Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => Aircraft and Vehicles => Topic started by: BaldEagl on November 26, 2008, 06:22:04 PM
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I got off work early today and had a couple of free hours this afternoon.
I decided to go on a buff mission to a Rook city in an area of the map that the Bish were contesting. I took up a set of AR234's as I normally do and dropped 21% of the city in a single full speed pass which was about 5-10% less than I had hoped for.
I landed and, after an uneventful run with no enemies interested, I decided to go back and see if I could get the city under 50%. I was trying to decide between the B-26 and the Boston in keeping with wanting to get in and out quickly yet cause the damage that I needed to when I decided on a flight of Bostons.
There were now some enemies at friendly bases just off my planned flight path but I decided if I could get to alt quick enough my speed might carry me by them.
I took off from a coastal base and within a sector I was over 16K feet. Still climbing at over 1K ft/min I kept climbing until I reached 20K. I leveled off with a full load of 4x500 lb bombs, calibrated at 304 mph and dropped three on my first pass. The city was now down to 59%. I flew out a sector then turned back for the last cluster of buildings that hadn't been hit yet. I calibrated this time at 310 mph which is the speed I had verified for my current load on my way out to turn. I dropped my last bomb on the un-hit building cluster bringing the city to 50% even. Bummer... I really wanted to get it under 50%.
As I was checking the damage, closing the bay doors and lining up on my return field a fighter upped from the base who's radar I was now flying through.
Soon I was clipping along at 322 mph at 20K. I looked down at my fuel gauge then hit E6B just to confirm the fact that I was going to be 10-15 miles short on fuel. Not a pleasant feeling with a fighter flying after me but I knew speed and alt were still on my side. I cut the RPM to 2100, cut the manifold pressure to 25 and nosed down into a 1K/min dive. The next thing I knew I was hitting 347 mph.
I crossed a sector line and my opponent crossed a couple of minutes later. I crossed a friendly vb radar line and my opponent crossed less than a minute later. He was clearly closing but likely wasn't climbing to do so.
As I was planning my next move a friendly passed under me.
"Something chasing you BaldEagl?"
"I think so but he must still be a little way back. I haven't seen him yet"
"I see him. There's a Spit out here."
I looked back and saw his dot.
"Much obliged if you can hold him up."
"No problem."
He did more than hold him up. The Spit died as I landed with well over 200K new bomber points and having dropped 29% of the city with only 4x500 lb bombs. That was good enough to raise my bombing hit% by almost 100! The entire mission; just under an hour.
Oh, and did I tell you that a single Boston can actually dogfight?
What a great little overlooked plane.
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That's freaking incredible. It took an entire flight of 50 buff formations with 56 escorts to take down 2 nit strats yesterday, but you took a city down 29% with FOUR BOMBS. Gotta say, that DAMN impressive.
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I use the Boston most times like an A20 & yes it can & will dog fight well, took out a C-HOG & a F4U-4 on one sortie.
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Yup, the Boston is underrated and over looked. I like to use it to drop ords at TT airbases- usually the Rooks base since some Rooks seem to enjoy taking TT island.
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The Boston is one of my favorite dissimilar dueling rides... It'll freak out the other guy more often than not.
Its most significant weakness is that the controls stiffen up at speeds approaching 300 mph. This is due to the modeling of the fabric control surfaces. This does not occur with the A-20G. Then again, the A-20G isn't nearly as agile as the lighter Boston. Nor does it climb as well as the Boston.
While four .303s are not powerful by any means, they are adequate due to good concentration in the nose.
My regards,
Widewing
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Dogfight in a b26 against a p51 and a temp, and live to tell about it.
I did. :rock
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That's freaking incredible. It took an entire flight of 50 buff formations with 56 escorts to take down 2 nit strats yesterday, but you took a city down 29% with FOUR BOMBS. Gotta say, that DAMN impressive.
Buff effectivity usually is inversely proportional to numbers in MA play.
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Buff effectivity usually is inversely proportional to numbers in MA play.
Truth.
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Its most significant weakness is that the controls stiffen up at speeds approaching 300 mph. This is due to the modeling of the fabric control surfaces.
I was wondering why that was since they are essentially the same airframe. Thanks.
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The Boston can climb very well for a light/medium bomber, and can fly fast enough if it is high enough to get in and out of an area before being interecepted. If it is intercepted... it is done for. While it does have a rear gunner, it does not good vs the 109G14 or K4, or the 190A8 or D9 that is coming up on the Boston's dead 6.
Coupled with the fact that it carries only 2k of ord... and it is easy to see why it is used as little as it is. Give us the Boston Mk IV (just add 2x500lb bombs to each wing like the A20) and we'll have a winner. ;)
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isn't the boston the same as an a20?
i've had a couple guys kick my butt in them......like cobia for one.....nkl5, and although i haven't fought him in it yet, i understand bigplay is getting pretty dam good in it too.
<<S>>
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isn't the boston the same as an a20?
i've had a couple guys kick my butt in them......like cobia for one.....nkl5, and although i haven't fought him in it yet, i understand bigplay is getting pretty dam good in it too.
<<S>>
I'm not sure which was first, the A20 or the Boston, but I know they are basically the same aircraft with some engine, exterior skins (metal vs canvas), rear gun, ord capacity, and bomb sight differences. I do believe the Boston Mk4 would be the best of the best of either airfract... but I'll wait for a person more versed on the Boston/A20 to chime in. :)
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Boston Mk III is an earlier, export, version. It was originally ordered by France, but when France fell the UK took over the order.
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The Boston can climb very well for a light/medium bomber, and can fly fast enough if it is high enough to get in and out of an area before being interecepted. If it is intercepted... it is done for. While it does have a rear gunner, it does not good vs the 109G14 or K4, or the 190A8 or D9 that is coming up on the Boston's dead 6.
Coupled with the fact that it carries only 2k of ord... and it is easy to see why it is used as little as it is. Give us the Boston Mk IV (just add 2x500lb bombs to each wing like the A20) and we'll have a winner. ;)
Imagina a glazed-nose Mossie then.
Flying as fast as a Boston with 4000 lbs.....
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Imagina a glazed-nose Mossie then.
Flying as fast as a Boston with 4000 lbs.....
Oddly, Boston squadrons were overjoyed to get the Mosquito Mk IV as they felt it gave them a shot at surviving the war compared to the Boston.