Lewis Gun setting on SE5a

[O_Rod]

I have owned FC for ages but not had the chance to use it, now I am attempting to get back in the wicker seat.

I RoF  had the ability to aim my SE5a Lewis Gun up and then sight along it.  This caused quite a bit of bed wetting for any unsuspecting 2 seater I just happened to come up under.

While I have found settings for all my sighting and head positions, I cannot find one that correlates to the shifting of the Lewis Axis to point upwards.

Is there a way to do this?

Cheers

Rod

[No.23_Gaylion]

"Change firing position"

[=LD=Bulldog*]

Space bar for mine and can be handy! 

[=IRFC=Gascan]

Yep, Talbot nailed it. Should be the "change firing position" command, I believe under weapons controls. I fly the SE5a a lot, so I have it assigned to a button on my joystick for easy access. Got a great shot on a Halberstadt last week: I ran out of energy booming and zooming, so I dropped underneath him, reloaded the drum, then unloaded it all into his belly and killed both pilot and gunner. Tried to do a similar thing later, but the gunner shot out my gun and destroyed it before I could get in position!

[Pea_Shooter]

I use Trackir and sometimes struggle to line up with Lewis gun site's upward angle. When I'm successful  I then lock onto the target and fire away. Sometimes it takes me a few seconds to find that angle before I lock-on. I can lose the target in the meantime. It would be helpful for me to have a pre-saved view of this angle. Is this what you have trouble with too, O_Rod?

[Ace_Pilto]

Does the Lewis gun do anything other than make noise? Guns overall seem weak. 

[=IRFC=Gascan]

It sure does. Shooting up at someone above you is very useful. Gotta make sure you're seeing hits, otherwise adjust your aim. I've managed to shoot down a few player two-seaters and a few fighters with it over the last year or so. Even if I don't kill them, I can often get the target to maneuver. I've also used it while in a turning fight to shoot across the circle if my opponent is turning tighter than I am. Scored a few kills that way as well. Mostly it just adds to your forward firepower.

[PaulTheSalty]

20 hours ago, Ace_Pilto said:

Does the Lewis gun do anything other than make noise? Guns overall seem weak. 

Gascan is pretty much right on. When shooting upwards always fire it in short bursts and look for hits on your target. 
 

My personal favorite use for it is when scissoring. If you can initiate or pressure your opponent into initiating a scissor, you can flip the gun upwards and catch them way earlier in the maneuver than you would with forward guns. Due to the short ranges of the typical scissor, and the plentiful angles your over-wing guns can get along the sides of your opponent’s aircraft, I find it a reliable way to score hits in the SE5a and Bristol.

 

I can not comment on the Albatross with Lewis or the Dolphin. The new Spad 7 has a gun that can be angled upwards quickly, but I have yet to get comfortable with the shot placement with it’s Lewis gun. It feels like it could become nasty with practice.

[=IRFC=kotori87]

Albatros with Lewis is sluggish so its hard to get into a good tactical position, but like other planes it is fantastic for firing at odd angles during close combat. I sometimes used Dolphin with overwing to intercept German recons, but not much else due to its oft-jammed controls. Now that the controls bug has been fixed, I will probably fly Old Funny Fins more often.

 

The Spad 7 180HP with overwing is quite interesting to me as a potential recon interceptor, as well. Gotta do some climbing tests to compare effective climb rates to recon altitude for the different planes.

[=IRFC=Gascan]

On 9/21/2021 at 11:41 PM, Ace_Pilto said:

Does the Lewis gun do anything other than make noise? Guns overall seem weak. 

 

[NO.20_Krispy_Duck]

Albert Ball method.

[ST_Catchov]

Aye 'tis a canny tactic and no mistake. Right up the old Khyber. Achtung baby! SURPRISE! They don't like it up 'em you know. Pucker up boys! Along with Albert "One at a time, Ladies" Ball, I believe James "TB" McCudden employed similar tactics to good effect. Sure it's sneaky but then, Manfred "it's just a scratch" Richthofen was no Oxford scholar either and thus lacked the attributes of gentlemanly conduct. I mean, engraved silver cups! I'm not sure about W.A. "It's the God-Damn truth!" Bishop but, according to accounts, utilised this tactic very well. But it doesn't cure the alarming loss of revs in the FC Se5a? That's the thing innit.

[=IRFC=kotori87]

Not as concerned about rev's when you don't have to climb above the Hun to attack. My only concern is that this doesn't work against AIs since they always start evading when you get 'em in your gunsight. Players can certainly be confused by it though, which is always hilarious.