Avoiding the Head On.

[Apache]

Lots of whining lately in the MA about HO dweebs. My position is, if you get HO'ed, you are the dweeb.
Avoiding the head on attack is basic ACM and SA. You have ailerons, elevators and rudder for a reason. Use it. A simple nose down rudder kick and aileron roll to low 2 o'clock works well. If he adjusts, you adjust. Don't become a target. You don't fly straight and level with a con on your 6 do ya?
I mean after all, if you're being HO'ed by a P51, its natural to assume you have an easy kill on your hands, right?  

[Chaos68]

out of 7 HO's i only one 1.  


I hate HO's i always think "ohhh an easy kill!" then i go down with my wings mission.


I HATE HO's!!!!!!!

[Frost]

I try and evade every HO someone makes on me.  But there are times when they start spraying long distance and jerk their stick just right and get you no matter what you do.  So please don't start using the ignorant line that "it takes two to HO."  Nothing is more frustrating than to be hit evading an HO.

[Professor Fate]

I HO everyone I can and enjoy it! but if ya really really don't like it then turn tail and lemme shoot your six  

Almost forgot to mention I'll shoot yer chute after I HO ya too

[ 12-09-2001: Message edited by: Professor Fate ]

[funkedup]

If you are co-alt level and you see a HO coming, put your nose down and dive 30-45 degrees.  Bandit will have to pull negative gees to follow you.  He will also be diving and going above corner speed.  Then pull up right as he passes over you.  

Timing is important here.  Pull up as early as possible without ramming him.  You want to go right behind his tail.

He will now be pointing nose down and probably above corner speed.  In order to turn back to you he has to make a high-g energy robbing turn against gravity.  Meanwhile you are completing an Immelman which you started while he was still spraying.

If he turns back, you will probably have more energy and you have some angles because you turned first.  You can rope him or chandelle or if he really sucks (like if he does a flat turn), pull right onto his 6.

If he doesn't turn you are now behind him instead of in front of him, conserving energy with your Immelman while he was bleeding energy in a shallow dive.

[Hangtime]

Avoid??

Did he say AVOID a HO?

Not while I got 20 bucks smokin a hole in my pocket....

... or a Mossie.

 

[Tumor]

Originally posted by Frost:
I try and evade every HO someone makes on me.  But there are times when they start spraying long distance and jerk their stick just right and get you no matter what you do.  So please don't start using the ignorant line that "it takes two to HO."  Nothing is more frustrating than to be hit evading an HO.

Your basicly right Frost, "It takes two to HO" not always the case, but 9 times out of ten if you even TRY to avoid it...you do.

Tumor

[LePaul]

Avoid the Head On?  Easy

Let em come at ya, then open up with the 30mm's    All these new players make it easy...they came at YOU, no manuevering or steering required  

[Hangtime]

If yer gonna HO, go fer Goons or Arado's. If I'm in anything else I'm likely to poke large holes in your canopy, and a little thing like that could ruin yer whole sortie.

 

[ 12-10-2001: Message edited by: Hangtime ]

[Tumor]

I think it's interesting, err, the title of this thread.  There HAS definately been an increase in the amount of HO attacks.  Personally I think (think) it may have to do with the huge amount of Air Warrior's showing up.  (this is not an Air Warrior flame, proud of my years in Air Warrior too).  With head-on guns almost completely useless as they were in Air Warrior, I not so fondly remember the irritating tactic that became the norm in Air Warrior...turning nose to nose with your aggressor.  Not that it's a bad tactic, very smart in some cases, but it became what seemed like the ONLY tactic in Air Warrior...ask Krusher how much I used to rant about it lol, he'll tell'ya.  Lotsa folks are still doing it I'm sure, heck I left AW over a year ago and I still catch myself doing it now and again.  HO's will settle down I'm sure as time goes on.

Tumor

[pimpjoe]

Lephturns Aerodome has a nice article on this subject.

[Kweassa]

Other instance of HO usually occurs when an energy-superior plane attempts a loop or an elongated Immelmann. The energy-inferior plane keeps his nose up and attempts to meet head on when the E-superior plane finishes the Loop/Immelmann and noses down. This is the most often when those HO whine/happenings occur on channel 1..  

 Up to some point, I personally feel "dweebery" is in there somewhere.

 Unless it is a total newbie, the guy who keeps his nose up through the whole move and aims at the down coming plane knows he is following a dope move, but still risks HO when other options are clearly available - not following a vertical move... Split-S outta way... dive down to friendly cover etc etc. etc.

 Personally, I feel that is a sort of a suicidal gung-ho which denounces the meaning of ACM itself - maneuvering to win, attacking the enemy efficiently, shooting down the opponent without getting shot down first... no different from suicidal CV attacks.


 The solution for E-superior plane pilot:

 Don't complete the Loop/Immelmann.  

 No reason to put your head on the line when the guy under you risks blowing all his E, doesn't care about SA, doesn't give a sh** whether he might be also damaged in the process of HO, but just aims blindly up at you. Level out at the top of the move, gain some speed, do a quick wing over or an another short Loop.

 ...

[J_A_B]

"I not so fondly remember the irritating tactic that became the norm in Air Warrior...turning nose to nose with your aggressor. "

At least that encouraged people to point their nose at the enemy and fight it out, as opposed to the standard AH tactic of running.

:-P

J_A_B

[Duckwing6]

Avoid Head-on ??

Well that depends entirely upon firepower and durability of the plane i fly  

In the C-Hog i'll gladly take any front quarter shot that presents itselfewithout putting myselfe in an unreasonably position.

Chers
DW6

[Gremlin]

Whereas HO's are generally bad and should be rightly avoided.  HO'in buffs should be encouraged and indeed lauded.  It's a fine and honourable pastime.  Just get a couple of hundred feet above the buff dive into into it by the time your in guns range the top or bottom turrets are useless and his only chance is to use main guns, but if you are aiming for his wing he can't hit you.

Seriously tho its to easy to avoid HO's, I normally do exactly what Funked suggests and it works fine.  The only time I will take a HO is if I'm in watermelon I know I can't dig my way out of it by ACM alone, and anyone whos goes HO with a plane who is in this situation deserves the consequences.

Also somebody gave out about the superior e plane gettin HO'd by a guy with inferior e who keeps his nose in the air.  Well if the plane with the superior e is silly enough to do this then he deserves to die, remember, your goin down the dweeb is goin up, whos gonna hit the ground first, you are!! So dont do it, rope him and claim your kill that way.

--------------------

Flt.Lt.Gremlin
56th Firebirds "Fighter" Squadron RAF.
 
"Heavy Tiffies, 100% Fuel, Were on a mission."

[ 12-10-2001: Message edited by: Gremlin ]