a curious observation...

[MaddDog]

i dunno, ive noticed this also, ive been playin awhile and i never use to worry bout ack above 10k though i know it can be deadly, But starting about 4 days ago i got naild 4 times 10k + over CV so now i pay alot more respect to it

[Grizzly]

The range of a 5" gun on a ship is about 17 thousand yards, horizontal. It can fire either a proximity flak round or high explosive. It can use the land and sea modes as well as manual. The proximity flak shell is trigured by a magnetic sensor causing it to detonate when it is close to a target. Hitting the target isn't required, but sure does a good job when it does =o)

It seems the AI ship ack starts firing at about 8 thousand yards. The icon of the plane becomes visible just under 6 thousand yards. It becomes fairly easy to hit an enemy target at 5 thousand yards. At 3 thousand yards (9000 feet) an enemy plane faces almost certain death, unless it is doing some major maneuvering. A plane doing a rope-a-dope over a carrier topping out at 3 or 4 thousand yards is suicidal.

I commonly kill at 3K, am not surprised to kill at 5K and have killed at 10K or more (which has irritated a few =o). Someone really good, like Whels I suspect, can probably flick a fly off your windshield at 3K.

Flying directly at or away from the ship takes a death wish. A formation of buffs flying just above the water at a CV are a gunner's delight. The hardest thing to hit is a formation of heavey buffs coming in at 10,000 feet or more. There are three planes to hit and each requires so many hits to take it down it's really tough to accomplish before they pickle their bombs.

The nemisis of the 5 inch guns is the planes and PT boats surrounding the carrier. They trip the proximity fuse before it can reach the enemy.

[BNM]

I think the accuracy is stupid but that's the way it is.

[Grizzly]

Originally posted by BNM
I think the accuracy is stupid but that's the way it is.

Why... because a CV can defend itself? What's stupid is having bombers fly over and sink carriers at will. We need more of these kind of defenses, not less.

[humble]

Griz,

My "floor" over CV's is usually about 6k...rarely to I get down to where I'm in the "tracer" fire. On these kills I was about 8k-10k up and offset outside the carrier group by 5k or so...on the fringe of the puffy ack envelope. I'd say I was well inside the 17,000 range but outside the range you mention...shots were 10k min(on 2 of the 3)...which would but them outside icon range from your post? The third was much closer in...probably right in the 6k range.

Does the gunner select prox fuse...and how??

[Rutilant]

lazs map would have 3 fields.. and they'd OVERLAP

[rshubert]

Originally posted by humble
Griz,

My "floor" over CV's is usually about 6k...rarely to I get down to where I'm in the "tracer" fire. On these kills I was about 8k-10k up and offset outside the carrier group by 5k or so...on the fringe of the puffy ack envelope. I'd say I was well inside the 17,000 range but outside the range you mention...shots were 10k min(on 2 of the 3)...which would but them outside icon range from your post? The third was much closer in...probably right in the 6k range.

Does the gunner select prox fuse...and how??

Humble, any time the gunner is using AA shells they are prox fused.  And yes, lately I have been hit a lot more by fleet ack.  

And yes, I think whels COULD flick a fly off my canopy at 3k.  He is deadly with those guns.

shubie

[medicboy]

I have got kills out to 7-8k on a regular basis.  Once you learn the drop and the lead, 5 k shots are easy, once killed an la7 at about7k, gawd that pilot was mad.   If you have the 5 inch guns manned by people that understand lead and drop, it is almost impossible to get close, it takes mass suicide diving buffs to sink the cv.

[DrDea]

If only 1 person is manning CV guns I believe they get kills on all the 5 inchers.Then again I could be wrong but Ive gotten kills on 5" without fireing at the target.Just because I was the only manned gun/

[Grizzly]

Originally posted by DrDea
If only 1 person is manning CV guns I believe they get kills on all the 5 inchers.Then again I could be wrong but Ive gotten kills on 5" without fireing at the target.Just because I was the only manned gun/

You are getting proximity kills from the AI ack killing bandets... and the suicidal jabos hitting the drink. The five inchers don't fire without a gunner. And unlike a bomber, the other five inch guns don't shoot at what you're shooting at.

[Grizzly]

Originally posted by humble
Griz,

My "floor" over CV's is usually about 6k...rarely to I get down to where I'm in the "tracer" fire. On these kills I was about 8k-10k up and offset outside the carrier group by 5k or so...on the fringe of the puffy ack envelope. I'd say I was well inside the 17,000 range but outside the range you mention...shots were 10k min(on 2 of the 3)...which would but them outside icon range from your post? The third was much closer in...probably right in the 6k range.

Does the gunner select prox fuse...and how??

Perhaps you are confused because altitude is measured in feet and distance in yards. Your bomber at 10K (10,000 feet) is at 3.3K (3,333 yards) range for my 5" guns. This is suicidal. You can be at 15,000 feet and still be apt to get shot down. Try 20,000 to be relatively safe. =o\

[BNM]

Originally posted by Grizzly
Why... because a CV can defend itself? What's stupid is having bombers fly over and sink carriers at will. We need more of these kind of defenses, not less.

I have no problem with CVs defending themselves. The accuracy of the ack however is a joke. I've gotten killed from 1/2 a sector away not even heading toward (or knew it was there). It's stupid but it's how HT made it I guess so I avoid it like the plague anymore. No biggie.

[Grizzly]

Originally posted by BNM
I have no problem with CVs defending themselves. The accuracy of the ack however is a joke. I've gotten killed from 1/2 a sector away not even heading toward (or knew it was there). It's stupid but it's how HT made it I guess so I avoid it like the plague anymore. No biggie.

A half sector away? I admit that would be a bit too much to take, but it don't happen often. It's more of a freakish type of thing. But it sure does piss off some guys >=o)

[humble]

Originally posted by Grizzly
Perhaps you are confused because altitude is measured in feet and distance in yards. Your bomber at 10K (10,000 feet) is at 3.3K (3,333 yards) range for my 5" guns. This is suicidal. You can be at 15,000 feet and still be apt to get shot down. Try 20,000 to be relatively safe. =o\

I was watching that last night...you could see the shells going up...some went on by the close ones "popped"...from the height on the strays it seemed like 15,000+ was still in range. CV had all 5" manned (4??) and they were doing a damm good job laying out an "ack wall"