Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => Aces High General Discussion => Topic started by: Rojo on September 26, 2001, 10:35:00 AM
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It doesn’t happen in Aces High very often, particularly in the MA. AWACS radar in the cockpit and billboard-size neon icons makes sure of that. Still, every once in a while the dogs of war or fate or simply luck and an inattentive enemy pilot conspires to recreate that almost mythical event: the perfect bounce.
There I was (doesn’t every fighter jock start the story that way?) cruising towards A30 last night to help the Knights take it away from the Bishops. I arrived just in time to watch our goons storm the map room and capture the field. No problem, I think to myself. At the other end of this island, to the northwest, a single enemy base remains under enemy control. I decide to indulge in my patented, nap-of-the-earth, lone-wolf stalking trick. I drop down below radar to about 75 feet above the earth and set course to the northwest at full military power; lean, clean, and with a bone in my teeth.
As I skim over the undulating terrain, skirting between peaks and riding ridgelines, my face is a mask of concentration. My eyes follow their ritualistic pattern, burned into my psyche by countless low-altitude sorties: scan instruments, sweep the horizon, scan instruments, sweep the high 360, repeat. Every minute or so I risk a quick glance at the map display to check my position and look for radar contacts.
As I reach a position only a few miles out, I notice a red bar appear in the grid that contains my destination. Under most other circumstances, this would be a bad thing. Not today, though. The whole point of this exercise is to find enemy activity at the base. Not too much, and not too early in my approach. I want the to catch someone just after take off, there attention diverted by the details of getting airborne, setting climb trim and power, checking the map and setting their course. It has been my experience that there is a critical few minutes after take off from a base not under obvious attack where people just aren’t into their SA routine yet.
My craft’s nose lifts over a ridgeline and the enemy airbase lays spread out before me on the coastal plain. I’m tearing along at over 300 knots, riding along the seaward slop of a mountain, when I see the flash of sunlight off silvered wings, low over the water at my 1 o’clock. The bogie appears to have just lifted off from the enemy base. Does he see me? Could he possibly not see me? Without waiting for an answer to these questions, I kick full right rudder and point my nose down hill. As I reach the bottom of the slope, I yank back to bottom out a mere few meters above the level ground, then shove the throttle past the detent and into boost. The airspeed indicator’s needle is quivering at close to four hundred knots as I make another minor adjustment to point the nose at the enemy plane.
The dot becomes a silhouette, which becomes a plane-form that takes on detail as I rapidly close the distance from his low six. He is in a shallow climb directly away from me, maneuvering only minimally. My heart begins to beat wildly against my ribs, my breathing becomes shallower, and my legs and fingers take on the now familiar tingling of adrenaline. The range winds down faster and faster as I slowly pull beneath him: 1,500 meters, 1,100, 800, 600…
The enemy fighter hangs suspended above me, impossibly large in the top of my canopy, yet impossibly far away. At 500 meters, I pull back smoothly back into a climb. The target creeps down the windscreen, and every second I expect him to suddenly break into a wild defensive maneuver. Surely he must see me! The desire to fire my guns becomes a nearly unbearable pressure behind my eyes. At last it is centered neatly in the reticule.
At 400 meters I can contain myself no longer. I pull the trigger and a hail of 50-caliber slugs fill the air around the enemy fighter like angry bees. Flashes sparkle along his wings, and pieces of airplane scatter in his wake. I stop firing for just a fraction of a second, then give it one more burst. This time, oily smoke belches forth and my adversary’s horizontal stabilizer flutters away. His mortally wounded craft swoons upward in a drunken lurch before tipping over one wing and beginning a last, gyrating plunge to the sea. The PERFECT bounce!
It is with a mixture of relief and regret that I watch a parachute canopy blossom just above the wave tops. I give the wings a waggle as parting salute, the push the nose back down. Leveling off at 50 feet, I head back towards the enemy base. Perhaps he’ll launch again right away. Perhaps someone else will. I spot another dot lifting off, an enemy paratroop carrier. I grin maniacally as I again slew the nose towards this new target. Target rich environment…got to love it!
Some will argue that the most satisfying kill is the hard fought dogfight with a cunning and alert opponent. For me, nothing compares to the perfect bounce.
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Good story.
We have all had that good mythical bounce, sometimes they are AFK or not paying attention. I know I have been on the other end of the "perfect bounce" a time or two.
