FM2

[WWhiskey]

I love to fly the FM-2 it was my first real fun ride when i started! after trying to fly the p-38 and a few others it was the first plane to really show some results! it also showed me that i needed to start at the beginning, go to the early  war planes and work my way thru to the late war stuff, do this and it will make you a better pilot and help you understand the strengths and weaknesses of the planes you have to fight. now i fly the jug "m" almost all the time in late war, but i use it in the way it is supposed to be used, if i fly mid war and eny makes it where i need the FM-2   i love to up it with confidence that it will get the job done. it is a very good CV defence plane that can take on all comers, at least for the first two or three passes, and then if you get behind with it, you should be close enough to the CV for some ACK help if needed!

[Krusty]

Heh.. FM2 is really a 1944 plane. It was produced mostly for the escort carriers for convoy protection, while the bigger Hellcats and Corsairs fit on the bigger carriers, they didn't fit so well on these small escort carriers.

You want to start early, C202, P40B, Spit1, Hurr1, A6M2, and work your way up. 'Course you'll not get very far in the MA with these, so probably best to start with a post-1943 ride and work your way up, then loop around to the beginning once you're more confident.

[BaldEagl]

The reason to take the FM2 is the performance gain. Plain and simple.

If you reduce fuel in the F4F to 75% of what you take in the FM2 the performance is nearly identical, even with the bigger gun package.  The only thing you've lost at that point is the option for WEP.

[SlapShot]

I rate the FM-2 as either #1 or 2 on the list of the game's best planes that no one really thinks about.

Small and insanely hard to hit, good gun package, incredibly maneuverable, and pound-for-pound the toughest plane in the game. Her only shortcoming is lack of speed and climb, but it is SO much fun running across those Spit pilots who think they can turn with everything. And showing them just how WRONG they are. 

Exactly ... what I would add is that if it does have some decent E, its zoom capabilities are often underestimated, and when following someone up on a "rope" they will be quite surprised at how close you can get ... and then you reach out and touch them with the .50 cals to make up the difference.

Along with the Spit drivers who are surprised, I often find that most Zeke drivers don't respect the turning capabilities of the FM2 (especially with flaps out), so they get lazy/sloppy and then find themselves in the tower.

One thing you have to remember with the FM2 ... it will not outrun just about any plane it encounters in a typical MA environment ... so be prepared to fight to the death cause running will most likely not be an option.

[Krusty]

If you reduce fuel in the F4F to 75% of what you take in the FM2 the performance is nearly identical, even with the bigger gun package.  The only thing you've lost at that point is the option for WEP.

I was referring to the WEP performance.

[SlapShot]

I was referring to the WEP performance.

Which is a huge difference between the 2 planes.

[Nemisis]

If you reduce fuel in the F4F to 75% of what you take in the FM2 the performance is nearly identical, even with the bigger gun package.  The only thing you've lost at that point is the option for WEP.

Really hard to do with 25% and drop tanks.

[texastc316]

Drop a tank

[SlapShot]

Drop a tank

Yeah ... that does wonders in regards to the flight model and handling. Nothing like fighting in a F4F (FM2) weighted to one side.

[Nemisis]

I could see that working, if they were under the fuselage, like the F4U's. But the F4F/FM2 don't really have all that great of a range, so I tend to take 25% and DT's, or 75%.

[Saxman]

To be honest, the F4F and FM-2 turn well enough even with full internal I'm never worried about being overweight on gas.

[BaldEagl]

I always take 100% in the FM2 and 75% in the F4F.  The F4F has a larger tank and that extra 25% really seems to hurt especially with the bigger gun package.  Without the extra 25% fuel in the F4F they're pretty even except for the WEP advantage of the FM2.  I'm not saying WEP isn't a big advantage for the FM2... it is.  If I'm going a long way then I'll strap on the drop tanks and get rid of them somewhere along the way before I need to fight but I don't change the internal fuel load.

[SlapShot]

I always go with 75% and it suits me just fine ... 100% feels a little sloppy to me when lifting for base defense and trying to get my speed up as quickly as possible.

Also ...

I barely fly any farther than 1 sector for a fight.

I will usually run out of ammo (or die  ) before I run out of gas.

[jolly22]

The F4F just feels so right to fly!

[Saxman]

Many times in the FM-2 I've gotten her down slow enough to scrape a wing along the ground in a fight without wrecking, lol.