I mostly 2nd what Mav said and will add a few details.
The Hurri IIC is one of the very few planes where you really don't have to worry about compression, because it can't get fast enough usually. It's also one of the few fighters that slows down very quickly when you chop the throttle. It's like having air brakes--you immediately notice the loss of speed, even in a dive. However, unless you're diving, you won't get that speed back any time soon if you rev it up again, so be careful using this. Still, these features are quite useful at times. For instance, if you suddenly need to drastically decrease your turn radius, or if you're trying to land just before the vulchers arrive.
As Mav said, the vertical isn't the Hurri's forte. But this doesn't mean it can't go up, it just means that it sucks at it between 200-300 IAS, compared to other fighters. So you can get yourself roped pretty easy just trying to follow somebody in what to them is a normal loop instead of a deliberate rope attempt. They go up and over in a big, normal loop w/out much E loss, whereas the Hurri konks out about 1/2-2/3 of the way up and blows mucho E with the nme still above. Not good.
HOWEVER, once you get below 200 IAS, the Hurri's relative performance in the vertical gets much better compared to other fighters that are co-E. With a lot of flaps and WEP, the Hurri can get over the top where most other planes stall out. And if you stall, too, you usually can recover much quicker. So the deal with the Hurri in the vertical is to only really use it after you've both bled down a lot. Then you can use it better than than most other guys.
I only ever use 2 guns at once on fighters. The only times I use all 4 guns at once are when I'm shooting up buffs and PTs. But while 2x20mm will kill any fighter in short order, they don't put out much lead very quickly, so you have to be patient and get in very close so you can't miss. Converge your guns at 150-200 yards and never shoot at longer range. If you do it like that, you almost instantly get 4-6 cannon hits in 1 spot and off goes the wing or rear fuselage. Then you can easily get 3-4 fighter kills per set of guns, provided of course that you live long enough to take that many good shots
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The Hurri's got pretty short range so it's a good idea to take DTs and 100% internal if you're going to an nme field. That's if you plan on coming home, which ain't really likely because you're too slow to egress at will. OTOH, the Hurri is very good for field defense and doing that you can get by with 50% fuel.
Durability is an interesting subject with this bird. The fuselage and tail can take immense amounts of damage without coming off. You hardly ever lose the any of this stuff, despite dozens of pings, and even if you lose an elevator the Hurri still flies pretty good. The only thing I've ever seen take off the rear fuselage is a couple of 30mm hits. The wings, OTOH, are no tougher than those on any other fighter. The come right off from the same number of hits you'd expect on any other target. I figure this is all because the fuselage is fabric but the wings on the IIC were metal.
And speaking of wings, the Hurri is unflyable when missing 1/2 a wing, at least in my experience. Unlike many other planes, you can't hold it level at high speed--it still rolls over, it just takes longer. Probably because the Hurri is incapble of flying fast enough for this to work
You might be able to stop the roll at "high" speed with manual aileron trim, but I've never succeeded. Almost all your fights will be at treetop level and you don't have enough time for the trim to take effect before you hit the ground.
One thing you MUST master if you want to have success in the Hurri IIC is the huge, blind, diving lead-turn. This is the only way to get a shot a nmes chasing one of your buddies on the deck, or jabo-porkers coming in below you. The Hurri is so slow, even in a dive, that it can't get as fast as things like La7s, P51s, etc., that are really moving. So you have to split-S from way ahead of and above them, and swing in RIGHT ON them (d100-200), despite being unable to see them once you start the maneuver. And even if you do this right, you still only have basically a snapshot opportunity, even if it's right up the butt, because the nme will pull out of range in a few seconds. But it's the only way to really intervene effectively in such situations.
So how do you use all this?
OFFENSE: I don't recommend it. The Hurri IIC is so slow that you'll miss all the action. Your faster compadres will get to the nme field long before you, and will either have it under control leaving you with nothing to shoot at, or will all be dead so you face the enraged nme herd alone in a plane incapable of escape. And even if you somehow arrive in time see nme targets, the Hurri is so slow that everybody else will beat you to the vulches.
FURBALLING BETWEEN FIELDS: This is the best situation. You can arrive at the fight with a modicum of alt so you're not at a complete disadvantage. This lets you pick a good target to start with. After that, however, you quickly end up bottomfeeding and must depend on the help of friends to escape when you run outta bullets. Still, it's a lot of fun going total stallfighter once in a while if you don't mind dying.
FIELD DEFENSE: The Hurri IIC has an advantage in that it can get off the ground very quickly, so is less vulnerable to vulchers during takeoff roll than many other fighters. And once you get off the ground, you're right in the Hurri IIC's normal combat situation: being low, slow, and surrounded by lotsa nmes with a big E advantage. You're no worse off than you normally are in this plane, only now you might have some ack help, so don't worry about it
. You'll stay low and slow, but this forces the nme to get that way to kill you, which is good for your side.
