la-5 advice needed

[=ARTOA=Bombenleger]

recently i got more and more frustrated with the la-5 because of 2 things.
first the rearward visibility is the WORST. and secondly i find it completely impossible to get a 109 off my six.
in rolling scissors the 109 will just stay right behind me all the time, even if i deploy flaps.
my most pressing question is, how do i get a 109 off my six?
rolling scissors are a no go it seems and in turns the la5 feels worse that the lagg.

[=ARTOA=Bombenleger]

i have no problem flying the underdog i can do just fine in the mig3 or yak but the la5 just seems to have nothing going for it ... except when fighting 190s 

Edited September 5, 2016 by =ARTOA=Bombenleger

[6./ZG26_5tuka]

...and in turns the la5 feels worse that the lagg.

That's because it has the very same wings as the Lagg-3 while the airframe and engine became heavier, so your observation is quite right.

 

The La-5 s best used a better Lagg-3, means stay fast, never go 1 vs 2 and use defensive manouvering instead of aggressive fighting styles. Later will get you in trouble against any 109s or good Fw-190 pilots.

 

For a start here's some basic defensive manouvers: https://www.flightsimbooks.com/f15strikeeagle/05_04_Defensive_Maneuvers.ph

 

They're not without risk though. A defensive spiral for example is very risky due to the nasty stall characteristics of the La-5. High-G barrel rolls will slow you down significantly and in case of a stall make you an easy target. Practise and find out which manouvers work best in different situations against different threats.

Edited September 5, 2016 by 6./ZG26_5tuka

[ACG_pezman]

recently i got more and more frustrated with the la-5 because of 2 things.

first the rearward visibility is the WORST. and secondly i find it completely impossible to get a 109 off my six.

in rolling scissors the 109 will just stay right behind me all the time, even if i deploy flaps.

my most pressing question is, how do i get a 109 off my six?

rolling scissors are a no go it seems and in turns the la5 feels worse that the lagg.

 

Reduce the engine manifold pressure and prop rpm before you turn.  Rolling with power is fine, but when you turn the torque of the engine and drag of the prop really reduces your stability and starts buffeting very soon after you initiate the turn.

 

Now, I too have problems with the 109 on the six problem because the 109 is more at home in low speeds than the La-5.  So, we can't be getting slow with a lighter aircraft, almost as powerful, aircraft.  Only do a rolling scissor if you have some altitude in which to really take advantage of your roll rate while maintaining your speed.  Otherwise you need a wing-man who can take pressure off so you can get back to speed, because on the deck we can outrun all 109's very easily on the deck.  The trick is staying alive long enough to separate, and any damage you receive adds drag reducing the speed we can fly.  It doesn't take much damage to inflict enough drag that we become slower than a 109.

 

Aside from all that, reducing the engine and prop rpm also lets your nose flip around faster if you go vertical.  With well timed flaps and engine management, you might be able to flip your nose around faster than a 109 and boost back to speed in a dive, and gain separation that way.  However that is just a theory.

 

Also, don't forget about trim.  If you need to turn make sure to go nose up trim, it really helps with the stability and turn radius. 

[=ARTOA=Bombenleger]

thx p3zman ill try to use your advise, except with the trim, i prefer to fly my planes untrimmed :D (call me crazy)

[F/JG300_Gruber]

 

Now, I too have problems with the ​Yak on the six problem because the yak is more at home in low speeds than the 190.  So, we can't be getting slow with a lighter aircraft, almost as powerful, aircraft.  Only do a rolling scissor if you have some altitude in which to really take advantage of your roll rate while maintaining your speed.  Otherwise you need a wing-man who can take pressure off so you can get back to speed, because on the deck we can outrun all yaks very easily on the deck.  The trick is staying alive long enough to separate, and any damage you receive adds drag reducing the speed we can fly.  It doesn't take much damage to inflict enough drag that we become slower than a yak.

