P-51B and D models

[Lusche]

Must.....  resist......... arghhh.

Don't resist young Skywalker...

[shreck]

If the Ki-84 didn't risk loosing it's wings at high speed it would be the best plane in the set...actually I still think it's better 

HAYATE is quite limited untill the fight degenerates below 300 mph, even then most corsairs will easily own it till you can drain every last bit of E out of them! Spits, 38s, and nikis are also regular ki killers unless the ki driver is a good one. Don't get me wrong , the ki is a killer but it has some very strong limitations!!

[Saxman]

Best all-around is the F4U-4.....hands down.  Damn it hurt to say that!!!!

It gets easier with time. Recognizing the truth is the first step.

[Race]

      If your patient and kill by just flaming them you could easily get 25-30 buff kills. I have got 10 in a Poni B with out rearming...with 150 rounds or so left. I know on average if wait on the trigger I can kill a fighter with just 30-40 rounds total. Surviving long enough to get those kills might be another matter. If Steve ever wants to test 24 I wouldnt mind trying it either. At lower alts I feel like my buff hunting skills are pretty sharp.

BTW Thanks for those 51B/D fights Steve....dont know if I have seen a D keep up (and beat at times) with me like that before then!

Race
"Ryan"

[bongaroo]

HAYATE is quite limited untill the fight degenerates below 300 mph, even then most corsairs will easily own it till you can drain every last bit of E out of them! Spits, 38s, and nikis are also regular ki killers unless the ki driver is a good one. Don't get me wrong , the ki is a killer but it has some very strong limitations!!

Besides the part loss problem due to high speed I don't really agree with any of your assessment.  I constantly chew spits and nikis up in the Ki84; especially the nikis.  They try to play the turning game and lose when I take them vertical and whip out the wonder flaps.  P38s flown by a better pilot does give me fits.  Well flown Hogs are tough for anyone to beat but I fair very well against them in a Ki.

Below 12k and above 15k the Ki-84 has very impressive flight characteristics.  

Amazingly enough the plane that gives me the hardest time is a decently flown Yak.  Go figure.

[shreck]

Besides the part loss problem due to high speed I don't really agree with any of your assessment.  I constantly chew spits and nikis up in the Ki84; especially the nikis.  They try to play the turning game and lose when I take them vertical and whip out the wonder flaps.  P38s flown by a better pilot does give me fits.  Well flown Hogs are tough for anyone to beat but I fair very well against them in a Ki.

Below 12k and above 15k the Ki-84 has very impressive flight characteristics.  

Amazingly enough the plane that gives me the hardest time is a decently flown Yak.  Go figure.

Assessment is probably closer than you think! most allied birds "if well flown" will get advantaged position on hayate fairly quick "if" the fight starts at higher speeds then it is a defensive game till the hayate can merge E states--> which also doesn't take that long!! But a good allied driver will have a couple shots if he is aggressive before the tables are turned on him! Now if the allied driver saddles up slow at the merge, then all bets are off and it will be over quickly for him Also the flaps are hardly wonderflaps as you call them, deploying at 170 mph hardly makes them "WONDER" controll surfaces!!

Yaks are meal time!!---> aint that right chanzz    <S>

[PFactorDave]

 I constantly chew spits and nikis up in the Ki84; especially the nikis.  


Amazingly enough the plane that gives me the hardest time is a decently flown Yak.

I have pretty good luck against N1Ks also, as long as I can avoid that HO, and I am far from a skilled pilot.  I have the most trouble vs 109s for some reason, so I tend to avoid them when possible if other targets are an option.

[caldera]

I fly the Ki-84 a lot and have to agree with shreck. Against a well flown F4u, P-51 or Spit, you have to hang with them and wear them down until they're slow. Then you can give them fits. The Ki is dead meat in a medium/high speed turn fight. The flaps are not very usefull either, unless you're about to stall. I have trouble with yaks too but i fear the P-38 the most.

[moot]

Are you trimming the 84 manualy, at med-high speeds? I don't remember it being dead meat in those circumstances except when combat trim limited its elevator authority.  It doesn't fly great above 400, but it's not dead meat either.

[TwentyFo]

Are you trimming the 84 manualy, at med-high speeds? I don't remember it being dead meat in those circumstances except when combat trim limited its elevator authority.  It doesn't fly great above 400, but it's not dead meat either.

