Zen of Gunnery

[Vortex01]

HI Just wanted to drop a note to anyone who feels that thier gunnery is bad and not getting better. Alot of Combat flying is mental, mostly your mental state, if you are relaxed and in the zone you will do well if you try to hard you will not. So keep trying but enjoy yourself.

The other day I went up in a 109k and killed 3 guys one was a perfect reversal followed buy a nice clean kill. The second was a snap shot at his nose as I pulled away from the first kill, one 30mm and he blew up. The third was trying to BnZ me and I got lucky when he began to turn and fight after I evaded him, bled his E and got a shot. So with most of my ammo still intact and my gas running low a went home. Then there was last night...

I chased a P51 with him between 400-600 and emtied my magazines in nice clean short bursts, I think I pinged him a few times. ( ran home on the deck). Then I went after some Lancs I heard about got above them and did a nice dive into them at thier 7 o'clock (ussually a good spot for me letting me straff all three as I pass) I think I hit one with my mg's, second pass no better but now I am hit and ran home bleeding.

So what was the differance? Luck? maybe, it is possible that I just suck and got lucky one day :-). But the good day I was totally focused on flying and relaxed and having a ball (yes even befor I was killing anything I shot at). The bad day was after a long frustrrating day of everything going wrong, even though I was having fun flying I could not do well.

SO relax and enjoy your flights and don't beat yourselves up for having a bad day. Good gunnery comes with practice, consistant gunnery comes with attitude. (Some of us get an  attitude when we gun good hehe)

[B@tfinkV]

nice post.

i agree with you. feel that you can make the shot and you stand more chance, negative vibes and you will miss.

[Rich46yo]

Yeah, I am having just a terrible tour with the guns. Add to that every possible bad break you can get Im getting.  Maybe im just pressing to hard but I know im a lot better then this current Horror story.

                        Maybe If I went back to the booze I would play better.

[waystin2]

Vortex you are so right.  Thinking back on my best nights(not many yet, but more to come), I have taken a few quiet moments before jumping into AH to relax and clear the brain.  Empty it completely then envision future dogfights, attack sorties, base defense etc. with flaming enemy wrackage left in my wake.  Sounds mushy but it works.  Kinda the Yoda thing don't try, only do.

[splitatom]

rich46yo i had that same problem earlyer this you i had so many bad breaks for like 3 months i almost stoped flying because i was having no fun well i proke my louseing streek and are back to my normal skill which is realy good

[clerick]

I understand this 100%.  I feel that i am on the cusp of being a step or two above the average AM player.  On some nights nothing is safe from my guns, i may not land the kills but i am taking a lot more of them with me for each time i die.  Then there are other nights where i can up 20 sorties and get 1 kill and go down in flames 19 times.  I figure what makes a great AH pilot is the ability to minimize the latter and maximize the former.

[Marshal]

I also agree vortex. One thing I just picked up from another thread was to turn off tracers. Up until this point I always had them on. Now I have them off and it seems to be helping my gunnery. Instead of watching the tracers I am focused on the enemy. I think it saves ammo because I am not unloading trying to walk the tracers in to the target. So if you have never tried gunning without tracers give it a try you might be surprised.

[Rich46yo]

Originally posted by splitatom
rich46yo i had that same problem earlyer this you i had so many bad breaks for like 3 months i almost stoped flying because i was having no fun well i proke my louseing streek and are back to my normal skill which is realy good

                       I'll bet Ive gotten caught in my bombsight 5 times this tour. A few times Ive gotten slaughtered when Ive ran into the bathroom. If Im in a KI-67 I'll bet I'll find a way to stumble into 5 cons.  I almost never seem to be able to get into a 1 on 1 fight.

                   But...one thing about luck is it all seems to eventually even out. Ive been very lucky in the past as well and probably have been given kills I didn't deserve. It all evens out in the wash. And your right, you have to find a way to always have fun and keep a good attitude.

                I beat a pretty good stick tonight, actually a few of them one in a 262. One of them gave me a afterwards, and you know what,? It meant a lot to me to get it from him. We all get shot down, all get bad breaks, all have bad runs in the game. But when you can find it in yourself to give a afterwards, well, I think it shows a lot of class.

             Ive been in KI-67s almost full time, aiming them at furball bases with ords up. I figure the best way to get out of a gunnery rut is to keep shooting away. I need my tracers on in bombers cause I'm always shooting at weird angles with 4 or 5 gun positions. Ive tried it without tracers but it just doesn't work out very well.

         And a respectful to all Ive met in my bombers.

[Vortex01]

I think my plane is getting bigger and more fragile...well it sure seems that way. One ping and not only can't I see but my engine has stopped running, and to top it off I was zooming through a furball with most of the enemy engaged with others already. It must be that neon red target painted on the plane, hmm... But really at times it feels as though I am a magnet for the enemy and there is nothing I can do to counter it. Like last night I near a furball and no less than three guys break off there attacks and climb at me, what are they thinking? "Look at that giant plane! I want a piece of him", hehe. and suddenly even the B26 can out turn me. AHHH!! And to make things worse as I limp home from anther short sortie landing wiht only  a few seconds to touch down a spit enters the ack bypassing 2 fighters just to splash this wounded duck, must be the target.....(the ack didn't even touch him btw)

I tried changing my ride to no avail, perhapse I should just get some GV practice for awhile, after all I was fairely good in those long time ago.....

Actually I think I will get some TA time if nothing else I can help some new guys get the hang of the basics (I can still take off and land ok)

When things get tough the tough .... well not sure what they really do but I'm changing things up until I get my stick in order. ..... keep fighting things will improve or I will die trying. (been doing that alot lately :-)

[goober69]

i fell my gunnery has improved significantly wehn im relaxed and happy i shoot much better. i followed spatulas advice and have flown with tracers off for a month and a half. i went through hell the first two weeks. but now im hitting consistantly. in bombers what i like to do since the drones have tracers wetther or not you do is i fire only the gun im maning until i start getting hits then i switch over to the other guns. gives me time when he doesnt know im shooting at him to adjust my aim maybe he thinks i havent seen him yet huh? then hes going down or running with oil leaking and i have saved ammo in case my lead plane goes down.

oh and by the way big thanks to spat and the other guys for the advice on reversals and seeing me through my two weeks of gunnery hell lol these guys and this comunity are great.

[Kuhn]

My gunnery Zen really neads an overhaul!