Hellcats - Over the Pacific (e)

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Hellcats - Over The Pacific

Setup tips 

* When playing Hellcats with normal mouse setting, you might get jerky 
flight movement. Using a mouse set to tablet speed, from the control 
panel, does wonders for flight control. 
Flight Tips 
* In Bomb Base you get credit for shooting the planes that are on the 
ground. 
* You can't ditch with your gear down. 
* To get a direct hit on a pinpoint target (as in the test target in the 
training mission) fly at the point you want to hit low (500 feet or 
less) and fast (200 knots IAS as target is likely to be HOT as in 
Battleships). Zoom straight down when target goes below your panel 
view. 
* The Climb and the Flop: When target appears at the edge of your view, 
pull up sharply until you are vertical, climb until you are about to 
stall and pull over so that as you stall, your plane flips over and 
you are pointing straight down at the target. 
* Timing the Drop: Watch your shadow on the ground. Give this a couple 
of tries on the training mission target to get a feel for how the 
shadow indicates your position and the time to drop your ordinance. 
* Put the gear in the down position to dramatically decrease your speed. 
* How to land on a listing carrier: Land like you usually do, but keep 
the Hellcat on a horizontal plane with the listing carrier and use the 
rudders to maintain your heading and position relative to the 
horizontal plane of the carrier. 
* To keep from overshooting your target (aircraft): Reduce speed 
quickly, lower the flaps, drop the gear and reduce the thrust. If 
necessary, climb. If you get really close, the Zeroes will turn, so 
take a guess and turn in that direction. If you guessed wrong, just 
complete the circle and pick your victim up again. 
* Don't waste ammunition! You only get a certain amount! 
- If you see flames, break off the attack and move on to another 
target. 
- Lots and lots of quick bursts are better than a couple of long ones, 
especially at long range. 
* Fuel Levels: Most of the Missions (except Divine Wind) are fairly 
short in flying time as compared to your fuel capacity. Especially in 
the carrier missions you should keep your fuel at half and only make 
one pass at the target. Once you have eliminated fighter support, you 
can always land, refuel and rearm. This works great with Bomb Base and 
The Duel. The difference in performance is amazing. 
* Flaps can be used as air-brakes to slow your speed down and to make 
tighter turns. 
* Dodging AA: Never underestimate the view from behind, from this 
vantage point you can see the AAA machine gun fire before it crosses 
your plane, and thereby dodge potentially mission ending bullets. 
* Desperate Kill: If your engine is out or you are out of fuel after the 
first pass of a carrier (with two hits) and you are too low to expect 
to go back home (or whatever,) try to crash your plane into the 
carrier (and don't forget to jump before and high enough.) That way 
you can kill the carrier and you have a reasonable chance of being 
rescued (anyway it has worked several times with me.) Anyway, you 
won't get a medal for your mission as you lose the aircraft. 

Get rid of enemies 

* Pulling Out (or Popping your Rivets): 
- Better Off Dead Method: After the drop, cut the engine, continue to 
fall until you hit 500 feet, put down your flaps and simultaneously 
pull back hard. Immediately rethrottle. You'll scrape the ground and 
bounce up to around 600 feet again. 
- Momma, I Wanna Go Home Method: Hit the flaps the moment you drop the 
bombs and pull back to a steep dive. Hold this attitude till you 
reach 200 feet and then pull level and retract the flaps. You'll be 
out of AAA range quickly. 
* Warning! Never attempt this bombing manoeuvre when there are enemy 
fighters (smoking or not) around. They will hit you when you slow down 
for the stall. 
* Getting someone off your tail: 
- Start a tight turn, drop the gear, reduce thrust, and kick in the 
flaps. 
- Build up as much airspeed as you can, go level, kick the flaps in 
and pull up into a vertical position.(Plan B may not be a good thing 
to try with a sick engine.) 
* A technique to use when dogfighting is a skidding turn. (In reality 
this is not a good idea but in Hellcats it can work). All you have to 
do is keep constant power (around 60-70%) bank in the direction of 
your turn and keep constant rudder pressure in the same direction. You 
can alter your bank and pitch to keep from stalling, just keep the 
rudder pressure! Using this you can out-turn a Zero! Watch for a stall 
(too slow) and your altitude. Also watch for cross-controlling, that 
is, right rudder-left bank (or vice versa.) If you stall while 
cross-controlled you can spin the plane. You can recover from a spin 
by pitching down (to increase airflow over the wing) and holding 
opposite rudder to the direction of the spin. The Hellcat does not 
recover from spins very well and don't try this too close to the 
ground.

Terrain hints 

* There is a small village in the southeast of Henderson Field (three 
houses and a small lake) try these out for target practice. 
* South of Henderson Field there is a bridge that can be sunk. 
* In the northwest quadrant there are several strange, small islands and 
a field right in the middle of the sea.

Hints for Scramble mission 

* Engage the enemy bomber in Scramble from above and to the front. You 
can usually get him smoking on the head-on run. 
* Another approach to the bomber in Scramble is to fly very fast at 
about 100 feet until almost (< 1/3 mile) directly under it, then 
pull up and roll around. You'll be approaching it from slightly behind 
and almost directly below it, giving you about 10 seconds of good shot 
time and putting you directly behind it after the manoeuvre.