It's the pilot, not the plane.

[Apache]

Originally posted by Tac:
Superpilot (drex/fester) in their rides vs avg. skill pilot in spit/la7/n1k MAY result in the higher skilled pilot winning, but you cannot deny that the spit/la7/n1k do give the avg pilot a "boost".

Heck, put drex or fester in a spitIX or la7 and see if they ever get shot down    

What about the spit gives a "boost" against a properly flown P38 or an La7 against a properly flown 190D9. I don't see it. Furthermore, why is a 190D9 even fighting an La7? What is it doing down there? Why would anyone in their right mind turn fight a spit in a P38?

[AKDejaVu]

The better the pilot, the less the plane matters.  The worse the pilot... the more the plane matters.  Its pretty simple actually.

AKDejaVu

[Apache]

Originally posted by popeye:
Some pilots are better than others, but all planes are equal?  Right.

I'm assuming this is directed at me. I'm trying to see where you got that from. For the life of me I can't figure out how out of all I said, you got "the planes are equal".

[Apache]

Originally posted by AKDejaVu:
The better the pilot, the less the plane matters.  The worse the pilot... the more the plane matters.  Its pretty simple actually.

AKDejaVu

Darn, wish I had said that.

[mrfish]

"DA CAPS IS DA HAPS"

-lol

oh yeah, and:

"The better the pilot, the less the plane matters. The worse the pilot... the more the plane matters. Its pretty simple actually.
AKDejaVu"

you can't put it much clearer than that.

[mrsid2]

IMO the only thing P51 has over P47 is its ability to run. P47 can run too, but it's level speed is way more limited and you can stretch it only for so long.

I'd turnfight a pony in a jug anyday.
It's underrated.

I'm not considered as one of the most skilled pilots in main and still I managed a 121/14 k/d in p47-d30.

It's numbers are so low because newbies try to furball in it.

[Reschke]

I have to agree with DejaVu on that statement. I have seen more pilots get betterby flying planes that required you to learn how to get the kill. Than I have by seeing people that fly planes that don't force you to learn how to get the kill.

[Kieran]

The better the pilot, the less the plane matters. The worse the pilot... the more the plane matters. Its pretty simple actually.
AKDejaVu

 

Yup, that is a great quote candidate. A new paradigm, we now have a sliding scale rather than the totalitarian absolutism of "either/or".

[Zigrat]

The better the pilot, the less the plane matters. The worse the pilot... the more the plane matters. Its pretty simple actually.
AKDejaVu


while this is true to an extent, the good pilots are the ones who dont fly la7s/niks/spits. or at least have not always flown them and learned by flying something else. if these are the only planes you ever fly, you are almost by definition going to get you bellybutton handed to you in a same plane duel with a pilot who flies a "more difficult" (p38/p47/190) aircraft. there may be exceptions, but my wager is that if all la7 pilots (fly la7 more than 50% of time) were put up against the same number of "difficult plane" pilots (lets say p38 pilots) in a plane that neither favored (lets say the ki-61) that the p38 pilots would win a majority of the time.

[Urchin]

I absolutely 100% agree with Deja's statement.  

It is really hard to say where the line between pilot and plane skill begins/ends (or indeed if there even is a line).  For example, Frenchy in a P47 is a terrible sight to behold (unless you are his wingman, then it is pretty damn neat).  However, every time I've fought him when he was NOT in a P-47 I think I've won.  (I think, I could be wrong here).  He can fling that plane around like nobody I've ever seen though.  

In some cases I think the plane makes the difference though.  For instance, when you are in a situation where your plane does NOTHING better than the plane you are fighting, your only solution is to not 'fight' at all.  This strategy was used historically, and successfully, by F4F pilots early in the Pacific War.  The Zero was better at EVERYTHING (yea, it was even faster, believe it or not).  

Same sort of thing in AH, if I am in a G10 or a D9, I just HATE seeing La-7s.  In the earlier models I don't hate seeing them as much, because at least the early models can turn somewhat better (well, not the 190s).  But in AH, the La-7 does everything better than a G10.  You can't turn, you can't dive, you can't climb, and you can't run.  So I'd say if you take a pilot that I could kill in a 109 (if we were both flying G-10s), and put him in an La-7, you just drastically increased his chances of winning the fight.

But in most cases I agree, it is definately the pilot, and not the plane.

[-ammo-]

wont comment on all these points, but those that say teh P-47 is inferior ...or just sux, well you are wrong  It is a fine AC in AH.

[Urchin]

Yes, it is a fine airplane in AH.. however, against a well-flown 109, 190, Yak, La7, P51, or (probably) P-38, it is definately at a disadvantage.  

That is a plane where a good pilot can turn it into a great plane, but an average pilot turns it into a rather poor plane.

[pimpjoe]

The P47 Rocks. because

[thrila]

One word

Tiffy  

[Tac]

I think the pilot decides 75% of the fight, the plane the remaining 25%. But unfortunately, the better the plane is the less the pilot contributes to the equation, until the balance becomes 50%-50% chance.

Case: vet in c202 vs newbie in n1k (and say there is no ground to make the n1k auger in). Its a 50-50 chance right there.

Put vet in la5 and newbie in la7 and its like 90%-10% in favor of vet (if it was la5 vs la5, the newbie would have 1% chance)