Tips and clues

[Rich46yo]

You guys that have been around awhiles what personal tips and advice can you give fighter plane noobs to quicken the learning curve? Even better what fight secrets would you be willing to share?

                  One thing Ive done in the last 2 days is stopped flying into air fights where we are vastly outnumbered. I dont have the skill to take on multiples and win and I aint going to learn anything by running away. So I limit myself to 50/50 darbars, or better, and/or missions. The end result is Ive gotten much better at 360% views and awareness while turning and fighting because Ive been in the air much longer during a fight.

                 I know Ghost gave me sound advice about sticking to a spit while learning but I cant seem to tear myself out of Jugs, Hellcats, and Japanese fighters.

               Any and all tips are appreciated.

[CAP1]

Originally posted by Rich46yo
You guys that have been around awhiles what personal tips and advice can you give fighter plane noobs to quicken the learning curve? Even better what fight secrets would you be willing to share?

                  One thing Ive done in the last 2 days is stopped flying into air fights where we are vastly outnumbered. I dont have the skill to take on multiples and win and I aint going to learn anything by running away. So I limit myself to 50/50 darbars, or better, and/or missions. The end result is Ive gotten much better at 360% views and awareness while turning and fighting because Ive been in the air much longer during a fight.

                 I know Ghost gave me sound advice about sticking to a spit while learning but I cant seem to tear myself out of Jugs, Hellcats, and Japanese fighters.

               Any and all tips are appreciated.

rich...og to the TA...spend an hour or two with a trainer........you'd be surprised what they can teach ya in that time........then just go have fun.....i do my best in furballs.....for some reason if i have tiem to aim, i sukc.....if i don't..like taking quick snapshots....i tear the other guy apart......

 welcome to the fighter madness!!

[Rich46yo]

Originally posted by CAP1
rich...og to the TA...spend an hour or two with a trainer........you'd be surprised what they can teach ya in that time........then just go have fun.....i do my best in furballs.....for some reason if i have tiem to aim, i sukc.....if i don't..like taking quick snapshots....i tear the other guy apart......

 welcome to the fighter madness!!

                       Thanks Cap. I do spend time in the TA and like it a lot. One thing Ive noticed is that since Ive learned fighters a bit, and when I go back to bombers, I have a much better feel for what the fighter jock is seeing and thinking. Its also Visa-versa when Im in a fighter going after a bomber. It just gives ya so much more awareness.

                      So even if you do specialize in somthing learning all aspects of the game is necessary. Even If I do go back to bombers 80% of the time, the learning of fighters was simply a necessary step.

[BaldEagl]

Rich,  Dowload a copy of In Pursuit .  It's pretty rudimentary and doesn't cover everything but it's a decent stepping stone.

[sax]

Originally posted by Rich46yo


                 One thing Ive done in the last 2 days is stopped flying into air fights where we are vastly outnumbered. I dont have the skill to take on multiples and win and I aint going to learn anything by running away.

What you say you stopped doing is the best way to learn .

Trainers are a great resource for getting a head start and the
DA is good for 1v1 .
You are rarely going to find anything besides an outnumbered
situation in the MA , fly in do your best and go back for more .

I'd advise a ride that turns fairly well at low E, go in at low alt 4-5k .
Pick fights that have lots of red and closer to your base the better .

[Rich46yo]

Thanks Eagle I will do that. Much appreciated.

                           Sax thanks for the imput but I have found 3 to 1, or 4 to 1, or worse, situations arent condusive to learning. Even in the TA you mostly practice 1 on 1. I already know what it feels to get shot down and theres no point flying a burner and running all the time.

                          You have to survive a little bit to learn anything. Actually Im a little surprised but Ive mad some progress in the last 4 days.

[DoNKeY]

Fly a P-38.  It will make the transition a little easier as you should be in a comfortable environment.

donkey

[xtyger]

Time and time again I've heard noobs ask for tips and I never really know what to tell them. It seems to me you need both experience and practice. I realize some think those are one and the same but I consider them slightly different.

Experience is learning what you can and can't do and what you can and can't get away with.

Practice is actually going out and doing it. I've found even if I'm away from the game a couple days I need an hour or two to get back in the swing of things, so flying regularly is important.

If there was any one thing that I think greatly improved my game, it was finding the right plane. Not so much because of the plane, although the Nikki is my plane of choice now, but because it taught me to shoot in short bursts.

I started out in P51s and, back then, it would be all I could do to shoot one plane down with all the ammo I had. I'd just spray shots, wildly at times, hoping for a lucky hit. If I actually managed to get a kill, I'd have maybe 100 to 500 rounds left and would run for home since there'd be no way I figured I  could get a kill with just that much ammo.