Speaking of trim. I started using elevator trim around 3 months ago and finally got comfortable with it. I love the results it has given me and has allowed for a lot better flying. My question is whether the using manual rudder trim allows for improved flying? If so when should it be used and which planes benefit the most from it?

[moot]

The rudder's trim rarely hampers flying as much as the elevator's, in my experience.  Only in planes with lots of torque or that get very sideways (p-factor I think) like the Il2 and F4U and 152 does it really pay off to spend the time trimming the rudders. Most of the time you're just as well (if not better, since it's faster) simply pushing your pedals or twisting your stick to get the nose where you want it.  Trim is a slow thing, so it's only really attractive for comparably slow situations.. Like if you plan ahead of time to make a move where the bit of extra control authority will make a difference (and again this small a difference can be found in e.g. merely reducing your action/reaction time by a few fractions of a second), or if you've got a twisty stick that's quite a bit more bothersome to twist one way or the other.

It's really up to you.

[caldera]

Are you trimming the 84 manualy, at med-high speeds? I don't remember it being dead meat in those circumstances except when combat trim limited its elevator authority.  It doesn't fly great above 400, but it's not dead meat either.

I meant it is dead meat with me flying it. It seems to turn best at low speeds while using the uber acceleration in the verticle to decrease the turn.
I've never used trim - except elevator up to keep from augering. With the twisty-stick, I don't even use the rudder a whole lot. It feels awkward.
I also fly with the stall limiter on. I know that stuff supposedly limits the aircraft, but I'm not that terrible in it.

[VansCrew1]

I was just reading through some threads and in game I would have to say the P-51 is by far the best plane in the game. At speed and 1 notch a flaps it will turn on a dime. The ammo load is very good and if your a crack shot the kills will pile up fast. The fuel load out is the key to its performance in my opinion. I usually took a load out of 75% with drop tanks for bomber hunting and 50 to 75% for fighter cap sweeps. My longest mission was 1 hour and 47 minutes with 15 bombers and 6 fighters with out rearming. Most kill mission with out rearming was 23 being 6 bombers and 17 fighters. In the hands of a good stick the Pony is near unbeatable. Best pony pilot I ever came across is Steve. The hubbub about the F4u is quite true the flight model is stretched as thin as a rubber band but still I'll fly the Pony over any others. I must say this though I have flown the f4u4 and I landed 15 and still had a ton of ammo left. I am not sure of what the ammo load out difference is between the Pony and the Hog but i'll still take the Pony.

Thats a little far fetched i think. The P51 has a little a 1K/D with all planes. 12423 vs 11488 This in mind doesn't really sound like much. But most of the "Dweeb planes"(spit 16, LA7, Nik) have around a 1.0 to a 1.1K/D. And the P51D(1.08) has the second highest K/D under the Nik(1.1). But what ive seen in the MA the most player can get on average  between 2 to 5 kills in a run. I think you may be stretching the line saying you killed 15 bomber and 6 fighters in one run with no rearms. Unless about half were proxies. Ive flown a pony as my main ride for close to a year and even if you know the sweet spots on bombers your bound to get a oil or pilot hit or gun damage. The most kills ive ever had was 18 in a P51 w/ no rearms but that was in the Tank Town map and it was a giant cherry pick over A1.

[Bronk]

Must.....  resist......... arghhh.

Dooo eeet man.

[Steve]

     If your patient and kill by just flaming them you could easily get 25-30 buff kills. I have got 10 in a Poni B with out rearming...with 150 rounds or so left. I know on average if wait on the trigger I can kill a fighter with just 30-40 rounds total. Surviving long enough to get those kills might be another matter.  At lower alts I feel like my buff hunting skills are pretty sharp.

BTW Thanks for those 51B/D fights Steve....dont know if I have seen a D keep up (and beat at times) with me like that before then!

Race
"Ryan"

Hey Ryan, those fights in the DA were a blast the other night. Seems to me your B pony beat my D more often than not... good stuff!

If Steve ever wants to test 24 ......

   Been there, done that.

The dark side is pulling at me.... .. must   resist.......     the dark side   *gurgle*... *ack*   arrrrrrghghhhyeaahhh.