Fw190 A8

[InProgress]

What's up with it? :/ It's so weird to fly and feels really slow, I was testing it for a while and was not able to shot down anything (even that ww1 planes) I was keep falling into spin and climbing power was so weak. When jumping back to A5, it's a far cry from. So nice to boom and zoom, can even turn a bit. And with A8 you lose all your speed instantly. I don't know... it feels really weird, completly diffrent feeling than A3 or 5. Any thoughts about it?

[Barnacles]

Thought the same as you. One point to note though is its fuel capacity is higher, so at 100% fuel it's significantly heavier than the a5.

[InProgress]

Actually i thought about that later and took only 60%. Still, my experience is worst than A5 with 100%... I don't know, maybe there is something wrong or it's just like that. But for 1944-45 plane scenarios it feels really weak.

[Barnacles]

Agree that it's actually a step backwards from the A3/5 as a tool to get yourself kills on your average dogfight server. If you think about what it was used for it makes sense to attack bomber formation and airbases with an a8 rather than the earlier models. Wouldn't want to face a Spit IX online in one though.

I think it may just be like that. If you look online it says that the increased emergency setting only gave around 25kmh at 1.65 Ata in gear 2. Even less in gear 1. That combined with the extra weight over the a5 means that your "upgrade" from the a5 probably gives you a small increase in level speed and more firepower traded against a heavier plane.

[MiloMorai]

34 minutes ago, 71st_AH_Barnacles said:

Thought the same as you. One point to note though is its fuel capacity is higher, so at 100% fuel it's significantly heavier than the a5.

 

According to the manuals for the A-5 and A-8 both carried the same amount of internal fuel, 232l and 292 l for 524l total.

 

http://www.wwiiaircraftperformance.org/fw190/Fw-190_A-5_A-6_Aircraft_Hand_book.pdf

http://www.qattara.it/Documents/fw190a8.pdf

[=362nd_FS=RoflSeal]

3 minutes ago, MiloMorai said:

 

According to the manuals for the A-5 and A-8 both carried the same amount of internal fuel, 232l and 292 l for 524l total.

 

http://www.wwiiaircraftperformance.org/fw190/Fw-190_A-5_A-6_Aircraft_Hand_book.pdf

http://www.qattara.it/Documents/fw190a8.pdf

Read page 117 in the A-8 pdf

From September 1944, A-8s are delivered with a 115l rear tank. If you look at the ingame A-8, you can see it has 115l more fuel.

[Barnacles]

5 minutes ago, MiloMorai said:

 

According to the manuals for the A-5 and A-8 both carried the same amount of internal fuel, 232l and 292 l for 524l total.

 

http://www.wwiiaircraftperformance.org/fw190/Fw-190_A-5_A-6_Aircraft_Hand_book.pdf

http://www.qattara.it/Documents/fw190a8.pdf

Oh, the version in game has way over 600l. Maybe there were variants within the mark number?

[=362nd_FS=RoflSeal]

52 minutes ago, InProgress said:

What's up with it? ? It's so weird to fly and feels really slow, I was testing it for a while and was not able to shot down anything (even that ww1 planes) I was keep falling into spin and climbing power was so weak. When jumping back to A5, it's a far cry from. So nice to boom and zoom, can even turn a bit. And with A8 you lose all your speed instantly. I don't know... it feels really weird, completly diffrent feeling than A3 or 5. Any thoughts about it?

The A-8 has nearly 300kg higher empty weight then the A-5, this is a significant amount for a single engine fighter

[InProgress]

So A8 is not something you would like to dogfight in? It's better to use it as bomber killer and ground attacker? Is D version going to be more like a fighter or the same as A8?

[=362nd_FS=RoflSeal]

19 minutes ago, InProgress said:

So A8 is not something you would like to dogfight in? It's better to use it as bomber killer and ground attacker? Is D version going to be more like a fighter or the same as A8?

