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Help and Support Forums => Help and Training => Topic started by: Noah17 on October 31, 2009, 07:20:02 AM

Title: Badly beaten in a turn....
Post by: Noah17 on October 31, 2009, 07:20:02 AM
Ok....I'm a little po'd....
This morning got killed and really don't understand what happened or, what I did wrong.

F4U-1d chasing me in a 1A. He's 800 behind me about level and just slightly angle off my left tail. I go in to left break turn banked @ almost 90 degrees. We were both too fast to use flaps, he's 60MPH faster than me and turns into me to pull lead with only a 45 degree bank. He then easily gains lead and hoses me.......I was pulling almost 6g's. How the hell is this possible when I was already inside his turn, started my turn first, and pulled harder than he did????

He was still carrying his freakin rockets too!!

I saved the film and was going to post it but I don't know how.
 
Title: Re: Badly beaten in a turn....
Post by: Lusche on October 31, 2009, 07:36:37 AM
If you have the film, it's better to wait for us with speculative explanations until you have posted it.

To do that you have to do the following:

Go to a file hosting website (for example www.mediafire.com ). Upload the film. After that, copy the link they do provide and post it here.
Title: Re: Badly beaten in a turn....
Post by: Anaxogoras on October 31, 2009, 08:13:28 AM
F4U-1d chasing me in a 1A. He's 800 behind me about level and just slightly angle off my left tail. I go in to left break turn banked @ almost 90 degrees. We were both too fast to use flaps, he's 60MPH faster than me and turns into me to pull lead with only a 45 degree bank. He then easily gains lead and hoses me.......I was pulling almost 6g's. How the hell is this possible when I was already inside his turn, started my turn first, and pulled harder than he did????

You were not yet inside his turn.  Your break turn path was across his line of sight, and since the F4U is great for deflection shooting, he made the shot.  This kind of thing happens all the time.

It's important to know that the further away the bandit is behind you, the gentler the turn he can use to track you before your lateral velocity becomes too great.  For aircraft with the .50 cal laser beam armament, this fact of geometry is extremely useful because it's not hard to precisely hit a target from 600 yards out when the entire planform is exposed during a turn.

P.S. I would bet money this F4U pilot has rudder pedals.
Title: Re: Badly beaten in a turn....
Post by: WMLute on October 31, 2009, 08:16:00 AM
Take your hands, position them one behind the other with the back one slightly off angle.

Now take your front hand and bank it left @ 90 degrees.
Title: Re: Badly beaten in a turn....
Post by: Mace2004 on October 31, 2009, 09:04:44 AM
F4U-1d chasing me in a 1A. He's 800 behind me about level and just slightly angle off my left tail. I go in to left break turn banked @ almost 90 degrees. We were both too fast to use flaps, he's 60MPH faster than me and turns into me to pull lead with only a 45 degree bank. He then easily gains lead and hoses me.......I was pulling almost 6g's. How the hell is this possible when I was already inside his turn, started my turn first, and pulled harder than he did????
 
THis is very easy to explain.  It's simply geometry.  You both start your turns at the same time but his turn center is offset 800 ft inside of your turn.  Since he's faster his radius will be larger but he's not following your flight path.  He's cutting across your turn circle to a point ahead of you.  He can continue with greater speed in which he will have a high aspect shot on you but you're presenting him with an easy planform target unless you're prepared for an out of plane maneuver to make him miss.  If he misses, he'll overshoot outside of your turn and you can reverse on him.  If he's smart, he'll probably chop throttle before reaching you so he can slow to your speed and turn radius to saddle up.  I have a simple line drawing which shows what I'm talking about but my FTP server seems to be down.  If it comes up soon I'll post it.
Title: Re: Badly beaten in a turn....
Post by: Noah17 on October 31, 2009, 10:10:28 AM
http://www.mediafire.com/?ozxyqu2q2dy (http://www.mediafire.com/?ozxyqu2q2dy)

Gents thanks for all your input. Mace, I also really appreciate your description. From looking at the film from behind my opponents plane the move didn't look natural..... but, what the hec do I know.


