New Planes, Vain Hopes
Toward the end of the War, German engineers produced an assortment of farfetched aircraft. Though all of them had technical problems, one creation regularly outperformed the Allies' best planes in combat. Following a losing encounter with a jet-powered Me-262, a Spitfire pilot worried: "Should the enemy possess reasonable numbers of these remarkable aircraft, it would not be long before we had struggled." But Germany's bold aircraft inventions came too late to do much more than stir the Luftwaffe's yearning for what have been.
Planes that were invented, but never put any effect toward the end of World War 2:
The Me-163 Komet: Was propelled by a rocket engine that took off at full throttle, burning up its entire fuel supply in [8] minutes!
The Dornier-335: Was powered by two engines, one pulling from the front, the other set in the tail and pushing from the rear.
The Me-262: Introduced in July 1944, was the first jet plane to fly in combat. The 540-mph planes claimed more than 500 Allied Aircraft.
The composite Mistel consisted of an Fw-190 mounted on an unpiloted, bomb- laden Ju-88 that was guided to the target by radio.
The Heinkel-162: Was simply designed and built of inexpensive materials, but its mass production potential failed for lack of time.[F]
-Icer
Willy & His “Emil”
After Germany was defeated in WWI The Treaty of Versailles made sure that Germany could not rebuild their military to pre war strength (It didn’t work). One of the restrictions stated that Germany could no longer produce war planes (In fact they couldn’t build anything other than gliders) . However when the Nazi’s took power in the 1930’s they started to “bend” the rules, Mass producing Junkers and other twin engined planes destined to become bombers. When questioned on this violation the Nazi’s insisted that they were nothing more than transports. In fact Germany even experimented with single engined aircraft. When questioned about these their official response was “...High performance mail planes” Hey don’t laugh, the allies bought this! By the early 1930’s the Nazi’s basically said “screw this.” They began converting their “Transports” into medium bombers and their “Mail planes” into Fighters.
It was around this time that a man by the name of Willy Messerscmitt began working on a new single engined fighter to serve the Reich. The Idea behind his new fighter was to get the smallest, lightest, sleekest airframe possible and combine it with the most powerful engine available which at that time was the Rolls-Royce Kestrel V. When the first prototype reached the tarmac in 1935 they found that it handled terribly on the ground because of its outward contracting landing gear. It also had a nasty tendency to ground-loop on landing.
Even though his first attempt at a single engined monoplane failed Willy didn’t quit. He widened the wheel base and improved the landing gear. Nazi Germany eventually chose Messerschmitt’s design over the other 3 aircraft competing with it. The aircraft was the ME(BF)-109.
The 109’s were first seen at the Munich Olympic Games in 1936 when they streaked across the sky to show Germany’s power. The 109’s first saw combat in the Spanish Civil War. While the 109’s opponents were biplanes that had a much smaller turn radius than the 109, the 109 with its relative speed could leave and enter a fights as it pleased. The information that was gained during the Spanish Civil War greatly helped the Luftwaffe prepare for their invasion of Europe.
When Germany invaded Poland and WWII started the Luftwaffe had 1,085 109’s. 3/4 of those were the new E model dubbed “Emil”. The Emil was a fearsome aircraft with a 1,150 hp inverted-V Daimler-Benz engine. The Emil could hit speeds of 357 Knts. (That was an incredible feat at that time.) It was armed with 2 machine guns and 2 20mm cannons. The main disadvantage for the 109 was its small fuel tank. It could only hold 88 gallons of fuel. Once the 109 got across the channel it only had 20 minutes of flight time! Many 109’s would get caught up in the heat of battle and end up ditching in France, or worse in the Channel. With all that was stacked up against the 109 it put up one hell of a fight.
Most of the German Aces flew the 109, Germany’s Ace-of-aces Erich Hartmann who shot down over 352 flew the 109.
