Yak-9T - Whoa!

[javelina]

As the title implies, indeed, Whoa!  I picked up the 9T a few days ago, during the sale.  I've enjoyed flying the P-39 for a bit, and love the cannon.  Heck, all of the top Soviet aces/kills were via the AiraCobra.  Gotta love that.  So when I saw the 9T, and it has a 37mm cannon, I figured why not.

 

It's taken me a little bit to make sure I have the controls/settings mapped out right.  But man, the 9T is a boss.  With the P-39, I've been getting pretty good with the deflection and sniping shots of the cannon.  So I think it's helped me a little bit with the 9T's big gun.  Plus, I love how this Yak just maneuvers.  

 

One item I need to sort through.  I can't seem to get beyond 518-520kmh at SL. (I'm at 50% fuel, etc).  Per some of the other threads, she should hit nearly 530kmh?  regardless, I'll get that sorted. 

 

What a beast.

[easterling77]

Yep, I've similar feelings about both planes. 

 

You have to love the Cobra - she's no "Super Plane" at all, in regards of performance but so rewarding if you get the big bullets on the target.

Not much ammo to spray but there lies a challange in it.

Maybe not the favourite for everyone but for me, she has charm.

 

And the 9T?

In my modest opinion she shares many of the characteristics you mentioned above plus much more acrobatic abilities and an outstanding visibility.

 

 

 

[Denum]

85% rpm 

 

Oil and rads below 50%

 

 

[Denum]

Should also add, fuel should be about 80% also.   

 

If you're fighting and climbing I usually keep it at 100% rpm 

 

 

High altitude you'll want max RPM also 

 

Go fast mode though, the sweet spot is 85-87%.

 

 

[purK]

Quote

 

And the 9T?

In my modest opinion she shares many of the characteristics you mentioned above plus much more acrobatic abilities and an outstanding visibility.

 

The P39 is faster and more maneuverable than the 9T, but unfortunately the P39 suffers from the way engine timers work in IL2. After each engagement, you need to rest your engine on the P39s rather weak continuous mode to keep your engine alive, which makes you an easy target while climbing or extending away from a fight.

Not the 9T though, it can fly around at 100% power until the fuel runs out.

[216th_Jordan]

12 hours ago, Krupnski said:

The P39 is faster and more maneuverable than the 9T, but unfortunately the P39 suffers from the way engine timers work in IL2. After each engagement, you need to rest your engine on the P39s rather weak continuous mode to keep your engine alive, which makes you an easy target while climbing or extending away from a fight.

Not the 9T though, it can fly around at 100% power until the fuel runs out.

 

More manouverable? In what terms? 

[=621=Samikatz]

2 hours ago, 216th_Jordan said:

 

More manouverable? In what terms? 

 

I definitely think the Cobra handles better at high speeds in both roll and pitcg, the Yak gets quite heavy in the controls in comparison, and its VNE is much lower

 

At low speeds the Yak will obviously outmaneuver the P-39

[javelina]

16 hours ago, Denum said:

Should also add, fuel should be about 80% also.   

 

If you're fighting and climbing I usually keep it at 100% rpm 

 

 

High altitude you'll want max RPM also 

 

Go fast mode though, the sweet spot is 85-87%.

 

 

thanks for the tips, I'll take a couple of test flights later this morning.  And shake her out further.

[Avimimus]

Hmm.... well... the P-39 is a bit of a super plane for some of us! Very snappy in roll, better armour (I believe), and better cockpit visibility... The Yak-9T has a higher velocity gun - I actually find it difficult to go  between them due to that (I have to remind myself that the ballistics are completely different).

 

The P-39 has a bad reputation - and people often compare it to later war fighters... but it is quite dextrous and deadly in the early-mid war...

[Jade_Monkey]

21 hours ago, Denum said:

Should also add, fuel should be about 80% also.   

 

If you're fighting and climbing I usually keep it at 100% rpm 

 

 

High altitude you'll want max RPM also 

 

Go fast mode though, the sweet spot is 85-87%.

 

 

Can you explain that a little more? I always struggle with it.

 

100% would give you more power and better climb but will also create more drag? Is that why 87% is faster at sea level?

[Denum]

I'm assuming because lower RPM could allow for a coarser prop pitch. 

