flying the f4u corsair

8/9/2019 Flying the F4U Corsair

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Flying the F4U Corsair

By Fletchman, 9/12/1995

Foreword by Will Reschke Nichols

While this was originally written many years ago it still holds true for justabout every flight simulation game on the market that has the differentvariants of the F4U Corsair in them. I recently took it upon myself to updateand edit this document to make it a little clearer in presenting the ideas,correcting the grammar and spelling in some areas. I did add in some of mythoughts but in no way am I neither attempting to nor claiming that I wroteor produced any part of this original document. So without furtherado..heres Fletchman!

Here is "Sensei" Fletchmans comprehensive tour de force about flight and

combat operations in the F4U Corsair. Variously known as the HogorHawg, or Big Blue, the Corsair was one the most widely used (andmisused) aircraft in Air Warrior, and presumably in other air combat games.As with all our training articles, the basic concepts and physics involved inoperating the aircraft should bear out across most well-developed andphysics-realistic air combat games. This masterlevel article covers theplane in flight and combat situations.

However, a cautionary note: as Sensei Fletchman points out, the flightmodeling of the aircraft discussed in this lecture may be different than thatof the games the reader currently plays. Please take these differences into

account and modify your tactics accordingly.

All that said, though, the serious combat pilot will find this lecture byFletchman to possibly be the finest study of the Air Warrior F4U around.Bravo, Fletchman!

3/25/2010

***Recently edited for grammar, spelling and updated with currentthoughts and ideas by Will Reschke Nicholslong time Corsairpilot in VF-17 The Jolly Rogers***


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Flying the F4U Corsair v.2a: Revenge of the Hog!

By Fletchman, 9/12/1995

Preface to this Second Edition

This second edition contains clarifications andupdates as well as ideas that I just plain forgotto put in the first edition! There is a newsection on dealing with the N1K1 "George" and

Version 2a resulted from actually carefullyproof reading the document.

Several people mentioned to me that they wanted to learn how to fly the F4Ueffectively in Air Warrior. For reasons that remain unclear, several haveasked me for advice on this matter. While not an Air Warrior Old Timer byany means, I have flown the Corsair for some time and gained considerableexperience flying the Big Hog. For this reason I thought I would share someof my thoughts on how to exploit the F4Us many outstanding qualities on-line. Also, it is perhaps the most mishandled plane in the PTO. Beginners inparticular take the plane up, do terrible in it, and the immediately cast it

aside for planes like the Hellcat and KI-84. The F4U is a plane with manysubtle nuances. As with most fighters which rely mostly on energy tactics, ittakes quite a bit of tactical acumen and heads-up situational awareness inorder to get the most out of the plane.

Flight and Combat Operations

For the benefits of all I will start at the beginning and work up. Theexperienced pilot is requested to bear with me. Since the F4U is an Energy(E) Fighter, my thoughts on that realm of endeavor is also heavily covered.

With a couple notable exceptions all the Air Warrior fighters can be flownsuccessfully, provided the pilot learns to exploit the strong points and avoidthe weak points of any plane which he chooses to fly. The key to success isto be true to the planes characteristics. Dont push the plane into a situationwhich it is ill suited. The F4U has many outstanding traits that can beexploited by the schooled pilot, and these can be used to fly it with greatsuccess for many victory.


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Important Note: This text is written considering the AW planes and gunneryas they are currently (July 1995) modeled. Future changes in the Kesmaisoftware might result in subtle or even dramatic changes in some of theplanes mentioned. These changes should be considered when reading thisguide in the future. However, the general doctrine should apply to almost

any flight simulation where the F4U is reasonablymodeled.

Also, I have tried to avoid Air Combat Maneuver techno- babble wheneverpossible. One, I hardly understand it myself, and second, dropping fancyphrases is more likely to confuse than teach. An understanding of the barebones basics of ACM is assumed however. Undoubtedly some of themaneuvers I describe go by fancier names in some other source. I prefer tocoin my own (sometimes colorful) descriptions, and keep them simple.

The F4U Corsair is without question the outstanding Energy Fighter in thePacific theater. Indeed, among those who have flown it extensively, many

believe it is the finest overall prop plane available in the Air Warrior W.W.IIArena. The more I fly the plane and begin to understand its subtleties, themore I agree with that assessment. While I fly almost all the Air WarriorFighters, I return again and again to the F4U.

Fly to the airplanes strengths to succeed!

1. Speed: The F4U is fast. It is the third fastest plane in the pacific theater.

2. Climb Rate: The F4U climbs quickly. Only the P-38, George and Hellcatapproach the F4U excellent climb rate in the PTO. Equally importantly, theF4U can out climb both the PTO planes which can catch it in level flight - theP-51 and KI-84.

3. Retains Energy: The F4U keeps its energy very well. The ability of aplane to retain energy factors very heavily into making it an acceptablecandidate for energy fighting. The F4U shines in this department.

4.Ammo Load: The F4Us ammo load is the stuff of legend. The F4U pilothardly ever has to look down with apprehension on his Ammo Load indicator

needle on the Air Warrior Dash. A stingy and patient Hog pilot can easily landmultiple kill missions on a consistent basis.

5. Durability: The Hog can take some heavy hits and keep flying. It is thesecond most durable fighter in Air Warrior. With the sometimes bizarrenature of the Air Warrior gunnery model, the F4Us durability adds a bit of a"comfort zone".


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6. High Altitude Capability: The Hogs performance holds up well at highaltitude. The higher the fight the more the F4U likes it. In fact in the 20K plusarena where angle fighting begins to lose its relevance, the F4U energyfighting skills are enhanced, and the Hog becomes doubly deadly.

7. Dive: The F4U dives like an aerodynamic brick. The dreaded effects ofcompression set in slowly, and the Hog accelerates well in a dive, enabling itto overhaul almost any plane in a power dive.

8. Roll Rate: The F4U has a decent roll rate. Although this is not a godsendit allows the F4U to flip around quickly. Like its distant energy fighting cousinthe FW-190 (which has the best roll rate of all), the F4U can use its roll rateto keep its more maneuverable foes at bay for short periods of time,especially at high speed. Mostly I try to exploit the roll rate when caught in adefensive situation, and hopefully confuse my opponent enough with a fewquick rolls to either turn the tables, or gain enough separation to extend out

of range. The good roll rate can also be exploited in a dog fighting situationagainst the few planes that the F4U can compete with in that department.

9. High Speed Handling: The F4U handles well at high speed. Also, sincethe F4U retains energy better than almost all PTO fighters, as long as theHog keeps the fight fast, the F4U can hang in there even with planes that aremore maneuverable at slow speeds.

10. The Zoom Climb: Because of its powerful engine, the Hog can "goballistic" with the best of them. In the vertical the hog will usually leaveothers hanging on their prop well before it has to level its wings.

11. Its Big and Blue and its "gull-wings" look really cool: While thesefactors add few features to the planes flight characteristics, man does notlive by bread alone.

The F4Us weak points

1. Its not a stall fighter: The F4U is a poor "turn and burn" dogfighter.Frankly, once its airspeed drops much below 200 knots, it handles terribly. Ina stall fight 150 knots IAS is usually the kiss of death for the big plane. Itssustained turn rate at low speed is terrible, and it has a tendency to stall

itself into a vicious spin given even the slightest excuse.

The only fighters that it can try to outfly in a stall fight are the P-51, P-47,and N1K2, and thats not saying much. If you want to mix it up low in theeternal furball over the PTO central Atoll, take another fighter. A sustainedflat energy bleeding turn in the horizontal plane is about the last maneuveryou want to do in an F4U. Indeed, such turns will probably be the last thingyou do, quite literally, before you are shot down.


