TA-152 vs. Niki

[2stony]

I went up last night in a TA-152 because buffs were attacking Knight HQ. The insursions stop, so I decide to go cruise over Bish territory and climb up to 34-35k. I notice a few dots over a Bish base and one of them is co-alt. I'm thinking that it's probably also a TA-152, so I head in his direction. I get in icon range and it's a Niki(at 34-35k). We make a head on pass at each other and as the Niki slides under my 1 oclock, I lower my nose and take a shot. No hits. I'm now in a compression dive and recover at 18k. I look behind me and this Niki is behind and slightly lower closing to about 1.5k. "I was just in a 550mph dive!". He sprays as he's closing to under 1k and flames me.
     How did that Niki stay with me in that dive? Should his wings have come off? And least important, what was he doing at 34-35k in a Niki?

Thanks in advance.

[Karnak]

Why should his wings have come off?

Why shouldn't he have been at 34,000ft?

Why did you dive?  I'd have taken the fight higher, he was already at a very marginal altitude for his fighter and completely outclassed by your Ta152H-1.

[2stony]

He kept climbing with me, so I decided to engage. I didn't dive on purpose, but when I lowered my nose for a shot, it went into a compression dive. Maybe I don't know the Niki that well, but I didn't think they could sustain that kind of speed in a dive and survive. I didn't expect him to follow at those speeds. I consider the Niki a low-medium alt fighter. I guess I know different now.

[Fariz]

Originally posted by 2stony
How did that Niki stay with me in that dive? Should his wings have come off? And least important, what was he doing at 34-35k in a Niki?

Thanks in advance.

Do not fly Ta at any alt, unless you know the plane very good. For most pilots, even experience ones, it is a trap.

Anyway, you should not dive. Ta is a plane, which start shining with alt.

[Ecliptik]

Actually, the N1K is quite good in a dive.

We make a head on pass at each other and as the Niki slides under my 1 oclock, I lower my nose and take a shot. No hits. I'm now in a compression dive and recover at 18k.

But, this is your big mistake.  You shouldn't have taken the shot.  When approaching an enemy from head-on, you should be planning a merge, not a shot.  By being in a steep nose-down orientation as you pass the N1K, you're burning up E while the N1K probably pulled up into an Immelman, gaining an E advantage on you and diving back down.

You should have pulled up into a steep climb as the N1K passed you, not dove.  At 35k you have much better handling than the N1K.  At 15k you probably don't.

[gofaster]

I can't believe neither one of you landed a shot at the merge.  You should've been firing the cowl guns early and often!

[2stony]

Not to be anal or anything, but all but one of the respondees has passed over the fact that the compression dive was not intended. I had just lowered the nose about 5 degrees to take a shot. Anyway, I thought that he would have lost almost all manouverability at that altitude.
     Next time I'll keep the Ta to just attacking buffs.

[Karnak]

I considered the fact that the compression dive was unintentional to be irrelevant.  You should not have initiated a dive at all.  At 34,000ft you could probably out turned the N1K2-J in flat turns.  Certainly you could have climbed to gain further advantage over him.

One problem in AH is that very few of us actually have any experience in fighting at high altitudes.  Those that fly there usually are only using it as a perch to dive from.

The changes in manuverability at high altitude are dramatic and fighting there takes a whole different set of tactics.

I am no different than the typical AH player in that I have very little experience fighting at high altitude.

[Furball]

Originally posted by gofaster
I can't believe neither one of you landed a shot at the merge.  You should've been firing the cowl guns early and often!

not to be a jerk or anything, but Ta152 has no cowl guns.

has a hub 30mm and wingroot 20's.


Ta152 should totally outclass the nik at that alt, 152 is awesome up there.

[2stony]

Point well taken Karnak. Thank you!

[wetrat]

The niki dives VERY well. Everyone else seems to have told you what to do up that high in a 152 (except this gofaster fool), so I'll just impart that bit of knowledge.

[Howitzer]

TA-152 vs. Niki


I take Ditka.   Even if the N1k was called "Ditka N1k", I would still take Ditka.  

I even think that Ditka could've taken the 152 at 40,000, which doesn't matter because Ditka wouldn't be dweeby enough to fly at 40,000ft  

[VWE]

Ta152 should totally outclass the nik at that alt, 152 is awesome up there.

I started a thread about our 152 in the Aircraft&Vehicles forum about a month or so ago. The AH2 152 is underpowered...

[gofaster]

Originally posted by Furball
not to be a jerk or anything, but Ta152 has no cowl guns.

has a hub 30mm and wingroot 20's.


Ta152 should totally outclass the nik at that alt, 152 is awesome up there.

Hm... I didn't know that, but now I do!  I don't do much flying in perk rides.  I cancelled my last acct with something like 2,000 fighter perks.  After re-subbing, in 3 weeks' time I've gotten to 175 and climbing.

[Furball]

Originally posted by gofaster
After re-subbing, in 3 weeks' time I've gotten to 175 and climbing.

you fly planes with low ENY or something?

Fly a p-47D-11 for a while and you will get that in 4 or 5 sorties.