 

I'm not entirely sure why it works either 

 

The P47 is it's fastest at 2850RPM also vs 3000. 

 

 

[=621=Samikatz]

50 minutes ago, Denum said:

I'm assuming because lower RPM could allow for a coarser prop pitch. 

 

I'm not entirely sure why it works either 

 

The P47 is it's fastest at 2850RPM also vs 3000. 

 

 

 

I believe it's to do with power being wasted by the supercharger. At and above full throttle height you want to use full RPM for maximum speed

 

You can also squeeze extra speed out of the P-51 and Spitfire at low alt this way but I forget their exact numbers

[1PL-Husar-1Esk]

I think is all about blade angle,  lower rpm make propeller more coarse which yelds better speed.

Edited September 6, 2021 by 1PL-Husar-1Esk

[javelina]

Earlier today, out and about, flying a mission over the motherland like Ivan should be, (SP, Pat campaign).  Came across some 109's.  The one I engaged must have had super hero strength.  What a battle, incredible.  After a few minutes, I noticed my wingmates were no longer around, and blew out of Dodge.  What the "heck"??  (I was not the flight lead, being a "lowly" NCO).

 

So I punched it, and used the rad settings as noted. Set 'em at 40% or below, and managed to get sorted out flying towards home base.  Ah, but "Hans" had other plans.  He went after me, but I was able to keep ahead because of my engine/rad settings.  Nonetheless, Hans followed me for the next 50 kilometers.  And d***, you bet, some of his girlfriends were passing by, and decided to join in on the fun.  I was like, oh s***, and kept the hammer down... managed to get 530+ KPH. 

 

I dragged Hans and his girlfriends over two airbases.  Hoping that would shake up things.  It did for the girlfriends, but not Hans.  That b****** was going to hang tight all the way.  I managed to keep ahead of him through the flight, until I made my home base.  From there, I saw both of my original AI plane mates getting ready to land.  Hans didn't take the bait on those guys.  So I had to managed a few "juke's" with him, and in the last one I put a 37mm right into the cockpit when he flew straight into me.  It was incredible to see....

 

Nothing more poetic than to see your enemy crash a few meters from your home base.

 

Man, I love this sim, and I love flying the 9T. 

 

Between the 9T and the P-39, they're my favorite birds in BoX.

 

-Jav
 

Edited September 7, 2021 by javelina
added info

[TheWarsimmer]

Love the 9t. Any yak is lovely due to its maneuverability and decent speed... add a huge cannon and you can't ask for more.

[KPnutskgwanchos]

Just brought the 9T in the sale .... great viz and gun but seems pretty sluggish to me ... Im not using CEM ... is that the reason?  

[ShamrockOneFive]

2 minutes ago, KPnutskgwanchos said:

Just brought the 9T in the sale .... great viz and gun but seems pretty sluggish to me ... Im not using CEM ... is that the reason?  

 

The AI managing the CEM in Normal mode should be able to keep up. Yak-9T is not quite as zippy as the Yak-1B for example but it's plenty fast. Where and how are you fighting it? Altitude, etc.?

[KPnutskgwanchos]

32 minutes ago, ShamrockOneFive said:

 

The AI managing the CEM in Normal mode should be able to keep up. Yak-9T is not quite as zippy as the Yak-1B for example but it's plenty fast. Where and how are you fighting it? Altitude, etc.?

Sorry only had a quick few practice flights and fights against a 109.... climbed to 4k meters and performance seemed to fall off pretty quick ... also needed to be pretty choosy using 100% throttle as it wont stay there long! .... I imagine there would be an advantage to CEM in using full throttle with main radiator not fully open? for short bursts?       

[ShamrockOneFive]

1 minute ago, KPnutskgwanchos said:

Sorry only had a quick few practice flights and fights against a 109.... climbed to 4k meters and performance seemed to fall off pretty quick ... also needed to be pretty choosy using 100% throttle as it wont stay there long! .... I imagine there would be an advantage to CEM in using full throttle with main radiator not fully open? for short bursts?       

 

Yak's are happier down a bit lower than 4000 meters. I've not flown the Yak-9T without CEM but for the most part you can run it at full throttle all of the time and then manipulate the cooling systems and fuel mixture to get optimal performance.

