Bombers - the more things change...

[Karnak]

Ok, I'm no expert, but I nearly always hit the target.

Here are my tips:

1) Do a fake calibration once you are autoclimbing to your chosen altitude.  The only goal of this is to get the target's altitude in the computer, so don't worry about marking anything with the crosshairs.  This will save a little bit of time later on when you are in enemy territory.

2) Always approach the target directly from the North, East, South or West, e.g. 0°, 90°, 180° or 270°.  This allows you to use the edge of the clipboard or make sure you're on target.  To use the edge of the clipboard zoom in on the map until you plane icon and the target icon are at opposite sides of the map.  If you plan on attacking from the East or West move the map up or down until half the target icon is hidden.  The edge of the clipboard is the line you must fly on your approach.  If you are going to attack from the North or the South use the side of the clipboard in the same manner.

3) Once you have reached your chosen altitude you should be one and a half sectors from the target.  This gives your bomber time to settle it's speed.  Use the E6B computer to monitor your speed.  Once your acceleration slows to 1mph gained every 10 or 15 seconds, open your bomb bay doors.  They cause drag and your calibration speed must take that into account.  Your bomb bay doors will remain open from this point until after you drop your bombs.

4) Once the E6B airspeed stops changing and you have verified that you are on the correct heading using the clipboard edge, go to the bombardier's position to calibrate the bombsight.

5) In step 1 you set the target's altitude, now it is time to get the calibration done.  At the bombsight zoom all the way in.  Initiate the calibration routine.  Set the crosshair on a distinctive terrain feature or mark.  Press the key to begin marking and hold the key down.  While calibrating don't worry if you have trouble holding the crosshair over the terrain feature being used as a marker.  Hold the key for marking for 15 to 20 seconds and make sure that the crosshairs are on the same terrain feature as it was at the start of the marking process, then relase the key.  You should now be calibrated.

6) Looking forward from the bombardier's position you should be able to see the target, make any course adjustments you need to make so that you will pass directly over the target, or the part of the target you want to hit.  If the course corrections are more than 5° you must calibrate again.  Generally if I need to do a last second calibration I only hold the crosshairs for 5 seconds or so as there is not much time before the bombs must be released at this point.


Those tips should allow you to hit your target.

The delay and salvo numbers you should use depend on what your goals are and what you speed is.  For example, if I am hitting a city with Ki-67s at 22,000ft I will take the eight 100kg bombs as the payload and set my salvo to 4 or 8 depending on which angle I am hitting the city from, no sense in bombing the heck out of the lake and park.  With the speed of the Ki-67 and only having eight bombs to drop I want to minimize overkill so I set the delay to .45.  If I were flying a bomber with 1,000lbers and wanted to kill FHs, or similarly sized targets, I would set the salvo to 1 and the delay to .05.  I would not try to pinpoint kill FH sized targets from much about 12,000ft.  Other combinations you'll have to puzzle out on your own.

Good luck.

[Grimm]

Great Post Karnak!

Rolex,  Thats what I figured, but I didnt want anyone to misunderstand,  the word Cheat kinda puts up a red flag.

Darkish Great Post as well!

Its refreshing to actual be able to talk about Idea without things getting out of hand.    Thanks

You guys pretty much do the calibration the same way I do.  I can normaly hit my target at will.   I might have picked up a new idea or two to work in as well.   Ill share one as too.

You can use the Auto Speed - autopilot to hold your forward speed constant,  adjust your throttle to hold your alt.   Iv had good sucess with that.

Now I do appreciate the resistance and the fact that you are all proud of your skills as a bombadier.   None of you want to see the abilities you have honed, cheapend by changes to the system.

Think about this,  Since I suggest all things stay the same, except for the crosshair calibration.   Would being good at hold the cross hairs on mark, make you a great bombadier?     Of Course NOT.  

The things that really make someone good at level bombing come from all those other tips.  its the ability to plan your route,  be prepared before your in enemy teritory,  hold your speed and alt.  Its just about everything besides the crosshair part that makes the difference.    Thats why your good at it.   The crosshair part isnt really that big a deal.

So,  Think about it,  would having an option to use the crosshair alignment part of the calibration or to use a button that after a short time does that alignment for you,  be that big a change?
I put to you its all that other stuff that makes your skills shine.

But, Maybe, just maybe,  It would help out some other pilots.  It might encourage others to climb in a heavy for a decent high alt drop.    

If implimented,  Id still want to do the crosshairs,  its cool.   But I am trying to think what might be better for everyone overall.  I want more folks having fun and I want AH to do better.  Thats my only motivation here.  

Maybe it would be better to ask this of guys that bomb alot,  Could you live with my suggestion if implemented??

[Rolex]

A very good synposis, Karnak.

Thye real key is planning. You have to plan for the a/c speed to be settled and the proper heading, plus planning your egress or turn for a second pass.

I use rpm instead of throttle to set power in bombers and always zoom in on the target using the forward view from the bombsite to tweak my course before doing a calibration. You can see a target from almost half a sector out that way.

You must push the bombsite straight forward using forward joystick as far as possible but still maintain a clear graphic view of a terrain feature for marking a calibration point. Calibration is measuring ground speed. The further forward you calibrate, the less margin of error. Consider the triangle formed from the a/c, the spot directly below the a/c and the calibration point on the terrain.

You also must zoom in on the map to pinpoint the altitude with the mouse after setting calibration point.

I'm of the opinion that calibration as it is now is not difficult. Planning and maximizing a successful high alt mission with more than one set of bombers is one of the thinking parts still left in the game.

[Pongo]

The initial version of the calibration routine that worked with a 6 second calibration I could do fine, I could still hit acks with single 250s from a b26. When they changed it to 15 seconds. I really couldnt maintain the crosshairs anyway near that long. Since I have found out the only the begining and end of the mark matter thing I can hit hangers from 15k easy anyway.

Karnaks write up is excellent. I dont bother with hitting the target at right angles. I look at the notepad map of the target and pick my line. Get  as close as possible to that line while level and with the doors open.  Use my nose gun at extreme zoom to view the target  and my rudders to do an exact line up on the target. I think do a 15 second calibration.
Thats the only calibration I do.
I find I can make slight corrections durring the drop to hit targets off my line. Not near as extreme as I could in the laser sight days but still I can take down all 7 FHs in two passes vs a large field.
Now if I could only use the defensive guns with any accuracy.