How to Win in an Aerial Dogfight!

[Panzergranate]

Originally Posted by dkwookie

Or pick an I-153

And don't mix it with other players in faster aircraft who know how easy it is to shoot down a slow moving unarmoured bi-plane.

There are three methods to shoot down a I-153 and I-16.

(1) Wait until its busy with someone else, fly in fast and blast it. If somehow or other, the victim survives and gives chase, just power away and quickly move out of range by either climbing or level flight. If he gives chase, someone else will nail him, if he gives up, you'll turn and nail him.

(2) Engage in a turning battle and fly at full throttle. You will gradually begin to catch it up, despite turning a far larger circle. You will stay out of the enemy's line of fire whilst doing this. This tactic works extremely well with Hurricanes and Spitfires. The guy then has two choices, keep turning and be shot down or break off and be shot down.

(3) Lure the sucker up above 15,000 Feet, where both the I-153 and I-16 begin to loose performance and airspeed rapidly. At this altitude both Soviet aircraft pull wider turning circles and have less agility than more modern mono-planes. Above 20,000 Feet both struggle to make even 100 MPH in level flight and are sitting ducks.

I caught out a I-16 player twice, last night by fllying at 18,000 Feet in my Hurricane. As the guy was host, the game was me versus him (because he started it as soon as I joined) and he was the only one being hit and shot down..... guess what..... he closed the game.

There is a (4) option, though only available if playing IL-2 Forgotten Battles on the PC..... Fly a Finnish B-239 Buffalo as this out turns the I-153 and easily beats it on agility and speed.