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2. Lethality: The F4U has no cannon, so its lethality is only average. Luckilythis is offset by a couple of factors in the F4Us favor. The F4Us massiveammo load does a lot to make up for this, and many of the planes in thePTO, specifically the numerous KI-84s and Zeros are not particularlydurable. However when facing F6Fs or other Corsairs the F4U pilot needs to

be mindful that hes going to have to dish out a lot of punishment on thosefighters to down them. . The P-38 is still a pretty big target, but it can soakup the hits so it still takes many "pings" to down it.

3. Stall: The F4Us spin is vicious, and quick recover (which isnt easy) isrequired in order to save the engine from oil deprivation (i.e. "porked").Standard stall recover will usually bring the big bird back, but it might alsobe necessary to throttle down to cut engine torque. AW also allows you tocut the engine completely, this being a handy trick to keep the engine frombecoming "porked". Stalling below 1000 feet is generally fatal, although ahard punch on the rudder might pop the Hog out of the spin provided that

the spin isnt too severe. If you manage to survive the spin without punchinga hole in the virtual dirt in there is another worry. Once that oil gauge dropsbelow 50, youre flying a wounded bird for the rest of your flight. If you seethe oil gauge dropping towards 50% - cut the engine. Also the Hog isntparticularly polite in regard to giving you warnings of an impending stall.

One of the less complementary nick-names the F4U assumed historically was"The Ensign Eliminator" due to its unforgiving flight characteristics. The F4Uneeded an experienced hand at the stick. In that at least, AW models historypretty well. The current version of AW does not model torque, which is justas well since that would make it even harder to handle at low speed. If AW

ever does model torque it will be necessary to apply firm rudder on takeoff,as well as being gentle with the throttle on takeoff. Suddenly fire walling thethrottle would cause the big bird to flip because of the massive torque of theengine. This was the fatal mistake that many trainees made and gained theHog the aforementioned nick-name.

Maneuvering: The F4U in flight

Take off: A carrier take off can be tricky if youre packing bombs and a bigload of gas. Generally, using full flaps and keeps the wheel brakes engageduntil the bird starts to roll. If youre especially heavily loaded using WEP for

the takeoff run might also be wise. If the nose drops a bit after takeoff, hitthe WEP and pull in the landing gear ASAP. Prayer might also be in order.Practice this off line until you can do it without a hitch. If this causes fear torun up your spine, take off from a land based field.

Landings - Land based fields: Cut throttle to near zero. Do not engageflaps. Float down to the end of the runway. Make sure you are under 150knots - although 100 knots is preferred. Dont bring down the gear until you


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are under 250 or you may suddenly nose yourself right into terra firma. Keepthe nose slightly high and let the plane land itself. Dont try to force it intothe ground.

Landings - Carriers: Patience is the key here. Do a low "flyby" to starboard

throttle down and go to full flaps. When you have brought yourself to about100 knots or less turn into your final approach; you want to be slightly above100 feet as you reach the carrier, then cut throttle and engage the tail hook.You can cheat by nosing down slightly at the very end. (The key word isslightly.) If you miss the arresting wire located on the white strip pour onthe coal and take off for another pass. Carrier landings with enemy aroundanywhere in the area are not recommended. Carrier landings takeconcentration and patience. If there are any baddies in the sector go to aland based field.

Dive brakes: The Hog can use its landing gear as an impromptu dive brake.

I hardly ever use it however because using it often simply noses you into anegative G red-out and results in a less than friendly contact with motherearth. Also its usually anathema for me to surrender even an ounce ofenergy in most situations. However using the landing gear as an impromptu"air anchor" can be used as a last ditch defensive move. If you have beencompletely outmaneuvered or are hopelessly "blacked out" in the "deadzone" of a flat turn, popping the gear might just make the guy on your sixovershoot. This cant be recommended, but if you are a flying dead manalmost anything is worth a try to give you a new lease on life.

The Hog also had more useful dive brakes which can be accessed via the

spacebar or programmed onto a control button. These are much more usefulthat the landing gear method. It doesnt dump energy radically, but is usefulin a stall fight, or to put out the anchors during a dive and to overcomecompression. They are also very useful for pulling those couple extradegrees of lead during a pass where you have a high closure rate and mightbe required to shoot with a lot of deflection. Leaning on the drive brakenaturally cuts your energy level, so don rely on them simply to make adifference in a pass that is already a lost cause. [Ed. Note: Dive Brakes areno longer modeled in the 1998/1999 versions of AWIII.]

Spins: Avoid them. The Hog doesnt like maneuvering at less than 150

knots. As stated before this speed is the kiss of death in many situations. Ifyou find your IAS around that area and you start horsing the stick around aspin is very likely. Gently correct your attitude to get your air speed back up.

Also, if your angle of attack is steep you can get hit by an accelerated stall ateven more than 150 knots. If youre starting a loop or an Immelman, punchat least 1 notch of flaps. If your airspeed is dropping like a rock got to full


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flaps. The hog can "make it over the top" at surprisingly slow speed if thewings are kept very level, but its risky.

Compression: The Corsair is pretty forgiving in this area fortunately. Thebig blue bird will usually give you plenty of warning as compression sets in

due to extreme speeds. Not being Techno-Guru, I wouldnt want to even tryto go into the flight dynamics of compression. However, the AW flight modeltends to place a higher emphasis on angle of attack than altitude to calculatehow much concrete gets poured into the base of your joystick. Generallyangles of 45 degrees down and worse are very dangerous. However, the Hogcan hang in even at ultra- high speeds with a shallow nose down attitude. If ahigh speed embrace with Mother Earth appears likely, at least in a shallowdive the Corsair driver has plenty to time to chop throttle to zero, hit the divebrake, and horse the stick back to maximum deflection. Blacking out is theleast of your worries in such a situation. The Corsairs airframe can withstandtremendous G loads, so the plane coming apart is a not a worry. However,

even the best built Corsair will come apart when hitting the ground at 400knots.

Terra Firma: Like most planes the F4U doesnt like striking the earth at highspeeds; thats just bad for the airframe; regardless of how good you thinkyou are. When pulling out of a dive dont forget that your nose attitudedoesnt always indicate what direction you are flying. When pulling out of adive remember the plane will continue to "flatten out" the bottom of the divecurve even if the nose attitude tell you should be pulling out of the dive.Translated, that means that you are still going down, even though you seemto be pulling out of the dive. This could lead to a quick end of your flying

adventure.

The F4U as Energy Fighter

Fighters are offensive weapons, and offensive weapons work best when theyfight from positions where they, not the enemy have the initiative. Being in adefensive position is inherently bad for fighter aircraft. The pilot, to besuccessful, needs to maneuver throughout the fight to assure that he andnot his opponent dictates the pace of combat, starts with the initiative, andkeeps it throughout the fight. For the F4U, this means using energy andposition in a deadly combination of maneuver and fire.

When flying the F4U as an energy fighter, energy is more important thanposition. Position is transitory for the F4U. This point and several others willbe repeated many times over in the text to follow. And for good reason -they are important if not vital points!

While the stall fighter lives to obtain position, the F4U with its slower turnrate and (it is too be hoped) higher speed cannot hope to turn with its target


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on a majority of occasions. But it doesnt have to! By using energy wisely,the F4U can almost always regain position for that "moment of truth" shot.

