La5: Is it really worthwhile?

[sturmkraehe]

I tried again the La5 and while it does everything a Lagg3 does (more or less so) I hoped to be a tad more competitive in an online dogfight. Apart from the fact that aiming is still a challenge and hitting something is hard due to the low rate of fire I find it even more sluggish on the pitch side and having bad acceleration. Even with boost engaged one cannot really run away - because of the extremely low acceleration. One is dead meat before one has picked up speed. Of course its high altitude performance is as bad as that of any other available VVS fighter.

 

I tried to remain low with the outcome to be picked up by high 109ers. I tried to come in high but end up on my zoom climb with a 109 on my tail gaining on me. Not to mention that the sluggishness of the La5 particularly at high speed does not give much room for manoeuvres on the boom side with little possibility to correct ones aim (to my experience). I'd probably even prefer the Lagg3 over the La5 because it feels still more manoeuvrable. 

 

To sum it up: I have absolutely no clue how to fly this kite successfully in a dogfight. Any advice?

Edited September 29, 2014 by sturmkraehe

[6./ZG26_5tuka]

It's a lagg-3 with a heavier engine, fuselage structure and guns. It's probably supposed to be similar to the Lagg-3 in terms of manouvrebility though I found it to be a little better for rollfighting since the stronger engien permitts to sustain manouvres longer speedwise.

 

Personally I don't think it makes much sense currently. The Yak performs equally to better at certain alts while it sacrefises for slightly inferiour tree top level speed, no rly big deal though.

 

It's like the 190 just meant for enthusiats who fly the plane regardless of it's strenghs and weaknesses. It's quite enjoyable to some extend though you have to continuesly keep it's well obvious restrictions in mind, means no sustain turnfighting and a much roll manouvres as you can.

[sturmkraehe]

Haven't flown the 190 so much so cannot say much about it.

 

I understand from what you write that you confirm that the La5 is basically a gadget plane for the enthousiast. 

[39bn_pavig]

It depends what you want out of the sim. I find the La5 quite different to fly. Being an air cooled engine (like my old volkswagon  ) it reacts quite differently to the rest of the russian planes. It really is kindof a Frankenstein Russian version of the FW-190. If you're all about dogfighting then it's not the plane for you. These two seem to work well as bomber killers and pack a punch at mid altitudes. You can get a power edge over the water cooled planes as long as you run them hot, but they'll burn up and seize if you don't practice very good engine management, so getting the best out of them is a challenge. In fact most aspects of this pair are challenging - the mechanical moment of their engines is very strong, so even ground movement is tricky. The La5 was known as a strong and well appreciated fighter with difficult engine management to get the best out of it, so subsequent losses were high.

 

Due to the complexity of constantly tuning it to get the best out of the engine it is best flown on expert settings, and with a lot of experience to understand it's quirks. Because of this difference however it will surprise the German pilots when in capable hands by doing things no other Russian plane will do. You will always have both hands on the controls of the La5 and become very intimate compared to the FW-190, which automates most engine management. But like a manual transmission car, it will outperform a similarly specced automatic for brief sprints. But also like a manual car, if you fudge a transition it will complain. 

 

So yes, if you are not interested in learning the plane and becoming intimate with it, then it is probably not a great investment. In that sense it is for the enthusiast. But I think much of the joy of BoS comes from flight, and learning the personality of the planes themselves. The La5 is great fun to fly and tricky to learn. It has a very different personality in the air to the other planes. Given the amount of gameplay this provides, I think it is a good investment. And to the people who complain that it is an inferior plane... well it's great fun to shoot such people out of the sky with it. 

[sturmkraehe]

I understand your reply and agree with it. My feel is however that one needs to become basically an exclusive La5 player to become as good as you describe. Sort of Nerd plane so to speak ...

