Originally posted by Urchin
Eeeeeh.... no. I'm all about tooting my own horn I guess. Lemme check my stats real fast so I can show the niki to be unworthy of perking.
Actually, nevermind. I don't have to many kills against it this tour. Why bother perking anything?
Point taken. What I was trying to point out is that a pair of Nikis, working the edge of a furball, using altitude and teamwork can run up a decent score. However, that can be done flying Hurricanes too. It's not the aircraft, but how it's employed. Diving straight into that furball would inevitably result in a short existance, with few, if any kills to show for it.
The balance of this post is in response to the general thread.
Last tour (26), the Niki managed a 1.221/1 K/L ratio. That's good, but not anywhere near that of the perked aircraft.
SpitXIV: 1.624/1
F4U-1C: 2.016/1
F4U-4: 1.943/1
Tempest: 4.14/1
How about some non-perk fighters:
Fw 190A5: 1.381/1
Yak-9U: 1.392/1
Fw 190D9: 1.453/1
La-7: 1.220
So, where is the justification to perk the N1K2-J? I simply don't see it.
Consider this also: Not everyone has difficulty with those types so aften complained about. IE: The so-called dweeb rides.
Let's face facts. If a pilot develops methods of dealing with these types, their K/D ratio will reflect it. Two things must be addressed.
Common sense stuff, really.
1) Learn how to defeat the type.
2) Avoid engaging at a tactical disadvantage.
Now, I'm what I would call an average pilot. Yet, I have no trouble with the types most commonly cited for needing to be perked. Why is that? I fight them frequently enough. Let's throw out some of those distasteful numbers again. My current tour 27 scores:
13/0 against La-7
14/2 against N1K2
7/0 against Fw 190D9
8/0 against Yak-9U
20/4 against SpitIX
20/4 against SpitV
That's 82/10 overall. Where's the problem? Flying smart produces those numbers, not anything close to exceptional skill.
I would say that rather than squeak about these aircraft, learn how to deal with them, and be smart in tactical issues. Those pilots who have tremendous talent and skill, they can defeat these aircraft with that alone. Guys like me must develop tactics and and exercise careful planning, but we can be just as successful.
If anyone is having a problem with the above types, or any other type for that matter, don't blame the aircraft. Learn how to cope with them. To do that, you need to fly the type to learn its strengths and weaknesses. Once you know the aircraft, you can formulate tactics to defeat it. However, nothing can help you if you fly with reckless abandon. Some thought must go into how and where you engage as well.
Here's a situation that I see every day in the MA. There's a mixed gaggle of fighters at an airfield, comprised of Nikis, Spits and a La-7 or two. Some huckleberry dives into this crowd and gets whacked for his trouble. Does he learn from this error in judgement? No, he whines about perking the aircraft that killed him. It never dawns on him that he is the problem.
My regards,
Widewing