Best Plane?

[Condor]

I was going to keep this 2 cents but most of the responses in this thread have been from experienced flyers.  Maybe the experience of a newbie will be helpful.  I picked the Ki-84 thinking that, although it was not as easy to fly as a Spit, it was not much harder.   Some of the responses in this thread convinced me to climb out of the Ki-84 and try a Spit last night.  I now know that the Spit isn’t just a little easier to fly but is a lot easier to fly than the Ki  (at least for a newbie like me).  I have no doubt, as Schatzi and others have said, that the Ki is one of the most effective fighters in the sim when flown properly.  That qualifier “when flown properly” however, is critical to a new sim pilot like me.   My first priority is to learn to fly period, and after my experience last night I think I’m more likely to accomplish that in a Spit.  I deliberately did maneuvers that would have put the Ki in the dirt (at least with me as the pilot) and learned the Spit is a lot more forgiving than the Ki.  The Spit will actually pull out of a dive when I want it to.  I ended up as a lawn dart quite a few times in the Ki because it wouldn’t.  A split-S in the Ki often became a well drilling exercise.  I did split-S in the Spit at altitudes I would never attempt in the Ki and had much better control of the altitude at which I exited the dive.  Stalls in a Spit are much less abrupt vs. the Ki and seem much less likely to result in spins.  From my limited experience spin recovery is easier in a Spit.   I only crashed the spit once last night.  I would have been taking off again many more times in the Ki if I had been flying it like I flew the Spit.  And before someone says it, I know what I was doing last night was not “learning to fly properly”.  But new pilots make mistakes and it’s a lot less frustrating if I can recover and keep the plane in the air.   It also permits me to try whatever I was doing again while what happened is fresh in my mind.   I’ve had more than enough practice taking off after crashes or being shot down and it wastes a lot of time I could be spending on other skills.  

I am not saying the Spit is the best plane for someone new to the sim because I’ve flown very few planes but I’m convinced it’s a better choice than the Ki and that most if not all new pilots will learn faster in one of the more easy to fly planes.  I think I would be further along if I had started with a Spit or another easy to fly plane.  When learning new things it’s generally wise to follow the KISS principle until some skill is developed.  So that’s the opinion of a newbie of about 5 weeks for what it’s worth.  What’s that term?  Spitdweeb?  I guess that will be me for a while.

[HomeBoy]

Well said Condor.  I think your analysis is dead on.  

One of the great things about AH IMHO is that all the planes are NOT basically the same.  There are real differences here.  I'm not totally convinced that the Spits are the "uber rides" that many claim they are (they do have weaknesses that can be exploited) but they are definitely much more forgiving than most.

There are two swings of emotion I get concerning Spits.  After several hours of flying a Dora and having to so carefully line up my shots, I can get in a Spit16 and am amazed at the "laser beam" gunnery.  It is great joy to pick off deflection shots that I had no chance of making in the 190.  On the flip side is getting owned by every red icon in sight and switching to the Spit in order to get "some relief" only to have the total domination of my soul continue.  Now that is demoralizing and a very common occurrence for me.  I am proof that the Spit alone does not make for a "uber" experience.  

Yet another emotional swing is to blow the wings off some Spit with a Dora or 109G2!  To me, there is no greater joy than to have some turning and burning Spit fail to escape the business end of my Dora!  I squeal like a little girl!  To borrow a phrase:  

"I live for that!"

[Ball]

Originally posted by Ack-Ack
ACM is ACM no matter what plane you are in.  It is the pilot not the plane that makes the kills.


ack-ack

Spot on.

I learned ACM in a Hurricane, then just adapted it to everything i fly.  Worked for me.

[Murdr]

Originally posted by Benny Moore
I recommend a P-38 or P-51.  They're not as hard to fly as a P-47, but they're harder than a Spitfire or Hurricane and therefore will make you a better pilot eventually.  I started out on an Me-109 in a different game, then moved on to P-40 when the developer added it and then P-38.  If you want to have instant success, by all means choose Spitfire.  Just know that the plane will do a lot of the work for you, and you'll probably never become as good of a pilot as someone who learned on a tougher fighter.

I came to this game with 5+ years in the P-38 from another sim, and a number of tournement wins in a variety of planes.  I did not jump in the P-38 full time immediately.  I spent quite a bit of time in the n1k and spit9 the first few months.  My goal was to get seat time to feel out the flight model and learn the quirks specific to AH.  

