Author Topic: The Frenchy Award... (Read 3881 times)

gofaster · « **Reply #90 on:** July 01, 2003, 08:26:35 AM »

Quote

Originally posted by SirLoin
WildThong,what crawled up yers?

I'm gonna take a D11 and have some fun next tour.

Speaking of SirLoin...

Last night I was tooling around in a Spit V looking for some action away from the action when I found a low Corsair that had just upped. "Well, this should be easy" I thought as I winged over and dove on my unsuspecting prey.

Or so I thought.

My run in was perfect, had the Corsair lined up just right, a little bit of lead, perfect tail shot. At d1.0 the Corsair started going evasive, but I'm not worried as the Spit V isn't known for its speed so I figure all I gotta do is cage the motor but keep enough energy to keep him from running away after I blow the merge and I should own him in a few seconds.

And I promptly blew the merge, but I'm not worried because I figure I have speed to work with here and the Corsair is turning, turning, turning to match my turning, turning turning. Now, being the mediocre Corsair pilot that I am, I know that Corsairs will wallow if you get them slow enough, and slow-speed knife fights are what Spitfire V's are all about. So as we're scissoring around, I figure the fight is becoming more and more in my favor.

And then the .50 cals started peppering my airframe as we snap-shotted back and forth at each scissors merge. WTF?

I look back and the Corsair is at full flaps, gear down. Ok, maybe that's a graphics glitch. I've seen it happen before. Besides, what kind of idiot would drop his gear in a dogfight? In a Corsair? Against a Spitfire? Its gotta be a graphics glitch

A couple more turns and my speed is getting close to stall speed. We're on the deck so I gotta keep my nose level or up. Surely the Corsair will tumble out of the sky now. All I gotta do is keep him turning on the deck and I'll have him. A little more S'ing, a yo (not enough speed for a full yo-yo), and then my Spitfire tumbled out of the sky.

"You have crashed. SirLoin shot you down."

The next flight, or maybe two more later, I upped a Yak since the battle situation had become a bit more desperate for my team. I climbed out to around 10k and inserted myself in the incoming jabo fighter stream. I singled out a F4U and went after him. I figured he was heavy, probably going to hit the VH or fuel or something like so many other Corsairs do. Surprisingly, he noses down and comes to merge with me.

I know the Yak can't out-fire a Corsair's six .50s so I barrel-roll around the head-on and make my vertical loop to come around behind the Corsair, which I figure is probably going to keep flying straight to keep his speed. But he doesn't - he keeps with his turn and comes around behind me.

I'm not worried. I know the Yak can out-turn a Corsair and has better low-speed handling. We get into some loops, some turns, some scissors, and as we're passing each other I look over and see that the Corsair's gear is down. WTF?

Horrible sense of deja vu. Ok, this is a different plane I'm flying and I feel more comfortable in the Yak, so let's dance buddy boy! Fight's on!

A few turns and I think I'm just a few seconds away from pulling off some fancy pilot moves that'll land me on his tail. We're getting closer to the deck so I figure he's running out of speed and running out of options. I go vertical to try and get him to bleed some energy and maybe I can pull off a loop or at worst a hammerhead and come down on him. Then the Yak wallows at the top of the loop and BOP BOP BOP - tower. "SirLoin shot you down."

What I want to know, and what I may try to learn, is this gear-down Corsair turn-fight thing. What's the trick to it?

Zanth · « **Reply #91 on:** July 01, 2003, 08:29:00 AM »

Quote

Originally posted by Midnight
Question:

If there is a tie in K/D, the winner will be determined by best K/S.

What method will be used to determine the K/S in just the P-47D-25 vs. other aircraft? From what I understand, K/S is a combined total number of all fighter sorties flown, regardless of which fighter.

If HTC is making provisions to track K/S based on A/C alone, will it be available for all aircraft types?

Good question.

gofaster · « **Reply #92 on:** July 01, 2003, 08:41:38 AM »

Oh, one more thing.

I took a P-47Dtwentysomething up for a flight to see what it was all about. This thing climbs like a pig, meaning it doesn't. It just sort of chugs along like the Santa Fe Express and moves the altimeter needle up whenever it feels like it. Of all the P-47 models, this one is probably the dog of the lot. But I was patient and let it get up to around 10k. Of course, by the time it got to 10k it was nearly on top of the enemy base and by then I was pretty deep into the fighting so I had no choice but to engage a cluster of Spitfires that were buzzing around.

I managed to get a snapshot off on one at the merge and got its motor smoking. Like a Great White shark and a harbor seal, I moved off to let it bleed out while I scanned for other targets of opportunity. I had some help in the area that was doing a good job of keeping the other Spitfires busy, so I re-engaged and charged into the fight again.

The only thing I accomplished was getting 3 of the 5 Spitfires on my tail. So I exercised the better part of valor and went nose-down into a dive to escape. And the Spitfires followed me. And shot at me. And hit me. But didn't break anything important. I lost a gun somewhere in there but that's ok because I had 7 more to work with.

