Energy Fighting.....an interactive guide.

[Zak33]

Lots of the readers here are now understanding a lot more about E....Energy.

The art of building your speed/height investment in a fight. A skill in itself. The art of turning VERTICALLY.....not horizontally. The art of Boom n Zooming...properly.

We have some ace planes in FB + AEP + PF...but to use then properly, is a skill. A hard skill. One that I briefly grapple with, and then end up in a turn situation as do many of us.

A good example.....you are flying along at 400 kph and see a bloke in a plane on your 7 o clock ....co altitude with you....heading slowly away from you.

Rather than bank over to the left and turn tight.....which scrubs off speed, a good pilot might climb nearly vertically and as he/she gains the top of the climb, pull the nose to the direction the enemy is at, hence keeping all of that energy, in the "bank". Then once the direction has been moved to, in a VERY tight turn, cos he/she isnt moving, the plane then accelerates toward the target in a shallow dive, gaining huge energy.

ie the distance moved along the HORIZONTAL PLANE (x and y) (north and south) is minimal.....he/she climbed.....moving very little along the floor,, pulled the plane over onto its side or canopy, and then dropped back toward the target.....RATHER than turning a huge circle

[lopper99]

Zak...Upon reading the title to this thread I thought there might be a number of links going into further explanation about E fighting. If you have any let us know. Us newbies stand to benefit. Thanks

[jeNK^]

One thing I have learnt, watch your altitude in a fight - for two reasons:

If you stall, you have plenty of time to recover.

If you want to break off for whatever reason, such as out of ammo, you can just drop like a stone (or in a shallow dive anyway) and get out of there asap.

[klarrix]

Originally Posted by lopper99

Zak...Upon reading the title to this thread I thought there might be a number of links going into further explanation about E fighting. If you have any let us know. Us newbies stand to benefit. Thanks

agreed i'll take all i can get on this subject.

[Zak33]

what I want is to compile EXACTLY that dear chap

and therefore...I reques that people link here and I'll compile them

Also try wording stuff, dont be shy....we'll only rip the pi$$ outta you for getting it wrong

Seriiously though.....I want your input guys...I cant do it very well...I am getting better....and I love a FW190 flight here and there...but I still turn and burn in a Spit..when I should be out climbing people and then decending like a brick on to their heads

So get your stuff posted for us to decide on....its community time fellas
how about that

S!

[Zak33]

blimey....3 more posts in 5 minutes....we've hit a popular one.

Wish I was good enough...but I aint. Thats what this is about.

Strive for Height.......always have more E

Masters required..and good links too

[Tumble]

I am desperately trying to learn... BUT.. it's as hard as not crouching whilst playing Counter-Strike

I find that I can usually put E in the bank, and then squander it because either I lose sight of te enemy, or I'm too impatient and rush the attack. Also the fact that I'm a lousy shot doesn't help either. You have to be really quick at shooting when you're going 700kph past someone...

[mondogenerator]

Originally Posted by Zak33

The art of building your speed/height investment in a fight. A skill in itself. The art of turning VERTICALLY.....not horizontally. The art of Boom n Zooming...properly.

I made this track the other day to see where my deflection shooting was going wrong and It has a little of this in it. It also has allot of running away

clicky

You can energy fight without using BnZ tactics though, the P38 is a great example, I hate diving in that plane as you have to restrict your speed, same with the P51 cause of the flakey wings, I try to keep the speed above 500kph in those and make slashing attacks at planes, making gentle dives and gentle climbs, going in and out of furballs.

