Transition to jets (rank 4 to 6 advice)

[[email protected] 17]

I am a newish player (couple months) transitioning into jets in the US tree. I'm looking for some advice on a few different things in this process. 

 

About myself - I play on PS5 with a controller. I predominantly play air SB, but mix in just about everything else to keep it interesting. I am a terrible shot. I'm working on this, but I will have made significant progress into jets before this improves so take this into account with your advice. I can dogfight in rank 1 SB with reasonable success in equivalent planes, but can't shoot down bombers consistently at any rank. My skill significantly lags at higher ranks. Due to being a terrible shot, I mostly run bombers for grinding RP/SL and just avoid the fight as much as possible. (And using the master country aircraft rewards to unlock rank 1 for "free" SL). I'm making a fast grind into jets for better or worse. I'm using the US naval and bomber lines to do so (middle and far right columns) and recently unlocked rank 5. I have most US planes of rank 1 and 2 spaded. I have 10-ish rank 1 planes spaded in USSR, Germany, and Britain. And rank 1 Sweden unlocked. For US rank 3, I have about half the planes researched, but many of those haven't been purchased and of the purchased, not all are crewed. Finally, I am currently entirely free to play and not planning on changing that in the near term.

 

Why I'm asking for advice? It's a significant investment in time. I was pretty excited for the F4U-4B and B-17G. I like flying the F4U-4B, but getting smacked by Su-11 the first several times I flew it really damped my excitement. The B-17G flys like a strategic bomber. I feel that it's more work to make progress than my B-26B. Easy wing tip rips, slow climb, spaded engine overheat above 90%, etc make it less fun for me.

 

My specific questions:

 

1: The grind - Will the B-24 or B-29 be more fun than the B-17G? Should I stick to the B-26B and deal with the RP penalty since I'm mostly SL limited anyway?

2: Is the B-57A viable for break even play in RB/SB with only bombing runs (primarily base bombing)? I like how it flies in test flights, but my experience with the F4U-4B makes me wonder.

3: I have about 5 reward periods (weeks?) remaining to get the squadron A-4E early. Given everything above would this be better for researching ranks 5+ due to lower repair costs / different capabilities? I expect to be able to purchase and crew the B-57B in a little over a week, so depending on game finances I will likely have both available in a month.

4: Future goals, I'm kinda excited about the F-105D too. Thoughts?

 

Thanks in advance for all your thoughts!

 

[Batwingsix 718]

I primarily play EC Sim, take it for what you will but avoid the B-29.... just dont do it, Gaijin has made it an absolute money sink because it is usually the first thing targeted if someone knows there is one in match.

 

B-24 plays a lot like the 17, however both are bullet sponges for any fighter wanting some target practice. Take off and climb along the grid line your airfields are on before turning to an enemy airfield. Dont use them against any ground battles, forward bases, etc as they are dump and go bombers. Either way, it will be painful at times to try to play them. I havent flown the 57 in SB since at that BR (EC 5 the F3D has always been my go to plane, or EC 6 for the 57 B which was good before they split the EC with the addition of more advanced aircraft but now it is missile thunder at that BR) but I would say if you fly any, the 57A will be your best bet since you wont be dealing with AAM's, it is fast enough and climbs well enough to stay mostly out of trouble to hit airfields. Much like the other bombers outside of the premium ones, they are going to cost you an arm and a leg so be prepared. Basically all of the 4 engine bombers are going to require a lot of micro management (even the 29) to have a stable climb rate and keep the engines functioning before your run. When I ran the 29 (way way way back when) I would usually have a 500 - 750 FPM climb rate to 10,000 feet then have to go to a steady 500 FPM to maintain a low enough engine temp to keep from killing them mid climb. 

 

So far as the A4 series (any of them), be ready for wing rips, some wing rips, a few more wing rips, and the occasional wing rip. Gaijin made the wings out of balsa wood apparently. I have snapped them in a 6 G turn without ordinance, and have pulled 9G turns with wings full of bombs because... well.... gaijin. You will be facing a lot of Mig 15s and 17s which will eat your lunch if there is a competent pilot in it, so learn to pick your fights and always have your head on a swivel... it is not a fighter, dont try to use it like one, even in a self defense situation you will probably wing rip trying to take evasive actions.

 

I dont personally have the 105 (never was a fan of it IRL, and having played with them as food in SB matches, I would be ready for a flying brick that can sometimes go fast and make loud noises, however gaijin did model the noises wrong as you hear an explosion when they hit the ground instead of the iconic "Thud" which is what American pilots nicknamed it from its constant interactions with the earth as they met.