[keeno]

Hi Sturm,

 

My fave plane is the La-5, mainly because I'm not the best dog-fighter so for me I stick to ground attack in the La-5.  It really is not made to mix it with the German fighters although I have shot down a couple if I can get in an unseen attack. If I see a 109 I generally avoid it, if I get jumped.........i run. i tend to load up with a couple of bombs and then fly at tree-top level towards my target. Try and hit what-ever I can with bombs then if I'm feeling brave I'll have a crack at some AA batteries or my dream attack is to jump a He-111, I took out two the other night on the expert server in one sortie. I find the expert servers easier to get away with the La-5 as I don't have a huge sign above my plane telling everyone I'm an easy target.

 

It's easy to taxi from the parking area to the runway but in the air needs constant attention to keep in trim and maximise what performance it has.

 

i love it, but if you want to get in close and have a crack at the 109's.......then forget it.

 

hope this helps.

 

cheers

[39bn_pavig]

I understand your reply and agree with it. My feel is however that one needs to become basically an exclusive La5 player to become as good as you describe. Sort of Nerd plane so to speak ...

They are all kind of nerd planes. It may be that the La5 just doesn't suit your personality. I think anyone can learn to fly each plane well, but perhaps not comfortably. Perhaps it is easiest to work out what the plane wants to do then fly to it's strengths. It may surprise you with versatility once you have a better feel for it. That was the case for me with the Lagg, which for a long time I thought flew more like a cow than an aircraft. In the end maybe the La5 and you won't click. That does not mean it is not a worthwhile plane which may become a favorite of others, just that the La5 personality and your own flight style don't get along.

[pilotpierre]

The LaGG 3 and LA 5 are my favourite mounts. They "just feel right" for me.

[Y-29.Silky]

1v1 against an enemy who is initiated, not very good odds... But taking out those He-111's is awesome!

Edited September 30, 2014 by Silky

[Dakpilot]

Never thought I would here a LA -5 being referred to as a "nerd" aircraft

 

Cheers Dakpilot

[Elbows]

If you're looking for the best overall aircraft to become competitive in multiplayer (if dogfighting solely is your thing) I think you'd be hard-pressed to beat one of the 109's.  However, therein lies the challenge.

 

I tend to stick to scenarios with my buddies (even if it has to be agains AI).  But intentionally flying a weaker/slower aircraft is the challenge in itself.  Same reason I find myself drawn to flying He-111's in the multiplayer servers.  The challenge of somehow making a bomb run without being scattered all over the Russian snow.

 

I think, given the simulation nature of the game, it's not necessarily about "buying" the better plane.  The challenge would be to fly an La-5 and somehow defeat multiple 109's without dying.  A challenge I always fail at.  I like flying different planes solely for the curiosity of it all.  And I thoroughly suck at this game.

 

It is my hope that rooms would eventually even out teams on their own.  If you find you need to skew teams a bit, so be it.  12 Russian fighters vs. 8 Germans etc.

[LLv34_Flanker]

S!

 

 La-5 Series 8. Had still a lot of teething problems, which of none are seen in game, but the performance is better than on LaGG-3 and worse than Bf109F-4/G-2. La-5F would be a slight improvement with cut fuselage for better visibility, removed wing tanks saving weight, fixes on engine and so forth. But the removal of wing tanks shortened the endurance quite a bit being less than Bf109 had. More power, less fuel = can't firewall the throttle and expect a Honda like consumption

[Matt]

If you fly alone, the Yak-1 is perhaps the better plane and at medium altitude, it's the better performer.

 

But at low and high altitude, La-5 is faster and it accelerates faster at all altitudes.

 

Climb is about the same. Trim helps alot with turning.

 

Armament is a bit subjective. I prefer the 2x 20mm with much bigger ammo load to the armament of the Yak. With convergence avaliable, it shouldn't be a problem to set it up and be accurate with the cannons, but it might need some practice.

 

Overall, i prefer the La-5 to the Yak-1 when flying with wingmen.

[=69.GIAP=Shvak]

If you fly alone, the Yak-1 is perhaps the better plane and at medium altitude, it's the better performer.

 

But at low and high altitude, La-5 is faster and it accelerates faster at all altitudes.

