Born to Fly: Guide to Flying for BF2

[Fox7rot]

In this comprehensive guide, I will cover the basics of flight, targeting, dog fighting, bombing, and how to make sure nobody ever punishes you for the inevitable accidental TKs emitted from your jet. Well, maybe minus the part about the tk punishing. Nothing short of atomic weapons will get rid of punishers. In addition to the basics, we will go over some more advanced subjects. To top it off, we will show you how to use moves(not the human-missile-in-the-mountain move you noob) to be a better pilot in Battlefield 2.

SECTION ONE: PREFLIGHT

What should I have if I want to be feared in the air?
1-Joystick. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. Joystick pilots reign.
2-Good soundcard, with headphones or good 5.1/7.1 speakers.
3-The in-game graphics setting "Effects" on high. This makes contrails much more visible.
4-A good team that will spot vehicles on the map for you.

SECTION TWO: LIFTOFF! BASIC FLIGHT

Throttle
As mentioned in Section One, a joystick is a must for being a great jet pilot. Some people may contend that they are very good with mouse/keyboard, but don’t listen to them. They’re idiots. Stop reading this guide and go by a stick.

With a keyboard, you are either at full throttle, 0% throttle, or -100% throttle. With a joystick, you can accurately set your throttle to 60%, or -30%, making your ability to maneuver and pull off trickier moves far greater than any keyboard/mouse pilot.

Control Surfaces
http://www.bf2player.com/images/guides/control_surfaces.jpg

In a jet, constant air movement against control surfaces� is essential for maneuvering. Control surfaces on jets include ailerons(bank left/right), rudder(Left/Right Yaw), and elevator(Pitch up/down).

The ailerons are typically controlled by pushing the joystick you bought before coming into section two left or right. This will control your roll, or bank. Pushing left or right on your stick will cause your plane to roll that direction, but not necessarily change heading(aka compass direction).

Elevator is your pitch up and down, typically up and down on your joystick. This changes your angle of attack, meaning the angle to which your nose is pointing up or down on the horizon. In Battlefield 2, you can now monitor your angle of attack by observing the artificial horizon bar on your HUD.

Rudder is the most overlooked and underused control surface. It controls your yaw, easily explained by this example:
Imagine a pole is shoved through the center of your plane, inserted into the top and coming out of the bottom. Rudder will essentially rotate your jet around that pole. This is why steering on the ground is done using the rudder instead of the ailerons. Rudder mastery is essential for more advanced maneuvers, and even many beginner maneuvers.

Basic Flight

While airborne in your sparkly new jet, combinations of control surface changes cause the plane to maneuver.

To turn quickly and effectively, you need to combine all the control surfaces. By banking to the left 80 degrees, pulling back on the stick 100%, and applying full to medium left rudder, your turning radius will be dramatically smaller than if you chose to apply only a single control surface. This is obviously essential for dog fighting. If you want to feel like Maverick in Top Gun(sans the F14, damn you EA), you need to practice turning quickly. Try throttling down for a moment prior to entering the turn, and then using after burner(more on this later). This will also decrease your turning radius.

Diving and climbing are as important as turning, and a foundation to the rest of the maneuvers in this guide. To a small extent, your speed is affected by your angle of attack. If you're climbing, you won't gain much speed. However if you are diving, it is important to know that you will be gaining speed.

While diving, be sure to pay close attention to your altitude. Otherwise, start practicing your l33t parachuting skillz.

Practice using heavy rudder no matter what maneuver you are trying for, and over time, your agility as a pilot will increase exponentially because of this.

SECTION THREE: INTERMEDIATE FLIGHT

Aileron roll
(Note, NOT barrel roll)


This is rarely used on its own, but it is an essential building block for more complex maneuvers and combination. Your plane does not change altitude much in this roll, and if it does, practice until it does not.

To Perform: Raise the nose a very small bit, and apply full ailerons in the desired direction of your roll. Compensate for any drift up or down by using your elevators.

Hint: Practice performing a number of consecutive aileron rolls, and then ending the roll while inverted. This is a valuable, fast, and sneaky way to become inverted(which will be a building block to some other more advanced maneuvers).

Barrel roll
http://www.bf2player.com/images/guides/barrel_roll.jpg

This is the move everyone hears about, and nobody does right. It is a corkscrew, where your altitude will change. This is one of the most valuable maneuvers, because it seems like Battlefield 2 heat seekers don't do barrel rolls very well. This will also allow you to avoid cannon fire, and if used in conjunction with reducing throttle, you will find that the jet on your 6 o'clock often is concentrating on following you with his guns instead of slowing down, and will fly right into your firing zone.