Yes, D-9 is lighter and it has more horsepower

[Barnacles]

25 minutes ago, InProgress said:

So A8 is not something you would like to dogfight in? It's better to use it as bomber killer and ground attacker? Is D version going to be more like a fighter or the same as A8?

I think I'd struggle against the allied BoBP fighter planes in an A8, the D9 will be the one to take them on with

[II/JG17_HerrMurf]

I'm doing fine in the a8, online, as a BNZ. Outran a Spit Mk IX on the deck over several minutes as well. She does not seem to climb as well as the other A series and I never turn more than 180 degrees in pursuit of any allied AC that has an able pilot at the controls. High speed, good firepower and excellent roll.......stay off the elevators as much as possible below about 550 kph.

Edited July 22, 2018 by II/JG17_HerrMurf

[Jizzo]

34 minutes ago, InProgress said:

So A8 is not something you would like to dogfight in?

A8 will be the worst dogfighter from the BoBP Axis-Pistonaircraft.

 

34 minutes ago, InProgress said:

It's better to use it as bomber killer and ground attacker?

Bomber-killer is where the A8 really shines, especially with the improved pilot-protection and the 2x Mk-108.

So does the F8 for Ground-attack.

34 minutes ago, InProgress said:

Is D version going to be more like a fighter or the same as A8?

Fighter all the way!

Edited July 22, 2018 by Jizzo

[LukeFF]

Hate to be that guy to say it, but it all depends on how well the pilot flies the plane. Yes, while the A-8 is/was heavier, that didn't prevent pilots in both the West and the East from scoring consistently with it (Robert Weiss, Josef Priller, etc.).

[Livai]

You cry because of the 115l in the rear? - ridiculous - if this 115l tank is empty the plane appear the same as the A-5 or better.

 

[Arsenal53]

this A8 has a very slow speed increase, even in dive and is built as a tank! i've made a test with a A8 with three SC 250, started a vertical dive from 5800m ,full emergency power and full trim down 390 kmh IAS, 800kmh IAS is reached at approximately 3000m and start the recovery with full trim and full joystick up always with all my bomb load. Just a little blackout , lost an aileron because my speed exceeded 850 kmh IAS but i didn't rip off my wings. Is that plane not too much strong?

[=EXPEND=Tripwire]

4 minutes ago, Livai said:

You cry because of the 115l in the rear? - ridiculous - if this 115l tank is empty the plane appear the same as the A-5 or better.

 

Perhaps a language barrier here.

I don't see anyone crying about the 115L, they are trying to understand the difference in performance of the plane.

 

[MiloMorai]

The 115l is an auxiliary tank to supplement the regular tanks (like those used in the Spit and P-51) and as one Fw190 expert once said could be installed or removed depending on the mission to be flown.

[JtD]

In terms of flight performance, the A-8 is a lot better than earlier Fw190ies between 3000 and 5000m. Above or below that, it essentially is just heavier. In terms of firepower, it's twice as good at all altitudes.

[II/JG17_HerrMurf]

1 minute ago, JtD said:

In terms of flight performance, the A-8 is a lot better than earlier Fw190ies between 3000 and 5000m. Above or below that, it essentially is just heavier. In terms of firepower, it's twice as good at all altitudes.

 

Need someone to do quality flight testing, deck, 2k, 3k, 5k, 10k. Level speed, climb rate, turn rate. Compare all of the A series 190's in game. I'm not technical enough to get proper results.

[Lusekofte]

Could it be like the P 51 ? pilots did empty the tank behind the cockpit first then the drop tanks . Is it a mechanism  that give you that choice in BOX?

I am sorry I did not know we got the A 8 , I will run down and try it out now

[II/JG17_HerrMurf]

If you pre-ordered Bodenplatte, it released with the last update.

[MiloMorai]

3 minutes ago, LuseKofte said:

Could it be like the P 51 ? pilots did empty the tank behind the cockpit first then the drop tanks . Is it a mechanism  that give you that choice in BOX?

I am sorry I did not know we got the A 8 , I will run down and try it out now

 

No, P-51 pilots left about 25% in the Aux tank.

