Drills to Improve

[Changeup]

Any time that I get into a rut with my gunnery I go shoot drones. Just go offline and shoot drones for a short time relax and go back into the MA.

It can really help.

This works!  Done it many many times

[uptown]

I like to go to DA lake and just level out as soon as my gear is up. Most, if not all are coming in much higher with a better turning bird then mine (usually spixteens). Fighting from the disadvantage against higher multiple cons is great practice in E management, SA, overshoots, quick breaks and quick gunnery.   

[Randy1]

Go to the TA, with a buddy if possible.

Do a few quick divebombing runs with an air start.

Then with a buddy use the air start feature to begin at 10K and turn on lead computing gunsight. 

After about 10-20 minutes in the TA you are ready to practice killing in the MA.

Air Start?  Lead computing gunsight?

Where can I go to read about these features?

Great thread by the way.

[thrila]

I go and shoot up the drones offline very now and then.  When i came back from a long term absence from AH i did this for a couple of sorties before heading to the MA.  I lost all my stick settings while i was gone and i have had a lot off difficulty scaling my rudder to my liking, i'm still not 100% satisfied with it.  To help with this i set all the offline drones to bombers and i would join trail them using my rudder to jump my gunsight from wingtip to wingtip and from half a wing length away from the bomber to the cockpit.  I found this useful to help gain the necessary muscle memory for using the correct amount of rudder for snap shots.

[Changeup]

Air Start?  Lead computing gunsight?

Where can I go to read about these features?

Great thread by the way.

The TA.  Some of them are F key features.  Seek out one of the trainers that are in there and he will give you the list. Or you can look them up in the clipboard.  I apologize.  I can't remember the keys and I'm at the office so I can't look them up.

[Randy1]

The TA.  Some of them are F key features.  Seek out one of the trainers that are in there and he will give you the list. Or you can look them up in the clipboard.  I apologize.  I can't remember the keys and I'm at the office so I can't look them up.

No problem.  You gave me the information to where to look.  That works for me. Thanks a bunch.

[morfiend]

No problem.  You gave me the information to where to look.  That works for me. Thanks a bunch.

  ctrl tab enables friendly lock,then tab the target plane when in view and you will see the lead calculating gunsight.  The air spawns are mostly in the level bombing area,you'll see a set of blue squares on the clipboard map,the location of the blue square is the take off direction,so if it;s in the upper right side it's the NE runway.


   

[Triton28]

Lots of good tips.  Some I already do and some I need to try.

My gunnery is often suspect, but when it gets really bad, turning tracers off sometimes helps.  Makes no sense at first, but I've realized sometimes my gunnery issues stem from "chasing the tracers".  Also, the tracers sometimes overwhelm my sight picture (New huri with 12 .303's is horrible.. lol) and I'm not really sure where or how hard I'm hitting the target.  Turning tracers off makes you focus on your piper, in much the same way pistol shooters are taught to focus on the front sight post with the target in the background.

Worth a try when you're in a funk if nothing else.

 

[lambo31]

I go and shoot up the drones offline very now and then.  When i came back from a long term absence from AH i did this for a couple of sorties before heading to the MA.  I lost all my stick settings while i was gone and i have had a lot off difficulty scaling my rudder to my liking, i'm still not 100% satisfied with it.  To help with this i set all the offline drones to bombers and i would join trail them using my rudder to jump my gunsight from wingtip to wingtip and from half a wing length away from the bomber to the cockpit.  I found this useful to help gain the necessary muscle memory for using the correct amount of rudder for snap shots.

 Great tip Thrila!  Reminded me of something I used to do years ago that was similar. I would get behind the drones in Offline and practice taking the wing tip off one side then barrel roll to other side as quick as I could and take the wing tip there, barrel roll to back to the first side and finish the wing and so on, continuing to barrel roll from side to side. Really helped my gunnery back then but I haven't did it in years.

 Lambo

[deadstikmac]

~ Aircraft of Choice
~ 25% Fuel

Objective:
The Rudder Flight. Take off and encircle the airfield using ONLY the rudder for turning. Alerions may be used for maintaing level flight as well with the elevator. Feeling brave try doing touch and gos' with rudder only.

[Changeup]

~ Aircraft of Choice
~ 25% Fuel

Objective:
The Rudder Flight. Take off and encircle the airfield using ONLY the rudder for turning. Alerions may be used for maintaing level flight as well with the elevator. Feeling brave try doing touch and gos' with rudder only.

Niiiiice.  I'll be doing this one when I get back to town from biz trip.  I need help with my rudder scaling and this drill should help me line-out the feel.

[FLS]

The flat scissors makes an excellent drill for snap shots and guns defense. You do one or the other to start, then you can do both at the same time when it gets too easy.

For the snap shot drill one player is the shooter and the target player will cross in front and provide a predictable target on a steady flight path. As soon as the flight paths cross both players reverse to continue the scissors.
When the shooter is out of ammo the roles can be switched.

For guns defense the same drill is flown but the target will try to avoid getting hit by jinking up or down in anticipation of the shot.

[Babalonian]

Air Start?  Lead computing gunsight?

Where can I go to read about these features?

Great thread by the way.

All disabled in the MAs - but in the DA for example, look on the map for a symbol that looks like a 3x3 box-grid on the map somewhere with a field number listed next to it, one of the boxes on the 3x3 grid will be highlighted to indicate that using that given runway at that given field will start you in the air "here"....  this will do as an example -



Lets look at the air spawn in sector 3,18 - note it has a 3x3 grid with listing its associated field as A-60.  So, to utilise it you go to the tower at A60, select your plane and loadout from the hangar, then select the highlighted grid/runway direction to launch on (in our example South), and ta-da.  Some maps list next to the airspawn symbol what altitude it will spawn you at, but given they are usualy utilised for scenarios with high-altitude bombers and escort I find they average ~20k.

[Changeup]

All disabled in the MAs - but in the DA for example, look on the map for a symbol that looks like a 3x3 box-grid on the map somewhere with a field number listed next to it, one of the boxes on the 3x3 grid will be highlighted to indicate that using that given runway at that given field will start you in the air "here"....  this will do as an example -

(Image removed from quote.)

Lets look at the air spawn in sector 3,18 - note it has a 3x3 grid with listing its associated field as A-60.  So, to utilise it you go to the tower at A60, select your plane and loadout from the hangar, then select the highlighted grid/runway direction to launch on (in our example South), and ta-da.  Some maps list next to the airspawn symbol what altitude it will spawn you at, but given they are usualy utilised for scenarios with high-altitude bombers and escort I find they average ~20k.

Nice workup Babalonian.
Remember, when you air spawn, your flaps are out and youre almost always stalling.  Pull them in and let it get some air under her wings.

[FLS]

Air Start?  Lead computing gunsight?

Where can I go to read about these features?

Great thread by the way.

Air starts in the TA are at the bombing range at fields 20,21,22, and 23. You start at cruising speed with gear and flaps up.

To use the gunsight training aid against someone on your side use CTRL TAB to turn on Friendly Lock then TAB to select your target.
You'll see a box around the playerID and a green cross for each set of guns, primary and secondary. Putting your gunsight on a green cross will show you the proper lead to hit your target.