GUNNERY-  "Good flying never killed (an enemy) yet"  Maj. Mick Mannock RAF,
 73 victories

        This is an absolutely essential skill, because it doesn't matter how
 good a flyer you are if you can't put the bullets on target.  Fortunately,
 we have a couple of things to help us.
        First thing is to get familiar with your gun sight.  As part of the
 regular SVGA program you can pick boresight and LCOS options, which I highly
 recommend that you do.  The boresight is a tiny dot in the center of the
 sight that shows where you bullets will go if you are flying exactly
 straight and level, pulling no gees.   It is an excellent reference point
 for where you bullets will be attempting to go.  The pipper of the LCOS is
 set for range, and is set by the [] keys.  It shows where your bullets will
 go at that range if you fire right now.  BTW, LCOS stands for Lead Computing
 Optical Sight, and our sight is modeled somewhat after the actual K9 sight
 that was used on late model P51s, P47s, P38s, and Spitfires in 1944.  You
 will notice that when you start a turn, the pipper will trail the boresight,
 and this shows the amount of lead you would have to pull to hit an aircraft
 at the range you have selected.  The nice thing about the pipper is that if
 you set it to say 400, and you put a target into it at that range and hold
 it there smoothly, you are virtually guaranteed a hit.
        Now, how do we make this work? :)  First I will give you my
 recommendations, but I also encourage you to experiment and see what works
 for you.  Many fine players in AW do not use the pipper at all, but rely on
 the boresight and Kentucky Windage to figure their lead.  It has been my
 experience that it is generally easier when starting to use the LCOS.  You
 could try to ranged the LCOS in and out during a fight, but this adds one
 more thing to your already complicated cockpit routine.  My recommendation
 is that you set the pipper and forget it.  I usually set mine to 500 yards,
 but you could probably work with 400-600 too.  Keep in mind, that it is the
 relative motion of the target compared with your boresight (your position)
 that determines the amount of lead neccessary.  A closer target will
 generally move faster compared to you than a farther one, and will therefore
 require more lead.  Additionally a faster target requires more lead than a
 slower one.
        Ideally you want to set up a tracking shot, and this is what we will
 talk about, though many times all that is available is a snap shot
 opportunity.  Snap shots require fine judgement, and usually come with
 experience.  In a tracking shot, the target is usually moving in high speed
 relative to you, usually crossing your initial flight path at some high
 angle (60-90 degrees).  You match your wing angle to the bogie (this puts
 you in the same plane of turn) and you only have to manage one variable,
 i.e. pulling back and forth on the stick, as opposed to having to move it
 side to side additionally.  Make side to side adjustments with your rudder
 pedals.  It is essential that your control movements be gentle and small, as
 abrupt movements pull the bullet stream into unpredictable flight paths.
 You pull the pipper gently through the target, beginning to fire when the
 pipper exactly brackets the target.  As you are closing (overtaking the
 target) you requirement for lead goes up.  If you have set your pipper for
 500, this means that you have to continue to pull the pipper throught the
 enemy aircraft.  You will find that at close range (below 300) the enemy
 aircraft and the pipper will dissappear below your nose.  This is how it
 should be, so don't worry.  Continue to fire until the icon dissappears from
 view.  BTW, this technique of firing at the a/c below your nose was the
 exact technique used by the German ace Hans Joachim Marsielle (152 victories
 against Western a/c).
        AW, and real life gunnery for that matter, places a premium on being
 closer.  The weight of bullets and their kinetic energy (velocity) is
 greater the closer you are.

        "You can have computer sights or anything you like, but I think you
 have to go to the enemy on the shortest distance and knock him down from
 point blank range.  You'll get him from in close.  At long distance, it's
 questionable." Colonel Erich Hartman, Luftwaffe, the World's Leading Ace,
 352 victories.

        Keep in mind that warps in the network affect you more severely at
 short range (ie any uncertainy about the exact location of the enemy a/c)
 but if you can hit him, you may blow him up in one burst.
        Key things are :

        1.  Match bank angle (your wings to his)

        2.  Use fore and aft movements of the stick to pull the pipper
 through the target.  Use the rudder for side to side adjustments.  BE
 GENTLE, MOVE MINUTE AMOUNTS!!!!!

        3.  Keep pulling the pipper through the target until it disappears
 from view beneath your nose.  Keep firing until the icon disappears, then
 look for the target in views and reacquire it.  Take immediate action to
 avoid being a target yourself :), as you have just overshot and are now
 ahead of the opponent.

        I hope this is of help to you. 

        See you in the virtual skies!

@=={--RAPIER---