Are there any guides about the planes?

[Ju-87]

This might be a long shot... But has anyone written like a "mini-guide" or something about the planes in BoP? (or at least for the most common ones i mp?)

I don't mean to be lazy or anything, it's just that some of the planes are just too similar for me to feel the difference, and the game's descriptions in the hangar aren't always very helpful. On top of that the training mode and MP are very different, so some hard facts/stats would be nice.

[DoubleStandards]

A couple threads down is a nice PFD. from Wildar about each plane.

[Ancient Seraph]

There's no real guide, but I guess I can give a short description of the different airplanes and their strengths/weaknesses.
This guide is mainly meant to help people who are new to the game, thus it's based on experience in-game. Because of this it might not correspond to your own experience, historical facts or Dogfights episodes. Before you start arguing about something in this thread, please be sure to have valid arguments, not based on historical facts or similar.
If you'd like to see a list of in-game facts and stats, check out this thread by Widar.
A very good help for newcomers is the sensitivity (or sensitibity ) post by Benrizz. This post lists different sensitivities that are advised for different planes.
As I've said before, even though most things mentioned in this thread can be backed up by facts, it doesn't mean they have to be, nor does it necessarily mean they have to correspond to them.

Fighters

• Spitfire series
  The Spitfires can all be described the same, although there are some small differences between the two. These planes are Turn&Burn fighters, meaning they're very good at turning, but the top speed is not the highest. They're pretty twitchy, especially when hit in the wings, and require some practice to fly. When you get the hang of them, they're lovely planes to fly, and very good in Realistic mode, since that's mainly about T&B.
  • MkII -- 4 x 7.7 Brownings (M) -- 2 x 20mm Hispano-Suiza (C)
    This is the earliest version in the game. It's a decent turner, although not the best, and has a pretty decent armament as well. Good choice for games with an early year limit on it, but not so much for the later periods.
  • MkIX -- 4 x 7.7 Brownings (M) -- 2 x 20mm Hispano-Suiza (C)
    The MkIX is a very good turner, high in the top 5. The armament is decent, and due to the high amount of tracers it's pretty easy to aim with. Good choice in general for T&B.
  • MkXVI -- 2 x 7.7 Brownings (M) -- 2 x 20mm Hispano-Suiza (C)
    Although a slower roll rate than the MkIX, it can definetely compete with it. The armament is a bit better, so it's a good choice if you're having trouble shooting someone with the MkIX. If you look at the hangar description of the guns, it says the MkXVI has 2 Browning Machine Guns, however, in real life it had 2 x 50 cal. MG's. Quite some people agree this is probably what's modelled in-game as well, since the MkXVI feels like it has better armament than the other Spits.
• Bf-109 Series
  The 109's greatest strengths are its armament, speed and stability. These planes are the best at Boom and Zoom (coming in fast, shoot fast, and disappear fast). They can be outturned by quite a lot of planes, so be careful not to try to turn with a Spit. They're also easier to fly than most planes, due to their stability. They can also take quite a beating and still fly on. Due to it's big guns and very good stability it's loved by quite a lot of players. Note that the general performance of the Bf-109's will increase with at higher altitudes. You can use this to your advantage by luring low-altitude performers, like the Yaks, up towards a higher altitude.
  • E-3 -- 2 x 7.92mm MG17 (M) -- 2 x 20mm MG FF (C)
    It's the oldest Bf-109 in the game and you get it without having to unlock it. It has a relative weak armament compared to the fighters from the same period (Hurricane, Spit), however, it is a pretty stable gun platform and has little to no recoil. It's about average in manoeuvrability and speed (compared to other early period fighters).
  • F-4 -- 2 x 7.92mm MG17 (M) -- 1 x 20mm MG151 (C)
    It is a step up from the E-3. It is faster and has a better turn and roll rate. Out of all the 109's, this is the one you should pick if you are planning on turning a lot. It's aramament might seem less than the E-3, but the 20mm MG151 does a better job than the 2 x 20mm MG FF.
  • G-2 -- 2 x 7.92mm MG17 (M) -- 1 x 20mm MG151 (C)
    This one has a pretty noticeable increase in speed over the F-4, causing it to be faster than the Spits, making it an able B&Z plane. This speed does come at a cost: it turns and rolls slightly worse than the F-4. The armament is the same as the F-4.
  • G-6 -- 2 x 13mm MG's (M) -- 3 x 30mm cannons (C)
    This is the fighter with the biggest armament in the game. It has a massive 30mm nose cannon, 2x 13mm machine guns on the fuselage and 2x 30mm gunpods under the wings. This heavy armament certainly comes at a price: it has a big recoil. Small burst should take care of this. Its performance: about as fast as the F-4, with a slightly worse manoeuvrability than the G-2.
  • G-10 -- 2 x 13mm MG's (M) -- 1 x 20mm MG151 (C)
