Old Men Geezer Tactics

Tell us how you go in for the kill. You'll find the latest combat strategies here.

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Lou Melancon
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Old Men Geezer Tactics

Post by Lou Melancon »

At Terror over Hilltop I had my best contest ever. After 10 rounds I had 3,000 plus points, which is pretty good considering rounds one and two were 40, and 120 respectively. This is really my first good contest since early in the year.

During the contest we flew 9 or 10 planes per heat. Smack Daddy was calling for me in one round and kept trying to get me onto targets. I told him there were too many planes for me and too much information to process. In the past I would have tried to get on every streamer that was close and likely would have either mid aired or dumb thumbed into the ground. At this contest I had a different strategy that worked better for me.

The strategy was based first on flying the full five minutes of the heat. You can't score if you are not in the air so my objective was first to stay in the air for the entire heat. From this strategy came the corrollary - plan your moves. Instead of randomly going after targets I picked out planes I could follow and tried to stay on them. When they went into the furball I broke off pursuit and tried to pick them up again when they came out. If I could not do this I move slightly outside the furball, got to the average altitude of the planes in combat and looked for another target to pursue.

It worked, I stayed up the full match 7 out of 10 times. Also I got as many, if not more, cuts in the last two minutes as in the first three.

Another change was to follow a plane rather than its streamer. I know this sounds strange but I found if I pursued the plane I would end up over or next to its streamer. Then I could make small adjustments in flight path to get the streamer. If I missed, which I usually did, I was still in position to make another pass. I didn't go from one side of the field to the other to get into pursuit position on a plane but instead kept adjusting my track so that the other plane and mine would come into alignment. A spotter here really helps if you tell them what plane you want to pursue they can tell you how to adjust your track to align with it.

Hopefully I can stay disciplined and follow the same strategy in my next combat contest. It is so easy to be undisciplined and just go after everything near you which usually ends up in a mid air or dumb thumbing into the ground. Strangely enough combat is becoming more a matter of patience for me than sharp eyes and fast reflexes.

What is your strategy (dumb it down for us old geezers)?

Lou Melancon
Alpharetta, Georgia
Cajun
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Post by Cajun »

Lou, I have considered this strategy and even tried it, but in so many of our contests most of the streamers are gone 2 minutes into the heat and usually the streamers left are on the planes of the top dawgs.

If you don't get into the mix early, how do you amass points when all thats left is the leavings and everyone up is chasing the same streamers?

I agree that a good caller is a must when flying persuit.

CAJUN [8D]
Lone Star Combat State
AMA-CD 174052
RCCA 380
NACOGDOCHES, TEXAS
MY MIND WORKS LIKE LIGHTNING,,ONE BRILLIANT FLASH AND IT'S GONE!!
Lou Melancon
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Joined: Wed Apr 04, 2001 5:16 pm
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Post by Lou Melancon »

Hi Bill,
I don't know how to score if all the streamers are gone in the first two minutes but at this contest those that were gone were only gone from one plane to another. There were targets, sometimes only short ones, for the entire five minutes.

Lou Melancon
Alpharetta, Georgia
Wingman
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Post by Wingman »

Looks like old dogs can learn new tricks! This tactic is one that I have followed for 1 1/2 seasons, and have found it tremendously successful. As you noted, your scores will be high, but also fun is to take home most, if not all of your planes in one piece. Good luck at your next contest - Houston?

Eric
Lou Melancon
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Post by Lou Melancon »

Trying to make Jetero Eric. Looks about 70/30 in favor now.

Lou Melancon
Alpharetta, Georgia
sgilkey
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Joined: Mon Mar 19, 2001 8:26 am

Post by sgilkey »

I don't think this technique applies exclusively to geezers! Neither Brian nor I are good furball fliers but we have made a couple of observations. 1) (This usually applies to me) If I try to fly conservatively, i.e. have had a midair and am "nervous" about losing another plane, I not only do poorly, I seem to midair with a much higher frequency when I finally do engage. I think it might be that the section of my brain that would normally be processing targets and threats, is concentrating on something else like keeping my butt clinched up. Similar to driving while talking on the cell phone. Try not to worry/fly conservatively and I think you will do better (i.e. dont do as I do, do as I SAY!). 2) I have noted that when the furball is fast and furious and streamers are getting cut quickly, Brian tends to attack by fling ACROSS the furball, with predictable results, he gets t-boned. When he settles down and flies on the edge of the furball, picking up targets similar to the technique Lou describes, he does much better and collides less. I think Lou's technique is an excellent approach and it has worked for us!

Scott Gilkey
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