A squaddie recommended I try the Nikki. I was a bit nervous about only 400 rounds of canon ammo and I tried to conserve it. That got me in to taking better shots with better effect and lots more kills.

Now, although the Nikki is usually my plane of choice,  I don't have a problem taking out planes with less ammo like the fm2 or p51b and I'll get multiple kills with them. I'd like to think I owe that to the Nikki.

I actually disagree with the one who suggested getting into furballs right away, at least right into the middle of them. You'll likely get shot down too quickly to learn anything. One on ones are good, or even hanging around outside of some dogfight and sneaking in and cherry picking (I know it's frowned upon by most, including me) will help you learn how to approach targets, and how to get away from them.

I think one of the mistakes I made earlier on was being too aggressive. I'd be the first one to charge the enemy and they'd usually eat me alive. Take your time and see what others are doing before flying blindly into a fight and getting your head handed to you on a platter like I always did.

[splitatom]

always head in high dive on the enmy try to guess what his next move is and always wait until you can make your move without diving in right in front of an enmy

[CAP1]

Originally posted by Rich46yo
You guys that have been around awhiles what personal tips and advice can you give fighter plane noobs to quicken the learning curve? Even better what fight secrets would you be willing to share?

                  One thing Ive done in the last 2 days is stopped flying into air fights where we are vastly outnumbered. I dont have the skill to take on multiples and win and I aint going to learn anything by running away. So I limit myself to 50/50 darbars, or better, and/or missions. The end result is Ive gotten much better at 360% views and awareness while turning and fighting because Ive been in the air much longer during a fight.

                 I know Ghost gave me sound advice about sticking to a spit while learning but I cant seem to tear myself out of Jugs, Hellcats, and Japanese fighters.

               Any and all tips are appreciated.

rich....i'm probably gonna get flamed for this.....but another thing to do, is fly easy planes to start........zeke, spit(not the 16) hurri2c..........they help kep ya alive long enough to learn ACM...then move on to harder planes.......

[BaldEagl]

If you really want my personal tips read this post.  As you'll see, others disagreed with me but it's the way I feel about it.

BTW, after reading that post, think about this;  I've scored a kill or a death in 36 different planes/vehicles so far this camp and am even or better (K/D) in all but 2 or 3 of them and have scored a kill or death 68 different planes/vehicles over the past six months with similar results.  That said, pick one to start with and learn with.

[B@tfinkV]

play it safe or commit to the fight, the choice is always yours. just be sure you make the choice without hesitation, a second of indecision will cost you a wing.

[Spatula]

Here some that i like:

1. Pick one aircraft and stick to it for a few months at least. Learn off by heart how it performs relative to others and what and where its strengths lay - use either my performance comparison app (see link below), or use donzo's web site based equiv (you can find the link off the trainers site). Use its strengths against your opponents weaknesses.
2. Film everything and post your films lots for critique/discussion.
3. Get a copy of Fighter Tactics by Shaw. Read and re-read and keep close by for reference.
4. Never find a comfortable niche. Always challenge yourself, you'll learn lots more.

[Rich46yo]

Donkey I love flying the 38 but spending a lot of fight time in it is going to have to wait.

                     XT I love the Nikki. 4 cannon with all that ammo on a non-perk? Whats not to like? I shot down my first bomber in it.

                    Split Im getting to a point where I end up on someones 6 and stay on it. Cap I like the Hurri and the zeke and have spent time in them. I really like the Hurri.

                    Eagle I printed that thread out when it came out. "Been in the game almost 8 months". Thanks batfink and spatula.

                    It seems that everyday I learn a new lesson. Yesterday I had a great fight that was 2 on 1, "I stumbled on it", and the con ran and used navy ships ack, which I assume killed my partner and then crippled me. It was very heads up by the enemy con.

                   And you might have noticed that almost all my posts and threads follow a general pattern. That of gleaning somthing worthwhile about the game.

[goober69]

Originally posted by BaldEagl
If you really want my personal tips read this post.  As you'll see, others disagreed with me but it's the way I feel about it.

BTW, after reading that post, think about this;  I've scored a kill or a death in 36 different planes/vehicles so far this camp and am even or better (K/D) in all but 2 or 3 of them and have scored a kill or death 68 different planes/vehicles over the past six months with similar results.  That said, pick one to start with and learn with.

i can say that i agree with just about everything you said.
i will say that even now its boring to me to go to a furball, i ocasionaly do but i look for better odds, i like to fly behind the fight and come in behind climbing cons and mix it up some then get out and come back.
i was kind of proud when i landed my first 10 kill sortie doing this.
i knew what i could handle and when i couldnt handle it i tried to escape from it. most of the time it was two against me at a time and no freindlies in sight.