    The Gustav series are some of the fastest 109's. In-game it's just not as fast as it should be. It has the same 20mm nosecannon as the F-4 and G-2, but its machineguns are slightly bigger than the others'. This gives it just the extra punch you sometimes need. Again speed and armament are traded for manoeuvrability. Its roll rate is ok, but its rate of turn is quite low. It will take quite a lot of skills to avoid people getting on your six o'clock, making it a rookie unfriendly plane.
  • K-4 -- 2 x 13mm MG's (M) -- 2 x 20mm MG151 (C) -- 1 x 30mm cannon (C)
    This is the fastest piston plane in the game. It can outrun most planes without effort, however, the turning is quite bad (worse than the G-10). This is not what you want to do with this plane though. Where the other 109's might be able to hold its own in a short turning battle, the K-4 will not be able to keep up in a tight turn. This is one of the best B&Z planes in-game. Its high speed and powerful armament make it perfect for coming in fast, destroying the enemy in one burst, and fly away.
• La Series -- Both: 2 x 20mm ShVAK (C)
  The La's are prized for their speed, manouvreability and stability. The La-7 is one of the fastest piston planes in the game, and both the 5 and 7 are easy to fly. They don't stall very fast or violently, can compete with a Spit in turns, and almost can't be outrun. The downside for beginners might be the armament. Although they have pretty big cannons which can make quick work of a plane, the rate of fire is not high, and it's tricky to aim due to the low amount of tracers. I'm not too familiar with the La-5, so can't give you details about big differences between the 5 and 7. As far as I know they fly pretty much the same.
• I-16 -- 2 x 7.62mm ShKAS (M) -- 2 x 20mm ShVAK (C)
  Flying this plane is just fun. It has a very small turn radius, can easily outturn a Spit or La and has nice guns. The big downside of it is it's top speed. This is about 100 km/h lower than most planes, if not more. It's possible to get a lot of kills when flying this plane, but if the enemy is on to you the tides can quickly turn. Due to your low airspeed you will have a hard time chasing planes, so your best (and usually only) chance is to get the enemy in a turning battle. Be careful to set the sensitivity way down with this plane.
• I-153 -- 2 x 20mm ShVAK (C)
  This plane is basically the same as the I-16, except it has an even smaller turn radius, and an even lower top speed. It's a lot of fun flying it, due to it's manouvreability, but you can have a hard time getting kills. The armament is relatively weak, and you usually have a short window in which you can land a few hits, before the enemy roars off again. Don't expect to be able to chase any plane with this little thing.
• Yak Series
  The Yaks are generally stable planes, not too tricky to fly. At low speed you might notice a small wingdrop or other miniature stall, but nothing too major. They can all compete in T&B, although some better than others. The armaments are average, good enough for any dogfight, although not the best around. All of them can take a pretty good beating, remaining more stable than the average aircraft when taken damage.
  • Yak-1B -- 1 x 12.6mm Berezin (M) -- 1 x 20mm ShVAK (C)
    The Yak-1B is the youngest version of the Yaks. It's good at turning and can keep up with most aircraft in your average T&B fight. The armament is relatively weak, although with some practice it can have a deadly effect. The advantage of this fact is that it has a very low recoil, close to none. The Yak-1B doesn't have the small stalls at low speeds it's bigger brothers have.
  • Yak-3 -- 2 x 12.6mm Berezin (M) -- 1 x 20mm ShVAK (C)
    It's safe to say the Yak-3 is the most popular among the Yaks. Good at T&B, stable, can take a beating and it's guns can do some decent damage. It only has very little recoil, making it easier to target someone. It's also the fastest of the Yaks, and pretty high up the list of fastest airplanes.
  • Yak-9T -- 1 x 12.6mm Berezin (M) -- 1 x 37mm NS-37 (C)
    The main characteristic of this plane is it's cannon, and especially the recoil it produces. Not as much as the Bf-109-G6, but definetely more than your average plane. Be careful not to hold the trigger too long. The Yak-9T can be used for both T&B and B&Z, but although it isn't the worst in either of the styles, it definitely isn't the best.
• Hurricane MkII -- 12 x 12.7mm MG's (M)
  The Hurricane is loved by many, but most of this love is directed to the RL airplane. In-game it's not a bad plane to fly. It's pretty stable and has 12 (!) machine guns. Don't be fooled by the big number though, the Hurricane's armament is definitely not the best in-game. The speed is also less than impressive. It can't keep up with a Spit, and it doesn't overtake the I-16 very fast either. Although it turns pretty well and can outturn a late-war Spit or La on occasion, it has a hard time competing with these planes due to it's lack in speed and acceleration.
  The main reason the Hurricane is this moderate, is because it's outdated. Here lies also it's greatest strength: in games with the year limit set to 1940 it's one of the best planes to fly. It can easily compete with the Spitfire MkII, and will pretty much always win against a Bf-109-E3 in a T&B fight.
  In short: A decent plane, good to fly for starters, but don't expect to compete with late-war planes. Definitely a good choice in a low year-limited game.

