The "Surprised, but I am liking this plane" thread

[Redwo1f]

Just for fun, this thread is not meant as a "what is the best plane" thread, but simply some unexpected aircraft that you are enjoying flying so far. ?

For me, I knew the Beaufighters would be amazing (and they are living up to that) and the Kitty Hawks are also fantastic too (just a shout out), but two planes I am unexpectedly quite enjoying are the Gladiator...and actually the....Blenheim ?.

 

What are your unexpected but pleasant discoveries in aircraft for you?

 

 

Edited August 7, 2020 by Redwo1f

[ATAG_Flare]

Tomahawk by far.

 

Buzzsaw was raving about this plane every time he talked about it on the forums, saying it was a lot better than it's reputation gave it. He was right.

 

It's a joy to fly, really easy on the controls. Dives like a maniac. It's got a pretty good punch and the RAF gunsight which personally I find way better than the US sight on the Martlet and Kittyhawk. Turns surpsiginly well, I was easily able to turn inside F-4s online, and was able to retain good E to fight them too at low-medium altitudes. Now this is all based off of only a few flights. But I am really enjoying the P-40C.

 

Honourable mentions to the D.520 - Cool looking cockpit and fun to fly if a little difficult. Had a good dogfight online against a Macchi until I blew my own enigne up!

[Buzzsaw]

33 minutes ago, ATAG_Flare said:

Tomahawk by far.

 

Buzzsaw was raving about this plane every time he talked about it on the forums, saying it was a lot better than it's reputation gave it. He was right.

 

It's a joy to fly, really easy on the controls. Dives like a maniac. It's got a pretty good punch and the RAF gunsight which personally I find way better than the US sight on the Martlet and Kittyhawk. Turns surpsiginly well, I was easily able to turn inside F-4s online, and was able to retain good E to fight them too at low-medium altitudes. Now this is all based off of only a few flights. But I am really enjoying the P-40C.

 

Honourable mentions to the D.520 - Cool looking cockpit and fun to fly if a little difficult. Had a good dogfight online against a Macchi until I blew my own enigne up!

If the Tomahawk is flown with an understanding it is not competitive at higher alts, then a pilot can do well in it.

 

It is possible to climb to high alt but the only tactic used up there should be diving attacks.... one pass at the objective, and then gone.

 

The good news is it will out dive the 109's.... however there is kryptonite to the Tomi... the Macchi C.202 is a very difficult beast to handle.... it will dive with the Tomi and maneuver better at high speeds... only in low speed turnfights will the Tomi come out on top... but the Macchi holds its energy much better.

[ATAG_Flare]

On 8/7/2020 at 4:56 PM, Buzzsaw said:

If the Tomahawk is flown with an understanding it is not competitive at higher alts, then a pilot can do well in it.

 

It is possible to climb to high alt but the only tactic used up there should be diving attacks.... one pass at the objective, and then gone.

 

The good news is it will out dive the 109's.... however there is kryptonite to the Tomi... the Macchi C.202 is a very difficult beast to handle.... it will dive with the Tomi and maneuver better at high speeds... only in low speed turnfights will the Tomi come out on top... but the Macchi holds its energy much better.

 

I got caught low and slow by a Macchi and a 109 together in a Tomahawk this evening. I remember from my one flight so far in the 202 that it didn't like to turn so when I was totally out of options I just went for a sustained turning fight, and managed to somehow maneuver kill both the 109 and the Macchi!

 

Then managed to escape a bounce from another F-4 and took him out after a few head ons (scary stuff but fun with those nose .50s) and some dogfighting.

 

That Tomahawk is an absolute blast. I haven't had a dissapointing flight in one yet.

[343KKT_Kintaro]

On 8/7/2020 at 7:28 PM, Redwo1f said:

What are your unexpected but pleasant discoveries in aircraft for you?

 

 

The Messerschmitt Bf 108 Taifun, definitely.

 

I never paid attention to her until I tried her recently and it turns out it's a real pleasure to take off on board this small civil aeroplane (although used with military purposes as a liaison aircraft by the Luftwaffe).

