Observations on the FW190-A8

[bustr]

Tonight I upped in an A8 with the 4-20mm package and 100% fuel, no drop tank to test out the complaint about it's lack of sportiness. I landed 6 kills and I do not fly the A8. A few nights ago I flew it landing 4 kills. But, It has been years since I flew it last for all I know before this tour. When you burn half of the aux tank you will perceive on boost better performance from the A8. Taking a dropper leaves a ETC 501 rack to drag in the slip stream.

1.) If you are an old AW 190 hand, fly it the same way. But instead of 10k as the basement 7-8k if not too many higher cons. It has not changed.
2.) Always engage from a higher position to take advantage of reaching 400 IA on boost while diving away from the pack unless its all lower than you. Then hit 400 and pick in the pack while never turning.
3.) Always make the most of your single shot and do not turn more than 90 degrees unless enemies are 4k or farther away and only for several seconds. Regaining your perch is more important than chasing a con.
4.) Run out and climb on boost back to a slightly higher position or coalt if the enemy is 4k or farther away. Make sure at level to extend away from the cons.

It is a Mac Truck with a mondo gun package and it's best strength is it's ability to hit 400+- diving and extend away on boost. Sounds some what like FW tacitcs from the real war. Tip and Run is what the British called it.  Do any of you old AW players have a copy of the rules for flying the A8? They are relevent to AH.

Here for those who do not speak german. A translated manual to oggel over. You too can be a FW190-A8 Phoobah.
http://www.lexpev.nl/downloads/fw190a8.pdf

[Guppy35]

Go follow KillnU aka Karma around.  He seems to be doing just fine in the A8

[save]

Most experienced pilots can do good in the A8 keeping SA up, that is not the issue.

[Noir]

with decent SA and tactics even a P40 can land double digits...people complain about the performance of the plane tactics aside.

[Oldman731]

with decent SA and tactics even a P40 can land double digits...people complain about the performance of the plane tactics aside.

Agreed.  A8 can b&z just fine, or zip through furballs, but if it ever loses its E advantage it's toast against any half-way competent pilot.  I have found it the most difficult of the late war planes to succeed in, 1 v 1, and only the early P-40s, of all planes, are worse.

- oldman (still keep trying, though, there has to be a way...)

[bustr]

I was just trying to give a fair hearing to the wishlist by dhyran concerneing the performance of the A8. I'm not sure what sportiness in an A8 constitiutes. The Hippo Ballerina in Fantasia or Chuck Norris behind the wheel of an 18 wheeler.

I decided to fly it from the impressions I've gotten from reading german action reports. Does sportier mean I should have been able to land 8-10 kills?

I'm also confused by how differently our A8 should handel based on dhyran's description of it's deficiencies. Turning in this game seems to be realtive to how well you can putter around in circles sub-250 while performing substandard aerobatics. Or overshooting by suckering individuals to the edge of sub-250 then going vertical to play stall chicken or horizontal weaving to perform sychronised stall dancing while shooting at each other. Neither proposition is attractive considering the brick like qualities of the A8 at low speeds. I do not think Mr. Tank had those things in mind for his "Butcher Bird".

But, the german pilot did not have unlimited lives. If Mr. Tank had designed the A8 specificaly for a cartoon game 70 years later to excel at low speed substandard airshow areobatics while piu, piu, piuing at other substandard aerobaticists. It would not be the A8 historic facsimile we currently enjoy. 

[Krusty]

The A8 we "enjoy" is not historic. It is the heavily armored sturmbock variant, only without the actual durability said armor provides.

Instead we get the most weighted down variant with the least protection.


It's a mix-matched version. It's also not very representative.

[Guppy35]

The A8 we "enjoy" is not historic. It is the heavily armored sturmbock variant, only without the actual durability said armor provides.

Instead we get the most weighted down variant with the least protection.


It's a mix-matched version. It's also not very representative.

And this info comes from where?

[Scherf]

Please, not again.

[Torquila]

While the concept of this gesture is sound in mind, in expression it is simply seeing what it wants to see.

You took up a bird, which was supposed to be somewhat manuverable, historically but in your aftermath report you dont even try to turn it once.

I suggest taking it to the dueling arena and having a bit of furball with it for a few days.

This was a pointless exercise and gesture and waste of your time, every other plane can do that fine, even the a6m2 if you "do it right".

If something feels off, or is fishy; then most of the time it is. Intuition is a powerful thing.

[save]

I expect the A8 to be much closer with the A5.

A5 can hold its own vs many planes correctly flown,whereas A8 cant turn or pull up without losing speed faster than all fighters i've met.

Try to pull up fast in the A8 and you stall the darn thing at almost any speed, giving even low powered planes a chance to escape you pullng G's.

This doesn't happen  even nearly in the A5.
 
Pulling up at low speed , flips it around, making a shot at it very hard , but you  your lose speed incredible fast doing it, and you don't have any muscles to get away the second time con dives for you, with the acceleration, I dont find the A5 work that way.
****************************************

Best way of escaping pesky 51s in A8s is to dive it to the deck and do rolling scissor at 450-500 mph between treetops, it is not unusual to land more kills doing that that fight 1vs1 since A8 energy retention is by far the worst in the game.

All fighters and some bombers out turns you and keeps E MUCH better.



You can give some surprises if you fly with 1/2 tank and 2*20mm, since all planes you fly against regard you as manoeuvrable as a CV, but they know they also win the HO  because the bullet drop of German guns, so I set my convergence to 800 when I go into mood to "do you feel lucky, punk ?"  HO after countless HO's by most 51s in the area, tired of out rolling them every time.

You lose engine oil from the 1rst bullet always vs buffs so only good option is to do the high 12 attack.

The punch delivered to the buffs is very good and many times you lit up 2 planes each go spraying 20mms into their wings, and snapshots vs fighters not paying attention is, of course easy kills.

[Karnak]

The A8 we "enjoy" is not historic. It is the heavily armored sturmbock variant, only without the actual durability said armor provides.

Instead we get the most weighted down variant with the least protection.


It's a mix-matched version. It's also not very representative.

You've been making this claim for years, yet the recent rash of Fw190A-8 threads has failed to support that claim.  Do you have data supporting it?

[USAF2010]

Read this thread and decided to up an A8 for a couple sorties.

First sortie was with the 4 x 20mm package, and ended up strafin' a guy on the runway, then encountered a 190D trying to HO, but made quick work of him. Then found a low 109G14, and using the tactics described above, clipped his wings with support from JVnotch in a 262, and got the kill.

Landed, upped again and and this time just took the 2 x 20mm package. Used the same tactics on an FM-2 but actually turned a bit after a while, and chewed him up. An N1K came up, turned his back and one pass with a slight right turn BOOM. RTB'd and that was that.


Both times I dumped the MG ammo.


-INCOMING

[Torquila]

The problem with reading things and then acting is usually there is an subversive instinct to "fulfill prophecies" if you get my meaning.

But otherwise, dumping MG ammo; maybe that makes it right?  

lulz

[IrishOne]

And this info comes from where?

lol was wondering the same thing.