[II/JG17_HerrMurf]

I think that is just a language thing. The P-51 aux tank did need to be used first for COG issues, then drops, then mains. Not that it had to be completely drained.

[GridiroN]

In my testing of the A8, I didn't find it particularly slow...but I didn't really test. I noted it's climb felt poor, and it had a STRONG desire to nose down. I needed like +60 trim to fly level with anything equipped.

 

It was also useless with panzerblitz equipped. I spent 2 days trying to capture footage for my recent video and spent most of it crashing into things with the rocket racks equipped...I would suggest just bombing tanks instead. Or Mk108'ing them and using the A8 like a better Hs129. 

Edited July 22, 2018 by GridiroN

[303_Bies]

FW190A-8 is 300kg heavier than A5, it has 2 additional MG151/20. It is havier so it is obvious it is less nimble even with the same amount of fuel.

With Erhohte Notleistung, especially on 2-nd gear, it is still faster than A5 and it climbs equally, and you can use this power for 10 minutes - in A5 - 3 minutes.

[InProgress]

Not saying it's bad plane, just my technique of flying in A3/5 does not work here at all. I guess it's something that needs re training to get used to. The slower acceleration completely kills my tactics ? I start to panicking because it does not do what A5 did and I am losing even more speed by trying to do my stuff ;D

 

1 hour ago, Livai said:

You cry because of the 115l in the rear? - ridiculous - if this 115l tank is empty the plane appear the same as the A-5 or better.

 

You don't have to be mean here, no one is crying. I am just asking what's with A8 since it has completely different feeling than 3 or 5. And like others said, it's not just a tank, additional 300kg of armor is also a big thing when it comes to flying. And how is it better? It was already said it's not as good as climbing and acceleration as earlier models, so it's not better in that aspect.

18 minutes ago, GridiroN said:

Or Mk108'ing them and using the A8 like a better Hs129. 

But it has only HE ammo, doesn't it?

 

16 minutes ago, bies said:

With Erhohte Notleistung, especially on 2-nd gear, it is still faster than A5 and it climbs equally, and you can use this power for 10 minutes - in A5 - 3 minutes

2nd gear you mean that boost on thing? Ok you meant supercharger.

Edited July 22, 2018 by InProgress

[Barnacles]

1 minute ago, InProgress said:

Not saying it's bad plane, just my technique of flying in A3/5 does not work here at all. I guess it's something that needs re training to get used to. The slower acceleration completely kills my tactics ? I start to panicking because it does not do what A5 did and I am losing even more speed by trying to do my stuff ;D

 

 

Agree, it needs to be flown in a 'late war' style. A possible reason for sluggishness is that it seems to suffer particularly from the black hole in power just before the supercharger shift. The boost button does nothing at that altitude.

[InProgress]

1 hour ago, LukeFF said:

Hate to be that guy to say it, but it all depends on how well the pilot flies the plane.

Well yea, but jumping there from A5, without any knowledge or experience. It's like someone makes you drive manual car when you never seen it and entire life used auto probably if I would switch to A8 in west and fly it all the time, I would get way better. It was just my first impression. I am not ace but I have no problem killing waves of russian AI in QM one after another until ammo gone in A5. And when first tried A8, I could not anything (I shot down il2 tho, but it took me quite a while).

Edited July 22, 2018 by InProgress

[GridiroN]

15 minutes ago, 71st_AH_Barnacles said:

Agree, it needs to be flown in a 'late war' style. A possible reason for sluggishness is that it seems to suffer particularly from the black hole in power just before the supercharger shift. The boost button does nothing at that altitude.

 

Don't know if you're referring to something more serious, but all 190s suffer from a power drop between 2400-2700 before the supercharger shifts gears IIRC.  It's best to stay out of the 2k range when in 190s. 

Edited July 22, 2018 by GridiroN

[JtD]

20 minutes ago, InProgress said:

But it has only HE ammo, doesn't it?

 

Mineshells, actually. They don't work against tanks.

