Icon range Versus actual distance when in dive

[Chilli]

Okay, it appears that the range in altitude are reported in yards and the distance in feet?  I am confused, because something 200 in front of me is 200 feet but something below me at 200 is actually 200 yards away?  How does this work when in pursuit of a diving aircraft?

[Wiley]

Altitude is in feet on the altimeter.  Icon distance, doesn't matter if it's up, down, lateral, or at a 45 degree angle, is in meters.

An aircraft 3000 meters in front of you will show an icon distance of 3k.  An aircraft 3000 meters to your right will show an icon distance of 3k.  An aircraft 3000 meters above you or below you will show an icon distance of 3k.

All that tip is saying is, if it's showing an icon distance 3k straight up from you, it's actually 9,000 feet on your altimeter.

Wiley.

[hitech]

Altitude is in feet on the altimeter.  Icon distance, doesn't matter if it's up, down, lateral, or at a 45 degree angle, is in meters.

An aircraft 3000 meters in front of you will show an icon distance of 3k.  An aircraft 3000 meters to your right will show an icon distance of 3k.  An aircraft 3000 meters above you or below you will show an icon distance of 3k.

All that tip is saying is, if it's showing an icon distance 3k straight up from you, it's actually 9,000 feet on your altimeter.

Wiley.

Almost corect is yards not meters.

HiTech

[Wiley]

Almost corect is yards not meters.

HiTech

Ugh... Thanks...  The brain knew what it meant, the Canada slipped out.  They're close enough to the same size anyways right?

Wiley.

[pembquist]

Isn't this how we lost a space probe?

[hitech]

Ugh... Thanks...  The brain knew what it meant, the Canada slipped out.  They're close enough to the same size anyways right?

Wiley.

For the purposes of this conversation, yes they are close enough.

HiTech

[Chilli]

Thanks very much for the clarification.  Makes much more sense to me know.  I thought that altitude was reported differently by the range icon, I stand corrected.   

[bustr]

Chilli,

Here is another one to hurt your head.

I'm about to release an N3 gunsight for the B-25H that has the pipper positions for 1000, 2000, 3000, 4000, 5000 based on the Aberdeen Proving Grounds gunnery tests at 250 IAS. I have a terrain that I can test 4-5k over flat open ground, I hit fuel bunkers at 4-5k. It was more a matter of shooting and seeing where rounds hit at those pipper choices, then later adapting that to the attack runs that I hit the bunkers. A bit of how the pilots in WW2 learned to aim for the 75mm. If you are slower than 250 or faster your IP changes. If your nose pitch is down from above 1000ft, your IP changes. If you raise your nose too high by a few milliradians on the gunsight, you shoot to 6k. That is why the B-25H was flown level at a constant speed when firing the 75mm and the pipper was moved by a hand dial or by pressure with the falcon radar. In our game for 4-5k you have to lift the nose to see the pipper and that can get interesting. I think for those ranges because of the nose lift, you are firing from 5 and 5.5k for 4 and 5k.

This also means looking through the gunsight and seeing dots with numbers next to them, just because you see 2k on the icon, when you fire you are inside of 2k but still shooting short due to pointing your nose down at the target below. The active HUD ladder in the game makes me think Hitech could add a function to the N3 with A1 tilting sight head in the B-25H where you use a button and or analog dial which would move the pipper up and down equivalent to tilting the sight glass 15 degrees like real life. In the end, it's probably easier to practice offline with the gunsight until you get the muscle memory for 4-5k. And for short shooting while in a down pitch attitude.

[Randy1]

Isn't this how we lost a space probe?

Hubble space telescope had blurred images that were traced to a conversion error.  Took two space shuttle visits to more or less fix the problem if I remember right.

[bustr]

They had to put contacts on the lens.

[Chilli]

Very interesting Bustr.  It wasn't very long ago that I had the opportunity to visit Aberdeen Proving Grounds and I can't say for sure, but I may even have seen a black and white photo of one of the test aircraft.... memory plays tricks, whether or not it was P38 or B25.   

Do you use zoom, head movement or concentric sight targets to select the proper piper?

[pembquist]

It was the Mars Climate Orbiter in 1999 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars_Climate_Orbiter

[bustr]

Very interesting Bustr.  It wasn't very long ago that I had the opportunity to visit Aberdeen Proving Grounds and I can't say for sure, but I may even have seen a black and white photo of one of the test aircraft.... memory plays tricks, whether or not it was P38 or B25.   

Do you use zoom, head movement or concentric sight targets to select the proper piper?

Zoom and practice.

The B-25H\J had a standard attack protocol in the PTO and CBO where they were primarily used. Approach the target 2000-3000ft. At about 8000-9000yds drop to 500-1000ft and 250-275IAS. Begin firing from level at 5000yds in until 1000yds then break off to avoid defensive fire. I've tried that and our 3D cockpit is not duplicating some aspect of being a human pilot aiming with the real tilting sight head. In the game we have to pitch the nose up\down to adjust the pipper which throws the testing data I converted into Mil drops off. Eventually with a little practice on a gunnery range with fuel bunkers at 1 mile spacing's, I was hitting at 5k and 4k. Very few players will put that much offline effort into learning how to use the reticle. They will assume it's a point and click semi aimbot since it's relased as is for game play, load it up and get very disappointed in the game. Then stop using it and be offended I gave them a broken piece of garbage.

Until the falcon radar replaced the N3 with A1 sight head, 5000yd hits on ships with the 75mm were about 4 in 12 attempts by real pilots.

[Chilli]

Sounds like a training video opportunity.  For me that would be preferable to attack on invading fleets, rather than the "wait and see" low level torpedo bomber approach.

[bustr]

Over the years I made the gun run work once like the protocol. I ended up with a slight descent from 1500ft so my 5000yd shot had a 1125ft drop.

Here is the table and you can see the drops matter because you are projecting out front and then dropping in an artillery shell.

250mph IAS
5000yds --- drop 1125ft --- tof 9.35 sec
4000yds --- drop 640ft   --- 6.9
3000yds --- drop 323ft   --- 4.79
2000yds --- drop 129ft   --- 2.96
1000yds --- drop 30ft     --- 1.38

Basically you practice until you get the dive angle and can lay 4 rounds on targets 5000 into 2000. Next thing is learn the lead for a ship 5000 and 4000 because it takes time for your round to get there. First time I tried hitting a CV at 5000 my round hit the water in it's wake because I aimed for the super structure on center. So you end up diving in starting at a point half a ships length ahead of the CV gradually changing the aim-point onto the fore quarter. Then some one goes "hot-dang" and smokes you with a 5inch.