A somewhat ramble about the "XF5U-1 in 5.3 is a no no"

Game Discussion Realistic Battle
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1

Even after playing a lot around after the event was over, I simply never got the hang of the flapjack. The XF5U-1 simply can’t force scenarios where it can win.
It doesn’t work as a boom and zoom aircraft due to the energy bleed it suffers from, the climbrate kind off also adds to this and of course the rip speed at sea level is actually pretty slow for an US aircraft (730 km/h) (sorry I compare it like that, it feels kind of dumb for such an unique plane).
IT IS 100% NOT A TURNY ONE, it can pull a lot of AOA sure, but the turn circle is simply titanic, it takes a while to complete even a U turn and of course, speed loss comes to rub salt in the wound.
It maybe works in head-ons, but it simply has 6 50cals (not a weak armament but subpar for these types of situations in my opinion) and it actually takes time to leave said merge while also presenting a huge target and your weakest point, it’s cockpit is very exposed too. And pray in head-ons is not something you want to do all day.
It’s pretty easy to down, the loss of one elevon means death to it, since it won’t be able to pitch up anymore. propeller shafts are a pretty easy shot but the “spar” protects them very well, the fuels tanks are also non sealing, “fuselage” damage means it loses a lot of lift + speed and it falls out of the sky. Losing 1 engine is pretty bad due to the placement of the propellers and that ends up in a lot of rudder power being lost to counteract the difference of thrust on both sides while also now having the a little more power as a F4F.
Yeah I know, the prototype survived a wrecking ball but that ball fell on the main body’s spars, not the elevons or props. To be fair, in WT you can’t destroy the body of a XF, probably because it was too much work to model a somewhat realistic break. (it also probably wouldn’t fly after the first one IRL, that the house’s facade is still up doesn’t mean the roof is also still up).

Captura de pantalla (104)

Now the XF5U-1 does have 1 trick and is low speed control, but only for the roll aspect, pitch aspect becomes almost useless and the rudder just stops, which is understandable since from what I understand that low speed control comes from the elevon’s position behind the prop. But even then, the flapjack takes so much time to do even a U turn that even the most boatlike planes stand a chance.
I believe it can be 3.7 to 4.3, look I know 5.3 range isn’t very balanced and 4.3 comes close to it but I believe XF5U-1 can stand a chance in it’s current state vs near 4.0 aircraft. I know gaijin devs are probably stilll trying to clear the winrate fall of US 5.3 after the flapjack’s event. But that’s no reason to keep it there.

This only applies to ARB, I don’t have experience on neither arcade or simulator.

Spoiler

Also XF5U-1 is also kind of tricky to fly, it’s like the J7W1, where you naturally have to point your nose a little upwards to not lose altitude. But it’s not really a crippling downside so I left it here, since it’s more of a little stuff you memorize after 2 matches on it.

Whar BR should the XF5U-1 be?
  • +5.3 is a weird playstyle but it is a powerhouse
  • 5.3 not weak but also not OP
  • 5.0
  • 4.7
  • 4.3
  • 4.0
  • 3.7
0 voters
2

Dude. With WEP on u can climb straight up, that thing is pretty much a helicopter.

It just doesn’t stall though. The design of the plane was so that it could fly slow as hell

Tracer belts always do ok

It’s just a gimmick aircraft that’s there just for fun so I doubt there’ll be any change

3

Imho you waste your time with such polls as they were not considered by devs. So in case you want to continue this path i recommend to use a summary of your post in the next BR consolidation round.

Regarding the plane Itself and your assessment: I agree that it is way easier to kill it than to score with it. I killed at least two dozens with the CHN F-47 when it was brand new - and as these kills were way too easy i decided to keep it in the hangar as collector item. Regarding a lower BR you have to consider the top speed - u might want to watch catwerfers vid about the aircraft.

4

only on low altitudes and at around 55km/h, you are sill outclimbed if not outclimbed even harder if you do that, whilst also ending super far from the frontline.

True, but It can’t manouver to get the shot, not only you depend of your foe to stall / stalling in front of your nose but also hope it actually doesn’t stall too fast, since you will be forced to turn down and the XF5U doesn’t like a lot.

You end up stuck as a birthday ballon floating around and waiting to be popped for some nice 4-6 seconds.

This plane needs to kill it’s opponent on one pass at it’s current BR, 50 cals can only do that on lucky shots to fuel tank or pilot.

You are probably right on this one, but even compared to other weird “dreams come true” vehicles, the XF5U-1 falls short in terms of usefulness.

5

if snail add 20mm guns for pancake it should stay 5.3 but with no 20mm 5.0 to 4.7 will be fine br for it

6

I would agree but it is way too tanky against enemy fire. I don’t have it but watching it gobble up a 3 sec burst from x2 MG131, x2 MG151, and a MK108 twice is just enough for my to say it’s fine

7

It works quite well as a support plane, but if you want to do work solo you have to have the patience of a monk (and enough fuel). Its strength is the shallow dive speed, with which you gain a bunch of energy surplus and separation to use in an energy trap.
I tried dogfighting a Yak-3 as an experiment, and it seems the low speed helicopter funnies it can do are enough to take out newbie opponents.

8

From what I’ve read about from articles on the XF5U-1 It’s meant to have articulated propellers sort of like a helicopter So it’s sort of like Thrust vectoring. I do apologize if I sound like an idiot I don’t know too much about it but I thought I’d bring it up anyway since if it’s meant to have some sort of Thrust vectoring that should have been implemented when it came out that would help a lot with its low speed Pitch control