Yet Another Convergence Post

[Dadtallica]

I was searching through bbs (could be easier ahem) and found some good stuff on a couple planes but wanted to get a recent synopsis. I have been playing long enough (decades) to be a purty good flyer and a constant annoyance on your six but lucky for you I shoot for sheeeeet. So seeing as I shoot like Mr. Magoo I was hoping to get a few specific convergence settings from the masters. 

If in a fighter I spend most of my time in attack but am always trying to improve as a fighter pilot. Here is what I fly mostly and your preferred convergence for them in fighter mode is appreciated. Especially if you stagger and why or why not too.

FW-190A8 (30’s if I’m porking, 20’s if I’m a fighter)
P-47N,M,D
P-51D eny dependent
Bf-110G
Typhoon

Planes I am starting to dabble in…
BF-109G (usually get whacked by one of these and want to know why?)
TA-152
NIK
F4U’s
F6-F

On a side note and realizing all of this is personal preference… what angle/distance do you have your rudder pedals from your chair?

[Lusche]

Generally I don't have plane specific convergence settings, with a few notable exceptions. A .50 cal is a .50 cal, and as convergence doesn't only influence the horizontal spread but also the vertical trajectory, I don't like having to remember different mental sight pictures for the same weapon in different planes.

So the basic line for me is having ALL weapons in all planes set to D350, ever since my early days in AH back in 2005.
Exceptions: Hurri I & II with the MG option and Spitfire I, those calibers don't work at range anyway, so I have set them at D200. ME 262: one pair at D600, the other at D200 (or was it 250?) for a maximum shotgun effect.

[FLS]

Convergence works when you shoot at the convergence distance.

[The Fugitive]

The best thing to do is film your fights. Play back the films and note what range you tend to firer at and set your convergence to that. Unless you tend to firer outside 400 yards in which case you need to teach yourself to get closer.

[TryHard]

D400 for anything with 50 cals or 20mms. D250 for rifle caliber machine guns

Sometimes with the 50 cals i like to cross my convergence so I actually have two convergence points instead of one. Set the inner guns out to say a D500 and stagger up to D600 with the outer guns. Crossing the fields of fire like this would give you 4 guns on each wing converging at D300 for snap shots and all 8 guns converging between D500-600 for long range shots on the runners. This really only works well on 50 cal fighters with 8 or 6 guns but its handy if you can get used to it.

[Dadtallica]

I’ve been using the 400-600 range for most planes and some I stagger. Someone once told me cannons should be out a tad farther than machine guns when mixed.

I guess I need to try shorter convergences and get a little closer.

[The Fugitive]

I’ve been using the 400-600 range for most planes and some I stagger. Someone once told me cannons should be out a tad farther than machine guns when mixed.

I guess I need to try shorter convergences and get a little closer.

Yes! You can try off line, up a plane get level heading north and a steady speed. Type ".target 600" with out the quotes. This will put up a target. Fire your guns and then zoom in to see the spray pattern. Even if your convergence is set to 600 you will see a noticeable spread.

Rest, set convergence to 400 launch and bring up the target again. shoot a burst and zoom in, it should show a tighter pattern.

At 600 out the projectiles are losing there energy and wont hit with the same punch that 300-400 will, along with the wider disbursement, thats why you want to shoot closer.

50s shoot flat, but most cannons have a good size lob to there flight path. you have to take that into consideration as well.

[Dadtallica]

Hey that’s super helpful I wasn’t aware of that function. How do you set it to start already in the air?

Yes the lob on the cannon was the deal thank you.

[Lazerr]

Hey that’s super helpful I wasn’t aware of that function. How do you set it to start already in the air?

Yes the lob on the cannon was the deal thank you.

it should show up in front of you no matter where you are, and stay at the set distance as you fly.

[nrshida]

You can also do funky things too and not be a square. Had a few N1K specialist friends at the DA lake who'd make their outer and inner guns cross. Something like a shotgun at all ranges but focussed at a certain point. I have a weird setup in my Ki-84 dating back to those days too, with my cowl guns set at 150 and wing-mounted cannon to 600 because close-in you get a flatter pattern for wing-aligned crossing shots.

Building on Fugitive's advise, the dot target command takes up to three parameters:-

.target 600 90 45

...for example holds the target at 600 yards on a bearing of 90 and at a 45-degree inclination. You should set that to 90 and observe what happens when shooting straight up. You'll be surprised.

[RichardDarkwood]

Use the target feature in the training arena to tell your convergence.

https://youtu.be/AirkP1PzdWY

[FLS]

One benefit of the target feature is that it can show how any convergence setting works at ranges shorter and longer than the convergence setting. This is useful since you rarely shoot at the actual convergence setting. It also shows dispersion at longer ranges.

[nrshida]

One benefit of the target feature is that it can show how any convergence setting works at ranges shorter and longer than the convergence setting.

Yes. And a further good trick is to reset the target to a closer range to inspect in detail as the hits persist up to a certain number before the target is cleaned.

So:-

.target 600

Blast away

.target 50, have a look at your Lethal Weapon smiley face before rolling it away again.

[TequilaChaser]

I don't like having to remember different mental sight pictures for the same weapon in different planes.

Yes indeed the main most important thing to always be practicing! Your MENTAL SIGHT PICTURES!

[Max]

I can't hit a damned thing so it makes no difference.