 

Climb is about the same. Trim helps alot with turning.

 

Armament is a bit subjective. I prefer the 2x 20mm with much bigger ammo load to the armament of the Yak. With convergence avaliable, it shouldn't be a problem to set it up and be accurate with the cannons, but it might need some practice.

 

Overall, i prefer the La-5 to the Yak-1 when flying with wingmen.

Have to agree with you. The La5 is not a solo mount. What we are fly on all the servers currently are glorified dogfight maps. With planes rarely able to climb  to decent altitudes, very little team play and dog fights happening within minutes of take-off. Two pilots in La5's are a hard combination to beat if they get airborne and have some alititude.

Edited September 30, 2014 by =69.GIAP=Shvak

[GP*]

To be honest, I was a bit surprised by the La-5's performance in game when I first took it up. Although the La-5FN and La-7 got most of the attention in IL-2FB, the La-5 was still a solid performer. In BoS, though, it's a more challenging mount to fly -- but it seems to reflect the historical accounts of the aircraft much better.

 

I almost exclusively flew LW in all sims prior to this, and while I was more competative in a 190, the 109 has always been my all-time favorite aircraft. However, it's so effective against all iter aircraft that we have in this game that I find myself flying it less and less. It's pretty well matched against a Yak of average skill, but anything else it's typically a bit too easy. BFM errors are easily masked by its performance. In real life, this would be ideal, but in a sim I like to be challenged. And while the Yak is very forgiving, I'm really enjoying the La-5 because it's such a challenge. Not to mention that it's always been my favorite VVS aircraft!

[MiG21bisFishbedL]

It's all about the boost. I like to fly it in a more "predatory" fashion as opposed to tangling up in furballs; leave that to the Yaks. Instead, I'll try and spot enemy fighters that have gotten seperated from the main group, then run them down with the boost. You can even stay with them in a climb for a decent window for a shot. But, don't let your speed drop below 380-400km/h. If the needle's winding down to those speeds, just dive for the deck and run.

 

It's pretty god-like as a bomber interceptor.

[[TWB]80hd]

It's absolutely worthwhile to support the development of the game.  If you're spending all that scratch just to get the extra planes and you expect them to be worth almost twice the standard entrance fee, you're probably setting yourself up for a bad time.

[Capt_Stubing]

The LA5 really comes into it's own in the FN version.

[Finkeren]

The La-5 in BoS is no FN to be sure, but it's still enough of a sprinter to be an effective fighter in both SP and MP and below 2000m it can even energy fight itself out of a disadvantageous situation.

 

Btw, tothose who mentioned it: The La-5 does NOT have a "heavier engine" compared to the LaGG-3. The ASh-82 engine is pretty light and with a great power/weight ratio compared to the Klimov.

 

In the end, the La-5 is "worthwhile" simply because it's a beautifully modeled plane and very interesting to fly. Whether or not it performs well in combat is secondary.

[sturmkraehe]

I did a bit of offline playing with the La5 trying to down some He111. I dunno, comparing how I can down He111 when in a Yak, it seems harder in a La5 as I seem to make less damage.

[Brano]

The La-5 in BoS is no FN to be sure, but it's still enough of a sprinter to be an effective fighter in both SP and MP and below 2000m it can even energy fight itself out of a disadvantageous situation.

 

Btw, tothose who mentioned it: The La-5 does NOT have a "heavier engine" compared to the LaGG-3. The ASh-82 engine is pretty light and with a great power/weight ratio compared to the Klimov.

 

In the end, the La-5 is "worthwhile" simply because it's a beautifully modeled plane and very interesting to fly. Whether or not it performs well in combat is secondary.

Ehm,no.Ash82-111/112 of La5 was ~300kg heavier then klimov 105pf but had 300hp additional power output.Ash82 engine had much potential to increase power output in it further developments+ forshaz ,while M105PF was at its limits with 1260hp comparing to ultimate version of Ash82FN (direct injection) of 1850 hp at take off.