FW190 Notes
These are my updated notes on flying the FW190 series.
These are based on two sources: my own experiences flying the FW and
the 97 Con lecture on the FW given by +GJ+ and drex.
Preflight
Stick Scaling
Roll, pitch and yaw should be set to 100 across the board.
I misunderstood how stick scaling worked, assuming that a setting of
10,20,30...100 would give a linear response. These numbers are
actually factors that are multiplied with the current stick position,
giving an effective stick response of 1,4,9,16...100. By setting the
scaling to 100s, we get a linear linkage between the stick and the control
surfaces.
Rationale
The goal is to become as familiar as possible with the plane. drex-quote: "fly
the plane, not the stick."
In the heat of battle, it is easy to rapidly transition from 450ias to 200ias.
This results in a plane that is very out of trim, and requires a lot of control
input to keep the plane on track. At times like these, a linear response will
keep the plane more predictable.
Fuel
.fuel 50
Rationale
This is enough fuel to chase bufs across the map and get back home.
The FWs are sluggish to begin with: flying with less fuel will not increase their
performance by a significant amount.
Convergence
.conv 600
Rationale
Set the convergence to the maximum range at which you are willing to take snapshots.
This makes quick kills much more likely. The FWs have so much firepower that convergence
is unimportant for close shots: if you are at d2 on an enemy's six, a good burst will
kill him no matter what your convergence is set to.
Gunsight
Anything with a clean pipper.
Rationale
All the fancy deflection shooting sights are a waste of time for the FWs. We want to kill
with quick bursts at high closure rates. All we need to know is where our bullets are going to
go.
I have an experimental gunsight: it's the default sight, except that the horizontal lines have
been extended by 100 pixels in each direction. Its usage is explained below.
The FW's strengths.
The FW has a number of strong points.
Roll Rate
The FW has one of the best roll rates of all the planes in the game. In addition, it rolls
well at all speeds. Even an enemy at d3 behind a FW190 will have a hard time hitting it if it
keeps in a series of fast, small barrel rolls.
Visibility
The FW190 has the best visibility in the game. The rear view, in particular, is excellent.
Many of the better FW pilots at the Con were flying using the rear view for minutes at a time.
High Speed
The FW190 is very controllable at speeds of over 400ias. It can dive several thousand feet and
quickly segue into a level chase.
Big Guns
One cannon ping will hurt an enemy. Four will almost always prove lethal. Even a snapshot will
usually kill or severely damage an enemy. In addition, the FW190s have a lot of ammo.
Big Rudder
The FW190 can be slewed across the sky with a rudder kick. As +GJ+ noted at his lecture, think
of the FW as having a snapshot window that is over 45 degrees wide at combat speeds. This is
what my experimental gunsight (above) is for: it reminds me that any enemy on that line is a
target for a rudder kick snapshot.
Rules of Thumb
Stay Fast
Your FW190 behaves best over 250ias.
Take Snapshots
You have a lot of ammo: give any enemy within range a squirt.
Pull Lead
The easiest shot is a lead shot -- get your nose out in front and let the enemy fly through the stream of
bullets. I'm willing to fire when blacked out, redded out, and entering an accelerated stall if I can get a
a lead shot.
Fire from Below
In a furball, try to fire at enemies from slightly below them. There are a number of reasons for this: they have a
harder time seeing you; they are more visible against the sky; and you don't need to worry about augering after the
shot.
Wait for the Break
When closing on the six of a zeke or spit, expect the hard break break left or right. Be prepared at d10 or so:
watch his wingtips, and match his roll, keeping him in view in the top part of the gunsight. Don't pull lead until
you actually see him turn (i.e. you see the top of his plane.) Many of the turn fighters feint first -- they roll
unloaded right, wait for you to commit to a right turn, then roll left and break.
Unload after the Gunpass
As soon as you lose your firing solution, stop turning or climbing. Trim quickly. Even one second of extra turn
can mean the difference between the enemy on your six at d3 and the enemy on your six at d10.
Avoid Textbook Maneuvers
Try to avoid perfect barrel rolls, Immelmanns, and split-Ss. Make the barrel rolls in an oval or triangular shape.
Slip or skid a little in the vertical maneuvers. Never present the enemy with an easy shot: if he wants a snapshot
at you, he'll probably be lining up while you are beneath his nose. Avoid appearing where he expects you.
Tactics
Tactics run the gamut from totally offensive to totally defensive. Too many pilots are all-or-nothing:
either they are booming and zooming with a massive energy advantage, or they're running away on WEP.
Choose tactics according to the situation. The following tactical options are listed from highest energy advantage
to lowest energy advantage.