The Energy fighter fights from a position of advantage only. The advantagewe are discussing here is the big "E" - Energy. The F4U is a pretty simple

plane to fly. If you maintain a superior energy state to all your nearbypotential opponents you are pretty much untouchable. You on the otherhand will be able to reach out touch them quite effectively - with the six 50cal. machine guns that Chance-Vought was thoughtful enough to provide.Why is this? The F4U is slower than both the P-51 and KI-84 in the Pacific;however it can out climb both to keep out of harms way provided things getugly. The F4U can simply show its heels to all other PTO fighters.

Many simply point to the fact that the KI-84 is faster and are thereforereluctant to fly the F4U in the Pacific, afraid some KI-84 will overhaul themand stomp on them in a stall fight. The F4U which gets embroiled in a stall

fight with a KI-84 is at a marked disadvantage it is true. However, the Hogsgreat climb rate can leave the more maneuverable KI-84 eating dust ifproperly applied.

The Mustang on the other hand, is at a disadvantage against the F4U in astall fight. So the Hog pilot doesnt have to worry about being overmatchedin a knife-fight. In many respects these are the keys to the F4Us success inthe Pacific. With correct tactics the F4U pilot can usually dictate the fight.And dictating the fight on your terms rather than that of the enemy is thekey to victory.

Tactics: The key to successfully using energy tactics is about 80%successfully assessing which fight to fight and which fight to "flight". Thereare numerous factors that affect tactical assessment.

The Numbers Game: Even if we dont want to admit it, numbers, not skill,usually determine success or failure in the Air Warrior Arenas. The EnergyFighter can cheat fate to some degree by virtue of being to choose when toengage and when not to engage. The Angle Fighter however, oncecommitted to the "low and slow" fight is basically locked in to a "win or die"situation. Egress from a Dogfight, especially one where the numbers areagainst you is fraught with difficulties. This is why most in historical air

combat most pilots avoided the dogfight.

Even in W.W.I, a dogfighters heaven by any standard, most of the top Acesavoided the huge multi-plane furballs. They were content to float above theconflagration, their protective wingmen in tow and pick off an occasionalstraggler. Furballs were often deemed just too risky for those who lived inthe ultimate "One Life" arena. No matter how good you are at angle fighting,


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the odds catch up all too soon. Numbers are the ultimate arbiter of thesuccessful angle fight.

The Second major factor in the successful Energy Fighter is patience.Develop it into a fine art. Practice deep breathing techniques! Do Yoga!

Whatever! Dont "lose your head" and just jump right into the nearestfurball! Especially with a Hog! I often work a "mark" for an extended periodof time. Once all the cards are in your favor apply the Coup de Grace. Its notfair, but well thats war. The Energy Fighter may lead a boring life, but he hasa better chance of seeing the friendly runway rising up to meet him at theend of a tough mission.

The Engagement Checklist

To engage or not to engage, that is the question!

Judge your energy state as compared to that of the enemy. This involves twofactors Altitude and Speed.

Assessing altitude discrepancy is easy to assess of course unless you arevery much higher or lower than the enemy. If you are well above the enemyit is a fairly safe assumption that you have a superior energy state. Whenaltitude is fairly equal, assessing the energy state of your opposition issometimes more art than science. There are several clues that will allow youassess what the speed of your opposition is. It is more difficult to judge theenergy state of a target moving towards you than going away. If your planeto the rear of the enemy it is a relatively easy matter to assess his speed by

comparing your speed to the rate of closure. That is, how fast you areoverhauling him, if he is slow, or how fast he is pulling away if he is faster. Ifthe distance counter on the dash is spinning like a top you its pretty safe toassume your target is not tooling along, if you are heading towards eachother.

On the other hand, if you are closing on the enemy from the rear, the rate ofclosure is a reasonably good indicator of his speed. Also, it is more difficult tojudge an enemies speed that is flying at an angle to you rather than flyingstraight at or away from you. Unless you can do trigonometry in your head,this often involves a lot of guesswork.

Your targets recent activities can give you a clue as to his energy state.Whats he doing now, or what has he done recently? A target near takeoff orlanding is lucky to be doing 200 knots IAS. A gentle climb is usually anindication of fairly low speed. A plane in zoom climb usually means that thepilot has energy to burn. He is reconverting his speed to altitude. There isnothing like experience however to make a snap judgment on enemy energystate. And even the most experienced pilots "guess wrong" now and again,


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Recheck the radar: After having assessed the tactical situation asfavorable, it is very important to periodically reassess the big tactical picture.This is one of the biggest mistakes pilots make. It is all too easy to getcaught up in the fight and lose control of the situation. Even the mostexperienced pilots often make this mistake. If landing your missions is

something that is important to you, it is very important to know when todisengage!

Has an enemy flight appeared on radar: Furballs tend to draw a crowd,so its always best being the last guy to show up! Keep an eye out for the"tail end charlies" flying in to join the fun. A radar icon appearing and movingtowards the fight is almost always going to be at higher altitudes, and thuspresent a bigger threat, than any number of slow moving whirling dervisheswithin a furball.

Is the number equation turning dramatically against you: If you check

the radar icons and there are way too many of the "wrong" colors, and yourbuddies, who were recently at your side have done you discourtesy of beingshot down, you have probably already waited too long to disengage andextend towards friendly airspace. Keep track of the ongoing combat as itdevelops, recheck the radar, and check for new threats. If the numbers startto slip away, use that energy you have been hoarding and zoom away tofight again.

Beware of defensive tricks: The radio is often the most powerful weaponof war. Know when to use it, and know when it may be used against you.Watch out for "drag and bag" and "bait and switch" defenses. If you are

pursuing an enemy plane, especially if he is heading towards home, its fairlylikely hes alerting his buddies as to your altitude and heading. If you are lowyou are going to be vulnerable to counter attack.

Out of the Sun: The element of surprise: Historically much of air combatrevolved around gaining surprise. With the notoriously poor rear visibility ofmost W.W.II fighters (who designed these planes anyway - certainly notpilots!) tactics often revolved around maneuvering for a rear quarter"bounce", ideally versus an enemy who for any number of reasons had notspotted his attacker. Historically, spotting the enemy and identifying him firstwas THE biggest factor in air combat success. Air Warrior does not address

this factor, except perhaps indirectly, in its simulation.

Air Warrior has several aides which help visibility conspicuously, particularlythe ubiquitous plane "icon" which appears both on radar as well as bothsides of the dash. Provided the pilot is viewing the correct view key at thetime, he is immediately clued in to the identity and range of his attacker.This means of course that no one is ever blown of the sky by an unseenattacker right? Wrong!


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Surprise, both total and partial are a big factors in a successful Boom andZoom kill in the Air Warrior Arena. The astute Hog Driver needs to keep akeen eye for situations linked to human frailties and psychology that can beexploited to gain surprise on the opponent.

Scenario One: You snooze, you lose!

Total surprise is that thing most devoutly to be hoped for. The Pilots killerinstinct is usually gratified to the extreme after executing a "one- pass kill"on a target whose wings never wavered in response. While the "swivel-headed" Ace checks his view key every ten seconds for bogies, the lessvigilant Dweeb tends to be lazy or become inattentive in his duties.

It takes about 20-30 seconds of inattention to die unawares in an Air Warrior,and that is probably a generous assessment, even with a seemingly emptyfriendly sky all around. The relatively benign blue of the sky can suddenly

become littered with enemy icons in the blink of an eye. Meaning that unlessyou are constantly scanning you will see a kill message with someone elsesaying you got shot down in a shockingly short period of time. The F4U in afull power dive can keep control at almost 400 knots at most engagementaltitudes. This means that the defender has to react pretty fast to stay withthe living.