The worst is when you make that bounce and----- miss the shot! When I was flying the Yak alot I missed a couple of bounces by trying to get to close and missjuged the rate of closure and missed the shot, that sucks.
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I'm with ya on the bounce. Nothing gets my heart racing like creeping up on a cold-side bounce. I only wish we didn't have the inflight display.
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Nicely written! I enjoyed that very much and felt I went along on the mission with you :)
Although winning (and even losing if it was to a worthy opponant) a tough white knuckled fight gives me about the same exhileration ;)
I also echo those sentiments in your 2nd post.
Westy
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Nothing spoils a perfect bounce as when you see a low con skimming NOE 10ft off the ground, you dive from his hi 6 .... zooooooommmmm....
Only to find out its the shadow of a hi alt bomber.
ARGH :(
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I had a nice bounce yesterday too. I was dwee…Nikieing…flying ( :D) at 24k and saw under me B-17 about 5-6k under me. I cut my truhle and dove at him. Airplane became unresponsive at over 300mph and I was balancing all over trying to get it to point at him. I knew that B-17 was aiming at my field and he would not know what <cough> dweebed him. At 800 I regained stability and with very smoove push on the stick I opened fire at 500. I scored hits at 400. B-17’s tail fell off at 200. B-17 blows up at 100. He didn’t say anything and no bombs scored a hit on base.
If anyone wants to see movie, I got it :) Just give me your Email address
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Turning off tracers really, really helps the perfect bounce. There are no tracers flying by the canopy to give you away, and the other guy can't see what horrifically poor aim you really have. :)
-- Todd/DMF
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Rojo;
You write as well as you fly!
(maybe even better) :)
<S>
eskimo
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Nice,
Sure, send it to jpegny@yahoo.com
Thanks
Originally posted by Russian:
I had a nice bounce yesterday too. I was dwee…Nikieing…flying ( :D) at 24k and saw under me B-17 about 5-6k under me. I cut my truhle and dove at him. Airplane became unresponsive at over 300mph and I was balancing all over trying to get it to point at him. I knew that B-17 was aiming at my field and he would not know what <cough> dweebed him. At 800 I regained stability and with very smoove push on the stick I opened fire at 500. I scored hits at 400. B-17’s tail fell off at 200. B-17 blows up at 100. He didn’t say anything and no bombs scored a hit on base.
If anyone wants to see movie, I got it :) Just give me your Email address
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I get bounced frequently when I'm flying past 1am. lol
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The only thing better than making the perfect bounce is making it twice in one night! I bounced a certain 190 driver (who shall remain nameless :) ) the other night twice in a 2 hour period. Both times I was in a pony at medium alt and he was climbing towards the nearest furball. Nothing like dropping in on a bogie's high 6 doing 450 mph and letting rip with 6 .50s :D 190's do make lovely fireballs...
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BLUEmako
(http://www.telusplanet.net/public/brandor/images/412.gif) (http://webpages.charter.net/davidlj/)
"Live with it. Enjoy the game. Quit whining."
Isurus oxyrinchus
Qualities: Fast shark capable of spectacular aerobatics...
Hints: Very dangerous to man. Related to the White Pointer Shark. Well known for its unprovoked attacks...
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Cool story Rojo, thanks for takin the time to put it up.
Yet another example of AH ROCKING! anything that can induce real adrenaline rushes, and heart races, just by looking at a PC monitor, has just got to be way cool!!
<S> Blue
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Originally posted by Dead Man Flying:
Turning off tracers really, really helps the perfect bounce. There are no tracers flying by the canopy to give you away, and the other guy can't see what horrifically poor aim you really have. :)
-- Todd/DMF
And nothing quite panics me as when Im hearing pings but cant see those tracers.
I can hit the broad side of a barn from 5 feet away or else id turn em off too.
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Funniest story I ever read on the web was posted in here a few years ago. It involved a certain person who will go un-named until they step forward. This person was relating how someone else performed "The Perfect Bounce" on his virtual aircraft whilst he had stepped a few paces away to relieve some bowel pressure. Needless to say, the toejam hit the fan, Oh Gawd it was hilarious!
Not all prefect bounces are the result of ultra stealth predatory techniques, I think allot are due to Beer, Pizza and Nature :)
Great narrative Rojo!