 

1. There's one lever that you have to pump several times if you want to raise or drop your undercarriage.

 

2. There are two seats in the front of the cokpit, side by side, and both are equipped with "twin" controls. In the simulation, you take a seat on the left, but you see on the right side how the "doubled" controls, when moving, stick to your own maning of the aircraft.

 

3. You look behind and, rather than banging against an armored plate your view discovers that rear seat bench for two/three people. This gives you the impression you are riding one luxury Mercedes-Benz motorcar.

 

4. Canopy opening is also quite odd and I still don't know how to open it if not combining my keyboard and the clickable device on the ceiling of the canopy.

 

5. Etc.

 

All of those features make this aeroplane an absolutely different experience. I sometimes take off on board a Taifun only for the pleasure of flying, knowing that there's nothing else to do on board if not manning an aircraft among the clouds...

[TRRA15]

The Martlet.

 

Though energy is none too easy to come by, managed wisely, it's seems to me a maneuverable energy fighter. Though having only 4 guns, they do hit hard.

 

The only downside is having to manually "crank" the LG to retract and extend. Granted, repeatedly hitting a keyboard key isn't as tiring as digging a ditch, but it is a distraction, especially when setting up a landing approach.

[zzzxxxxzzz]

12 minutes ago, TRRA15 said:

The only downside is having to manually "crank" the LG to retract and extend. Granted, repeatedly hitting a keyboard key isn't as tiring as digging a ditch, but it is a distraction, especially when setting up a landing approach.

 

You can hold down the keyboard key until the gear is extended or retracted, it is more comfortable that way

[343KKT_Kintaro]

38 minutes ago, TRRA15 said:

The Martlet.

 

Though energy is none too easy to come by, managed wisely, it's seems to me a maneuverable energy fighter. Though having only 4 guns, they do hit hard.

 

The only downside is having to manually "crank" the LG to retract and extend. Granted, repeatedly hitting a keyboard key isn't as tiring as digging a ditch, but it is a distraction, especially when setting up a landing approach.

 

 

For me, not in the "surprised, but I am liking this plane" category, because I had a positive bias on the Martlet, even before the Tobruk release last Summer. But I have no problem with the crank-actioned undercarriage mechanism. It is exactly the same with the F4F Wildcat in the old good times ("Pacific Fighters" and "IL-2 1946").

 

 

21 minutes ago, zzzxxxxzzz said:

You can hold down the keyboard key until the gear is extended or retracted, it is more comfortable that way

 

 

Absolutely ! No problem with the gear when operating a Martlet!

[TRRA15]

5 hours ago, zzzxxxxzzz said:

 

You can hold down the keyboard key until the gear is extended or retracted, it is more comfortable that way

I did not know that. Thanks for that fact. Ever since IL-2 1946 I've been doing that the hard way.

[ATAG_Flare]

Second post in here but after flying my first serious missions in the Dewoitine this weekend I will add that to my list.

 

It's more fun than my initial dogfights made it seem. Tricky bird but interesting nonetheless. If you land hits with the cannon it's a wing-shredding machine.

[Dagwoodyt]

11 hours ago, TRRA15 said:

I did not know that. Thanks for that fact. Ever since IL-2 1946 I've been doing that the hard way.

Can also be done using VoiceAttack instead of keyboard.

[Roger_Meatball]

On 10/4/2020 at 12:02 PM, 343KKT_Kintaro said:

 

 

The Messerschmitt Bf 108 Taifun, definitely.

 

I never paid attention to her until I tried her recently and it turns out it's a real pleasure to take off on board this small civil aeroplane (although used with military purposes as a liaison aircraft by the Luftwaffe).

 

It is a wonderful plane! I flew it for the first time last night and had the same feeling when looking behind me - so roomy, and even with curtains lol.

In reality it was a predecessor to the 109 and flew so similarly they used it as a trainer. It is a very sport airplane for its class and it's a lot of fun to use for aerobatics

[343KKT_Kintaro]

Agreed!

 

1 hour ago, Roger_Meatball said:

and it's a lot of fun to use for aerobatics

 

Be careful! this lady is very fragile when exceeding a few hundreds of Km/h...