 

My experience in general has been that the Yak-9 and 9T can generally hang with the Bf109G-6/Fw190A-5 at lower altitudes and that they benefit from turning at medium speeds and fighting around 2000-3000 meters. It's not superior to its opponents but it can fight them on equal terms.

[KPnutskgwanchos]

53 minutes ago, ShamrockOneFive said:

 

Yak's are happier down a bit lower than 4000 meters. I've not flown the Yak-9T without CEM but for the most part you can run it at full throttle all of the time and then manipulate the cooling systems and fuel mixture to get optimal performance.

 

My experience in general has been that the Yak-9 and 9T can generally hang with the Bf109G-6/Fw190A-5 at lower altitudes and that they benefit from turning at medium speeds and fighting around 2000-3000 meters. It's not superior to its opponents but it can fight them on equal terms.

Excellent thanks for the advice... I think it's time I tried CEM... The throttle in 9t drops from 100 to 80 or less within minutes of going full throttle.... so is it just mixture and cooling that needs juggling? 

[Denum]

Yeah mostly, Mixture you can just set and forget at 80% unless you're flying really high, just peep manifold pressure and move it up and down, you'll see the engine respond. 

I can usually keep rads at 50% until I'm turning and burning hard. Then I pop them open unless I'm trying to get away. Its best to preset them before you fight. 

If you get sucked into a low speed turning match, 100% open and keep the engine running hard, 

[ShamrockOneFive]

1 hour ago, KPnutskgwanchos said:

Excellent thanks for the advice... I think it's time I tried CEM... The throttle in 9t drops from 100 to 80 or less within minutes of going full throttle.... so is it just mixture and cooling that needs juggling? 

 

Pretty much. The M-105PF engines are all REALLY easy to manage as there's few limits to the engine.

[I./JG52_Woutwocampe]

What do you guys think of the 37mm cannon in the 9T? I used it in my Kuban for the first time yesterday. I was expecting a powerful but inaccurate cannon but I felt the opposite actually. I landed often but it took many hits on every Hs129 to take them down. 3 to 5 hits and most of the time they went down because of a pilot kill or a burning engine, with pretty underwhelming scructural damage. Weird. I know the he129 was tough as nails but I would expect 4x 37mm hits at close range to be pretty devastating.

[BlitzPig_EL]

Were you using armor piercing (blue) or high explosive (orange) ammo?  It makes a big difference.  The HE is the way to go.

[CountZero]

1 hour ago, I./JG52_Woutwocampe said:

What do you guys think of the 37mm cannon in the 9T? I used it in my Kuban for the first time yesterday. I was expecting a powerful but inaccurate cannon but I felt the opposite actually. I landed often but it took many hits on every Hs129 to take them down. 3 to 5 hits and most of the time they went down because of a pilot kill or a burning engine, with pretty underwhelming scructural damage. Weird. I know the he129 was tough as nails but I would expect 4x 37mm hits at close range to be pretty devastating.

structural damage of 30-37mm canons in game is bad, they do big damage (HE ones) , your 2-3 hits will have effect on airplane you hit , but you wont se that effect from outside, things dont fall apart as expected, and since they made wings stronger they dont fell apart offten if you dont hit in wingtips. He was probably done after 2nd hit, but you cant see that from how game dm works.

Edited September 16, 2021 by CountZero

[Halon]

I love the 9T, reading the above suggestions is quite handy as I'm definitely not getting the most from it. Like all the Yaks I find it to be a nice forgiving aircraft and the 37mm cannon really pulls its weight with very few hits needed to do the job.

[javelina]

I always take the 37mm with an HE load out.   The 9T can shred other birds like a boss.  I've had many one or two shot "snipe's" on the Hun fighters and bombers.  The only exception seems to be the HE-111's.  I need a little more effort for them.  But I really love flying this Yak. 

[Guest deleted@83466]

I just now have 9 with sale, but not 9T.  I took it out on Finn server without even trying it offline, and I found it really really responsive, more maneuverable than a Tempest (just felt that way, no science) and just all around good deal.  Gets a little hot, probably because mixture has to be so lean to keep it from smoking are the only drawbacks to it that I see so far, along with the pitiful supply of ammo that all Yaks suffer from.

