Fighting a zeke

[Kweassa]

Zeros have no chance against a P-51 if the Mustang has the edge in E and/or altitude, all they can do is evade and hope you make a major blunder.

 It's what I call the "51-Zero Dilemma".

 Assuming average level of pilot skills, and both pilots with that same skill level, a P-51 will always DOMINATE the fight, except that final coup-de-grace just never comes out. In the Zero pilot's perspective, he basically has no hopes of turning the odds around, and yet, he finds it not too difficult to dodge and evade the P-51.

 Both pilots will be just dancing around, each hoping the other guy makes a mistake, and typically only when the third guy belonging to any of their team intervenes, is when this silly stalemate ends.

 Thus, when assuming 'normal' level of pilots, decent but not very skilled, for any of the two to shoot the other guy down, it takes a plane of some comparable characteristics to do so.

[TexMurphy]

What I do when fighting Zekkes in F6Fs, Jugs and Ponies (dont fly ponies that often but sometimes do) is to always rope em or look for flat turns.

Also I always fight em with an E advantage. If I dont have one I extend and get one.

As always merg low to avoid the head on shot and to get vertical separation. Pull up into a immelman and as you are in the inital climb, the 45 degree climb before you go vertical and nose over, look for what he does.

If he does a flat turn. Immel over him and use your flaps to pull the immel tighter, deploy 1-2 notches. Now you are on his high six. Pick the angle to get a good deflection shot at him, raise the flaps and extend.

When he is about 2.5k away Immel again and come back for another merge.

If he does go high with you in the merge just keep on going in a 45% climb. You have more E and you will outclimb him as you are zoom climbing and he is sustained climbing. Reason to that is that he has to immel over and start a climb after you, he has burned quite a bit of E in that manouver. As he falls off flaps out come around and blast him.

Tex.

[AmRaaM]

all this tech stuff...just HO him from 1.5k and watch the flaming arrow putt putt away.

[Schutt]

Actually fighting a Zero is not that hard, you watch for the closest rain cloud and fly through it, hoping he will follow.

If he does the paper plane falls apart anyways.

[Blammo]

Yeah, fighting the zero is really hard...I mean, you can't ever tell which end of the runway they will pop up on or maybe they will just roll out fo the hangar.  Gets even more difficult on larger fields!  Ewww...just makes me cringe to think about it!