303_Kermit

Every friday is a Phantom friday

I just started to fly F-5E-3. It's genius! It feels like I don't have to touch a stick, but just to think where I want to fly. It's little brilliant plane. Pure genius. What A shame that MiG-21 isn't made that good. It's definitely one of planes, which makes me to spend my time inside it even if I'm not actually flying. From smooth constant speed turns to tightening corners plane makes everything with great ease. And it's more powerful than one can expect after reading performance charts! I love your job ED/Belsimtek thank you!

It's not an argument: I made some time ago a pool: ~30% guys have some sort of Dirt -Fetish ~32% tolerates dirt on windshield, but would like to remove it ~37% hates it null

can't wait to see it IN DCS!

Hyperlobby.... Beautiful times. VOW(1,2,?), (VEF1,2), Bellum Wars... You must be some 40+ Welcome back.

Is it going to become transparent canopy this time?

Good luck guys! What are you going to fly? Coldwar? WW2? Enigma?

Based on my experience with MiG-21bis, one shall expect from F-4U made by Magnitude: 1st period: 1-3 years after release: "It's early beta, bugs are completely normal" 2nd period: 4-10 years "It's very old code. You shall not expect bugs to be corrected, after such long period. Nor shall you expect any improvement. We're developing currently X-Fighter." MiG-21bis is best and worst module I ever experienced in my life. Most of its users probably know what I mean. I don't expect F-4U to be different. my best regards

I started to fly FW-19A8 on the daily basis. It's a flying brick. Powerful armament is enough for him to be worth something in team dogfight. With GM1 It would be a sensible, plane. Without it makes no sense to me. One can fly on ground lvl to hunt down kids in their Spits and P-51's, but hunting down B-17G -> main job of FW-190 is a real struggle. On 8 000m, there were P-47 rules FW-190A8 is worthless.

I love it. You made my day. Pinned down on Squad wall, until I find something more ridiculous.

Cool I found IT forum Datalink blablabla Mudhen blablabla Datalink blabla TF Radar blabla ... Not a word about flying sensation. Being in a plane. Hearing, feeling.... Best Module I ever experienced was MiG-15bis and P-47. I always recognize good module very simply. Saturday Morning I wake up to drink my first (and sadly last) cup of coffee inside MY plane. Then I fly. It's the true feeling. Dogfight, performance, A2G capabilities... It's all nice to have. But The Jug was ... alive. The plane must be alive. To be honest - both modules (F-16 and F15E) are great job - no doubt about it. Both are perfect war machines. Almost without weak spots. That's their biggest problem. They are just stone cold machines. In MiG-15 I always felt that she wants to kill me, P-47 was like a very very big fat tender girl. I can't wait to try F-86F. As for Razbam modules, best plane I ever flew was MiG-19P. She had unique, but strong personality for sure - she was like the Mother in Law, she always does things "her" way. You're always doing wrong. Too slow, too fast, too high, too low, too little or too much. What personality has F-16? Not even a R2D2... My regards Green Ugly Fellow

Like in a Peep Show sorry . I couldn't resist

P47 , A-1, F-9F, F-4U all could carry napalm. First use of napalm? Japan, B-29 bombers. All big towns except of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Front wheel bumping on touch down - that's wrong. MiG-21 had once the same problem. That's not like the real plane behave. There are old and quite new videos about it. No MiG-17 / Lim-5 behave like these. Is center of gravity too far aft?

I meant nothing bad. In history books regia aeronautica wrote a story which bring Italy no shame. Unlike a Luftwaffe.

