slip and ball ...
 

how do you use the slip and ball instrument?

The slot and ball instrument is the Slip Indicator. This instrument shows if the aircraft is in coordinated flight or not. When an aircraft is "coordinated", the nose is aligned with the aircraft flight path. When the ball is outside the turn (on the opposite side from the direction of turn), the aircraft is said to be in a skid. When the ball is inside the turn (on the same side of the turn), the plane is said to be in a slip. In either case, the plane may be brought into coordinated flight by "stepping on the ball", that is, applying rudder in the direction that the ball is until it is centered again. In general, an aircraft turns most efficiently when it is in coordinated flight, but there are tactical reasons why a pilot may wish to fly uncoordinated.

As far as targeting enemy aircraft remember your guns have barrels and these barrels are aligned within the aircraft. You can look through your gun site at the enemy and center him in the gunsite, but that doesn't mean your guns are aligned as your aircraft can be in a skid and the guns will not shoot as the gunsight shows, but in the direction where the aircraft is aligned.

OK thanks...I've never payed attention to this instrument. Make me wonder if more people use this tool or not.

@nearmiss

"As far as targeting enemy aircraft remember your guns have barrels and these barrels are aligned within the aircraft. You can look through your gun site at the enemy and center him in the gunsite, but that doesn't mean your guns are aligned as your aircraft can be in a skid and the guns will not shoot as the gunsight shows, but in the direction where the aircraft is aligned."

Afaik the guns ARE always aligned with the plane (ok, except for the convergence) but not with the flight-path. So when you shoot in a slip the rounds go where the crosshair points with a minor deviation caused by the slipstream.

That "minor deviation" was the whole point. Nearmiss didn't said that suddenly they are not aligned anymore with the aircraft but, they are not properly aligned for the shot...

@zaelu

plz read correctly: quote from nearmiss "...the guns will not shoot as the gunsight shows, but in the direction the aircraft is aligned."
As the gunsight is aligned with the aircraft the guns are also, or what??? and the deviation from the slipstream might be a few inches to maybe 1 or 2 feet and that really doesn´t count at those speeds and split-second-timing.

Hi..:grin:

I didn't pay a tension to the Slip Indicator..before robertDamli did mension
it to me watching one of my YT movies..:cool:

So i have the trim keys at right nrkeys..Nr1 to Rudder Trim Left and nr3 to Rudder Trim Right..

nr8 Elevator Trim Positive and nr2 Elevator Trim Negative..

nr4 Aileron Trim Left and nr6 Aileron Trim Right..:-P

So now when i fly i try to trim my BWs ball to the center of Slip Indicator..before the "action" starts:rolleyes:

It's important to keep a eye on that guage, the Bob SOW weather model will only increase that importance :-)

If you fly the P-51 and P-63, which I'm familiar. The Ball and slip indicator is mounted right under the gunsight. The placement of that little ball is darned important, and it would appear some aircraft mfgr actually understood it's roll in good targeting.

A suggestion...

Run some quick missions, click the "T" key for wingtip smoke so you can really follow your flight path in the mission, and make a track of each mission.

Ignore the ball and just shoot like heck to kill everything you can targeting as you're comfortable. Then when you are done run the tracks. Make sure you look at the tracks from about 100 yards from outside views of the player, and the enemy. You do this and watch carefully, you'll see how many times you're trying to get hits on an elusive AI enemy and how often you are skidding and you don't even know it. You'll see the skids and the bullets that just fly all around your enemy with no hits. You'll swear you are targeting well with the gunsight, which you probably are.

Remember, skidding, gravity and wind can definitely take you off target.

I was astonished when I started doing this. WHen I started watching that little ole' gauge and standing on the ball I improved my shooting significantly.

I may regret sharing this, especially when I met you Online and get my legs waxed. LOL

... Don't ignore trimming either. You want to trim up so your flying as level as you can before you engage. You can't control everything as tight on trim as you might like in a furrball, but at least you've trimmed out straight and level before you went into the scrap. If you are in heavy winds you may have to oscillate your pitch and/or yaw control when you're actually shooting to compensate. Remember this about trim, it isn't an autopilot. It's is a small manual adjustment in your control surfaces, which can change frequently with your flying and other outside influences.

Good shooting.

I've been using my rudder to line up my plane on my target, and using my instict to decide on lead. Should I be using rudder to "step on the ball" and use aileron and elevator to get aligned?

You should use rudder to step on the ball. Push R rudder if ball is to the right, vs. v.

You should always trim your aircraft. You can trim while you are climbing, but it is most important to trim when you have reached a cruise altitude and have some time to get your trim close to where you want it.

You will also climb more efficiently when you have the ball centered. Effectively you are flying straight, which is the most efficient way to maintain speed in any manuever.