Bombers
The bombers are tricky to compare to eachother, due to the fact they can be divided in two categories: heavy bombers and light/dive bombers. Some bombers float somewhere in between these categories, some don't fit in them at all. I'll point out which bombers fit in which category as good as I can, PM me if someone doesn't agree, but give some good arguments (historical or in-game).
(H) = Heavy bomber
(L) = Light bomber
(O) = Other

• Po-2 (O) -- 4 x 50kg (B) -- 3 x 100kg (B) -- 2 x 50kg & 2 x 100kg (B)
  This plane is great for CTA, and pretty much that only. Unless you enjoy sightseeing in training mode, where the po-2 is also great fun. It's got a very low top speed, and no forward firing guns, so you can absolutely forget chasing anyone down. The great thing is you can come in to land from a steep angle, and still maintain a good landing speed. Other than that, you can use your rear gunner to defend yourself as best as possible (though it doesn't have much range) and use bombs to take out those planes already parked on the ground.
• A20G (H) -- 4 x 500lbs (B)
  The A20G is a good combination of characteristics, although it doesn't excel in anything in particular. It has a relatively low payload, relatively good gunners, can take a beating and is one of the faster heavy bombers. It's very manouvreable compared to it's counterparts, making it a good choice for beginners not too familiar with pulling up after a dive, or those who are too impatient to wait too long to turn around. However, due to it's lower payload it's important to make every hit count.

These are the planes of which a description has been contributed (either by me or by others, see credits below). Feel free to correct me where I'm wrong, or add planes/descriptions.
Hope it helps .

Credits
Thanks MorgothNL for the expanded 109 series. (Original post)
Thanks Soviet Ace for the Yak series. (Original post)
Thanks mattd27 for the Po-2 and A20G. (Original post)

[Benrizz]

For sure that's a sticky post.

[MorgothNL]

Originally Posted by Benrizz

For sure that's a sticky post.

yeah... and if FW190 fans, hurri fans etc, all describe their planes in short... then they can be added to the list, en we will end up with a complete short overview of all the planes

[InfiniteStates]

Great post AncientSeraph - that should get any newcomer of to a good start, and maybe show some old timers who are stuck in a rut something else worth trying

As MorgothNL says, if fans of some of the other planes follow suit this would make a great sticky. Well, it would already make a great sticky, but more contributions would make it greater.

[Ancient Seraph]

Any Po specialists out there?
Seriously though, it would be nice if someone could add info about other planes. I could however also just fly some of them, make a short description of how I think about it and just let people correct me. Won't be a problem I guess. Although I might get shot up a lot.. and I'd have to fly the P-51 (the horror!!).

[Soviet Ace]

Originally Posted by Ancient Seraph

Any Po specialists out there?
Seriously though, it would be nice if someone could add info about other planes. I could however also just fly some of them, make a short description of how I think about it and just let people correct me. Won't be a problem I guess. Although I might get shot up a lot.. and I'd have to fly the P-51 (the horror!!).

I could talk about the real Po-2, but I don't fly it around in-game because I don't like being so vulnerable.


