Originally posted by Curval
Toad thinks I am stupid for not taking an HO shot and instead prefer to have a good fun fight it must be true
Don't take it the wrong way Curval.
I attempted to highlight the part of your initial post that I found curious but, since I was really tired, I forgot that the entire post would be in bold anyway. I should have done it like this:
"Any pilot who doesn't go for the head-on shot when he is in a bad situation.[/i] There are a few of them...I think.Let me explain my views on HO.. and I'll try to be brief.
History is chock full of anecdotal pilot commentary on deliberately taking the HO. I myself have talked with
NUMEROUS WW2 US pilots that deliberately went for the HO, most recently a P-47 guy that twice deliberately engaged FW-190's HO in defense of "his" bomber stream. (He got some non-fatal strikes but his aircraft wasn't damaged.) So the idea that it is somehow not "right" to HO doesn't fly with me.
As far as the "honor" of taking the HO in a game like AH.... Pfffft. It isn't "honor" that's the issue, it's skill. If a pilot has the advantage and goes for the HO, it isn't dishonorable, it's just plain stupid.
He should use the advantage to kill you without risk to himself, or at least
less risk to himself.
Now, if a pilot is on the other side of the fence and HE is in a truly disadvantaged position, he'd again be stupid if he didn't take his "best shot" at equalizing the situation at the earliest possible moment in the engagement. In this case, a HO shot
may (or may not) be the best chance of surviving the engagement either by victory or simply by getting away.
In short, the HO is just another tactic. Just like the rope-a-dope, the hi yo-yo, the displacement roll or the rolling scissors. And just like these "politically correct" forms or air combat, there is in fact a time and a place to use the HO.
Using the HO when you don't need to do so isn't too smart IMO.
NOT using the HO when you need to also isn't too smart... again IMO.
OK.. that was brief, wasn't it?
I rarely ever need to use the HO when I'm anywhere close to corner speed. If someone tries to HO me when I've got good maneuveing speed, it usually results in a half-turn fight where I'm quickly on his six and he's quickly flaming. Seems that the incidence of this has increased recently and I look at them as easy, almost undeserved kills. But, a kill's a kill.
OTOH, when I get bounced aggressively when I'm in a very low E state my options for survival are limited. You can bet I'll try to get a low angle front quarter shot or even a true HO if I can get the nose around and on target. I find using no tracer and opening up early to let the attacker fly into the invisible bullet stream will often save my sorry butt. It also gives me time to hose off some rounds and still have time to possibly evade his return fire (which really depends on E and how quickly I can get back out-of-plane.
So, don't take this as "Toad thinks Curval is stupid despite Curval's college degrees."
It was more in jest as a quick riposte.
This HO thing has been beaten like a dead horse for 3 years now and I tend to skip the lengthy replies that I cheerfully wrote up back then.
I'd have skipped this one too but I certainly didn't mean to truly offend and I hope this lengthy explanation will make more sense than my "quip".
Yer an OK chap in my book Curval. (Even if HO's still bother you.
)