To Perform: Raise the nose about 10-20 degrees, and then bank sharply left or right. At the same time, gently pull back on the stick to maintain the roll. Usually, the stick will be toward the lower left or lower right corner of the axis for most of this roll.

Hint: Spicing it up with varied and random rudder movement will all but ensure that nothing hits your plane.

Loop Over

All loops are essential building blocks to more advanced piloting, but it is important that you know that there are a number of kinds of loops.

The Loop Over, which is just a normal loop. In Battlefield 2, jets have no throttle problems in trying to get over the crest of the loop like the did in 1942. Nonetheless, it is worth practicing this seemingly simple maneuver.

While practicing it, make sure you can loop and end up heading in exactly the same direction you started. This will help you tremendously when you're working on attacking ground targets, and start learning how to loop bomb/strafe. Use your artificial horizon to monitor your roll through the loop to ensure you stay straight and end up heading in the same direction you started in.

To Perform: Throttle up, pull back on the stick. Don't crash you noob.

Loop Under

On the loop under, you need enough altitude to pull it off. Otherwise, it is relatively self explanatory where your plane will wind up. The only variable would be how many pieces it is in when it gets there.

Again, as with the loop over, the thing to practice on this is ending up flying in the same exact direction you started.

To Perform
Perform a half aileron roll, coming out inverted. Pull back on the stick, gaining airspeed and losing altitude. Keep your throttle up for the entire loop. Once you reach your inverted position again, perform another half aileron roll to right yourself

Use your artificial horizon to monitor your roll through the loop to ensure you stay straight and end up heading in the same direction you started in.

You now have a list of the basic and intermediate skills you should practice if you're striving to stop getting wtfpwnd every time you get in a jet. Now, lets get to some of the maneuvers that separate the nublets from the sky jockys.

[Fox7rot]

SECTION FOUR: ADVANCED MANUEVERS

The Up-and-Under (or the spin-off, the Up-and-Over)


This move is only slightly valuable in Battlefield 2, due to the addition of afterburners and faster aircraft. Nonetheless, learn it and practice it and you will be less of a nublet for it.

The purpose of this move is two-fold: 1-Increase the silhouette of the enemy jet for your cannon 2-Speed up to catch the jet you are chasing.

Remember, your goal is to shoot the engines. By coming up at an angle to bring your gun to bear, you increase the size of the engine area you can shoot at.

To Perform: Dive at about 30-40 degrees for a few moments, adjusting your throttle to maintain your close proximity or close in(depending on where he is when you start this). The pull up, and you should be looking at the jets belly. Shoot out the engines!!

Hint: The up-and-over is a similar move, used for when an enemy jet is far slower than you. By throttling down some, pulling the nose up 30-40 degrees for a moment, and then nosing back down, you will again increase the silhouette, but also cause yourself to lose airspeed to allow more time to fire.

This move is valuable when you are a very fast jet at full throttle, and you spot the enemy bomber(or noob pilot who apparently hasn't read this guide) flying slow right in front of you. By throttling down to full reverse and simultaneously pulling back on the stick up to 45 degrees, you make it so you lose airspeed and don't travel far horizontally as compared to when you are flying straight and level. This increases the time you have to bring cannons and missiles to bear on your target.

The Split-S


The god of all defensive moves, and very powerful offensively when you see a plane heading in the other direction. Though this is a very simply move to use, since it is only a half-loop under, it is still one of the most sure-fire ways to ditch that plane who has lock on you. This move is very, very difficult for an average pilot to follow while they are on your 6 o'clock.

To Perform: Perform a half aileron roll, or get inverted in another way. Throttle back a little just before you pull back and enter the half loop under. If you're reading the advanced maneuver section of this guide, it shouldn't take me telling you that you need altitude for this move or you'll be fighting the noobs on the carrier for a plane again.

Hint: One of the most effective defensive combos in the game goes like this: Barrel roll X amount of times, and then while inverted in one of your rolls, cut throttle and perform a split-s. Being unpredictable as to when you will perform the split S will be further assurance that your tail is going lose you.

Loop Bombing/Strafing

It is simple enough to explain that if you have difficulty understanding the concept, you have larger issues than your poor aviation record in Battlefield 2.

This move is perfect for attacking ground targets with bombs and cannons.

To Perform: Bomb or strafe an area, and you see targets remain there oblivious to their impending doom. Right after you drop your first bomb(yes, one bomb at a time, more on that later), pull up. Do a well-executed loop over, ensuring that you remain level to stay on heading or your target will be difficult to hit. Fly up to approximately 400-500 feet, and fly a ways past the base you just bombed. As you get about 200 meters away from your target, finish the loop and end up flying level, straight at the suckers on the ground.

