A little note on fuel management

[StSanta]

Hey all.

A few incidents lately have left me chuckling some and raised my eyebrowse. But let me first explain my take on fuel management and fighting in AH and then address the main thing.

When I fly in AH, I consider fuel life and sometimes a necessary evil. Without it, I perish in flames if enemies are nearby. With too much of it, I am heavy and at a disadvantage.

Whenever I've come from my engagtement, I immediately check fuel status. Can I go around again? if yes, what are my options - will I be so low on fuel that high enemy contacts might be a problem? How close is the nearest friendly base? And questions like that.

Now, if I run low on fuel or have too little fuel to gain alt to fight higher enemies on equal terms, that's my dumb problem - I made the choice, I stick for the consequences. if I am dumb enough to run outta fuel, again my problem, and the pilot who gets the kill doesn't just get an easy kill - he gets a stupid kill from my perspective and i will not degrade it. It's a fair kill caused by my ignorance.

Now, a few times I've run into people who've said "but I wwas outta fuel, you shot me you coward" or people who have ditched when they've run outta fuel, wlell knowing they're miles and miles away from a friendly airfield. Of course, now and then we get our fuel lines shot up, and occasionally we forget about fuel management or end up in very long fights, but these things are not what I am getting at.

An exampole would be people who loiter around an enemy field and are spotted by a co alt enemy aircraft who goes for the chase. The best example being a 109 enemy, since it has incredible climb rate and is a good interceptor. Some of these pilots (not the interceptors) realize their predicament and either fight for it or try to return to base. Others make a brief fight before they decide that enough is enough and "none of this BS" and then tries to ditch a perfectly functioning aircraft which still has some remaining fuel.

To the last category, I feel I must hold you to my standards; you made the choice, you eat the bitter pill. Don't expect me to go for a quick kill if it's just the two of us and I am in an aircraft in which attacks must be carefully planned and not rushed.

I wonder; is the general setiment in this community that "fight til fuel runs out then try to ditch then call the fight a BS fight"?

I sure hope not. It is my hope that many share my views on fuel management/bringing the stuff unto yourself.

Thoughts anyone?

Sorry for long post, Badgerism has gotten me.

------------------
StSanta
II/JG2
 

[This message has been edited by StSanta (edited 05-30-2000).]

[leonid]

The only people I don't shoot at are people in chutes, generally.  If you are ditching, you are a target, IMHO.  If you ditch, because you fought until you ran out of fuel, too bad.  If you are ditching, because your fuel was damaged in combat, then maybe you should have bailed, and gave up on the ditch.  To me, there are no reasons why you shouldn't be a target, unless you bail.  Again, MHO.

------------------
 
leonid, Komandir
5 GIAP VVS RKKA

"Our cause is just.  The enemy will be crushed.  Victory will be ours."

[This message has been edited by leonid (edited 05-30-2000).]

[gatt]

I agree with Leonid.
I only fly the C.205V, a kite that drinks more than a Lamborghini sport car.
Fuel consumption is a nitemare for me and my squaddies, especially when we fly long fighter sweeps.
We have to monitor continuously our fuel gauges and disengage whem the time comes.
If I dont disengage I'm aware I will die or get captured, too bad for me. Same thing for my foe. I'll shoot down any glider foe.

GATT
4°Stormo Caccia
 

[Maniac]

What Leonid said, only targets i dont shoot at is chutes.

Regards.

------------------
AH : Maniac
WB : -nr-1-


   
http://www.rsaf.org/osf/

[Greg 'wmutt' Cook]

Me personaly, I will in general allow a damaged plane to ditch or withdraw, confident in the knowledge I have won the fight. So what if no score for killing the poor guy.  I will then in general radio him for a good fight (I find them to be more in a mood to talk when I let them live).
However, I harbor no ill will toward someone who finnishes me off when I'm obviously out of the fight.  I do sometimes wonder at the intelect of someone who would rather blow his alt on chasing me to the deck, but hey, it's their nickle.

------------------
Greg 'wmutt' Cook
332nd Flying Mongrels

[gatt]

 

I do sometimes wonder at the intelect of someone who would rather blow his alt on chasing me to the deck, but hey, it's their nickle

  wmutt,
it depends on fighting style. Personally I never blow my alt for anyone, if there are dangerous bandits or bogeys around (VIS or radar I mean). I try to fly and fight as close to the real thing as I can.
But I cant blame guys who want to enjoy the game chasing intact foes or gliders on the deck, even if they have someone on their six and/or above them. And they dont waste their nickles. Above all they are targets for other guys. So, be tolerant and kind uh?  

[Creamo]

Lenoid.....quote by you>

"The only people I don't shoot at are people in chutes"

You are missing out on the finest thrill online,and BTW, when has the chute turned green? There ALL RED

Case in point: This nice fellow I let ride in his point bloated pig chute to the ground GLADLY shot me ditching 5 minutes later, outta a "fuel managment" farce cover excuse.

I say as the 523rd rated pilot, screw everyone, you score turds. Score means nothing, right?