 

Hey P3zman, you are also good at flying the 190 it seems  

 

To the original poster : some good advices there you should follow.

In regard to the trim, you should definitely use it. If you don't use it you are giving yourself an additional problem :

If you don't use joystick curve, you will probably miss a lot of shots due to the harsh response of our tiny joysticks

If you use curves, the more you pull on the stick, the less precise your response will be, exactly the opposite than what you want in a tight turn, and this is where trimming also helps by keeping your jostick input where you can be more precise with it.

 

Funny thing : for me, the dog is the Mig, no matter how beautiful the plane is, I can't do anything in that plane  

[Trinkof]

My tricks for the LA-5 : 

-never drop speed under 400km/h , under your engine will heat a lot, forcing you to open outlet cowl which slow you a lot, 

-try to never open you outlet cowl shutter, as much as possible. 

-Disengage as soon as you see someone above you. Make you chaser maneuver using your roll rate 1 or 2 maneuver to bleed opponent energy, THEN hit the deck with boost. Trick is you can safely disengage from anything with the La 5, IF you have enough distance between you and your opponent, and the difference of energy is not too high in his favor. 

-Evasive maneuver of the last chance : you'll need to trim your plane nose down a lot to fly straight above 400 km.h, by reseting trimer when you see a 109 diving on you, and pulling gently the stick you'll go in a hard left chandelle, which almost no one can follow, using your engine torque. At the top of the maneveur, roll to complette an immelman then dive to regain speed ..... then repeat if needed, the trick is to keep track of your position to drag the enemy to your airfields or friends while repeating this maneuver. Keep fast, if too slow this maneuver do not work.

-Again at high speed, if you need to turn sharply, reseting trimer can help you a lot, but the trick only work once, after that you'll need to extend and regain speed or altitude.

 

-Flaps can help ... but the la5 being a high speed fighter, if you are forced to use flaps down low, it probably means your are almost done

-Shooting is a bit tricky as muzzle flash of your gun can blind you from your target, BUT with full HE ammo, if you are good at deflection, it is "one shoot one kill", trick is to not follow your opponent if he maneuvers, keep speed and climb again, then repeat attack. Requires discipline, but works flawlessly

 

Overall : I am more a yak lover, but anytime I fly alone the La5 is the way to go. It requires a lot of tactics and anticipation, but if your disciplined enough and a good spotter, you can virtually escape safely from anything.
Less easy and pleasant to fly than the other Red fighters (exept the mig), but after some time probably the best one.

Edited September 18, 2016 by LAL_Trinkof

[Zygiert]

My observations and problems with LA5:

- With both inlet and radiator at 100% and outlet at 5% i can go constantly with full rpm and manifold pressure in summer. I have to open outlets more only after using boost.

Do inlet and radiator opened produce any significant drag?

- Engaging with E advantage: After 109 breaks I go up. If I attack soon after that my E advantage shrinks with each pass, and to be honest we're talking about one or two attacks tops, then i'm at disadvantage. If i extend and climb, 109 use that window and climbs also so after awhile we're coE. I cannot follow into a dive cause my plane will disintegrate. So I find my options in LA5 very limited.

- gunnery is a bit harder due to muzzle flash, low visibility and somewhat low rate of fire - target can slip between the bullets at higher deflection shots.

- at deck level speed advantage is noticeable, but it's very dangerous game to dogfight there

- strange plane behaviour when pulling out of slow loop. At low speed I pull up, I feel that I'm almost stalling, but I manage - my nose is up, wings level, full power but wait... I should be going in the direction where my nose is pointed but instead I'm going straight down, just falling out of the sky. To recover I have to nose down, gain speed and then pull up again but in most cases I;m already too low.

 

Yeah this plane has its charm but it's very difficult against 109s.

Then again while flying blue i was up against La pilots, and they just made those high speed, shallow dive, rolling, spiral manouver that made me overshoot or disengage too late... So i guess it's more about pilot skill than plane itself.