There have been a few HO threads lately in which I stated that I"ll always take the HO and that my success rate at it was high. Since then I've been more aware of it again while flying and my statement should have been; I'll often take the HO and when I do my success rate is high.
Whats the difference? There's a lot of times I wont take the shot. Like I said, I've been aware of my tendancies the past few days and been thinking about past engagements and here's a few things I've realized:
If I'm flying a plane I've never or rarely flown before that has cannons my likelyhood to take the HO is at its highest. I think this is because I want to get a kill and will do it however I can until I figure out what the plane is actually capable of. I'm sure that noobs take HOs for the same reason and I can't blame them. As my familiarity with that particular ac develops, my tendancy to take the HO goes down.
In a non-cannon equipped plane I will rarely if ever take a HO shot. Machine guns just don't cut it for the most part playing the HO game.
Similarily, if I'm in a lighly cannon equipped plane against a heavily cannon equipped plane I probably won't take a HO shot. No matter what I'm in I'll rarely put myself in front of a FW190-A8 or IL2 for instance, but rather try to work my way behind them or simply leave to find a different fight. My decision would be reversed if the ac were reveresed.
In a true B'n'Z plane the likelyhood of taking the HO increases as I'm only "in" as I pass through, and, if this is the only shot presented the likelyhood of me taking it is high. This brings up the HO and run whine but in my estimation, I'm only playing to the strengths of my ac. Also, the likelyhood of actually putting yourself behind the 9/3 line of, for instance, a turnfighter in a true B'n'Zer if the turnfighter knows your there is almost 0 so the HO or high deflection becomes one of the only ways you'll get the kill.
These are just a few scenarios that I've become more aware of. I'm sure there are others. Like any other tactic, it's a split second judgement call and one of many that I make almost instinctively as I approach an enemy ac.
As I've pointed out, getting behind your opponent is sometimes impossible given plane match-ups. Staying in to fight after the HO pass would sometimes be foolish.
I suspect those who say they never HO or who bring up these other arguments fly only one plane, fight in only one style or rarely face dissimilar ac match-ups.
For me it's just another available option, and sometimes the best option, as I quickly assess the situation. And my success rate is high primarily because I use it when it's advantageous and don't when it's not and I'd expect most "vets" would do the same.
Hopefully this will be my last post on this topic.