The 109 was a great plane used in a bad way. It just shows how a thing of such ingenuity can be used to show such brutality and prejudice. The 109 was truly a GREAT plane. Throughout the war over 300,000 109’s were built, today there is only one original 109 still flight worthy. [F]
-Pace
Flying The FW-190 in Air Warrior
The FW-190 is probably one of the best known planes in the sky of Air Warrior. Sporting 2 machine guns and 4 20mm Cannon, it has the most lethal punch of any fighter in the game. It also has a jet-like roll rate, and a decent turning circle at high speeds, giving it an edge in many high-speed dogfights. It's main purpose in the skies of Airwarrior is that of a bomber interceptor, due in part to its murderous firepower, and it's ability to sustain great amounts of damage by gunfire from the gun turrets of the bombers. You will usually bring down even a B-17 with only a few shots.
Its good points in the game, are its guns, and its ability to maneuver at high speed. It will give a P-51 a run for its money at maneuverability at high speeds. If you are intending to dogfight in it, you should check on two major things before engaging. You should first, look at your speed. In the FW-190, speed is life. You go slow, and you die. The second thing you should look for is to see if you are above your enemy. You should NEVER engage a fighter in the FW-190 if they are 1000 or more feet above you, as they will have alot more E than you, and will be able to get away from you before you can get a shot on them.
However it also has some very bad points about it. One of the biggest ones is its ability to go from 350 mph to 100mph in 6 seconds when performing a tight turn. Its elevators are more like airbrakes in a turn. Try to avoid turning fight if at all possible, because the FW turns terribly at speeds below 120 Mph. It also has very nasty stall characteristics, most of the time the stalls are not recoverable.(in FR) It accelerates poorly, and doesn’t climb very well.
The FW-190 (even though it is a great fighter if used properly) will continue to find its biggest role in Airwarrior as a bomber interceptor rather than a front line fighter.[F]
AHBlackjak
Bomber’s Nook
I'm going to start this possible series with an article on the targets available to a bomber, and how to not get killed over the target. If there are later articles, gunning, getting to the target in one piece, evasive maneuvers, and getting home will follow.
Planning a Mission
A good bombing pilot always has a specific mission. Never go out just thinking "I'm going to bomb something over there." Have a mission in mind. As soon as you decide to go bomb, look at the map. The idea is to find a strategic target that is barren of life or at least only as a couple bandits. Strategic targets have different values of importance and difficulty. Here are the most common targets.
Spit Factory - heavy ack, so you need to be high. This makes bombing more difficult, but it is an excellent target. If you destroy the factory, you can stop the production of enemy Spits for 30 minutes.
Refinery - once again heavy ack. Be high. This stops fuel from be resupplied. To stop the refinery, hit each of the 3 tall towers. They only take a couple of bombs to kill each, so a good pilot can take out all three in one run.
Ammo factory - no air defense. An easy target, and of good strategic value. Kill the buildings with the smokestacks for the biggest points.
Maintenance Factory - Stops the resupply of parts to airfields. Hit the smokestacks once again. If the hangars at an airfield are out, the enemies are much easier to kill.
Fuel tanks - reduces fuel quality at an airfield. Found in clusters of 3 by airfields
Hangers - buildings with sloped roofs. Reduces hits needed to kill another plane.
Tower - takes out the enemies radar. A valuable target to kill.
Ammo dumps - square buildings found near a runway. Reduces the cannon load of planes taking off.
Over the Target
Now that you have a rundown of the targets, we can focus on what to do if and when you get there.
Line up with the the target, and bomb it from the right direction. If the target is facing east/west, you should be too. This way, more bombs will hit your target. It is also important that you are not making any sudden movements with the plane. If you are, aim will be thrown off. Line up with the target from a ways out, so you can avoid sudden movements. As soon as you are nearly in bombing range, press esc + a. This opens the bomb doors. Press esc + z to jump to the bombsight. Unlike dive bombers, as soon as you press "b" the bombs are away, so don't press it early. Make any small, final adjustments to your course as smoothly as possible.
