Strat Auto Ack

[Babalonian]

Rolex should market a pocket/app translator dictionary, designed in mind for the aviation enthusiast.





I wonder if draining the Aux and Fuselage first would yield better results...

[Chalenge]

Has anyone been shot down, in a bomber, from the strat auto ack? And if so, what were you flying and what was your altitude?

I watched all three B-29s from knits get roasted by the puffy over our strats on SMPIZZA map.

[Volron]

I've learned to NEVER take a formation of 29's over a Capital.  I have YET to not lose at least one to the puffy.  Most of the times, I lose 2.  I haven't bothered taking a 29 (or any other bomber simply because I don't log in as often as I wish) over a Capital in some time however.  My mission alt generally sits (in the 29's) at around 31-33k, depending.  For other bombers, I don't tend to go any higher than 22.5.  Most sorties I fly at 20k.

[Lusche]

I've learned to NEVER take a formation of 29's over a Capital.  I have YET to not lose at least one to the puffy.  Most of the times, I lose 2.  I haven't bothered taking a 29 (or any other bomber simply because I don't log in as often as I wish) over a Capital in some time however.  My mission alt generally sits (in the 29's) at around 31-33k, depending.  For other bombers, I don't tend to go any higher than 22.5.  Most sorties I fly at 20k.

I find that utterly surprising. What kind of hits do you get? As you can see by my 117 B-29 strat runs so far, my losses to puffy in the B-29 are negligible. I don't even hesitate to fly around in the strat puffy for half an hour when systematically bombing the City itself... 

[Scherf]

I authored an entire "woe-is-me-watch-me-whine" thread over the deaths I was suffering in my Mossie XVI over strats. Think it was about 1 death every four or five sorties, almost all of them to pilot wounds suffered when flak hit the port wing. P*ssed me off no end that the Mossie pilot seems to extend that far into the radiators.

[Lusche]

An update on my earlier table, now showing the relation between deaths by puffy and deaths by enemy plane's, thus showing my total combat losses. Losses due to disco or operateor screwup (afk flying into the ground) not included.

[Volron]

I find that utterly surprising. What kind of hits do you get? As you can see by my 117 B-29 strat runs so far, my losses to puffy in the B-29 are negligible. I don't even hesitate to fly around in the strat puffy for half an hour when systematically bombing the City itself... 

What would bring me down was fire.  A hit to the fuel and a bright orange light I quickly became.   I would lose one in the first run, then the other on my outbound run.  Now, it doesn't bother me that flak brings me down, just tends to be pricey.

[Lusche]

A hit to the fuel and a bright orange light I quickly became.

Drain CTR before arrival over target. 

[Lusche]

Drain CTR before arrival over target.  

And then I forgot my own advice and promptly lost my 2nd B-29 to AA fire on my 119th B-29 strat run because my CTR tank was hit  

[Volron]

 



I will have to give that a shot the next time I do it.   The draining of the CTR, not the flamey bit.  I get that enough.

[jeffdn]

And then I forgot my own advice and promptly lost my 2nd B-29 to AA fire on my 119th B-29 strat run because my CTR tank was hit  

Same thing happened to me on Monday.

[SmokinLoon]

Here is what we as players know about auto puffy ack, be it over CV, strats, or HQ.  Once you enter in range of the guns, a box forms around your plane.  It is within that box that the puffy ack is going to randomly strike.  I believe it is safe to say that the more guns you're in range of the more puffy ack you'll be targeted by.  I'm not sure if the size of that box changes with the size of the airplane, but I doubt it.  Based on these few points here is all we need to remember while in puffy ack range:

A 109 is going to have a slightly smaller chance, in theory, to be hit by puffy ack than say a Lancaster(s).  The Lancaster(s) take up more room in the "box".  Not only id the 109 smaller but the it will be moving at higher speeds than the Lancaster(s) and will be out of the range of the guns faster thereby exposing themselves to puffy ack fire for less time.  Less puffy ack = less chance of getting damaged.  However, with both of those 2 major points being made remember that the Lancaster(s) can take a lot more damage compared to the 109 before it is adversely effected.  So, pick your poison.   

The only thing a plane can do to protect itself from auto puffy ack is to get out of range.

Each of the last 4 high alt (25k+) bomber missions I've been on over an enemy strat has resulted in damage to my bombers from puffy ack.  Fuel tank and engine hits, mostly. 

[TheMercinary60]

its been a few months since i played now, but id always take b-17 and usually never go much higher then 17k. most of the time id get out with nothing more then an aux fuel hit, witch is common in a 17 to begin with, never figured out of it was average or if i was just lucky 

[Volron]

its been a few months since i played now, but id always take b-17 and usually never go much higher then 17k. most of the time id get out with nothing more then an aux fuel hit, witch is common in a 17 to begin with, never figured out of it was average or if i was just lucky 

Seems average.  It happens to me more than a few times as well.  I can count on one hand how many times I've lost a 17 to the puffy over a Capital.