 

"Es tut die Mine einem Panzer, soviel als wie ein Floh dem Landser." (Schiessfibel)

 

1 minute ago, GridiroN said:

Don't know if you're referring to something more serious, but all 190s suffer from a power drop between 2400-2700 before the supercharger shifts gears IIRC.  It's best to stay out of the 2k range when in 190s.

 

It's actually worse in the A-8 than it is in the older models, because even with erhöhte Notleistung, the supercharger changes at the same altitude. This means that where the older models lose a couple of hp in particular on the way down, the A-8 loses 200 more, in particular on the way up (where you really need them). This is the reason I recommend to stay between 3000 and 5000m. Here you get the full benefit of the increased boost, 15% more power compared to 3minute power, 30% compared to 30minute power of the old models. Even if it handles worse, that extra power is very noticeable.

[GridiroN]

2 minutes ago, JtD said:

 

Mineshells, actually. They don't work against tanks.

 

"Es tut die Mine einem Panzer, soviel als wie ein Floh dem Landser." (Schiessfibel)

 

 

It's actually worse in the A-8 than it is in the older models, because even with erhöhte Notleistung, the supercharger changes at the same altitude. This means that where the older models lose a couple of hp in particular on the way down, the A-8 loses 200 more, in particular on the way up (where you really need them). This is the reason I recommend to stay between 3000 and 5000m. Here you get the full benefit of the increased boost, 15% more power compared to 3minute power, 30% compared to 30minute power of the old models. Even if it handles worse, that extra power is very noticeable.

 

Excellent to know. Thanks. Personally, I'll be flying the A8 because the skins for it are gorgeous ?

[Barnacles]

9 minutes ago, GridiroN said:

 

Don't know if you're referring to something more serious, but all 190s suffer from a power drop between 2400-2700 before the supercharger shifts gears IIRC.  It's best to stay out of the 2k range when in 190s. 

Yeah it seems to suffer more than the others. The enhanced emergency power system overrides the mpr, so you lose even more power

[InProgress]

Oh I was actually flying on 2-3k, so probably it was one of the reasons why it was so bad.

 

I am curious about that supercharger. It will be switching 1/2 gear every time you change altitude? On that 2400 or so. So if you will be flying on 2-3k up and down it will be changing gears all the time and make it even worst?

Edited July 22, 2018 by InProgress

[GridiroN]

Oh, I also noticed when running on combat, the thing heats very quickly. I have to 100% the cowl. The A5 can remain within threshold with 25% for me usually. 

[LuftManu]

I love this Fw 190. I love every part of it.

It is a heavy plane and you must use that in your advantage. You have a lot of firepower but most important, lots of options for air to ground job. The A8 has also increased range with more fuel and you can even get your pilot with a reinforced cockpit. That thing can withstand damage.

 

It may appear the "G6" version of the 109, heavy weapons and a bad result but it is not, at least for me. It's more tactical than early variants. Energy can be your ally or your enemy very fast. The increased boost without turbo or something that runs out it's also great as you can push it and get a really fast plane on the deck. You only need to take more care on the temps.

 

With this plane you only need one opportunity to take down a fighter and most bombers.

 

I found out that it has a lot of drag but if you only carry the ETC 501 you can make a thing out of it. If you need to destroy a facility or make some mess on the ground 3x 250 is decent loadout. I found out that high Yoyo,s on a mid height combat (3.000 to 5.000m) are really useful and on a dive you can get away from the enemy. Also, it loves to keep energy if you extend on the horizontal, push your temps and run.

I love it.

 

As many have said here, it is not a plane for a newcomer to the Fw 190. I rather recommend taking some spins on a lighter A3/A5 before this one. It's not a better dogfither but it is a better plane overall. The thing you need to make progress on a war.

Edited July 22, 2018 by LF_ManuV

[Livai]

44 minutes ago, InProgress said:

You don't have to be mean here, no one is crying. I am just asking what's with A8 since it has completely different feeling than 3 or 5. And like others said, it's not just a tank, additional 300kg of armor is also a big thing when it comes to flying. And how is it better? It was already said it's not as good as climbing and acceleration as earlier models, so it's not better in that aspect.