Yak-1b,3,9T: If I was asked to describe the Yak series in the game, with one word? I would have to be, GREATNESS!

I'll start with the Yak-1 as I flew that before any of the others; and can tell you that even though it has a longer wingspan, the Yak-1b is a great turning and all around maneuverable aircraft. It has a semi-weak weapon set-up but if your close enough, and aim well enough; you can get some good quick kills. It may not look like it, but the Yak1b is also good at taking damage. And if your seriously damaged, it can still be a stable plane; depending on how good you can keep the plane from spinning out of control or stalling. The Yak-1b is also good at keeping away from a stall, and losing control for what seems like no apparent reason. Great plane for TnB at low altitudes.

Yak-9T: Not the best Yak in the game, but it can do what needs to be done. When flying this, remember never to hold the trigger down for more than a second or so because that 37mm cannon is a beast with recoil; and the light weight body of the Yak-9 has a hard time keeping stable and level. It is a good TnB, but doesn't match up to either of the other Yaks in game. It is also lightly armed, with one 37mm cannon, and one MG. The Yak-9T is better for just strafing enemy planes in CTA, than actual dogfighting.

Yak-3: What I would call the BEST Yak in-game and in real life. The Yak-3 excels where the others don't. It had a tight turning radius and good speed. The twin MGs and single 20mm nose cannon make for easy targeting of enemy planes, (as all you have to do really is point your nose and shoot.) It is faster than either the Yak-1b or Yak-9T, and is the true dogfighter of all the Yaks. The damage this little plane can take is amazing. From my own personal experience, I had a terribly damaged fuselage and right wing. But was still able to be in control of the Yak-3 with little trouble from the controls. I even got a 190A while limping after it. All around, the Yak-3 is the best. And only the La-5FN, and La-7 out do the Yak-3 in speed and gun armament.

[mattd27]

I suggest nobody writes about the P-51 until the repair model is done. I'll give a couple of tips (including the po-2 as it's a capture the airfield favorite of mine).

Po-2
This plane is great for CTA, and pretty much that only. Unless you enjoy sightseeing in training mode, where the po-2 is also great fun. It's got a very low top speed, and no forward firing guns, so you can absolutely forget chasing anyone down. The great thing is you can come in to land from a steep angle, and still maintain a good landing speed. Other than that, you can use your rear gunner to defend yourself as best as possible (though it doesn't have much range) and use bombs to take out those planes already parked on the ground.

More plane guides later, I'm off to do a bit of playing right now. I've got dibs on the A20G one, had much successes lately in that beauty.

Update:

A20G
This is one great bomber. It might not pack the biggest punch when it comes to bomb size, but it makes up for it in many other ways. It's fairly maneuverable for a bomber , so when flying you don't have to worry about stalling out. If you see someone on your tail, try to pick them off fast. You have a very powerful turret with a good range, and I've filled many a fighter with it. If you do manage to take some hits, it's ok. You can withstand a lot of body damage and still fly pretty well. When dropping your bombs you only have 4, and they aren't the most powerful so make them count. Slow down and line up perfectly. Than circle around for another pass, making sure to keep an eye on your 6 at all times for approaching enemies.

[Ancient Seraph]

Originally Posted by Soviet Ace

I could talk about the real Po-2, but I don't fly it around in-game because I don't like being so vulnerable.


Yak-1b,3,9T: If I was asked to describe the Yak series in the game, with one word? I would have to be, GREATNESS!
(...)

Well, although I value your input, I must say I won't just copy/paste this into the OP if you don't mind . As a poll once showed, you can be a tad bit prejudiced (no offence, as the poll showed as well ). I will however take into account the facts, and my recent experience with them (tried them out tonight). PM me if you feel something is incorrect.

Originally Posted by mattd27

I suggest nobody writes about the P-51 until the repair model is done. I'll give a couple of tips (including the po-2 as it's a capture the airfield favorite of mine).

I agree. No judgement on the P-51 and maybe some other debateable airplanes (still not sure in how far the update will affect other aircraft).

Originally Posted by mattd27

Po-2
(...)

More plane guides later, I'm off to do a bit of playing right now. I've got dibs on the A20G one, had much successes lately in that beauty.

Update:

A20G
(...)

Thanks for the input . I wasn't planning on a bomber section, but as if people 'review' them I won't ignore it.
I might make some small adjustments, feel free to PM me if you feel something is incorrect.