Dare I ask? Getting the most out of the P-39

[JonRedcorn]

19 hours ago, Sublime said:

Better man than me

btw speaking of which. I shot a few regular mg rounds bt accident into a P40 lmy third MP session.  He didnt even smoke and instantly I apologized. This dude msgd me for 40 mins accussing me of doing it on purpose.lol .  smh.

sorry but a P40 DOES from 6 o clock slight low look sorta me109ish especially closing very fast. 

still couldnt believe dude spent 45 min haranguing me on chat when - he flew on and got kills. I stopped shooting almost instantly. Apologized first.

Smh. The pitfalls of MP. I wish sometimes I could turn off the txt chat or have it like dcs as a little icon that i have to hit a button for the window to appear

this would also help ppl like me with less money and no headset who need to use txt sometimes and get bersted by ppl saying "stay off the chat!!!"  At least make the beep optional so they cant complain

You can turn the beep off and you can hide the hud which hides the chat.

[Sublime]

@JonRedcorn how do you turn off the beep??  Same as hiding hud?

[LP1888]

Can the p39 out turn an 109 ?

Edited May 11, 2019 by LP1888

[Sublime]

2 hours ago, LP1888 said:

Can the p39 out turn an 109 ?

Doesnt feel like it to me.  Ill let a better pilot answer tho

[Cpt_Siddy]

21 hours ago, Sublime said:

Doesnt feel like it to me.  Ill let a better pilot answer tho

 

Short answer is: no

 

Long answer is it depends on the energy state, but 109 has better wing loading and power to weight ratio and slats, so anything slow and sustained is no go in 39.

Edited May 12, 2019 by CptSiddy

[Fennec]

Yeah it is a difficult question.

 

Basically the P39 cannot out turn the 109 overall , but then you have to specify which 109, what " speed range", and whether you use flaps or not.

 

What the P39 does really well is instantaneous turn (bleeding massive E in the process) or high angle of attack sudden turn.  What he does not do well is sustaining speed in these turns even with "ideal" rad settings (to minimize drag)

 

The P39 at medium speed, meaning anything between 350kph (approx 200mph) up until 500ish kph (something like 300mph) will be rather close to a 109 in the first few turns and won't be out turned by it.  But to keep up with the 109 is a different matter as the 109 will bleed less energy in the sustained turn and eventually gain separation or altitude in the turn.

 

In general you don't want to play the sustained turning game with the 109, but in some cases you can turn as tight initially (for maybe say 1- 2 full circles) and get enough lead to shoot him down in deflection.

 

Like Siddy said , it is highly dependent on energy states. If you have more energy/speed initially, you can sustain the turn longer.  The issue is that if you fall below 200mph, you are basically dead in a P39... it will take you a long time to regain speed. The 109 can do that because it doesnt stall/spin as easily and accelerates much better so he can recover his speed much quicker while turning. 

 

Overall they are pretty close if you are talking about turning for a few circles, but the longer you are involved in the turn, the more dangerous it can get for you. 

 

At high speed, it is likely that the P39 is slightly better though i cannot confirm since i have rarely gotten into this situation online if ever. But as a rule, you do not want to turn with 109s unless you are light on fuel load, removed wing guns, have more energy than him, have a healthy reserve of emergency/combat power timer, and you are not facing a 109 "Friedrich" model because if it is a F4, I would say just forget about turning with them. 

Edited May 12, 2019 by Fennec

[Sublime]

Yes I forgot to add this.  The p39 at speed has great turns etc.. Nasty spin.  Problem is you lose that airspeed and irs just gone.  You.ll see enemy planes just fly away from you more often than most fighters..

If youre a really really good shot witj the P39 thats key is 

1. Knowing the plane inside n out

2 beinf a rlly good shot

3 boom n zoom

4 luck luck luck

[Ehret]

Using the great instantaneous turn rate of the P-39L is good and effective tactic but it must be set properly. You have to run fast in a shallow dive; faster than 300mph IAS but not more than the 450mph/IAS. Turn WEP then and initiate turn riding on the edge of complete blackout. There is little chance that enemy would be able to follow; you can reverse position and still be able to gain a sniping shot at the now (usually) climbing enemy. If it failed then nose down to accelerate and run away or set up the trick again.

 

It's very good when played defensively - as long you have speed (+300mph/IAS) and altitude (for accelerating quickly lost speed in hard turns) the enemy should not be able to keep a gun solution on you. Once you are at the ground you run but just before that make sure the direction will be towards friends or friendly AF. If you are stuck in high speed chase at the deck in wrong direction then you are screwed in the P-39L. You will not have enough time to reverse without risking a merge because of that #*$*#* timer.

[Sublime]

1 hour ago, Ehret said:

Using the great instantaneous turn rate of the P-39L is good and effective tactic but it must be set properly. You have to run fast in a shallow dive; faster than 300mph IAS but not more than the 450mph/IAS. Turn WEP then and initiate turn riding on the edge of complete blackout. There is little chance that enemy would be able to follow; you can reverse position and still be able to gain a sniping shot at the now (usually) climbing enemy. If it failed then nose down to accelerate and run away or set up the trick again.

