Originally posted by toonces3
most MA fights seem to end up on the deck, where the Nik should PWN. In my fight with Lute, I did win the fight, but couldn't close the deal because his D-40 always had enough E to open up where my Japanese cannons couldn't hit him. He was able to at least match turns with me, which I can't explain because I assume the Nik can out-turn a jug...period, flaps or whatever.
Certainly pilot skill is the difference. But, given even pilots, I can't see how the P-47 should be the prefered ride in the MA. Now, if we were going to keep the fight high, 15k and up, perhaps the jug would see the advantage. But on the deck, the jug is simply out of its element. The jug wasn't built as a low-alt fighter.
I love to try and fly the jug, but for MA engagements, it's just not the best ride in the lineup and given a choice between the jug and Nik in the MA, I can't see the jug being the better choice. However, I am living proof that given a better pilot, any plane can beat the other.
If everyone flew the best low altitude fighters, you'd see only four or five types. Fortunately, this is not the case.
I for one, rarely fly the so-called uber fighters. I'd rather fly an F6F, P-47, P-38, or 190A-5. Sure, I can get a ton of kills flying the La-7, Tempest, Spit16 or Niki, but there's no challenge in that. I have no qualms about taking a TBM into a fight, because I know exactly what the Avenger can do, and most of the opposition has no clue that the TBM can match turns with a Hurricane IIC. A good pilot can maintain a 3/1 or better kill to loss ratio in the lumbering TBM. So, why would a good pilot not feel comfortable flying a P-47 at less than its ideal combat altitude?
P-47s are reasonably fast, even on the deck. Both the P-47D-25 and -40 can attain 344 mph on the deck. That's as fast as the Spit16 and Ki-84. The P-47D-11 is a bit faster at 346 mph, with the P-47N able to sprint to 366 mph. At 10,000 feet, the P-47N is faster than the Tempest or La-7. Add to that outstanding dive acceleration and tremendous zoom climb (more important than steady-state climb in a fight) and the Jugs are quite capable of inflicting a beating on anything they encounter. Really good ailerons and high-speed flaps add to the arsenal of tools available to the P-47 pilot. Granted, the P-47s generally require a greater level of Situational Awareness than some other fighters. They generally lack the low level acceleration to run away from a deteriorating tactical situation. Thus, you keep the Jugs reasonably fast and fly aggressively within their envelop. Skilled P-47 pilots recognize the fighter's envelop and exploit it to the maximum.
Jugs require good E management. That means not G loading the airframe more than required. It means smooth control input, never jerk the stick around. Slow is smooth and smooth helps keep you fast. Don't overdo flap usage.
You mentioned that Lute was able to match your turns, which leaves you somewhat perplexed. At corner speed, the Niki can't out-turn the P-47 because turn rate is g limited. Even down to 200 mph, the Jug's excellent flaps will allow it to stick to the Niki like glue. Only when the speed of the engagement deteriorates to less than 200 mph does the Niki gain the upper hand. If the P-47 driver refuses to get into that trap, the Niki pilot must rely on being the better pilot. If the P-47 pilot can get the Niki turning while maintaining an E advantage, he can convert his E to altitude and push the Niki much harder than ever expected. My mantra is "pin them, bleed them and then kill them". This translates into keeping the enemy confined, keep them turning so they cannot build speed and eventually breaking down their speed so slow that their relative aspect changes little, making the kill easy. Your better P-47 pilots know how to accomplish this and can give the angles fighter serious grief. By managing your E effectively, the Jugs can dictate a fight well enough to be a genuine threat to anything they encounter.
This past Thursday evening, we held one of our Engaging Multiple Enemies clinics in the TA. About 12 MA regulars showed up and we divided into two groups. Optiker, took one group of 4 or 5 and I took the balance. Initially, my group flew 5 on 2 fights. I took a P-47D-25 as one of the smaller group of two. The larger group were in Spitfires, 109s, a Yak-9U and F4Us. Later, we flew group against group, involving 10 to 12 fighters. I stayed in P-47s through most of the engagements and never felt that I was in an inferior fighter, because I wasn't.
Likewise, in the MA, I don't feel at a disadvantage if I fly a P-47 or a P-38, or an F6F. Each one of these has different strengths, and each one can be extremely effective if its pilot fights to those strengths. Ultimately, knowing the enemy's fighter better than he does, combined with the ability to fly your fighter to its absolute limits is key.
Aircraft knowledge, aggression, SA, ACM skills and E-management are the primary elements to being successful in any fight. You should aspire to be good at all of the above, because the pilot who has high levels of all these attributes would be deadly flying a washing machine.
My regards,
Widewing
