Tales from online; ignorance of energy....

[Jumoschwanz]

I was in a relevant situation in the last few days. Flying a Fw190 on a map with lots of clouds, I was skimming the tops of the clouds as most of the action was close to ground level between fighters and ground attack aircraft. I wanted to be able to dive down, make shots and have enough E to escape into a cloud if I had to.

I got a MKVIII Spitfire down that was attacking a gaggle of Bf-110s, the Spitfire had two friends that turned onto my tail. I had some E on them and followed my plan and zoomed up through a large cloud, then I leveled out until I was able to loop back towards the two spits. They were smart enough to save enough energy so they could maintain control and turn out of the path of my attack. Because their energy level was close to mine and they were smart, I decided it was a bad ideal to keep looping with them one vs. two so I leveled out into very slight arcs away from them. They got bored and turned towards home, as I had dragged them far into my territory and they were probably low on fuel. I then turned back towards them with a lot of confidence to give chase using the clouds but unfortunately the map ended.

The MkVIII Spit is a pretty good matchup for a mid-war FW190. Being the pursuer is always a big advantage not only because it holds a high chance of offering some sort of shot at the target, but also because if the target decides to turn 180 degrees back towards you horizontally or as a Split S, then the energy it loses in doing so grants an instant advantage to you. So if you are being pursued then you really need to gain enough of a lead to execute a maneuver that will not only reverse your direction, but also preserve your energy and altitude.....

[Pursuivant]

Originally Posted by Jumoschwanz

Being the pursuer is always a big advantage not only because it holds a high chance of offering some sort of shot at the target, but also because if the target decides to turn 180 degrees back towards you horizontally or as a Split S, then the energy it loses in doing so grants an instant advantage to you. So if you are being pursued then you really need to gain enough of a lead to execute a maneuver that will not only reverse your direction, but also preserve your energy and altitude.....

I'm just a wimpy off-liner, but my experience is that you need at least 2.5 km of separation to make a 180 degree turn, regain speed and set up a head-on attack if you are at about the same level as an opponent. Maybe a bit less if you've got altitude or a plane with an excellent turn or roll rate.

[MaxGunz]

Originally Posted by Pursuivant

I'm just a wimpy off-liner, but my experience is that you need at least 2.5 km of separation to make a 180 degree turn, regain speed and set up a head-on attack if you are at about the same level as an opponent. Maybe a bit less if you've got altitude or a plane with an excellent turn or roll rate.

Are you using a wing-over or Immemann to change direction?

A plane approaching at 600kph is moving at 500m every 3 seconds so for sure you don't have long to get offensive even at 2500m! But a half-loop and drop back down shouldn't take as long as a flat 180 alone.

[Jumoschwanz]

Sometimes if someone is following you the option to run is gone. They might be faster or already be in firing range when you notice them. If you can not run then it is time to burn up some of your energy turning to evade those cannon shells.

In that situation I would think about trying to trick my pursuer into flying past me into my gun-sight, or I would keep dodging his shots until he might lose his patience and come down to or below my energy level, it happens all the time.

Using energy to fight might not mean that you have the advantage or are using your great energy to attack, but you might be using your opponents energy advantage against him by being able to turn sharper than them, by not blacking out as easily, exceeding your G limit as easily or by knowing they may be overconfident and careless.

An advantage is a very nice thing to have in your hand, but it is easy to lose or have it taken from you unless you practice and know exactly what it can do for you.

S!

[MaxGunz]

If you don't let yourself get slow and low then you still have the option to avoid in 3 dimensions instead of just the most draggy horizontal plane.

[Jumoschwanz]

REALLY low and slow can be an art though, especially if there is interesting terrain involved. Many IL2 pilots are not good at flying really low and I have seen quite a few end up hitting the ground while they were trying to make passes on a low target.

Of course really low but at a medium to fast speed might offer more.....

[MaxGunz]

It's okay if you've got help coming or friendly AA not far to get to. Been there, done that.
Ever had bombs dropped in front of you because you were so low?