Ahhh another su... er P47 fan.
Just kidding! I love the Jug, and fly it pretty much all of the time.
There are two key factors to flying the Jug, have more E, and use it effectively. That means being very careful before you engage, and using the vertical as much as possible.
You must also know the limits of your airplane compared to others. Although you can out run some planes, others you cannot. You can't out turn anything, so don't plan to win any engagements based on sustained turning ability.
Start by looking at the AH speed charts here:
http://www.hitechcreations.com/p_and_v.html It's not nearly the fastest down low, but what the Jug can do is dive very well at high speed, and remain in control longer than most other planes. On the weekend I dove a Jug to 600 Mph and survived. Nobody caught me either.
It will compress at over 500 Mph, but with careful application of trim tabs and not too steep a dive angle, you can recover it in time.
The Jug is not a good climber, not a good turner, a terrible accelerator, and not good at retaining energy under G loading. It is good at diving at high speed, at zoom climbing, at vertical maneuvers, has a great gun package, and LOTS of ammo. It can be used to great effect as a Boom n Zoom platform, and reasonably well as an E fighter given a starting E advantage and careful use of the vertical plane to maneuver. The Jug also carries lots of gas and has really good range.
The Jug is also very good at high altitude... once you get it there.
If you are looking to escort a buff raid at 27k, the Jug is a good choice. For arenal altitudes, it's not the best choice for most situations. However, a careful pilot can use the Jug's strengths to great effect even at low altitudes.
The real trick is being patient enough to extend and gain an advantage before engaging. Also, judging the enemy's E state is critical. You need to mask your E state as well, and that is normally done simply by staying faster at a slightly lower altitude. Don't be afraid to turn the Jug for a short time, but use a notch or two of flaps if slow, and use vertical maneuvers like loops, immelmans, and yoyo as much as possible.
Above all... know when to run. It's tough, but the Jug can't really turn the tables once you have lost the energy battle. Typically in the Jug I trade my E for angles to get a shot, but if I miss, I am then screwed, and must run. Learn to recognise when you have lost the advantage in the Jug, and don't be afraid to use the "P47 extension maneuver"... ie a 0G dive to 500 Mph + or 50 feet, whichever comes first.
I know that's not much, but it's a start. I'll try to make a couple of Jug films. If you are online, watch for guys like Frenchy, Sancho, Ammo, and MarkAT, all good Jug pilots. (There are more I've left out as well.) You can email me at sconrad@hfx.eastlink.ca and we can set up some training time in the TA if you like.
Above all... just fly it. You will die a lot at first, but after a while you will figure out how to make the big beast really work, and it's very satisfying when you kill "better" planes with your huge beast of a fighter!
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Lephturn - Aces High Chief Trainer
A member of The Flying Pigs
http://www.flyingpigs.com Check out
Lephturn's Aerodrome!"Nothing is so firmly believed as that which we least know." - Michel Eyquem, seigneur de Montaigne. (1533–1592)
[This message has been edited by Lephturn (edited 02-26-2001).]
