Avoid the HO

[Muzzy]

Can you?

[Jayhawk]

When I can, because that means I've allowed the enemy to get me in his gunsights, and that often won't end well for me.  But if I'm low on E and my choices are dip down and give you a free kill or try my luck and shoot back, watch out.

[Dichotomy]

9 times out of 10.. it's wiping them off my six that I've never been good at 

[WMLute]

99 out of 100 ish here.

[Dichotomy]

so, where ya going to be tomorrow night around 7 cst?

To me avoiding the HO has never been a problem *refrains from posting my 'tactics' due to my stinkage*  I've just never found it all that hard. 

[Plazus]

I try to avoid HOs as much as possible. There are times when you are low on E, turning and burning with an enemy, and someone flies straight into your face with guns ablaze. Situations like those mean that some HOs cant be avoided even when you try your damndest. In the MAs, expect everyone to HO you, even if the enemy doesnt. If you fly with that kind of mentality, you are basically training yourself to avoid the HO.

Why do I avoid HOs? The answer is quite simple. I want to challenge myself by using ACM and trying to either get on the enemy's six or to make a deflection shot. Basically I fly with the intention of getting excitement in a close, even fight. I could care less if I get the kill, or die for that matter. What matters the most to me is whether or not I used the correct ACM to win the fight.

To sum it up, people HO because they want a kill. People like me avoid HOs because they want the excitement of the fight- regardless of whether or not they score a victory in the engagement.

[Ghosth]

Of course you can, if you want to. Eventually you may even see that going for the HO locks you into a mindset that lets the other guy gain the advantage.

Granted in some situations its a lot more attractive than others.
Such as 2 or more vs yourself
iL2 or B25 vs fighter
or perhaps even 190, Tiffy, vs A6m, hurri, spit.

[Dawger]

I have a writeup on this topic including some films.

Avoiding the High Angle Snapshot

Avoiding the HO is simple in itself but it has prerequisites.

1. A commitment to flying the airplane and not just trying to point the guns.

2. A little knowledge on how to apply fight geometry, pursuit curves and turn circles in order to deny the enemy his gun solution.

In the films it may appear I am doing little or nothing to avoid the HO but the bandit just can't get his guns around on me.

That is the precise point of the lesson. If you always position yourself where the enemy can't get guns on you, when he is in guns range you don't need to do anything to avoid him. The avoid comes before guns range, sometimes a long time before guns range.

But it all starts with attitude. If you are just pulling to point the guns and only try to avoid the bandit's guns as he closes to guns range then no fancy technique will help you until you commit to a different style of flying.

[Dawger]

I forgot my favorite drill for practicing the concepts outlined in the lesson.

It is a very easy drill.

Grab your favorite plane with 50% gas. Go on the runway. Fire the guns until they are empty. Find the nearest fight and furball until you have just enough gas to return to base.

Do this repeatedly until you instinctively fly to avoid the other guys guns.

Works great but few guys are willing to fly with empty guns for more than a sortie or two.

But it is the hands down best method for building serious anti-Ho skills.

[uptown]

Yes. The 1st rule is to always expect the ho. Then you're better prepared to avoid it.

[humble]

Avoiding a true head on is very easy. Avoiding all types of front quarter shots is not. I agree with Lute its about a 99% solution but every once in awhile the other guy will hit a golden BB. The real key is understanding that you can gain a significant advantage if the other guy is flying for a shot and your flying for position unless his total intent is to make a guns pass and extend. If you can manipulate his flight path by acting as your own bait then you can maneuver him into a position where he is trading a superior position for a low % shot that will leave him at an unexpected disadvantage.

Taken to it's extreme it can actually create a true reversal within the "merge" created by his attack. This type of -E merge is what makes so many of the better sticks so frustrating to fly against. The "kung fu" here I am ....where did he go wow I'm in the tower situations we all fall prey to comes from various types of guns defense to offense transitions within the actual shot window. I know batfink has posted more then a few (along with many others).

To me a fundamental component that is overlooked is state of mind, Is your intent to "avoid" the head on or to draw the guy in and kill him? The 1st simply makes you a moving target while the 2nd makes you a dangerous adversary.

[CAP1]

i'm about 50/50.

 had a guy in a 109 try the other night. i'm guessing that he felt seriously disadvantaged, being only 3k higher, and only 150mph faster, so he felt justified.


 the problem when ya sucessfully dodge a ho, is that you're taking your nose off of them, then if ya call them on it, they cry that it wasn't a ho, 'cause you didn't have guns on them.

 i have problems turning my dodge to my advantage though. most say that's pretty easy......but i can't figure out how to do it.

[Dawger]

i'm about 50/50.

 had a guy in a 109 try the other night. i'm guessing that he felt seriously disadvantaged, being only 3k higher, and only 150mph faster, so he felt justified.


 the problem when ya sucessfully dodge a ho, is that you're taking your nose off of them, then if ya call them on it, they cry that it wasn't a ho, 'cause you didn't have guns on them.

 i have problems turning my dodge to my advantage though. most say that's pretty easy......but i can't figure out how to do it.

You have to know what your plan is before you get into guns range of the other guy. If you are planning an angles fight, then any lead turn properly executed will help you avoid his high angle snapshot and result in you gaining angles.

The reason for this is simple. Any time you are trying to shoot you are not max performing the aircraft. If one guy is max performing and the other guy is not in roughly similar aircraft it should be fairly obvious who will be gaining angles.

If you aren't gaining angles by lead turning a guy trying to shoot you in the face then you aren't lead turning.

[The Fugitive]

The HO starts lonnnnngggggg before you get into guns range.


Most people fly and fight like below, this is setting yourself up for a face full of lead.




Below, we avoid the face full by going for an angle BEFORE the other guy does. By not turning your nose to hit right away you set him up for a shot later and AVOID the face full of lead.

[CAP1]

The HO starts lonnnnngggggg before you get into guns range.


Most people fly and fight like below, this is setting yourself up for a face full of lead.


(Image removed from quote.)

Below, we avoid the face full by going for an angle BEFORE the other guy does. By not turning your nose to hit right away you set him up for a shot later and AVOID the face full of lead.

(Image removed from quote.)

i generally tend to go under, and try to slip one way or another, as that seems to me to work the best at ruining their guns solution.

 i've tried timing my vertical turn at different places in front, planning on them being past me as i zoom up just behind them, but it seems i'm always either in their guns, or waaaayyyyy behind them when i go for that turn.

 if i'm off to one side when i come up in front, they seem to have no problems yawing the airplane with rudder to put guns on me.