From: joemac

Newsgroups: warbirds.training

Yes, I'm a newbie, but picking things up fairly quickly.

I mainly fly:

Spit in the role of "base defender" ...

P-38 as an "interceptor"...

At the moment I'm working on how to use the various energy fighters in the "ground attack" role. F4U, P51, the 109 I can't seem to handle, yet.

But, it seems to me that the F6F is the most versatile.

So, if you had to pick only one plane to fly , which one would it be and why?

"joemac" fighting for purple

From: "M. Bench"

Newsgroups: warbirds.training

I've talked with alot of veteran Warbirds players about this one.

If I could pick only 1 aircraft to fly, it would be the Fw 190D-9. It's tough, fast, and can fight well at any speed or altitude if there's an experienced 'stick' at the controls. Good firepower (enough to get the job done versus any opponent if you are a competent shot), and enough ammunition that you can do well in ground attack. Good visibilty, and a hit with all the Ladies. 8)

But I'll freely admit I'm biased here. I just love Fw 190s, and the Fw 190D-9 is my favorite aircraft of WW2, and tied with my other favorite aircraft of all time (the F-4 Phantom).

So trying hard to be impartial, I would rate the most versatile aircraft *in Warbirds with the current flight model* (no flap damage from high speeds, no gun malfunctions, and no representation of less than ideal production quality standards) [2.01-front] as being a 2 way tie for first place...and the winners are...

1. The P-51D Mustang.

2. The Ki-84 IA.

...they are both fast, and all the ego driven ACM talk aside, real combat pilots prized performance (as in climb speed, dive speed, and flat out speed) over almost all other things.

Performance lets you leave a dangerous situation behind. They both fight well at any altitude (the Ki-84 IA is maybe a little *too* good at high altitudes, but the problems it had may have come from less than perfect engines due to U.S. bombing of Japanese engine factories). They both climb well, the Ki-84 IA climbs very well. Both have good guns, good visibility, decent range (for the Ki-84 IA, great range for the P-51D), and fair toughness (the Ki-84 IA has its biggest weakness in this category).

The bottom line is, the only aircraft that outperform these aircraft in any given task are aircraft that are purpose built for the task in question...and there aren't many that can beat them at all regardless of why they were built.

If you threw in a more realistic AAA hazard for ground attack operations in Warbirds (i.e. there were many more guns, plus lots of small arms fire, plus a ground attack pilot didn't always know the exact location of every AAA weapon in the area, plus AAA crews who bothered to conceal their weapons and give them some protection) I might very well call it a 2 way tie for 1st still, with the Ki-84 IA and P-47D winning, and the F4U-1D and P-51D coming in a *very* close second. One thing that might put the F4U-1D up there in 1st place - the ability to operate from an aircraft carrier.

For all around nastiness, I'd vote the Ki-84 IA as the champ. If you drop range and toughness out of the equation (which you can justify doing when you look at the main arena...there's no incentive for pilots to not waste ammunition on low % shots and combat radius is rarely an issue) the Ki-84 IA can do nearly anything another aircraft can, and might be the deadliest of them all when it comes to air to air combat.

The Ki-84 IA...fast, great guns, decent ammunition loadout, can carry 2 500 lb. bombs, climbs well, retains energy well, dives well, turns well, accelerates like a nightmare...etc.

See you up there,

Mike ('wulfie', 2./JG 14)

From: Jester

Newsgroups: warbirds.training

>The Ki-84 IA...fast, great guns, decent

<big fat snip>

yep ki-84 is best all around plane IMHO....plus it has a 6 view :) can outturn almost every plane with full flaps and has good rudder authority as well.

Jester ~Hell's Aces~

From: "kdoc"

Newsgroups: warbirds.training

I've had trouble with the 84, because it roles so badly, though climbs like a bat. What am I doing wrong?

From: Jester

Newsgroups: warbirds.training

it does roll poorly..but it rolls poorly due to its crappy aileron authority.

I roll often in the ki and I use hvy rudder for barrel rolls and reverses. remember that if you are going to do any easy turning use 1 notch of flaps..if u are turning hard i normally flick 1 notch then full flaps fast and by the time the flap sound is finished deploying full flaps, i kick em back up.

as far as gunnery issues go...i use deflection shots alot with the ki..ez to line up (maybe cause i learned how to use em flying the spit so often in my early years? :-] )

Hook me up on icq we can do some ki to ki practice...

ki84: use flaps for turns...MAKE SURE you bring em up when not in turn. very crucial.

Jester ~Hell's Aces~

From: Muddy

Newsgroups: warbirds.training

The P-51. It can outrun nearly everything. It has 6 .50 cals which for me is the most lethal armament in the game,

I'm fond of the deflection shot at D4 D5. It can carry a lot of air to ground ordnance. It has great range allowing you to carry less fuel. It has good visibility. It has great high alt performance.

The F6F is a great plane, very durable, excellent dogfighter and carries a large air-to-ground load but it's a tad slow in top speed and has zero rear visibility that together get you killed unexpectedly if you operate without a wingman as I usually do. It's real hard to fly defensively against a plane outside your field of view I find. If this plane had a bubble canopy it would be my ride almost all the time.

Keep this plane's E up and it will out turn nearly everything when the time comes to get guns on target, allowing you to keep on target until you kill. The P-51 won't do that. You usually must make a couple passes with a 51, or settle for an assist.

Muddy