How do you shoot down airplanes?

[Requiem]

Tried sending you a PM Pat but your inbox must be full. Have a look in the first post of my tutorial thread to find what you're looking for. The two videos and gunnery supplement I've made so far about this topic have improved many people's shooting.

There is lots of info already but Roblex's advice is very good regarding position. High angle deflection shots are great when you can pull them off but quite often you are better served improving your position behind the target before shooting unless they are clearly outmaneuvering you.

 

[TWC_Ace]

If I have energy advantage (which usually is a case when Im on someones 6) Im doing high yoyo and then deflection shooting. Deflection shooting is very important. 

[Wolfram-Harms]

I admit I am not advanced enough to aim for any special part of the aircraft.

 

All I am trying to improve is, to fire at a point slightly in front of the EA, and then let the stream of fire saw through the target.
I use the cannon only when I am very close; the machine guns on mid distance.

[=EXPEND=Tripwire]

I'll take any hit on a fighter. I don't aim for any parts, I aim to make the most rounds count and that's right down the center. Don't over think it. Getting the right lead on a plane eventually becomes a guesstimate not a science - especially during snapshots when there isn't time to do more than react to the situation at hand.

 

Only bombers do I consciously aim for engines or the radiator under the IL2, but then I have all the time in the world to line those shots up comparatively speaking.

[-SF-Disarray]

That strikes me as a bit paradoxical, wanting to make the most of the ammo you have available but just aiming for center mass anyway. Granted there isn't much empty space in a fighter so, chances are you'll end up hitting something that would be better off without a bullet in it, but it is largely up to luck that what you hit is critical. This means you will use more ammo to bring a target down than if you are picking your target area with deliberation. putting a shot into the engine or tail surfaces of a plane isn't like lining up a rifle shot at 1000 m. In actuality you are aiming at general areas. Add to that the relatively high MOA of the weapons and high speed of both shooter and target you can't aim the same way you would a long range rifle. This general area aiming isn't that hard at all once you understand the gun-sight and basic principals of shooting moving things. Sure hitting things off the center line is more difficult, but not that much more so. Hitting things on the center line but further forward or back from center mass is really quite easy though. You just aim further forward or further back than you already are, assuming you aren't sitting dead six on your target.

[Gambit21]

The instinctive snapshot always served me well.

Often no time to plan or calculate,  you don't know that it's about to happen, just an instant when you know where to put a short burst because although he's not there, he will be in the next instant.

 

[II/JG17_HerrMurf]

Sorry, but I post Dart's old videos everytime this comes up.

 

 

And this one too by Ruhland - especially good for crossing and snap shots.