Aircraft Differences

[Brimstone]

Hello everyone,

 

Is there some resource (video, article, forum thread, etc) that explains the differences, as in the strengths and weaknesses, of the aircraft in BoX? I know there are hard stats that can be looked at, but they don't seem to cover details like what altitudes an aircraft's engine performs best at. Details like those obviously matter when flying against other planes. Of course I may be incorrect in my interpretation of what statistics are available, in which case feel free to correct me.

 

Thanks in advance!

VF

[Mesha44]

THis is the best basic source of information on aircraft and the basic flight charactoristics https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gopYmJ4v_dk&list=PLnyigzFtHeNquPvKFr3mazkk_VK0JpxUw

 

Chuck Owl wrote a great guide as well, sadly I cannot find the direct link, but if you read through this section of the forums you should be able to find it, if someone hasn't posted before me with the link

 

https://forum.il2sturmovik.com/forum/82-manuals-tutorials-guides-and-tips/

 

Found the guide http://www.simulatedaircombat.com/Luftwaffe/sites/default/files/Chuck%20Il-2%20Battle%20of%20Stalingrad%20Guide.pdf

Edited February 8, 2018 by Mesha44

[Fidelity]

Funny you should ask. A couple weeks ago I actually started building a website that allows you to compare aircraft against each other and also provides performance data. Will just need to figure out how I'm gonna host it.

[PatrickAWlson]

Searching "Chuck" and "Battle of Stalingrad" should get you to Chuck's document.

 

In general, German planes tend to be faster.  Me109s are the best climbers.  FW190s are the best divers.  German planes tend to work best when they keep their speed and altitude.  German planes are also much easier to fly with many functions automated.

 

Russians: more or less the opposite.  They tend to be better turners and better at lower altitudes.  Their systems are much more manual and require much greater engine management.

 

Then there are distinctions between the planes on each side.  Me109 has great climb, good speed, and good low speed handling making it an effective turn fighter as well as working with B&Z tactics..  However, it stiffens up at high speeds.  FW190 has great roll, dive, and high speed handling.  However, it is a really awful turn fighter.

 

Yak is probably the best turn fighter in the game.  LaGG 3 is not really a very good plane.  Lag 5 is sort of a FW190 lite - not as good as the FW190's strengths and not as bad as the FW190s weaknesses.

[ShamrockOneFive]

I've been putting together a "gazetteer" of IL-2 aircraft. It's not an in-depth guide like some of the others but something more fun and glanceable. You're welcome to check it out and see if it serves your purposes or not: https://stormbirds.blog/aircraft-gazetteer/

 

Another resource is the Flight and Technical specs that 1CGS provides to us in the tutorials and manuals section of the forum: https://forum.il2sturmovik.com/topic/25993-aircraft-flight-and-technical-specifications-and-operational/

 

Every aircraft currently available with technical specifications including climb, turn, armament, and engine settings. Very useful as a reference.

 

LaGG 3 is not really a very good plane.

 

Sorry to isolate just the one point you were making there Patrick but I just wrote an article about the LaGG-3 comparing it to some of the other Russian aircraft and I think its reputation is not fully deserved. Though it came last in many of my categories I was legitimately surprised at how close it is to the Yak-1 Series 69 in performance. The Series 29 LaGG-3 itself being a refined version of some earlier series that were legitimately terrible in nearly all respects. Between 0 and 2000 meters its actually only a hair behind the Yak-1 in speed and its roll rate is quite a bit faster.

 

https://stormbirds.blog/2018/02/04/revisiting-the-lagg-3/

 

It's not as bad as I had assumed and well worth revisiting for many players that may have written it off.

Edited February 9, 2018 by ShamrockOneFive

[Brimstone]

THis is the best basic source of information on aircraft and the basic flight charactoristics https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gopYmJ4v_dk&list=PLnyigzFtHeNquPvKFr3mazkk_VK0JpxUw

 

Chuck Owl wrote a great guide as well, sadly I cannot find the direct link, but if you read through this section of the forums you should be able to find it, if someone hasn't posted before me with the link

 

https://forum.il2sturmovik.com/forum/82-manuals-tutorials-guides-and-tips/

 

Found the guide http://www.simulatedaircombat.com/Luftwaffe/sites/default/files/Chuck%20Il-2%20Battle%20of%20Stalingrad%20Guide.pdf

 

Thank you, is the guide up to date?

Funny you should ask. A couple weeks ago I actually started building a website that allows you to compare aircraft against each other and also provides performance data. Will just need to figure out how I'm gonna host it.

That'd be neat.

 

Searching "Chuck" and "Battle of Stalingrad" should get you to Chuck's document.

 

In general, German planes tend to be faster.  Me109s are the best climbers.  FW190s are the best divers.  German planes tend to work best when they keep their speed and altitude.  German planes are also much easier to fly with many functions automated.

 

Russians: more or less the opposite.  They tend to be better turners and better at lower altitudes.  Their systems are much more manual and require much greater engine management.

