Author Topic: Zekes and the longer lasting battery (Read 294 times)

Karnak · « **Reply #15 on:** June 04, 2002, 03:31:36 PM »

I had one of my A6M5bs (keep in mind it is a late war strengthened Zero) take some light hits from an Fw190 and start to leak fuel. No other damage, I checked. I turned to engage the 190 when a minute into the duel I exploded. No fire at all.

Thrila,

Yes, the Mossie should be tough. I have a photo of a Mossie that was covered in fuel and flames from a Bf110 it shotdown at close range. All of the paint and fabric in the rudder is burned off, then the fire went out as there was no more material flamable enough to burn in the airpreasure of a flying Mosquito. The wood did not make the Mosquito anymore prone to fire than aluminium aircraft. Fuel is what burned in both cases and the Mosquito had self sealing fuel tanks.

lazs2 · « **Reply #16 on:** June 05, 2002, 08:28:52 AM »

well.... I fly 6 fifties and have found some interesting things about plane hardness.

The zeke and the lag7 seem to be unusually impervious to fifty caliber hits. Lots of smoke and even some pieces falling off but no kill... Another plane that seems to be very tough for what it is... the 109 series.

On the fragile side... spits. the easiest plane in the game for me to kill with fifties are spits. Nothing dies as easy. They blow up outright or sporal down with one wing. Why a spit should be so much easier for me to kill than a zeke is a mystery... I can't believe that spits were more studmuffinile than the weak little 109 either.
lazs

Taiaha · « **Reply #17 on:** June 05, 2002, 09:48:34 AM »

I get shot down in the zeke a lot, so I can testify to its tendency to light up--however that's as it should be. With no self-sealing tanks and a wet wing, you'd expect it to be pinged, then leak and/or burn. I haven't noticed that it lasts a particularly long time--I'm just thankful the game doesn't model the ability to light up a fuel stream with tracers (although that would be fun).

The mossie is more of a puzzle. Tough, yes. Self-sealing fuel tanks, yes. So why the fire all the time? My experience has been pretty much the same as Thrila's--I'm never hit except the entire plane is engulfed in flames. And I've shot a few down that with one exception have always burned.

Just one of life's little mysteries!

Midnight · « **Reply #18 on:** June 05, 2002, 11:36:15 AM »

This is one reason why I think a penalty of some type is needed for being killed. No penalty for bailing or whatever, but if you actually get killed.

How many times have you shot a plane all to hell, only to have it keep flying and spraying bullets widely like a rabid dog?

With no death penalty, pilots keep flying rather than bail out. The plane is dead anyway, so why not try to take a few with it?

If people wanted to avoid actually being killed (by not getting a 2 minute "you can't message") then the rabid dog sindrome might go away.

In real life, if your plane were on fire and trailing smoke everywhere, the last thing you would want to do is ride it out.

lazs2 · « **Reply #19 on:** June 05, 2002, 02:19:57 PM »

midnight... a lot of zeke pilots didn't carry chutes anyway but.... if there were a penalty for not reaching the ground safely then it would sure make shooting chutes all the more fun. I don't have a key mapped to "bail".

taiala... I believe that our zeke is the M5 and that it did have self sealing tanks. It should still be a pretty fragile plane though.
lazs

Fatty · « **Reply #20 on:** June 05, 2002, 02:22:57 PM »

I agree, we need a lot more incentive for players to bail out and a lot more to lose when shot in a chute.

I waste so much ammo trying to get them to bail out I barely have any left for the chute.

-=Silo=- · « **Reply #21 on:** June 05, 2002, 02:41:30 PM »

The Zero as an airframe was pretty sturdy, and made out of excellent metals. That said, its biggest problems were 1) No pilot Armor 2) No self sealing tanks.

So either the pilot died, or it burned by fire, otherwise its was pretty strong. Its a carrier plane and used in rough foward fields so it had to have been a pretty rugged frame to absorb the abuses. ( This is why the Spitfire didnt work so well off decks and in the Pacs rough fields)

Our Zero has pilot armor and perhaps some form of fuel protection as it is a late model. It also features strengthened wings for high speed dives. There have been accounts of Zeros riddled by .50 cal returning to base. Zero is a decent sized airplane too.