Hi guys.
On the training thing. Are there any exercises that will help with SA? I'm flying the Seafire (not the best but I love Spits and want to learn in 1 plane). I've read a lot of stuff you guys have posted and it has helped. Spent hours cruising around an empty base at 30ft, flaps out doing 85mph scraping the hanger doors as I go through. Doing Immelmans and half Cubans over and over, up and down runways. I'm doing as many things as I can with it and it all seems fine until I try it in the arena for real. In most fights I lose my SA. I see a bogey, go for him and he disappears somewhere, I'm using the hat switch and a mouse to pan round the different views to try and spot him. While this happens I get disorientated and end up in a dive or in a shaking stall and the bogey lands on my six.
The offline missions are good (Hells Gate is cool) and it is helping but I'm still getting bogeys going under me because I can't make the turns and end up diving again. My perception of the speed that I and the bogey are doing is way off (can't be clock watching all the time). I guess it's a normal thing to get lost in space but it's doing me in.
Any help is greatfully received.
The drones are actually very good to train your SA on. The exercise is to fly in and around doing immelman, barrel rolls and yo-yos and such ALWAYS keeping one enemy plane in view. An added test is seeing all of the planes circling are in an order, and are 90 around the circle you should be able to always know where any of the other planes are in relation to where you are as well as the plane you watching. So while your flying and concentrating on the Bomber, check the position of the pony every now and then.
Its almost like being two people at once. Part of your brain has to be aware of your plane were its pointing, how its flying, it's speed and so on. The other part of your brain has to be aware of the target, as well as any threats in the area. It usually works like this for me.
- One enemy, full concentration
- two enemy, Target get 75%, 2nd enemy 25%
- 3 enemy, Target 60%, 2nd and 3rd 20% each
So maneuvering in between the circling planes helps with your plane control. Keeping one target in site always helps with spliting yourself between flying and SA, and checking where the others are helps in sharpening your SA.
