L birds

[MachFly]

I think one of the L birds would be a good addition to AH. We could let them take off from V bases (perhaps even ports) and scout for enemy tanks. As they did not have weapons they would be unable to strafe tanks or destroy M3s. It would be helpful for those V bases that are separated from the rest of the map by high mountains or water (not by spawn points).
Maybe even have them cost vehicle perks as their job is spotting tanks.

Options:
Taylorcraft L-2
Aeronca L-3
Piper L-4 (J-3 Cub)
Stinson L-5 Sentinel


I think this idea was brought up a few years ago in a thread (don't remember by who), but it never really had a thread of it's own.

[Raptor05121]

They were usually "armed" with white phosphorous rockets attatched to the wing struts to mark positions.

+1

[FBCrabby]

Would be nice to see some sort of scouting aircraft in the game that only Ports and V-bases had!

+2

[Reaper90]

I've asked for this several times, but you're right, I don't think it has ever had its own thread. I brought up the idea most recently in the artillery thread.





I'd love to be able to spawn one of these from the large hanger on a Vbase to scout out GVs.....

[AHTbolt]

L4s never carried any rockets ever, armed only with a radio.

[SmokinLoon]

The L-4 would be a hoot if we would be able to launch them from a V-base.  If not, then their usefulness would be very very limited, as in not at all when there are 80+ combat able aircraft to up from an airfield.

[Ruah]

and are faster. . .

[Tyrannis]

I think one of the L birds would be a good addition to AH. We could let them take off from V bases (perhaps even ports) and scout for enemy tanks. As they did not have weapons they would be unable to strafe tanks or destroy M3s. It would be helpful for those V bases that are separated from the rest of the map by high mountains or water (not by spawn points).
Maybe even have them cost vehicle perks as their job is spotting tanks.

Options:
Taylorcraft L-2
Aeronca L-3
Piper L-4 (J-3 Cub)
Stinson L-5 Sentinel


I think this idea was brought up a few years ago in a thread (don't remember by who), but it never really had a thread of it's own.

I was liking it, till i read that. I dont think its a good idea to make you pay perk points for something that has no way to earn perk points itself.

Instead, Maybe Shorten its Range of sight, Meaning the bird has to Fly low. (between 800-600ft) Before it can see tank icons?  It'll have the birds within Pintle range Incase people decide to up multiple Birds, yet it would keep it unperked.

I just have this picture in my mind of a defending country upping like 12 of these and the attackers get pushed back to their spawn point and spawn camped because there was so many birds in the sky finding them, And i def dont like that idea.

[gyrene81]

wonder how many 20mm or 37mm flak rounds it would take to knock one of those little slow moving things out of the air 

in a gv battle, especially between two gv bases, there are going to be enough wirbels, ostis and m3s that a low slow spotter like that wouldn't stay up in the air for long. and the fact that there is no real incentive other than "cool factor" to even fly a slow unarmed airplane around hostile ground, it would end up being a hangar queen.

maybe if there was some system similar to the keyboard check6 call. say the pilot spots an enemy gv, hits a key that marks it and sends message to the room channel (purple channel) that anyone who spawned from the same base as the spotter plane, would be able to see and if the enemy gv gets destroyed by friendly ground vehicles the pilot gets an assist and a percentage of the kill points?   

[PuppetZ]

In my most humble opinion, as cool as it would be and as far as realism goes, they would serve no real purpose. I can already scout with a fast fighter. Would it add a little something in the realm of realism? Definitely. Would I use them? No. There are better options game wise. Talking about slow, when is the last time you saw a VAL in LW? I dont play that much but my answer to that is never. It's my opinion it would be much the same for those cesna wannabe. Would fly them a couple time then go back to something I can hope to survive in.

[SmokinLoon]

In my most humble opinion, as cool as it would be and as far as realism goes, they would serve no real purpose. I can already scout with a fast fighter. Would it add a little something in the realm of realism? Definitely. Would I use them? No. There are better options game wise. Talking about slow, when is the last time you saw a VAL in LW? I dont play that much but my answer to that is never. It's my opinion it would be much the same for those cesna wannabe. Would fly them a couple time then go back to something I can hope to survive in.

Good point, but you are missing the target with your shot.    You cant up any aircraft from a V-base, the proposal is to be able to up an unarmed L-9 "eye in the sky" from a v-base.  In my first reply, I said if it is only available at airfields then not to bother since even the lowly B5N would be better than the L9.

[PuppetZ]

Good point, but you are missing the target with your shot.    You cant up any aircraft from a V-base, the proposal is to be able to up an unarmed L-9 "eye in the sky" from a v-base.  In my first reply, I said if it is only available at airfields then not to bother since even the lowly B5N would be better than the L9.

No miss, just a few pings that smoked the engine  . I'm sure I could get to a far spawn in not much more time doing 300 in my hog from a close airfield than a L9 doing 120 from the vbase itself.

[2ADoc]

An L-9 doing 120??? . Any of the L birds wouldn't do 120 unless it was aimed straight down, with a tailwind, and a few manhole covers tied to the struts. Instead let's just make the RV available from the V base it is bright yellow, so the GVers would be able to spot it easy and they could use their pintle guns on it. Oh and what is an L-9?
 

[PuppetZ]

One of those Cesna kind of planes in the OP I think.

[Tilt]

but then the ac most commonly used for gv recon (from a Vehicle Field) was the Polikarpov PO-2 (U2).