Hint: This move is the reason you were told to repeatedly practice looping without changing heading. Practice this until it is second nature, and you will be happy you did.

SECTION FIVE: FLIGHT HINTS

In this section, I will give a number of hints and tricks I've picked up about flying specifically in Battlefield 2.

Altitude Limit
The altitude you will lose control of your jet at is 800 feet. Be aware of this as you are chasing that jet trying to escape your newfound skillz and he is getting so high, you think he may be Scott Weiland from STP.
In the most desperate times, you find yourself constantly with lock-on warnings, you see cannon fire coming past you. You have no flares, no missiles, and you're on the far end of the map. At that time, leading some unsuspecting pilot into the stratosphere may be your best and last chance.
Whether you were led to 1300 feet, or you led someone else there, the next step is living through the ordeal. Here is how:

1-Always fly as a medic. This allows you to be outside taking damage for longer, giving you precious seconds to recover control and let the plane drop.
2-Put your throttle to 0%(middle of the joystick throttle, NOT full reverse).
3-If you are aware that you are rapidly approaching 800 feet, throttle to 0% and get the nose pointed level or down. Even if you do go up to 1000 feet, your plane should be pretty fast to go over the hill� and get back to 800 feet where you can control it.
4-NEVER go above 800 feet while you are pointed at the sky. That can be difficult to recover from for some pilots, and often the second you hit the throttle again at 700 feet, you just launch back into the stratosphere.

Afterburners are not for just getting there fast
They are also for getting out of emergencies. Always save 25% for emergencies.

Speaking of saving afterburner
When you want to get there fast, but want afterburner left over, follow these directions.
Use your afterburner for 3 constant seconds, and get up to full speed.
After you've achieved full speed, hit the afterburner like it's brakes on a car without anti-lock breaks.
Pump the afterburner. You will maintain most of your speed, and not drain much afterburner fuel in doing so.

Or you can do this a easy/cheap way and get a program to do it for you. The program that I use it called JoyToKey http://www.electracode.com/4/joy2key/JoyToKey%20English%20Version.htm This can be used to bind the afterburner button to the action of you pulling your joystick either up or down. Set the button to be hit 20 times and whenever you pull up or go nose down our afterburners pump.

By the way, unless there is artillery dropping on you, do not be a noob and cram on the afterburner the second you jump into the pilot seat. All you do is waste afterburner and make a lot of loud engine noises, and it doesn't get you off the ground much faster.

[Fox7rot]

SECTION SIX: KILLIN' EM ALL

Why you should always drop in 1-bomb mode in fighters
1-Smacktards will punish you every time your well intentioned but off-target 2nd bomb hits them. Bombing with one bomb is much more precise.
2-2 jeeps/water vehicles instead of one, nuff said.
3-With 2 bombs, you'll never take down a full health tank or APC. Dropping one at a time, you can plant both squarely on the vehicles and destroy it.

I always drop two bombs, how do I drop one
I admit this method sucks, and we all hope that DICE implements a weapon fire mode switch command. We definitely want to be able to choose whether to drop one or two, so stop calling this a bug!
To do it, take off and drop both bombs you are carrying on your fighter.
Go back and reload, but only reload a single bomb(you may need to fly perpendicular to the runway, depending on the map).
Drop that single bomb before you reload again.
Your firing mode has now been switched. From here on out, if you load 2 bombs before you drop any, you will drop one bomb at a time.
Want to switch back? Do the same thing to go back to the "I want more tks, and wouldn't mind a lil' 20 minute ban!" 2-bomb drop method.

Use gravity!
If you come in on a target, and a ways in front of the target you bank and turn, your bomb drop will fly horizontally quite a bit. With some practice, you can use this to bomb inside of hangars, buildings, or just to look cool as hell.

Accuracy Hints for Bombing
For bombing, you will find that being accurate with one missile will become very handy. Don't rely on carpet bombing for your kills! You are a guided weapon.
To be more accurate with bombs, follow these suggestions:
1-Drop one bomb only(in fighters, obviously)
2-Assign a joystick button to "Chase Front". EVERY time you drop a bomb, immediately switch to your rear view to see where that bomb goes. After a couple weeks, you will notice a very considerable improvement.
3-Practice straight-on runs in an empty server, and then advance to using centrifugal force to get bombs into hangars/buildings.

