Just some friendly reading from one of the links that HTC gives for plane performances to newbies... It's from NetAces... I just think it is funny how they tell people to go here and write stuff like this then come in here and get told another thing... I am sure I will get flamed for this but oh well.
Yak9T
Overview
The Yak9T is not a very common aircraft to encounter though you can't be sure which type of Yak9 you are facing as the icons are identical (Yak9U). The 9U and 9T, even though they are based on the same basic airframe are very different in almost every other way. The 9T is simply a poor fighter, feeling unbalanced and unstable as compared to most other aircraft but under the right conditions it can be brutally effective against bombers or medium attack aircraft.
Firepower
The 9T's claim to fame is a 37mm spinner mounted cannon with can lay an ugly whooping on anyone who is hit by it. The catch is , it's difficult to hit with the 37mm but not because of poor ballistics, more so due to a really slow rate of fire. Ballstics on the big cannon are actually very good, unlike the LW 30mm, but the space between rounds is massive. Add in some dispersion and while you could be lined up perfectly, it could be a while before a round travels straight enough to hit what you are aiming for. Such large shells also consume a lot of room, allowing for only 32 rounds. Backing up the big cannons is a single 12.7mm cowl mounted machine gun which simply doesn't offer enough concentrated firepower to be much use. I think most people only use the 12.7mm in defense or to scare people and I know I tend to leave the fight once the 37mm cannon is depleted of ammunition. The 37mm is highly effective if you are landing hits though, a single shot is almost sure to bring down any fighter and also stands a reasonable chance of knocking out a bomber. Usually though the 37mm is employed against soft vehicles, a task for which it is better suited.
Maneuverability
Maneuverability in the Yak9T is not good, it feels heavy and directionally unstable at some speeds, likely the result of such a large cannon mounted out front. The Yak9T seems to require an extra gentle hand on the stick in order to maintain good control though in high speed pursuits it is quite possible to stay stable. The 9T is actually lighter than the 9U on paper but the balance is very obviously not nearly as good. I wouldn't attempt to slow-turnfight much in a Yak9T as it feels heavy and takes a pretty gentle hand on the controls. In a dive the Yak9T is great though, retaining almost full control at speeds as high as 575mph. This certainly favors quick dives onto a unsuspecting target where you can fire your big cannon at very short ranges and then zoom back up to altitude.
Flying the Yak 9T
Often the Yak9T is used in the ground attack role against vehicles. This isn't a bad role for the plane although it isn't very heavily protected from ground fire and the cannon is no more effective against more lightly armoured vehicles than a few of .50's would be. Against heavier armour the 37mm tends to damage the vehicle but not kill it, at least out-right. I've tried shots from dead rear on units like the Panzer and it does appear to be able to kill them but only at ludicrously short ranges. The short duration of ammunition tends to limit the amount of passes you can make on a target. Fortunately, the 37mm also means that you will typically be awarded the kill if someone else kills the vehicle with any other gun attack since the amount of total damage inflicted by your couple of 37mm hits will be enough to surpass some other attackers.
Against aircraft it is best to have an altitude advantage, dive in behind a target that is unaware of you, and then press home you attack from the low 6 position at very short range. Pop up behind the target and fire at a range where aiming is easy, D150 or closer. A single hit is most likely all you need and you don't necessarily need to plan on landing more than one hit. Even if the plane doesn't break up it is most likely in some way badly damaged and probably won't escape. Turning off tracers gives you a better chance of sneaking up and firing more rounds before you are detected. Don't fire the 12.7mm and give yourself away instead save that for snapshots or in self defense. Snapshots or crossing shots with the 37mm are virtually hopeless unless you are incredibly close.
The Yak9T has limited escape options although everyone will fear your nose so pointing it towards enemy planes is always a good start. I always trying and save at least five 37mm rounds to use for my escape for the purpose of firing 1 or 2 at an enemy who tries to engage from the front. Head-Ons are a mixed bag but typically if you are in a Yak9T you can accept them from a disadvantaged position (and some people use it as the only way they can hit something so press home offensive attacks in this fashion). The main problem with the HO is that you need to survive until very close before you can land your one killing hit and during that time there are too many planes who will punish the Yak9T to the point where you may not even get to fire. Again, don't fire the single 12.7mm, it will distract you with hits that mean little, you absolutely must land a 37mm hit as soon as possible.
Fighting the Yak 9T
The Yak9T is really only dangerous in two situations, where it can setup behind you at close ranges, and where it can find you in a Head-On engagement. I'm not saying that other situations are not dangerous as a single hit from the 37mm is enough to destroy your aircraft, but there are very few people who can accurately use the weapon. You actual chances of catching a 37mm under hard maneuvering are very low though it is dangerous to make that assumption.
Defensively, be alert for the Yak9T and try to identify it early. There are no distinguishing markings to the Yak9T from the much more dangerous 9U but sometimes the style of flying can immediately tell them apart. Where the 9U will typically shy away from Head-On engagements, or try and take shots at longer ranges with it's more flexible guns, the 9T will tend to try and get close and accept any HO type situation it can. You really shouldn't HO a Yak9U because of the proximity of it's cowl mounted weapons, but at least against the 9U you may survive. Against the 9T you are almost certain to die if the bogie has any skill in aiming.
The 32 rounds of ammunition is actually an exploitable weakness, if you can stay at a reasonable range (D400 or more) and the Yak is seen firing the 37mm then you are likely to run him out of ammunition quickly. You can actually see the 37mm firings quite distinctly as the muzzle flash is very bright, far more so than the 20mm of average nose cannons. Jink around, rolling if you can to make aiming more difficult and just wait for him to run out of ammunition. Once his 37mm is dry he is going to have a tough time finishing you off with only a single 12.7mm.
The Yak9T is not very fast and doesn't improve with altitude. They tend to hang out at mid to low altitudes so you can probably get the jump on them most of the time. Be careful not to overshoot one and end up at short range infront. Also, if you hear the tell-tale sounds of 12.7mm pings never dive immediately away since the chances are the large 37mm rounds are passing below you somewhere. If you were to roll inverted and dive you might fly right smack into the softball like 37mm shells.
