Bombing problem

[Yknurd]

A few of suggestion off the top of my head.

 * Throttle back to 3/4 throttle well before target AND before calibrating
 * Open bomb bay doors well before calibrating

These will help your speed settle, even out and be consistent


 * Hold the calibrate key for as long as you can

 * Stay in bomber position and use the 'J' and 'K' keys to adjust course (in bomber position you are automatically in auto-pilot and therefore alt will not change)

 * Open the clipboard and open the E6b and check your speed, compare it to the calibration speed and adjust throttle as necessary (if you throttled back and opened doors well before then hopefully there really isn't any necessary change)


Hope these help.

[bj229r]

Ive also found B17 and B24 nose gunner ALWAYS points zero degrees-straight-ahead when ya jump into seat...VERY good way to line yourself up WAY before ya can see target on norden....JU88 much harder in this respect

[Kami]

I'm really new to bombing but I've found that as long as I open up the bomb bay doors and use e6b to adjust my speed until my climbrate is 0 and resting at that before I begin calibration then I hit target every time.  I usually adjust climbrate a sector and a half away after lining up initially for target.  Seems to work every time for every plane.


edit:

oh btw, even though you use auto level, at higher speeds your climbrate can still be 10 or more at times and drastically affect your accuracy.  I haven't bombed enough to know the average speeds for the bombers to get the 0 climb rate, but most of the time it seems to be about 75-85% with a slight reduction in rpm's to fine tune.  Obviously fuel and ordnance loads will change this.

[Spikes]

Originally posted by bj229r
Ive also found B17 and B24 nose gunner ALWAYS points zero degrees-straight-ahead when ya jump into seat...VERY good way to line yourself up WAY before ya can see target on norden....JU88 much harder in this respect

Yes...I use the guns to line me to on target...

[Spatula]

You have to allow A LOT of time to get properly calibrated and aligned.

When you're 1 1/2 sectors out from your target (and heading *directly* at it), make sure you open your doors and reduce your throttle setting to about 70% or so and let your speed settle for about 1/2 a sector. After you have travelled that 1/2 sector check your E6B for speed and alt and make sure they stay EXACTLY stable. Any variation is not acceptable. Re-check every 30 secs or so several times to be doubly sure your speed and alt is not changing at all. Now calib your sight. Make sure you hold down the calibrate key for about 20-30 seconds. Now cross-check your E6B against your calibration. They have to be all be EXACTLY identical. make sure your drop alt matches your actual alt within 1 or 2 feet.
Now you're ready to drop.
If you have to make any big course corrections lining up your target, you may have to go through the above again. Or at least do another couple of cross-references against your E6B and bomb-sight calibration. 1 Knot difference will mean you will miss.
It pays to have the clipboard/E6B up all the time so you can keep an eye on your speed as you approach your target.

Remember you have to allow lots of time prior to the drop to allow the perfect calibration. The less time you leave, the less accurate you will be.

[titanic3]

Originally posted by Spatula
You have to allow A LOT of time to get properly calibrated and aligned.

When you're 1 1/2 sectors out from your target (and heading *directly* at it), make sure you open your doors and reduce your throttle setting to about 70% or so and let your speed settle for about 1/2 a sector. After you have travelled that 1/2 sector check your E6B for speed and alt and make sure they stay EXACTLY stable. Any variation is not acceptable. Re-check every 30 secs or so several times to be doubly sure your speed and alt is not changing at all. Now calib your sight. Make sure you hold down the calibrate key for about 20-30 seconds. Now cross-check your E6B against your calibration. They have to be all be EXACTLY identical. make sure your drop alt matches your actual alt within 1 or 2 feet.
Now you're ready to drop.
If you have to make any big course corrections lining up your target, you may have to go through the above again. Or at least do another couple of cross-references against your E6B and bomb-sight calibration. 1 Knot difference will mean you will miss.
It pays to have the clipboard/E6B up all the time so you can keep an eye on your speed as you approach your target.

Remember you have to allow lots of time prior to the drop to allow the perfect calibration. The less time you leave, the less accurate you will be.

sectors, speed, calibration... pffft, Lancstuka is the way to go! say it with me everybody!

Lanc-stuka own! Lanc-stuka own! Lanc-stuka own!

[SgtPappy]

Haha. Tell 'em Titanic.
JG and I are to lazy for calibration at any rate.

[Rich46yo]

Again I'll ask, " if the numbers in your calibration screen tell you you are perfectly calibrated then why would your bombs fall short"?

                  And while Im at it, "if the game tells you you are perfectly calibrated, while you really arent perfectly calibrated, then how do you perfectly calibrate"? And how do you know your perfectly calibrated?

                If Im going 240 mph, and Im calibrated exactly at 240 mph, does anyone know why the bombs would fall short consistently? I know Im perfectly calibrated cause they fall exactly the same distance short when this problem crops up.

