Yak3 may be the best fighter in the game...Top 5 at least

[JunkyII]

Thoughts?

[Lusche]

Best for what purpose? MA gameplay? Duels? For all players or just for that top 1%ers?

[Devil 505]

Definitely agree with you Junky. It might be the single best plane for base defense.

Lusche, I'd say it's qualities make it a great plane for all players to succeed with and an even more deadly tool for those 1%ers.

[Lusche]

Lusche, I'd say it's qualities make it a great plane for all players to succeed with and an even more deadly tool for those 1%ers.

Couldn't possibly disagree more. "All players" includes the massive subset of average players and, of course, the n00bs.
All those have a hard time hitting the enemy. A plane with such a rather limited firepower and ammo count as the yak-3 will never be "best" for them at all. You probably would see a LOT more of them if it had the firepower of, say, a La-7.
And for base defense you most certainly wan't to have enough ammo not only to shoot at the horde of fighters, but also possibly kill more than 1 m-3 rolling in or kill a formation of bombers

[JunkyII]

Accuracy becomes easy when the plane out flys others without actually knowing how.

Fighter vs Fighter...easy top 5.

LA7, Spit 16, F4U4, KI84 are the only ones above it in my book just because of its anti gravity ability and toughness....I zoom climbed a K4 from 300 IAS and went to about 6.8K from 2K....did nearly identical climb with the Yak3 but with a lot better stall control at the top....thing nosed over like it is programed to fix itself.

[Lusche]

Accuracy becomes easy when the plane out flys others without actually knowing how.

 

[JunkyII]

 

Yea...it's not easier to get a shot when your plane out performs the majority of the plane set so much that you over take an enemy six pretty easily instead of other planes where you have to set up snap shots because it is so difficult to take the enemy's six....you're right

[Magoo]

Totally agree. The Yak3 is a beast, even with the short clip, due to it's ability to build E so damn fast. It's maneuverable, can turn enough when you need it, and the acceleration and decent speed make it a pony killer.

...and the Yak9T is better than most people realize 

[The Fugitive]

Yea...it's not easier to get a shot when your plane out performs the majority of the plane set so much that you over take an enemy six pretty easily instead of other planes where you have to set up snap shots because it is so difficult to take the enemy's six....you're right

Its easier to get into a good firing position, but if you cant shoot, it doesnt help there. Take it from someone who took years to get and keep a 2 hit percentage and be able to hold it.

[Vraciu]

Totally agree. The Yak3 is a beast, even with the short MAGAZINE, due to it's ability to build E so damn fast. It's maneuverable, can turn enough when you need it, and the acceleration and decent speed make it a pony killer.

...and the Yak9T is better than most people realize 

[bozon]

most players are happy to get just the one kill in a HO and crash immediately after. Ammo count does not matter in that case, and the yak3 will get them to that HO faster than most other planes.
This is why we see so many of them flown in base defence to 20% of their potential.

[save]

If Yak-3 just did not soak up 20mms like it was rain ...

[JunkyII]

Its easier to get into a good firing position, but if you cant shoot, it doesnt help there. Take it from someone who took years to get and keep a 2 hit percentage and be able to hold it.

I'm not a good shot but I can out fly most of the community which is why I can succeed in score....getting yourself in high percentage shot opportunities is more important then good aim IMO....Yak3 makes it easy to get in those positions

[Chris79]

I'm not a good shot but I can out fly most of the community which is why I can succeed in score....getting yourself in high percentage shot opportunities is more important then good aim IMO....Yak3 makes it easy to get in those positions

The gun package on a yak3 can be quite leathal at under 200. I also find the yak3 to be more stable then most other AC. The draw backs are, its performance is mediocre above 15k, and it starts to shed parts at 475. I will still stand by an earlier statement that the bf109k4 and G14 are superior aircraft compared to the yak3.

[morfiend]

 First it was the spits,then the F4U's then the brew then the.....

  It's not the plane it's the pilot,if you are having problems defeating a certain plane it's likely the PIC that's the issue,either attacker or defender and not the plane types!

  Just the other night I was working with a player,he was in a 51 and I was in a 109E. He said to me"and thats why you dont turn with a 109"! So I offered to get in a 51 to make it easier for him. Net result was he asked me how I could turn a 51 like that! I said it's rather simple,I'm not really turning,I'm rolling my lift vector to keep in trail with you.

   So it's not the plane it's the pilot! If you have difficulties fighting a particular plane then you might need to reassess your technique instead of blaming a certain airframe!


  YMMV!