Question about my new fav ride

[Yippee38]

I'm the Eternal Dweeb.  I love the 38, but the (too?) early compression sucks.  I've tried the SpitV, but I get dizzy flying in circles until the Stangs break off.  I tried the NiK, but ..... dunno.  I just don't like it.  I tried the Hellcat and found that fun, but had only limited success in it.

Then I tried the Yak-9U.  Every time I fly it, I get a positive K/D ratio.  I almost never get that in another plane.  Add to that the joy of chasing down 51s and Typhs on the deck to nail them.  It just doesn't get much more fun than that!  

Anyway, there's a couple of planes that are giving me problems in the Yak-9U.  I'd like some comments from the experts on this plane.

The La7.  I never know how to approach these.  I'm pretty sure they are faster than the Yak in almost all situations, but when I get them turning with me, they almost always kill me.

The 190 (any variant).  How does its speed compare?  What's a good strategy against them?

The Hellcat.  TnB, or BnZ?

The Niki.  See the Hellcat above.  Getting away from a Niki is not a big deal as the Yak accelerates so much better unloaded.  That's fun too.  

I almost forgot the SpitXIV.  Is it faster?  Does it turn better?

Thanks,

[humble]

I'm certainly not a yak expert (or an expert period) but I'll try and help you a bit. The La-7 is probably the toughest nut to crack. It will out climb abd out accelerate you on the deck...altitude is your friend here. once you get over 7,000 I feel you begin to even things up a bit since the wep on la-7 provided no help. I think the yak will out turn the la-7 but its a close call...pilot quality is a big issue in this one. If I'm on the deck I tend to look for an over shoot...most la-7 drivers tend to stay fast...use it against them.

The 190 issues vary based on which you are fighting. The D-9 will control the fight, to win you'll need to outfly the other guy...period. If he's e fighting you then I'd go for the deck and work the throttle hard...fight for the overshoot and make him fight his flight envelope. Get him low enough so if the bird "flips" on him he cant recover...basically your trying to take the vertical away to the degree you can. If he seems willing to turn with you a bit stay as high as you can, but he'll probably extend out if you get an edge.

The A-8 should be a pretty easy match if your co-e...just realize that 1 snap shot will ruin your day. Even though you have the better plane (my opinion) a high percentage of A-8 drivers are damm good...kind of like a jug its the pilot there that counts. My advice is get and keep the high ground...dont chase a bad shot or get under the 190...you'll die quickly...drive him down to the deck and force him to a minimum e state...then kill him.

A-5 is a much tougher nut since it is a better knife fighter...again use alt and E as above. You should control fight here entirely.

The hellcat is a great e fighter that turns reasonably well. If your not positive E your in trouble. Use your acceleration and climb to gain an edge and force the hellcat down...without alt to reload E he'll be an easier kill. The plane has outstanding rudder authority and a nice turn rate. If he's smart he'll set up an overshoot situation. A good F-6 driver often feels the best place for a bogie is 900 out on his 6...he knows 5 sec later you can be 200 in front.
When in doubt roll 90 degrees from his break and go vertical as fast as you can. he cant climb with you or turn with you but he sure csn kill you...dont ask me how its a secret:)

I'd say just treat the nikki as it deserves to be treated...with distain. Dont give it a chance, take your shot and climb up away. If you get bounced your in trouble till your co-e or better. Damm thing is still a porked ride (my 2 cents).

Spitty is a fun fight, you have a slight edge in total E up till 16-17k but he'll out turn you. Keep your E up and fight in the semi vertical and you'll be fine. The 1st time you go flat you'll lose E and angles...the second time you'll probably die. The biggest problem is gun package...you'll need a close in snapshot to win on 1 pass while he can hammer you with hisookas at 500+. Be careful of your shot selection, often you'll hit a spitty but die on the overshoot. you just dont have the differential E to get out of dodge.

[dtango]

My $.02.  I need to qualify my opinions with:
(1) I fly P-51's so my perspective usually is from that vantage point regarding relative performance.
(2) Some of my comments come from just scanning the AH performance charts.
(3) These are generalizations which are always spurious since there are so many variables and conditions that need to be considered (e.g. relative performance differences at diff alt. etc.).

Yak-9u vs. La-7:  
I think they are pretty close in performance and agree with Humble that pilot skill has a lot to do with the outcome.  That being said, my observation is that the Yak's turn better than the La-7's.  If it was me I would use angles tactics vs. the La-7.  Not sure why you seem to be dying in turn fights with them.  I would expect the Yak to have the advantage in that situation.

..vs. 190A-8's / 190A-5's:
I agree with Humble that the Yak-9U is overall the better plane- sort of like the La-7 vs. P-51 matchup where the La-7 dominates the P-51 in multiple crucial aspects.  You can use either angles or energy tactics against them and dictate the fight.  They can't turn with you in a sustained turn fight nor can they run from you.

..vs. 190D-9:
Against the D-9 it'll be a little more tricky.  With no WEP the D-9 is slower than the Yak-9U.  With WEP it's faster.  Same situation with regards to Rate of Climb.  All that being said, the D-9 bleeds E readily and can't hope to turn fight with a Yak-9U.  I would use angles tactics against a D-9.

..vs. F6F:
Not sure about the turn performance match-ups so not sure if you would want to try angles tactics against an F6F.  You definitely have a speed advantage though.

...vs. N1K2:
Use BnZ tactics.  Sort of like the F6F the planes can sucker you into a non intuitive energy fight and use their E and turn advantage against you.

...vs. SpitXIV:
Boy, this is a tough one to call as well.  I haven't flight tested the XIV much so not sure of it's turn capability.  Looking at the charts there doesn't appear to be an overall dominance of one over the other though the XIV might have a slight disadvantage in speed unless it is using WEP.  Guessing by the RoC charts the XIV probably has a much better sustained turn advantage.  That being said I would probably use energy / BnZ tactics vs. trying to turn with it.

Tango, XO
412th FS Braunco Mustangs

[Yippee38]

Originally posted by dtango

Yak-9u vs. La-7:  
Not sure why you seem to be dying in turn fights with them.

Tango, XO
412th FS Braunco Mustangs

Upon reflecting on that, I'm pretty sure that the reason I was dying to them was indecision on whether to go E or angles, and I end up not really pursuing either and being defensive.

[Tac]

The Yak9U is one of the few fighters in which you can actually STALL FIGHT like a 38. In fact, its the ONLY fighter that can stall fight WITH a 38.

I fly the yak9u as if it was a 38 with short sighted guns (fire under d200 only) and a not-so-good zoom climb. But baby, can that little insect dive, high speed fight AND stall fight.

[dfl8rms]

Tac: when you stall fight, you using flaps (1 notch, 2 notches)?  Typically, when in a turning fight, I get bnz'd by a 109 or 51.  Once you've committed to the turn / stall fight and are low, what's the best avenue for escape from a bnz'er who's looking for the easy kill?

Personally, I love the yak, catching 51's and hellcats down low is great.

[Tac]

err.. in what?

if you yak9u you can make good use of your good accel and try to get away *assuming you low/on the deck*. otherwise, once you commit your best bet is to make the other guy commit or git a snapshot on him.

[raven 8]

any plane can be dangerous of flown by a specialised pilot. i find that most vets fly fast bnz planes