Letīs go with some A2A action.

I was afraid of this one, I am a Falcon boy and without HSD, HUD, Data Link, AWACS, TWS, TGP... I thought my SA would be just... well, non existing.

Even more, I decided to take it seriously and fly without padlocking the view and with no visual helps to difference good guys from the bad ones. Pure Mark I eyeball and TrackIR. It means that I have to get close enough for visual ID, just like the ROE dictated in Vietnam.

The A2A scenary is very dinamic so I decided to make the AAR with videos. Raw videos, no sountrack, no editing, crazy TIR camara moves and 90% boredom, 10% action. You are warned... By the way, REMEMBER TO SELECT HIGH QUALITY

SOME BACKGROUND:

MIGs learned that the Phantom was totally useless at shorter distances than 1500fts ("If I only had a brick" some F4 driver said) someone thought this was not correct and this is the story of how the Phantom got a cannon and the Gunfighters became the Gunfighters:

http://www.366fightergroupassoc.org/GunfighterName.htm

And this is the story of what happend that day:

http://simhq.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/ubb/newpost/Board/170.html

THE MISSION...

Finally I am flying a Phantom in Vietnam. I guess is something like flying a Spitfire in the Battle of Britain. There is something about the Phantom... is the only case of something so so ugly that becomes pretty. I hear once that some big boss of the Air Force the fist time saw a F4 said something like "It was so ugly that I thought they have delivered it up side down"...

Mi first mission A2A in YAP, I will focus on following my leader, try to cover his six and... thatīs it, I donīt thing I will have SA for more. I try to remember all I have ever read about flying Phantoms against MIGs: donīt get in a circle combat, keep your speed high and use the vertical where nothing can competes with the F4 engines...

I start joining up in Leadīs wing:



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRzF-z-1ASc

As Lead turns for the next waypoint we get warning of bandits. I try to keep behind lead to cover his six. After some turning Lead gets a nice position behind a MIG and I witness his first kill from above...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKsK7e4ek5s

I donīt know whatīs going on around, just follow Lead and he looks to have a excellent SA, he is positioning for his second kill. Everything is looking good so far, I am happy I have not lost visual on him yet and from my position I am going to have a beatiful sight of his second kill when...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXzIVQ0Z3Jg

HOLLY #%&*$#!!!! Lead suddently turns into a ball of fire!!! I did not see tracers, missiles, or bandits... he just explodes. I overshoot the 21 that was his target, I hit burners and go vertical not to be the next one... I go over the top and turn, I see Leadīs plane falling, no MIGs to be seen... this is one of the worst moment of my virtual aviator career, my leader -whom I should have cover and protect- is shoot down just in my face... never have been so ashame.

I spot a plane and I follow it screaming for revenge but it was an F4. Another F4 appears, they are chasing a MIG...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjEieOqZxjg

I see another splash to the left. I donīt know if it as friendly or a bandit, turn towards it and get a radar contact, I have to get a visual ID -what the hell do I want the AIM7 for then??- contact is lost but I turn and get it again. This time I get tally on a MIG17. My first AIM9 pass by but the second one blowns him out of the sky...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6nEVKprPG00

I get a group of contacts, I asume they are our strike boys. Closer to me, to the left I get a lonely radar contact, I lock and go to intercept, I get a tally on a MIG and score my second kill with an AIM9...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnSXOqdRh7c

I spot another plane over the river. Is a F4 and his chasing a MIG, I get incredible sight as he joins "the Day Of the Gun"...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nziYj1x7ukc

I spot two more planes, soon I notice they are thuds exiting the target area. I turn to check that no one is coming behind. I get a radar lock, a tally on a MIG17 but I terribly overshoot and I miss the chance to make good my new guns...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3OqrrzumunU

Letīs call it a day. I egress the target area and go for the tanker. I am thinking, I got two kills but they donīt make up for getting my leader shot down. Man, how do I explain that when I get to the base? just in front of my nose!!!

Well, letīs focus on the tanker by now...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5QFkoCheWY





I have so much to explain after landing...



Tulkas

The thing is, Turkas... you get it.

You read the history. You know what is expected. You get a lot more out of the game.

And, in turn, I really like reading your reports. These missions are a lot of work and for someone to see it as we staged it, is very satisfying.

We specifically wanted the player to be stuck back there in Fighting Wing. It's tough to stay in position and impossible to keep SA. About half the time, Lead loses you or gets popped. And there you are over Thud Ridge in a swarm of MiGs who know where you are.

Also very nice that you kept the faith to the end. You gassed up. No way is somebody going to dogfight in afterburner and get home on internal.

Nice. Really nice.

Thanks 05, I appreciate your words. I am glad if any of my AAR gets to make at least a little justice to your missions. For my is the whole point of YAP, I did not come from WOV, I arrive directly to YAP not like an addon for a sim but to hear good fighters stories and get a little test of it. It is the perfect complement for books like "Bury us up side down", "Scream of Eagles", "Thud Ridge", "Red Eagles"... and you guys have done an amazing job to recreate the environment, the feeling...

Today I plan to fly first mission of second set, keep up the good work guys!

Tulkas

P.D: You should be yelling at me for the way I lost my leader! I donīt even want to imagine how was coming back after a situation like that in real life...

This is the toughest mission to date. I observed lead go to burner and break left. I went to burner and started to follow when something caught my eye off to my right. When I turned my head back I had lost sight of lead. #$%@! The object off to my right was a MiG-17 so I gave chase and ended up scoring a gun kill. Hey this is pretty fun! Where are the rest of those MiGs? I chase another one down and end up scoring a head on pass gun kill. I catch a glimpse of him breaking up as he whizzes by. Sierra Hotel! There's a third MiG out there and I roll in to intercept. Suddenly it gets very quiet. Doh! I'd been in burner the whole time and a quick look at my fuel gauge confirms that I am now in a glider, and a damn poor one at that. Book me a room at the Hanoi Hilton.

My second attempt was worse. I did a better job of sticking with lead. I even managed to score a sparrow kill flying as wing. This standoff attack capability is kind of cool. I check my map and see that there is a second MiG out there. I lock on to what I believe is him on my scope and fire a sparrow. A minute or so later I see a smoke puff on the horizon and get a check fire call. Oops, I had taken out a friendly. To top it off, while my head was buried in the scope the MiG had maneuvered onto my six and I suddenly disappeared in a cloud of metal shards.

The next time I fly I'm going to stick to lead like glue and not worry so much about racking up a kill count.

Holy crap!

That's the most awesome review I've ever read. Scary just viewing it here, amazing as a flight simulation and unbelievable in real life!

Thanks for sharing.

Great report and nice flying Talkus. The video debrief really makes the AAR come to life. Please keep 'em coming.

Dad with his 366th TFW Rhino at Da Nang in '68 during his first tour. You can just make out the Spook with Vulcan in hand on the port intake.