Usually I try to keep the pass at speeds of less than 350 knots becausecompression can spoil your run, making last minute targeting adjustmentsimpossible. However, when a plane has given no sign of sighting me as Iclose in, I usually just push it to the max and touch the dive brake or throttle

back if needed at the last possible moment to regain control to get the gunsight on target. Getting that "one pass" kill often revolves around diagnosingan inattentive pilot.

How to spot the inattentive pilot

"Its Miller Time": The Pilot tooling back to base at cruising speed after atough mission may be less attentive than regulations require. Assessing thetargets energy state is much easier when there is only one enemy in range,and the F4U can attack with impunity with a superior energy state. The"Miller Time" pilot keeps flying straight and level even as you begin your

bounce. The ideal "Miller Time pilot is a pilot flying alone. As a straggler heis an ideal target. (See below)

"Smoke Break": Players tend to be less attentive during, or right after theyexecute a kill. They are either concentrating on getting the enemy plane intheir sights, or gloating over their kill. Chances are they are not flippingthrough their available views. This is a good time to attempt a pass. Also


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My philosophy on this is: Expect no quarter and give none. If the plane is notthe same color as the country you are flying for - its fair game at any and alltimes. War is hell, and its not particularly fair either. If the guy doesnt checkhis views before starting his engine or deliberately takes off knowing his fieldis under low level attack, he deserves what he gets, good or bad.

In their current incarnation Air Warrior airfields are very weakly defended,perhaps in the future airfields might gain their historical reputation of toughnuts to crack.

In any event, the F4U is not the ideal "vulching" platform despite its hugeammo load. Staying low for extended periods of time is generally not healthywith any plane, and is especially bad with a plane that maneuvers as poorlyas the F4U. If "vulching" is your aim, the F6F comes highly recommended. Itis probably the best plane in AW to perform the odious task of "vulching".

The Social Climber: This guy makes the mistake of climbing too steeply atvery low speed to try to gain your altitude. Hes a sitting duck there goingalong at under 150 knots.

The Fox Hound: The Foxhound is a plane in high speed pursuit of an enemyplane. The Foxhound usually is afflicted with a bad case of tunnel vision. Hewants that sure kill so badly that he is neglecting his views. The same mathused with the "Speed Demon" (see above) applies, however the "Foxhound"is even less likely to check his six, and even if he does he may ignore yourattack and keep pursuing that "easy kill" just out of gun range. With luck youcan pick off two or three "Foxhounds" in one very high speed pass in quick

succession. Do a "Side Swoop" (see below) and chances are he will be flyingSwiss cheese when he finally figures out he is under attack.

Scenario Two: Misdirection and Angles

The Parlor Magician is an expert at making the target audience miss whatsreally going on. The successful B&Z pilot also knows that a distractedunaware target is a dead target.

"Now you see me now you dont": The rear and down views are thehardest to access via the keyboard, so are less likely to be checked. For this

reason attacks from those quadrants are less likely to be spotted in time.Attacks from 6 oclock high are the most likely to be spotted because thoseare the views most often checked by Air Warrior Pilots. To avoid beingspotted it is better to attack from different rear-quarter directions if possible.

The Low Bounce: Dip under your targets "rear" view before you enter Iconrange (5000 yards). This generally requires a big edge in speed since you


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have to climb back up slightly to shoot. If your closure rate is suspect, boringright in might be a better bet.

This is without question the best surprise attack of all, and the most difficultto achieve. Often the situation appears suddenly by chance, and the ability

to see the tactical opportunity is fleeting. Also since surprise is almost alwaystotal in this kind of attack; it is permitted to bend the rules a bit in regards tothe rules of engagement. If the target is unaware of your presence, all whichis required is a gun solution for an almost guaranteed kill. Also, if he doesspot at the last moment he will probably immediately go to a radical evasivemaneuver, more intent on escaping from his brush with death than of gettingon your six. In other words, even if the energy state is pretty equal you willstill have the initiative psychologically. Total surprise triggers the "flight"instinct to escape. Only the coolest and most experienced pilots will try toturn the tables immediately from that kind of situation.

The Side Swoop: You are in a 3 or 9 oclock high position. Swoop down intoa 5 or 7 oclock low position to take your shot. Ive considered applying for apatent for this move, but unfortunately there isnt much in Air Combat thathasnt been done better by someone else. However this is the basic breadand butter kind of move that has the target muttering; "Where did that guycome from?" upon his return to HQ.

The Gun Pass: Gun passes of 300-350 knots are an acceptable standard.Speeds less than that are risky, and approach folly as you approach 200knots IAS. Remember that it is the speed at time of engagement, not initialspeed that matters.

Attack angle: Generally its a bad idea to have too steep an attack anglewhen making a gun pass. There are several good reasons for this. Steepattack angle means your airspeed is going to very high, and your rate ofclosure high. If the deflection angle of your shot is high getting a hit will bedifficult. Also, an extremely high rate of closure will make it more difficult to"one pass" the target. This is especially true if the target is a lumberingbomber. If you are well above your target it is a good idea to go low first andflatten your attack angle as you approach your target, rather than just borestraight in.

Overshooting your target and having to squander energy pulling out of yourpower dive is a big threat if you just head straight for the target from wellabove.

This is probably the biggest "Dweeb" mistake that spoils many attack passesfor beginning energy fighters. Even experienced pilots lost in the excitementof the hunt will commit this cardinal error. Indeed, this is probably themistake I commit the most often. I kick myself for it afterwards for being a


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stupid Dweeb of course, but that doesnt keep me from doing it again wheniron discipline fails.

If you do make this mistake do not pull mega Gs trying to "correct" yourmistake with a quick pullout! Thats the second cardinal error! You will bleed

energy like a stuck pig, your enemy will most likely now be well above youand you will have blown all your advantage. It is best to just to disengagewith a gentle pull back on the stick and extend away with the realization thatyou make a mistake. Its not great of course, but it beats being shot down bythe guy who seconds ago was pretty much at your mercy. That is reallyembarrassing when it happens! I know, because it has happened to me!

A high attack angle means that if you dont dust the guy on the first pass,the loss of energy involved in recovering from the overshoot could cause youto lose much if not all of your energy advantage. As you get closer to thetarget you want to have less of an angle for your shot. Thirty degrees should

be the absolute steepest attack angle at the time you take your shot. Iusually like to see much less. Actually I want to be starting my zoom out withnose up as I enter into gun range, but this is not always possible.

As you gain more experience with the F4U (or any energy fighter for thatmatter), you will begin to take more liberties with the "rule of attack angle".That is because the difference speed between you and the target are closelyintertwined with attack angle in determining the success or failure of thebounce. Miscalculation can lead to either a disastrous overshoot, and or justplain blowing the pass. The general rule being: the higher the attack angle,the lesser the speed difference must be for a successful bounce to be

executed. This particular phenomenon lead logically to the maneuver to bediscussed next - the Drop.

The Drop: Maneuver into a position directly above your target. If you insiston dropping on somebody with a very steep dive angle, there is a correctway to do it. Hovering like a Hawk above the target will hopefully panic thetarget. He may stand on his prop, cutting his airspeed, or try to dive away.

It is very hard to judge a planes attitude and intent when it is directly aboveyou. Oddly enough you dont want too much difference in airspeed when youconduct a drop. Often go into a very high Immelman, and then just hang

inverted at speeds as low as 100 knots IAS above your target. This willusually provoke a panic as the target tries to either dive away or climb intoyou.