[Dakaras]

I can put a few tracks together if someone will host em for me...I can never seem to host without giving out my web space password

[Dakaras]

Ok got a LA5FN v 2 109G6 here....It hasnt any writing but it may help if you guys see my technique which is a combination of energy and turn and burn..A few times I sacrifice energy for position....Does help AI are dense though as a few times the wingman went and reformed on his lead rather than tried to take me down! If anyone wants it post here and ill email it over

[Tumble]

I can host it up for you Dakky.. wing it over to MA_Mail duder

[MA_Moby]

remember to use your prop pitch when following aircraft in climbs, loops, and dives - you'll find that you'll be able to control energy and speed much better and come out on top of the other guy and in a good firing position

drop PP and throttle in a dive (I generally drop to about 60-80, depending on the circumstances) then push it to 100 in the climb. This will mean that the bottom of your loop should be shallower than the other guy, so you'll be above them as you reenter the climb and quickly gaining distance on them. You will have controlled speed, and distance travelled, but not at the expense of energy. BUT you have to be quick to get back to a fine pitch and a high throttle to avoid losing energy in the climb.

similarly adjust prop pitch when an enemy is trying to shake you with slow barrel rolls - do it right and you'll never overshoot, and will be able to stay right on 'em

likewise PP control is vital in ZnB - it'll make your attack more effective and more controlled, and it might just stop your wings from falling off

[mondogenerator]

I usually leave prop pitch on automatic most of the time with allied planes as it works itself when you work the throttle although I use it allot when climbing to keep the engine within its RPM limits or when cruising to keep the engine cool. Its much more important imo when used with axis planes which don't tend to have automatic prop pitch. A 109 or 190 driver who can use there prop pitch well is deadly.

[Zak33]

FW190....soon as I'm in that....Prop pitch goes to manual...however....I'm still cack at it

It's an issue of confidence. To know you can out run and climb....but you NEED spacial awareness.....

I find that hard

[[MA]DanglyBob]

OK so heres what I know about the basics/beginnings of E-fighting, the stuff that most of us take for granted, but never put into words.....

There are two sorts of Energy. Potential and Kinetic.

Potential energy is stored as height. It takes time to get height, and some planes climb better than others.
But once you're up there, it's like money in the bank.

Next is Kinetic energy (speed). This can be built up in level flight, screaming your engine to get those extra kph out. But this is a slow way to gain energy.
The best way to gain kinetic energy is to convert your potential energy (height) into speed by diving.

If you have a higher kinetic energy than your target, it enables you to make a pass at them, whilst not keeping within thier firing range ( thinking more of bombers) for too long.
You can also convert your kinetic energy back into potential energy, climbing back out of reach of the enemy plane.

The whole juggling act is about using the energy efficiently, not losing all the energy gained from a steep dive, wasting it in a tight turn or a lot of fancy turns with no advantage left at the end.

This is the whole basis behind the the Boom & Zoom Tactics US and LW planes use, though the same theory still holds true for the VVS planes.

This may seem like common sense, but I'm always surprised by planes which come screaming in on my 6, then waste their energy once I've shook them off with a barrel roll, trying to turn back onto my rear.

[Zak33]

well worded chap S!

Now to move it a stage further....the turning.

When I was younger in this game, I was Roped as a Dop eby Trig and Dak on lots of occssions.

Rope a Dope...

two planes go head to head.....they both miss with the guns....

I put in a tight turn....to get back round...and am pleased to see Dak/Trig/Deck etc NOT turning., therefore the old heart races and I turn for a kill...

Other fighter pilot, looking over shoulder, watches as noob-boy-Zak pulls the tighests turn in history, and wiat until I getting round to following, some way off, and then they climb......

and cos I'm new...I climb too

however...as I get to 200kph and he is still climbing above me...I start wobbling..and eventually fall away....the other pilot, now the aggresor....hanging upside down on their harness, looking out of the top of their canopy...watch me fall away....and simply follow......

if they hit me...I die...I am lower and slower....if they MISS cos I put in a turn...they climb......vertical......and watch me again.....

so from the side view....2 planes cross....one turns on the same height, really tight...the other waits, still accelerating...then goes up..

my plane, now behind, goes up behind....

high plane KEEPS going up...my plane goes to its maximum and the drops away....

top plane comes down...in a shallow arc..not tight...and if it misses...goes up again