OK, be honest - Opinions on WVR dogfighting

Makes zero sense To have the tomcat at full fuel and hornet at half fuel...

Indeed. The Tomcat is above fighting weight with full fuel for starters.

You guys crack me up, you really do. You've had the aircraft for two weeks and are complaining that you haven't figured out how to employ it.

What a riot. :lol:

The fuel imbalance was to provide both with roughly the same max endurance at burner. Because of the cats higher fuel flow, it required more fuel. So in one metric, this is a fair comparison, no?

The F14's fuel burn rate is higher, but not THAT much higher.

On reheat the SFC of the F/A-18C's F404-GE-402 engine(s) is 1.78 lbs/(lbf*hr) vs 1.98 lbs/(lbf*hr) for the F-14B/D's F110-GE-400 engine(s).

That's pretty small difference in consumption for such large difference in internal capacity.

Indeed. The Tomcat is above fighting weight with full fuel for starters.

 

You guys crack me up, you really do. You've had the aircraft for two weeks and are complaining that you haven't figured out how to employ it.

 

What a riot. :lol:

WHAT DO YOU MEAN I NEED TO USE RUDDER

WHAT IS THIS SORCERY

:D

Rudder is only used to taxi right? :D

Indeed. The Tomcat is above fighting weight with full fuel for starters.

 

You guys crack me up, you really do. You've had the aircraft for two weeks and are complaining that you haven't figured out how to employ it.

 

What a riot. :lol:

100%

just considering how much time is spent in instruction in preparation and demonstrated performance FOR YEARS for an aviator to even be allowed near a front-line a/c... and then years in type after that perfecting the art.... and silly villains expect to download a module and start waxing SUs after a 15min fam flight to get their hotas setup

goobers who cant even hold formation think think they'll magically shine in bfm

goobers who cant even hold formation think think they'll magically shine in bfm

Oh, so the years of military flight training I did in the T-6 Texan II, flying close formation in 120* wingover turns, and you’re one to talk? I qualified and was asked to go into the fighter community but chose to go the helicopter route instead for family and posting location reasons. And BTW, I can hold close form - I do it every day in real life. Oh, I can do it in a video game too.

I do know something about this stuff. Thats me on the wing.

Oh, so the years of military flight training I did in the T-6 Texan II, flying close formation in 120* wingover turns, and you’re one to talk? I qualified and was asked to go into the fighter community but chose to go the helicopter route instead for family and posting location reasons. And BTW, I can hold close form - I do it every day in real life. Oh, I can do it in a video game too.

 

I do know something about this stuff. Thats me on the wing.

Don't mind Probad, he's always like that.

It's always alright to ask questions, and yours are perfectly legit.

Don't mind Probad, he's always like that.

 

It's always alright to ask questions, and yours are perfectly legit.

Thx. I’m the one who wanted to keep this civil, just rubbed me the wrong way.

I should know better than to get provoked by strangers on the internet! :pilotfly:

Pwned.

The F-14 is not a magic panacea with regards to BFM. You need to know how to fly it right, and that includes not pulling 10+ g just because you have the control authority.

AoA is much maligned and mis-understood, but it tells you exactly what the wing is doing. Forget g - that is just the result of lift generation to turn the aircraft. What matters is where the AoA is vs. speed, as this is how you can max rate the aircraft AND maintain speed if you fly it right.

Below about 400 kts you become AoA limited; above about 400 kts you become g limited - this is to say that below 400 kts, you can pull as much as you like but drag will increase substantially causing you to bleed speed quickly, whereas above 400 kts you can pull high g with less AoA allowing you to maintain speed.

Max corner airspeed is the speed at which you maintain the highest turn rate/min turn radius, but you will bleed speed at even max power.

Max sustained turn rate is a *higher* speed where the aircraft turns less quickly and with a wider turn radius, but the drag is such that you can maintain the turn all day without loosing speed.

There are only two points on the curve where this occurs, and if you're outside of it, then you either turn very wide, or you bleed speed rapidly.

Knowing to fly your aircraft to make the most of these is where it matters in BFM. You can go from the sustained turn rate to the max rate by pulling harder, but you will need to unload to re-gain the lost speed if necessary.

If your min turn radius is less than the aircraft you're fighting, then it is a case of being patient and sticking with it until you get behind them.

A properly flown fight is more like a game of chess than a knock-out blow. There is no instant win, and it takes patience and planning. If you think you can just pull +15 g and get behind them, you're going to get your a$$ handed to you every time.

Part of dogfighting is waiting for the other guy to make a mistake and then capitalize on it to get the advantage.

I've flown plenty of fights where we just both went in circles until we ran out of fuel, not because we were useless at breaking the dead-lock, but to do anything else would immediately hand the other pilot the advantage.

If you want the hardest fight - fly against your own type. IMHO this is harder than dissimilar BFM as you will end up neutral most of the time. It then leaves pilot ability as to who wins.

Max corner airspeed is the speed at which you maintain the highest turn rate/min turn radius, but you will bleed speed at even max power.

 

 

If your min turn radius is less than the aircraft you're fighting, then it is a case of being patient and sticking with it until you get behind them.

 

 

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Mostly in agreement, except for the 2 quotes above.

1. Corner speed is not min turn radius.

2. You mention radius, but describe a rate fight.