If the target has enough energy to start pulling his nose up into your attackwhen you drop on him, your attack will probably not succeed. What you wantto do is wait on the target to declare its intent, and then execute the bounce.The key to success in this maneuver is to drop into a rear quarter shot, not a


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head-on shot. By using the targets plane attitude as a guide its possible toroll into a rear quarter firing position. Also, with an initial low airspeed, itseasier to follow the target planes break and get a rear quarter shot. A patienttarget will not panic and keep his airspeed up and await your move! A faultydrop will result in you overshooting the target at very high speed with a very

steep dive angle results in a substantial loss of the energy advantage youhave worked to gain, since you have to pull out at high Gs shedding energyat a prodigious rate. Also a slower initial attack speed allows you to track thebreak for a longer period of time that would be possible if your airspeed ismuch higher.

The Drop is most effective against a target that loses its head and tries toclimb at low air speed or panics into a dive. A slow target is a sitting duckeven for a head on or deflection shot. Once the target presents his tail in adive the Corsairs excellent dive characteristics come into play. The Hogshould overhaul the target easily and administer a quick kill.

The Drop transitioning to the "Anchor": If you drop on a foe without a hugeadvantage in energy it is possible to for the F4U to drop the anchors bycutting throttle and smashing the drive brake to cut airspeed suddenly anddramatically as you close for the shot. This means the instantaneous turnperformance of the F4U will suddenly jump allowing you to follow a breakturn for longer and farther than the target would assume possible. Doing thistakes a big investment in energy, and is not recommended when there aremultiple foes in the area.

The Drop can be a double edged sword versus an experienced pilot however;

who by keeping his airspeed high, dodging your pass, and waiting for theovershoot can try to turn the tables quickly. I have found that using thismaneuver to settle into a "saddle up" position by dropping "anchor" andsettling up the breaking targets six at near equal airspeed is the best thingyou can hope for against a good pilot. This maneuver is inherently tricky, andis not recommended for inexperienced pilots. A small mistake is all isrequired to die.

Breaker, breaker! Tracking that initial break

Once you have been spotted your chances for a quick kill dramatically

decrease; however this doesnt mean that you shouldnt continue toprosecute the attack. Once the targets begins to "break" the Hog Driver hasto make several decisions. There are a limited number of defenses to thatinitial "bounce". Each of these calls for somewhat different tactics.

If the target begins to break outside of gun range; all you can do is to setyourself for the best deflection shot possible. With luck and a bit of skill youcan still finish him in the first pass. The good news is that in order to get the


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have made that decision you are banking on your stall fighting skills andyour initial position advantage to win the day.

Giving up on a failed gun pass is another bit of iron discipline that the F4Upilot must learn and drill into his mind as an automatic response. The hard

break means your foe is bleeding energy badly. You can zoom away goinginto the vertical - banking energy like JP Morgan banked cash, and "repeat asnecessary" all the bounces necessary to get the job done. I have had toapply a dozen or more passes on stubborn Zeke pilots on many occasions,but the key was, I knew, and HE knew that the outcome was never in doubt.(More on Plane-vs.-Plane encounters later).

Beginners often use the dive brake too much trying to follow breaks. This is abad habit to form. As a general rule, never use it when engaging multipleenemies. The energy you surrender leaning on the dive brake chasing thatbreak move, is the energy you wish you had when the enemy turns to

engage your dangerously slow Corsair.

If the enemy uses the tried and true split-s maneuver, generally you will loseyour opportunity for a realistic gun solution once he has completed his rollinto the inverted position. Pulling negative Gs results in a red-out veryquickly, so chances are you will not get your guns lined up once he beginshis downward trek. Instead, talk about the "big one that got away" at thecrash and burn cafe later, and go into an energy conserving verticalmaneuver. A high Immelman or lazy chandelles (climbing turn) are bothgood. Generally its bad to try to follow the Split-S down, going vertical isusually much better since you energy advantage over your opponent will

actually increase. Trying to follow the Split-S is tempting, but will usuallyresult in the loss much of your advantage, since with your higher airspeedyou will actually end below your opponent because of your bigger turn radiusat high speed. If you are trying to correct this by yanking the stick back itonly results in the inevitable loss of energy. As the defender continues toturn inside your high speed loop you are in the process of being "suckered".Continuing to follow this move will result in a stall fight starting in a series ofloops. If the target is in a better turning plane you are already in the processof letting him turns the tables on you in a big way.

The rule of not following a Split-S is not set in stone of course. It can be

tolerated if airspeeds are reasonably similar, and the target turnperformance is reasonably similar. Never follow a Split-S if your airspeed ismuch higher than the targets. That is almost always wrong.

This brings up another general principle. If you are going to follow one breakmove, follow the first break move and no more. If no gun solution presentsitself its time to zoom. This tactic was recommended by several W.W.II Aces,and its wisdom becomes self-evident after a time.


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Separation: Dont worry about separation too much. In an energy fight Igenerally dont get worried about separation until the target gets over 3500yards away. While allowing the target a large amount of breathing spaceallows him to recover his energy level, obsessing about keeping separationsmall will generally cause the energy fighter to bleed off energy with too

many high G maneuvers trying to keep close to the target. Naturally, lateralseparation is the only factor to really worry about. Vertical separation is notusually a problem provided you are the guy with the advantage in altitude!

As long as your Hog stays well above the target the Hogs diving ability willgobble up the intervening ground quickly even if the target goes into a diveto evade. Judgment has to be used of course. Consider the diving ability thetarget plane when considering these calculations. For example, if the targetis a Mustang, I will try to keep him on a shorter tether than a Zeke. AMustang with 3000 separation is a serious threat to disengage even if wellbelow you, while with a Zeke, as long as I can still see it, Im not worried.

De-clawing the Furball

Something that takes everything you need to be a decent player is to learnhow to get into tracking bogies while engaged in a furball. In the old daysthis was an art which many beginner energy fighting pilots found veryfrustrating and difficult to even think about trying to do during a fight. Nowwith the advent of many forms of head tracking devices on the market forsim gamers; even the lowliest first time flight simulation gamer can achievea level that took many, many months of playing, tweaking joystick controlsand learning while getting whacked by the experts. Actually doing it was

another aspect that came only after many unsuccessful fights and learningexperiences and learning how to arrive at the right time to get a shot is anart form that requires experience and luck. Luck is also a useful commodity.However there are several ways to anticipate the movement of planes in afurball, and to use this knowledge administer a kill on a slow, fast turningwhirling dervish.

The simplest expedient is to be flexible. Dont concentrate on just one target.Look at all enemy planes as potential targets, and pick out the enemy planethat will give you a reasonable shot. Timing the approach is often tricky.Planes are usually more vulnerable at the top of a loop or turning at

intermediate speeds. Slow target airspeed doesnt necessarily mean an easykill. If the target is in a very tight radius turn with low airspeed, getting ashot is largely a matter of trying to set up a good deflection shot, unless thetarget does you a favor and starts flying straight.

When estimating the point of intercept trying to get a rear quarter shot, it isoften necessary to "mark time" while the target moves into a position in histight turn where you will be able to shoot. There are a couple of ways to do


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this that does not involved loss of airspeed. The simplest way is to use the"snake" approach as you are sizing up the furball for targets. Very gentlescissors back and forth (like a snake) will delay your time of arrival without alarge loss of energy. For the supercool stick- jock a barrel roll or two will alsodo this, but makes target assessment much more difficult.

Besides the "turn and burn" planes congesting the center of the furball thereare often other E-fighters working the furball. These are also legitimatetargets of course. The B&Z plane is pretty easy to spot. As I have stated, thegood B&Zer makes sure he is the last B&Zer to join the fun. A B&Zer whohas made a couple of passes on the furball is in many respects an easiertarget than the stall fighter in a low speed 6G turn. Since the B&Z will beassessing the furball as he makes his passes just like you are, using astealthy approach angle is very important. A cute trick is to slip under theextending plane from the flank and underneath and then use your higherairspeed to catch the target just as he is reaching the top of his extension

and beginning his loop over for his next gun pass.