But P-39 fans gravitate towards 9T? Is it just because of the 37mm? I’m curious, because the plain 9 felt nothing at all flying-wise like the P-39 (and disregarding timers).  I felt confident in taking on anything in the Yak-9, but would have felt I was in a flying coffin in a P-39. I mean true to form it felt like a Super Yak-1B, which I guess it is.  So now, the 9T doesn’t lose that much performance over plain 9, does it?  It’s much superior to the P-39, isn’t it? P-39 is a nasty, stally thing.
 

 

Edited September 17, 2021 by SeaSerpent

[oc2209]

1 hour ago, SeaSerpent said:

I felt confident in taking on anything in the Yak-9, but would have felt I was in a flying coffin in a P-39. I mean true to form it felt like a Super Yak-1B, which I guess it is.  So now, the 9T doesn’t lose that much performance over plain 9, does it?  It’s much superior to the P-39, isn’t it? P-39 is a nasty, stally thing.

 

The Yak-9 (plain) is unsurpassed when it comes to aerobatic flying. The 9T, to me at least, feels more similar to a Yak-7 or 1b. It's agile enough, but it won't make you giddy like the regular 9.

 

I'd still recommend owning both 9s, of course.

 

The worst thing about the P-39 isn't its handling, as much as the engine timer and the inherently inferior cannon. With more sustained engine power you wouldn't notice the stalling nearly as much, and with an improved cannon (like the P-63 would have), it'd be a solid fighter.

 

*Edit:

 

I know you mentioned timers with the P-39, but I don't think it handles badly at emergency power. You don't fly with guns in the wings, do you? I always remove those.

 

The '39 is very sensitive on the stick in general, and is susceptible to over controlling. In other words, you can't yank it around like a Yak. But its stall characteristics aren't bad once you ease off the stick inputs.

Edited September 17, 2021 by oc2209

[BlitzPig_EL]

It would be nice to have the P-400, the export version that the USAAF took over when the RAF declined any more P39s.  It was armed with a 20mm cannon in place of the 37.  All served in the Pacific as far as I know.

[ShamrockOneFive]

9 hours ago, javelina said:

I always take the 37mm with an HE load out.   The 9T can shred other birds like a boss.  I've had many one or two shot "snipe's" on the Hun fighters and bombers.  The only exception seems to be the HE-111's.  I need a little more effort for them.  But I really love flying this Yak. 

 

I do that as well. When I fly the Yak-9T I nearly always (unless I forget) take the HE only option. One or two shots on a fighter is all that's needed. A friend of mine didn't "get" the Yak-9T until I told him to stop using the 37mm cannon as a sniper weapon but more of a sledgehammer. I don't fire single shots with it... I aim and burst. In a diving attack on a fighter that usually results at least in a mission kill if not outright destruction.

 

18 minutes ago, BlitzPig_EL said:

It would be nice to have the P-400, the export version that the USAAF took over when the RAF declined any more P39s.  It was armed with a 20mm cannon in place of the 37.  All served in the Pacific as far as I know.

 

That'd be a very interesting P-39 variant to have.

 

The P-400 was the same spec as the Airacobra Mark I (maybe with some minor changes?) so the Soviets did get those. The first P-39's that the Soviets got were 212 rejects from the RAF. (most accessible source: https://weaponsandwarfare.com/2019/02/03/the-vvs-allied-bell-airacobras/).

[I./JG52_Woutwocampe]

Yeah again with the 37mm its a matter of AP rounds not doing much structural damage even at short range. 

 

The problem is not with the .50, or the 37mm, its AP rounds overall. 

 

 

[CountZero]

compared to p-39 its better, if you dont have vr, rear view on 39 is to obstructing, and timers on engines are just to mutch when you have buged techchat, if techchat message that is build to tell player when engine timer is expired or recovered working correctly then you could play with no worry, but with it still buged and every timer eating time of onother timer 15, 5 and 2 min mods are joke. No one can manage to know how mutch time he have in any mod during fights online, its just guess work that real pilots didnt have to care about in p-39, game heavy cripels it with not fixing easy techchat bug, or having this arcade engine timers. Its easy choice if you think what to take betwen 9t or 39, its 9t all the time.

Edited September 17, 2021 by CountZero

[I./JG52_Woutwocampe]

Yeah well indeed its way easier to manage the M-105 than the 1710. But lets try not to derail the topic here. The limitations ingame of the 1710 are a....delicate matter. A bit like....AP rounds :).

