Practice bombing ships

[texasfighter]

There is a couple of things I can't figure out how to practice in a custom arena or offline.

The big one is bombing ships. I hate to say it but I have never hit the CV in the main arena. Of course I can practice bombing the CV in the training arena. But my problem with the TA is that I never know if I have done the job since objects (and planes) take no damage. Unless I keep a film and review it each time, I don't know if I hit it or not. Now in the custom arena, I am learning bombing of bases very nicely because I know what damage I have done. Very useful. I now know that I can take out a ord bunker with two passes using the .50s on my P51 or P47. So how can I set up a CV task force to practice bombing in a custom arena? BTW, I did try to make a staged mission a few months ago. Way too hard.... I am hoping there is a way to add a CV task force to the cusom arena that I don't know about.

Or..... if someone has a staged mission they will share that has a CV to practice bombing on, that would be good. Just not with 14 Corsairs circling around the CV waiting to kill me. One thing at a time. I have to learn to bomb first. Then I will work on bombing with simultaneous ACM.

Thanks!
Tex

[ImADot]

When you create a custom arena (or offline for that matter), choose a terrain that has CV's on it. NDIsles works fine for this. There is an arena setting called "Protect Objects" that if you turn off allows you to destroy your own base's objects. Makes it easy to bomb or gun down objects because you can attack the base you took off from and you won't have ack to worry about. Then just take off from the CV, climb a little, drop you bombs and see what happens.

You can also set the downtimemultiplier to something like 0.006 so the destroyed objects will regenerate quickly so you can blow them up again and again. 

[Babalonian]

When you create a custom arena (or offline for that matter), choose a terrain that has CV's on it. NDIsles works fine for this. There is an arena setting called "Protect Objects" that if you turn off allows you to destroy your own base's objects. Makes it easy to bomb or gun down objects because you can attack the base you took off from and you won't have ack to worry about. Then just take off from the CV, climb a little, drop you bombs and see what happens.

You can also set the downtimemultiplier to something like 0.006 so the destroyed objects will regenerate quickly so you can blow them up again and again. 

Isn't there a couple maps also with some air-spawns to help aid his high altitude practice? (I honestly know nothing more than they exist and I probabley have them in my maps folder amongst many others)

Dot's tips should proove very useful to you.  Only other tip I can think of to help you in your quest - the general consencus/philosophy of CV bombers is that for every 10k in altitude you need to aim a full CV-deck-length ahead of it in the water (assuming "average" bomber speed like that of a B-17 - slower and faster bombers will vary).  It's not a golden rule, but it's a good rule of thumb to start with.

[texasfighter]

I cant find this function. I bombed my own carrier a couple times but had to watch the film to see what happened. I looked in every arena setting I could find, more than once.

There is an arena setting called "Protect Objects" that if you turn off allows you to destroy your own base's objects.

[ImADot]

I'm at work now, so can't run the game to give you the precise names, but...

From arena settings look for the general tab (there's a tab for general, colors, weapons, etc.). Then look for something like Arena Flags and double-click to open a sub menu - you should find Protect Objects there.

[Brakechk]

Isn't there a couple maps also with some air-spawns to help aid his high altitude practice? (I honestly know nothing more than they exist and I probabley have them in my maps folder amongst many others)

Dot's tips should proove very useful to you.  Only other tip I can think of to help you in your quest - the general consencus/philosophy of CV bombers is that for every 10k in altitude you need to aim a full CV-deck-length ahead of it in the water (assuming "average" bomber speed like that of a B-17 - slower and faster bombers will vary).  It's not a golden rule, but it's a good rule of thumb to start with.

I don't think your bomber speed matters as long as you are calibrated to the speed and alt you are at on a level bombing run.  You are just compensating for the CV speed so one ship length for every 10k of alt covers it. 

On that note...I always have trouble moving in the opposite direction to the cv (i.e. cv heading south, me heading north) and hitting accurately.  Although it should still be the same "lead" ....I think.

[texasfighter]

Two things: I have looked now 4 or 5 times. There is no Protect objects under the general tab or any of the other tabs. Not in my Custon arena.

The type of bombing I am talking about is dive bombing. I am sorry that I was not clear on that. Never tried level bombing of anything but bases and that only about 5 times. I have dive bombed with Ponies and with Corsairs but missed. I have had some success now in the ndisles Custom arena. Of course there is no opposition so it is easier. Hard to set up a good approach to the tip over when you have a two or three F6Fs climbing up to get you and some experienced gunner is trying to kill you with the 5 inchers!

[bustr]

You will see it in Offline Mode.

