Requesting help for evasive maneuver.

[Igo kyu]

Originally Posted by IceFire

When on the defensive against a competent foe you're already dead.

The statistic is that most pilots who were shot down didn't know they were being attacked. I believe the corollary of this is that in the real world, defensive manouvers, done properly, work.

Turn toward the enemy (if he's behind you, turn to the side on which he is relative to your tail), and keep turning until he's gone past, if an attacker blacks out, his attack is done, whereas if a defender blacks out, and his attacker doesn't, the attacker has gone past so you've some time to recover. If the attacker is in the better turning aircraft and the speed is too slow for blackouts, get more speed and get out of range, but basically keep turning, and keep rolling, even if he can catch your turn he can't catch your roll. Rolling without turning is no use, that's just fancy flying in a straight line. Once he's past, then it's your turn to attack.

A big mistake I often make is thinking he's past before he actually is, that usually ends badly.

Also keep in mind that the LaGG against contemporary fighters is always at a disadvantage. It's simply too heavy and without enough engine power to compete against the Bf109F or G series. The LaGG is good at absorbing some battle damage and its not in a horrible position versus these but the way to win in a LaGG is to ensure you arrive into combat with altitude superiority and that you attack in a smart manner so as it limit the Bf109s effectiveness.

Avoid close in dogfighting in a LaGG. Again...not enough engine power versus the aircrafts weight so any moves that burn a lot of energy you want to avoid.

The LaGG is not a boom and zoom fighter. Which means (against the 109) it is a turn and burn fighter. Get to zero altitude (plus a wings width of height, so you don't crash), and turn faster than the 109s can. If they come down at you they will be faster than you, which means they have to risk flying into the ground to fire at you, if they stay at ground level you will catch them in the turn, so they usually don't. Against the AI always take out the wingmen first, they don't fight unless you attack the leader, and the leader's already fighting so you lose nothing.

[Laurwin]

Defensive manouvers can work in real life,, because they rely on human anatomy. (duh!)

Many of them rely on neurological processes and responses of human pilot in the enemy aircraft.

Isn't this the basic reason why a manouver like the already described "negative knife edge" work in the first place?

Granted, these manouvers usually will not give you a ready kill on a silver platter. (except e.g. big mistake of the attacker, and a killshot from snapshot in scissors fight, from the defender.)

You must work for your kill in most other cases?

[majorfailure]

Originally Posted by Igo kyu

The statistic is that most pilots who were shot down didn't know they were being attacked. I believe the corollary of this is that in the real world, defensive manouvers, done properly, work.

What about the guys that knew what hit them? I'd say if this gives us anything then it is: Defensive maneuvres CAN work. But there is a counter to any defensive maneuvre, and if the attacker guesses right you are toast anyway. You can sit in the best rolling plane in this game and get the timings of your rolling scissors absolutely brilliantly right - and the enemy makes a no-nonsense cut across your manuvre and you're dead anyway.

[Igo kyu]

Originally Posted by majorfailure

What about the guys that knew what hit them? I'd say if this gives us anything then it is: Defensive maneuvres CAN work. But there is a counter to any defensive maneuvre, and if the attacker guesses right you are toast anyway. You can sit in the best rolling plane in this game and get the timings of your rolling scissors absolutely brilliantly right - and the enemy makes a no-nonsense cut across your manuvre and you're dead anyway.

The guys that knew what hit them were a small minority. I'm not finding a quote unfortuntely, but I think it was something like 85% or so who first knew anything was wrong when bullets started arriving. The reports were from interviews with survivors.

The enemy can get lucky with guessing which way you're turning and rolling, but if you're evasive with no counter attack, then they're not that close, the turn means they have to lead, and the roll means they need to lead the roll and maintain their distance, altogether it's just not doable without a lot of luck. Of course, two attackers against one is not half so easy for the defender.

Originally Posted by Flanker1985

It's just since the 4.11, the developing team upgraded the AI, and now the AI planes are not stupid anymore

I'm still using 4.07 (I have 4.08 somewhere, but there's a reason for not using it, I forget what it is, but there was something). However, theories about flight don't depend on IL*2 version number.