Author Topic: How To Fly??: The LA7 (Read 421 times)

bustr · « **on:** May 21, 2003, 07:33:05 PM »

Ok many AH aces decry the LA7 for severly disturbing the general flow of the game.

If there is an LA7 ace out there who is willing,,,please explain how to fly the LA7 as a turn and burner in the MA. Then as a boom and zoomer in the MA. Then co-alt engagement. Then how to handel higher alt attacker. Surviving HO. And gunnery.

Please not how to run away...I'm very good at that. How To stay and Win the fight.

Once you provide this info, then everyone should be able to plan tactics to thwart LA7's, and I can become that much better with my favorite plane.

-bustr-

--I hate running with my lala, but suicide ain't very sexy, and I don't think those 12 FW's and spitties want to kiss me on the cheek;) --

udet · « **Reply #1 on:** May 21, 2003, 11:10:06 PM »

you don't 'fly' the La7. you just point it where you want to go.

OIO · « **Reply #2 on:** May 22, 2003, 10:51:08 AM »

Actually, the La7 can make a ruse of turnfighting and win.

Monster acceleration wins. See spitfire? Zero? No problem turn with it.. a spiraling climb turning, when the spitfire/zero gains angle (usually 2nd turn), nose up and WEP the beatch.

The turnfighting plane behind you will be left behind stalling while your la7 flips around and SMACKS them. Dont try it vs a n1k or P38 though, only they can keep the nose up long enough to spray you down with lead.

Think of it like rope a dope, but in this case, you twist the rope around their necks and then pull UP

Soda · « **Reply #3 on:** May 22, 2003, 01:50:39 PM »

I don't know that I would try OIO's suggestion as a Spit IX can hang right there with you unless he is trying to pull insane amounts of lead and burning energy too quickly. That Spit will be far more stable from a snap-stall than you will down slow. Do use vertical though, you can't flat-turn an La7 very well. The climbing spiral he describes can be used against poor climbers with poor stall-stability though (eg. F4U's) to great effect.

The La7 was made to run away though, that's it's only real strength, it's rocket fast.

-Soda
Aces High Trainer Corps
The Assassins.

SlapShot · « **Reply #4 on:** May 22, 2003, 02:11:04 PM »

Soda ... are you throwing out the lure ? Ah hell ... I'll bite ...

The first operational unit to receive the new fighter was the 176th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment in July 1944.

The La-7 scored 55 victories in the 63rd Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment between September 15th and October 15th 1944.

Hardy the characterics of a "runner".

OIO · « **Reply #5 on:** May 22, 2003, 02:42:10 PM »

Soda, the spiral up is taking into account that the la7 is bound to be 2X as fast as the spit to start with because of its accel and higher top speed. Then on the climb itself the spitfire will try its hardest to try to get a leading shot on you, burning his E a lot faster as well as trying to keep its nose up. The La7 on a spiral up turn will lose a lot less E than the spit.

It is not 100% guaranteed to work since no one can judge 100% the E-state of another plane, but its a good bet.

Sundownr tought me this one last night. And he spiraled my P-38 almost to death (bless fowler flaps and counter rot. props! I kept the thing stable and aiming with the rudder below 100mph and got a couple of shots into his wings and *SNAP* down he went). If he could do that to a P-38, then a spit is dead meat.

Soda · « **Reply #6 on:** May 22, 2003, 04:57:35 PM »

Slapshot, I think you mis-read my intention. The La7 is an excellent plane with a decent pilot at the controls, but to be fair, it's not a great turner. It's a good extender to give it a chance to build energy and altitude so that it can maintain high speed. That's where it rules or in the vertical. If you come in Co-E with a Spit though you are going to be in big trouble, or have to run.

OIO, if a starting assumption is that the La7 is twice as fast then why bother with a climbing spiral? Go vertical and give your enemy NO chance. True the La7 is a good climber, but so are the P-38 and Spit IX if utilized properly. You might catch the average pilot making the mistake of over-turning to pull lead all the time, but the guy who knows better will simply follow you up in a pure pursuit and then pull lead once you are nice and slow. The difference in climb between La7 and Spit isn't going to get you out of trouble and the acceleration advantage won't be enough to get you out of easy hispano range.

The La7 is one of those planes that needs a good pilot, like the 109G10. Sure, an average guy can fly around and make 1 kill and survive, but a good pilot can rack up 5 or more and land. A bad pilot will turn-fight the first Spit he meets and die horribly.

-Soda
AH Trainer Corps
The Assassins.

bustr · « **Reply #7 on:** May 22, 2003, 07:24:37 PM »

One of the exercises I perform is to hunt other LA7 to watch their technique. LA7 is not a turner, but can be made to jink with throttle chops then throttle/WEP. Same to get your nose around for snap shots or getting on someones tail. I can sissor it preaty good this way, barrel rolling bleeds speed but you can get disoriented and loose site of your target as you spin.

It is not a 100% answer everytime, but I find as long as you don't touch the rudder while your doing it, you dont wind up on your back low and slow.

I have attempted to follow Shane into furballs and do not have the control that he does. I think he has found how to make an LA7 turn and burn. May just be from my observations he's a phenominol snap shooter.

Most LA7 I take on attempt long slashes, a few turns, up and over, then run or I kill them, or someone drops in and shoots over my shoulder. Then someone kills me.

Personally I don't want to run, but the LA7 only works well at speed. Unless the odds are just rediculous, I come back at speed, between 5k to 10k. Or,,stay low looking to climb up into on-comming raiders. The LA7 has a nice high speed up and over turn while climbing that lets me pull up onto the tails of higher fiters.

I've been going into the Training arena to get spit drivers to chase me around so I can attempt stall manuvers without having to replane for every 30sec. of turning with spits. You can turn fight to a point, but really you are setting them up for front quarter snap shots. Gotta do some more work with spits. Might come up with something.

A thought for turns. In WW2 a P47 chasing a BF through a turn barrel rolled in the direction of the turn. This bled his speed off and brought his nose on line to blast the BF. Is this something to consider with the LA7 in turn fighting???

-bustr-

------I just pissed off the Rooks,,,I'm the only green dot on the map,,,its really dark and lottsa them on my tail as I'm headin at a mountain. Suddenly over VOX,,,BUSTR BRING THEM TO US ON THE MOUNTAIN. So I brought the Rooks to em. The Rooks killed me, the Rooks killed them on the Mountain. Oops,,,Forgot to mention before I died, it was the whole Rooks pissed off air Force I was a bringing to them. Moral of this story: Be careful pissing people off!-----:D