La5 - give it a try?

[gofaster]

Originally posted by Zanth
I wonder why the La5 doesn't get flown more?  

Because I suck in it, just like I suck in the LA-7.  Can't hit a thing with those guns.  Yet people have no trouble hitting me with them.

Why fly the LA-5 when the LA-7 is sitting right there with more speed and more firepower?

Yak9U is better for producing perks anyway.  I can get more kills per flight in a Yak than I can the LA-5.

[Wanker]

Originally posted by AKcurly
I've had many tours that were mostly la5, c-205 and 190-a5.  All three are great rides.

I suspect the c-205 is the most underrated ride in AH.

curly

Amen, Curly. The La5fn and the C205 are my two staples rides. Very deadly platforms, and very underrated. Just the way I like them.

[acetnt-2nd]

Originally posted by gofaster
Because I suck in it, just like I suck in the LA-7.  Can't hit a thing with those guns.  Yet people have no trouble hitting me with them.

Why fly the LA-5 when the LA-7 is sitting right there with more speed and more firepower?

Yak9U is better for producing perks anyway.  I can get more kills per flight in a Yak than I can the LA-5.

Set your convergence to 400 and then dont shoot at anything that is over that. Takes a bit longer to get this close but this plane is a lot more maneuverable than the la7. It is a great plane to make a lot of perks.

Stay fast and you will not be shot down as often in this plane.

Acetnt

[Zanth]

Why fly the LA-5 when the LA-7 is sitting right there with more speed and more firepower?   I was flying the la7 (what little I did) with the standard weapons load and that is the same exact guns as the La5 - and the la5 has an eny of 40.  

Granted cannons are a challeneg to shoot right, and these russian guns have to be the most god awful of all cannons to aim.   Still when I am patient with the trigger it is hard to average 8-10 perks every single sortie in La5  - a bit less if I get shot down.  I was never coming close to that in La7.  

I am enjoying the little plane but I will get bored with it soon enough.  I am surprised so far with two results:

o  My gunnery percentage thought still awful is climbing (even with strafing buildings in fighter mode)

o  I am landing bomber kills when I was sure it would suck at this.  You have to get in close with those guns but you attack so fast (and the plane so small?) it is hard for them to hit you.  When you do get damage, it is seldom life threathening.  If it is a wing tip you can still even use autopilot.  If it is an engine you can glide forever.

Been a fun experiment so far,  Ill have to try that yak later too

[gofaster]

Originally posted by Zanth
Been a fun experiment so far,  Ill have to try that yak later too

Once you've used the Yak in a dogfight, you'll not use the LA-5 for anything other than bomber intercepts.  The Yak 0wn5 Mustangs, P-47s, P-38s, Typhoons (if you can catch them), Hellcats, Corsairs, and all of the German planes (except for the D9 if it chooses to run).  You can also get the Spitfire IX if the pilot makes a mistake and loses sight of you for more than a second.  Don't fire the Yak's cannon unless you're inside d300.  The two cowl machine guns have a longer reach, about out to d1.0 much like the American .50 cals, and can knock off a rudder or elevator by themselves but won't knock off a wing.  You'll need the cannon for the major damage.

The Yak-9U has no WEP, but it really doesn't need it.  It can also take a fair amount of damage, but if the radiator is holed you've got big trouble and can expect the motor to conk out completely in less than a minute.  It has a small fuel tank so don't launch with less than 25% unless the enemy is already over your airfield.  The Yak is fast but won't accellerate as well as an American plane in a dive.  If the American plane tries to dive away, preserve your altitude and wait for him to come back up to you.

Don't bother trying to shoot a B-17 or other heavy bomber with a Yak.  You might get one of the planes in the formation by loitering off a port or starboard beam and chewing off a wing, but then you'll be pretty low on ammo afterwards.

[Magoo]

Zanth, I don't know if you flew the La5Fn in AirWarrior but it flies very much the same in here and fits into it's "place" in the plane set in a similar way. Great base defense plane, and as you said - a wonderful way to pile up the perks. I think you will like the Yak9U also as it is a very similar plane. It gives up some acceleration but makes up for it with a superior view in all directions and is only slightly slower than a Pee-51 at 17K. It is, like the La5Fn, very nimble for how fast it is and only gets a little sluggish at the very high speeds usually reached in a sustained dive. Due to the Yak9's better views and higher speeds and performance over a wider range of altitudes, I prefer it over the La5Fn by a slight margin.

Also, at first glance the single cannon with poor ballistics and 2 machine guns combined with the short clip might scare off the sprayers, but keep this in mind - when you fly the Yak just make sure you get to 400 or under before you squeeze the trigger. This combined with the guns being in the nose and hence no conversion issues make for a very hard hitting plane and you will be surprised at how long your ammo will last most flights. Believe me, it will surprise you how powerful that package is...almost Juglike. Don't worry, you will find yourself closely camped on the six of most all the speed demon planes in the arena due to the surprising speed of the Yak and will have the maneuverability to stay there for quite a few quick kills. Unlike in AirWarrior, the AH Yak is a late war variant and a much better plane.

And don't even get me started on the A20 Havoc in fighter mode reminds me of the A26 in AirWarrior.

Magoo

[Nilsen]

Well Nomak, if you smile everytime you come  across a -7, you should be smiling alot