If you are up high, slow down. It is VERY important that you not be going at a very high rate of speed over the target. If you are, you will scatter bombs all over the place, and not destroy anything. If you are going in low, check too make sure there are no bandits around you, then pull smoothly up until you are at about 1,000 feet. Slow down and get ready to make your run.
Whether you are going high or low, the technique for hitting a SINGLE target is the same. Slow down to below 150 kts. Press 3 repeatedly until your flaps are all the way down. Slowly cut your throttle as your target nears the center of the crosshairs. Check to make sure you are zoomed in enough so that you can be sure the target is in the sights. Put the throttle into idle as soon as you are over the target and press "b" [or joystick button two]. Keep the target in the crosshairs, even if you stall.
As soon as you have hit the target, throttle up FIRST, THEN pull the flaps up. Make sure to pull the flaps up, or later, as you increase speed, the drag will make you auger. After all that work press esc + z to return to the pilots seat and go home.
If you are going after more than 2 targets, such as the towers at a refinery, you need to be going a little faster. Line up 2 of the targets so you will not have to make any large movements to get the next target. As soon as the crosshairs are over the first target, press "b". Make sure you wait for half a second, then punch it to the second. Use full flaps as soon as you are over the second target. After these 2 targets are destroyed, circle around and come back for the last. Then go home.
I hope these help you out. Cyas! Next segment: Getting to the target. [F]
-Vagabond
Cheating In Air Warrior..?
Allegations of cheating by some of RR1's top scoring pilots is being whispered and occasionally shouted by many Air Warriors in RR1 ETO. Controversy is not uncommon in RR1 ETO. Past incidents of "top scorers" fragging opponents in order to keep a lead on the kill board are common knowledge amongst AW pilots. The latest series of allegations are being leveled against RR1's most notorious point grabbers. Giving vent to many longtime animosities held by veteran players against "point dweebs".
Sources have revealed that the current allegations focus on three or more individuals that are well known in RR1 as longtime point hounds. These individuals are being accused of setting up patsy kills to pad their scores. These revelations center on the "fact" that they are having friends run enemy accounts which the point hounds continually kill or are running two computers at the same time to allow the point hounds primary account to gain points by vulching themselves.
Vulching is always a controversial topic in Air Warrior. Many pilots defend the practice of killing those dweebs who are "dumb" enough to take off from airfields that are CAPped by enemy aircraft; however, no pilots are defending the practice of Vulching one's self or a friend to gain points. A few pilots in RR1 have built a reputation as vulchers with witty macros to celebrate the vulch and unlike the point hounds are respected members of RR1. Vulching is an effective method of gaining points in that it places the vulcher at very little risk by coming into a fight with superior energy over the opponent who is just taking off. Most point hounds are notorious for their vulching and limited flight area centering around a82/b85; however, these current allegations also focus on recent defectors in both B-Land and C-Land as well as the VOD crowd.
Air Warrior is a community with a set of standards which focus on "fair play". Pilots either choose to follow or reject the standards. The arenas are essentially self-policing with some pilots setting examples and urging others to follow a respectable path. The standards are largely a set of customs that are not always followed, but generally are accepted (ie. not interfering in arranged fights, etc.). Often pilots allow others that they commonly fight who are low on ammo, fuel, or badly damaged to RTB. This is a development of courtesy that is largely dependent upon the pilots involved and when done the pilot expects the same courtesy to be extended to them by their opposition. There is a sense that these three pilots have violated the sense of "fair play" which is so necessary for the enjoyment of the game. Cheating ruins the game for everyone involved, even those that do not fly for points. A sense of irritation is felt by many regulars in RR1 as to this alleged cheating; cheaters are not liked and many are not hesitating to use the word Cheat in terming these individuals alleged actions.
