As in the real world Newton's laws of physics apply and like all laws of nature can not be broken by us mere mortals but can be dealt with and overcome ..usually by means of force (I.e.)" A object in motion will stay in motion until acted upon by a equal opposite force " This is a general description of the effect of "energy" on objects in motion . Also obviously objects that are not in motion that have "energy" applied to them will move ..how much they move depends upon the amount of "energy" applied to the object as well as the "resistance" that the object will encounter . In a vacuum objects of different mass and weight will move at the same speed when the same amount of "energy" is applied to them.(space is a vacuum for example there is no atmosphere or gravity to "resist" motion of the object). Unlike space the surface of Earth and Earth's atmosphere is full of opposing forces "gravity" and "wind resistance" being the 2 factors being responsible for producing "resistance" to the "energy" being applied to the object(in this case your airframe)

OK this is where Warbirds excels in is modeling ...it's physics modeling is top notch and getting better all the time. Hence all of the factors that effect motion are represented ...Airframe weight (Gravity),Wind resistance (Atmosphere) ,Airframe drag (Atmosphere),Engine horsepower (Energy) . Now this is another Warbirds appreciated detail ..Each plane is modeled realistically as possible to the original planes test and performance data as possible . (I'm sure they made calculated estimates on some of the factors in gray areas of plane performance ,,I do suspect they have lightened and pumped up a feature or two on a some of the "lesser" planes modeling just to make it "fun to fly"as you will hear some times like "that plane is over modeled !!" But hits is very minimal for most of the planes are close to right as one could expect to find for the engine power airframe weight ratio.

OK so these are some of the factors that effect Air plane performance. In general to be truly successful as a "Killing Machine" in Warbirds you must KNOW ALL OF THE PLANES STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES. "Know the enemy as well as you self and you will be successful in battle over and over time and time again and again" -Sun Tzu's Art Of War. Well while that last quote holds up to the test of time and is very true ,,it was written by a Chinese General 2400 years ago,,And like all generals they think in A acceptable loss type of way hehe. Acceptable losses come in the form of rudders airlarions and other parts in Warbirds hehe. In other words he lived long enough to learn from his mistakes and seeing how this is just a game you will too. At first you will make mistakes ...allot of them.... but if you study what you did when you went into the situation and and what you did during it and when and what caused your demise you will learn to plan a better strategy the next time .

Now back to the knowing all the planes thing. Boom & Zoom planes are usually planes that are

1.Heavy

2.Fast

3.Able to dive at high speeds( 350mph+) and not compress (still be responsive on the stick)

4.Not good dogfighters (don't turn and keep speed well, turning circle is large etc..)

Boom & Zoom'in is really about making your self untouchable and to enter and exit the fray at will (this requires lots of spare "energy"). Now to do this you must have some patience and good timing. Now B&Z is truly like being a predator while T&B (turn and burning) is like a knifefight . Being a predator you stalk your pray looking for any weakness or carelessness . (killing the stupid bastards who are not paying attention hehe)

To achieve a good proper Stalking position you must .

1. Get to a good altitude (10,000 .ft or higher U.S sys 30,000 .km or higher metric sys)

2. Know the plane you are in. (How well it will climb after a pass ,when will the stress in a dive rip its wings off etc...)

3. Find a hunting ground with lots of low cons (hehe)

 

Now here is a list of Boom and Zoom planes from best (my personal favorites) to some cross over plane types that can do both T&B and B&Z planes, as well as some comments on each plane.

Plane	Positive attributes for B&Z	Negative attributes
FW190a-4	Fast ,great roll at all speeds,handles high speed dives very well,very well armed 4x20mm 2x7.62mg's, excellent unobscured cockpit view,tough as nails	Poor low speed "energy" retention during flat turning ,Slow climber
FW190d	Very Fast , excels at hi altitude, great roll , excellent hi speed diving ability,Lots of ammo,also can carry 1x1000lb bomb	Very poor speed "energy"retention during flat turns,over all not as good at turning as the FW190a4, not as fast a a P-51 under 12,000 ft
FW190a-8	Fast ,heavily armed 4x20mm 2x 12.7(50.cal)mg's,tough as nails	Poor climber,Poor low speed "energy" retention during flat turning
F4u-1d	Fast,good roll ability,good hi speed diver ,tough as mofo,lots of ammo ,also can carry a hefty ordinance load	Poor climber, Not a very good turner,obscured rear cockpit view,No 20mm cannons
F4u-4	Fast,good roll ability,good hi speed diver ,tough as mofo,lots of ammo ,also can carry a hefty ordinance load	Poor climber, not a very good turner,obscured rear cockpit view,No 20mm cannons
P-47	Fast in a dive,excellent control at hi speed dives, can take massive damage and still fly,also carries a hefty bomb or rocket load	Very slow climber ,Turns like the Titanic,Back of cockpit seat obscures the low 6 o'clock view,No 20mm cannons
P51-B&D	Very Fast, Handles well in hi speed dives,The p51-d has a good all-round rear view,Turns fair,Can also carry 2x1000lb bombs	Fair climber,No 20mg's,P51B has A obscured rear cockpit view
Ki-84	Fast,Very fast at low alt,Turns well ,2x20mm 2x12.7mg's,Good climber	so-so at hi speed dives,not much ammunition for guns
P38-l	Fast,2 engines (will fly on 1 no problem ),Turns well,Climbs well,Can carry 2x1000lb bombs	Will compress on a hi speed dive if not throttled back all the way,Obscured cockpit views,cant take much damage to tail elevator

 

As you see the FW series of planes are (in my opinion) the premiere Boom & Zoomer's.They are Fast ,Heavily armed ,and they cant dogfight to save their ass...But they can dive at very hi speeds and still handle the stresses and steer well ,This essentially is what B&Z is all about.

