#8 When attacking from above its best to dive down, level out (slightly below the target), and then engage. Be very careful at speeds above 500 as compression can lock up controls, even in a FW190. Also, having too much speed can cause complications as the length of time in which to arrive at a gun solution becomes ever shorter. Accidently ramming your target becomes more likely whenever the closure rate becomes extreme. Nothing is more embarrassing then making the perfect attack run on an oblivious victim only to realize that you have used your aircraft as a bullet.
If you are approaching an enemy who you believe, may not have seen you, try and approach from below and from either the 4 o’ clock or 8 o’ clock position. As the range decreases the position will drift to the 5 o’ clock or 7 o’ clock position . Many players check their six religiously but the off-set rear/below positions are not checked nearly as often…and don’t let some ace do this to you.
#9 Its best to decide during target evaluation whether you plan to buzz and zoom, E-fight, or stall fight (or reposition for a better attack).
The Focke Wulf is excellent at buzz and zoom. You dive, take a shot and extend away.
If you stay with the target after the initial attack then you’re rapidly devolving from a B&Z to an E-fight. An E-fight is where you’re converting speed to altitude and back again. In affect you dive, attack, and then climb into a loop (of some sort) to re-engage the enemy.
If you stay in the fight long enough and don't succeed in landing a kill you will most likely be stall fighting. In a Focke Wulf, anything below 225-250 mpg is a stall fight. A Focke Wulf can stall fight most bombers but not fighters. Stall fighting is a trap. Once you’re in a stall fight your options for egress become extremely limited.
If you have altitude, you can dive. If you’re near or over a friendly base with flak, you can use the supporting anti-aircraft as a distraction. If you find yourself in a low and slow stall fight over enemy territory with high performance enemy aircraft closing in from the sides and above I can only recommend pointing the nose vertical and punching out. Getting captured is better than nothing.
One of the dangers of stall fighting is that it eventually devolves to a low altitude fight. While flying low is not dangerous in and of itself, stall fighting pushes the Focke Wulf to the edge of its flight parameters. Exceeding the flight parameters in a Focke Wulf can cause the plane to depart from controlled flight with vicious abruptness. Departure from controlled flight at low altitude in any model Focke Wulf gives little time or opportunity to regain flight control before colliding with the planet.
One advantage to dogfighting in a Focke Wulf is that your opponent may not expect it. This advantage will last for about as long as it takes to kill you. Still, it can be a lot of fun after the fourth or fifth high speed pass to suddenly switch tactics. But leave yourself a way out.
#10 There are pilots out there that are better than you. Maybe it’s their accuracy or possibly they use some particular maneuver with an artistry you don’t understand. Take the time to ride shotgun with them and see how it’s done. If they decline, get on the hitechcreations forum and post questions, or perhaps the training arena can provide pointers. You will improve incrementally with the hours played in the game, but there is no substitute for consciously trying to improve your performance through research and study.
#11 When in doubt, re-evaluate. It’s wonderful to go into combat with some sort of plan. Paradoxically, it’s a rare combat where events actually go according to plan. If I find myself being surprised, confused, frustrated (very bad) it’s time to get some altitude and distance from the action, calm down, and figure out what to do.
I’ll go a step further. In combat its critical to change plans at a moment’s notice because you may only have a moment to realize that the situation has changed.
#12 Situational Awareness. There is something like 18 different views from which you can see out of your aircraft. If you try to use all of these views in combat you will fly into the ground. So what to do? First off, use the DAR (radar) if you’re in an area that has it. Second, never get into combat where you have to track multiple targets. Third, if you have to track multiple targets do it from the outside of the furball, not the inside. Go in with guns blazing and then get the hell out of there. You can reassess accurately only if you can contain most of what’s happening to a few views. Keep in mind that the more you are targeting, the less you can do to avoid being a target. A furball is no place for the fighter pilot who plans to receive a retirement check. Oh yeah, and keep the speed up. If you go fast enough, you only have to check what’s in front of and behind you.
The poor substitute for Situational Awareness is fast reflexes. If you unexpectedly see tracers coming at you or you suddenly take hits don’t try and figure out where it’s coming from; EVADE! Obviously whatever maneuver you’re performing wasn’t the best, do something else and do it immediately.
Tips and Tricks with the Focke Wulf
The Dora is one of the few planes that can lose part of its wing and still be manageable to land. This is due to its stunning rate of roll. The trick is to apply full opposite trim to the wing that was damaged. The other trick is that the use of elevators will affect roll when a wing is damaged. Much of the rest is practice and it’s not exactly something you can train off line. Give yourself plenty of room for broad turns and gentle descent. As soon as you’re able, deploy flaps. Be very gentle and slow with the controls. Over-compensation can kill when the controls are compromised.
Whatever you do, roll with it. The FW 190 rolls better than anything else so make use of this feature! If you’re defensive, don’t let adversaries match geometry with you. Your plane should constantly be out of phase with your opponents. This will hamper your opponent’s gun solution.
At high speed, everyone turns the same. That’s because pilots black out under excessive g-load. That means the FW190 is just as maneuverable as everyone else when going fast. More so, as the FW190 has a better rate of roll, so stay fast!
If a bad guy is on your six and you can’t dive or otherwise extend away you may wish to use the scissors maneuver in an attempt to cause your opponent to overshoot. The scissors maneuver is high-risk and takes some practice but works well against opponents who cannot match your roll rate. I’m not an expert at this as…I suck at dogfighting.
Another wacko move the Focke Wulf can do is a high speed stall. At speeds less than 300 a pilot who yanks back hard on the stick can cause the left wing to drop. FW pilots should practice getting into and out of (…and preventing!) this stall. You can shed appalling amounts of speed in a blink of an eye with this maneuver.
Closing thoughts
The Dora was one of the finest planes in WWII. In Aces High, It’s a good plane but not the best. A pilot must employ proper tactics, stay alert, and react correctly to changes in the combat environment in order to survive. When in doubt, stay fast and doubt all the time.
…and don’t feel too bad when you get flamed. This game is air combat distilled, condensed, and concentrated. This is a hyper simulation wherein most of the participants have hundreds of hours of sim practice and the action comes at you fast and furious. You are going up against opponents who are very, very skilled at the game. Surviving a battle is an achievement; much less the notion of landing kills.
