S! all
I guess I notice this because I fly a P-47 a lot. I get up to higher alts, usually around 15,000-25,000 ft in order to maximize the performance of my aircraft and its preferred maneuver style. I guess you would call me an `Alt Monkey`.
At longer ranges, (out of Ikon range) it is quite easy to spot an aircraft. It is a small black dot, (single pixel) easily picked out from the surrounding terrain.
However, I often find when I move in closer, setting myself up for a high speed bounce, (I like dropping down in a 450-500mph dive to a point below the target aircraft, then zooming up under their belly) when I look for that aircraft it dissapears. It`s visual form changes, that is, it becomes a multi pixel coloured object that blends in with the ground much better. It can be very difficult to find.
I usually have to trust to my instinct of where it was, get in closer and then lo and behold the red Ikon pops up. Then I make my attack, if I`m not already in it.
The fact that it is more difficult to see an opponent at 8.0 range distance than it is at 10.0 range is not very logical.
I like the idea of objects being lost among the ground clutter, that is accurate historically, as is the higher likelyhood of an aircraft being spotted against a cloud base or a snowfield. However this doesn`t seem to be based on this idea. You can see the aircraft at a greater distance silhouetted against similar terrain.
Anyway I thought I`d mention this. Perhaps others have noticed too.