This controversy continues another long-running debate over the pursuit of points. A camp of pilots, usually veteran Air Warriors, rail against the usage of points as a measure of pilot excellence. In the opposition, is a group of mostly new pilots and a few veteran pilots that view score in Air Warrior as analogous to runs in baseball; they see pilot score as something of which to be proud. A new subset of this argument is developing over the issue of Kill/Death ratio. A long running counter claim to the points crowd was that a good K/D ratio is a much better indicator of a pilot than simply points because points totals can be raised with hours and hours of play. "Points Dweeb" has been the long running title of derision for those that worship points and now "K/D Dweeb" is being used in much the same way. K/D dweebs focus so much on this that they become so overly cautious as to refuse to engage unless the terms are so heavily in their advantage and refuse to engage on equal terms. Many K/D dweebs are becoming notorious for giving new meaning to the term alt monkey.
The allegations of cheating by point hounds give further proof to the arguments against the usage of points as a measure of pilot ability. The environment in RR1, centered so heavily on respect between pilots, will suffer from these allegations; unfortunately, the level of macro usage, arrogance, and all around dweeb-ery necessitate that all Air Warriors attempt to set a better example or face having all of the fun squeezed from the game. It is incumbent upon the pilots in RR1 ETO to make known to all that they will not tolerate cheating or any incarnation of dweeb-ery and this current situation is certainly providing the opportunity.[F]
-Imper
Wingmen
Pros of wingies:
-Whenever engaging an enemy, you have the decided advantage. Even if there are multiple bogies, there are wingman tactics to neutralize greedy threats. For example, one guy takes a P-47, and the other a FW. The 47 goes in about 2000 yards ahead of the FW, and flies at a 90 degree angle to his wingie. While a greedy pilot attempts to take the JUG, the FW easily kills the NME. The only way to avoid this is Situational Awareness, a quality most pilots don't always exhibit.
-When one pilot is in trouble, the other is ready to assist. When flying solo, or in a furball, most pilots can't or won't help a fellow pilot. Wingies always do this, helping one another.
-2 is better than one. Whenever gunning enemy buffs, 2 sets of guns firing are going to kill/disable a buff quicker, lowering the chance of escape to drop eggs.
Cons:
-Not many, except that one pilot is tied down forcing to escort home a damaged wingie. Not many opportunities for 5-6 kill runs, as wingies always get some kills.
Recommendation:
-Fly with a wingie, I guarantee you'll like it.
-Matyr
Flight Dynamics
In order to be good pilot you must understand the basic dynamics of flight. First off you must know the 3 axis of flight:
(A) Roll - Controlled by aileron
(B) Pitch - Controlled by elevators
(C) Yaw - Controlled by rudders.
The Axis of Roll is just what it sounds like, a roll. It is achieved through using your ailerons (Left and Right Stick). The axis of Pitch controls your altitude and subsequently your airspeed. Pitch is achieved through the elevators (Up and Down Stick). Yaw is best described as the difference in direction between the nose and the tail. It is achieved by using rudder (Right and Left Pedal or A and D Key). These are the three axis of flight. Do some experiments with ailerons, elevators, and rudders. Get a feel of how your aircraft reacts to these controls.
Another thing you must know is how the aircraft wing works. The aircraft wing is truly an amazing thing, it is simple yet complex at the same time. It works because of its streamlined shape. The air moving on the top of the wing takes longer to reach the end of the wing than does the air on the bottom. This creates a vacuum, which in turn creates Lift. Lift is what keeps your plane in the air, without it you stay on the ground.
A Stall occurs when your speed is too low to create enough lift. In air combat stalls are very deadly. Once you are in a stall your plane turns from an airplane into a rock. Once in a stall one of two things will happen (1) Your nose will be forced down below the horizon). (2) You will go into what is called a low speed spin.