I posted the link to the film above. I've never used a "file hosting site" before.
I hope I've posted it correctly.
Title: Re: Badly beaten in a turn....
Post by: The Fugitive on October 31, 2009, 10:56:25 AM
maybe this will make it a bit easier to understand. In the picture below (from your film one second before you die) who has pulled the harder turn?


(http://i266.photobucket.com/albums/ii253/maddogjoe_photos/turn.jpg)

Title: Re: Badly beaten in a turn....
Post by: Noah17 on October 31, 2009, 12:54:00 PM
Fugitive,

That's an amazing view.  :aok Thanks!

I am not used to the "trail" views. From this view you can see I pulled the harder turn. I thought I would pull harder I just thought my opponent wouldn't have been able to pull enough.
I had thought that the difference in speed (me being slower) in combination with the angle I pulled would have
made a significantly greater difference.... Nope...

I don't know how to say it but somehow I would have thought I could have "out turned" him. This pic and Maces' description certainly tell the story.

Other than a barrel roll or flat scissors what other way could have helped me make my escape? My flat scissors always seems to leave me flat/slow and most people just pull up. My barrel roll never seems to throw any one off.

Lusche, Anaxogoras, WMLute, Mace2004, Fugitive Thanks again for your help.
Title: Re: Badly beaten in a turn....
Post by: Anaxogoras on October 31, 2009, 01:21:13 PM
Hi Noah,

I'm glad you feel you've been helped.  In my experience, there's a world of difference between a bandit 1.2k behind you, and 800 behind you.  When the bandit is 1.2k behind, your break turn into him will create enough lateral motion to throw off his shot; at 800 it will not.  If the attacker were very close, e.g. inside 400 yards, then again the break turn might work because the attacker will have to turn much harder to pull lead for the shot.  These numbers are not solid because there are lot of variables in aircraft types, speeds, etc., but they do illustrate the general point, which is that there's a sweet spot distance for an attacker where a defensive break turn presents a big target.

Mtnman or TC should have some good F4U tips for you shortly. :)
Title: Re: Badly beaten in a turn....
Post by: Mace2004 on October 31, 2009, 01:54:41 PM
In my experience, there's a world of difference between a bandit 1.2k behind you, and 800 behind you.  When the bandit is 1.2k behind, your break turn into him will create enough lateral motion to throw off his shot; at 800 it will not.  If the attacker were very close, e.g. inside 400 yards, then again the break turn might work because the attacker will have to turn much harder to pull lead for the shot.  These numbers are not solid because there are lot of variables in aircraft types, speeds, etc., but they do illustrate the general point, which is that there's a sweet spot distance for an attacker where a defensive break turn presents a big target.

Anaxogoras is right, he may not know it but the "sweet spot" he's describing is the control zone.  The control zone is a cone around your extended six (think of your aircraft dragging around a sugar cone).  This cone can be between 30 and 45 degrees off your tail (depending upon the relative maneuverability of the two fighters).  There is also a range componenent that, for WWII planes, is from about 400 yds out to about 800.  Once inside the cone betwen those ranges the bandit is too close for you to out turn him but too far to confuse him much by jinking or changing speeds.  If he's more maneuverable and co-e he'll just turn within your plane of motion.  If he's less maneuverable but with either greater or lessor E then he can high or low yo-yo to maintain position.   If he has more e he can also drop into lag pursuit.  You are too far away from him to generate a lot of track crossing rates but too close to generate lots of angles before he has a gun solution.  Tough spot to be in and the spot you were in.  Too often people wait until they're in this position before worrying about what to do and, quite frankly, there are not a lot of choices and the all require the bandit to make a mistake.