Edited October 4, 2022 by Batwingsix

[[email protected] 17]

Thanks for the detailed response, you've definitely given me more to think about.  It was definitely my impression that the B-24 would be similar to the 17 and the B-29 would be an expensive target at it's BR. I'll crew it eventually since I think it's iconic, but that can wait until I can afford to fly target drones for the opposite team. I appreciate the qualified endorsement of the B-57A as probably the best option considering. I maybe wrongly thought it would fly low level bombing runs, but I'm reading some (old) advice that seems to indicate it's safer at high (10km) due to it's performance. I will probably try both, but any recommendations for flight profiles?

 

I was planning on filling out the tree more after unlocking rank 6, and strike aircraft seem interesting. I'll check out the F3D.

 

I haven't test flown the A-4 yet, but I will go try to rip some wings off and see how it goes. Since I play with a controller, I definitely have a tendency to push those little sticks to the limit.

 

Rank 6 (other than the A4) will be a while, but I won't get too excited for the F-105. Do you have a different recommendation for a US rank 6 for a terrible gun shot? Since the F-105 is the last in it's tree I'll be looking to bring up a different column. I could easily change my mind now after the B-57A which is already well under way.

[Batwingsix 718]

11 hours ago, [email protected] said:

Thanks for the detailed response, you've definitely given me more to think about.  It was definitely my impression that the B-24 would be similar to the 17 and the B-29 would be an expensive target at it's BR. I'll crew it eventually since I think it's iconic, but that can wait until I can afford to fly target drones for the opposite team. I appreciate the qualified endorsement of the B-57A as probably the best option considering. I maybe wrongly thought it would fly low level bombing runs, but I'm reading some (old) advice that seems to indicate it's safer at high (10km) due to it's performance. I will probably try both, but any recommendations for flight profiles?

 

I was planning on filling out the tree more after unlocking rank 6, and strike aircraft seem interesting. I'll check out the F3D.

 

I haven't test flown the A-4 yet, but I will go try to rip some wings off and see how it goes. Since I play with a controller, I definitely have a tendency to push those little sticks to the limit.

 

Rank 6 (other than the A4) will be a while, but I won't get too excited for the F-105. Do you have a different recommendation for a US rank 6 for a terrible gun shot? Since the F-105 is the last in it's tree I'll be looking to bring up a different column. I could easily change my mind now after the B-57A which is already well under way.

 

For the 57, high and fast. Most of the fighting takes place 10k or below for some reason in jets, even the low end ones. 20,000 feet for your bomb run should suffice unless someone starts to get curious as to where you are (which honestly is rare). Low flying has its advantages but airfields are guarded by SAM sites at EC 5 and up, which requires at least 18,000 + feet of altitude to stay out of the range of them. (18k AGL, if you are on Afghanistan I have no idea what altitude you would need since northern fields are thousands of feet higher in elevation than the southern ones... and the whole map is thousands of feet ASL to begin with).

 

Best advice I can give for the A4 since it will be a grind powerhouse, one control surface at a time. It will roll so fast it can make you dizzy, and it can cut tight pretty well for a single or maybe 2 turns. If you try to pitch and roll at the same time you will hear the bang and figure out real fast that you are missing your wing. Use it as a fast attack forward base striker and RTB, rinse and repeat. Another thing to keep in mind with the Skyhawk series is the flaps will block you from breaking them off to an extent. You can drop your flaps and if you do so above the safe operating speed for them, they wont deploy until you get below the Indicated Airspeed threshold for them to safely drop... however if you speed up after doing so, they wont automatically retract. It is also sluggish with a full load. Straight out departure, level and gain airspeed, then start your climb and keep your banks as close to 15 degree max as you can until you are at least hitting 350 knots IAS (not sure what speed settings you use so 648 Kph if you use that).

 

At rank 6 the F9F will be your best friend second (or first) to the A4 series until you get a feel for how things play out with missiles being a factor. There are a lot of premium G-91's that come out of the woodwork there as well as premium Mig's with AAM's. It is also a stable gun platform (I used to be the accuracy by volume type as well) if you need to use them but with 4 AIM-9B's it can get a solid jump on opponents if you approach them right. FJ4 is also a solid plane (although left behind a little bit) but dont expect it to be a nimble one, ultimately though the A4E has the best bang for the buck in terms of being low repair, good loadout, and a grinder (talisman would also help greatly).

 

So far as the 105, anything 9.7 and above will be either bomber / attacker spam games where you can do as you please (which I would strongly, very very very strongly endorse the A7 series since they are so ugly they are beautiful, and they are the direct relation to what you will be doing with the A4), or it is a missile thunder match on crack where all aspects and radar missiles are going every which way and attackers just feed XP to the other team... and you will often leave with a lighter wallet than when you entered due to the cost to spawn vs how much you will make doing anything other than surviving and crying doing so.

