How do I fly online?

[Petromax]

(scribbles furiously with a gnawed off pencil on the computer screen)

Thanks for the links, I will have to start printing stuff to read at lunch...once I know how to get there, how do I paint the plane to appear as a huge target?

[DD_crash]

Joint Ops have lots of courses http://www.joint-ops.com/php2/index.php Well worth doing.

[Janosch]

Stay off servers that have padlock, open cockpit and enemy external views allowed. Optimize your controls. Don't yank the stick too hard up/down - it results in a vicious stall or wing damage.

Boom & zoom all day, every day. The more advantages you have, the less "skill" you need. Of course, it's not a good idea to always pick the best plane with no weaknesses whatsoever.

Customize your paintskin! GIMP works, as long as it's not asleep. Red Baron understood this, so did Adolf Galland.

[Bearcat]

Originally Posted by Janosch

Stay off servers that have padlock, open cockpit and enemy external views allowed. Optimize your controls. Don't yank the stick too hard up/down - it results in a vicious stall or wing damage.

Boom & zoom all day, every day. The more advantages you have, the less "skill" you need. Of course, it's not a good idea to always pick the best plane with no weaknesses whatsoever.

Customize your paintskin! GIMP works, as long as it's not asleep. Red Baron understood this, so did Adolf Galland.

Ignore everything in bold above. Read the Nugget's Guide and follow it. If you do I guarantee you that you will have a relatively smooth transition. Joint Ops is also a very good bet if you are new to flight sims, or actually just new to this sim. Learn to fly the plane before you start thinking tactics. Consider it like learning to walk before you learn to run. Don't worry about a custom skin until you learn to fly. Use the QMB in the sim. If you have them on turn off the map icons early on.. they really can become a crutch but initially if you are k=just learning to fly and fight they work well because they get you to the action quickly but you will find online that many servers do not use them. NEVER skimp on flight settings (stall CEM etc) and get used to having the cockpit around you early on. Initially if you like you can use unlimited ammo but even when you do try to not get into spray and pray mode.. spraying bullets and hoping you hit something. It will take a little time. Remember there are folks here who have been flying in this sim for over a decade.

[Woke Up Dead]

I learned a lot by recording tracks of my online fights and watching them immediately after getting shot down, while the action was still fresh in my mind. Watch from your point of view to figure out what went wrong, and also watch from your opponent's point of view to see what kind of target you presented to him.

Also, I really liked this guide: "In Pursuit, a Pilot's Guide to Online Air Combat" (http://www.virtualpilots.fi/feature/.../inpursuit.pdf)

[nic727]

Download HyperLobby to play online without problem with nice people.
http://hyperfighter.sk/

The best server are :

- Battle-fields1
- =IRSS=Dogfight
- RCAF_FB.com
- Skies-of-Valor

[Janosch]

Originally Posted by nic727

the best server are :

- battle-fields1
- =irss=dogfight
- rcaf_fb.com
- skies-of-valor

No, they aren't.