Originally posted by Krusty
Well if you're using flaps in a yak you're not flying it right.
BTW, 9U has wep. 9T does not. Just flew a 9U the other day and hit WEP, was greeted by a small man pres. boost and an increase in sound pitch.
Widewing, standard SpitV, flown by standard spitV dweebs. They mostly knew what they were doing, but this is not a single occasion incident. Many times, over a long period of time, I have out turned a spitfire in a low/slow sustained turn fight. Against FM2 might be tough.. Against a zero I'd not do it. Against a spitV you got a good chance.
Now if we didn't have the super rare super uber SpitV, it'd own it. But as itis you have a decent chance of out turning it.
Neither Yak has WEP in the current game. That's not an opinion, that's a fact. I flew the Yak-9U in the TA today. It is the most nervous fighter in the plane set below 150 mph... Compare that to the American iron, which are rock steady at low speeds, especially the P-38s and the F4Us.
You are right, if you are flying a Yak with flaps out you are not using it correctly. However, without flaps it will snap spin easier than if if they were used. To say the Yak can turn with a Spit V is rediculous. It's no contest, the Spit will eat the Yak for breakfast and do so
with ease. At 300 mph, G effects on the pilot is the limiting factor. But once you get slowed down to speeds that generate 3g or less, the Yak will rapidly fall behind the curve when paired up against any Spitfire.
Trust me, the Yak can't stall fight with the F4U or P-38, much less Spits, Wildcats and so on. I can out-turn most SpitV pilots with a P-38. Nonetheless, that does not mean that the P-38 can actually out-turn a SpitV, it means that I can fly the P-38 closer to the edge than the average SpitV pilot can push his fighter. The better SpitV pilots won't let that happen as they know that they can fly slower than the P-38, not much, but enough. Yaks, on the other hand, can't hope to compete with the P-38, much less the SpitV. There are plenty of guys who have no real ACM skills, who are easy marks no matter what they fly. Don't base your opinion of the Yaks performance on them or assume that the SpitV can be out-turned based upon fighting guys with little experience.
The worst trait of the Yaks is their poor low speed handling. Therefore, to be successful, a Yak pilot needs to avoid that weakness and fly to the plane's strengths. Especially with the 9-T, which lacks the power to regain speed once it's lost.
Effective stall fighting is something that needs to be learned. Here's a little exercise that some will find difficult, but is a great teaching tool. You and a partner take off from the same field (fly in the DA or TA for this). You take the same aircraft or mix them as you choose. You take off from opposite ends of the runway. When you pass each other, the fight is on. There's only one rule: You must never fly outside of the base perimeter. To verify this, both should have film running. There are no altitude restrictions. At the speeds associated with this type of duel, flying skills are as important as ACM skills. It's a knife fight in a phone booth. There will be as many deaths due to augers as from gunfire. In the TA, the only way to win is to force an auger. Practice this enough and you will have the edge in any stall fight. The next time some obnoxious player demands a duel, offer him this and enjoy their frustration.... Just don't pick a Yak as your ride.
My regards,
Widewing
