Sage
04-12-2009, 02:01 AM
I'd been playing AIX for a while before I got around to finding and using my Saitek EVO with the game. Flying jets works so much better with it. But I discovered something about using a joystick with a throttle on it that makes the jump jets (Harrier and Flogger) in AIX ten times more deadly. They go from some of the worst dogfighters in the air to the hands-down best ones.
Some quick air combat history: During the Falklands War, the Brits fielded Harriers from their ships against planes that far out-matched them (on paper) in conventional air-to-air combat. Planes like the Mirage III and Israeli-built copies of the Mirage V; even the A4 Skyhawk, which though it's an attack aircraft is a well-known dogfighter (Navy Top Gun school upgraded the engines and used them as "enemy" planes for years) due to its nimbleness. All of these outshone the Harrier in speed, too, since all had afterburning engines, something the Harrier lacks. What the Brits came up with was brilliant. They would vector the engine's thrust in a turn. They'd simply point the engine nozzles down, as for vertical flight, in a high-G turn. With the control tweaks in AIX, you can, too. This is called a vector in forward flight or VIFF.
Here's how its done. You decide you want to turn, so you roll the aircraft to set up for the turn, as you normally would. You pull back on the stick to bring the nose around, just like normal. Next, you set your throttle for vertical takeoff, setting it to what I think of as the "closed" position. Give it about half a second, and your VIFF takes effect and your rate of turn goes through the roof! I've yet to get in a fight with a jet that can out-turn this move; not the F-5, not the MiG-19, nothing.
The only caution is that you will lose forward speed quickly in this maneuver, so about the time that you start turning fast, you want to reapply full forward vector/throttle so that when the nose comes around, you're not just sitting there waiting for the enemy plane to come back around and put two missiles up your ass. Luckily, thanks to BF2's dumbed-down version of physics, the plane won't break apart or turn your pilot into jelly when you're pulling twenty or so Gs, and you won't lose too much forward momentum (you should lose a lot).
This works to make quick work of other combat moves you may want to use. You can split S at unbelievably low altitude, or you can Immelmann without gaining much altitude if you want. It's a 3-D battleground in the air; use it inventively.
The only other caution is to beware when it comes to the actual kill. The Harrier only carries 4 AIM-9s, and they're only useable in pairs.. and they usually miss or simply go through the other plane without registering. Wait for the enemy to pop flares and look for a straight and level shot at him. This usually isn't enough, so going with guns is usually the best way to finish a dogfight. Luckily, the Harrier's guns rock.
The Harrier is now officially the best plane in AIX if you VIFF. Good hunting.
Some quick air combat history: During the Falklands War, the Brits fielded Harriers from their ships against planes that far out-matched them (on paper) in conventional air-to-air combat. Planes like the Mirage III and Israeli-built copies of the Mirage V; even the A4 Skyhawk, which though it's an attack aircraft is a well-known dogfighter (Navy Top Gun school upgraded the engines and used them as "enemy" planes for years) due to its nimbleness. All of these outshone the Harrier in speed, too, since all had afterburning engines, something the Harrier lacks. What the Brits came up with was brilliant. They would vector the engine's thrust in a turn. They'd simply point the engine nozzles down, as for vertical flight, in a high-G turn. With the control tweaks in AIX, you can, too. This is called a vector in forward flight or VIFF.
Here's how its done. You decide you want to turn, so you roll the aircraft to set up for the turn, as you normally would. You pull back on the stick to bring the nose around, just like normal. Next, you set your throttle for vertical takeoff, setting it to what I think of as the "closed" position. Give it about half a second, and your VIFF takes effect and your rate of turn goes through the roof! I've yet to get in a fight with a jet that can out-turn this move; not the F-5, not the MiG-19, nothing.
The only caution is that you will lose forward speed quickly in this maneuver, so about the time that you start turning fast, you want to reapply full forward vector/throttle so that when the nose comes around, you're not just sitting there waiting for the enemy plane to come back around and put two missiles up your ass. Luckily, thanks to BF2's dumbed-down version of physics, the plane won't break apart or turn your pilot into jelly when you're pulling twenty or so Gs, and you won't lose too much forward momentum (you should lose a lot).
This works to make quick work of other combat moves you may want to use. You can split S at unbelievably low altitude, or you can Immelmann without gaining much altitude if you want. It's a 3-D battleground in the air; use it inventively.
The only other caution is to beware when it comes to the actual kill. The Harrier only carries 4 AIM-9s, and they're only useable in pairs.. and they usually miss or simply go through the other plane without registering. Wait for the enemy to pop flares and look for a straight and level shot at him. This usually isn't enough, so going with guns is usually the best way to finish a dogfight. Luckily, the Harrier's guns rock.
The Harrier is now officially the best plane in AIX if you VIFF. Good hunting.