Lt. James Cater

After going through a long list, i ended up choosing to fly Danish Starfighters in the '79 campaign. However, i ran into a bit of a problem. Something's a bit messed up and i don't have a clue what it is. It was bad enough that #3 and #4 blew up a minute or so after the shots were taken. Just to make sure, i tried reflying the mission but the results in the third screenie occured. Anyone knows what happened and how i can deal with it?

Curious enough i'm now doing a smooth campaign flying Belgian F-104s. Perhaps there was something wrong in my Danish files?

I forgot to mention one seriously positive thing about the Javelin. It is about the sturdiest aircraft you will find other than the Thud. You might have your wing or tail shot off and the fuselage spewing all kinds of flames and smoke, but I've never seen one blow up from an initial burst of cannon fire or a direct hit from an Atoll. At least this bird gives you a chance to bail out.

Considering the newer aircraft that became generally available recently, i thought i'd resurrect this thread. F-102 Delta Dagger-I was initially very sceptical of this plane and was happily shocked by it's combat performance. No "Fangs out, hair on fire" pilots need apply though, you have to really be a thinking type to get the best out of the Deuce. Pros-Excellent missle arrangement, good high altitude speed, excellent fuel duration for a plane of it's type, deceptive speed on the deck. Cons-Poor cockpit visibility, no gun, poor acceleration, inadequate climb rate. Javelin FAW.9-Anyone who wants a challenging campaign should fly this bird. As a pure interceptor it's one of the best around. However, when faced by opposing fighters it's limitations quickly become apparent. Pros-Fine early IR missles, good radar, decent cockpit visibility, decent amount of gun ammo. Cons-Poor manuverability, underpowered, poor climb rate, poor endurance. PS-Just got done with my second campaign flying a Javelin. No two ways about it, the plane is a dog. Got shot down twice by MIGs while trying to disengage after intercepts and AI pilots might as well be considered shot down before they leave the runway. Horrendous kill/loss ratio vs enemy fighters.

Up to the challenge!

At least the Brazil side had to work for it this time. Still, second place is not bad condsidering the last few matches were against some damn fine teams.

We live, we fight, and we may die. But sometimes we go out in ways that might not be worth mentioning in Squadron histories. For some strange reason, i grew a liking for the Javelin and flew it into combat. I quickly found out it's pros and cons and developed tactics to have some success with it. However, by the time i really had it down, the squadron was down to two aircraft. Anyways, i'm going on a recce mission and to me, it's basically a free hunt. We just got some Sparrows and so i loaded two along with the Firestreaks so i can check them out. So off i go! Once at 25,000 i settled down and checked the radar and Ground Control frequently. Sure enough i get word of some activity and head in that direction. Soon, i know there's a Soviet base up ahead so i decide to drop down and take a look. JACKPOT!!!!!!!!!!!! A flight of MIG-17s getting ready to take off and they are virtually right in my sights. I set up the guns and come in low and very fast. A pull of the trigger and the ADENS reach out and blow apart the first in line. Pulling up, i figure that i have the rest exactly where i want them and will nail them all. Conscious of ground fire, i figured i'd come in at a steeper angle but not as fast, so pulled back on the throttle some. That was the beginning of the end! On the next pass i drove in and shot up the next MIG. The problem was that i was in a sizeable aircraft that was near fully loaded (external tanks and all), coming down at the wrong airspeed and angle and got in too close to make sure of destroying the target. By the time i realized that i screwed the pooch it was too late. I saw the ground coming up fast and reacted but the plane didn't stand a chance in hell. One big fireball later the campaign was over and my ego was in shreds. Oh, the Agony!

No one where i'm at saw that one coming. I live and work amongst a number of Latino and African football fanatics and no one gave the US the slightest chance of pulling this one out. I myself was of the opinion that the US would be lucky to score a single goal. If the US beats Brazil, all football as we know it will probaly come to an end out of complete shock!

Now with the NF4 mod i frequently see parked planes on airfields i fly over. Before, i never once saw anything.

