Best plane for a newbie

[sonar732]

Hello everyone,

I just started playing this game and was wondering what would be the best plane to start out with?  Granted, I'm sure that I'll see quite a few post of "try them all and take the one you like the best".  I played with various ones last night from 11:00pm til 2:00am cst...as if those who didn't see me be shoot so many times couldn't tell.

[lasersailor184]

http://www.hitechcreations.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=104482

it's in there somewhere.

[zmeg]

FM-2

[Ack-Ack]

Since you're just starting off, you should fly the Spitfire Mk IX.  It's an all around good plane and very simple to fly, which makes for a great learning plane.  Once you get familiar with the flight model and for air combat, you can choose to check out the other fighters.  Ignore the twits that whine about the Spitfire being 'uber' or call you a dweeb for flying it, they're just a pack of clueless llamas.


ack-ack

[zmeg]

We got too many Spit dweebs already, you'll be picked on if you fly a Spit.

[Delirium]

Fly the spit, its a good plane to get your feet wet. Though, I'd recommend you get in what you want to make your primary ride as early as possible.

If you stick with a single ride, you'll learn faster and become more confident.

[jodgi]

I agree with Delirium.

Go to http://www.netaces.org

Find "Soda's Aircraft Evaluation" and read about the different planes in AH. When I started, I printed this out and read it many times. It helped me understand and use the various pros and cons of the planes.

Now, don't get sucked into trying to find the "best" plane. Find something you like. There are many pilots that never seem to get past the likes of P51D, N1K2-J, Spit or La7. I have ended up spending little time in the above mentioned rides and fly less "capable" planes. You may find it's more fun to get shot down learning your quirky plane than get more kills in the spit, at least I do/did.

Just a thought...

[sonar732]

Thanks for all of the replies!

[Montezuma]

N1K2-J

[Blooz]

F6F Hellcat.

Its an all around good tough plane. Its easy to fly, can launch from land or sea and can carry a good load of rockets and bombs too.

[Ecliptik]

Pick a plane with gentle handling characteristics and good armament to learn in, like a Spit IX (I prefer Spit V), or the N1KJ.  La-5 actually isn't a bad choice either, although gun ballistics suck.  Once you get a feel for combat and learn a range of generally applicable maneuvers, switch to the aircraft you really want to fly, and stay in it for a whole tour.  You learn a lot better if you remain loyal to one aircraft for a long period before moving on to another.  It'll be harder to pick up on the subtleties of the different planes if you keep on flying a whole bunch of them at random.

[Soulyss]

Another option is if there is a particular plane that you have some historical interest in.  Take it up and give it a try.   That's what I did when I started AH.  Course back in dem good 'ol days we only had like 6 planes or somthing like that so the choice was narrowed down a bit for me.     Still I've allways had a soft spot for the P-51 so that's what I flew for about my first year here.  Course there are some problems with that approach if you're a fan of early war planes you might be in for a rough go in the MA.  

Still if there's a particular aircraft that captured your imagination for one reason or another if might help ya through that rough breaking in period till you learn enough tricks to have some success.  

What ever plane you do end up flying most people I think would agree that when you find a plane that suits your style stick with it awhile.   Also when you've found your favorite ride ask around to find out who the experts are in that particular aircraft, then you can ask them for pointers to help you improve from there.

[lasersailor184]

P51b!

It can rock and roll in any situation.  Accelerates like a dream.

(maybe a little too much, I overshot 3 guys completely in a dive).

Little restricted views, but with some good Head position saves, it's perfect.

[Montezuma]

Originally posted by lasersailor184
P51b!

Bad choice for a newbie.  It will be hard to gain confidence if he can't get any kills.  It does look cool though.

Most important thing for newbies to know about flying the mustang is not to fight with any fuel in the aux tank.

[gofaster]

Spitfire IX with 2 cannons and 2 .50cal machine guns.  The four .303 sound impressive because you get 4 machine guns, but the two .50s are more effective.

Try the Hellcat for carrier duty.

If you find yourself face-planting too often, try a slower plane, such as a Spitfire V, Seafire, N1K2, or FM-2.

If you find yourself needing to run away alot, or your targets keep running away from you, try the P-51D, Yak-9U, or LA-7.

Bigger maps usually favor faster planes.