Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => Aircraft and Vehicles => Topic started by: BaldEagl on September 01, 2008, 04:40:39 PM
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I don't get the A-20. Every time I try to bomb something in it I rip the wings off or something. It happened to me again today and I had the throttle cut.
I see others doing it. I guess I need some tips.
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Don't dive from over 7k up.
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cut your throttle when you dive. try between 3k and 4.5k to dive and don't drop at a steep angle
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Make sure you select wing bombs first. You have to come in slow then dive with throttle off. Then when you pull up if you have not dropped all of your wing mounted bombs don't pull up hard this will snap them most every time if you are carrying a lot of fuel as well.
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If you get it over 400 KIAS you have to be very careful on the pullout. Much more than 1.5 Gs and the wings will rip off. Try to keep it under 350, and learn to make your drops from higher up if you start the dive from higher altitudes.
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I would seem that at such a slow speed and/or low dive angle that the bombs would really drop off. If that's the case what's the aim point?
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PM Snaphook (aka Humble on the bbs) for some tips. I'm sure he'll part with a few pointers.
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PM Snaphook (aka Humble on the bbs) for some tips. I'm sure he'll part with a few pointers.
I may be wrong, but I don't think those two load ord when they up the A-20.
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I dont normally carry ords on the A-20 but here are the basics...
1) recognize that the A-20 picks up speed very quickly so you have a short dive window. As a general rule I only dive about 3k or so with power at idle on a bomb run. I prefer a pretty steep dive angle (60 degree's or so) and use the midway point between the gun sight bottom and bottom of the windshield as my "aim point". The biggest problem with the A-20 is that the combination of a short dive and limited speed often leave you in the ack envelope (I normally dont fly much over 6k when in a bombing mode).
As a general rule I'll use the A-20 as a mud mover vs either GV's or in support of a base capture as a GV hunter or to help drop the town. I generally wont engage targets at a field with the ack up since the drop puts me to low and slow. I will pickle on the town from 6-8k with no problems and normally do pretty well...then zoom back up to 10-12k and go hunting.
To me the A-20 is actually a much more formidable air to air weapon then it is an air to ground one. A jug or even a 38 is much more survivable air to ground and the 10 rockets almost equals the other 2k of bombs (except vs GV's). When I'm in a "real fighter" I'm actually a lot more worried about A-20's, mossies and 110's above me then almost anything else.
If the guy flying them is out hunting and has developed a good feel for the plane of choice (which does take time for all 3) then the combination of E and firepower creates a very difficult situation since there is not a lot of "history"....even for me. I more or less know what a high 109 or Tiffie or nikki can/will do and have a pretty ingrained understanding of the options. I'm actually as leary/confused/unsure as anyone else is when facing the above from a disadvantage. I know how to kill all 3 of them with little problem or risk from a superior position...but you simply dont just "sneak thru" an attack (especially mossie or 110) with minimal damage. {didnt mean to take this off topic}.
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Make sure you select wing bombs first. You have to come in slow then dive with throttle off. Then when you pull up if you have not dropped all of your wing mounted bombs don't pull up hard this will snap them most every time if you are carrying a lot of fuel as well.
That's interesting lyric1 since the wing-mounted stores put less stress on the airframe during a pull-out than the ones in the bomb bay.
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If you get it over 400 KIAS you have to be very careful on the pullout. Much more than 1.5 Gs and the wings will rip off. Try to keep it under 350, and learn to make your drops from higher up if you start the dive from higher altitudes.
The wings won't rip off when you hit 1.5Gs if trying to pull out of a dive at 400mph IAS, they rip off if you pull more than 3Gs.
ack-ack
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That's interesting lyric1 since the wing-mounted stores put less stress on the airframe during a pull-out than the ones in the bomb bay.
I have tried both ways I find dropping wing ord first seems to be less likely to rip wings off. Also when I up a single Boston with ord I find I can dog fight even with bombs on board I have never ripped the wings off of it Elevators some time but never wings.
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I have never ripped the wings off of it Elevators some time but never wings.
It's always been the elevators that go if I pull more than 3Gs at 400mph IAS, never have ripped off the wings.
ack-ack
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I guess I'm the opposite from humble. Rather than short steep dives I always had better luck making long shallow dives.
Short and steep is probably a better tactic with the current crop of wirbles to contend with.
Watch your speed, pull out gently!
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I usually do short steep dives. Since my aim for dive bombing is like Ray Charles trying to read a Weres Waldo? book, I usually drop 1/2 of all my ord on a GV. :rolleyes:
I have found out though, that a P-39 is an excellent dive bombing platform. I've always had the most success with it.
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I guess I'm the opposite from humble. Rather than short steep dives I always had better luck making long shallow dives.
Short and steep is probably a better tactic with the current crop of wirbles to contend with.
Watch your speed, pull out gently!
My problem with the shallow dive angle is hitting anything (beyond the ground that is). With the steeper angle I seem to get a better (which still isnt saying much) result....especially vs moving targets. also with harder targets like VH's I can get the bombs clustered better. Even with drop "pickle count" set to 4 it seems like the shallow dive angle spreads the eggs more.
But as mentioned I rarely carry any mail with me...
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I have found out though, that a P-39 is an excellent dive bombing platform. I've always had the most success with it.
I appreciate that but I always fly fighters in fighter mode with the exception of the F6F-5, the F4U1-D, FW190F-8 and occasionally the P-47D-40 which I always (except the D-40) fly heavy in attack mode. I even fly the 110G-2 light in fighter mode. Oh, and I fly the Hurri IID in attack mode too.
I'm trying to learn how to be effective in the IL-2, A-20 and a handfull of others in attack mode to open up that end of the spectrum a little.
I like to just set 'em and forget 'em (modes, loadouts, convergences, etc.).