Having just recently got into EAW, I have flown (and completed) a BoB campaign flying Spits for the RAF, and just started a USAAF 1943 campaign (first I tried with the Jug, but had to move onto the PonyB 'cuz I kept getting hammered...), and I'm planning to fly for the Luftwaffe once I'm done with the USAAF («traitor! defector!» ), so I'm interested in all and every perspective.

As for the rest, I'm still flying with ID and Range on (mostly range, until I get a good idea of what a certain plane looks like at a certain distance, etc.)
I don't feel cycling the guns to be unrealistic (I mean, pilots could cycle'em), I usually go for (in the case of a SpitIa) 4 guns for snapshots and switch to full for tracking shots...
Rear view... I hear you... I love a 'check six' option but this one is too much...

Now, bombers. So far I just tackled He111s and Ju88s in the BoB, and found that the only way I could hit them was with a stern attack. Not the best way, obviously. Probably a high side/low side attack would work better if I could hit anything with deflection shooting... any tips here?

Also, dogfighting. Coming from jet sims, I find difficult to adjust to the scant amount of power available... so I tend to run out of juice rather soon... here's a question: after a "boom", how do you zoom? What's better: to go almost vertical, convert all speed into altitude (and be a sitting duck at the apex of the zoom), or a shallow climb to keep the speed up? Of course, it'll change depending on the plane and the situation, but any pointers would be welcome. And I know I have a lot of experimenting to do...

One more things: comms. First of all, I often hear my mates crying for help ("I can't shake him!", or "clear my tail!"). Is there a way to "target" the message sender/subject like in MiG Alley or do I have to rely on my MkI eyeballs and (poor) SA? Also, I haven't got to command anything more than my element yet, but I'd like to know if there are any "tips" on ordering your guys around... i.e. tell them to cover me, get into a good starting position with all of them on my wing, and only then give the order to attack, or what else? Stuff like that.

Uh, ok, enough for me. I'm at work, and I'm not eager to end up like Rommel (our Edwin Rommel) being busted for spending too much time on the forum... plus, I bet you had enough questions for one day (or even week )

Check six,

Since you had been flying jets and have trouble with underpowered WW2 ac, I suspect you are used to jerking your joystick about. Energy management is more difficult in WW2 ac and requires abit more disciplined. Try using your joystick in a more smoother manner. Nothing bleeds energy faster than sudden changes in angle of attack or having all your control surfaces sticking out all of the sudden.

You are right about the "zoom" part being dependent on the situation. Converting all speed to altitude is OK provided you are sure an enemy ac is not waiting for you to just hang there, AND you are doing so because you are ready to immediately pounce on the enemy. More often a shallower climb, or slightly turning climb is used. Again it all depends on your situation. I tend to not let my speed drop too low eg 200mph/320kph.

As for boom & zoom, don't try in a Hurri witout LOTS of altitude and be careful in a Spit because the 109 can zoom better than you. It works great in a Typhoon as long as you don't exceed about 440mph because then the tail tends to fall off. If you do it right and keep up lots of speed you'll be pretty safe. The other trick in a Tiffie is not to dive too low. When going fast they are VERY slow to pull up and you can hit the dirt at 400+mph

Same things work for the Tempest but it turns and recovers musch faster so is not such a challenge.

In the Hurri and the Spit1 you should be flying as a turn-fighter. You can outmaneuver the opposition in most cases. With the Hurricane, I'll dogfight right down in the dirt if need be. You can't run away from anybody anyway. With the Spit I try to keep some airspace to use for diving escapes.

With an energy fighter like the Mustang and the 109, the hardest thing for me was to really committ to not getting into a dogfight. Just the other night I was diving on a Hurricane and he turned away at the very last second before I could blast him. I twitched the stick, just a fraction, then went straight ahead in a shallow climb. You need to be patient. A minute or so later I bounced another Hurri and sent him into the channel.

Sulla,
believe me, I can't jerk the stick around even if I wanted to: I own a Thrustmaster F22, that thing is so heavy it's like pulling Gs, after a while my arm literally hurts (big drawback in online h2h!). Beside, I've been flying MiG Alley as I said, and trust me, those pesky F86 are a sensitive bunch! Planes in EAW seem more like flatbed trucks after having flown MA. No, the "problem" is that I'm used to re-gain energy quickly, and of course you can do more dramatic maneuvers with a jet powered ac (i.e., if you want to do a loop over in, let's say, an F16, just get your speed above ~250kts, even less will do, and off you go, the engine will take you through the loop. Plus, it takes a handful of seconds in a shallow dive to get the speed up with afterburners...)
So, the thing is that you must decide on a course of action beforehand, and follow through (Old Guy's story with the Hurri is a perfect example). I am interested in learning some of those "course of action"s.
But yes, I must learn to be a trifle more thrifty with my energy...

Dwitt, let me help you back: in MiG Alley (OFF TOPIC! OFF TOPIC!) hit the F5 key to padlock the msg sender/subject.
As for comleting my first BoB, I thouroughly enjoyed the same advantage british pilots had: if my plane got smashed, a nice nylon letdown (probably a silk letdown at those times) would do the trick, back to fight the next day. Never engaged bombers over the Channel (well, some stragglers), beside you can't shoot'em all down, they NEVER broke formation, I just tried to give the Huns a high attrition rate (well, higher than mine anyway!).

Again, thank you all!