Silly "Hog" Tricks

There are several moves the F4U can perform to exploit the strengthsgranted to it by God and Chance-Vought. Some would call these ACM - somewould call them Tricks.

"The Oldest Trick in the Book": The Hog might have the best pure zoomclimb of any prop fighter. If the target is comfortably out of run range onyour six, and you have an energy advantage you have the opportunity to

prove P.T. Barnum correct. Engage the WEP and gently go into a purevertical zoom climb. Pull as few Gs as possible to conserve as much energyas possible as you transition into the vertical. If the target tries to follow youup, you have him just where you want him. As the target follows you up hewill soon be hanging on his prop well before you. Thats the time to drop onhim like a big blue brick.

A variation on this theme is the climbing turn, or the climbing spiral. Thisprobably the "Second Oldest Trick in the Book". Stay just out of gun range ina climbing turn. The target will try to follow you round and round. The targetwill realize too late that the F4U which was just a bit above him is now WELL

above him and turning for a bounce against his own plane which is at verylow airspeed in a slow climb. The climbing spiral is a real "bread and butter"producer of kills for the Hog. Inexperienced pilots in particular, unaware thatthey are being "taken for a ride" tend to fall for it again and again.

The Flip: The F4U with its good roll rate and dive can reverse courseunbelievably fast with a wingover when it is slightly nose high and at


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intermediate speeds. A quick kick of rudder and quick downward rolling turnand the F4U is magically headed in the opposite direction.

Stall fighting: When writing this text, I considered excluding a section astall fighting altogether! Firstly, my own skills in that department are only

average, and secondly, there are many other sources that handle theintricate details of stall fighting much better than I possibly could.

Besides, the first rule of stall fighting in a F4U is - dont. Even in one-on-onefights using energy tactics is usually far more successful. Stall fighting is abit of a misleading term with the F4U. I would prefer the term dog fighting,since stall speed is something you just dont want to experience in a Hog if atall possible. Flying a one-on-one dogfight in a F4U it is best to pretend thatyour opponent is simply a furball consisting of only one plane! With thatmindset, you will find much more success. Yanking the stick around,especially in the horizontal is just something I find basically abhorrent when

flying the F4U.

There is a couple of basic F4U flight characteristics that should be mentionedwhen applied to a stall fight scenario. It is well known, but bears repeating,that by applying a click of flaps when under about 250 knots the Hog canincrease its turn rate somewhat. The experienced Hog driver can also milkthe multiple flap positions and the dive brake to enhance the hogs turningability in a tight fight. This is certainly no gift from Heaven. Most other planeswill still turn circles around your F4U given half a chance; however if youdrop the flaps you can and will out turn almost any plane in the game. Alsothe flaps can be applied to helping you get over the top of a loop. The dive

brake can be used to tighten the turning radius, especially in a nose downposition. (**No dive brake on the F4U in Aces High**)The Hogs goodroll rate can be used very effectively at times. The Hog can flip itself aroundlike a top when required. This move his can be used to change the attitude ofthe fight. When stall fighting a better turning plane, the F4U pilot has to pullout all the stops and use all the tricks. Use the vertical and the Hogs roll ratewhenever possible. If the contest is boiling down to a flat turn rate contest,jettison that immediately for almost anything else! It may sound simplistic,but it bears repeating that staying in a horizontal turn with a faster turningplane is among the fastest ways to die in a Corsair.

Flying the Hog in a stall fight versus a better turning plane is possibly thesingle toughest job that the prospective Hog pilot will face. I for one, stillhave much room for improvement in this area. However, some of thesetricks and nuances of the Hog can be exploited against a lesser skilledopponent in a faster turning plane to win the day. I have only seen two AWpilots who could perform these tricks with any degree of consistency. I do notnumber among them, but then again Im still learning the plane!


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Unless you are one of the aforementioned Air Warrior gods, I wouldrecommend attempting to disengage from such an unfavorable matchup.

SECTION II: Mano a Mano, 1 vs. 1 Match-ups

The following covers plane vs. plane tactics. Planes that present the largestthreats qualitatively and quantitatively will be discussed at length.

F4U vs. KI-84 "Frank"

The KI-84 was the most numerous, and certainly among the most dangerousof the F4Us potential opponents in the Air Warrior Pacific Arena. Because ofits excellent speed, maneuverability and (initially at least) firepower, the KI-84 is currently the most popular plane in the Pacific.

Many people point at the KI-84s list of attributes and for these reasons avoid

the F4U because of its lower maneuverability and speed in level flight. Todefeat a foe, it is essential to know his strengths and weaknesses, as well asyour own.

The F4Us strengths as compared to the KI-84:

Climb rate: It bears repeating - the F4U climbs better than the KI-84. Onaverage the F4U climbs about 700ft/min better, and the higher the altitudethe bigger the disparity becomes. An F4U can elude a KI-84 with its patented3k/m climb provided that the initial energy state is roughly equal at thebeginning of the maneuver. The faster the F4Us initial speed, of course, the

better the chance to evade. Also a gentle turn while climbing will cause theKI-84 to lose energy faster than F4U.

High Altitude performance: KI-84s performance drops off pretty fastabove 20k, and its gets down right terrible over 30k. The F4U keeps itsperformance up to decent specs up till around 35k. The KI-84s level speedadvantage disappears at around 24k if the Air Warrior plane statistics are tobe believed. Indeed, once the Hogs high altitude supercharger kicks in(19k), Im usually confident I can meet virtually any KI-84 threat. The highaltitude arena is definitely the Hogs stomping ground and any KI-84 thatventures to those altitudes pursuing a "slow" and "un-maneuverable" Hog is

playing with fire. The first law of fighting KI-84s in an F4U is: stay high! Thesecond is: Stay fast!

Diving performance: The F4U dives much better that the KI-84 and doesntcompress as quickly. Often the F4U can simply out dive the KI-84 by nosingdown into an ultra-high speed dive and cranking the IAS well over 400 knots.At that speed the KI-84 can do little more than fly straight and pray to keepthe wings on. Once the KI-84s airspeed has gotten up to that speed the F4U


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uses its high speed capability to simply turn gently away, and the KI-84 willbe unable to follow because its controls are almost frozen.

If the KI-84 is near gun range a descending curving dive is a good tactic. Firstthe KI-84 will bleed energy faster, and also the turning F4U will present only

a long range deflection shot. Its easy to line up on a target flying straighteven at extreme range. A deflection shot will at least make the KI-84 pilotwork for his kill, and with the KI-84s sluggish response at high speed itunlikely that the KI-84 will be able to get a gun solution.

High Speed Maneuver: The F4U handles well at high speed and bleedsenergy slowly. The KI-84 can shed its wings rather abruptly at high speed, ifit pulls too many Gs. Also, the faster it gets, the faster it bleeds energy,especially when pulling some sort of G load. The F4U can use these factorsboth offensively, and defensively. These factors are very important in adefensive situation. Even if the KI-84 get the "drop" on the F4U, the F4U, if

he has some sort of altitude to play with, should have good chance of givingthe KI-84 the slip before getting pulled into a stall fight where the KI-84 has abig edge.

