CK revisited: Transitions to AH

[Dinger]

Yeah, but it's so much fun to turn the tables on those high bastards.  I used to take of the La-5 just for that reason: find some dweeb above you, make him make a pass on your six, roll inverted duck down (burn some E) -- dweeb makes pass steeper, gaining even more E on you, roll right-side up, pull up, dweeb overshoots under you, then burns E pulling for the shot.  You just look through the crosshairs and pull the trigger.

Then these cannon-hawgs came out and it stopped working...

[Lephturn]

Not against me it didn't stop working.    I get nailed like that all the time by wiley La5 and N1k drivers in both of the Hog variants.

If you are getting nailed initial pass, it is just a matter of timing your evasive properly.  Also, if the higher con is smart, he won't try to follow at all and will be able to zoom safely up above you again.  Even so, a great accelerating plane will whittle down that E advantage after no more than a few passes.

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Lephturn - Chief Trainer
A member of The Flying Pigs
Visit Lephturn's Aerodrome for AH news, resources, and training data.
 http://users.andara.com/~sconrad/

"MY P-47 is a pretty good ship
And she took a round coming 'cross the Channel last trip
I was thinking 'bout my baby and lettin' her rip
Always got me through so far
Well they can ship me all over this great big world
But I'll never find nothing like my North End girl
I'm taking her home with me one day, sir
Soon as we win this war"
 - Steve Earl

[Vila]

For sure, I've found the pilot quality to be very high in AH.

In my pony, I can do very well as long as I can maintain an advantage.  I find myself "repositioning" more often than ever before.  In most cases this is not a Bad Thing(tm), because I try to be smart pilot, and avoid non-advantaged engagements, but it can be very frustrating when the arena numbers are very unblanaced.

BTW, I love that quote.... and it's so true... good pilots should avoid situations as much as possible where they have to demonstrate how good they are!

I used to say "fair fights are for duels and suckers"... and I believe that.  After all, the point of ACm is to shoot the other guy in the back!  I don't blush about runstanging once I've lost the advantage, or even draggin em to the ack (after all, the other guy was the one who made the decision to follow me in!)

Personally, the high skill level in AH just makes me all the prouder when I manage to win a tough fight, or land after a really good sortie!

Vila

[skeet]

Hi
It's interesting to see a lot of self-imposed rules people fly by. As varied as the people you meet, thank god. I often see people getting ascribed motives for what they do, as if attacking (or not attacking) this or that can only have one motive. I'm sure the motives for actions can be as varied as the people flying too.
Here's my CURRENT AND EVOLVING view, FWIW.
I'll start by saying that I don't rate(yet) as a pilot - check my stats :-).

I fly a lot according to mood. I moved from Rooks to Knights for instance because I didn't find it satisfying to be vying for targets. I rarely vulch for the same reason. Maybe that will change. Sometimes I find being vulched irritating and so I take off from non-vulched fields and spend a while climbing. When I reach the battle - sometimes we're superior, somtimes half the friendlies are down, there's 4 or 5 red dots ahead, maybe ones above, the rest below. I can run - for me I shrug and say what for? I'm going in and I'll use every ounce of (mediocre) skill to do or die but hey, the exhilaration of lasting 10(!), 20(!!), 30(!!!) secs <grin> or sometimes *much* longer, maybe pinging or downing someone - just the best feeling. Great for SA.

Yesterday there was a vulched field, only one other friendly there. Quiet night, no major strategic battle was on I could see, so I couldn't find a purposeful flight alternative to the challenge of getting off from a vulched field. Sure I got blasted a few times before I even got up to 60mph, I didn't care. The thrill of getting airborne, low speed evasions, nursing the speed, flying as cleanly as I could, using SA to the max. using the terrain, etc etc and getting some shot's in - excellent. In doing this I know I'm giving some people easy kills. Hope it makes 'em feel good I say even if it's just some nice screen candy. Vulching an empty field is no pleasure for 'em I figure.
 I'll often waste my E to help a friendly in trouble. I'd rather not, but it's not right or wrong. You may see me flying away when you need help - maybe I've figured I need more height before I return - or my help will be wasted. Not 'cowardice', just the best thing I think to do at the time.
I was the only knight on the other day. Hey have fun: load a Spit with bombs, DT and 50%, fly over nice 'n high, dive bomb a field waaaaaaaaaaay behind the lines (Hey I got an HQ), fly towards the nearest red dots, drop the DT and see how long I can last. (not long was the answer).
For me - entertaining, gave the cons some opposition on a low-numbers night too.
So ... when you see a little dot approaching  and it's outnumbered ... maybe not stupid ... maybe just someone having a helluva lot of fun.


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skeet - out
Aces High - Fight Stimulator

[This message has been edited by skeet (edited 02-22-2000).]

[Udie]

  Here's my thoughts on why it's easier to avoid a 5k bounce than a 2k bounce.  PATIENCE! and lack of DISAPLINE! Pilots want that kill and they want it bad, and this gets them killed more often than not. If you have a 5k alt advantage over a con there is absolutely NO reason you should lose the fight.  Unless the guy is an uber evasive pilot, or he has a good wingman.

 When you start your initial dive there are ways to keep from getting too fast. Simply spiral down to him keeping your speed fast but not too fast.  I only do this if I am diving on a lone con. I watch his attitude as I go down so I know which way to correct my roll so that he flies through where my bullets will be (deflection shot).  I try to have my plane as unloaded as possible (ie. as close to 0 g's as I can)  Usualy though there are some G's being pulled due to the high speed rolling turn.  Then I try to roll my plane so I can see him in the right or left side of my cockpit window. (the side windows not the front windscrean)  At about d5, depending on my aspect angle, I shoot and hopefuly he flies through the stream.

 If there are more than 1 bogies near my target, I'll boom down as fast as I can.  At about 2k above him I'll zoom back up and reassess the situation, but keeping my speed very high.  If someone is making an attack on me I'll try a "rope-a-dope" manuver and hopefuly he'll follow me up.  I fly the 190 mainly and it does hammer heads very well, actualy it does almost any vertical manuver well.  Once I'm back up w/ alt I simply start the whole proccess over again.

 Like Vila said,  "I find myself "repositioning" more often than ever before.", this is the most important part of using a very high alt advantage and keeping it.  It's realy tough to do though.  The endorphin squirt from seeing that con get ripped to shreads is a powerful force to deal with, and ends most of my flights way too early.  

 That's why it takes patience and disapline.  Be frugal with your altitude, it takes alot longer to go up than it does to go down.  Don't make that the winning advantage for your prey.



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Udie
Say "you-die", Say "ooodee", JUST SAY YOUR PRAYERS!!!!
902nd Immortal Jaguars