Anyone else having issues

[Traveler]

...and what does this have to do with aim and lack of damage from the 30mm?

me thinkist you may have posted in the wrong thread good sir.  

I took it to be a thread about unusual happening with bombers, either with guns or other types of run ins.  I found it strange that a bomber group could fly above it's  Service ceiling of 34+K .   I did bring down one bomber but it took almost all my rounds to bring down one and damage one, at 36K above the 34+ K of the B17.  Besides, the Subject is "Anyone else having issues".

[The Fugitive]

I took it to be a thread about unusual happening with bombers, either with guns or other types of run ins.  I found it strange that a bomber group could fly above it's  Service ceiling of 34+K .   I did bring down one bomber but it took almost all my rounds to bring down one and damage one, at 36K above the 34+ K of the B17.  Besides, the Subject is "Anyone else having issues".

ahhh, OK.

[Lusche]

Service ceiling  means an aircraft's density altitude at which its maximum rate of climb is lower or equal to 100 feet per minute. The absolute ceiling is the highest altitude at which the aircraft can maintain level flight.


(...)   My question is, how is it that the B17's were at 36K.  Something wrong with that.  From everything I have been able to read the service ceiling for the B17 was almost 35K, but not above it.  Yet in AH the 17/s appear to be able to fly above their service ceiling.

Your own statement does have the explanation already in it. Planes are able to fly above service ceiling up to absolute ceiling. And so can the B-17. But of course with creat difficulties and it takes ages to get there.
And that's how it is in AH as well. For all practical purposes, the 'service ceiling' is about 34K for the B-17 in AH as well and it takes a very long time to get to that altitude at all. That's why even the highest strat raiders are no higher than ~34k, as it's about impossible to reach higher altitudes with still carrying a reasonable bomb load.

A 50% fuel, 6x1k lbs bombs B-17 has a climbrate of about 90 ft/min at 35k, while only having 19 minutes of fuel left. This is about the same service ceiling you quoted.
The absolute maximum ceiling for this configuration is less than 36k, running out of fuel as well as climbrate.

[NikonGuy]

Yes I have this problem all the time. I understand how it works so while I complain about it often I know HTC can do nothing to fix it. I'm smart enough to know that my aim sucks and that's that.

While the game is " flying equations and algorithms" as Mustng2 says and as Skuzzy said, "as computers tend to reproduce the same results, from the same inputs, every single time" we as humans are not. If there is a way to screw it up, we WILL!

Just chock it up to a bad day and move on.

I don't think you know what your talking about. Heck I'm having a hard time trying to figure out what you typed.

I am not complaining to anyone .. simply asking a question as in my years of playing this game I have never had this type of issue.
If you refer to the pic I posted at the start of the thread you will see my aim doesn't suck.  I hit that same lead B17 5 or 6 times on two passes.  The pic shows a 30mm hitting the wing root/spar area with NO damage. 

<S>

[Traveler]

Your own statement does have the explanation already in it. Planes are able to fly above service ceiling up to absolute ceiling. And so can the B-17. But of course with creat difficulties and it takes ages to get there.
And that's how it is in AH as well. For all practical purposes, the 'service ceiling' is about 34K for the B-17 in AH as well and it takes a very long time to get to that altitude at all. That's why even the highest strat raiders are no higher than ~34k, as it's about impossible to reach higher altitudes with still carrying a reasonable bomb load.

A 50% fuel, 6x1k lbs bombs B-17 has a climbrate of about 90 ft/min at 35k, while only having 19 minutes of fuel left. This is about the same service ceiling you quoted.
The absolute maximum ceiling for this configuration is less than 36k, running out of fuel as well as climbrate.

He flew at that 36K for 42 Minutes.   It took me that long to reach him.   

[Lusche]

He flew at that 36K for 42 Minutes.   It took me that long to reach him.   

Here are the AH climb profiles for the B-17 in two configuration: 12x500lbs with 50% and 100% fuel:



The lighter configuration can reach it's absolute ceiling (~35.7k) in about 70minutes, but has run out of fuel. The only way to reach that point earlier or get a tad higher even would be by dropping the bombs early. The 100ft/min service ceiling (~35k) can be reached in about 50 minutes
The heavier configuration will eventually meet the same limit, but it will take much much longer. I'd guess somewhere in the 90-100 minute range to get to about 35k.


That's why the '36k' is a freak exception in the MA. And that's probably why I don't remember encountering any B-17 above 34k above the strats ever (and I have killed literally hundreds of 30k+ strat raiders). A few times I took my fighter to intercept 17s reported to be at 37k+, but film viewer showed they always had been lower (that kind of reports happen easily, as in AH at high altitudes even co-alt cons appear to be much higher than you if spotted at a distance).

To fly at actually 36k or above the B-17 must have been without most (or all) of it's bombs, taken off with 100% fuel and spend at least 90 minutes of climbing before meeting you.

You happen to have saved the film?

[Traveler]

The lighter configuration can reach it's absolute ceiling (~35.7k) in about 70minutes, but has run out of fuel. The only way to reach that point earlier or get a tad higher even would be by dropping the bombs early. The 100ft/min service ceiling (~35k) can be reached in about 50 minutes
The heavier configuration will eventually meet the same limit, but it will take much much longer. I'd guess somewhere in the 90-100 minute range to get to about 35k.


That's why the '36k' is a freak exception in the MA. And that's probably why I don't remember encountering any B-17 above 34k above the strats ever (and I have killed literally hundreds of 30k+ strat raiders). A few times I took my fighter to intercept 17s reported to be at 37k+, but film viewer showed they always had been lower (that kind of reports happen easily, as in AH at high altitudes even co-alt cons appear to be much higher than you if spotted at a distance).

To fly at actually 36k or above the B-17 must have been without most (or all) of it's bombs, taken off with 100% fuel and spend at least 90 minutes of climbing before meeting you.

You happen to have saved the film?

My point being that if the absolute ceiling for a B17 is 35.7k  I should not have encountered one at 36K.   Also, from everything I have read about B17's the service ceiling was not 35K, but just under it, something like 34.795K.   I don't know that I still have film,  This was within the last two weeks and I did send one film to HTC support for an issue with 262 that may have included that run.   I film or frap almost every flight, but I don't keep them unless I turn them into a film for youtube.