Dog fighting
Using sound is the easiest way to track where that enemy jet turned. Another alternative for rich folks is TrackIR 3 Pro with the Vector expansion. I highly recommend it for any hardcore pilot.
Moves are covered in a different section, practice those and you'll automatically improve your dog fighting skill.

For missiles, use the following hints to improve your hit-rate.
1-Don't fire missiles at choppers unless you are at least 100 feet away from them.
2-When chasing another jet in a dogfight, only switch to missile mode if you're ready to fire, or if you are trying to scare him to get him off of your buddy's 6.
3-Get within 20-30 feet of the opposing jet you are chasing, switch to missiles. Ideally, you'll be just a little higher altitude than the jet, with him 20 feet off your nose flying level.
4-Vary when you fire your missiles. Shooting immediately on lock is sometimes effective, but sometimes holding the lock forces the other pilot to drop his flares.
5-The best places to shoot down planes are places where you know they'll be flying straight and slow. Runways or areas where choppers are whoring are perfect for this.
6-Don't just use missiles for jets! The jets have devastating cannons that don't sound alarms in the poor suckers cockpit.

Shooting down choppers
To shoot down choppers is often times a challenge because by the time you spot them, line up, and get weapons ready, you've flown past them.
To do this consistently, you will want to follow these suggestions:
1-Fly by the chopper, and try to approach him from behind. This conceals your intent, as well as making it so you have a few precious extra seconds to let those weapons rip him up.
2-After you fly by and begin your turn, reduce your speed. (only do this if you have alot of health on your jet, or you are fully stocked with flares)
3-Open up with your guns while you have him locked. Inevitably, he will drop his flares. Once he does, let loose.
4-Choppers on the ground take 5 seconds to lift off, and during that time there is nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. Flares dropped on the ground by the chopper as he is soiling himself only serve to better guide your missiles into him.

Choose your ordinance wisely
For jets, use guns, and missiles when the opportunity is right.
For choppers, use cannons primarily, missiles if the opportunity is there and you don't mind -2 points for team damage when they miss.
For jeeps and water vehicles, don't use your bombs! Use your cannons.
For AA stinger/IGLA sites, get some altitude and use your cannons on them
For heavy armor, use bombs.
For LAV's, use bombs and cannons.
If you're in a bomber, use cannons on everything!
The longer you can stay stocked on weapons, the longer you can stay in the field providing cover for your team(and points for you, you whore!)

As the Bomber Pilot

All of the above tips apply to being a bomber pilot, but you have another consideration as the bomber pilot. You have a buddy at your side who is ready to take any ground target out, provided you get them in position to do it. Here's how.

1-Ask the bombardier to keep the camera looking down the nose of your bomber. This shows him where you're going, and gives him the best possible amount of time to identify targets and fire.
2-"Swoop". Fly up to 600 feet after take-off or a bombing run, and select your target by looking at your mini map. Aim to come down on the target at a very steep angle, giving your gunner the most time to be able to get the job done.
3-Use your HUD to figure out if ground targets are friendly or enemy. If they are friendly, peel off and make for another run. You can identify enemy vs. friend much faster than your gunner.
4-If you do that, your gunner NEVER needs lock. He just needs altitude and to fire his missile as soon as he can to guide it in. Help your gunner out by staying on target until you see that missile closing in on the target. If you peel off too early, his manual guidance will go in the same direction as the plane, thus missing your target.

As the bomber pilot, you have a carpet bomb at your disposal. Sometimes, enemies are spread out over a larger area in a base, and other times, they are pretty well condensed(and possibly surrounded by friendlies).
With that in mind, you will want to drop a more spread out carpet for bases where enemies are spread out, and will want to condense the bombing area if they're tightly packed. You can do this by using altitude to your advantage.
If you want to drop a larger spread: Fly level, and drop your bombs
If you want to condense the spread, and absolutely devastate a small area: Gain altitude(600 feet is what I get up to for this), and come straight down on the target. This will drop the bombs much closer together.

This guide is pretty much what i use for BF2 when I played that game alot, as you can see I was an air whore. Seeing how we play AiX now and seeing that it's mainly air oriented I figured that this might help people when it comes to flying. It can be great fun once you fly right and killing things other then your teamates :P If you need convicing on how good of a pilot I am you can go right ahead and ask IB, though that rat bastard will only say horrible things about me. Hope this guide helps you out in the air. See you in the skys!

[Drayu]

did you write this or is this from somewhere else?

[Fox7rot]

its from somewhere else, but the place where i got it is no longer up, i had this copied in my docs. so i just posted it here figuring that it would help people.

[[W33T] JimmytehHand8]

Moved it to the gaming guides forum.