Thanks for the tip. In high school we had one in the weightroom and i was the only person who ever used it seriously. I'll check into picking one up.

Ok folks, i let myself go a bit longer so and am now beginning my new period of extended PT. However, i have a bit of a problem. I seriously blew my knee out a few months ago and it looks like my running days are over unless it gets surgically repaired. Seeing as that's pretty much out of the question, i have to ask about alternative ways to do heavy duty cardio exercises. About the only thing i can think of is doing my jogging in the complex pool so as to keep as much weight as possible off the knee. Ideas?

See everyone in a few weeks. I'm going on vacation for the first time in 10 years. Yep, aint nothing like checking things out all day and hanging out getting drunk every night (what else is a functional alcoholic to do?). I'll see if i can get some quality pics of the planes on the USS Intrepid. Later, Cater.

Pretty intense thing to find out. I hope she recovers with no lasting effects from the accident.

We all have one major pain of an enemy aircraft that is your absolute worst nightmare. While multiple types can pose a threat there is always one that is above the rest and just happens to be the worst thing that can appear. For me it is the MIG-19. Since reinstalling WOE and adding NF4, I've been flying the 62 campaign and the 19 is what does the most damage. Example, at the moment i'm doing recce work in the RF-84F Thundeflash. So far i've gotten jumped by Mig17s once and did the most obvious thing, punched tanks and went for the deck at full throttle. Below 2,000 ft i was able to stay ahead of them until they broke off, so i know i can outrun them. 21s i consider harmless unless they catch me asleep. Atolls can be dodged quite easily and some 21s don't even have a gun. But MIG-19s? In the Deuce, the 19 was easily the biggest headache. It's fast, climbs good, manuvers well, and has a 3X30mm knockout punch. Whenever we had losses you can bet that the 19 did the most damage. One put an end to my second campaign in the Deuce. Sure, i shot down a lot of them but i always did my best not to engage close in with one. Now that i'm in a RF-84, i positively dread the thought of one on my 6.

That is correct. I bet a lot of them thought different after US pilots finally got around to knowing how to fight in a F-4. Anyways... The thing about the 19 that North Vietnamese pilots had against was that it wasn't as manuverable as a 17 nor as fast as a 21. Considering the tactics involved i wonder what the problem was. Sneak up on a target and two seconds (if even that) of fire is enough to blow away any tactical aircraft that flew at the time. I think i'll fire up "Aces of North Vietnam and give it a try.

Yo Hooter, just out of curiosity...what plane are you currently flying?

If there are other radars near a SAM site a Shrike might go astray. If not, provided you had a good setup at launch it's a kill every time.

Stick all the way!

I've read a whole lot of stuff over the years and yes, it's the Mig-17 they are talking about. I wish to hell there was more info out there for the 19 but no joy. Oh well, as far as i keep out of it's gun envelope i can cope with it.

I especially like the "I'm taking damage!!!" call when said pilots' plane is already an earthbound fireball.

I'm big on dealing with what i have to work with. So far, so good with the RF-84 and that's it. If i don't like it i can always turn in my wings.

That's a weird thing about the lack of damage. I was flying F-111s and having success with at least 2 2000lb hits to a runway. It looks like something is just not right.

Yep, thats it! Takes a bit to get used to but really helps a lot. Enjoy!

Since installing NF4 i've done two campaigns in F-102s and as i said above, i'm currently flying an RF-84. With the Deuce, once you are out of missles you become a rather prominent target. Check out the performance stats and you can see that the MIG-19 has a considerable advantage across the board. The saving graces about the F-102 was it's fuel capacity, afterburner, and speed at altitude. If i was able to make it to 40,000ft unmolested i was as good as gone. However, getting there was the major challenge. The Thunderflash has not a single advantage over a 19. To be jumped deep over enemy territory by one is my personal nightmare. Remember, i'm in a recce bird. It's for taking pictures then running home, dogfighting is not part of the job. Ok, i've got four .50s with 310 rounds. 1v1 can be done. A whole flight? I don't think so.