Chopper Pilot's Guide to being a GREAT gunner

[Inkeeper]

Re: Chopper Pilot's Guide to being a GREAT gunner

Hey - fantastic article. Good job. I do have a slight difference of opinion in a few areas:
1) When I land the chopper, get the heck out and help me flip the flag. If you don't, by the time it turns neutral, every enemy in the game is on the way to kill us. I will watch your back, since I switch between the external views. If I see a bad guy, I will tell you to get in. If I have to leave to kill something, I will be back. If you get killed, the you can spawn back into the cockpit. If you're not in my squad, the too bad. Join the squad. Pilot is ALWAYS a squad leader.
2) The pilot in a Blackhawk is always a medic when the chopper is full. No exceptions. With 2 others or less, be an engineer. Otherwise, you choose between engineer and medic.
Thanks again!

[whoster69]

Re: Chopper Pilot's Guide to being a GREAT gunner

Again, great job on the guide Strega. I really appreciate pilots like you. I wish more people were as team oriented.

[wongasta]

Re: Chopper Pilot's Guide to being a GREAT gunner

the sarcastic element of the article is very entertaining, a good way to get your readers into "reading" it instead of scanning over it. this is very helpful too! awsome tips!!!

[BigFinger]

Re: Chopper Pilot's Guide to being a GREAT gunner

Good solid sensible advice specially in the 'chaingunnin anything that moves'

Hey - fantastic article. Good job. I do have a slight difference of opinion in a few areas:
1) When I land the chopper

I hope your not bieng serious there...

I never ever ever land it till it hits the ground a burning wreck.. reason bieng i usually play spec ops and ive lost count of the choppers ive c4'd on the ground or in a very low hover.

so i would add to the guide.

As a pilot i will never land or even get the height of a 2 storey building near a flag or we become a c4 magnet you want out ? thats why your got a chute... (unless its in the back of beyond to repair even then i wont get out or our chopper will show on the map)


.

[bureauboy]

Re: Chopper Pilot's Guide to being a GREAT gunner

Man you guys take this game far too serious! I play for fun and who gives a rats arse if my gunner shoots at trees and buldings. Get a grip guys! If you dont want to play along with the guys who are new to the game and does'nt "Play it your way" go join a clan and stick to their servers. Clan members spoil the game for me with their, lets work together! ITS A GAME FFS. Go join the army and play for real and leave the players who play for fun alone.

On the subject of Gunners and pilots. You should not be dominating the helly. Take it in turns. If no one is waiting when you spawn then fly it. But if there is let him take it and go play another way.

[leslie9800]

Re: Chopper Pilot's Guide to being a GREAT gunner

Thanks, this a great guide, good job on putting it together. Keep it up

[TCO-Spleenage]

Re: Chopper Pilot's Guide to being a GREAT gunner

This is a good guide for pilots + gunners, not just gunners.
I never considered helping fellow vehicles (Flying as Engineer to hover over tanks and whatnot)

Also, do you have any advice on piloting in dogfights? Like... do you fire at enemy heli's in bursts or just let loose your 14 missle fury?

Edit: Do you drink coffee, tea, soda, or rockstar?

[Strega]

Re: Chopper Pilot's Guide to being a GREAT gunner

This is a good guide for pilots + gunners, not just gunners.
I never considered helping fellow vehicles (Flying as Engineer to hover over tanks and whatnot)

Also, do you have any advice on piloting in dogfights? Like... do you fire at enemy heli's in bursts or just let loose your 14 missle fury?

Edit: Do you drink coffee, tea, soda, or rockstar?

Always be above the enemy chopper in a dogfight. Height is your advantage, use it. Fire your TV missile as much as possible, the more reps you take, the better you are going to get at it. Fire TV, then switch to guns and eat him up. Count to 8 in your head while shooting the chain then back to the TV for another shot. Practice Practice Practice.

Remember, never fire chain on a helo that doesn't see you, having the element of surprise is always good.

[EZIK1EL]

Re: Chopper Pilot's Guide to being a GREAT gunner

just joined this thing
find it anoying that it ceeps saying that ime a privat.

any way, good advice, i agree whole hartedly with the height and advice on the surprise, i admire players that can make you randomly explode withought warning, find it anoying, but i just think 2 myselph that it means that there good, and thus worthy to kill.

