Flying the Tempest

[bustr]

Last night I discovered how completely different the FM is between the P47D-40 and the Tempest at 25k.

I ran into a flight of lancs being escorted by a 51D at 22k. I thought the extreamly high speed at 22k of the Tempest would be my advantage. So when the poni and I merged I went verticle. The tempest rocketed up to 25k while the poni leveled out at 23k below me. So from 25k I began a run at him. Tempests pick up speed god awfully fast. I was trying to fly P47 tactics. I dove in on his 6, tempest was groaning from speed, I did not want to allow the poni to ping my radiator. When I was 600d and just about to open up, as expected he turned, and began a spiral climb behind me. I pulled up wanting to spiral up to come back on him. Dern tempest just wanted to keep gong up. At that altitiude I didnt want to slow down and try anything fancy with the poni. If he didn't out turn me, we may well have wound up in a dive away, and low chances some of his freinds would show up. The tempest does not impress me as being able to turn fight with a poni. Just fly faster, and in dives earlier that evening, I noticed it gets up to wing ratteling speed and compression faster than I remember with a jug or a poni.

So after 3 passes like this, I stayed at 25k and went home. I could not get an angle on the poni that it wasnt going to get my radiator pinged as the price of putting 20mm in it. With the P47 I could have used flaps to help get the angle on the poni in the positions we were at, 23k and 25k. I've won several encounters that way against ponis in my D40 at 25k.

So how do you fly the Tempest? It flys almost as fast as a 262. I dove from 12k on one and stayed 800d on its tail 100ft off the deck fo half a sector. But it's radiator seems to attract stray ordinence like flys to honey if you slow down or stay low too long.

[BlueJ1]

Fly it like an uberized typhoon.

[Furball]

Cherrypick / BnZ, it is awesome at it, possibly best in the game at it.  Those hispano mk V's are unbelieveable.

[bustr]

So prudence with this ride is not frowned on? I felt like a runnybunny with that poni last night. I could not see a way based on the skill of the poni pilot not to give him a ping on my radiator. In our 3 passes, he was always able to bring his nose around either quarter front tracking or barrel rolling to take a snap shot on my climbing 6. I did not feel experienced enough in the tempest to attempt reduceing throttle to try and snap back around to catch him with a tracking shot. I wasn't sure if I would have been able to accelerate out of it if I missed.

[BlueJ1]

Nothing wrong with running away in a perk plane IMO.

[Furball]

yeah, its a perk plane, so everyone within 25 miles gets $ sign eyes and chases you trying to kill you, dont get stupid in it unless you dont mind losing the perks....

It has awesome zoom climb, awesome speed below 22k or so, awesome guns, awesome dive ability.  Its turning ability is rather average.

Tempest is possibly the best aircraft in aces high in my opinion.

if you want to read up on the real tempest : http://www.hawkertempest.se/

[bustr]

Furball,

Thanks for the link. A good read. Now I understand some of my problem above 20k against the poni. I noticed at one point in the war ground actions were called off due to the magnetic nature of the Napier engines to stray ordinence. I'll be a littel more selective in my encounters unlike in my jug.

[Manedew]

one idea your missing ... back off the throttle sometime and see how the TEMP can cut a turn without that super torque etc...

[bustr]

Manedew,

Thanks I will. I guess I'll just have to spend the points to get the experience. No problem with that. I've been flying jugs so much lately I had no feel for the Tempest and its handeling.

[Zazen13]

The Tempest's biggest asset is acceleration, I think only the LGay7 accelerates better. So, this means you can safely chop throttle for a snap turn and a shot then firewall it again to quickly accelerate up to top speed. Other than the Lgay7, not many 'speed' rides accelerate well, this is a huge advantage. Speed is nice but if it takes you forever and a day to get up to speed well.. it won't matter because you'll likely be dead.


Zazen

[BlueJ1]

Bustr, just mess around with typhoon for awhile. Tempest will just be easier after you do.

[Urchin]

Actually, the Tempest out accelerates the Lgay, not by much though.  It also handles the vertical slightly better, but the Lgay out-turns it pretty handily, and out rolls it as well.  

All this is below 10k, don't have any experience Lgay vs Tempest above that.

[Vudak]

Sometime if you see Mnkymeat in the main arena, shoot him a few questions on it...  He flies Tempests and Typhoons more aggresively then most and could probably give you a few pointers.

[TalonX]

I just started flying the Tempest this week, just to try it.  I think I have 15 kills and haven't been pinged.  I do dive into a fight with it, but conserve speed for that "discretion is the better part of valor" RUNNING AND SCREAMING departure.

I find it doesn't turn well at speed (duh), so you really need to line up and anticipate the enemy's move.   If you are wrong, you simply create separation.  Likening it to a 262 is valid on several points.  Not the least of these is the $$$ signs Furball mentioned earlier.  They see you, they all come for you.

Last night I sortied with 4 squaddies...it was fun because they would just fly high cover for me and kill the target fixated perk plane attackers.   all who died with me in their gunsights!

[Widewing]

Originally posted by Furball
yeah, its a perk plane, so everyone within 25 miles gets $ sign eyes and chases you trying to kill you, dont get stupid in it unless you dont mind losing the perks....

It has awesome zoom climb, awesome speed below 22k or so, awesome guns, awesome dive ability.  Its turning ability is rather average.

Tempest is possibly the best aircraft in aces high in my opinion.

There's no doubt that the Tempest is formidable. But, so is the Spitfire Mk.XIV. Indeed, at medium altitudes the Griffon Spit is the Tempest's worst nightmare. Then again, so is the P-51B, a much underused and underrated fighter of tremendous capability, especially at 10k-15k where it is the equal of any perk fighter.

My choice for best fighter is seldom used. In AH1 it wasn't nearly as capable as it is in AH2. That would be the F4U-4.

This late-war Corsair outclimbs the Tempest at any altitude. Acceleration isn't as good down low, but superior above 10k. It turns better (a lot better with one notch of flaps), rolls nearly twice as fast and hopelessly out-classes the Tempest in low-speed stability.

Don't pay any attention to the old AH1 climb charts, they do not reflect the changes in AH2, some of which (as in the case of the F4U-4) are substantial. In AH2, both the Tempest and SpitXIV took performance hits, but the F4U-4 finally matches the performance it should have had all along.

To confirm what I suspected with the AH2 F4U-4, INYO and I flew them head to head in the TA. After the merge, the F4U-4 could gain an advantage quickly, simply because it can be reversed faster. In climb comparison, we started out with the F4U-4 in the lead by 200 yards. We both went to full power with WEP and engaged auto-climb. By 15k, the F4U-4 was 3k distant. In level acceleration at 10k, the F4U-4 walks away. Down on the deck, the Tempest wins.

For passing and deflection shots, the F4U-4's stronger rudder provides yet another advantage.

Since we don't have the F4U-4B, with its four Hispanos, the Tempest easily wins the firepower comparison.

For general MA use, the F4U-4 is a more versatile fighter. It can haul more ordnance and being a carrier fighter, it can show up anywhere. Because it doesn't have a radiator, it is also the more durable of the two.

Those of you who are not familiar with the AH2 F4U-4, drop by the TA and take one up. Bring a friend or squadie to fly the Tempest. I believe you will be amazed at how good the F4U-4 really is and how much better it is than the AH1 version.

My regards,

Widewing