Death From Above
Find a low enemy, and fly level until directly over him. Tilt a wing over to watch him. When above him, roll
inverted and dive. Follow his turns by rolling. Idle the engine, or drop flaps, or both to control speed: you
want to dive at an easy 350ias or so, being ready to increase speed if the enemy decides to run straight.
At d6, roll and rudder to lead him, open fire. His only real defense is to turn under you nose - try to
position your plane to anticipate this.
Ground Chase
If you see an enemy low (less than 5k) at d50 or so, the ground chase can result in a great kill. Powerdive into
the vertical, rolling onto an intercept vector as you drop beneath his alt. Transition to level flight at 400ft,
trim and go WEP. You should be going over 480ias, and your alt makes your icon vanish from all but close enemies.
At d10 or so, go into a shallow climb onto his six. At d3, put a burst into his underbelly. He will explode before
he knows what hit him.
The Low Yo-yo
A good pursuit move. Push down, roll to aim for the intercept point, pull level, retrim for level. Use the yo-yo
aggressively in the d25..d15 range: don't make slow turns - estimate the intercept point, and yo-yo to that
vector. Inside d15, make more shallow yo-yos: keep the enemy in view above your gunsight, and work the plane
towards a firing solution. The low yo-yo has the benefit that you will be closing for shot from slightly below
the enemy.
The High Yo-yo
If you miss the kill coming off a low yo-yo, you are ideally positioned for an immediate high yo-yo. Trim for
angle, use the views (try rear and half-rear) to watch the enemy. Roll, and pull back into him. If need be,
continue into a low yo-yo to reacquire him.
The Head-On
If you're going for a streak, this is not a great attack: even in a FW190A8, you'll die one time in five.
Open fire at d10, and fire until at d5. Rudder slide away from him, if possible keeping a wing pointed at
him. If he breaks, reverse the rudder hard and snapshoot for his belly. If he does not break, his FE may
see a collision. A good head-on will result in the victim screaming at you on a private radio channel.
The perfect head-on will have him making a fool of himself on channel 100.
The Extend
Trim the plane, stay fast and flat. Dive to regain speed, if needed. Watch your six for enemies: check plane
types and closure rates. In the simple case, you can tell that you will outrun the aggressor: he may be a Ki-43,
or his closure rate may be very slow. If he's catching up, the extend may be adequate: you may be within
running distance of a friendly plane or airfield. Even if it's clear that you must engage, the extend may be
useful: if you are being chased by multiple enemy planes, your extend may serve to separate them, allowing you to
reverse for an attack on one or both of them.
The Barrel Roll
There are endless variations on the basic series of barrel rolls. These all begin with an enemy on your six.
The most basic is the fast series of unloaded rolls. You go in the same direction, losing a little altitude,
and spoiling the aim of the enemy behind you. These give you no offensive opportunity. At best, you will run
the aggressor out of ammo. Use them when help is on its way: you are crossing your own ack, a wingman is
closing on the enemy, you are faster than the enemy and will soon be out of range, etc.
Next are oval rolls - as above, but adding a little elevator or rudder as you roll. You can use these for a
slow direction change: add a little more pull on each roll opposite where you want to go. These rolls have the
benefit that you can see the enemy a lot more of the time. Once you start seeing the enemy, you can convert into
the scissors...
Add a notch or two of flaps, and pull towards the enemy. Use the superior roll rate of the FW to quickly
reverse direction. Try to keep speed in the 240ias range if possible -- the plane rolls best here. Use the
rear and up views to track the enemy, grab the snapshot when it becomes available. Don't restrict yourself to
flat scissors, the rolling and vertical versions work well too.
A final panic roll is the stallfight roll at low altitude - full flaps, feathered prop, one or two rolls with full
rudder. Expect to finish at 200ft, stall horn blaring. Concentrate on not spinning into the ground, then back to
full power, pop the flaps, and run. If the enemy didn't auger or overshoot, he went vertical -- expect him back on
your six soon.
The Falling Leaf
You've just zoomed for a firing solution, hanging in the air at 110ias. You admire the burning corpse, then notice the
tracer from the annoyed enemy wingman. Don't waste your speed pushing the nose up or down. Bounce the rudder hard
left, right, left to spoil the shot, then roll to get a wing pointing downwards. Rudder into the downside, letting the
plane spin as fast as you can. As the speed builds up, ease off the rudder and add more aileron, pointing the nose
downwards, regaining control of the plane. This is often effective if the enemy caused a lot of damage, e.g. took out
your engine. By the time he notices that you have changed from a cartwheel spin to a controlled diving roll, he will be
too late to prevent you from ditching. Even if he does follow, he will have a very hard time tracking what is almost
a flat spin. He may get frustrated enough to forget the ground and auger.
Just leave yourself enough altitude to get back into controlled flight.
Michael Naunton / mmn@interactive.net / last revised Aug 1997
