I Love the Hellcat!

[Rich46yo]

No I aint that good in one but I just love the way this airplane flys and fights. I love the ords it carries and how a flight of them can reduce a base to ashes. I love dive bombing it and how well it recovers and grabs alt again. I love taking off from CVs with it, and hunting CVs with it. I love the guns. I love the way it handles turns. I think it climbs decent for such a large aircraft.

                This is a great airplane.

[whiteman]

Thats my favorite AH ride and personal favorite. I was flying the F4U-1A as my main ride last few months but ran some Jabo runs Sunday morning and forgot how nice it was. It was like flying a spit compared to the F4U, it's back to my #1 flight choice.

First time i saw one in person i was amazed at how big it was.

[BaldEagl]

One of my three normal primary rides (F6F-5, FW190A-8 and Spit XVI).

A few notes for you:

1.  Use it's incredible zoom-climb to your advantage.
2.  Use wing-over reversals.  The F6F is very good at this.
3.  Use flaps in a turn fight but only enough to keep you inside or to get over the top.  Take care though... it has a nasty instability in very low speed high aoa turns.
4.  Don't be afraid to extend convergence.  The .50's have very good ballistics.
5.  Use 2 notches of flaps and WEP lifting with full ord/fuel from a CV.
6.  Take care pulling out of a high speed dive (especially if you have any type of ord left on-board) or you'll snap one or both wings in half (it will still be flyable though and you can get it home safely).

Other than that have fun.  It's among the best dive-bombing platforms in the game and it's a great fighter once the ord's gone.

[stroker71]

Originally posted by Rich46yo
No I aint that good in one but I just love the way this airplane flys and fights. I love the ords it carries and how a flight of them can reduce a base to ashes. I love dive bombing it and how well it recovers and grabs alt again. I love taking off from CVs with it, and hunting CVs with it. I love the guns. I love the way it handles turns. I think it climbs decent for such a large aircraft.

                This is a great airplane.

Get a room!:aok

For Jabo it's my #1 choice.  Very stable and easier to get off a CV than the F4u-1d loaded with ords and 100% fuel.  I still like the f4u-1a better for a pure fighter.

[waystin2]

Welcome to the addiction within the addiction.  The Hellcat rocks!

[Rich46yo]

Eagle is always on time with good advice. Thanks my friend. And thanks to all the lovers of this excellent warplane.

[CAP1]

Originally posted by Rich46yo
No I aint that good in one but I just love the way this airplane flys and fights. I love the ords it carries and how a flight of them can reduce a base to ashes. I love dive bombing it and how well it recovers and grabs alt again. I love taking off from CVs with it, and hunting CVs with it. I love the guns. I love the way it handles turns. I think it climbs decent for such a large aircraft.

                This is a great airplane.

i see a new fighter pilot.........no more buffs for you for awhile, huh?

[bozon]

My first model plane I built as a kid Not that I knew anything about it back then.

For some reason, most of my highest kill sorties were in the Hellkitty.

[Gixer]

Hellcat is very good ride, can't remember name now but years ago use to be a very good Hellcat stick and was fun watching him E fighting in the thing.

Unfortunetly after a while flying the Hellcat, start to realise that everything it does well (except jabo,CV ops and taking damage) the Dweebfire does better.

Great ride, though badly in need of an update.


...-Gixer

[Rich46yo]

Originally posted by CAP1
i see a new fighter pilot.........no more buffs for you for awhile, huh?

                         I just dont know yet Cap. Thing is I have to become at least proficient in these fighter planes to better know what I'm up against in bombers. I still cant really say I like fighters better. And I normally take up bombers at least once a gameday to keep my hand in.

                      In bombers Im a force to be reckoned with and in fighters Im little more then a noob. That simply has to change. And I believe the Hellcat has many of the characteristics to be a great noob plane. Im a little surprised its not mentioned as a great plane for noobs much.

                    And its a great plane for the ubers too. I always see a lot of the experienced sticks landing kills in it. Its like its hard to put in words what it feels like when your in it. It feels like your High School muscle car felt like after getting it back from a tune up by an expert, "new wheels,shocks,...ect". It just "feels" balanced.

                 The Hellcat just feels "right".

[Redd]

Originally posted by Gixer
Hellcat is very good ride, can't remember name now but years ago use to be a very good Hellcat stick and was fun watching him E fighting in the thing.

Unfortunetly after a while flying the Hellcat, start to realise that everything it does well (except jabo,CV ops and taking damage) the Dweebfire does better.

Great ride, though badly in need of an update.


...-Gixer

You're probably right Gixer , the 3 Spits (8,9,16) are probably better overall planes to do the job as a fighter , but it's always fun trying to take them out 1-1 in a Hellcat , it surprises many Spit Drivers.

One of the guys above made a key point in flying it  - Use the Zoom !

The Hellcat is just such great allrounder, fun to fly , and of course it's big and blue which is a must  - All the blue planes are better

Greebo, Mathman , Drex  and Wadke have been some of the great full-time Hellcat guys around AH over the years

[CAP1]

Originally posted by Redd
You're probably right Gixer , the 3 Spits (8,9,16) are probably better overall planes to do the job as a fighter

ya know.......i'd like to get outta the spit/hurri/zeke mode....and i'm almost ready....but u mentioned the spit16....i absolutley love this airplane.....but i find it a bad choice to fly in furballs.......it seems to me that if i enter a furball with..uumm...say.........15 bogies...........14 of em wil drop in on my six.....the other one is in front or evading another friendly....if i fly any other spit, they don't give me any more attention than any other plane in the fight......and for the most part, i am an easy target regardles of what i fly.......feels like my crew chief discovered a way to magneticaly attract lead:rofl

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[Wadke]

I love Hellcats too!

[Rich46yo]

Im starting to extend the airplane more after I drop ords. Because theres no sense in engaging with ords still on right? Anyway when you dive bomb from 12,000' you end up with tons of "E" and it makes no sense slowing down to get into a turn fight with ords on, when you dont have a clear advantage in the first place.

                        Enter the conga line from the CV. A great place to extend thru. Get clear, get altitude, apply again.

[Brownshirt]

Originally posted by Gixer
Hellcat is very good ride, can't remember name now but years ago use to be a very good Hellcat stick and was fun watching him E fighting in the thing.

Probably Mathman