Its counter-productive to send someone out in a non-easymode plane to learn the basics of flight, ACM, and become proficient with all the view and key controls.  A n00b is going to crash and get shot down enough as it is.  My view is to try to recommend the tools that will at least keep them alive the longest to maximize the experienced gained.  Once they get a handle on the basics, then they can move on to planes that take more advanced strategies to be sucessful in.

[Reynolds]

Originally posted by Ball
Spot on.

I learned ACM in a Hurricane, then just adapted it to everything i fly.  Worked for me.

He has a point. He is damned scary in a TBM!

[SAS_KID]

I say use a P-38 for the training arena especially to help with takeoffs and landings. For it is probably the easiest to do it in it. Then learn basic ACM's view controls trim controls ina spit and test it in it. Then once you have that down use the Yak9u until you get a steady kill rate in it.

[Reynolds]

Okay, I am the worst fighter pilot in the game, and I need to make 200 perks ASAP. What plane and arena?

(<--- just lost a 262 to ABSOLUTELY NOTHING and is now crying in a corner desperately trying to regain lost perk points)

[The Fugitive]

if you concintrate on perk points, you'll NEVER have any. Don't fly the uber planes, as they give you no points, but don't fly the harder planes as you won't get any kills.

Fly the intermediate planes, f6, f4u1, p38g, learn to fly and fight, perk points will come along. Perk planes aren't all that great anyway as in most cases you'll draw a horde  

[Reynolds]

Originally posted by The Fugitive
if you concintrate on perk points, you'll NEVER have any. Don't fly the uber planes, as they give you no points, but don't fly the harder planes as you won't get any kills.

Fly the intermediate planes, f6, f4u1, p38g, learn to fly and fight, perk points will come along. Perk planes aren't all that great anyway as in most cases you'll draw a horde  

I know, I never fly any perk planes 'cept the 262 and 234. I just want to earn back all those points I lost in one flight. I was actually thinking of flying the 38G.

[Mace2004]

Hurricane IIC.  Deadly, lots of fun, lots of points.  I don't really care much about perks so I haven't checked since the change but believe you'd get more points in the LW arena since there are lots more "high value" planes like Spit 16s to kill but you're also being chased all the time by LA's, Pony's, etc.  Keep your eye on your six and you'll be OK.  It's been a while since I checked but I know I landed many 40-50pt flights in the MA with the Hurri so you should be able to rack up some decent points.

Mace

[fuzeman]

Dogfighting and the skills associated with it are like walking, climbing a ladder or building a house. Start at the bottom and work your way up.
When you learned to walk did your parents enter you in a marathon? I hope not.
When climbing a ladder do you start at the top? Nope.
When building a house what comes first the roof or the foundation? Hopefully the foundation.

A 'first ride' should be easy enough to let you do many various things in it and should be able cover the whole spectrum of maneuvers. You want to lay that foundation of basic skills, learn various maneuvers, improve your situational awareness, learn about gunnery, hit and shoot down a plane or two, and have some fun, this being a game.

Spitfires are good for that. We also have the different models that you can transition to without to much trouble which helps that foundation your trying to build. We have slow Spits and fast Spits. Land based Spits and carrier based Spits. Spits with good guns and Spits with weak guns.
Once your foundation is built and solid, you can then add the walls, that being other plane types and then learn their strengths and weaknesses. Learn what types of maneuvers or fighting style works and doesn't work with each plane.

Some people like to learn the basics of everyplane we have and their house ends up to be 80 stories with a roof. Others like to master every plane we have and that ends  up being 80 stories without the roof. There is no limit there and it can take a long time to put a roof on that house. Other like to add additions off to the side and specialise in a certain crate and furnish that romm to the hilt. Still others like a simple one room house and stay in the Spitfires.

You determine what 'house' you fly in Aces High. And don't forget, you can always remodel it

[TexMurphy]

YAk9U

Can out manouver what it cant outrun and vise versa.

Good views make it gentle on the situation awarness.

Low ammo count forces you to learn to aim as opposed to a high ammo Nikki for example that allows you to spray and pray.

Tex

[fuzeman]

Another good thing about Spits as a 'first plane'.
With the present arena setup of EWA, MWA and LWA you can fly one in every arena.

[Reynolds]

Originally posted by TexMurphy
YAk9U

Can out manouver what it cant outrun and vise versa.

Good views make it gentle on the situation awarness.

Low ammo count forces you to learn to aim as opposed to a high ammo Nikki for example that allows you to spray and pray.

Tex

Evil little planes those are. I saw one snap-roll and dive out so fast I couldnt think of following...

[TexMurphy]

Ohh yes the snap roll... I had almost forgotten about that manouver.... great in both Yak9s and La5s...

Tex