 

 

[easterling77]

psst don't wake up demons?

[BlitzPig_EL]

You called?

 

#Allison lives matter.

[oc2209]

9 hours ago, BlitzPig_EL said:

It would be nice to have the P-400, the export version that the USAAF took over when the RAF declined any more P39s.  It was armed with a 20mm cannon in place of the 37.  All served in the Pacific as far as I know.

 

I'm disappointed the Russians never put alternate armament in the P-39 like they evidently did with the Hurricane.

 

I would assume the relatively empty nose portion of the '39 would make refitting it with different guns a fairly simple task. For instance, a Russian 23mm and two 12.7mm; or 3x20mm, or 2x12.7mm and 1x20mm, but with extra ammo for all.

 

8 hours ago, ShamrockOneFive said:

I do that as well. When I fly the Yak-9T I nearly always (unless I forget) take the HE only option. One or two shots on a fighter is all that's needed. A friend of mine didn't "get" the Yak-9T until I told him to stop using the 37mm cannon as a sniper weapon but more of a sledgehammer. I don't fire single shots with it... I aim and burst. In a diving attack on a fighter that usually results at least in a mission kill if not outright destruction.

 

The 9T does happen to be an excellent sniper; but unless you're preternaturally gifted, it's not the best use of the gun, I agree.

 

I always forget to use it in bursts. It's just a mental block I have.

[ShamrockOneFive]

2 hours ago, oc2209 said:

The 9T does happen to be an excellent sniper; but unless you're preternaturally gifted, it's not the best use of the gun, I agree.

 

I always forget to use it in bursts. It's just a mental block I have.

 

Yep that's what my friend was struggling with. Didn't realize that the fire rate is rather high for a 37mm cannon. Soon as I demonstrated, his kill count with it went up drastically.

Edited September 17, 2021 by ShamrockOneFive

[Guest deleted@83466]

Would veterans of either 9 or 9T in here be comfortable flying either in a late war plane set?  I know it flew in great numbers right up to end of the war in real life, and later versions going against F-51s as late as the Korean War. In a server, I didn’t see I was in a late war plane set until I saw a Spit V overtake me like I was standing still and then just climb away.  Because it was a Spit 14. And I just got butchered.  That’s mostly my stupidity, I’m sure of that, but seems a bit obsolete in a world of P-51Ds and late model 109s, doesn’t it?

 

(I’m trying to refamiliarize myself with the Yaks, because I’v flown them practically zero hours in the past several years, since Bodenplatte became a thing at least.)

Edited September 18, 2021 by SeaSerpent

[CountZero]

2 hours ago, SeaSerpent said:

Would veterans of either 9 or 9T in here be comfortable flying either in a late war plane set?  I know it flew in great numbers right up to end of the war in real life, and later versions going against F-51s as late as the Korean War. In a server, I didn’t see I was in a late war plane set until I saw a Spit V overtake me like I was standing still and then just climb away.  Because it was a Spit 14. And I just got butchered.  That’s mostly my stupidity, I’m sure of that, but seems a bit obsolete in a world of P-51Ds and late model 109s, doesn’t it?

 

(I’m trying to refamiliarize myself with the Yaks, because I’v flown them practically zero hours in the past several years, since Bodenplatte became a thing at least.)

Its outclased by bobp airplanes, compared to them its same like your flying yak-1b vs late fighters. Why allieds could use old airplanes late in war was there was no LW in air, you could use old Spit v invading normandy because there was low chances they will meet any LW fighters over it, in late war numbers of airplanes in air betwen both sides was so big in favor of allieds that if you had this simed in game it would be boring missions with no action all day long for allieds.

Especialy when you look how MP is played, so many effort to make planset and modifications look historical by airplane type for mission, and then they give axis such a big un-historical advantage by having same or more players in missions then allieds, but all the airplanes are set by historical situation where alieds had overwhelming numbers advantage in air. Its just axis fantasy at that point.

If that was situation in real war, allieds would not be flying old airplanes, they would not be able to use number advantage to win, they would be using their top fighters and prototypes they didnt have to send in battle in 44-45.

Edited September 18, 2021 by CountZero