I'm getting close to the base so I start radioing that I've got 3 Spitfires on the deck chasing me if anyone wants some easy kills. Since I fly mid-war planes alot, I'm used to being chased by The Big Three (Spitfire IX, LA-7s, and N1K2s) so I calmly extended the parade out in a straight line so my teammates could pick off the Spits. They got one, then another, and then the Spit I had drilled must've finally bled to death back at the furball and I got a kill credit, but there was still one Spitfire back there behind me chattering away. I wiggled a bit to throw his aim and get him to line up for my fellow Rooks but we were packing some speed and they were having trouble closing on him. And then he shot me down. Oh well.

I'd rather fly the -D11 or the Dthirtysomething. That mid-level Thunderbolt is pathetic!

Nilsen · « **Reply #93 on:** July 01, 2003, 08:54:22 AM »

for some odd reason i do best in the d25, go figure gofaster

Zanth · « **Reply #94 on:** July 01, 2003, 09:03:20 AM »

Sox62 · « **Reply #95 on:** July 01, 2003, 09:09:50 AM »

Quote

Originally posted by bockko
I will feel bad having to vulch my squaddies several hundred times in a month

Rags? Is that you there?

gofaster · « **Reply #96 on:** July 01, 2003, 01:01:56 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by Nilsen10
for some odd reason i do best in the d25, go figure gofaster

It seemed to me that the -D11 was lighter and turned better and generally handled better overall. The -D30 was heavier and couldn't roll quite a well, but did climb better on WEP and dove quicker. The -D25 wanted to be a -D30 but didn't have the climb or accelleration on WEP.

Maybe I just need to figure out when to deploy flaps in the thing and manage my speed better.

Nilsen · « **Reply #97 on:** July 01, 2003, 01:10:46 PM »

Everything you said is correct gofaster, i however like the d25 best for some odd reason... Maybe the colour or maybe the lack of the dorsal fin thingy has some minor positive effect to my way of flying.

Still REALLY want the N tho

udet · « **Reply #98 on:** July 01, 2003, 04:03:41 PM »

According to Corky Meyer in his Flight Journal article, the best fighter of the ETO is the P47!

SirLoin · « **Reply #99 on:** July 01, 2003, 04:09:23 PM »

GoFaster..Check out AKNimitz's web site of AH films.He has a really good film of him nailing me in WildWednesday final 2.It was F4U-4's I believe and him lowering his gear at the right time was the difference.(I learned the hard way)..

I also hide the fact the gear is going down buy pulling up when u on six so you can only see the top of the plane.It acts as an airbrake for the overshoot.I tuck gear back in as I roll over so not to give it away and then drop them again as you get real close and overshoot(hopefully!).

kurupi · « **Reply #100 on:** July 01, 2003, 10:03:00 PM »

WTG for the idea Frenchy. And this constest sounds very special for us, the brazilian squad. We're from de 1/4 GAv Pacau, a Brazilian Squad that have the tradition of flying the Jug (specially de D25, with the brazilian marks).I'm sure that my squad members will to an effort to achieve the nice prize offered! Let's see what the guys can do with our belloved P-47D25.

And Good Luck for all other players. Enjoy the Jug!!!

gofaster · « **Reply #101 on:** July 02, 2003, 08:39:50 AM »

Quote

Originally posted by SirLoin
I also hide the fact the gear is going down buy pulling up when u on six so you can only see the top of the plane.It acts as an airbrake for the overshoot.I tuck gear back in as I roll over so not to give it away and then drop them again as you get real close and overshoot(hopefully!).

Thanks for the pointer to the films. I'll take a look next time I'm offline.

I remember you pulling up as I dove down in my Spitfire V, and I remember thinking "Either he'll wallow on the pull-up and I'll have him or I'll overshoot and come around for another run." I didn't film the fight so I can't remember exactly what came next, but I probably pulled up into a loop (like so many Spit pilots do) or went into some sort of scissors. I remember eventually going into scissors to try and force the overshoot, which is when I noticed your gear down with full flaps. In fact, I tried that a bit last night in a massive furball over a214 on Trinity but couldn't get the F4U-1 slow enough to pop flaps and gear. As soon as I got it down to 220ias I'd have a Spitfire or two or three on my back. I batted 2 kills for 3 flights.

Lesson learned: keep the Corsair fast in a furball to keep the Spitfire IXs at bay.

I also took a P-47D25 up once into that same furball and pinged a few on my initial dive attacks, but couldn't get anything to fall off the enemy planes. As my airspeed and altitude bled down I kept getting more and more Spitfires and LA7s on my back. I was so frustrated with the P47D25's performance that I gave up on it for the rest of the evening.

Magoo · « **Reply #102 on:** July 02, 2003, 12:42:15 PM »

The P47-D25 Frenchy???

Le Phew....

Magoo

Eagler · « **Reply #103 on:** July 03, 2003, 09:08:46 AM »

just clicked the link ... cool idea

wtg Frenchy!

Halo · « **Reply #104 on:** July 03, 2003, 11:49:57 AM »

Oh no, the P-47D25 will become fashionable and dominant and then perked.

Next month the contest is for the D3A.

Seriously, generous thing to do, Frenchy -- thanks.