Saw,
Maybe I can help you, because in this late war environment I fly a low-alt, mid-war aircraft, the La-5FN. Thus, I get bounced more often than not. And when I used to fly WB I flew only VVS aircraft there too
I've spent a lot of time trying to survive high 6 attacks, years of it, and a few tricks have come my way.
First thing first, if you spot a high con, start flying to the nearest friendly base immediately.
Next, maintain high speed - forget about climbing up to them at this point, you're just putting meat on their table if you do. In fact, if you are very slow, start a little dive to give you that boost, then level out as speed increases.
However, what alt you do have, hold onto it, because you're going to need it.
You say you dislike using scissors or barrel rolls as evasives? That's okay, I'm not too fond of them either, but learn how to do them, nonetheless. And remember, 75% of a maneuver is the actual decisiveness you put into it. If you feel half-hearted about a maneuver, then you're execution of it will be slow and easily anticipated. Punch that maneuver, and your opponent will really have to work to follow.
Okay, so we're talking about maneuvers. My all-time favorite evasive is a snap roll. This trick works best against a con who's closing on your six from above at high speed, which fits this situation to a 'T'. Keys to a good snap roll are:
- roll in the direction of your engine torque.
- at the moment of execution, cut throttle, then once out, punch it back up.
- apply a vector change immediately before execution. A turn, or pitch-up are preferable, though the pitch-up requires higher speed.
- perfect the mechanics of the snap roll, itself, and find the highest speed that it can safely be done in your aircraft.
- exit your snap roll somewhere between 180-235 degrees from your initial bank, then pull your stick toward you as you stabilize to really blow your attacker's gun pass.
- maintain visual contact as much as possible with your opponent, especially as they overshoot. Many times, a snapshot opportunity falls right in your lap immediately as your con overshoots.
9 times out of 10 your attacker will still have superior energy, even after a successful initial snap roll, so don't think about trying for an HO. Instead, dive to build speed, point your aircraft back to home, then await the next attack. The good news is if you can survive a few of these you may very well be able to knife fight your way out of trouble with a quick snapshot, or even establish a superior position, if they get greedy.
Another excellent maneuver is the split ess. As long as you have altitude, multiple split esses can put the cards in your favor, should the attacker get greedy.
I think the snap roll will work very well with the 190, and the split ess, with the 38.
Just remember to keep speed up for either of these maneuvers.
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leonid, Komandir
5 GIAP VVS RKKA"Our cause is just. The enemy will be crushed. Victory will be ours."
[This message has been edited by leonid (edited 06-08-2000).]
