Bombing Tips For Rookie Air Warriors

"Hey, Sparky. See if you can pick up Radio-Free Europe on the wireless." --- Pancake

Fighters win the battles, but bombers win the wars. Bomber pilots don't get the respect they deserve, probably because they don't pull the fancy aerobatic stunts that the fighter boys do. Let me tell you, it takes a lot more courage to take a bomber in over a target than it does to take a fighter in. Fighter pilots can always escape. Bomber pilots must go straight in and take their punishment.

So you still wanna be a bomber boy, eh? Ok, here's a few tips to get you started.

At The Conference Room:
First off, pick the right tool for the job. The heavy bombers are good for leveling factories and fuel depots. The medium bombers are good for taking out specific buildings, such as maintenance sheds and radar towers. Heavy fighters (those packing bombs on their racks) can usually take out the flak batteries.

In Classic Air Warrior, you can only hit the bomb release button twice, so if you're in a B-17 that's carrying 12 bombs, you're going to drop 6 at a time. In an A-26, you're going to drop 4 at a time. In a B-24, you're going to drop 3 at a time. In the new versions of Air Warrior (AW2 or AW3 as of the time of this writing) you can drop one bomb at a time by typing Esc B prior to arming your bombs. Some targets require more bomb hits before they are destroyed, so pick your target before you pick your plane. Use a map if you have one because mission planning is critical.

At The Airfield:
Choose your plane. You'll see a box that will confirm your selection and load-out. You can also broadcast a request for a crew, and each bomber has different gunner positions. In a medium bomber, you can get away with only one gunner (he can change positions within the plane during flight by typing ESC JT or whatever position is available within the plane at the time). In a B-17, I'd take at least two, and they'll be plenty busy jumping around. Confirm their request to join the bomber crew (be patient - sometimes the server is slow to process commands) and you're ready to go. Tip: the gunner positions run out of ammo quickly, so you may want to remind your boys to hold their fire until the enemy is within a good shooting range.

In Flight:
Make sure you start each of your engines. They don't all start at once, so you'll have to hit the ignition switch once per engine. Go to 100% throttle and use the full length of the runway. Once the altimeter needles start to spin, raise your landing gear. Now its time to sweat the details.

There are three ways to approach a target: 1) below the radar (200 feet) 2) above the interceptor fighters' ranges (10k alt) 3) anywhere in between. In medium bombers, I like to come in low, around 150 feet, and stay below the radar. B-17 pilots like to come in high, because they tend to be slow and un-maneuverable with a full bomb load so staying high gives them a better chance of avoiding enemy fighters. Coming in anywhere in between is a risky proposition. Once you've decided your approach, use the autopilot (X key) to keep the plane straight and level. Monitor your flight, because the autopilot is not the most accurate tool in the world.

On the way to the target, you can communicate with your gunners by using the ` key (that's the key next to the 1 key, upper left corner of the keyboard) without broadcasting to the rest of your countrymen (or, as of Air Warrior III, you can use the voice comm feature). Use the ' key (that's the one next to the Enter key on the right of the keyboard) to coordinate your formation with the other bombers and your escort fighters. I like to use the intercom to talk to my gunners, to keep them entertained as we crawl to the target.

Before You Get To The Target:
If you've planned your mission correctly, you should be coming over the target at a good altitude. If you're coming in low (below 200 ft) you're going to have to climb up to avoid the blast shock when you drop your explosives. I like to climb up to approximately 1,000 feet and level it out. Now hit ESC Z and you'll get your bombing sight. You can magnify and reduce the image using the + and - keys. You can adjust your approach using your rudder. Don't bank on the run. Put the cross hair in a direct line with the target, and watch your instruments to verify that you're coming in level. Aim the cross hair just in front of the target and hit Button #2 on your joystick once (you're not really trying to fly by mouse or keyboard, are you?). Save the second rack to clean up anything you missed on the first pass. Repeat as necessary.