Flying in v0.6 by TG-Irr BetterDeadThanRed

[fuzzhead]

'''Introduction'''

Seeing as you have opened this guide, you are probably interested in becoming a better pilot. This guide has been written to give the basics of flying jets in v0.6 as they have changed drastically from v0.5. In this guide I will cover taxiing, basic flight procedures, handling of each jet, and more advanced attacking and evasive maneuvers.

In this guide, I will assume you have some basic understanding of flight physics. If you have never flown before, I suggest you take a look at one of the numerous other guides on the subject.


'''Joystick vs. Keyboard and Mouse'''

As much as people will jump up and down and scream that joystick is better, don't listen to them. Practice is the defining factor, but a few considerations must be made before you get inside the cockpit. With a K&B, you must have enough space to move around freely as you can quickly run out of desk space when in a heated dogfight. Joysticks have the advantage of constantly inputting orders, but a good mouse and a well trained pilot negate any advantage they might have.


'''Common Courtesy'''

Jets and especially CAS (Close Air Support) aircraft are the most important units on a team. A good pilot can easily turn a game around all by his lonesome if he is directed to the appropriate targets. Unfortunately, this is not always the case as these aircraft do not always stay aloft for long enough to be of any use. Remember, practice, practice, practice, but never on a public server! Create a local server if you are going to train.

If there are a lot of people waiting around for an aircraft, please don't join them as you are doing the team no good sitting at the main base flag doing nothing. Team killing for an aircraft goes without saying. Most PR servers are much more heavily regulated than BF2 so be prepared for the consequences of such an action.

Runways in v0.6 are now destructible, meaning that segments can have craters blown into them to prevent jets from taking off or landing. Although this activity is encouraged in PR, be aware of server rules as this could easily be considered base raping.

With that out of the way, I'll move on to the basics.


'''Getting Started'''

Since Kashan Desert will be your main stomping grounds as a pilot, I will focus on it alone on the guide however the concepts can be applied to any map with jets to be flown.

Taxiing is a problem for a lot of people however it is much easier than people would like to think. This isn't a problem for the CAS aircraft as they have a straight run however fighter jets must make a slight turn before taking off. To make this a little harder, jets have a delay before starting up and when they begin to move, it is hard to slow them down. There is a trick to make this easier that many people don't know about, after about 10 or so seconds of warming up in the jet, nose down and you will begin to move forward ever so slightly, enough to turn yourself enough towards the runway that taking off should not be a problem. Don't believe me? Try it for yourself. It also works to same way in reverse. Need to back up slightly to rearm? (I will go into this in depth later) Nose up and you will slowly move back even with no throttle.

Once you have taxied onto the runway, hold down W+Shift (Afterburners) and begin moving. This will take a second. As soon as you have enough speed for lift (around 400-500KPH) nose up slightly, but not too much as to catch your tail section on the ground.

Congratulations, you are now airborne.


'''Changes to the Way Jets Handle'''

No mistaking it, the jets are fast now. The view distances on Kashan are much farther which creates the illusion that you are moving slower than you actually are. Be aware of your surroundings as they will approach very quickly so be prepared to evade, especially in a vertical dive. The fighters, particularly the Mig-29, roll very fast now. It takes a little practice to begin moving with precision and it may be a little overwhelming at first, but with a little practice, you should get the hang of it in no time.


'''Familiarizing Yourself With the Jets'''

USMC

'''A-10 Thunderbolt II''' (Tank buster)
[http://prguide.realitymod.com/index.php ... lt_II_-_US PR Wiki Link]

This one is a fan favorite with its massive GAU-8 Gatling cannon, it can rip through almost anything but especially enemy armor. With its heavy armament comes slow speed and maneuverability, but this is good in this case. It allows the pilot time to scan and line up the shot and quickly move on to another target without circling around. When searching for a target, your best option is to use your laser guided missile screen which gives a box around enemy tanks (box with x through it for friendlies). Most of the time these missiles will not achieve a 1 hit kill but will damage the tank enough for a quick burst of the cannon to finish them off. Always try for a rear or top-down attack whenever possible but is not always necessary, although APCs and AAVs will always go down in one hit.