              Thanks to all for taking the time out to offer advice but I know how to calibrate and bomb ,as I said in my original post. I guess I'll have to E-mail tech support as I should have done originally. To those that offered advice, thank you.

           I held the calibration key down for a minute and it didnt matter. I couldnt imagine spending a sector and 1/2 in the bombsight while approaching a defended airfield. Another thing thats kind of strange in the TA, in your crosshairs, you get a green "X" that I assume is a tool to help you learn calibration. The X in my B-26 at least always stays a bit under my main crosshair, which means If I drop on it I hit my target.

                         No matter how much I calibrate however, or how long, at what speed, or anything I do, the green X stays exactly there. Under a bit, and a tad to the left, of the main crosshair.

                                           Thank you Sirs.

[Hap]

Originally posted by Rich46yo
I know Im perfectly calibrated cause they fall exactly the same distance short when this problem crops up.

Perfect calibration exists when your "calibrated speed" matches your true airspeed off your E6B.   When they match, you don't miss.

Your bomber has not reached full speed.  You're short because the plane has accelerated since your last calibration.  The plane is actually flying faster than your calibrated speed.  

Open the E6B, reduce it and place it where you want in the bombsite.

[what'shisname?]

It ain't perfect if you do not get perfect results.

There is a writeup somewhere either to HTC's training site &/or to netaces.com , several pages of valuable how-to.  Also, do seaches in the archive here.

Drop your speed to around 160 mph, open bomb bay and get to drop altitude at least a sector and a half out so your speed stabilizes.  F6 sets you up in autopilot and "relatively" level.  Rudder adjustment is still possible to fine tune over the rudder, outside view.  In the F6 / "U" it shows your altitude variance.  Adjust your speed so it is stable going in.  A 5 mph variation will throw off your drop.  (Let's add wind factor...)  Everything look good?  Now "Y" key and hold 20 seconds minimum, then hit "U".  (I zoom in to max on target pick out.)  Now, wait until drop target comes on by and hoping I don't get jumped by fighters.

I usually hit what I aim at as if it were a pickle barrel, but I'm not good yet at carpet bombing.  I read the Korea ace McConnel's book about his bombing exploits in WWII and practice runs they used bags of flour and empty 55 gallon drums for targets.  WWII he was an aircrew medic.

Discouraging to go into target at 12,000 feet and get jumped by fighters.  I will be doing runs much higher.  I always escape full power, going up.  Few bother to follow me.  I always bring lots of gas.  I start aways back and land there also.  Bringing lots of gas leaves me that option.  I read a book while my plane gets to altitude.

I train in the main arena under live fire most of the time and my score reflects this.  

The untrue believers call us milk-runners?  To do it right ain't so easy and obviously they just don't know, but are mean spirited with the name calling.

[Rich46yo]

Originally posted by Hap
Perfect calibration exists when your "calibrated speed" matches your true airspeed off your E6B.   When they match, you don't miss.

Your bomber has not reached full speed.  You're short because the plane has accelerated since your last calibration.  The plane is actually flying faster than your calibrated speed.  

Open the E6B, reduce it and place it where you want in the bombsite.

                              What Im saying is that the E6B shows me perfectly calibrated and my readout shows me perfectly calibrated. Thats what Im saying here.

[Optiker]

Originally posted by Rich46yo:

No matter how much I calibrate however, or how long, at what speed, or anything I do, the green X stays exactly there. Under a bit, and a tad to the left, of the main crosshair.

Is the bombardier's head position moveable with arrow/pageup-down keys? Could it be you've inadvertently saved a non-default head position which is screwing up your bombsight picture? EZ enuff to check, does the sight picture change when you press the home key? If it does, while looking through the bombsight, press home, then F10 to save the default (centered) head position.

Regards,
Optiker

[redman555]

heres a tip, when after u calibrate, go to E6B and look wat it says your true airspeed is, and match it with the calibrated speed

[Rich46yo]

Thanks Optiker. I'll try that. Ive been doing a little better, but again, yesterday I was lined up perfect, calibrate exactly at the same speed and level. And still I hit short.

                  I contacted AH Tech support, got a one liner, and then silence. I'm starting to get a real low opinion of their Tech support. Yaknow we are paying to play their game.

[Scca]

Originally posted by Rich46yo
Thanks Optiker. I'll try that. Ive been doing a little better, but again, yesterday I was lined up perfect, calibrate exactly at the same speed and level. And still I hit short.

                  I contacted AH Tech support, got a one liner, and then silence. I'm starting to get a real low opinion of their Tech support. Yaknow we are paying to play their game.

I guess they are assuming that you are doing something wrong.  

No offence, but I am able to pinpoint bomb with no issues, so my bet is it isn't the game software, it's a user error.  

I am on M,Tu and Th.  Feel free to look me up and we can go on a buff run.  Lets see if we can identify whats going wrong...