Best Looking FW-190??

[Erich]

the story is in EE's edition on III./JG 54 ~ IV./JG 26.

remember flying the Dora the Germans were always outnumbered. I would say for textural first hand accounts are very scant as the Dora in my mind never really proived itslef except on one to one terms on the Ost front. Against the RAF or US escorts it was an impossibility. Sure you can try an online computer game but that is not reality

[marseille jr]

Sure you can try an online computer game but that is not reality

Keep in mind that warbirds is the most realistic game around. All fighters are modeled according to their actual performances. Top speeds, accelerations, rolling speed, armament, durability, tyrn radius, ..... all are implemented according to official performance tabels.

Best planes there are the last version of the p38 (L if my memory serves me well), the spit 9 , the p51 and the ki-84 (with its great butterfly flaps and superb acceleration). The Dora is a fave too coz it can escape from anything else but scoring kills is an ordeal due to its appaling manoeuvrability. The bf109 K4 is the best climber and accelerates with the best but also suffers from mediocre manoeuvrability, locked up controls in a high speed dive, and the 30mm cannon has aggravatingly low muzzle velocity , so your shells drop very fast (but what they hit they destroy) and this means you have to get very close, which is not possible against spits or franks or etc etc. Attacking bombers with it is hazardous as well as one needs to get close to use the 30mm cannon effectively, but by then otto will rip your 109 apart. The A8 has unmatched fire pôwer, its 4 cannons spawning out 44 shells/second, but it turns bad (it rolls very well though) and lacks speed and divespeed to contend succesfully with the late war power houses. It is best suited for bounces, as you only need one hit to destroy your opponent with all that firepower, and for attacking bombers. the G6-R6 is great to attack bombers with all that firepower but gets eaten alive if any escorts are around. The bf110 is worthless against late war planes. The zero and the oscar turn beautifully but lack power and armament and most of all, durabilty.

I guess this is all quite close to reality, no?

[Erich]

it doesn't matter there is no alternative to combat experience. Games are popular .......... yes but the veterans that flew those small crates are the ones with the knowledge and the true stats not the testing by test pilots that never flew a combat mission........or a silly game with a plastic joystick

[FLYBOYJ]

Originally Posted by Erich

it doesn't matter there is no alternative to combat experience. Games are popular .......... yes but the veterans that flew those small crates are the ones with the knowledge and the true stats not the testing by test pilots that never flew a combat mission........or a silly game with a plastic joystick

The only thing the "after the fact" testpilot is going to confirm are numbers.

[Erich]

and those numbers are relevent in a combat operation eh ? almost seems senseless comparing P-47/Fw 190A with test bed results. Each pilot from both sides will tell you they have the hot a/c. I know this as fact since I have interviewed many.........

[FLYBOYJ]

It's funny - I was watching a program on the Korean War. Russian pilots said the Mig-15 was the greatest thing since sliced bread. F-86 pilots said the Sabre was #1. The test pilots came up with some interesting information but after a while you have to consider pilot preferences and prejudices.

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Originally Posted by marseille jr

Keep in mind that warbirds is the most realistic game around. All fighters are modeled according to their actual performances. Top speeds, accelerations, rolling speed, armament, durability, tyrn radius, ..... all are implemented according to official performance tabels.


I guess this is all quite close to reality, no?

Are you serious? The the only thing that come remotly close to the real aircraft is a real life Simulator. Not a PC computer game. They are nothing similar.

[marseille jr]

The warbirds game is very accurate. It modeled the fighters as close to reality as possibly, using the genuine performance figures. So what u get is quite realistic. Technology has come a long way. It does confirm about everything else of value I read. It would to some extent confirm why the Dora didn't do that splendid in combat. It's great to live in, but if you wanna rack up kills, there are better planes available. And you really need to use it in a certain way (keep it high and fast and if in trouble dive and extendddddd) or else you're dead within 15 minutes after take off.
Even Barkhorn couldn't score a kill with it if my memory serves me well.

But on the other hand the real stuff is ofcourse irreplacable. But there pilots preferences, prejudice, pride, chauvinism and moulding memories are at play as well... My granddad was a pilot in the belgian army from the 50's until the 70's. He told nice stories in which he usually was 'the star'... and his friends re-told them sometimes in just the opposite way...

[FLYBOYJ]

Originally Posted by DerAdlerIstGelandet

Are you serious? The the only thing that come remotly close to the real aircraft is a real life Simulator. Not a PC computer game. They are nothing similar.

In actuallity, the only good experience you're going to get from a PC flight sim or game, is a feel of flying the aircraft "by the numbers." In the case of training, using a pc flight sim for instrument training does work....

As a flight instructor I have given instruction to some PC and computer game "aces." While they did have a superior knowledge of aircraft control functions, once they were put 1000' about the ground with actual aircraft moments, smells, temperatures and other external "stimuli," well...they just about Sh*t themselves! And that's in a puny Cessna 172!

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Originally Posted by marseille jr

The warbirds game is very accurate. It modeled the fighters as close to reality as possibly, using the genuine performance figures. So what u get is quite realistic. Technology has come a long way. It does confirm about everything else of value I read. It would to some extent confirm why the Dora didn't do that splendid in combat. It's great to live in, but if you wanna rack up kills, there are better planes available. And you really need to use it in a certain way (keep it high and fast and if in trouble dive and extendddddd) or else you're dead within 15 minutes after take off.
Even Barkhorn couldn't score a kill with it if my memory serves me well.

But on the other hand the real stuff is ofcourse irreplacable. But there pilots preferences, prejudice, pride, chauvinism and moulding memories are at play as well... My granddad was a pilot in the belgian army from the 50's until the 70's. He told nice stories in which he usually was 'the star'... and his friends re-told them sometimes in just the opposite way...

I understand what you are saying but have you ever been behind the controls of an actual aircraft. It will never compare to games even if they are modeled after there true characteristics and performance. There is so much more involved with it such as wind direction and speed, aircraft condition, the skill of the pilot and weather conditions, the temperature. Each aircraft handles differently even from others of the same type. You can never recreate it to the point of being "realistic". It will never compare.

[FLYBOYJ]

Originally Posted by DerAdlerIstGelandet

I understand what you are saying but have you ever been behind the controls of an actual aircraft. It will never compare to games even if they are modeled after there true characteristics and performance. There is so much more involved with it such as wind direction and speed, aircraft condition, the skill of the pilot and weather conditions, the temperature. Each aircraft handles differently even from others of the same type. You can never recreate it to the point of being "realistic". It will never compare.

Yep - even full motion sims, although close, cannot compare to the real thing

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

A good full motion sim atleast gives you an idea.

[FLYBOYJ]

Originally Posted by DerAdlerIstGelandet

A good full motion sim atleast gives you an idea.

Very True!

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

We have the Blackhawk simulator over here in Germany and it is actually really fun. You can do some stupid stuff and then walk away!

[FLYBOYJ]

Sounds fun!