B. I would argue on that. - 1st argument: Even Aeronautica Militare Italiana pilots acknowledged that variants with M61A1 are more suitable to real combat, and current radar does not give possibility to use Aspide missiles at full capabilities. - 2nd one: Since there's not much combat reports about F-104S, one can use a MiG-21PF/FL/PFM combat reports to check effectiveness of gunless fighter. In Egypt , India, and Vietnam they were extensively used, and there is a multiple reports how desperately its pilots needed a gun. In multiple occasions pilots were forced to ram their opponents. - 3rd one: It's hard to name a F-104S a "peak". It was by then very very old plane. In spite of these modification, loss rate were very high. (source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aeritalia_F-104S_Starfighter). It was rather a try to save money by extending a use of the same old plane couple years longer. All other countries possess gen 4 and 4+ fighters by then. If I search a "peak" it must be something competitive to compared fighters in the time. In case of F-104 I would say it's F-104 A/C/G. Being Light was extremely important for 104. Kelly Johnson had an Idea of very light, very fast, and very simple, cheap plane. With such small wing every later modification made plane heavier, made turn performance more ridiculous. F-104A was really competitive, since his opponents were MiG-17 / 19 / 21F-13. And they all performed worse than he did. Later modifications seem to forget the main point. Simple, cheap, light. Latest is not always the best.

1. Watch out please. If you use correct data, and choose only the one who support your thesis it's called manipulation. You want significant number of kills made by gun after Vietnam? Here you go sir. 6 day war, the time before and after that. Particular example? Giora Epstein Kheil HaAvir. 17 kills 5 made by missiles. All others made by gun. 2. I also ask why actually do you ask about gun kills made after Vietnam war? F-104 is plane made in '50 F-4 is made in '60... Another manipulation? During Vietnam War (and both F-4 and F-104 are planes of these conflict) almost the same number of kills are made by guns as by AiM-9. Considering, that F-4B/C/D had no gun, it makes these statistic proving my point. Most F-4 attacks were ineffective, because missile effectiveness, because lack of gun. (it won't change my love for these big fighter). 3. Please consider, that Fox3 engagement isn't quite a Dogfight. It's BVR engagement. Your statistic is a manipulation since most tomcat kills in Iran-Iraq are BVR. When someone make F-104 armed with AiM-120B/C/D or AiM-54 one can consider these statistic. AiM-7 kills most targets well below visual range. If it misses a target, gun may be necessary. So to make it clear: BVR are not counted into statistic. It's like comparing SA-2 vs 57mm AAA. both are part of the same system. 57mm AAA are placed just there were USAF planes are expected to make evasive maneuvers - Split "S". about 10-15nm from SAM site. Without SA-2 there would be no shoot opportunity for 57mm. The same is with aerial gunnery. If there's a missile with 60-80nm range - gun may be not needed. 4. Even most modern US fighter F-35 has a gun . why? simple. In modern warfare any range missile may quickly become useless due to a modern ECM. It was surely the case with 1991 desert storm AiM-54 use and AiM-7 use. The first one hit no target, the second one reached it's highest peak of effectivness ... ~13% F-104 without gun makes no sense

These discussion was solved a long time ago. Before even we were born. I don't say, that gun is better than missile, but I say that gun is necessary. Lack of gun is a serious lack. F-4B once he shoot sidewinder quickly disengaged. F-8 and F-100 quite the contrary. That was the difference. My regards. Nice discussion here

In vietnam most VPAF kills come as a result of surprise. In fact I believe, they would welcome F-104. They used to attack from low 6, and quickly disengaged

Quite the opposite. Bill Gunston writes, that among F-4 Pilots it was popular a statement, that it's quite cool to shoot one AiM- after another, but it's doesn't bring anything down. F-4 crew was (almost?) disrespected by A-4/A-5/A-6/ A-7 crews. F-8 was considered to be actually a only "trusted" Navy fighter by them. In other words - it was pure luck if AiM actually hit something. It was always first choice, but not always was possible to use. 2G limit, humid, and... Mildew inside AiM-9B head made them unreliable as main weapon. Especially against MiG-17 On the black wednesday 10 MiG's Intercepted 52 USAF planes under command of famous Robin Olds. 3 Aircraft has been lost, 3 crewman captured, and 2 killed. VPAF lost no planes that day. Same situation came on 2 December 1966, when USAF lost 5 planes (3x F-4C) and the Navy 3 Planes (1xF-4B).

That's very interesting. Any sources?

It's not my statement. "Gun is necessary"; is the statement of USAF sent to McDonnell Douglas after "Black Wednesday" and whole April 1967, USAF orders Phantom with a Gun. They chose a Gun over Pulse - Doppler Radar. USN introduced and used M61A1 Pod.