[gpierre]

Re: Chopper Pilot's Guide to being a GREAT gunner

Love the guide, nice tongue in cheek tone, i hate noobs blating away aimlessly with the chaingun on an approach run....nooooo stop it......press the damn right mouse button please! As for dogfights get lined up at a distance and keep the other chopper in your sights, the majority of the time the other pilot is gonna be trying to do the same thing, eventually you'll both be nose to nose flying up (usually happens anyaways) this is where as a pilot a bit of nerve and patience comes in, don't just unleash all your rockets whilst you're at too big a range, wait till you track in, jink a little bit to miss the oncoming onslaught, now he's all yours reloading cos he's only got 8 rockets and your close enough to finish him. Patience and a bit of nerve (ie not shooting your load to early ) are the key IMHO to dogfighting. I like 1.2 cos now everybody doesn't jump into th AHs it's left to the people who want to fly to fly as it's that little bit harder. Any thoughts on this? Or anybody got any more dog fighting tips i'm all ears.:)

[Six.]

Re: Chopper Pilot's Guide to being a GREAT gunner

Heh heh, I forgot about this thread and was wanting to compose my own Gunship Co-Pilots guide.

One thing for sure, the pilot and gunner will be co-dependant on each other for their survival- they must watch out for each other and spot everything that moves (yes, and that could also mean accidentally spotting friendlies- but that happens, better than spending 5 seconds verifying a target or friendly).

The Pilot MUST spot the target he wants his gunner to TV missile, after all- he needs to line him up with the nose of the helo anyway.

I like 1.2 cos now everybody doesn't jump into th AHs it's left to the people who want to fly to fly as it's that little bit harder. Any thoughts on this? Or anybody got any more dog fighting tips i'm all ears.:)

As with gunship dog-fighting; yep- agreed, always try to be the one on top, the one on top will have every advantage- the gunner has full scope of the target, and no need to fly backwards and become totally blind of the ground.

If you're beneath the other guy, zoom underneath him, turn around- and he probably would have had to change his flight-path already.

A veteran pilot would know how a turning helicopter's missile trajectory goes, usually when hitting a moving target travelling perpendicular to you, depending on distance- you usually have to shoot ahead of him... count by lengths of the gunship- so if he's about 3 seconds in front of you (i.e: 3 seconds to reaching him as if he were stationary), try aiming the missile 2-3 gunship lengths ahead of him. Compensate for speed.

But trust me, after a good while of flying the helo, and chasing light-vehicles- you'll get the idea on how the primary missiles fire - knowing how far to fire ahead will come naturally with practice.

Oh yeah, one more thing- constantly spot the enemy helo you're going to dog-fight. It will keep track of him for a little while if he/she ever escapes your line of sight. It'll also help anyone on the ground who wants to shoot down aircraft.

[EliteRazgriz666]

Re: Chopper Pilot's Guide to being a GREAT gunner

How about every1 we follow his guide like a set of unwritten rules e.g. if im hoverin u no im settin u up for a TV etc.

[Strega]

Re: Chopper Pilot's Guide to being a GREAT gunner

The pilot spotting targets is not easy. The gunner should do that. THe gunner should be on TeamSpeak, Ventrilo, TeamSound, whatever, telling his pilot what to do. The pilot is just the Taxi Driver, the other guy tells you where to go.

[=DE=nogard_lpc]

Re: Chopper Pilot's Guide to being a GREAT gunner

In my clan we have 2 great attack chopper pilots, and I was flying with one on dragon valley. With 2 and a half minutes into the I had the kill req's for the chopper service ribbon. I am not a the best attack chopper pilot, but I can fly once with a guy and know very quickly if I want to fly with him again.

You guid rocks keep them coming.

[Six.]

Re: Chopper Pilot's Guide to being a GREAT gunner

The pilot spotting targets is not easy. The gunner should do that. THe gunner should be on TeamSpeak, Ventrilo, TeamSound, whatever, telling his pilot what to do. The pilot is just the Taxi Driver, the other guy tells you where to go.

Well, I didn't mean that the pilot goes out of his way to spot enemies; only when lining the gunner up for the TV missile- because you have to have the nose of the helo to the target anyway; sometimes the gunner is too preoccupied to know whats in front of the helo; this is where you spot to tell him. (Also, any decent gunner would know to switch to camera view when using the cannon- so it's harder to tell where the front of the helo is- thus harder to determine if your pilot is lining you up for the shot).