In your case, you waited way too long to react and when you did you made it easy for him.  He had more E than you and you turned nose high.  This slowed you down and let him have an easy planform shot at you while you really just hung there.  Better would have been for you to make a hard, nose low turn and just as he begins to open fire level your wings and go up.  As you go up, roll some more to point your wingtip at him taking away the planform shot and letting you pull hardest across his nose rather than at it.  He whould now have to adjust his gunnery from a nose low shot against a planform to a nose up shot against a small target that has created some track crossing rate in the opposite direction.  Is it easy to do and 100% effective?  Absolutely not.  If he's expecting it or you have too little e its an easy move to counter but it's better than nothing.  It's just one of a few limited and not great options to could have tried but it really goes back to letting him get set up in your control zone in the first place.
Title: Re: Badly beaten in a turn....
Post by: CAP1 on October 31, 2009, 02:39:20 PM
Anaxogoras is right, he may not know it but the "sweet spot" he's describing is the control zone.  The control zone is a cone around your extended six (think of your aircraft dragging around a sugar cone).  This cone can be between 30 and 45 degrees off your tail (depending upon the relative maneuverability of the two fighters).  There is also a range componenent that, for WWII planes, is from about 400 yds out to about 800.  Once inside the cone betwen those ranges the bandit is too close for you to out turn him but too far to confuse him much by jinking or changing speeds.  If he's more maneuverable and co-e he'll just turn within your plane of motion.  If he's less maneuverable but with either greater or lessor E then he can high or low yo-yo to maintain position.   If he has more e he can also drop into lag pursuit.  You are too far away from him to generate a lot of track crossing rates but too close to generate lots of angles before he has a gun solution.  Tough spot to be in and the spot you were in.  Too often people wait until they're in this position before worrying about what to do and, quite frankly, there are not a lot of choices and the all require the bandit to make a mistake.

In your case, you waited way too long to react and when you did you made it easy for him.  He had more E than you and you turned nose high.  This slowed you down and let him have an easy planform shot at you while you really just hung there.  Better would have been for you to make a hard, nose low turn and just as he begins to open fire level your wings and go up.  As you go up, roll some more to point your wingtip at him taking away the planform shot and letting you pull hardest across his nose rather than at it.  He whould now have to adjust his gunnery from a nose low shot against a planform to a nose up shot against a small target that has created some track crossing rate in the opposite direction.  Is it easy to do and 100% effective?  Absolutely not.  If he's expecting it or you have too little e its an easy move to counter but it's better than nothing.  It's just one of a few limited and not great options to could have tried but it really goes back to letting him get set up in your control zone in the first place.

I THINK this just helped me a lot too.

 i had developed a habit of letting a higher, faster bandit get less then 1k out, before i would do any avoidance maneuvers, thinking this would make it much harder for him to line up a shot on me.
 apparently, just the opposite is true.  :aok
Title: Re: Badly beaten in a turn....
Post by: boomerlu on October 31, 2009, 04:28:30 PM
Mace, awesome description. I kind of noticed this same thing too in my flying, just wasn't quite sure how to describe it. The range of distances varies a lot with the types of aircraft involved though.
Title: Re: Badly beaten in a turn....
Post by: StokesAk on October 31, 2009, 04:55:59 PM
He killed you but here is a tip that works for me most of the time.

Pull up into a high climbing spiral while throwing flaps out, he will overshoot and may get low and slow with you where you can beat him 1v1.
Title: Re: Badly beaten in a turn....
Post by: Noah17 on October 31, 2009, 07:44:55 PM
Mace and, Anaxogoras that is really great stuff!

There have been other times where I've had someone on my tail about 800 or so out but I had more altitude to work with. I'd go in to a gradual nose down turn to pick up speed (this is if I could out run my opponent) and make it a little more difficult for them to lead me to get the shot. This time I had no altitude...and even if I did I was facing the same type of aircraft.

Although I have considered others crossing the circle to shoot me I always thought of it in the vertical (zooming) not pulling too hard but I guess it's all the same, there is no difference. Separation is separation....

It seems like this thread has been helpful to others as well. Glad for that. Thanks again for being so helpful and generous with your time. My name's been showing up maybe a little too much on the BBS. I don't want to wear out my welcome.
 :salute
Title: Re: Badly beaten in a turn....
Post by: boomerlu on October 31, 2009, 10:11:21 PM
Don't worry Noah, you're asking useful and interesting questions. :salute
Title: Re: Badly beaten in a turn....
Post by: Mace2004 on October 31, 2009, 11:07:20 PM
What Boomerlu said.

