Pilot Wounds.

[Bark0]

Pilot wounds seem to be a thing of life when I'm flying A P-38, But Many times in FSO when I will get one they ask how serious it is. Now, i don't Know If they are kidding or if you can tell how Serious the PW is.


If you can, How do you tell How Serious it is? Do you look for the Bullet hole and decide which way it entered your body, Or do you tell by How Much Blood you have left?


<S>

Barko Edwards

[uptown]

How much blood or how fast you're blacking out. Either way though it's always best to rtb.

[xtyger]

I don't think I've noticed the difference in blood but, if you start passing out right after you've been hit, you have a problem and have been hit hard.

[Soulyss]

I haven't actually timed it but I don't think how much time you have to get out of the plane before your poor cartoon fighter pilot dies changes.  The frequency of the blackouts varies from time to time but I don't think they actually change how much time you have before cartoon death, of course there is always the very real possibility that I'm wrong.

[Scotch]

There is a varied time. I've been dead within 30 seconds, but I've also been able to fly for a few minutes.
The best way to gauge the severity is by how frequent and long your blackout is.

[Ghosth]

I agree with Scotch.

I've had PW where I was dead in 2 min, and others where I was still flying after 8 min.

On the longer ones it seemed the longer I went the longer the blackout periods lasted, and shorter interval between them. Generally speaking if your more than a sector out your probably in trouble.

[trotter]

I don't think I've noticed the difference in blood but, if you start passing out right after you've been hit, you have a problem and have been hit hard.

This is incorrect, from my experience.

Time between getting the initial PW Hit and first blackout has no correlation to time between blackouts.

In fact, I've actually found that if I get a very quick "first blackout", I have a far longer time between blackouts. Whereas if my first blackout comes after a minute or so, I can expect the next one in 30 seconds, and decreasing quickly after that.

The time between blackouts DOES have a direct correlation to how quickly you will ultimately "die". It is on a linear path. I.E., 30 secs between blackouts, next one is 25 seconds between, etc. Your "death" from blackouts will occur sooner and sooner, not to mention the difficulty and threat of flying while having frequent blackouts.

[Spikes]

I once flew a 234 back a sector and a half to land, with a pilot wound. When you first receive it, wait for the first blackout. When you come back out of it, start counting as to how long in between the first and the next.

[Black Jack]

In a fighter this would not work but if you are in a plane that has a gunner position, switch to it. The time for PW and blacking out if for the pilot. If you are in a gunner position u can fly for ever. Look around to make sure u are going the right way and quickly jump inside the pilot's seat to make correction than come back to gunner pos. With bombers u will be able to fly for many sectors before dieing. In bombers with rear gunners, u can even still defend urself while flying back to the nearest airfield.   

[Scotch]

I chose not to post that because I view it as a bug exploit...

[AWwrgwy]

I chose not to post that because I view it as a bug exploit...

Either way, if the pilot "dies" you cannot get out of the plane.  You're dead anyway.


wrongway

[Scotch]

By jumping positions you put the timer on hold which lets the pilot fly on as usual until you jump back to him to land.
You can also steer your plane with rudder and throttle while in the gunner position and f3 mode.

Gamey.

[AWwrgwy]

But like I said, the "pilot" dies then there is no "jumping back."  Just because you're in the gunner's position it doesn't stop the "pilot" from bleeding out.  Ever jump back to the pilot and find him blacked out?

And, actually, if the pilot "dies" while you're in a gun the plane may blow up anyway.  I don't recall if this is so or not but it may be.

Yes, it's gamey.  But in the long run it prolongs nothing.


wrongway

[Scotch]

Just because you're in the gunner's position it doesn't stop the "pilot" from bleeding out. 

Yes, it does. And that's the whole issue.
As long as you're in the gunner position, your pilot is not bleeding. That's exactly what Black Jack posted.

I'll see if I have this filmed still. I specifically tested this in a TBM after taking a pw.
I flew for about 3 sectors worth of airspace, strafed a vbase, and headed back for home.

[PFactorDave]

Yes, it does. And that's the whole issue.
As long as you're in the gunner position, your pilot is not bleeding. That's exactly what Black Jack posted.

I'll see if I have this filmed still. I specifically tested this in a TBM after taking a pw.
I flew for about 3 sectors worth of airspace, strafed a vbase, and headed back for home.

Scotch is right.  I've noticed this myself.