You enter the fight from a higher altitude ,Pick A target, Dive in at A high rate of speed, Line up the target , Steer on to them and let them have it before they know what hit them, Pull up or level out and get out of the vicinity before any of the other non-friendlies can get a line on you.

Now this is like many things in life "easier said then done" Lets look at the above statement and break it down step by step and see what you have to do to make A successful B&Z run.

1.Enter the fight from a Higher altitude.....This the ideal situation to be in to have "energy" on the lower cons .I have seen it said energy = life ,the higher you are the more energy you can "make" by diving to increase speed . Often you will see that your not the only one who has figured this out....hehe. some times you have to take some extra fuel and bootleg out to get to A good altitude really you should do this every time you fly cause cons coming into your field will almost always be at a higher altitude. Also being in a B&Z plane means you cant turn as well as say A Spitfire so if they (cons) are at the same alt you are you will only have 2 choices ,1. Go for a head - on pass and keep going ...don't turn around 2. (hope there's no other enemy B&Z planes there ) and Dive away from them cause they cant follow you cause their airframes cant take the stress of the dive as they will lose control in A hi speed dive. or 3. Rub you lucky rabbits foot and start dogfighting them...hehe

2.Pick A Target.....OK you have made it to a higher altitude and your over a enemy field(or anywhere theirs cons).Now this is where "KNOW ALL OF THE PLANES " Really helps allot .Start looking for planes with no rear views like the F4F F4u etc.. or planes with limited rear views the P-51B ,P47,P-40,, Also look for planes pilots who are "Not Paying Attention to their 6 O'clock position". You will often see a group of enemy lined up on one of you fellow country men who have found themselves "low and slow" and are "target fixated" on them like a stream of Jack Asses following a carrot. If they fall in to both of these categories "No Rear View" and "Not paying Attention to their 6" they are prime targets for A B&Z pass. Anyone not watching their 6 o"clock is A prime target really...including you. Now also diving down on a lower con while there are still cons at a higher alt then the one you are attacking ,lends to you being venerable to attack if they follow you down on your attack pass ( it is one of the best ways to get rid of a vulture doing B&Z passes over your field too).

3.Dive In At A High Rate Of Speed and Line Up On The Target...again "KNOW ALL THE PLANES" helps allot here you don't always have to "Dive In At A High Speed" just make sure you have enough to get out again.Also you will find you will over shoot planes allot which can turn well like Spits and Zeke's.Lining up on them is the trick this is why the best B&Z planes have 20mm cannons , surprise is the element of success here ,1 pass kill is the desired effect. 6x50 .cals are not 1/2 as good as a burst of 4x20mm that is a fact.

3.5 OK you have over shot your target or missed them with your fire..The best thing to do in planes that don't turn well is to ...well not turn. Do vertical LOOPS to get above and behind them again that is why you dove at a high rate of speed is to have enough "E" ="energy" to do just this ,this is the "Roller Coaster ride" that is Booming and zooming. Like A Roller Coaster you will find your self cresting that hill and diving down to achieve enough "E" to make it to the next the top of the next hill to do it again (And make a pass at A target while doing it).

4. Get out of the vicinity before any of the other non-friendlies can get a line on you. OK you have filled some plane full of lead and they are now dead or spiraling to the ground in flames. Or you have squandered all of your "E" while making passes.Ether way your low on "E" or at the same alt as the enemy is now .IF you have the "E" to spare try getting back to altitude and get some more kills .. or if you are low on "E" just hit the WEP and keep going straight till your 6 is clear of cons cause you are faster than any "Turn and Burn " plane and if you entered the fight higher than another B&Z plane and didn't get "Target Fixated" and waste all of your "E" tracking a con who knows you are there ..you should still have enough Speed to outrun the fast B&Z planes that were at the lower alt ,in this case drag them toward friendless that will be more than happy to "Bounce" them ..and If you alone and their on you ..try and get back to your field for A little help from the "Ack Weenies" or some friendless that are there.

 

Well that's a basic rundown of Boom & Zooming ....It takes practice and patience to achieve high kill sortie and land .Booming and Zooming if done right will reap you at least 2 kills every flight ..and you can still land most of the time.I was very pleased with my first 5 kill sortie doing B&Z this is at all not uncommon while expecting 5 kills or even 2 every flight is a bit pesumpous ..its not that hard to get 2 or 3 consistently... I have achieved a 10 kill sortie before in a FWa-4.

Remember "KNOW ALL OF THE PLANES"

 

Rat---