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Yeaah, I get that suspicion too. I often go to wash dishes on climbout, or even post on AH (like I'm doing right now... 20,000 feet over A1), come back and find myself in the tower.
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I always find the low six perfect bounce much more satisfying than a hard fought one.
Must be comin from tons of adrenalin in my blood when the distance gets closer and closer and i hope he dont discoveres me till i am 250 yrds away, hitting the cannon trigger and watch him burn.
But i got a nice story how i evaded the "perfect bounce" on the last moment:
i was heading from A7 (lake map) N on not much fuel cause we just had a defense battle won there. But i wanted to look if N were a few cons.
When i was just about to turn i saw a black dot far away. As i close i saw a Yak down low and decided to try a one pass attack. The Yak noticed me and evade. Me low on fuel hit the deck, running home, watching as the Yak disappeared behind me.
After a while i throttled back, look aft everthing clear.
I slowed down for the final approach. Cutting throttle lowering flaps and gear. Cause i was a bit to far to the left of the runway, i turned softly right, than softly back left.
When i tough, time to check 6 a last time.
I look back, and dang there 850 yrds away a the Yak popped up on my 5 oclock. It was in a gentle left trun to get on my 6.
I pushed nose down, and than hard right, the gear streaming from the stress. The Yak close rapidly.
When it startet firing from 300 yrds, i gave full right rudder and due to the speed difference the Yak overshoot me to the left.
I turned left, now floating over my home base, preparing for the next attack. Gear was still out.
The Yak looped and the field ack cut its tail off.
Puh i survived, but that was real real close.
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so you guys get off when you kill someone who may or may not even be at the puter? I allways figure he must assleep or gone. The uterus map is good for that since most are bored to sleep.
lazs
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My most un-perfect bounce:
Some weeks ago I was flying a P38 near the coast (island map) and divised a far, low, alone and very slow dot. I aproached at about 20k and once over him I selected all guns, switch on the dive flaps and started a steepy dive. The dot seemed stopped and I continued the dive, each second harder and harder to keep the P38 trimmed. Then, suddenly the dot started to move... ...white water trail!!! PT icon centered on screen!! Compressed!!! Tracers!!!! Panic!!!! Desperatelly I tried to get out the dive and got it just to hear a single ping ... ... half wing out!
Ok, no problem, I still have a decent control of the plane, I can return to a friendly base... But the control was not as good as I thought and I needed to start a WIDE turn to the right with no chance to turn to the left, so, I controled the aproach to land only with minimal speed variations and a constant turn to the right... then I noticed the most large horror just in front of me and slightly to the right, still far away. 20 seconds more and I was aiming direcly to the CV and no chance to turn or slowdown even more the plane.
The result of my most "perfect" bounce was to crash disintegrated by the ack against the CV right side.
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While trying to get the perfectbounce I can say I'm trully mastering the perfect lawndart.
Great story, Rojo.
Cheers,
Pepe
[ 09-27-2001: Message edited by: Pepe ]
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Great story Rojo, I agree on the perfect kill is the perfect bounce. Catching people unaware is a pure joy, then getting 50 yards back and putting 2-3 30mm cannonen in the cockpit with 'em. Just like real life. Unfotunately, these are few and far between due to the high powered radar. :(
so you guys get off when you kill someone who may or may not even be at the puter? I allways figure he must assleep or gone. The uterus map is good for that since most are bored to sleep.
lazs
rgr, I really enjoy killing the sleeping dorks. Gotta love the thought of them wakeing up dead.
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when I was younger i used to wake up ded a lot.
lazs
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I always feel disappointed when I kill someone and he doesn't even try to put up a fight. Especially if it's a goony I'm shooting.
anRky
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Great story!
I did somewhat of a bounce last night in a 202 of all things. Was going to check the acks at 30 and an La7 lifted off, headed up at me, then just kept on going. As I approached 30, I noticed a P51 had landed well short of the runway, prop stopped. He must have run out of gas and was trying to roll for all he was worth onto the runway to not get the "ditch" message.
Who wouldn't pass up a Runstang kill on one that can't run :) Ratatatatattata and he explodes. But in my fascination to destroy that P51 just outsides the runway, the acks chew me up. Lost both ailerons and had to fly home with just rudder!
Trapper :) Sorry to pounce you like that, but I think if the tables were turned, you would have riddled me full of holes too!