Not sure about which plane i should go with

[Mr Blue]

Im new so im still looking for the plane i like the most.. i like something fast some werer between the alt of 2-10k and something that turns pretty good.. and of course becuz my aim isnt the best.. i like something that does some big damage when it hits.. so i figure if ima gona mess a lot i wana hit hard when i do..
so im useing the n1k2 and the spitfire 16..
what do you guys think? would those planes be good for the type of plane im looking for?
plz help 

[Yossarian]

Well, I'd recommend flying as much as possible (if not always) the Spitfires Mk V and IX for a while (i.e. maybe a month I guess).  The Mk V turns better, whilst I think the Mk IX is faster.

The reason for this is that if you fly a really really really good plane like the ones you were asking about, they're essentially so good that it's very easy to develop 'bad habits' with them, because they're just so good that you can still make mistakes and be successful (thus causing you to repeat the mistakes etc).  However, a not-so-good plane forces you to do things 'correctly' (whatever correctly is  ) and thus helps you to become a better pilot.

If you need any help with very basic stuff, such as take-offs, successful landings, understanding sort of how the online game works, please PM me on these forums, or PM me in-game if you see me (McWatt) online.  I'll be happy to help.

Also, I'm going to try and compile a list of all the websites that I've found with helpful information about the game, and post that on here, but it may take a few days.  Also, try and find a Trainer, who'll be an excellent help to you.

Have fun & <S>

Yossarian

[Zazen13]

Im new so im still looking for the plane i like the most.. i like something fast some werer between the alt of 2-10k and something that turns pretty good.. and of course becuz my aim isnt the best.. i like something that does some big damage when it hits.. so i figure if ima gona mess a lot i wana hit hard when i do..
so im useing the n1k2 and the spitfire 16..
what do you guys think? would those planes be good for the type of plane im looking for?
plz help 

My personal advise to you is to fly a plane that's going to give you some trigger-time. You're really not going to start having a lot of fun until your aim improves allowing you to kill faster. Killing and dying is alot more fun than not killing and not dying, so speed is not that important at first, learn to kill first then later learn how to not get killed, it's more fun that way. So, fly a plane that you can stay glued to someone's Six with and hammer away with for a while to learn deflection shooting and some basic ACMs. So, what you really need is a plane that turns reasonably well and has a lot of ammunition, because you are going to miss a lot for awhile. There's nothing more frustrating for a beginner than running out of ammunition mid-fight or before someone manages to tower you. Here's my plane suggestions and why:

Niki- Lots of ammunition, one of the better turners and has a great nose-low deflection view which will let you practice a wider variety of shots.
F6F- Lots of ammunition, a decent turner, very durable which will help with trigger-time and has a great nose-low deflection view which will let you practice a wider variety of shots.
F4U-1A- Good ammoload, a decent turner and very durable which will help with trigger-time.

*- None of these have a mixed gun package which simplifies gunnery compared to mixed gun platforms.

Incidentally, both the F6F and the F4U-1A have an ENY value of 15 making them all but immune to being unavailable due to the ENY limiter.

[goober69]

as zazen said

and i wish i had flown one sooner
f4u-1a is a good turner its fast too so you can bnz in it, only draw back is that with more than 2-3 notches of flaps and at sloooow speed it can be a bit of a handful if your stick heavy its very easy to snaproll and hit the ground.

IMO  f4u's are just about the best planes in the game

[spit16nooby]

109s are great to learn in.  They r a BIG challenge to fly at first but once u get to be an average pilot with them and then when u fly other planes u will be darn near invincible(atleast it seems).  I fly the k-4 because its fast climbs very well and is very manuevarable(before i get killed to death about this comment try flying it between 250-350 it out turns everything) and forces u to have great aim and patience with ur shots.  I will be willing to fly with u to work on ur skills but I am by no means an expert but I could teach u some stuff.  my ingame is theace47.

[Zazen13]

Well, I'd recommend flying as much as possible (if not always) the Spitfires Mk V and IX for a while (i.e. maybe a month I guess).  The Mk V turns better, whilst I think the Mk IX is faster.

Everyone recomends Spits for true beginners. But it wouldn't be my first choice for a few reasons. Sure, it's forgiving and maneuvers well, but it's not the greatest gunnery platform, especially for beginners. It has poor nose-low deflection view, a mixed gun package and a fairly short clip. New players are frustrated enough as it is without the chance of running out of ammo before they get killed, no sense frustrating them further.

Maximum maneuverability and forgiveness isn't crucial for beginners, they won't be "riding the edge" of any plane for the most part until they reach the intermediate level. Turning a bit tighter is not worth it if it means running out of ammo, otherwise makeable shots, that could otherwise be practiced, being lost behind the visual obstruction of the engine cowling and a less straightforward, therefore less intuitive, gun package. Also, the Spit has pretty poor survivability for a beginner, it doesn't take hits well and a poorly flown Spit is one of the easiest kills in the game. This all means less trigger-time, which means less gunnery practice, which means less killing, which leads to heightened frustration and less fun. I would classify the Spits as Intermediate planes.

[Messiah]

sounds like the k4 is a perfect fit!

