Help! can't keep up........

[BadAim]

One thing that no one has mentioned is the tendency for newcomers to put the gunsight on the lead plane and ride 'er till she dies. This is in fact is not how aircraft work, you will need to push the nose down to get more speed so that you can catch up to your flight, then once you have built up overtaking speed, you can gently lift the nose and climb up to them from underneath. This will take some time to get used to, and some finesse as it's easy to rocket right by them, then you'll chop the throttle, lose altitude and have to catch up and repeat the process again. You'll look like a spaz porpoise trying to keep up with the rest of the group for a while, but you'll get the hang of it soon.

It will serve you well to learn "best climb" for your favorite aircraft, and there is no substitute for keeping the ball centered.