Quote:
Originally Posted by MarcusLee
So flying low under 100 alt all the time is a bad idea and instead I should fly high then swoop down?
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Yes, a very very bad idea! Anti-Air is very potent in PR, and with an extremely limited amount of flares in a jet (compared to the amount of time you will average flying around the map before landing and rearming), staying that low in an Anti-Air filled environment is just asking for death.
The bare minimum for non-attack flight (read: you're flying, and not on an attack run) is roughly 800 to 1000 meters altitude. This will put you above the clouds (800 is the bottom of the cloud, and 1000 is a short distance from the top). You also should realize that the flight ceiling in PR is not nearly the same height as vanilla; at 1000m in vanilla, you reach the flight ceiling on Wake Island-in Kashan Desert in PR, I believe the flight ceiling is around 5000 meters or higher.
You'll find that a lot of pilots tend to fly in the 1000-2000 range. It keeps you out of anti-air's reach, and is low enough to make shallow dives on attack runs. Some pilots prefer flying at higher altitudes, such as 3000-4000 meters; this is a much less used airspace, and you are less likely to be noticed at this height by other aircraft. However, it means that you will have to properly adjust your altitude before an attack run, lest you wish to put yourself in a deep dive, that you may not make it out of if you make a mistake in misjudging when you should pull up.
You are extremely vulernable in 3 cases when in a bomber jet:
1. Ingress to an attack target. Every pilot that I know of flies in a direct line to the target, slowly lowering altitude until ground and target are visible. This means that a fighter jet that is lucky enough to spot you during this time will have an easy means to line up behind your jet and destroy you.
2. Egress from an attack target. Again, you will likely head in a straight line while ascending back into the safe haven of the sky. A fighter may be flying above the clouds, and be lucky enough to witness you come in from below; if he does, there's a good chance he could follow and kill you.
3. When another jet spots you; but you don't spot him. Always keep yourself aware. If you are flying straight, you can tap C to look behind you and check that there is not a jet attempting to line up with your aircraft. Make sure to check your six every now and then to ensure that you don't end up on the receiving end of a missile. Also, holding control and moving your mouse will allow you to look left and right. Useful when flying straight, as it allows you a much wider view of what might fly past you, so you can react to it a lot sooner. Also, when at higher altitudes, if you tip the jet slightly and look downwards, you will have an easier time spotting jets below you. Very useful tips if you are in a fighter jet searching for the other jets.
