Hi Guys

PatrickAWilson made a comment on the 'The five little changes you'd like to see made to ROF' thread about reducing the distances that AI open fire.

As you guys by now have worked out my love of ancedotes from the Great War pilots themselves, I though I post a bunch of quotes about how close they thought they needed to get to be effective.

This is not for any reason, I just thought you guys might be interested.

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'Rules for Air Fighting' by 'Mick' Mannock (61+ Vics)
"Rule 1. Pilots must dive to attack with zest, and must hold their fire until they get within one hundred yards (92m) of their target."

Elliott White Springs (16 Vics) stated about the Camel,
"Its guns were best at 100 yards (92m)...Beyond that you would waste bullets because of the terrific vibration."

Way of the Eagle, Charles J Biddle, (8 Vics with N.73 (France) & 103d Aero Squadron (USA)), Page X
“The distances at which fighting is carried on in the air is not nearly so great as is generally supposed. Almost all successful combats were fought at ranges less that 300 feet (92m) and again the majority of these at between 200 feet (61m) and 30 feet (9m). There were of course many instances of planes being brought down at longer ranges but these were the exception."

Go Get 'Em!, by William A. Wellman, (3 Vics & 5 Unconfirmed) - Page 112“I may as well state here that in actual battle the range is usually obtained by firing flaming, or "tracer," bullets, whose course is visible in the form of a small streak of fire and smoke. Moreover, since machines traveling at a hundred and twenty miles and upward, pass each other with terrific speed and offer a most illusive target, the custom is never to open fire until you are almost on top of the enemy. Twenty-five yards (23m) is too far for accuracy; fifteen (14m) is more certain.”

Winged Warfare, by William Avery Bishop - (72 'Claims')
“They did not want to fight, though, and turned away, heading in an easterly direction. The range was too far for me to open fire, so I chased them a bit, a distance of about two miles. They managed to keep three hundred yards away...”

The Rittmeister (Manfred von Richthofen) himself writes in a letter to Allmenroeder’s father :
“An English airplane, at least 800 meters away, fired at this gigantic distance
A few shots (the usual combat distance is 100 or 50 meters or just an aircrafts length)”

'Air of battle' by William Fry.
"To calibrate the sight, all that was necessary to do was to take one's machine out on the ground to the firing range, set it up into flying position, fire a burst from the gun and set the Aldis sight to the spot where the burst hit the butt. We usually set it for a range of about thirty yards"

Spoon

Yeah, I pretty much follow the Red Barons tactics when I'm flying my N28 or SE5 and I'm shooting down DFW's-they don't carry alot of bullets!

I'm usually close enough that I have two challenges at the same time-snipe the gunner and not run into the arse end of the target! I've been able to down 4 DFW's before running out of ammo.

Luck sure comes into play sometimes. Flying my N28 I got into it with a DR1 that wasn't too happy after I shot down the DFW he was escorting. He started doing the "hang on the prop and then do a 180 reversal" thing and I couldn't get the advantage. I almost stalled out and he got some additional separation from me. I finally got turned around and he was at LEAST 300 yards in front of me and just pulled the nose up again. I was P.O.'d so I took a quick shot at him for G-P's.

I couldn't believe it but I thought I saw alittle smoke so I started closing on him. I was so far away from him that I couldn't tell I'd set his machine alight! As I gained on him I could finally see the flames and the smoke really became heavy.

Luckiest shot I've made in ROF-by far!!!!

When I fight two seaters, mainly RE8`s, I commence firing from around 500 meters and if I get close to around 300 meters distance I immediately shut throttle unless I want the rear gunner to shut it for me.. About 300-500 rounds usually gets them, all though sometimes I`m lucky and manage to hose the rear gunner, then I can get up close and hose it. Brutal, I know, waste of ammo, indeed.. so if anyone knows a simpler risk free way to make them fall without taking big risks I`m all eyes..
When I fight scouts I get up real close, sometimes closer than a few meters and then I aim for the pilot and open fire.
Fighting both scouts and recons I`ve started to take a liking to head on passes as a few hits in such encounters usually makes them flinch, other times I`m lucky and manage to get a head-on kill.

Boom and zoom. 300-500 rounds is way too much to be wasting on a single two seater. I usually do one or two passes on the gunner. If I manage to kill him I then settle in behind at about 100 meters for an easy kill. If I don't get the gunner in two passes I continue to BnZ but focus on hitting the engine. There is no risk free way to take out two seaters but BnZ is far better than sitting behind the gunner so he can get an easy shot on you and trying to hit anything between 500-300 meters is just wasting ammo.

In Rise of Flight you are a fool if you don't shoot from 400m when you have a clear shot.

I don't play MP

Out of range I climb above 2 seaters and then dive on the with a large speed advantage, the worst damage I've taken now in about 5 kills was some long term engine damage, no PK's no injuries. This is easy to say when your flying the SE5a though, its much harder in a slower poorly climbing aircraft.

I stay below and DIRECTLY behind them-pop up and go for the gunner. Usually after a couple popups he's a goner and then it's easy.

I always get at least two per mission-if they're around to be shot at!

Attacking from underneath works well too but you really have to be careful if there are more than one two seaters in the flight. A lot of times the gunner in the other two seater can get some shots off at the end of your climb when your speed is low.

Actually when I said 300-500 rounds I meant in one MG, and my D.III has 2 mg`s so thats anything from 600 to 1000 rnds
Either way yes I know its too much, but at that distance the rear gunner cant hit me
I tried getting closer (Thats easy) and zoom up for a shot then boom down, but the pilot keeps side slipping or rolling to one side and the other so the gunner always gets a shot on me, if I try to roll with him then I waste more energy in the climb and end up going slow, thus the rear gunner still hoses me..