Another important, and dangerous aspect of Flight Dynamics is Compressibility. Compressibility is caused by flying at extremely high speeds. This creates an enormous amount of lift however, this makes rolling and pitching very difficult do to the amount air flowing across the wing. The only way you can get out of compression is to SLOW DOWN. Not only does flying at extremely high speeds, in excess of 300 knts , cause compression. It can also cause structural damage. Other than the American and German fighters, you can rip your wings off flying at speeds higher than 450 knts. So try to keep an eye on that speedometer.
Flaps are hard to explain. Flaps are, well “Flaps” on the back of the wings. They help to regulate airflow across the wing as was discussed earlier in this section. Flaps are used extensively in stall fighting , By creating more lift and slowing down your aircraft. As I’m sure you’ll agree you turn your bike in tighter circles by going slow then you can while riding fast, This is the principle behind flaps. The only problem with using flaps is that when you do so your chances of leaving the dogfight are cut in half. So when you deploy your flaps you better be pretty darn sure you’re going to win this fight.
I hope I didn’t bore you to death with all of this technical stuff, but it’s very important to know how your plane functions and why it functions that way.
-Pace
Jagdeschwader 26 ‘The Abbeville Kids’
Leader: NIESKY (JAG26)
JG-26 is one of the archrivals of my squadron, the 305th WildCards. They prefer to fly German planes, such as the FW190A, BF-109, and JU-88. Although a dedicated group of fighters, to me it seems they have two groups. The pack of real pilots, or at least good fliers, and the ragtag bunch of outsiders. They function in two different ways. The outsiders overwhelm with numbers, while the fliers overwhelm with skill. Both are defeatable, but not easily. Anyhow, they fly in RRETO3, with about 25 members. They claim to account for at least 3000 kills a campaign, not a bad number. It shows the dedication of this bunch when they fly. I've seen they like to operate in flights of two or more, therefore giving them a cooperative advantage. Anyone who wants to join should contact Niesky at NIESKY@aol.com.[F]
-Matyr
Squadron Roster
JAG26 CO Niesky
JAG44 XO AdfGalland
1.Staffel (Wulf) 2.Staffel (Viking) 3.Staffel (Flying foxes)
JAG90 CO JAG88 CO JAG1 CO (JG 26 Admin)
JAG11 XO JAG77 JAG3 XO (JG 26 Ops)
JAG92 JAG58 JAG4
JG7 JAG99
JAG67 JAG00
FNTM JAG55
JAG63 JAG71
JAG54 JAG69
JAG86 ($KNY$)
(If you’d like your squadron featured in this column please e-mail Matyr at Rascal 314@aol.com . Please note that HE decides which squadrons get featured -- NOT me... Thanks)
The Hammerhead
The Hammerhead isn’t used very much in Air Warrior. However I use this maneuver with great success. There is one very important rule you must follow when attempting the maneuver: You must be faster than your opponent by at least 75knts! An altitude advantage also helps. There are many ways to approach the Hammerhead. The most straight forward way to perform it is to fly right in front of your opponent and go vertical. If he’s a newbie or just not paying attention he will try to follow you. Keep the vertical until you are at 100knts, your stall light should be flashing. At this time you will find out if you judged his speed right, because if you didn’t you’ll be eating lead at this point. If you did judge his speed correctly he will be stalling right now. So you hit full right (or left) rudder and add a little left (or right) aileron. This will put you into a nose dive... now this is the important part -- You must lower your flaps NOW so you can regain control of your aircraft and hammer your temporarily helpless enemy. When the hammerhead works you’ll know it... likewise when it doesn’t work you’ll find yourself back at HQ. I included a film with to give you a better idea of what the hammerhead looks like. Check next issue when I go over the Vertical 8 A.K.A “Rope-a-Dope”... See you guys back here on the 26th ;-)
-Pace
Air Warrior News
Premium Games
This info is easily accessed from the AOL welcome screen. Seems that there will be Air Warriors and Air Warriors II offered. Premium games will cost an additional $1.99 per hour over the current AOL charges. An extensive list of other games is available by going to keyword GAMES and following the prompts.
