Why do you fly a particular plane in AH?

[DaveJ]

Slapshot, I'll take Spitfire Mk XVI for $500 please.


ack-ack

You are a genius.

[ghi]

Why did you choose a certain bird as your main ride in AH?

  i like upping caped /vulched bases,with lots of reds around,  more action ,fun, i never care about landing kills,k/d ,score and i don't care if I'm getting vulched : il2 is the best tool for the job, F3 mode, takes lots of punishment, 2x23mm deadly gunz.
 It's fun winging for "IL2s Hoing party" with Waffle ,Impala,Dantoo,MiamiAce ,OneAce and  more bish not afraid of death in  catoon planes, we usually break CAP ,or  bust missions,unless are 20+nikis and C-hogs vulching.

[uptown]

I like the p-51D because it's a great all around aircraft. Good speed, high speed flaps, dives great, carrys enough ord to take out a hanger. Awesome fuel loadout and some really good skins too. I think the P-51 is the best looking plane in the game. To me, it's what a war plane should look like. It has good cockpit views, lots of ammo, and the gauges are easy to see and understand.

[Money]

Spits because I have loved them as far back as I can remember.  Almost every WWII avaiation image/model I saw as a child included.

F4U, I have loved the corsair ever since an old AWer name Rocketman took time to teach me how to fly it.  Not to mention its historical impact in naval/air combat.


YES

[Guppy35]

And a sub-question, if I may.  Why would you want to have a "main ride"?  AH has so many different planes, why do so many people pick just one, or a small handful, to fly 90% of the time?

I mean no disrespect with the question, because I respect many of the people who do this (Guppy being the most obvious example).  But I've often thought it's one of the main reasons the Axis v. Allied arena draws such a comparatively small number of people.  And, on a broader level....don't you get bored flying just one plane all the time...?

- oldman

A legit question.   You know I'm a long time Spit fanatic history wise.  I suppose if my squad was RAF based I'd be in Spits.  The history is such a huge part of it for me that being an 80th Headhunter means 38s to me.  I just have the most fun that way.  I'm hard pressed to explain it beyond that

I don't get tons of time to fly too so it's my baby the 38G when I can.

Thanks for all the replies btw.  Interesting stuff.  Nice to get a look at what makes folks tick in AH

[Rich46yo]

The IL2 is a surprisingly effective base denier. First off nobody wants to HO you and the F3 view is a huge asset.

Lately tho I cant seem to get enough of the P-38L. Up to 10,000' with bombs and rockets, take out various targets, and then dive right back in for more 2 engine grins. I find Im doing much better in it by turning horizontal into vertical and visa-versa. You can limit pilot wounds by staying as vertical as you can as often as you can.

[mechanic]

I understand and appreciate those who like to take up one perticular ride.

I view the hangar as my toolbox.  There's a tool for every kind of job in there and I pick the tool for the job.

That is the same for me, ROX. The way i see it though, i have two tasks to accomplish in AH2: air to air combat and having fun with people, thus I have only two tool choices. Take a fighter to play the game or a formation of bombers to chat to some people. I very rarely take a fighter with ords nowadays, i definitely class the mosquito or the A20 as fighters in our game. I used to enjoy score padding an F4U-C sortie with some GV kills to start and land 10 vulches instead of 8 but it feels like those days are long gone.
 For me now it is flying to intercept enemy aircraft in a fighter or just hanging out with friends and not taking much notice of the game.

[moot]

With your avatar, I would have thought this have been more fitting for you.

(Image removed from quote.)
Grumman JF-2 Duck


ack-ack

It doesn't have a smoking tater gun in the nose!  Nice plane tho

[spit16nooby]

Well I first flew the spit 16 in the old 8v8 arenas and when they got destroyed I stopped playing for a few months and joined the MA in january.  I was quickly scared to death that somebody was going to kill me if I flew the Spit 16.  I quickly came to the 190D-9 after that but changed to the P-38 l/j because of its lack of dogfighting ability.  I did better in the 38 but I always felt like I was flying a plane that was out of my league.  I then got in the g-2 and loved it but felt like I needed more speed and climb.  This is were my obsession with fast planes with good climb comes in.  I then went to the K-4 and have flown it about 50% of my sorties.  I also went throug quick phases of flying the yak9-u(good speed manuevarability and climb), KI-84(why not), Spit 8(had a spell of suckiness which was fixed with this), 109f-4(just for fun),  p-47(suck in it but just can't stand not flying it no matter how much I die), and C.205(fun plane).  I also freguently visit the 38 and have come to like the 51 after landing my record 6 kills in it.  I just can't stand flying 5 eny planes for some reason.  I feel like im letting my self off easy.  I hate fighting spixteens in my k-4 though because I only have spee and climb to my advantage which are great to have unless he has more E than you.

[RTHolmes]

if you're about my age and British you could probably identify a Spit from about the age of 5, icon doesnt come close to describing the importance of this aircraft to us. gorgeous to fly, look at and a pilots favorite (even Galland wanted a wing of em!) Spits, Hurris and their pilots won the BoB. nuf said. same for Lancs and Mossies really (Mossies were made just down the road from me)

since the LW arenas are effectively just PTO, I also fly the F4U-1A alot (with Greebo's lovely FAA camo skin )

otherwise its whatever tool is good for the job (and if it has a RAF or FAA skin its a bonus )

[Hazzer]

 Spitfires and Typhoons because I'm a Brit'.

 Spitfires and Wellington bombers were made just down the road from were I live.

 Some Tours I fly Luftwaffe,then I fly the 109 K4 and FW 190 A8 as fighter jabo respectively

 Like RT Holmes said,the spitfire has mythical status if your British.

[Old Sport]

So what make you 'fly' a particular bird?  ... Is it history? ... Is it the challenge of doing more with less?

Bingo! Though I do less even with more  .

Mostly the P-38J before DGS for a lot of fun. Then afterward, I've been flying the birdcage hog for historical/sentimental reasons, and after many moons can have about as much fun.

[Platano]

109.

Aside from What it can do theres more to it for me.

Ever since I was young I had always wanted to play the part of the bad guy..In EVERY little back yard game I had with my siblings and cousins I was always the bad guy. The villain, and I loved playing that role. Then as I got a bit older I got into WW2 aviation and of course I wanted to play the role of the "bad guy", the German. But after getting even more into it I started reading stories and Diaries and Biographies from these so called "Bad Guys" and I came to the realization that they were human too and had no choice but to Fight. They was some sort of Sympathy in me for these German Luftwaffe pilots. They were doing nothing more than thier Allied counter parts which was trying to survive this war and performing thier duties. I read stories From Johannes Steinhoff in the Mediterranean, Gehard Barkhorn, Gunther Rall, Erich Hartmann, and other Luftwaffe Aces, and all of these great pilots Flew one aircraft Exclusively and that was 109. Also there was something about the 109 that made it look Sinister. Like it looks like its gonna shoot you down. Then to top if off there was this one Quote I read somewhere that had me hooked.

"Me-109: A legendary plane flown by Legendary Pilots"



 

I guess this is where my Infatuation for the 109 came to be.   

[mentalguy]

I used to fly the Spit16 just to piss people off. Then I flew the Spit1, which piss even more people off.

[Spazzter]

My preffered ride is the Spit 9.  I have always regarded it as one of the best flying spits and get great enjoyment out of waxing spit 16's regularly in it.

<S>
Spazz