 

Then there are distinctions between the planes on each side.  Me109 has great climb, good speed, and good low speed handling making it an effective turn fighter as well as working with B&Z tactics..  However, it stiffens up at high speeds.  FW190 has great roll, dive, and high speed handling.  However, it is a really awful turn fighter.

 

Yak is probably the best turn fighter in the game.  LaGG 3 is not really a very good plane.  Lag 5 is sort of a FW190 lite - not as good as the FW190's strengths and not as bad as the FW190s weaknesses.

+1

 

I've been putting together a "gazetteer" of IL-2 aircraft. It's not an in-depth guide like some of the others but something more fun and glanceable. You're welcome to check it out and see if it serves your purposes or not: https://stormbirds.blog/aircraft-gazetteer/

 

Another resource is the Flight and Technical specs that 1CGS provides to us in the tutorials and manuals section of the forum: https://forum.il2sturmovik.com/topic/25993-aircraft-flight-and-technical-specifications-and-operational/

 

Every aircraft currently available with technical specifications including climb, turn, armament, and engine settings. Very useful as a reference.

 

 

Sorry to isolate just the one point you were making there Patrick but I just wrote an article about the LaGG-3 comparing it to some of the other Russian aircraft and I think its reputation is not fully deserved. Though it came last in many of my categories I was legitimately surprised at how close it is to the Yak-1 Series 69 in performance. The Series 29 LaGG-3 itself being a refined version of some earlier series that were legitimately terrible in nearly all respects. Between 0 and 2000 meters its actually only a hair behind the Yak-1 in speed and its roll rate is quite a bit faster.

 

https://stormbirds.blog/2018/02/04/revisiting-the-lagg-3/

 

It's not as bad as I had assumed and well worth revisiting for many players that may have written it off.

I'll check it out, thanks.

[Y-29.Silky]

LaGG 3 is not really a very good plane.

 

Take that back!

[curiousGamblerr]

Funny you should ask. A couple weeks ago I actually started building a website that allows you to compare aircraft against each other and also provides performance data. Will just need to figure out how I'm gonna host it.

What's your application stack? Not sure how experienced you are but if you'd like someone to bounce ideas off of feel free to PM me. Even if you're not looking for help necessarily I'm interested in hearing about your project!

[D3adCZE]

...snip...

I'd like to add that VVS planes are much more forgiving if you make tactical mistake than LW planes. For LW planes, discipline must be your daily meal, or you are going to fail. And that failure will be: 

[Fidelity]

What's your application stack? Not sure how experienced you are but if you'd like someone to bounce ideas off of feel free to PM me. Even if you're not looking for help necessarily I'm interested in hearing about your project!

You seem to be unable to receive PM's.

 

I've only been working on HTML/CSS and Javascript for now. At this time I'm not using any additional frameworks. I haven't fully decided if I want to stay at this point or move deeper to making it database driven. If I decided to drive it via data I'll most likely use LAMP. It would also give me the opportunity to put some greater resource accessibility into it (i.e. Providing documents related to the aircraft) and would at the same time make information management much easier.

Edited February 9, 2018 by Fidelity

[TWC_Bulldog]

what is the best defence in a Lagg3 ..29 ?

[DD_Arthur]

10 minutes ago, TWC_Bulldog said:

what is the best defence in a Lagg3 ..29 ?

 

Lots of wingmen, preferably flying Yaks.

[41Sqn_Skipper]

26 minutes ago, DD_Arthur said:

 

Lots of wingmen, preferably flying Yaks.

 

It's vital to spot the enemy before they are in gun range, so you have enough time to bail out. Avoid flying over enemy territory or water. 

[Lusekofte]

29 minutes ago, DD_Arthur said:

 

Lots of wingmen, preferably flying Yaks.

What I like about this site, always a helpful advice ?

but seriously if you have to ask, it is the truth. 
you need to be able to point that cannon in the nose and hit whats coming to you. 
But Lagg became better at one point

[ShamrockOneFive]

2 hours ago, TWC_Bulldog said:

what is the best defence in a Lagg3 ..29 ?

 

A couple of things you can do in the LaGG. It has a very good roll rate so against Bf109s your best bet for a reversal is to suck the Bf109 into a higher speed fight and use rolling scissors to try and break the Bf109 off without bleeding all of your energy. The 109 has acceleration and climb advantage so you want to sucker him into slowing down. As with most fighters if you can be above and maintain energy throughout the engagement you'll be in a better position.

 

The LaGG-3 can turn decently but only for a short time. So limit hard turns to short brief ones to bring guns to bear. Try and keep your speed up during the turn. If things become desperate then trade altitude for angle aggressively but recognize that this is a gambit that you'll want to employ only if you think you have a chance of pulling it off.

 

IMHO, the LaGG-3 Series 29 is a far more refined fighter than the earlier LaGG series that defined its reputation as mediocre. While it's not better than the Bf109F-4 or G-2 in any capacity except roll rate, it is often close enough that good technique, superior positioning, and a little luck can overcome the difference.