Originally posted by Hap
Widewing,
How/when did you figure this out. Noodling in the TA? And on overshoots, flaps? How many notches do you like.
I've only used the Dauntless as an observation platform when commanding a CV.
Thanks for your input, always substantive,
hap
There are several things that the SBD brings to the table.
1) Superior turn radius (out-turns everything but Zeros and Hurri Mk.I)
2) "Stop now" dive brakes (forces an overshoot)
3) Effective, tightly grouped guns (IMHO, more lethal than 8 .303s on SpitI)
4) No blind spots (thanks to outside view option in MA)
5) Excellent endurance on 50% fuel (good for almost 30 minutes)
6) Effective flaps (deploy at high speeds)
There are several notable areas of weakeness.
1) Poor roll rate (ineffective ailerons, needs lots of rudder input to roll smartly)
2) Slow acceleration (use nose-low maneuvers to maintain E)
3) 260 mph max speed (conserve E whenever possible)
4) Sudden drop of left wing at stall (be quick on the rudder to counter)
5) Slow climb rate (especially between 2k and 6k. Above 6k, supercharger switches gears)
When flying the SBD, it pays to be aggressive. When most pilots encounter an SBD, its pilot is flying defensively, thus it isn't a real threat and usually not a difficult target. Not withstanding, an aggressive SBD can be a real handful, often catching the enemy flat-footed. Inasmuch as the SBD can out-turn nearly every fighter it meets, being caught flat-footed by one usually means getting smacked.
SBDs dive very well (as one would expect from a dive bomber). Nursing one up to 15,000 feet provides lots of potential energy, allowing it to run down lower fighters and force a fight.
SBDs also require good timing. Since you cannot readily replace speed lost in maneuvering, timing become essential to E conservation. Time your maneuvers to gain angles without wasting speed. This requires good judgement of the enemy's E state.
Don't get roped. You can follow the enemy up, but know when to quit so that you don't find yourself flopping around with no speed and no control. Again, this requires the ability to recognize the enemy's E state. I'll often follow the enemy up a bit, roll over and offer him what he thinks will be an easy shot. I then barrel-roll out of his sightline and catch him when he overshoots. I'll also present the enemy with what looks like an opportunity for a shot, only to tighten my turn just enough that he can't bring guns to bear. 99 times out of a hundred, this will convince him to turn harder. When he does, he burns E. If he gets slow, the SBD will gobble him up.
I could write paragraph after paragraph on how to fly the SBD effectively as a fighter. However, I have 3 minute and 6 minute films that will show much of what can be done with the Dauntless. I was flying with Black70, who has been playing for several months. He comes to the TA to practice and develop his skills. He was not prepared for the SBD (the majority of Aces High players would do no better than he did, mind you). Top tier pilots would realize that an aggressive SBD is likely being flown by someone who can fully exploit it and would not get sucked into a turning fight, fighting like it was a Zero rather than a dive bomber. That means maintaining a big E advantage, using energy or BnZ tactics to defeat the slow, poor-climbing SBD. This works well, but only if the SBD does not have an E advantage to begin with. Keep this in your head as it is the gospel: An SBD with altitude is as dangerous as any fighter. If you're flying in the MA and look up and see an SBD up high, it indicates one of two possibilities. Either the pilot is afraid of being intercepted, or he's hunting... If it's the latter, you'll need to be very careful not to find yourself carrying your testicles home in a box.
Here's the films:
SBD1 SBD2My regards,
Widewing