 

Add me as a friend in game if you want and we can do custom battles now and then and I will let you practice your gunnery on me when I am around. If you want a good jet to practice with (I am very bias) the F3D is an amazingly stable gun platform to learn on if you have it

Edited October 5, 2022 by Batwingsix

[[email protected] 17]

Thanks again, I enjoy the planning part of the game too, so much appreciated! You've given me plenty to ponder. I will add you in game. I play US pacific time zone evenings and weekends primarily for what it's worth.

 

It sounds like the B-57 is pretty similar to how I fly the B-17. Up to 9000-15000 ft by rear airbase, then continue to climb  and bomb above 16000 ft or higher depending on the amount of fighter curiosity in the game. The B-57 is faster so I would likely do more of the climb in the back and see how that works out. I've been using meters, etc since it was the default, but seriously considering the switch to knots/ft since I fly most often US in sim and having the cockpit instruments match seems helpful.

 

I also didn't understand squadron research. I looked it up last night after getting the popup window.  Apparently I am 12 days away (9 if I'm lucky - 59k points needed and typically get 18-20k) from getting the A-4. I flew a test flight last night and didn't break the wings, but it was clean and probably stock due to it being a test flight. I definitely noticed the fast roll. I tend to roll then pitch, so that probably helps too. The radar warning beep distracted and took a bit to figure out, since it was my first experience with radar. Since it will likely be available sooner than I thought, I'm strongly considering going for the A-4 before the B-57. I'm also unreasonably excited to try bombing with CCRP. It'll likely come down to when I actually unlock each and how many SL I have when it happens. Either way, I expect getting used to the play and planes at a new BR range will be somewhat expensive.

 

The FJ4 and F3D are a ways away for me, let alone the A-7. I'm currently at the P-61 for research and the A-20 to buy. However, that strike aircraft tree is where my rank 6-7 interest lies - though that could change since I expect jets and AAMs to be a bit different than what I've played so far. I didn't really expect to have the A-4 available, so I was thinking of the 105 as part of my transition from bombers to strike aircraft for the top ranks. I've been putting my low level game play RP into the strike aircraft tree.

 

 

[Batwingsix 718]

3 hours ago, [email protected] said:

Thanks again, I enjoy the planning part of the game too, so much appreciated! You've given me plenty to ponder. I will add you in game. I play US pacific time zone evenings and weekends primarily for what it's worth.

 

It sounds like the B-57 is pretty similar to how I fly the B-17. Up to 9000-15000 ft by rear airbase, then continue to climb  and bomb above 16000 ft or higher depending on the amount of fighter curiosity in the game. The B-57 is faster so I would likely do more of the climb in the back and see how that works out. I've been using meters, etc since it was the default, but seriously considering the switch to knots/ft since I fly most often US in sim and having the cockpit instruments match seems helpful.

 

I also didn't understand squadron research. I looked it up last night after getting the popup window.  Apparently I am 12 days away (9 if I'm lucky - 59k points needed and typically get 18-20k) from getting the A-4. I flew a test flight last night and didn't break the wings, but it was clean and probably stock due to it being a test flight. I definitely noticed the fast roll. I tend to roll then pitch, so that probably helps too. The radar warning beep distracted and took a bit to figure out, since it was my first experience with radar. Since it will likely be available sooner than I thought, I'm strongly considering going for the A-4 before the B-57. I'm also unreasonably excited to try bombing with CCRP. It'll likely come down to when I actually unlock each and how many SL I have when it happens. Either way, I expect getting used to the play and planes at a new BR range will be somewhat expensive.

 

The FJ4 and F3D are a ways away for me, let alone the A-7. I'm currently at the P-61 for research and the A-20 to buy. However, that strike aircraft tree is where my rank 6-7 interest lies - though that could change since I expect jets and AAMs to be a bit different than what I've played so far. I didn't really expect to have the A-4 available, so I was thinking of the 105 as part of my transition from bombers to strike aircraft for the top ranks. I've been putting my low level game play RP into the strike aircraft tree.

 

 

 

 

Keep in mind, none of the A4's in game except the Isreali A4N have any weapons computer in sim. Mk 1 eyeball and practice will be your friend (unless they changed the US ones since I played around with them)

[[email protected] 17]

Interesting. Not having access to them, I'm just reading. The wiki on the ballistic computer lists the A-4s as having CCRP but none of the others. The Israili A-4N is the exception with CCIP for bombs.

 

Is CCRP totally absent in sim or just on the A-4?

Edited October 5, 2022 by [email protected]

[[email protected] 17]

This video claims CCRP works in the A-4 from the cockpit view, but I can't tell in the video if there's any actual indicator.

 

https://youtu.be/XOGbhZzuhdM