Sam

Hey guys, I'm taking the risk to ask very stupid questions as I am still a nooby in air combat, but I am here to learn ! After reading most of this thread and another one pretty much as lengthy, I learnt a lot about STR, ITR, wing loading, TW ratio etc. between different jets, however... Knowing all this and being the pilot, how do I get the best out of my F-14 in a dogfight ? For example, what speed should I fly and at what altitude ? Should I go vertical or not ? If so, when ? I read that the F-15 had a better roll rate and could take advantage of it using the scissor maneuver... what to do then ? Are there any specific maneuvers where the F-14 excels ? I'm sure they are tons of different scenarios and it really depends on the weaknesses and strengths of the opposing fighter. So, I guess it could be a good start to learn about the strengths/weaknesses of my own aircraft first ! I read multiple times that what truly matters in a dogfight, is not really the aircraft but pilot skills and pilot tactics... so... how do I fly my F-14 to its max potential ? :D

Perfect timing ! Thank you !

Thanks Jabbers ! I was really looking forward to a video like this one, and it made me realise how I got mislead by a lot of comments to believing that the AIM 54 was extremely unreliable against fighters or maneuverable targets in general. I was expecting far worse than that ! It seems quite easy to notch, but as said above, you knew the missile was coming in the first place... and what if the missile was shot under 15 Nm ? That's only the first version anyway ! I'm really curious to see what the other A and C model have to offer and what tactics could be put in place with the F14 ! Keep up the good work !

Thanks guys ! You're right, I also feel like I'm taking long to line myself up... Maybe I should relax the pulling a little bit... Well Nikola, you mentioned 500kts and 500ft, so I gave it go too !

Hi Repth ! So if I understand, there is a difference between a CASE 1 recovery which a standard procedure (always flown at 350kts - 800ft) and something called a "carrier break" always performed at 500kts - 500ft ? Or can you find other combinations such as for example 600kts - 600ft or 450 kts - 800ft etc. etc. ?

Hey guys ! Here's a second video where I make a lead turn overhead the boat at 480kts. I was wondering if the 350kts / 800ft was mandatory or if other specific values were also used ? There's a video of a carrier break at 480kts and 500ft on youtube but I thought 800ft was the minimum altitude for the break ?

Thank you Blade ! Yes indeed, I am slowly getting there ! I can't trim up too quickly to keep that descent going to reach 600ft RA on the downwind but it also needs to be quick enough to get it done to make my life easier ! Thanks guys for your comments

Hey guys ! Since the F/A 18 came out, I had a lot of fun practicing case 1 recoveries and I wanted to share a quick video I made. I would love to hear any comments so I can keep improving since I practice pretty much alone. I'd like to thank Wagz, Jabbers, RedKite and A.E.W for their videos, I really saw huge improvements after watching them !

Thanks guys. So I guess we can effectively gun T55s but anything newer than this will require other ordnances... If I am not mistaking a lot of tanks have been killed using the gun in Operation Desert Storm ? I am not sure which tank model though SharkBaztard, I have been training like this as well in exactly the same location :D I tried gunning all sorts of things like BMPs, Shilkas, tanks, trucks etc. prioritizing them to avoid getting shot down. The GAU-8 is pretty effective even at 2Nm but tanks require me to get pretty close...

Thank you Blade ! I am coming at you guys with a few other questions : I read plenty of threads about the effectiveness of the GAU-8 vs tanks but there's a lot of contradictory information about it. I find it pretty difficult to kill tanks in one pass in the sim. I use a 30-45° dive angle, start firing at 0.8-0.7 slant range and break off at 0.4. It usually takes me 2 to 3 passes to get a kill, hence the questions : Is there better techniques ? Is the GAU-8 able to neutralize tanks such as the T72-80-90 in real life ? And is it properly modeled in the sim ?

Thanks so much for you replies guys, I couldn't expect for better answers ! I think I will keep practicing for a while and I am actually considering joining a squadron to keep building knowledge and have fun with other enthusiasts. Maybe it is only me, but I find it quite hard to find (correct) information in order to get as close as possible to the real thing.

Hey everyone, I purchased the A10C about a month ago now and since then I have been reading this forum quite a bit. I'm quite a newbie in the combat world, I fly commercial planes IRL :D I am familiar with weapons and how to employ them thanks to some useful posts here and also to the 476th website/youtube channel. However, I would like to know more about when to employ them and on which target as per real world tactics (if they are made available to public :D) For example when would I use Mk82s ? Why would I use a GBU 38 instead of a GBU 12 ? GBU 10 ? GBU 31 ? CBUs ? Multiple weapons work on a single target like a tank. Should I take out that tank with guns or with a Maverick or an LGB or a JDAM or with a CBU 97/105 ? Oh, and what about pop up attacks, when are they used, against what and why ? The same goes for CCIP profiles. I understand that you would use a higher angle to minimize bullet dispersion if firing the gun or making yourself harder to hit, but when both a low angle and a high angle do the job, what would you chose ? A low angle would mean lower altitude at the beginning of the dive meaning less chances of detection ? I am sure most answers will be that it depends on the situation and the objective so maybe examples for each ordnance could shed some lights. Looking forward to reading your replies !