This is one of the main reasons for the forum.  To discuss and learn.  Much better to carry on a discussion here and learn from others than to try to do it all on your own, lots of those guys are the ones calling others cheats just because they don't understand how something happened themselves.  You'll become an old hand at this much quicker by learning some theory about how things work the way they do.  Don't forget to visit the TA as often as you have time.  I can't guarantee there will always be an official trainer but there are many there that love to work with others just as you find here.

Mace
Title: Re: Badly beaten in a turn....
Post by: Noah17 on November 01, 2009, 05:44:19 AM
Gentleman,

Next time we meet at the O club, drinks are on me!

 :cheers:
Title: Re: Badly beaten in a turn....
Post by: TequilaChaser on November 01, 2009, 09:18:44 AM
Mace and, Anaxogoras that is really great stuff!

agreed, both have posted some good replies :aok, I was going to chime in earlier, but Mace posted such a great reply, I felt no need to clog the thread up.......

There have been other times where I've had someone on my tail about 800 or so out but I had more altitude to work with. I'd go in to a gradual nose down turn to pick up speed (this is if I could out run my opponent) and make it a little more difficult for them to lead me to get the shot. This time I had no altitude...and even if I did I was facing the same type of aircraft.

Try not to get into the mental thought of having to need 1,000's of feet of altitude to be able to maneuver, also I think you meant in the parentheses if you could "NOT" Outrun your opponent?  even if your just a 1,000ft or so off the deck, you still have the ability to use the alt you have, to your benefit...... and you may have been in the same type of aircraft, they but each different model of the F4U series have differences in speed, climb, turnrate and agility...... learn those differences, so you know when and where you can capitalize on them.....

Although I have considered others crossing the circle to shoot me I always thought of it in the vertical (zooming) not pulling too hard but I guess it's all the same, there is no difference. Separation is separation....

in it's most basic form, yes, Separation is separation........but to break it down in to something that might help you understand it better, your total separation is summed up by the following 3:
Horizontal - Vertical - Lateral............ This is what gets a lot of the flier's, they have a hard time visualizing it mentally in "3 Dimensional view", when playing in game with "2 D graphics"......hope that makes a bit of understandable sense...... Geometry plays a very big part of the combat picture when working with angles....

My name's been showing up maybe a little too much on the BBS. I don't want to wear out my welcome.
 :salute
Your questions and seeking for knowledge to better your gameplay ( which in return makes it better for everyone else ) will never cause you to wear out your welcome in this forum  :aok


I hope my Lil bit of text helps you  :cheers:
Title: Re: Badly beaten in a turn....
Post by: The Fugitive on November 01, 2009, 09:20:23 AM
Mace covers it pretty well. Murdr had a film posted of him doing the move Mace is talking about while in his 38. As the bogie closes he turns to one side nose low. As the bogie closes he tightens the turn more and more until he's almost in a black out. About the time the bogie tries for a shot he barrel rolls in the opposite direction. This almost always gives him a snap shot as the bogie over shoots. With an aim like Murdrs it usually means a kill for him, for me it means I survived another pass  :D

You can do this move over and over again. What happens more often than not is the bogie figures he'll get slow so as NOT to over shoot, and then it turns into who can turn and burn better.
Title: Re: Badly beaten in a turn....
Post by: Big Rat on November 01, 2009, 10:29:20 AM
Noah,