Bombs and rockets are best used as a tool to clear out an infantry fortified position. Always (ALWAYS!) check your mini-map before targeting a large area for clearing as the risk of blue on blue is very high. Like BF2v, bombs do have a passive sight which doesn't give the target a lock warning like the ATGMs do however their trajectory is quite tricky for even the most veteran pilots on horizontal attack so the best way to use them is for a dive attack. Unlike the missiles, the bombs have a very large area of effect so a direct hit is not always necessary.

Compared to the Su-25, the A-10s compliment of 14 Hydras is mediocre, however they do pack a much bigger punch and must be used with a greater degree of accuracy.

As for the Air to air missiles, in my personal experience, don't use them. If ever you find yourself on a fighters tail while they are unaware of your presence, use your cannon. Just a few hits will destroy any range of aircraft from other CAS planes to attack helos. Making a fighter aware of you by pinging it will not usually end well if you don't have somebody to back you up. (More on evasive maneuvers later)

'''F-16 Falcon''' (Fighter)
[http://prguide.realitymod.com/index.php ... alcon_-_US PR Wiki Link]

As a fighter, this jet has very little to speak for in terms of air to ground beyond its cannon. Although not as fast as the Mig-29, its slower speed and slightly better maneuverability gives you more of a chance to line up your sights on a target.

When engaging another fighter, try to avoid dogfights. As thrilling as they may be, when your objective is to kill the enemy aircraft, stealth is key. Your best chance of winning a dogfight is to never let the enemy shoot back. Stalking a jet from afar with your radar turned off is a good plan waiting for them to level out and getting them with a quick burst of the cannon. It is important to note that unlike the other aircraft, the F-16's cannon has a wind up time of about .3 seconds so factor this in before you fire.

Should you enter a dogfight, note the differences between the two missiles. The 6 AIM9s are short range air-to-air missiles and require a close distance between aircraft to lock. AMRAAMs are medium range missiles and will have trouble tracking a target when fired at close range. When scanning the horizon for a target, use this screen as it will reveal any targets from a distance but be quick to shift back into radar off mode if you are going to attempt to move in behind the enemy aircraft.


MEC
Since the strategies involving both teams are relatively similar, I will only cover the major differences between them.

'''Su-25 Frogfoot''' (CAS aircraft)
[http://prguide.realitymod.com/index.php ... Su25_-_MEC PR Wiki Link]

This aircraft acts much like the A-10 in handling and attack strategy but due to its large amount of rockets, it is better suited for giving ground forces close air support than as a tank buster, however both aircraft are useful in both roles. Just like the A-10, when attacking armor, use the ATGMs coupled with a quick burst of the cannon. Since the Su-25 has roughly 1/5th the ammo of the A-10, it is much harder to take out anything larger than an APC with the cannon alone, but with its compliment of 128 rockets, it can make quick work of lightly armored targets. The best way to use them is for carpeting a large area at a time in a sweeping motion. These rockets are not very effective against armor as it takes an unreasonable amount of direct hits to score a kill on heavy armor.

'''Mig-29 Fulcrum''' (Fighter)
[http://prguide.realitymod.com/index.php ... G_29_-_MEC PR Wiki Link]

Nearly an exact copy of the F-16, it does differ on a couple of major points. It is much faster and when making a pass on an enemy aircraft you always run the risk of passing them and finding yourself in their sights. When engaging, be sure to slow down as quickly as possible as the Mig can quickly gain speed to catch up if need be. To compensate for the fast speed, its cannon is much stronger than the F-16 and has no firing delay but has only a 150 rounds to the F-16's 511 so be sure to rearm good and often. Both the F-16 and the Mig-29's cannons are virtually ineffective against anything better armored than a heavy jeep and even then, target acquisition without the aid of sights like on the CAS aircraft makes this extremely difficult even for the most experienced pilots. Strafing a target is best left to the Su-25 as there is always a chance you will pancake on the ground or crash into an unseen obstruction when trying to pull out of the dive, and a grounded fighter does your team less good than any amount of destroyed jeeps.


