Gambler 29 B/GAMBLERCD29B.BIN/Warbirds/Misc/b17faq.txt

Text File | 1996-01-06 | 9KB | 160 lines

OK here it is The UNOFFICIAL B17 instructions :)


1.  Basic flight info.
2.  Bombing Instructions.
3.  My Life as a closet buffer.




                  1. Basic Flight Info:

Since the B17 model came out in Warbirds an already too frequently used word
appeared in the skys arounded me....that is HOW??? as in how do I get the B17
off the runway...how do I get the bombsite...etc etc...

Well this may not be the right way to fly and fight with it but it works
for me ;).

The B17 is big and heavy. So heavy is it that if you taxi off any harden surface
you WILL become stuck in the mud!! If for some reason you dont believe me just
ask Duck <g>. So what ever you do dont go four wheeling with it!. I have heard
of a system bug which starts you out in a parked place by the hanger, if this
happens I advise to taxi from the outside view only.

After starting all engines with <shift> "e" run the throttles up to 100%. The 17
has alot of torq in the 4 engines it has, but due to its mass it does not require
alot of rudder jocking. The 17 is big for the current small runways so try to
keep it centered when making a take off runs. at 110 MPH ias drop 1 stage flaps
and gently pull back on the stick to get wheels up, when the altitude gauge
starts moving pull the gear in with "g". Keep her steady climbing up and straight
till you are at 200 ft, then hit "x" to trim her out so you can release some of
the stick pressure. After it settles in auto switch auto back off and climb to
500 ft before turning onto your heading for target. I find that the 17 climbs
best for me with 1 stage of flaps. This also aids in turning at altitude.

As far as landings go give a LONG approach and keep it slow around 110ias for
lineup, try to touch down as close to the end of the runway as possible. Full
flaps are advised.



                 2. Bombing Instructions:

Well now that we are airborne and on the way to target there are some things
we want to do before the fighting starts.

First figure out what you are going to hit i.e. hangers and tower or ack etc..
If you are going to hit multiple targets in a row you are going to want to
"salvo" some or all of your bombload. This command will drop X amount of bombs
in a row at one hit of the bombing pickle or key "b". You set this up by hitting
a radio key "/" and typing ".salvo 12" this will set up the bombing racks to
drop 12 bombs on the 1 depress of "b". This will only work if the "pickle ON"
or F9 key is hit. Also you might want to set the "delay" between each bomb coming
off the rack. Im not sure what the default is but it ranges from 50 mili seconds
to 999 Mili seconds. This is the amount of time in between each bomb releasing
from its rack messured in mili seconds. 50 MS will give you a very tight bomb
pattern while 999 MS will give the cluster bomb effect. I recomend 50ms for
starters but your mileage may vary ;).

OK now we are set to go to the bomber possition put the plane in auto level with
"x" and press "y". You will be looking at the forward view OVER the norden
bombsite at this time. Take a look around and check out where everthing is, all
the "HAT" keys work and there is some nice art here. The important things to
check are in the Left view on the Bomb control panel. You will see a Bay open
light that will turn red when you press "o" to open the bomb bay doors and a
display showing the current amount of bombs on board. When you hit the hat back
view or KP2 you will be looking thru the norden bombsite. You can zoom in or out
with the "[" "]" keys. Note that zooming in or out will affect your inflight map
also. The important thing to notice thru the norden is the Deviation gauge in
the upper right hand corner, This is a gauge for the norden gyro. This will tell
you how far OFF the site is at the time, either left or right etc. The gyro needs
a minimum of 2 mins of LEVEL FLIGHT to settle for the cross hairs to be accurate.
Not sorta level either I mean LEVEL!. The gauge needle will point straight down
and the light at the bottom will turn green when the site is DEAD on.

OK now we have obtained a good bombing alt. of 10k, we have set the "salvo" and
"delay" commands put the plane in auto level with "x" and are at the Bombing
possition "y". Press "o" to open the bay doors. Switch PICKLE to ON with "F9",
let the gyro settle the site out, The light turns green but you are still off
target!! DOH!!! dont panick, use your stick <not rudders> from the NORDEN view
to line up on target. The stick while looking THRU the norden will slew the
aircraft left and right. I know.. I know....the rudders should do that!. But
remeber in the REAL 17 the Bomber didnt have rudder peddels! so he flew the
plane with a stick to line up. Also note that flight changes from the bombing
possition will NOT turn off the autopilot. Notice that any large changes in
flight will throw the norden out of sync so try to be as closed to lined up as
you can before you are near the target. I do this by mapping out my approach to
target so that I em going down the runway longways. I line the field up from the
cockpit by putting it just to the right of my airspeed gauge. OK now we can see
the field THRU the norden, But we are at 10k and cant see any buildings. Now we
zoom in with the "[" "]" keys till we have a good picture of what we want to hit.
Double check the gyro gauge and make sure it is straight down and the light is
green, Put the center crosshairs on the target and hit "b"... Bombs Away!!!.

The site can be very accurate if given enough time to settle out and no major
changes are made in the flight path. I have been able to hit individual buildings
with 1 bomb at a time from 15k. I adivise a slight lead on the cross hairs so
pickle just a little early.  Not much just a RCH.

Ok recap of important info:
1. Key functions:

"o" opens bay doors
"y" brings you to bombsite
".salvo XX" sets amount of bombs to drop with 1 pickle
".delay XXX" sets amount of time between each bomb droping
"F9" Pickle on/off sets a multiple drop or an individial drop

2. Key tips:

your auto gunners WILL NOT shoot unless you have the trigger depressed.
So if you have fighters around you AND they are within hitting distance pull the
trigger. You can see them really well from the outside view by hitting <alt> "v".

Set your run up so the norden has time to settle in. Give a minimum of 2 mins
LEVEL flight.

If you are off target alot with the throttle at full (as normal for me) throttle
back some to give more time for line up. You WILL loose alt. but you stand a
better chance of not throwing off the site by trying to line up to hard at once.

Practice bombing offline! the 17 takes around 35-40 mins to reach 20k so before
you spend lots of cash make sure you know what your doing ;)



                  My life as a closet Buffer :)


Well believe it or not I do enjoy flying BUFFS. I know I em better known for my
exploits in dogfighting but flying a buff can be lots of fun because it take a
different outlook on planing and thinking. Besides its the 1 thing that Iceman
and Badluck do better than me I CANT LIVE WITH THAT!!
In all the years me and these to guys have been flying together I always get
stuck taking out the bandits and they get the target!  How many dam times did I
hear while networked up with falcon 3.0 or in AW, "AC get the bandits we will
hit the target!!!!"  HEHE I guess when it comes down to it I was the better
choice to get the bandits...<g>. But just once I would like to hear Ice say
"AC I got the bandits bomb the F#@^% outta the target!"

I may not be a good buffer but I do enjoy it... almost as much as killing
bandits ;)... almost but not quite...


Disclaimer ;) I em by far NOT an expert in the B17 so use this info at your
own risk <g>.

Well I hope this info helps you guys on your way to Becoming a good Buffer and
having fun in the 17!! I just remeber the days in AW when Ice would roll in on
target and say on the radio " The Iceman Commeth..."

God these games can give you life long memories if you let them ;).


Check Six!!!..and Seven ..and Nine.. God I must be near reds ..<g>


Alleycat **VF-101** Grim Reapers
aka Mike Marshall