[VonMessa]

Fly Luftwaffe          

[Adonai]

I have a boatload of 109 films if you want to watch or if you fly rook by chance wing with anyone in my squad,
were all 109/190 geeks

[ImADot]

You've gotten some good advice so far, but nobody bothered to ask you in which arena you fly.  It makes a difference.  Everyone always assumes the Late War is the ONLY arena anyone ever flies - the Mid War and Early War arenas have a smaller set of planes since some weren't developed back then. So if someone says to fly the F4U-1a or the Spit16, those planes might not be available in the arena that you're flying.

[BaldEagl]

Everyone recomends Spits for true beginners. But it wouldn't be my first choice for a few reasons. Sure, it's forgiving and maneuvers well, but it's not the greatest gunnery platform, especially for beginners. It has poor nose-low deflection view, a mixed gun package and a fairly short clip. New players are frustrated enough as it is without the chance of running out of ammo before they get killed, no sense frustrating them further.

Maximum maneuverability and forgiveness isn't crucial for beginners, they won't be "riding the edge" of any plane for the most part until they reach the intermediate level. Turning a bit tighter is not worth it if it means running out of ammo, otherwise makeable shots, that could otherwise be practiced, being lost behind the visual obstruction of the engine cowling and a less straightforward, therefore less intuitive, gun package. Also, the Spit has pretty poor survivability for a beginner, it doesn't take hits well and a poorly flown Spit is one of the easiest kills in the game. This all means less trigger-time, which means less gunnery practice, which means less killing, which leads to heightened frustration and less fun. I would classify the Spits as Intermediate planes.

True enough but what the Spits DO have is at least one advantage over nearly every plane in the arena.  They are faster than the more dedicated turners and turn better than anything faster.  They have impressive climb rates and the later models have great acceleration.  They also hold onto energy in a turn better than just about anything.   

The true beauty for a beginner though is that they allow for true T'n'B or B'n'Z style fighting with equal ease until the person learns what style of fighting they prefer.  Also, they don't require the flap work that one needs to be succesful in the F4U or the F6F.  I would say that flap work should be learned in the intermediate stages of pilot development rather than out of the gate, where improper technique will get you killed rather quickly.

My suggestion, as always, is to learn in the Spit VIII or Spit IX.  The VIII has performance similar to the XVI but is more forgiving.  The IX is probably the best balanced Spit but is slightly lower powered than the VIII or XVI.

[Vudak]

I wouldn't recommend an F4U to a new guy.

The F4U's in this game get a good rep because the guys that fly it have experience and thus no way to judge what F4U's are like "out of the gate."  For a new guy, they are tough planes to learn.  If any one doesn't believe me, I invite you to completely switch your joystick set up.  If you had a very tight control, grab a very loose one.  If you used a twisty stick, grab some peddals.  Now go pick up an F4U to relearn in.  It's not so easy - and you'll actually have the advantage of knowing what you want to do, which a newer guy does not.

Also it's a plane that requires excessive control work to get good results out of.  Competent coordination of flaps, rudder, (heck, even gear) are necessary to truly get the most out of it.  That's an awful lot to think about when you're *just* starting this game.

Spit IX's are easy enough...  Forgiving and only one flap stage to worry about.  Much better, IMO, for learning on.  Just go easy on the shooting.  It's a gun, after all, not a firehose.

[Zazen13]

You've gotten some good advice so far, but nobody bothered to ask you in which arena you fly.  It makes a difference.  Everyone always assumes the Late War is the ONLY arena anyone ever flies - the Mid War and Early War arenas have a smaller set of planes since some weren't developed back then. So if someone says to fly the F4U-1a or the Spit16, those planes might not be available in the arena that you're flying.

He said he flies the Spit16 right now, so that means LW.

[Zazen13]

The true beauty for a beginner though is that they allow for true T'n'B or B'n'Z style fighting with equal ease until the person learns what style of fighting they prefer. 

Any true beginner's aim and timing is going to be really bad, BnZ'ing would be a complete waste of time. It would be such a slow method to get "trigger-time" it would stunt their growth indefinitely. That's why I recommended a decent turner with lots of ammo. They need to get in there, play "follow the leader" with bandits to learn some basic ACM's and hammer away with lots of ammo to learn deflection shooting.

[Mr Blue]

Yea.. today i tried the F4U-1A and the F6F like Zazen mentioned i should..
I likeed the F6F a little more.. a lot more to tell the truth.. like he said.. has a lot of fire power. my first time up with it.. sucked.. but i took a lot of hits, which suprised me cuz i would never been able to take so many hits with the spitfire 16. and the second time up.. got 2kills and 1 asssists. and i landed (doesnt happen to often ) and i still had a LOT of firepower left.. so i liked it and went at it again.. didnt do to bad.. i took it out 6times and got 4kills and 2 assissts.. not bad for a starter. not bad at all i thought..
doesnt turn like the spitfire16. it feels a lot heavier.. and it is. but man can i take some hits, and live to tell the story.

so my next question is.. since i felt it harder to turn.. and heavy. whats the best way to get out of a bad situation.. like someone on my 6.. is it going up.. down. or turn fight?

and thanks zazen.. im pretty happy and having fun with the F6F