 

It's very good when played defensively - as long you have speed (+300mph/IAS) and altitude (for accelerating quickly lost speed in hard turns) the enemy should not be able to keep a gun solution on you. Once you are at the ground you run but just before that make sure the direction will be towards friends or friendly AF. If you are stuck in high speed chase at the deck in wrong direction then you are screwed in the P-39L. You will not have enough time to reverse without risking a merge because of that #*$*#* timer.

This is peefect advice.

All i can add is this advice is all USELESS if youre not a better than aberage shot. You cam get away with being average at shooting but the P39 you better be good and make those shots count.  The only way Ive ever seen say a 4 on 4 with p39s on one side win a fight is if they start downing enemies quick.  You kill quick you got a chance. If yore not killing them in 60 seconds provably will die.

Add to that you got 3 diff types of weapons. I highly recommend getting ur convergence and distances down pat and also strafing and using it against AI to "feel" how much lead u need for what guns and especially that 37mm.  If you can hit your targets with it the snap turns can wreak havoc - it doesnt matter if it doesnt retain ejergy if a headon shot blows apart an enemy and a snap turn you down another - psychologically alone..

and even without death psychomogy does happem in game. Theres a few names I recog ize and when I see them in MP on the other team I admit Im a little more jumpy

[Medicated]

On 5/8/2019 at 7:56 AM, Rekt said:

 

Haha yeah I'll take whatever I can get. I do like flying underdogs...took the P-40 on Berloga BEFORE they fixed the flight model LOL. Ironically though it was so rare on that server that I kept getting shot down by my own team.

 

I just recently got back in to the game after a good 1-1.5 years of a break. What exactly did they change with the FM on the P-40? I kinda liked flying it in the past but I always felt more wobbly than other planes so I was never very good at using it effectively. 

[Velxra]

28 minutes ago, Medicated said:

 

I just recently got back in to the game after a good 1-1.5 years of a break. What exactly did they change with the FM on the P-40? I kinda liked flying it in the past but I always felt more wobbly than other planes so I was never very good at using it effectively. 

 

Welcome back! I hope you enjoy the improved flight model and damage model compared to a year ago. I do not have the P40 so I cannot say the difference. But flying is definitely more natural feeling and bullets actually do acceptable or as expected damage now. Albeit, wings still fall off a little more than preferred.

 

On 5/12/2019 at 9:35 AM, Sublime said:

Add to that you got 3 diff types of weapons. I highly recommend getting ur convergence and distances down pat and also strafing and using it against AI to "feel" how much lead u need for what guns and especially that 37mm.  If you can hit your targets with it the snap turns can wreak havoc - it doesnt matter if it doesnt retain ejergy if a headon shot blows apart an enemy and a snap turn you down another

I've only toyed around with the P39, so I'm by far no expert. But if distance accuracy is key for this plane. Then I highly suggest trying 500m for convergence then practice sniping trucks on quick mission. I'm an avid ground pound pilot and for most accuracy I have found 500m to be the green zone for accurate fire over distance. (Stuka should be at 300m though for tanks) Now I know I know, all the hartmanns out there will say the less convergence the better regardless. But for distance shots a longer convergence will help the most in zapping planes further away or just out of normal reach.  Hope this helps.

[Sublime]

2 hours ago, Geronimo553 said:

 

Welcome back! I hope you enjoy the improved flight model and damage model compared to a year ago. I do not have the P40 so I cannot say the difference. But flying is definitely more natural feeling and bullets actually do acceptable or as expected damage now. Albeit, wings still fall off a little more than preferred.

 

I've only toyed around with the P39, so I'm by far no expert. But if distance accuracy is key for this plane. Then I highly suggest trying 500m for convergence then practice sniping trucks on quick mission. I'm an avid ground pound pilot and for most accuracy I have found 500m to be the green zone for accurate fire over distance. (Stuka should be at 300m though for tanks) Now I know I know, all the hartmanns out there will say the less convergence the better regardless. But for distance shots a longer convergence will help the most in zapping planes further away or just out of normal reach.  Hope this helps.

Youre 100% right. I set mine at 300 but for ground attack i set it to 500 and 500 is the sweet spot for grnd attack so.. Your reasoning makes perfect since for longer range aerial shots.  Sometimes the obvious isnt so obvious

[69TD_Hajo_Garlic]

19 hours ago, Sublime said:

Youre 100% right. I set mine at 300 but for ground attack i set it to 500 and 500 is the sweet spot for grnd attack so.. Your reasoning makes perfect since for longer range aerial shots.  Sometimes the obvious isnt so obvious

I do 600 for everything except the stuka with the 37mms.  I dont really get why everyone likes their convergence so close, I've never had an enemy fly between wing .50s or 20mms.  I feel like when I get closer than 200m I get hit by parts falling off the enemy a/c

[Sublime]

Idk.  Its just how I roll. I dont use wing guns much tbh.  However I do see my rounds part ways on occasion at 300