'''Basic Dogfighting and Evasion'''

As stated before, these are best to be avoided whenever possible as ambushing is the best way to score a kill, but every once in a while you will get sucked into one. When something starts pinging you, be quick to evaluate what it is (AAV or another fighter) as they must be reacted to very differently, and the evasive maneuver of one is certain death for another. Check your six often as somebody could be trailing you radar off and use your free look often (the most dangerous enemy is the one you never see coming). When somebody is on your trail, the easiest thing to do is drop flares and go into a circle but you if you are going to shake the enemy fighter, you must be unpredictable. A classic maneuver is a barrel role and change of direction. This works well when the enemy is close on your tail but when they are farther behind the enemy has more time to react and follow you. Fast, rapid turns are your best bet of evading however every once and a while, an enemy will be able to follow you through all of the turns. In order to shake a good fighter pilot, there are a few good tricks that nobody can follow you through, however they each have their own dangers.

1.) If you suspect an enemy is chasing you with their radar off, head straight towards the sun as they will have to turn their radar on to keep a visual on you revealing themselves. The danger to this is that you are going in a straight line making you easy prey for air to air missiles if you do not evade quickly.

2.) Go into a stall. No enemy can follow you if you successfully stall your aircraft, no enemy can follow you without stalling themselves as well, effectively neutralizing the both of you leveling the playing field. Stalling an aircraft is extremely difficult without making yourself vulnerable so the best way to do it is to make lots of lazy turns while heading as far up as possible to bleed off speed. Once you nose over and begin to fall, quickly get the engine up and running and escape as quickly as possible.

3.) Moving in between obstacles is a good way to shake off a fighter for the experienced pilot but there is always the high risk of crashing into something. This is also best left to the experts.

When engaging another fighter, keep your distance. The closer you are, the harder it will be to stay on the enemy as you will have less time to react. When you are going to release a missile, always wait until the enemy releases flares and aim ahead of their flight path so you will lock back onto them quicker. If you are chasing them in a circle, wait until they peel off before you relock and release a missile. Remember, AMRAAMs and AA-12s are medium range and AIM9s and AA-11s are close range. They are not interchangeable. Always be on the lookout for a trap as there are 2 fighters and although you may be on the tail of one, the other one could be moving in for the kill. Be careful if they head towards their own base for two reasons; there is plenty of AA at the main bases and killing a landed aircraft is extremely discourteous.

When flying in a CAS aircraft, make sure you have fighter support and if you don't, fly extremely conservatively. Always be on the look out for armor that has been spotted and chat requests for air support. Dive bombing and pulling back above the clouds while only expose you for a little while at a time but if you get an enemy on your tail, be sure to call for air support.


'''Landing and Rearming'''

Since all the aircraft require frequent rearming, landing is a huge part of flying. Although not necessary, it is always good to get another jet to watch you while you rearm to keep the occasional smacktard off of you. When approaching the runway, get your speed down to 400-500KPH. To do this, it takes most of the distance across the map to slow down enough but if you are still approaching too fast, circle around in front of the runway and it should bleed off enough speed to safely land. Keep the aircraft nose pointed downward until crossing the barrier surrounding the base. From there, point your nose up as if trying to take off and touch down with the rear landing gear first and keep it up as long as possible to slow you down. CAS aircraft have a lot more momentum than fighters and will travel further down the runway before stopping but you should stop with enough distance to take back off in. Rearming points are staggered along the runway and should you not stop on top of one, use the nose up or down technique to move your aircraft back onto one.


That's it soldier, you have your wings. See you in the skies over the battlefield!

[bearking19]

Nice guide for the pr pilots out there. I didnt know about the nose down thing and taxi stuff until i read this. I'll go try it out the next time i enter the cockpit.

[Bonsai]

...nice writing...

[BetterDeadThanRed]

Awesome, my master work has gotten some recognition. Yes I know, plenty of typos, but I tried my best. Hope you all enjoy it.

[Duke]

Good stuff red.

Stopped me having to write the damn thing anyway

[Alex6714]

Very nice guide. The problem with me is I played and play Microsoft flight simulator, so although I can fly well, I act more like a civil pilot, and I can´t evade very well. Soon I should be getting my X52 though, so if anyone feels like having a practise together in an empty server that would be great!

I do feel that someone with a joystick has a slight edge over someone using the keyboard, I can´t fly at all with the keyboard, but a joystick doesn´t make you better. Thats my opinion anyway.