Air Warrior Convention
This info is also available from directly from AOL. Cost for the Houston Texas Convention registration is $135.00 per person and $85.00 for additional guests.... such as bombing crew, escort fighters, family or friends ( hehe ).
Surcharge for Air Warrior
Once again the Air Warrior community holds its breath until July 19th when America Online decides whether or not to impose their surcharge on Air Warrior. As stated earlier the price for the “Premium” games are $1.99 per minute not including A.O.L’s current cost. On July 19th go to Keyword: Premium to see which way A.O.L went towards surcharging Air Warrior.
Mail Bag
I just wanted to mention a few discrepancies with the 38, the 38 has 4 .50 CALS and 1 20mm cannon in the nose, not 8 machine guns. Also, personal opinion here, I think to be truly ready to use the 38, you must learn rudder, throttle, flap, and airbrake control. A real good 38 driver also has a good grasp of Situational Awareness. SA and Altitude are the 38's best friend, you need to know when to engage that spit and when to run away. 38 does best when it dictates the fight... I.E. don't allow a spit to make the rules, as in nose-up turn fighting.. Loop-dive and extend... drag him along, take him to the vertical, full flap him and then waste him:)
Txres@aol.com
Yes you are correct... Since that was our first issue our facts were a little shaky. However our facts are now backed by the Air Warrior Training Academy. So we hope to keep our reputation as the most informative Air Warrior Magazine out there. Thank you for taking the time to write.
-Pace
Wow! stumbled across yer webpage and found a gem. Please sign me on for a subscription. I will also tell my squadies of this "find", and I am sure they will want to read yer mag too.
Keep up the good work folks, and now Im off to read issue #2.
DOLT-supposed leader of the^FLYING LOSERS^
Ahhh Shucks <Blushing> Thank you. The “Gem” He is referring to is our “sister site” at www.33rd.com - Here you can read Furball magazine online (Without the pictures of course). our actual website is at:
http://www.members.aol.com/Furballmag/fbmag1.htm
Please note that it is still under construction and is not yet up to date. However it should be up and accurate by August 1st.
-Pace
(In Case you missed it last time here’s the response from Steve Case concerning the surcharge for Air Warrior.)
Dear furballmag,
I am replying on behalf of Steve Case. Thank you for your recent letter. We appreciate hearing from you.
We appreciate your interest in our new premium service on the AOL Games Channel. We know that, for you and many other members, playing games is an important part of the AOL experience.
For detailed information on the premium games service, please go to keyword: PREMIUM.
I am sorry that you are disappointed that some of our new games will be offered as part of a new premium games service. However, by offering a new premium service, we will be able to bring the best games in the world to our members.
In order for the industry to flourish, it needs to have a viable economic model - just as with any industry. To ensure that games developers receive the level of investment required to continue to create great games, these games need to be offered as a premium service. Also, you will find that AOL is not alone in making this decision. Premium game services are quickly becoming the norm throughout cyberspace. As was noted in WorldPlay's announcement, other ISPs will be providing WorldPlay games as premium services as well.
We are committed to making the games experience even better for you by also bringing you the state-of-the-art in the game industry's next big wave - online multiplayer games. By putting them on AOL, we are making it easy and convenient for you to share the fun and excitement with family, friends and games partners around the world.
As you know, WorldPlay and other games developers invest heavily, to produce the best entertainment you can find anywhere. Games online have longer play values, and can be updated more easily, to offer a much larger community than CD-rom versions bought at the store.
Thousands of members have beta-tested some of our new games and have given us great feedback. Members can try our new premium games on the Games Channel during this month-long free trial period. We believe you will find the higher level of enjoyment and excitement worth it.
Again, thank you for writing.
Sincerely,
Jean Davin
Office of the Chairman
Well so Long you guys. Will see you again on the 26th... Please e-mail any questions, comments, and/or suggestions to us at Furballmag@aol.com