Originally posted by 68ROX
Each time I did a rudder skid and went under them...only to give up the pumpkin-through-the-cockpit shot.
I've had the same problem a few times lately, I just see it a little differently.
Avoiding being shot in the face so you can be shot in the chest doesn't accomplish much. The trick is to stay out of his shot solution- not present yourself at a different angle in his shot solution.
The rudder skid and going under him thing isn't working, so try something else. I like to throw in a subtle direction change right before I think he'll shoot. Often I simply roll a bit to show him my side, and then tap a bit of up or down elevator when I see him hit D800 or D600. 99.9999% of the time they miss. If I can do this while nose up, while he is nose down, so much the better.
In answer to Anaxogoras-
I run into this situation alot. I generally handle it in one of two ways. Enemy plane is 2-3K below you, you roll in for your shot, and he pulls up into an HO. It seems very likely to happen if the low guy is a Hurri, Zeke, N1K, or LA. Since I seldom fly cannon planes, I don't like a true HO shot, as I simply don't want to be hit. That said, if the enemy plane is going to try an HO, he should die as a result. Negative reinforcement is a proven method of teaching.
First step is detecting the problem. As mentioned, use the zoom feature. I like the zoom only zoomed in about 30%, and have it mapped to a button so I can easily tap it on and off w/o looking away from the screen. As you begin your dive, tap the zoom and watch him. If he's going to employ this tactic, he needs to begin pulling up right away. If he's "late", he gives you a clean shot through the canopy. If he's early, he's roped. The funny thing here is that the enemy knows in advance if he's going to try this, and can easily be duped into showing you his hand. MANY times, all you need to do is continue level, but roll inverted. He'll think you've begun your dive, and will pull up. You now know he's watching you, and you know the tactic he wants to employ. Being predictable is bad...
If he's pulling up into you, and is "on time", you have two options. One, make him be "early". Two, change your tactic.
To make him be early, you just need to alter your timing a little. He's pulling up looking for a shot, if you're not where he thinks you're going to be when he gets there, he's in big trouble. At the point where he plans to shoot, he's going to be slow and not have a lot of options. The trick is to arrive at that point a little late yourself, so he can't dodge, and can't hit you.
To do that, I simply chop my throttle, and push past verticle in my dive. Rather than a dive straight down, I'm actually coming back "under" my flightpath a bit. I WANT him to see me diving, so he continues with his plan. I keep my dive slow enough to pull back into him again as he comes up. This gives me a shot into him that he can't return. My dive is NOT verticle (as he expects), but "S" shaped. I generally need a notch or two of flaps in my F4U to pull up into him for my shot. My goal is to NOT go past / lower than him, EVER, in this manuever. If I miss, I pull back up over the top, and pounce on him as he wallows and tries to get his nose back down. I also don't want to be blacking out when I pull into him for my shot.
If he pulls past verticle himself for his shot, I abort the attempt, roll left or right 90 degrees, and go back up. Not WAY up, but just up enough to reverse back onto his six as he heads back down. Stay close to him, so he doesn't have enough room to try the HO again. I like to keep the pressure on him so he doesn't have time to think of anything special. Make him react to you.
I like this method, but it will leave you lower and slower when you're finished. It's not great if there are other red guys around.
Method #2, which is safer for the most part, starts the same.
But this time AS SOON as you see him pull up at you, you pull up too. Use this to "loiter" at the top a bit as he loses speed in his zoom climb, so you can turn back into him and shoot him as he's helpless at the top. It's basically a different approach to the "rope". Keep your speed moderate as you pull back up in the beginning, too slow or too fast will both cost you your shot.
BOTH methods require you to start as close above them as possible, and to WATCH your speed as you begin your dive. Keep your speed/alt advantage, just don't let the speed get excessive.
IMO, method #2 is safer, smarter, and will allow you to "out-fly" your opponent, giving you a warm feeling of aerial mastery, hehe. Method #1 is my way of stuffing an opponents HO attempt back in his face. Some guys will zoom into an HO just because they think they'll force you into breaking off your attack. You WOULDN'T DARE to HO them!! They'll use the same tactic over and over if it works. Show them it doesn't. I prefer to avoid the HO's, but I do get a perverse joy from beating them at their own tactic. If the guy wants to pull into an HO, he should die as a result- hopefully without being able to hit you, hehe. If he dies enough trying it, hopefully he'll learn a different tactic.
MtnMan
