That's my problem. I have a patience problem. I normally am trying to hit really fast. Oh, well. I just have to work on it harder, and more slowly.
Thanks again for all the advice.
You're getting good advice all around, but sometimes it helps to "see" how it should be done.
As an old has-been trainer, I know that "seeing" it is hard to teach.
As you've heard, you need to get above and in front of the group, and that may take patience. If you watch my dive/approach, I'm almost vertical, and aiming for a point out in front of the bombers.
Watch the approach internally, externally, etc... It really is probably the most important aspect of the attack. It keeps you safe and sets up your shot. When I have trouble with bombers, it's always because I mess up my approach. It needs to be steep, fast, and at a difficult angle for the gunner to return fire effectively. I don't remember seeing it in any of these films, but I often roll as I dive to keep myself from being "stationary" in the gunners view. It also help me fine-tune my approach and aim. I always line my wings up with his (if I can) right before I fire. I'm careful not to be pulling too many G's when I fire, and to be sure that I fly "smooth" to conserve as much energy as I can.
I like to pass below the bombers and pull back up in front of them far enough out in front that I'm in no real danger of being hit. Passing beneath the group does waste some energy, but I think it helps keep me safe by forcing the gunner to hop between guns (passing above the group might allow him to stay in the top turret for the entire attack). When I pull up, It isn't to vertical. It's a sloping uphill zoom that places me above and out in front again. I can usually just pull back into a loop and begin my next dive. Sometimes I use a notch or two of flaps to help me over the top, but retract them immediately when my nose is back down.
My general attack is a series of giant loops for the most part, but very often on my third pass I need to turn it into a barrel roll due to my depleted energy. I try to kill the entire group in three passes, because after that I've lost enough energy that I may need to pause my attack and get some speed/alt back. I like to use a convergence of 275, which works well for the .50's and my style of shooting.
http://www.4shared.com/file/EcQmbIlz/Bombers_from_above.htmlhttp://www.4shared.com/file/wKWoxP0r/B24s_0001.htmlhttp://www.4shared.com/file/wUpB-EdR/Lancs_0000.htmlhttp://www.4shared.com/file/0h_xSRI2/6_buffs_with_saber.html