 

Depends which loadout you fly different loadouts different extra weights and with how many fuel you take with you then what tactic you use against your enemy. I fly the A-8 same as good as the 3 or 5. Climbing with the 190 with a plane that fall behind 1min behind the 109 in climbing. There are much better tricks than climbing...........................

 

 

 

[InProgress]

43 minutes ago, Livai said:

 

Depends which loadout you fly different loadouts different extra weights and with how many fuel you take with you then what tactic you use against your enemy. I fly the A-8 same as good as the 3 or 5. Climbing with the 190 with a plane that fall behind 1min behind the 109 in climbing. There are much better tricks than climbing...........................

 

 

 

As I see it 300kg is default. It's engine armor that was 6mm and is now 10mm. You can get additional armor glass and sides for pilot as mod + you already have more guns and can get even more as mod. So it's already heavier even without more fuel. 

Like somone said, acceleration when you dive is also lower, would be nice to get some testing but first impression is that it's indeed slower in diving. It may be faster in normal flight but it's not A5.

I don't know why you keep insisting that it's so great and everything. It was already said multiple times, even with some facts and data about losing hp when supercharger switches. It has great guns, lots of bombs and nice armor. Seems like perfect plane to attack bombers and ground targets. I don't see why making it a super fighter if I clearly wasn't one. Yeah if you are Hartmann then you will do great in it too. But there are better planes that fit for doghtigt than A8.

It will probably be main plane for me in bodenplatte but I will make sure to attack B25, ground stuff and occasionally fighters if I will have surprise effect and alt advantage and then run away, it doesn't feel like something I would stay for longer fights. Especially vs late spitfires that will get behind you before you turn 90 degrees 

 

And I can't be the only one, multiple times I read about RAF pilot's engagements withand fw190. I don't know version but from their experience, they were often attacked from above and it was just one pass. 190 did not seem to like engaging in typical combat. But that's just from one squadron opinion in years 42-45.

Edited July 22, 2018 by InProgress

[LuftManu]

24 minutes ago, InProgress said:

 

I don't know why you keep insisting that it's so great and everything. It was already said multiple times, even with some facts and data about losing hp when supercharger switches. It has great guns, lots of bombs and nice armor. Seems like perfect plane to attack bombers and ground targets. I don't see why making it a super fighter if I clearly wasn't one. Yeah if you are Hartmann then you will do great in it too. But there are better planes that fit for doghtigt than A8.

 

But it is not a dogfigther. In good hands it can dogfight but it won't be as good as a ligther A3/A5. Energy fighting is the best thing here. You have superior weaponry, loadouts, range, armor, cockpit instruments and boost than before.

 

Combat here is more think before act than ever before as your energy management must be better. Climbing is a thing you won't do even in a A3

 

The Fw 190 are machines hard to employ in combat, A8 being the most difficulty I think. I won't recommend this plane to anyone who has low ammount of experience on a A5. People used to fight on A5 will definetly welcome (as myself) those advantages that come with the A8. I might miss the agility of older models but heck, agility at low speed/horizontal turn and climbing were things to do with extra care on a FW to begin with.

 

I would take any day a Dora for fighting against fighters but you can still hold your own on a A8 as you would do with A5 but with better enemy aircraft.

 

Also, thank you for starting this thread and all the comments! Lots of tips for everyone!

Edited July 22, 2018 by LF_ManuV

[-SF-Disarray]

In my limited experience with the plane it seems to be better suited to bomber intercept and ground strike duty. Of all the planes in the game currently I think it may be the second best attacker, beat out by the IL 2. When you put on the 30 mm cannons it can shred bombers and with the payload of bombs and rockets you can do significant damage to ground targets. I haven't tried it much as a fighter though, but based on what I have seen when playing around doing strafing runs and bombing attacks I can see that it would have trouble keeping up a sustained fight where the A 3 and 5 would not have issue.