Roll Rate: The F4U will roll much easier and better than the KI-84 and thefaster airspeed the bigger the disparity becomes. When in a defensivesituation with the KI-84 in gun range a descending "corkscrew" is anexcellent tactic to shake the KI-84. A continual broad series of descendingbarrel rolls to give yourself some distance and present different escapevectors for him to cover is preferable to just outright diving away. Theseshould not be so tight as to present the KI-84 with a small target area, or too

wide as to give the KI-84 a reasonable chance at a deflection shot. Also adescending set of scissors moves also does the trick at times. Almost anymove which involves a roll will leave the KI-84 gasping for breath at highspeed.

When to engage the KI-84: When judging your initial "advantage" over atargeted KI-84, it is usually good to be cautious. Despite what I have statedin the previous paragraphs, the KI-84 is not to be taken lightly. If the energystate looks pretty equal I usually avoid KI-84s with a climbing extension,hoping to re-engage on more favorable terms. An F4U can attack from theposition of advantage, forcing engagements from an equal or inferior energy

state is folly.

When you go head to head against a KI-84 the F4U should be very mindful ofthe vertical. Climb, climb, and always climb! The more experience I get withthe F4U, the more I use of the vertical. After making a gun pass use aclimbing turn (chandelle) to stay above the KI- 84. These should be gentleenergy conserving turns which hoard energy. The key to beating a KI-84 is to


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make him squander energy in high G evasive maneuvers while the F4Umakes gun passes from above at high speed.

This is easier said than done of course, but the general concept shouldalways hold true. When fighting a KI-84 one on one separation is one of the

last factors I consider. The long sweeping maneuvers need to milk the F4Ustrumps over the KI-84 will generally lead to a good deal of separationbetween you and your target, and give you more time to stay above the KI-84. For this reason I leave the KI-84 on a very long tether. I prefer a verticaltether, but I will take a horizontal one if I have to. If the target decides todisengage with a dive, the hog can out dive it easily. Generally the KI-84wants to keep the fight close and tight, while the F4U wants a high speedlong sweeping battle.

KI-84 pilots usually obsess about pursing the "slow" and "un-maneuverable"Hogs. This obsession can be used against them. A good ploy when being

pursued by a KI-84 is to drag him higher and higher. When a reasonablealtitude is gained, the F4U can consider going on the offensive once the KI-84 is well below, struggling to match the F4Us climb rate. Suckering the KI-84 into cutting his airspeed to nothing while pursuing a turning climbtowards him and then pouncing is a standard tactic.

On many occasions I have had KI-84s pursue my climbing Hog two or moresectors. KI-84 pilots are probably imprinted at birth with the desire to pursueCorsairs forever! The higher you get the more the KI-84s advantages erode.As you approach 30k you can safely turn the tables and trounce the KI-84,which is now sluggish and slow. If I am feeling particularly grouchy that day I

might go on the offensive again quite a bit earlier.

Very high altitude engagements are an area where many Air Warrior pilotshave little experience. Generally, trying to stall fight at those altitudes onlyget you killed, since planes just cant turn on a dime at those altitudes. Thefight will almost always revolve around who uses his energy better. TheF4Us great energy management ability and good climb rate make it verydangerous in the sweeping combats which predominate at high altitudes.The F4U is virtually tailor made for this environment.

When to disengage? When the energy level is assessed as equal its time

to consider disengaging to be able to come back and fight again from abetter position than your opponent. The KI-84 is too dangerous to press anattack on equal or inferior terms in most cases. Climb away and fight againanother day. Being pulled slowly into a stall fight is not what you had inmind, and you dont want to have to pull out the various defensivemaneuvers out of your bag of tricks unless absolutely necessary!


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F4U vs. Zero

Historically, the F4U was designed with one major purpose. It was designedto shoot down the Japanese Zero. The designers at Chance-Voughtsucceeded beyond their expectations. The F4U is the deadliest Zeke killer in

the Pacific, so much so in fact that a major mistake is required on the part ofthe Hog driver for the Zeke to have half a chance of shooting him down. In a1 vs. 1 situation, this is very one sided match up in favor of the F4U. The F4Ucan use its advantages in speed and climb rate to literally Boom and Zoomthe Zeke to death. The quick turnings Zeke may be able to avoid manypasses, but will eventually be worn down a steady barrage of high speedpasses. The virtually limitless ammo load of the Corsair makes it veryunlikely that the Zeke will run the attacker out of ammo.

The Zeke of course is the king of the "Lead Turners" in the Pacific, and theF4U driver must be mindful of them, as being the only practical chance that

the Zeke pilot has of getting a reasonable shot. A head-on "jousting" contestis certainly bad for the Zeke since his ammo load and durability are both wellbelow that of the Corsair. Hoping for a lucky randomized critical hit on ahead on pass not the percentage play on the part of the Zeke driver, but onethat many Zeke drivers take because they realize that no other shot maypresent itself. There are three major ways of dealing with a lead turningZeke.

The first of course is to just be going fast enough that any lead turn isvirtually meaningless because you will be out of range by the time the Zekecompletes his lead turn.

Secondly, it is often wise to turn slightly to one side or the other after themerge, since the Zeke pilot will have to then have to complete his Immelmanand also then adjust for your change in course. During the Immelman theZeke pilot will lose sight of you ever so briefly as he switches views, and thatis all the disorientation you need. Once the Zeke has completed his lead turnthe follow on adjustment is usually all the time a Corsair needs to be safelyout of range.

If the Zeke pilot starts his lead turn too early, the F4U can simply try tofollow up the lead turn for an immediate kill. If no gun shot presents itself,

the F4U will simply continue going straight up knowing that the Zeke is goingto have to come out of the vertical well before the F4U because of its lowerspeed and poor zoom climb ability. Then the F4U can again "repeat asnecessary" another bounce from on-high.


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F4U vs. F6F Hellcat

I would judge the F6F Hellcat as much, and in some cases more of a threat tothe F4U than the KI-84. I generally am less thrilled to see an enemy F6Fabove me than an enemy KI- 84. Some may find that assessment surprising,

but let me explain my reasoning. The Hellcats versatile set of flightcharacteristics, in addition to its good maneuverability make it toughopponent for the F4U provided it gets above the F4U. The F4Us clearlysuperior speed however leaves the F6F seeing nothing but tail lights anddust on most other occasions. The Hellcats climb rate, roll rate and highspeed handling allow it to match the F4U fairly closely in most of thoseareas. It bleeds energy at a higher rate than the F4U, but its initial dive isfast and stable. The F6F will max out its dive speed faster than the F4Uhowever.

These comparisons make it clear that the F6F is a threat to the Corsair, but

only if it starts with an energy advantage. Most of the patented moves thatthe Hog can perform to outmaneuver planes like the KI-84 at high speed willnot work on the Hellcat. Sheer brute speed is the best defense sometimes.Going into a gentle turning power dive when the time opportunity presentsitself may be only way that the F4U can elude the Hellcat. The gentle turnprovides the Hellcat plenty of opportunity to bleed energy as well as makinga gun solution more difficult. It may not be a pretty or aesthetically pleasing,but it works.

Fighting the Hellcat from the position of advantage presents its own set ofproblems. The Hellcat is a tough plane to bring down, being very durable,

and the F4U pilot is going to have to apply a lot of "pings" to finish it off. Alsothe Hellcats good climb rate and excellent turn rate over 200 knots make itrough for F4U to stay well above the F6F and get into position for rearquarter shot if the Hellcat pilot knows what he is doing. Often these kind offights can be reduced in head-on and deflection shot grudge matches, inwhich its a toss-up who will win in the end. The Hellcat and Corsair carry thesame ammo load, and the sturdy Grumman design can take just as manyhits as the Hog. The percentage play is to disengage in such cases of course,but that is not always an option when the fighting blood is full up.

