In praise of the I-16

[PatrickAWlson]

I sort of stumbled into an I-16 campaign in Moscow.  I was just testing and figured why not, let me try it.  I am having so much fun that the campaign is a keeper.  So it's slow, but playing offline the AI is pretty stupid about maintaining speed so its not that much of a drawback .  The thing rols like mad on those short wings, and 4x machine guns is enough to come home with at least one in the bag.  The thing is just a blast to fly.  Plus I can stick my head out of the cockpit and hear the wind

[=EXPEND=CG_Justin]

Just to stick up for the stubby lil s**t myself, I recently came across a pilot on WoL while flying a G-2 and had an I-16 pilot chase me up to 9K in it...YES..9K! Now, he did admit over chat that he was stalling bad, but he flew the airplane to the max! Between myself and my mates he lost the fight horribly, but had he been in my outfit (and American, I don't know what the Soviet equivalent is) he would have gotten the silver star on Valor alone. I've never encountered an I-16 pilot online that wasn't "ballsy"

Edited November 26, 2017 by =TBAS=CG_Justin

[Field-Ops]

Yea, every i-16 i meet online chases me down to the ends of the earth no matter if the situation is against him. Then when I turn around to pounce the tiny little s**t is too hard to hit and rolls twice a second to evade. I love the plane but dang if its just so hard to hit when you fight against it.

[Gambit21]

I love that little Rata - nothing like the wind in your hair.

[Nibbio]

Mr. Wilson make sure you also try the little donkey equipped with 20mm cannons... it's literally a blast

[Heliopause]

[162nd-YU-Markoni]

I sort of stumbled into an I-16 campaign in Moscow.  I was just testing and figured why not, let me try it.  I am having so much fun that the campaign is a keeper.  So it's slow, but playing offline the AI is pretty stupid about maintaining speed so its not that much of a drawback .  The thing rols like mad on those short wings, and 4x machine guns is enough to come home with at least one in the bag.  The thing is just a blast to fly.  Plus I can stick my head out of the cockpit and hear the wind

 

Play it in VR. Put two air fans. Left and right of the monitor. Then you can stick your head out of the cockpit  :D  Now that is VR experience :D 

Edited November 26, 2017 by Markoni

[CanadaOne]

I love that little Rata - nothing like the wind in your hair.

 

Yep, flying around the Kuban mountains in the I-16 is a treat.

[Max_Damage]

Its quite bad but its very fun to use.

[Finkeren]

What makes the I-16 stand out as an extraordinary aircraft to me is the fact, that it was very much a pioneering aircraft in its generation, yet it went on to serve in very large numbers for a decade, remaining compettitive most of the way through.

 

Very few pioneering designs go on to achieve such a rich career.

[ShamrockOneFive]

I'm really loving the I-16 as well. It's not an aircraft that looks like a high performance 1940s era aircraft mostly because it isn't. It's a kind of anachronistic model from the early part of the previous decade but it's got just enough speed and delightful handling to really be a ton of fun.

[Oubaas]

I love the little cigar butt.

[xvii-Dietrich]

These things are so tiny!
 
What I found amazing, was that there was even a trainer version
 

 

[Smis]

One of my most favorite russian aircraft. Too bad i cant fly it with my squad cos i would stay faaar behind :D But one time i was flying on WoL server using this tactic: staying 2 - 3km over our objectives and waiting for low german to come. As i dived on them an had the same speed as they had they coudnt do nothing. Got 11 kill streak like this using only I-16 :-) Also deadly when this little beast come into big furball where everyone is turning :D

[DakkaDakkaDakka]

I love the I-16, it's my favorite plane in the sim. It lets you have the feeling of dogfighting from RoF while in the WWII setting.

[ATA_Vasilij]

was having trying to fly this sexy little plane more times, but I used to be shotdown. Because of instability in maneuvers. 

 

Few days ago I tried to open flaps and to do maneuvers with them. AND - totally diametrical results!  Now this plane is unbeatable! 

So after perfect Yak1b, and strong mig with his SB12,7 we have another plane which you can take and always return to home base.

 

Really love to fly with I-16, the open cockpit, the views out of the cockpit, the feeling that you fly, and just beaty,... because this plane is realy beauty. And with 20mm shvaks you can also have 4-5 planes down for  1 take off.

 

Anytime I just want to take off and fly around the airfield just for the feeling from the flight, I take Polikarpov I-16.

Love that!

[ST_Pirato]

I saw you in action last evening, enemy aircraft where literally falling out of the sky everywhere lol

[Y29.Layin_Scunion]

Definitely the most fun aircraft to fly and fighting against an E-3 is by far the most enjoyable matchup in the sim in my opinion.