I found that if you are given 1500ft, all options are still on the table with a hog (unless your doing something like 500mph :lol).  Some great advice has already been given here.  I'll just add a little to it.   One piece of advice I always give any pilot that comes to me for help with defence is to stay out of the enemy's view as much as possible.  Anytime you can be maneuvering under their nose is to your benefit.  So when you see that gun solution on you about to happen, try to make them push their nose over.  This makes a much harder shot for them.  At 1500 ft and 300mph you can still split S a hog, albeit throttle off and get ready to use your flaps real quick, so even this option is on the table.  Also another hog specific thing you can do in this situation, and this is a last resort one in case you either need to make a real hard turn to survive , or have to make a turn to make a shot in a non high threat environment (eg. 1v1).  If you are over 300mph and you know the other guy has speed on you, and you are in a break turn, but you still see the guy pulling lead and you can't quite get your flaps out to get it to turn any harder.  Cut your throttle and if needed dump your gear just to bleed enough speed to get the flaps out, then immediatly retract the gear once you get that first notch out.  You'll need your stick setup correct to do this real quick.  The bogie hopefully tried to turn with and bled off quite a bit of E and is now in front of you or fighting a stall, if he was smart and didn't try to pull lead in that situation and high yo yo'd (saving his E). you at least hopefully survived for another pass. As I said last ditch effort.   I normally always try to think defence directly into offence.  Break turn into barrel roll defence or split S into barrel roll defence, in either case I'm trying to force an overshoot and get on the guys 6.  If you want to work on defence sometime I'm in the TA normally around 9:00 central time, or send me a PM and we can maybe work out somehting with our schedules.

 :salute
BigRat
Title: Re: Badly beaten in a turn....
Post by: Noah17 on November 03, 2009, 05:49:16 AM
Thanks Big Rat,

I'm going to try and make it to the TA this week. Hopefully it will be on a night your there.

Thanks again
 :salute
Title: Re: Badly beaten in a turn....
Post by: Getback on November 09, 2009, 11:34:21 AM
Thanks Big Rat,

I'm going to try and make it to the TA this week. Hopefully it will be on a night your there.

Thanks again
 :salute

Yessir, go to the TA. I've been there in recent weeks working on some Basic Flight maneuvers. All these folks gave some great advice. I'm little hesitant on pulling up for the vertical reverse though at that speed. However, I've used it my self.

Morfend told me it's 10 times easier to face an enemy than to get him off your six. As shown in the film you had very little wiggle room. One of the things that Bigrat said makes great sense, staying out of view. Notice that you pulled up slightly. This gave your foe a full picture of you. What you should have done was hit the rudders first. This brings the nose down sharply and then finish your turn with light opposite rudder if necessary (depends on E and angle). Of course you could use the barrel roll, scissors, or the skid brake maneuver.

Another thing is try to get the foe in your high vortex, i.e. straight up or look up key. (Learned that from Morpfend as well). Once you see he's got a shot go the opposite direction.

Review the film from Rocky's seat. You can click on his name in the film viewer.

BTW, really happy you came here instead of verbally attacking the guy.
Title: Re: Badly beaten in a turn....
Post by: CAP1 on November 09, 2009, 11:39:00 AM
i actually tried going to the ta both saturday and sunday.....both times around 8 or 9'ish eastern. found no one in there either time.
Title: Re: Badly beaten in a turn....
Post by: Big Rat on November 11, 2009, 10:29:12 PM
i actually tried going to the ta both saturday and sunday.....both times around 8 or 9'ish eastern. found no one in there either time.

Sorry guys was on vacation in Texas, just got back yesterday. I'll be a common site in there again now if anyone wants some help from me.

 :salute
BigRat
Title: Re: Badly beaten in a turn....
Post by: CAP1 on November 11, 2009, 10:36:18 PM
Sorry guys was on vacation in Texas, just got back yesterday. I'll be a common site in there again now if anyone wants some help from me.

 :salute
BigRat

you'/ll see me in there.


i need to practice merges, and just saddling up on a con.....then maybe some gunnery.......then avoiding hi cons, so i don't have to waste time climbing to 20k, then.....aaww...hell!! i need work on everythign 'cept for flying straight n level!

 :bolt:

how was the vacation?

i'm waiting till christmas. it's on a friday this year, so i may get to see my neice on christmas morning. she's 9. since she's been born, she has been the shining light on christmas for me. always fun making it good for kids.  :aok