Whats the best plane for Dog fights?

[David603]

Originally Posted by Erkki

Mustang 3 and P-51D are the 2 best prop pulled fighters of the game. Stock, unmodded game.

Mustang 3 can outrun any prop plane, and outclimbs all but Bf 109 K-4 C3. It easily outturns all 190s and all 109s but the G2, which turns roughly as well. P-51D is not so impressive, but it still has speed advantage(depending on altitude) against almost anything it has to face, outturns all 190s and most 109s, but has better cockpit visibility and armament over the Mustang 3. They are good 1 vs 1, and many vs. many using proper tactics, its a shooting range against just about anything.

The "dogfight" can be more than turning near the stalling speed at 0 altitude.

Of course, otherwise I would have a very low opinion of the Fw190

I'd forgotten the Mustang III was a stock aircraft, but in any case it does not outclimb the Spitfire IX 25lbs, and the Fw190D9, LA7 and Ki-84 are all very close in performance, and some even outclimb it at certain altitudes.

Sure, its fast and more agile than the late war German fighters, but the armament of 4x.50cals are barely adequate at best, and inadequate to stand any real chance of getting snapshots on the tough Dora 9 and Bf109G-K models.

In the right hands the Mustang III or P51D can be very effective, but its not as overwhelmingly powerful as you have suggested.

For the sake of the P51 pilots its perhaps just as well they don't have to face the Spitfire 25lbs and the even more deadly Spitfire XIV, which I would rate as a superior fighter to any Mustang in either modded or unmodded versions of Il2.

[Erkki]

A properly trained WW2 aviator was the "right hands". Or a good il2 pilot who actually thinks about survival, and knows team tactics(further than flying as just a pair). It has only adequate guns yep, but they are more than enough. Flown with some brains, it doesnt have to let anyone in the guns range, unless if bounced at low altitude.

I dont know how "the mods" model the Spitfire XIV, as far as I know, it traded some qualities for the low and medium altitude speed it gained with the Griffon engine...

The Spit IXc 25lbs is crap above medium alts too. HF IXe is usually much more useful.