Plane, or Pilot?

[leonid]

Frankly, I have no pat answer for explanations of 'uber-ness'.  For example, if you look at my last two tours, 8 and 9, you'll see the following stats for my two main aircraft:

Tour 8

• Yak-9U: 123 kills, 27 deaths(4:1)
• La-5FN: 17 kills, 2 deaths(8:1)

Tour 9

• Yak-9U: 21 kills, 5 deaths(4:1)
• La-5FN: 17 kills, 2 deaths(8:1)

Both planes have their pluses and minuses, which aren't necessarily the same either.  But the question is why do I do better in the aircraft that has lesser performance overall?

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leonid, Kompol
5 GIAP VVS-KA, Knights

"Our cause is just.  The enemy will be crushed.  Victory will be ours."

[Vermillion]

My guess would be the better guns of the La5 Leonid. It doesn't seem like much, but that extra cannon means more snapshot kills.

Just a theory

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Vermillion
**MOL**, Men of Leisure

[DmdBT]

I would possibly guess that since there are very few people willing to fly the La5 that most pilots don't know its capabilities and therefore underestimate it in a fight.

T

[AKSeaWulfe]

Tour 9: AKSWulfe has 82 kills and has been killed 17 times in the La-5FN.

It's definitely not that the higher ammo load or two guns gives better chances for a snap shot. It just gives you more ammo for more kills. That, and the La5 is *close* to the yak.. it's by no means as good as the yak, but it's a fairly decent plane. I'm sure if the yak had the same armament and ammo load as the La5, you'd get a much higher k/d in it.
-SW

[Regurge]

If you do alot of angles fighting down on the deck, the La5 is slightly better than the yak (IMO).

Up to about 5k, its just as fast at the yak, and climbs and turns better. The ammo load lets you take more long range shots.

[gatt]

Leonid,
the La-5FN is a damned little grey devil. For MA purpose is, IMHO, far more efficient than the YAK-9. Good climber up to 18K, fast, good acceleration, good dive, good roll rate, very good hit power and good ammo load. She a good NIKI killer   During this TOD I have 36 kills and 12 deaths in the La, an almost new a/c for me. I like it.

[funked]

Yak-9U is fast but not such a great dogfighter IMHO.  La-5FN is just a sweet plane in every aspect.  Yak-9U might be better for running down 190 dweebs, but I'll take the Lavochkin for a knife fight.  

[Duckwing6]

Guess you're flying a bit more conservative with the LA as it doesn't have the performance margin the YAK offers you .. so basically you don't get yourselfe in the DOO DOO as with the YAK where ya think you can et away (but you can't  )

-> i got the same thing with cannon birds .. always make me think i can shoot my way outta very pil'o DOO i worked myselfe into  

DW6