Clipboard
Options, Arena Setup, Environment, Arena Settings, General, FlightModeFlags - [X] Protect Objects.

You can also set your offline dive bombing sight and your offline lead computing sight. Use TAB to pick the drone to shoot with the LC sight. As soon as you select bombs or rockets the dive bombing green cross activates.

This link is to a NAVY Manual from WW2 on glide and dive bombing.

http://aviationshoppe.com/manuals/navy_glide_bombing/glide_bombing.html

If you dive from 12k, 60-90 degree, releasing at 7-9k aiming about 50Mil in front of the CV's bow. You will hit about midway back on the deck.

I did it so I could shoot the ships in my CV group testing a gunsight for the B25H 75mm. You can set the regeneration time to regenerate them quickly after destroying them.

I use ndisles which has CV groups near freindly bases close enough you don't spend all day flying after them. The long stretches of open water are good for auto level shooting at the offline target.

[flatiron1]

use task group jump in arena settings to move cv quickly.

[AAJagerX]

Here's a tip for hitting the CV that I've been using with success for years.

1.  Make sure that you're calibrated at stable speed and 0 on the climb rate in the E6B.

2.  Make course corrections in the bombsight once calibrated to minimize error.

3.  When dropping, lead the CV 1 ship's length for every 10,000 ft of altitude.  So if you're at 7500 ft, only lead 3/4 of a ship's length.  For 5000 ft, only lead 1/2 a ship's length.  Conversely, if you're at 15,000 ft, lead the CV 1.5 ship's lengths.

If you're calibrated correctly, this'll hit every time.  For a CV that's turning, use the same numbers, just anticipate the path of the turning ship.

To watch your bombs hit, all you have to do is stay in the bombsight, and go back into calibration mode.  This will point your bombsight view straight down, allowing you to see the hits.

Happy sinking.

[texasfighter]

Ok, tonight I am very pleased to say that, in the LWA, I hit a CV with a 1000 bomb dropped from a P51. Just before the bomb hit, a gunner (40mm I think) took my wing off.  Shortly I crashed. So I have the film but I am having trouble seeing the bomb hit. Is there a way to view from the CV or some point in between me and the CV? I have that problem with a lot of my films, seeing the bomb strikes well. I need to be able to see from some fixed object or put the view in between my plane (or GV) and the target.
Thanks!

[The Fugitive]

You can slow the film down to a crawl as well as view from a number of outside views with zoom capabilities. However, it sounds like you may be dropping to late. I try not to drop below 5K unless I'm aiming for a small target.

Go to the training arena, move to base A22 (in the top right corner of the map) grab the plane you want to practice in with bombs, and launch using the NE launch button. This will put you in the air at 13k or so over a fuel depot. Make your run and aim for one of the tank in the row. I'd say go for the center one. Pay attention of where your pipper is in relation to that target as well as the angle of your dive.

The trick is consistency. Practicing this way you can do 50 or so runs in no time. Once you get to the point of knowing where the pipper is to be for the same angle will give you which hit you'll be able to hit anything. 

[MrKrabs]

RULE OF THUMB:

If you have proper calibration, use a ship length lead for every 10K in altitude...

[Babalonian]

RULE OF THUMB:

If you have proper calibration, use a ship length lead for every 10K in altitude...

For level bombing; but dive bombing may vary depending on the speed you release, including altitude.

Dive bombing CVs - I personaly like to dive from high and fast, aim for the bow or imediatley infront of it and drop before 8k so I can begin recovering before entering the 40/20mm dome of death around and above the CV.

[RotBaron]

Here's a tip for hitting the CV that I've been using with success for years.

1.  Make sure that you're calibrated at stable speed and 0 on the climb rate in the E6B.

2.  Make course corrections in the bombsight once calibrated to minimize error.

3.  When dropping, lead the CV 1 ship's length for every 10,000 ft of altitude.  So if you're at 7500 ft, only lead 3/4 of a ship's length.  For 5000 ft, only lead 1/2 a ship's length.  Conversely, if you're at 15,000 ft, lead the CV 1.5 ship's lengths.

If you're calibrated correctly, this'll hit every time.  For a CV that's turning, use the same numbers, just anticipate the path of the turning ship.

To watch your bombs hit, all you have to do is stay in the bombsight, and go back into calibration mode.  This will point your bombsight view straight down, allowing you to see the hits.

Happy sinking.

Good info here guys.

But how do you get your bombers over a cv without getting torn up by the puffy ack before you get there? Every time I've tried level bombing on cv the ack tears me up too much, and at any altitude, even 25K.