F4U vs. P-51 Mustang

This non-historical match-up is usually pretty comfortable for the F4U. The P-51, while judged by many to be the best prop fighter of all time, has only twoclear advantages over the F4U. (I would disagree; I would state it was thegreatest high altitude escort fighter of all time.) The P-51 is faster, and it hasa higher top diving speed. In almost all other areas the F4U is superior to theMustang. Even in the high altitude arena, where the Mustang shines, the F4U


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has little to fear with its equally excellent energy retention, superior climbrate and good high altitude performance.

Against the Mustang the Corsair has the unusual luxury of being a betterstall fighter. This allows the F4U a choice of engagement tactics when

confronting the P-51. This is one fight, paradoxically, that the F4U wouldntmind slowing down. The P-51 is a dangerous critter in a turning fight only atvery high speed, and the F4U driver should be aware of this. The Mustangcan pull some amazing instantaneous turns at very high speeds. TheMustang is particularly vulnerable at the 15-18K range where its vauntedperformance falls off distinctly. Also, provoking vertical moves, where theF4U clearly outshines the Mustang, is good. As stated earlier, the F4U mustbe mindful of separation when fighting a P-51. Because of its high speed andthe Mustang drivers natural tendency to run away from any fight where hedoesnt have a clear advantage, the F4U pilot needs to keep the Mustangwithin 2000 yards if at all possible.

F4U vs. P-38 Lightning

Recent changes in the P-38 have witnessed an attempt by Kesmai to bring itout from under the cloud where it had ingloriously resided for severalsoftware versions. Once (remember version 1 .06?) the most numerousplane in Air Warrior Pacific Arena, the recent "modeling" gave the P-38 atarget size roughly equivalent to the Goodyear Blimp. This had severelylimited its use in the Air Warrior Arenas which was a shame. In the old days,the P-38 could be a deadly plane in the hands of a pilot with enoughexperience to ferret out its secrets. Hopefully with the introduction of 1.20

the P-38 will enjoy a bit of a revival.

Its good climb rate, large ammo load, durability, and maneuverability makeit, along with the F6F Hellcat, one of the most versatile fighters.

The F4U has a consistent small edge in speed over the P-38 and a somewhatbetter climb rate. For this reason the F4U can usually dictate when and if itwishes to engage. However, being that everybody gets caught "low andslow" sometimes, some defensive tactics are necessary. Evading a P-38 in anF4U often revolves around exploiting the P-38s poor roll rate to advantage.The prescription is usually "roll and dive - repeat as necessary". The F4U also

dives better than the P-38, but the Lightning is certainly no slouch in thatdepartment either, so dont count on a dive to get you out of troubleautomatically. At ultra-high speed the F4U can keep control longer than theP-38. While the smart P-38 driver can keep control at surprisingly highspeeds, he will probably have to apply the dive brake more often, so the F4Ushould be able to break away.


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The P-38 has several fine points that the F4U pilot need to be aware of.Firstly, dont assume that a P-38 cant dive at high speed effectively. It canand does. Its famous compression problem, which starts to manifest itself at350 knots IAS can be effectively controlled by a pilot who knows how tohandle the P-38s dive brake well. Indeed, flying P-38s I have often managed

to overhaul Mustangs in a very high speed dive. The P-38 accelerates quicklyin a dive because it is so heavy. It also is has probably the best low Yo-Yo ofany AW fighter. Its good high altitude performance makes it quite dangerousat high altitude. It is no pushover over 25k, like many other planes.

Also, never assume that the P-38 cant get its nose up regardless of howslow it seems to be moving. The P-38 can make it over the top of a loop evenwhen its initial airspeed is less than 100 knots. The P-38 is the past master ofa move that some W.W.I flyers used to call the "snap stall". This moveinvolves nosing up into the vertical and trying to catch the opponent at thetop of his loop. This move can be accomplished at virtually zero airspeed

with the P-38. The P-38 is very adept at this because by popping flaps it canvirtually hang on its props. So when flying against a P-38 be aware of thiscapability when trying to loop over the top of one. In other respects the F4Upilot should apply the usual formulas when facing the Lightning. Its turningability is better than the F4U so the F4U needs to keep the fight fast andfurious. The P-38 is quite good in the vertical, so the F4U cant count onbeing able to get a big edge in that department. The P-38 can also dumpenergy almost at will, so it can transition from a high speed approach to a "inthe saddle" stall fight position better than probably any other AW fighter,except perhaps the Hellcat.

F4U vs. P-47 Thunderbolt

The P-47 Thunderbolt ( the "Jug"), much maligned by many except for a few"true believers" , does not translate its good points well into Air WarriorArena. The plane is totally hopeless as a low altitude dogfighter in AW, andits legendary ground attack capability is not factored into the simulationadequately. Because its top speed at low altitudes does not allow it tooutdistance several much more nimble opponents (even the Hog can turncircles around it), the Jug is usually easy meat below 15k.

However, the Thunderbolts high altitude capability, especially above 30,000

feet, should not be treated lightly. Its speed at high altitude is exceptional,and at altitudes where turning fights are rare, the Jugs poor turn rate is nota major factor. Its fast initial dive rate and overall speed should be factoredinto the F4U drivers thinking. All this aside, the F4U driver should be able tohandle the plane with relative ease except perhaps at extreme altitudes.Underestimating the Jug, especially at high altitude, could cause any pilot toreassess the Jugs capability after he has been raked by its formidablearmament.


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F4U vs. N1K1 "George"

The N1K1 George is that latest addition to the AW stable of planes. Manydoubted the wisdom of adding such a limited production late war design toAir Warrior. However, the rumors of a new "super plane" appear to be

somewhat exaggerated. [Ed. Note: The George was the last plane to beadded prior to the release of AWII. Many new planes have been added sincethe release of AWII/ AWIII. However, the George is one of the most lethalplanes in Air Warrior]

The George fills the unusual niche of being a low to middle altitude EnergyFighter. It possesses a very good climb rate, descent speed, and the biggestset of guns in the Pacific Theater. It retains its energy state well provided itstays in a strict Boom and Zoom posture. However it is not particularly adeptat stall fighting - an unusual trait for a Japanese design. The planes highspeed handling is poor. The George compresses easily. The plane is also very

brittle, unable to withstand high G loads at speed, or take damage. Also, likemost Japanese planes it lacks good high altitude performance. Lacking theDouble- Wasps Turbo-Supercharger, the planes performance really starts tosuffer at higher altitudes. The planes begins to suffer performancedegradation above 15k, really starts to suffer above 20k. Climbing to 30k is areal adventure in the George. This of course is music to the ears of theCorsair pilot.

The George and the F4U possess comparable low altitude speed and climbrate, and the Hog can hold its own against the George in a stall fight. TheHogs good roll rate, more useful flaps and dive brake give it useful tools

versus the George in a stall fight situation.

The George is of course quite a danger with an altitude advantage, becauseof its good climb rate, E retention and immense firepower. In this situationthe Hog pilot is advised to take standard evasive actions, while keeping hisspeed has high as possible in order to exploit the Corsairs superiormaneuverability at speed. The Corsairs roll rate will come in real handy inthis situation. However a well flown George should be able to retain itsenergy advantage for some time if flown well. The Hog might have to rideout the storm for several passes.

Of course to avoid this scenario the Corsair simply has to start all his warpatrols over 20k. In this rarefied arena the George will find itself completelyout of place and out of luck. This expedient is certain to be a poison pill forprospective George pilots - exposing the planes Achilles Heel - poor highaltitude performance.

flying the f4u corsair

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