Poll for Hellcat pilots (or anyone who flies it)

[Mathman]

As many of you know, I have been working on a page dedicated to this plane and its use in Aces High.  It is up and running, though hardly complete.  There are a great many things that I plan on adding.

This is where I need your help.  I never use flaps in it, mainly because I never had them mapped to my joystick and it was tough using the keyboard in a fight when your hands are full of joystick and throttle.  Recently, I got a HOTAS setup and mapped the flaps to it.  Since this is a recent thing for me, I don't have much information or experience using them in a fight.

So, my question and request for you is this:

Who uses flaps and what benefit do you think/know they offer the Hellcat pilot in a fight?  Any help would be greatfully appreciated and aknowleged on my Hellcat page.  Thanks!

-math

[Drunky]

Hiya Mathman <S>

I'm a little drunk (I guess that's a pun) but I would like to respond.

I use the F6F but only in certain situations...usually from the cv or for defending a city by an airbase.  In either case I tend to use full flaps and only full flaps.

I pretty much only use the Hellcat when I want to up with a good ord load and want a plane that can gain alt pretty quickly.  Not to mention it's guns.

Anyways I hope that helps  

Drunky
KG200

[batdog]

Check private message math.

xBAT

[Kieran]

I don't use flaps in anything, save a P-51 (and then only in few cases). I feel it bleeds too much energy to use them, leaving you wide open for the buddy's follow-up BnZ.

Keep the speed up and you're better off.

[Zigrat]

i use flaps extensively in the f6f

[loser]

i know everthing there is to know about the f6f, but i choose not to tell you  

[Pinner]

Originally posted by Mathman:
Who uses flaps and what benefit do you think/know they offer the Hellcat pilot in a fight?  Any help would be greatfully appreciated and aknowleged on my Hellcat page.  Thanks!

-math

I dont fly the f6f much, but this applies to almost any plane. I tend to use flaps alot more than I used to. Until recently, I used them mostly during takeoffs and landings. Now, I use them quite a bit in dogfighting... When things get slow, a notch of flaps can help ya just enough to bring your guns around. Also, in a looping dogfight, I find kicking a notch of flaps in at the top of a loop can help tightning it just enough to get guns on the bad guy.

Pinner

[ 11-19-2001: Message edited by: Pinner ]

[Pinner]

[ 11-19-2001: Message edited by: Pinner ]

[Pinner]

doh

[Nomde]

Isn't a f6f a fluffy flap model 6? I think they used em mainly for sheep shearing when not on latrine duty. This was the upgrade to fluffy flipper model 4 (f4f) which was used for sorting out the chunks during sewage disposal.  

[StSanta]

Damned über allied flaps.

In LW planes, because of the high wingloading and low speed flaps deploy, you rarely get to a speed (except when zooming straight up) where you can deploy flaps.

You need speed higher than flaps down not to stall in the first place. And you need flaps to help with low speed handling  .

Mostly just above 210 mph or so in LW fighters.

I tell you: it is annoying that the allieds made better planes in real life with regards to this  .

But, it's great that HTC model it accurately. Those fights where for instance batdog takes his P47 veeery slow, drops flaps and I have to fight like mad not to overshoot and die add a lot to the flying experience  

[batdog]

LOL StSanta, <S>, yea but its my buttocks that go flaming down if I remember correctly... lol  


 Flying the F6 more lately bro... that and the KI seems to fit the ol'bat better. At least this week

 xBAT

[Am0n]

I use the flaps when ever im in a fight and go below 200 and still need to turn, they stablize the AC and keep it from the nasty low level stall that makes so many f6f's auger to there death.

Only using 1 notch doesnt cause much drag, as you would notice if you admistered the flaps and nosed down for a second, very quickly they retract becuase you still have good acceloration and they cannot deploy over 250.

The most common scenerio when i use them is when proforming verticle manuevers, you will find that even with out using any pitch on your stick that it will flip on its own in a nice tight loop, the more you admister the tighter it loops, i would recommend as many notchs that you can get for most average/low speed loops. You can out proform just about any other AC in the veritcal using this method IMO.

Some times i find my self very slow and unstable after a series of flat scrisors (on the deck), here is another instances where they will save you. with 3-full notches you can fly 100 mph and still manuever with out stalling out, although it should be noted with full flaps you will have next to no acceleration.

Hope that helps ya
<S>

[fdiron]

F6f only has 1 notch of flaps.  Its either retracted or completely down.  I dont use the flaps unless I'm either stalling at the top of a loop or in a low and dirty turn fight.

[AKDejaVu]

F6f only has 1 notch of flaps. Its either retracted or completely down. I dont use the flaps unless I'm either stalling at the top of a loop or in a low and dirty turn fight.

I don't believe that is true... at least not in AH.

One notch of flaps below 200 is awesome... two notches if you're dumb and chase someone into a "rope-a-dope".  The main time I see the need for them is when I engage a 190/109 that has less energy (especially down low) and they try to scissors and force an overshoot.  The F6F will be too lethargic and fast to keep up with the moves unless you use flaps.

AKDejaVu