Gunner Friendly Flying

[1con]

Last night I was flying the chopper !solo on Wake. I was in the same squad as my gunner, so I could hear VOIP (my mic is broken atm so I couldnt talk back).

Anyway, I consider myself a fair pilot and clearly recognize that the gunner is the primary killing aspect of the duo. As such, I tend to line up for TV shots well, can funnel pretty smoothly and tightly enough to cap a flag, and can dodge the J-10s as much as is possible.

So I sideslip down to the beach flag and start a funnel and the guy starts telling me to stop moving around so much. I dont think much of it at the time. Then the airport starts getting capped, so I flip over there and start funneling around the flag and my gunner starts going pretty ballistic, telling me to stop moving, fly smoothly, that I am going to get us killed. At this point I start to get annoyed, because I know as soon as I slow up we are going to get a couple of rockets in our rotors.

But, he has me questioning my technique. Normally, I am *elated* to get a pilot than can funnel when I am a gunner. Most seem to think that the hover or the fly-slowly-straight-over-the-flag-and-turn-around method works best.

What method, as a gunner, do you guys like, and why?

[Yaz888]

Re: Gunner Friendly Flying

Sounds like you were doing fine. Funneling is great for the gun, not so much for the TV. You should have red-lined the retard.

[Stemnin]

Re: Gunner Friendly Flying

sounds like he wants to get killed by a jeep/tank/anti tank, or worse, shot out by a sniper.

[troybob]

Re: Gunner Friendly Flying

i do whatever the gunner wants as long as it doesn't jeopardize us both. the gunner is how the helo gets it's kills and (believe it or not) teamwork is fun.

[Gun slinger]

Re: Gunner Friendly Flying

Last night I was flying the chopper !solo on Wake. I was in the same squad as my gunner, so I could hear VOIP (my mic is broken atm so I couldnt talk back).

doesnt solo mean by yourself or am I missing something here

[1con]

Re: Gunner Friendly Flying

Its the only programming language I know.

Putting a ! in front of a descriptor means the opposite of the descriptor, thus !solo=not solo.

[Gen.Vlade]

Re: Gunner Friendly Flying

I won't go as far as telling you to fly solo from now on to avoid those problems (Sloi probably would lol), but you didn't do anything wrong. Flying straight and steady will make you sitting duck for the jets and AAs.

[LaikaSB]

Re: Gunner Friendly Flying

Yeah, funneling is great for the chaingun, but not so good for the TV. Most of the time, if you are close enough to funnel, you are too close to make an accurate TV shot anyways.

So keep funneling unless theres a tank or something, at which point you can decide to either back out slightly to give your gunner a shot or you can go in yourself with the hydras. I prefer the hydras, because if you are good enough, they save you lots of time not having to always get your gunner in position to make a shot.

[Tiglath]

Re: Gunner Friendly Flying

Just watch your speed. Pilots tend to think that the faster they can funnel the better they are. Your job is to make sure the gunner has a good shot, not necassaarily stay alive. That may sound odd but it does not make any sense to end a round with 1-2 deaths and 10 kills. There is not a map in any rotation where the chopper gunner should have less than 25-30 kills. If that is the case then alter your flying style or find a better gunner.

BTW, communication (2 way) is necessary to have a good team chopper team. Especially when you are not familiar with your gunner/pilot.

[Ins]

Re: Gunner Friendly Flying

When i first started piloting i used to circle the flag at top speed, and the gunner used to chain gun like mad missing more than hitting. Whenever i was gunning and a pilot did this, i realised that it just isn't necessary most the time.

You can afford to go slow at distance, if you see a AT get launched you more than enough time to dodge it. Get a pro gunner in with you the scenario changes, fly like a ***** and let them chain everything that moves.

Guess it comes down to who you've got with you when flying, although you may feel flying top speed etc helps, sometimes it really doesn't. A chopper whore may correct me but what the hell, each to their own i guess

[Tiglath]

Re: Gunner Friendly Flying

A chopper whore may correct me but what the hell, each to their own i guess

I typically fly for chopper whores and they don't like it either. As a pilot you just need to pay attention to everything but where the gunner is aiming. And communicate.

[signa]

Re: Gunner Friendly Flying

I would say that if you get a gunner thats having problems with the speed of your circle, try increasing altitude somewhat so you can can slow down the funnel. as you know, never circle slow and low. if you were trying to take that flag, and the gunner is not in sync with you then forget about the gunner and concentrate on only you doing the killing and capping the flag. relying on a gunner who sucks will always get you killed.

[predragjanjic]

Re: Gunner Friendly Flying

redline!

[.Churr.]

Re: Gunner Friendly Flying

I can shoot most of the times no matter what the pilot does... Usually if I see the enemy and we don't get hit, I'll gun him down.

That's why I get so pissed off when I pick up a gunner and he starts complaining about how I am "all over the place" and that I should hover (WTF?) or fly slow enough to get shot at by everything.

[Drunken_x_Boxer]

Re: Gunner Friendly Flying

doesnt solo mean by yourself or am I missing something here

It was the voices in his head telling him to SLOW DOWN! KILL THOSE PEOPLES!!