 I will kill every chute, stay outta the silk if you don't want to whine.

:0) This is a blast...soory.

[Vermillion]

I guess I am old school in this arguement.

Fuel management, is just as important as E management, good SA, and being a good stick and rudder.

It is quite amusing to see pilots that take light fuel loads to improve performance, complain when they run out, and then you shoot them down.

Actually its one of my favorite tactics. Get a Pony and drag a Spitfire or 109 around like a kite until they run out of fuel, then pounce  

------------------
Vermillion
**MOL**, Men of Leisure
"Real Men fly Radials, Nancy Boys fly Spitfires"

[Greg 'wmutt' Cook]

 

Originally posted by gatt:
    wmutt,
And they dont waste their nickles. Above all they are targets for other guys. So, be tolerant and kind uh?    

Yeah, I guess that did come across stronger than I meant for it to.  I didn't mean they were 'wasting' their nickles, I just meant it was their nickle to do with what they want    I agree, the main goal is to have fun.  

------------------
Greg 'wmutt' Cook
332nd Flying Mongrels

[This message has been edited by Greg 'wmutt' Cook (edited 05-30-2000).]

[StSanta]

Hey Creamo.

You dtiched a perfectly good plane with fuel left because you'd put yourself in a bad situation.

Just prior to that you said "I do not have fuel for this BS" (exact words) when I *didn't* go down to fight your way. You won't get me to turn fight you in a N1K when I am in a 109G10. That's suicide.

I wonder why you're so upset about this. It was a nice gesture of you not to shoot my chute, but one I would expect being the rule rather than the exception for the majority of guys here.

I've been polite all day. Could you please say what your problem is, as I am not getting it?

Is it that I strafed you as you ditched an aircraft which seemingly had fuel left? Well, you shouldn't have put yourself in that situation. Is it that I did it after you graciously had let me live? Well, if you had bailed, I would not have shot you in the chute. If scores aren't important, why did you NOT bail, if you were outta fuel?

It's just not consistent.

Now, I realize that this has put you on StSanta's Chute Shoot mode. I guess we just see it differently.

Do you let someone ditch who has fuel left because he has put himself in a bad situation? We were approximately co alt when I spotted your dot. I then wepped it, gained alt, you spotted me and dove away. I went in after and that was when you'd had enough.

I've tried to ditch and been strafed several times, and it is my own fault for dying; could have bailed. No hard feelings. On the other hand, I've tried having my engine shot out, then grabbed enough alt to bail, only to see the enemy come back and shoot me in my chute. I calmy write down the handle on my Chutes To Kill list, and that's that.

------------------
StSanta
II/JG2

[RAM]

When I first came to AH, I had an honour code. I never strafed chutes. I never killed no-fuel enemies that declared it.

Now after being chute killed, and no fuel killed, and been victim of kamikaze attacks, I dont give a rats donut about honour code. I shoot at no fuel enemies, I shoot F4U chutes (and soon I also will to Nikis  ).

2 weeks ago I laughed till the end. A La5 bounced me from avobe when I was in my 190. I made him overshoot and rolled back on him, getting a snapshot. His wing fell at once and he started to smoke down...but I saw tha he was trying to ditch the machine. So I dived on him ,finished the La and zoomed back up...

The guy started to call me everything   he said i was a coward, that he had no wing. I told him that I knew he had no wing...If someone is SO stupid to bounce me and fail the bounce then I'll kill him regardless he has intestinal problems, headache , or he wants to pee.

THe stupid bounced me, missed the bounce, gets shot down...and he still calls me coward? LOL

Stupids are like flies. they are everywere, but are easy to kill  

[JENG]

I don't shoot chutes... everything else is fair game IMO. I'm with verm on this one... fueleconomy is part of your SA, if you don't care about watching your fuel, don't care if you get shot down without fuel.


Bee

[airspro]

leonid : I am with you guy .

I shoot to kill any and everything but chutes .  

[bloom25]

My opinion is if it's flyin' it's dyin'.    (I try not to shoot the chute though.)  Seems to me that if you run out of fuel that's your own mistake.  You should have rtbed.

Basically I'll shoot at anything that is a threat to my plane or my wingmen.  A glider is perfectly capable of scoring kills, so it's a target IMO.  Since you don't get kills when the enemy ditches (which would be a kill in real life) I'll sometimes finish off a plane after a fight where he tries to ditch to avoid being killed.  Personally I think the majority of players obey the same rules.

My $.02.  



------------------
bloom25
THUNDERBIRDS

[214thCavalier]

Wandering off topic but..
Hey after much experience in the chute department  
Just make it hard for chute killers, keep that freefall for as long as possible use a side view to keep better SA with the ground and after a few trys you can keep chute open time to a minimum of a few seconds  
Now if they can track you and be in position for that small a window of opportunity hell they deserve the chute kill.
Personally i dont feel the need for kills that bad that i will attack chutes. But then again nobody has really pisssed me off yet  
But i guess you probably all do that anyway.