird run and near 150mph it lifts off on its own. Put the stick forward a little as the jet has the tendency to pull up and stall immediately after take-off, gear in, flaps gradually in and when the jet has reached 200mph it flies reasonably stable and You can start climbing slowly.

[Jaegermeister]

5 hours ago, MiGCap said:

I fly the F-80 usually with a load of two 1000lbs bombs, eight HVARs and two 165gal tip tanks and have no problems taking off with this load. I use JATO - if available in the MP mission - for shorter runways and never used the water/methanol boost (because I forgot where I mapped it 😄). Flaps at 70 percent as the manual says, let the bird run and near 150mph it lifts off on its own. Put the stick forward a little as the jet has the tendency to pull up and stall immediately after take-off, gear in, flaps gradually in and when the jet has reached 200mph it flies reasonably stable and You can start climbing slowly.

Historical loadout was limited to 4 HVARs with 2x 1000 lb bombs and full wingtip tanks. They started regularly using the JATO rockets with the larger Misagawa tanks and there were reports of fuel leaks from the tanks dragging on the runway during takeoff. You are at max load, but it should be able to do it with a long flat runway.

[actionhank]

On 7/3/2026 at 10:08 AM, BlitzPig_EL said:

And after the latest patch I no longer have a gunsight on the F-80.  Just like it was when the game first released.

And before anyone posts, I have tried the "Master Arm" switch, brightness adjustment, and tilt adjustments till I'm blue in the face.  Tried respawning, tried switching to another aircraft, then back to the Shooting Star, etc...  NOPE NOPE NOPE.  Nothing works.

I have almost zero seat time in the F-80 because it seems to be the unwanted red headed step child of the sim so far.  I hope this all gets sorted out soon.

I had this randomly happen on a mission today, though I'm not sure if anything changed on my end to cause it.

I think I'm in need of just going back through and re-mapping all of my controls anyway, since I just went with whatever was selected when I plugged everything in since I wanted to just jump straight into flying. But I flew an entire mission thinking something was going on and that my head position was just acting up from my track IR.

Oddly enough...I could really peek my head up over the dash and get the gunsight in range...and I think I had my most accurate bombing and rocket runs of my short career so far...so maybe I should just keep flying without the gunsight...

[Plev]

I am working on compiling gunsight depressions and attack profiles for bomb delivery into a chart. If anyone has real life reference material please let me know.

[Branch37]

Is there a way to deselect the JATO on the F-80 in career mode?  It says its required even when taking off with no ordinance.