Why the P-38?

[Captain Virgil Hilts]

But you DON'T see most good 38 pilots at 15K or above. I find most at 10K or below, often maxed out at 5K even. Most good 38 pilots are down where the fight is, spoiling for a fight. Cruising in at 10K, I'm above most of them.

[Slash27]

What, we're gloating just because "Dogfights" got canceled before they could do a P-38 episode?    More is the pity, IMHO.  But I guess they had to make room for more shows about being a blue-collar worker in Alaska 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITRLk9b9AcY

[BnZ]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITRLk9b9AcY

Is this from the episode about Robin Olds? Close but no cigar, was not SPECIFICALLY about the Lightning.    We hit Mustang, Thunderbolt, Hellcat, but alas the Lightning and the Corsair didn't get a show of their own in time. Seriously, I can't believe that "Dogfights" got canceled. It had to be attracting as many viewers as "Sheep-Buggering in the Alaskan Back Country" or whatever, and actually belongs on the History Channel, as opposed to "Dinosaurs Bite Each Other" (which belongs on the Discovery channel) and "Quest for Monsters Drunken Rednecks Hallucinate" (which belongs on the Sci-Fi channel.)

[Stogie]

That's why you see most good vets in the 38 at 15k.

FX1 I would love to know which good Vets you are talking about.  While I'm terrible in the 38 I do get to fly with alot of them.  Rarely do I ever see them above 10k and then its only to get close to the alt monkeys.  Most times they around 8k and below

[FX1]

Sorry kinda going to the extreme exaggeration. Everything over 5k kinda blended together..

Akak knew the strength of the 38 and flew higher and out side the fight. I didn't see akak all the time because we played at different time zones but when we had fights he was always higher. He flew the 38 about the best i have ever fought in the main arena.

Its a great ride for some people just not me...

[BnZ]

What exactly would be wrong with a vet being at 15K in a P-38? The plane's performance gets better relative many/most other common MA aircraft the higher one gets, it IS an E fighter compared to a lot of what is maundering about on the deck, and its not like the sky is empty at 10-15K.

[FX1]

Kinda the same fighting style as other high alt Planes.

My interpretation of the 3 styles of fighter role in main.

[BillyD]

Yeah all the best 38 pilots I've ran into have been under the 10K mark. That aircraft can sucker you in so badly when flown well even low, hiding E, climbing up doing a vertical turn and ripping you apart before you can say Shizballs.

Delirium, Paws, 8spade, Fugitive, Mensa, CorkyJr. ....all sick sick pilots in that thing. ( all ankle humping aside these guys kick serious bellybutton ) Fortunately I can hide behind AKAK as he usually flys knights and all those red guys find his 38 so pretty.

This is a plane that I would like to get down someday, the only mastery I have of it is in that old Arcade game 1942

Mucho respect SAPPERS

 

[Hoarach]

Does make for a nice jabo plane..

He didnt say it....no you did not say that....what a wasteful use for a 38...

[Boxboy]

deleted

[Boxboy]

The U.S. Army Air Corps still existed after 1941 as a combat command and therefore did give instruction to combat pilots <sheez>

The info I quoted on the 38's tactics in the PAC are a matter of record, as for AH ACK-ACK has no idea of what my experience is and to say different means little to me or him.

Flying any of these birds in AH is subjective to say the least, guys who can control each engine seperately can turn a P-38 better than those that can't etc etc etc.  I am not saying the P-38 is a bad ride I am saying that real life tactics are avialable to read and use in AH if one chooses to do so.

[Delirium]

guys who can control each engine seperately can turn a P-38 better than those that can't etc etc etc.  I am not saying the P-38 is a bad ride I am saying that real life tactics are avialable to read and use in AH if one chooses to do so.

That is false... I have a dual throttle and except at the top of a hammerhead or recovering a spin, 2 individual throttle control grants you no better turn rate or radius.

From time to time (if I am very slow) I can use rudder in one direction and cut the throttle on that side for close to a 90 degree snapshot. That is usually followed by the P38 departing on me and I usually reserve for a last ditch effort.

[toonces3]

Any of you 38 sticks consider getting a yoke setup vice the fighterstick-type setup to enhance realism?

I find it interesting that alot of the guys that fly it alot do so more for the history than its in-game performance...not that its in-game performance is bad by any means.

[Delirium]

Any of you 38 sticks consider getting a yoke setup vice the fighterstick-type setup to enhance realism?

I've worked on obtaining either a laser scan of a P38 yoke, or buying a yoke that is similar in look and feel to gut it and add yoke components to it. This project hasn't been completed, the laser scan/mold was too expensive and I haven't found a yoke that has been close enough to the original P38 yoke to be worth modding.

Here is the link to the throttle thread;

http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php/topic,237834.0.html

Here is the link to the yoke thread;

http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php/topic,240581.0.html

If anyone has seen a yoke similar to a P38 yoke, or has any ideas, I still want to finish that project.

[uptown]

I was thinking about that the other day, and CH has a yoke and separate throttle I'd like to try. I know it's not orginial but would still be fun I think.